NZ197590A - Regulating level of molten metal by feeding wire into melt - Google Patents

Description

1 975 9 0 No.: Date: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "MOLTEN METAL SURFACE ADJUSTMENT IN A MELTING POT" k/We, KOKOKU STEEL WIRE, LTD, a Japanese company, of 18-4, Kyobashi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, hereby declare the invention for which ? / we pray that a patent may be granted to }35gx/us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- 197500 METHOD OF ADJUSTING SURFACE LEVEL OF MOLTEN METAL IN CRUCIBLE Background .of the Invention 1. Field of the Invention: This invention relates to a method of adjusting surface level of molten metal in a crucible. 2. Description of the Prior Art: In order to produce uniform amorphous metal, metallic fibers or bodies to be metal plated, it has been generally employed to melt a blank metal in a crucible from which the molten metal flows out through a nozzle provided at a bottom or side surface of the crucible. In this case, it is essential for the crucible to adjust the surface level of the molten metal and to replenish the blank metal meeting the consumed amount of the molten metal. For these purposes, in prior arts, moletn metal melted in a separatre melting vessel has been supplied into the crucible with the aid of a pump or a tiltable ladle. On the other hand, the crucible was provided with a molten metal surface level detecting sensor which was detecting the surface level of the molten metal in the crucible to adjust the surface level by intermittently supplying the blank metal into the crucible according to the surface level detected by the sensor.

Therefore, the surface level of the molten metal temporarily lowers until the blank metal is replenished, while the level rises every time when the blank metal is intermittently supplied. The surface level a P.M2KT OFFICE 2 1 DEC 1983 • 19750.0 is thus repeatedly varied up and down, so that the molten metal pressure or head in the crucible is not substantially constant and so it is impossible to make stable the discharging amount of the molten metal through the nozzle of the crucible.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method of adjusting surface level of molten metal in a crucible, which eliminates the above disadvantage of the prior art and is able to automatically control replenishing of blank metal and adjustment of molten metal surface level, simultaneously.

Accordingly the present invention consists in a method of maintaining a substantially constant surface level of molten metal in a crucible having at its bottom or side face a nozzle from which said molten metal to produce amorphous metal, metallic fibers or bodies to be metal plated is continuously discharged said method comprises steps of continuously replenishing said crucible with a metal wire having a uniform diameter and the same composition as that of said molten metal by means of a feeding device, the amount of said metal wire fed being commensurate with said continuously discharged molten metal.

Preferably the wire is melted by means of a heating device and the crucible is replenished by melted metal wire poured onto the surface of said molten metal to adjust the surface level thereof.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the feeding device is so constructed as to feed the metal wire at variable feeding speeds precisely meeting the discharged amount of the molten metal.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, a preferred embodiment will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Summary of the Invention 197590 Brief Description of the Drawing The drawing is a schematic view illustraing an apparatus for carrying out the method of adjusting surface level of molten metal in a crucible according to the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to the drawing, a crucible 1 is provided at its side face or bottom face with a nozzle 2 from which a molten metal a flows out for producing amorphous metal, metallic fibers or bodies to be metal platec^. A feeding b, device 4 replenishes to the crucible a metal wire 3 having a uniform diameter and the same composition as that of the molten metal a so as to make the amount of the replenished metal wire commensurate with the molten metal flowing out of the crucible. At the same time, a heating device 5 serves to melt the metal wire 3 so as to be supplied into the crucible 1 to adjust a surface a^ of the molten metal a at a constant level.

In fact, such a control can be achieved by setting a volume V of the replenished metal wire 3 per 'unit time determined by a feeding rate S and temperature 0 of the metal wire 3 to be equal at a constant temperature to a volume of the discharged molten metal a per unit time determined by a discharging rate s^ and temperature 0^ of the molten metal. For this purpose, the feeding device 4 is controlled so as to feed the metal wire 3 into the crucible 1 at a propaer feeding rate. In this manner, the surface a^ of the molten metal and pressure or head of the molten metal are made constant continuously so that the discharging rate of the molten N.2. PATS?'TCFr ICE 2 1DEC!983 197590 metal a from the nozzle 2 is unvariably stable, thereby automatically controlling the replenishing of the metal wire and the adjustment of the molten metal surface level, simultaneously.

The crucible 1 is provided with a heating device and molten metal temperature adjusting means (not shown).

In the event that the crucible is of a very large capacity to have a sufficient thermal capacity, radiation heat from the molten metal surface serves to heat and melt the metal wire, in other words, the heating device for the crucible contributes to heating the metal wire. In another case, the heating device for the crucible can melt the metal wire 3, which is at least preheated and yet solid, supplied to the molten metal surface in the crucible. In order to determine an initial level a^ of the molten metal at a greatly different value from that of a preceding cycle, the crucible may be separately provided with a plunger 6.

In this manner, after initial conditions have been set, the level of the molten metal can be adjusted by continuously supplying a metal wire having a predetermined . diameter at a constant supplying rate by the feeding device 4 commensurate with the discharged consumed molten metal.

In the drawing, the feeding device 4 is shown as a pair of feeding rollers and the metal wire 3 is fed from a wound bobbin.

As can be seen from the above description, according to the invention a metal wire for producing amorphous metal, metallic fibers or bodies to be metal plated is 1975SO continuously melted and replenished directly toto a molten metal surface in a crucible, whose amount is quite equal to an amount of consumed molten metal discharged from a nozzle, thereby enabling the replenishing of the metal wire and adjustment of the molten metal surface level to be simultaneously continuously controlled. Only by an initial adjustment, the amount of the molten metal discharged from a nozzle can be controlled to be constant so as to steadily produce the above products uniform in quality without an additional replacement device for the molten metal and a particular sensor required in the prior art.

It is understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description is that of a preferred embodiment of the disclosed method and that various changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

N.Z. PATENT OFFICE 21DEC1983

Claims (3)

- 7 - 197500 WHAT ME CLAIM IS:

1. A method of maintaining a substantially constant surface level of molten metal in a crucible having at its bottom or side face a nozzle from which said molten metal to produce amorphous metal, metallic fibers or bodies to be metal plated is continuously discharged said method comprises steps of continuously replenishing said crucible with a metal wire having a uniform diameter and the same composition as that of said molten metal by means of a feeding device, the said continuously discharged molten metal.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the wire is melted by means of a heating device and the crucible is replenished by melted metal wire poured onto the surface of said molten metal to adjust the surface level thereof.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 when performed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing. dated this D-day of A. J. PARK & SON amount of said metal wire fed being commensurate with ICANTS - 7 -