Abstract: Hot-formed rod is prepared in a rolling mill by removing oxide from the surface of a nascent cast bar while the bar is in a non-oxidizing environment. Oxide is removed from the surface of the bar by means such as wire brushing, for example, with the oxide removing means and the nascent bar being enclosed in a non-oxidizing or reducing environment to improve the removal of existing oxide and to inhibit formation of new oxide on the bar while the bar travels from the oxide-removing means to the rolling mill to be hot-formed. Removal of oxide while the bar is in a non-oxidizing environment enhances the removal of oxide and lessens the unwanted removal of metal underlying the surface oxide.

Abstract: A pouring pot for pouring molten metal into a casting mold of a continuous casting apparatus comprises upper and lower pot sections with the upper pot section having a volume sufficiently larger than the effective volume of the lower pot section so as to maintain the molten metal pressure depth and therefore the pressure head substantially constant despite fluctuations in the total amount of molten metal in the pouring pot to thereby effect discharging of the molten metal at a substantially constant flow rate. The upper pot section has a volume at least 20% greater and preferably 20%-40% greater than the effective volume of the lower pot section. The overall volume of the pouring pot is similar to that of conventional low volume pots now in use so that conventional supporting equipment can be used to support the pouring pot.

Abstract: Apparatus for continuously casting molten metal wherein an endless band is used to form a mold by enclosing a portion of the peripheral groove of the casting wheel of a wheel-band type casting machine. The endless band is guided about the periphery of the casting wheel by a plurality of band support wheels, at least two of which are provided with adjustable band positioning apparatus for maintaining the endless band in proper alignment over the casting wheel during casting. Each band support wheel is rotatably mounted on a shaft and is axially adjustable relative to its respective shaft for positioning the endless band laterally of the casting wheel. Each shaft is also adjustably pivotable about a point intermediate the shaft ends for skewing the band support wheel rotational axis relative to the casting wheel axis to steer the endless band into a substantially centered position over the casting wheel groove.

Abstract: The invention is an improvement in the method for recovering aluminum values from alunite ore by roasting the ore to remove water, reducing the ore by roasting it in a reducing atmosphere to remove sulfate, optionally roasting the reduced ore in an oxidizing atmosphere to convert any sulfides formed in the second roast to oxides, leaching the calcined ore with water as a solvent to remove compounds of sulfur and alkali metals, recovering aluminum values as soluble aluminates from the residue from the leaching step by digesting it with at least one alkali metal hydroxide, removing contaminate silica from the resulting leach solution, and precipitating aluminum hydroxide from the solution, the improvement being the use of a two stage reduction of the dehydrated alunite ore, in which the ore is reduced by sulfur in the first stage, followed by a second stage reduction with another reducing agent such as hydrogen.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a combined wheel spreader and crack closer adapted to maintain the predetermined draft angle of the casting groove of an open casting wheel while simultaneously working the interior surface thereof to close cracks and smooth out flaws therein during a casting operation. The wheel spreader includes rollers adapted to bear in rolling contact against the interior side walls of the casting groove, and the crack closer includes a roller adapted to bear in rolling contact against the bottom surface of the casting groove.

Abstract: Improved metallic rod product which substantially reduces die wear in wire drawing operations, and which provides other advantages during manufacturing. The exterior surface of the rod product is intentionally provided with a predetermined rough texture having certain characteristics, rather than the smooth bright surface conventionally imparted to metallic rod product intended for subsequent drawing into wire. Certain textured surface characteristics of the rod product reduce wear on the first few wire drawing dies by entraining lubricant as the rod moves through the dies, and carry the entrained lubricant into the dies, while at the same time avoiding some common wire drawing defects such as flakes and slivers. The textured-surface rod thus reduces frictional wear of the drawing dies, so that less force is required to draw the rod product through the dies and the useful life of the drawing dies is increased.

