KR940006287B1 - Equipment for manufactruing copper-base alloy - Google Patents

Abstract

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Description

Copper Alloy Manufacturing Equipment

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the device of the present invention.

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an alloy tube installed in the apparatus of FIG.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified portion of the device of the present invention.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another modified part of the device of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

10: melting furnace 12: injection tube

14: receiving passage 16: alloy tube

16a: entrance 16b: exit

16c: passage 18: tundish

32: heating furnace 36: heating means

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for producing a copper alloy having a very constant chemical composition. In the production of copper alloys, a batch process has conventionally been used, in which the solute metal is alloyed with copper in the melting furnace. However, the batch process was inconvenient in that the interior of the melting furnace had to be cleaned each time the kind of copper alloy to be produced changed. As a result, a large amount of melt is required for cleaning, and it is cumbersome to perform such cleaning. In addition, intermittent operation lowers the operating rate to the fusion furnace, resulting in lower productivity and higher production costs. Moreover, since the solute component is difficult to be constantly mixed with copper, the alloy produced does not satisfy the proper quality.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a copper alloy manufacturing apparatus capable of constantly dissolving solute components in molten copper in order to continuously produce a copper alloy having a constant chemical composition at a reduced cost. Another object is to provide a method for producing a copper alloy using such a device.

In order to achieve the first object of the present invention, an alloy tube inclined downward from one end to the other to flow the molten copper, having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end, the inlet and the outlet are connected by a long passage. At least one solid solute component is supplied to the alloy tube passage to produce a molten copper alloy by mixing the molten copper and the solute component with the molten copper entering from the inlet and flowing through the passage to the outlet. There is provided a copper alloy manufacturing apparatus consisting of a supply means connected to an alloy tube for supplying and a tundish installed at the other end of the alloy tube to receive the molten copper alloy flowing through the hole of the alloy tube.

In order to achieve the second object of the present invention, an alloy tube inclined downward from one end to the other end so that the molten copper flows, having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end, connected by the long passage. Providing a device consisting of an alloy tube and a supply means connected to the alloy tube for supplying at least one solid solute component to the alloy tube passage and continuously supplying molten copper from the inlet of the alloy tube to the alloy tube passage Allowing molten copper to flow downward through the passage and continuously supplying at least one solid solute component into the passage of the alloy tube through a feed means to produce a copper alloy by mixing the molten copper with the solute component Provided is a method of manufacturing a copper alloy consisting of steps.

1 and 2 illustrate a copper alloy manufacturing apparatus composed of a melting furnace crucible 10 for melting a solid copper material to produce molten copper. An inlet 12 having an inlet 12a at one end and an inlet 12a at one end and an outlet 12b at the other end is connected to the melting furnace 10 at one end, 14 is installed at the other end of the injection tube 12 to receive the molten copper flowing through the hole of the injection tube 12 in an anoxic state and to maintain the temperature of the copper on a constant basis.

As shown in FIG. 2, the injection pipe 12 is installed in a housing 13 in which a firebrick is stacked, and a reducing gas composed of a mixture of carbon monoxide gas and nitrogen gas is contained in the pipe 12. As shown in FIG. The alloy tube 16 inclined downward from one end to the other end has one end connected to the receiving passage 14 so that the molten copper flowing through the hole of the receiving passage 14 flows downwardly therethrough. Connected. The alloy tube 16 is composed of a closed casing having an inlet 16a at one end, an outlet 16b at the other end, and a long passage 16c connected to the inlet 16a and the outlet 16b. Alternatively, a reducing gas is filled in the passage 16c. As in the case of the injection tube 12, the alloy tube 16 is provided in a housing 13 in which the interior is stacked with firebrick. An injection basin or tundish 18, also composed of a sealed casing, is installed at the other end of the alloy tube 16 to receive the molten metal flowing through the holes of the alloy tube 16. The first and second feeders 20 and 22 are respectively connected to the alloy pipes 16 for supplying the solid solute components to the passages 16c of the alloy pipes 16, and the first feeder 20 is connected to a tube adjacent to one end ( 16, while the second feeder 22 is connected to the bottom of the tube 16 adjacent the other end. The passage 16c of the alloy tube 16 should be long enough to dissolve the solute component to mix the copper and solute components while the molten copper passes through the passage 16c.

The solute to be alloyed with copper depends on the type of copper alloy to be produced. As such solute components, chromium (Cr), zirconium (Zr), titanium (Ti), silicon (Si), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), tin (Sn), tellurium (Te) Many elements of the same type, such as arsenic (As), phosphorus (P), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), beryllium (Be), tungsten (W) and others, can be alloyed with copper. High purity solids are used for elements such as chromium (Cr), zirconium (Zr), titanium (Ti), silicon (Si), nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe), which have higher melting points than copper It is desirable to be. Such pure solid materials can be in the form of granules, particles, wire pieces, powders and the like.

The outer shell of the tundish 18 has an opening at the bottom, in which a nozzle 18a equipped with a stopper 24 is formed. By the vertical action of the stopper 24, the amount of the molten copper alloy flowing out of the tundish 18 can be adjusted. The mold 26 is installed under the tundish 18 to continuously cast the molten alloy that has flowed into the nozzle 18a of the tundish 18 to produce the mold copper alloy. The sealing shell 28 is installed between the tundish 18 and the mold 26 to seal the mold 26 and the interior of the tundish 18, and an inert gas is supplied therein.

Referring to the operation of the copper alloy manufacturing apparatus, first, the melting furnace 10 is filled with solid copper, and copper is melted. In particular, in the melting furnace 10, charcoal pieces are added so that the molten copper is not exposed to air, so that molten copper containing less oxygen than oxygen content of 50 ppm is produced therein. When the melting copper in the melting furnace 10 exceeds a certain height, it flows into the injection pipe 12 and passes therethrough to the receiving furnace 14. In the injection pipe 12, the molten copper containing less oxygen is reduced to the molten copper containing no oxygen not more than 10 ppm by the reducing gas contained therein.

Thereafter, the oxygen-free copper flows into the receiving passage 14 and is maintained at a constant temperature. Thereafter, the molten copper flows into the alloy tube 16 and passes through the passage 16c to the tundish 18. During the passage of copper through the alloy tube 16, the first solid solute component having a higher melting point compared to copper and difficult to melt is added through the first feeder 20 into the passage 16c of the alloy tube 16, The second solute having a lower melting point compared to copper is added to the passage 16c of the alloy tube 16 via the second feeder 22. In this step, since the molten copper flows through the passage 16c at a sufficient flow rate, the solute component entering the passage 16c is constantly mixed with the molten copper and quickly melted to produce a constant chemical composition of the molten copper alloy. In addition, although the first solute component is difficult to melt with a high melting point, it can be sufficiently alloyed with copper while passing through the long passage 16c because it is added at the upper layer of the alloy tube 16. As for the second solute having a low melting point, it is added in the lower portion of the alloy tube 16, but is easily mixed with the alloy and alloyed with copper. Some solutes with higher solubility may be added in tundish 18. Moreover, the solute may be preheated to near the melting point before being added.

The molten copper alloy thus produced flows from the alloy tube 16 to the tundish 18 and is poured back into the mold 26 through the nozzle 18a, whereby a cast product 30 of copper alloy is produced. In this case, the solute component is alloyed with copper that does not contain oxygen in the alloy tube 16, but may be alloyed with copper that contains less oxygen or decarbonized copper. However, if the solute component to be added is an active or reactive element such as Cr, Ti, Zr, Si, Mg, Ca, Al having a high affinity for oxygen, such an element combines with oxygen to lower the yield of the alloy. In such a case, copper containing less oxygen is preferably used.

FIG. 3 is a variant of the invention wherein the furnace 32 is provided between the alloy plate 16 and the tundish 18 to heat the fusion alloy flowing from the tube 16, different from the apparatus of FIG. 1 and FIG. Device is displayed. The heating furnace 32 is a high frequency induction electric furnace and is equipped with a foaming device 34 for blowing and stirring an inert gas such as argon into the molten alloy. Alloys produced by such devices include solute components.

4 is another variant of the invention, wherein the heating means 36 are attached to the alloy tube 16 to heat the molten copper and solute elements passing through the passage 16c, different from the apparatus of FIGS. Device is displayed.

Moreover, although the two feeders are connected to the alloy tube 16 in the above example, only one feeder is sufficient when a few solutes are added or the solubility of the solutes is about the same.

As described above, in the apparatus of the present invention, the solute component is continuously added to the molten copper flowing at a sufficient flow rate. Thus, the added solute component is stirred by the flow of the molten copper and constantly mixed with the molten copper to quickly melt and eventually produce a constant chemical composition copper alloy. In addition, by changing the amount of solute added in the alloy tube, the amount of alloy produced is changed, and in addition, other kinds of alloys can be easily produced. Moreover, since the alloying operation is carried out in the alloy tube, there is no need to clean the inside of the melting furnace when the type of alloy to be produced changes, thus substantially increasing the operating speed of the apparatus.

The present invention is explained by way of examples as follows.

Example 1

Cr-Cu alloys having a target Cr content of 0.25-0.40 weight were produced by the apparatus of FIGS. For comparison purposes, Cr-Cu alloys of the same target Cr content were produced by conventional batch processes. Data on Cr content of such alloys are shown in Table 1.

As shown in Table 1, the alloys obtained by the apparatus of the present invention generally exhibit a constant Cr content and meet the targets. On the other hand, the Cr content of the alloy obtained by conventional batch processors varies greatly, and there are alloys that do not meet the requirements.

TABLE 1

Example 2

Zr-Cu alloys having a target Zr content of 0.07 to 0.13% by weight were prepared by the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 and by conventional batch processes for comparison purposes. Data on Zr content of such alloys are shown in Table 2. As shown in Table 2, the alloys obtained by the device of the present invention generally exhibit a constant Zr content and meet the targets. On the other hand, the Zr content of the alloy obtained by the conventional batch process varies greatly, and there are alloys which do not meet the requirements. Moreover, although Zr is highly reactive and easy to oxidize, the Zr content of the alloy obtained by the apparatus of the present invention is relatively higher compared to the alloy obtained by the conventional method.

TABLE 2

Example 3

Mg-Cu alloys having a target Mg content of 0.02 to 0.08% by weight were prepared by the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 and by conventional batch processes for comparison purposes. Data on the Mg content of such alloys are shown in Table 3. As shown in Table 3, the alloys obtained by the apparatus of the present invention generally exhibit a constant Mg content and meet the targets. On the other hand, the Mg content of the alloy obtained by the conventional batch process varies greatly, and there are alloys which do not meet the requirements. Moreover, as in the case of Example 2, Mg is highly reactive and easy to oxidize, but the Mg content of the alloy obtained by the apparatus of the present invention is relatively higher than that of the alloy obtained with the conventional method.

TABLE 3

Example 4

A Cr-Cu alloy having a target Cr content of 0.75 to 0.90 wt% was produced by the apparatus of FIG. 3 including the heating furnace 32. For comparative purposes, Cr-Cu alloys of the same target Cr content were produced by conventional batch processes. Data on Cr content of such alloys are shown in Table 4. As shown in Table 4, the alloys produced by the apparatus of the present invention generally exhibit a constant Cr content and meet the targets. On the other hand, the Cr content of the alloy obtained by the conventional batch process varies greatly, and there are also alloys which do not meet the requirements.

TABLE 4

Example 5

Pure Cr metal grains, each of which has a high melting point and a purity of 0.1 mm to 1.5 mm grain size not less than 99.7% by weight, are alloyed with copper by the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2, with a Cr content of 1.1% by weight. Copper alloys with certain chemical compositions have been successfully obtained. Similarly, crushed Ti pieces each having a purity of less than 99.6% by weight and a size of 3.0 mm to 5.0 mm, and a Zr each having a purity of not less than 98.0% by weight and a size of 1.0 mm × 5.0 mm × 10.0 mm Pieces, pulverized Si pieces each having a purity of 3.0 mm x 5.0 mm and not less than 99.9% by weight, and spherical Ni pieces each having a purity of 8 mm and not less than 99.8% by weight, respectively. The Fe pieces having a purity of less than 99.9% by weight and a size of 1mm × 2mm-5mm were alloyed with copper, respectively, 2.5% by weight of Ti, 0.2% by weight of Zr, 1.7% by weight of Si, and 2.5% by weight. A copper alloy containing Ni content of% and Fe content of 2.3% by weight, respectively was obtained.

Example 6

Cu-Cr-Ti-Si-Ni-Sn alloys were produced by the apparatus of FIG. 1 and FIG. In this case, alloy elements were added in the order of Cu—Cr—Ti—Si—Ni—Sn to obtain an alloy having a Cr content of 0.3%.

Claims (5)

It is inclined downward from one end to the other so that the molten copper flows, and includes an inlet 16a and an outlet 16b at the other end and connects the inlet 16a and the outlet 16b. An alloy tube 16 having an elongated passage 16c and allowing molten copper flowing from the inlet passage 16a to flow through the passage 16c to the outlet 16b and at least one solid solute. A supply means connected to the alloy tube 16 to supply a component into the passage 16c of the alloy tube 16 to produce a molten copper alloy in which the solute component and the copper are mixed; A tundish 18 installed at the other end of the alloy tube 16 to receive the molten copper alloy flowing from the alloy tube 16 and the alloy tube 16 to heat the molten copper alloy flowing from the alloy tube 16. ) And the tundish 18 between And a heating means (36) attached to the alloy tube for heating the molten copper passing through the heating furnace (32) and the passage (16c). 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heating furnace is a high frequency induction electric furnace. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the supply means comprises one feeder connected to the alloy tube (16). 2. The feeder of claim 1, wherein the supply means further comprises: a first feeder 20 connected to an upper layer of the alloy tube 16 adjacent to one end to supply a first solute component having a higher melting point than copper; And a second feeder (22) connected to a portion of the alloy tube (16) spaced at regular intervals from the upper layer to the other end to supply a second solute component having a low melting point. According to claim 1, Melting furnace 10 for melting the solid copper to produce the molten copper, the injection pipe 12 for flowing the molten copper produced in the melting furnace 10 and the injection It is provided between the tube 12 and the alloy tube 16 and adjacent to the receiving passage 14 and the tundish 18 for accommodating the molten copper therein and maintaining the temperature of the molten copper at a constant level. Apparatus for producing a copper alloy, characterized in that a mold (26) is installed to cast the molten copper alloy to produce a cast product of the copper alloy.

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