Abstract: A device for continuously stripping the insulation off of electrical wires, particularly solid conductors as opposed to stranded conductors, for the re-cycling thereof in the manufacturing process, including an initial cutting section and a subsequent stripping or insulation removal section. The cutting section utilizes two opposed, interdigitated sets of dual rotary "cutters," each having two juxtaposed cutting edges or blades, only one of which however is used to cut at any one time. One "cutter" is used to form a "V" section to laterally hold the wire in position, while the other opposed cutter has one of its blades located centrally within the "V" section of the other holding "cutter" (note FIG. 4).

Abstract: Metallic tubing is manufactured from galvanized steel strip by forming the strip into tubular shape, welding the edges together and replacing the zinc lost in welding by atomization metallizing the weld zone first with an aluminum alloy containing from more than about 0.30 to about 0.95 weight percent iron and then with zinc.

Abstract: A rotary casting machine with an improved translatable band comprising a rigid frame with a rotary casting wheel having a peripheral groove mounted on the frame, the band and the wheel being relatively moveable to move "damaged" surface areas of the band out of contact with the wheel and present "new" surface areas for molding purposes. An endless band frictionally engages a portion of the wheel, the band having a width greater than the width of the casting wheel. Guide rollers on the frame orient the band properly on the frame and into cooperation with the groove of the casting wheel so as to form a mold. A power source drives the casting wheel and the frictionally engaged endless band. A spout is provided for the addition of molten metal to the groove and band mold. A pusher is provided to adjustably translate the band laterally across the peripheral groove of the casting wheel.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a high tensile strength aluminum alloy electrical conductor that is manufactured by alloying at least one alloying element with molten aluminum in sufficient proportion to yield intermetallic precipitates during subsequent solidification and thermomechanical processing. The conductor is in the form of a hard-drawn wire which is annealed at a temperature within the range corresponding to the onset of recovery such that there will be produced secondary intermetallic precipitates corresponding to the primary precipitates which come out of solution during casting, whereby both the primary and secondary precipitates act to pin dislocation sites between adjacent subgrain boundaries in the aluminum matrix thereby increasing the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the conductor.

Abstract: A lightning protection circuit involves the grounding of the neutral center point of a direct current circuit carrying current to electrolytic reduction cells in a pot room of an aluminum reduction plant. The grounding is accomplished to earth ground via buried grounding rods which are connected to the center point via an interruptible grounding circuit. A safety circuit arrangement is provided which is responsive to direct current and effects the opening of the grounding circuit whenever the current in the grounding circuit exceeds a predetermined value. The safety circuit arrangement also involves a voltage sensing path responsive to the magnitude of the voltage between plant ground and the center point of the direct current circuit which effects an interruption of the grounding circuit whenever this voltage exceeds a predetermined value in either the positive or negative direction.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to an aluminum alloy electrical conductor which contains from about 0.20% to about 1.60% by weight nickel, from about 0.30% to about 1.30% iron, optionally up to 2.00% of additional specified alloying elements, and the remainder aluminum with associated trace elements. The conductors are processed in a continuous operation which includes continuous casting, hot-rolling in the as-cast condition to form continuous rod, cold-working of the rod by drawing it through a series of wire-drawing dies, without preliminary or intermediate anneals, and thereafter annealing the wire to achieve a minimum electrical conductivity of 58% IACS, an ultimate tensile strength of at least 12,000 psi, a yield strength of at least 8,000 psi and an elongation of at least 12% when measured as a No. 10 AWG wire. The additional alloying elements are precisely controlled in order to facilitate the continuous processing of the cast bar without splitting and cracking of the subsequently rolled and cold-drawn rod.

Abstract: Aluminum alloy electrical conductors are produced from aluminum base alloys containing from about 0.20 percent to about 1.60 percent by weight nickel, from about 0.30 percent to 1.30 percent iron, optionally up to about 1.00 percent of additional alloying elements, the remainder being aluminum with associated trace elements. The alloy conductors have an electrical conductivity of at least fifty-seven percent (57%), based on the International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS), and improved properties of increased thermal stability, tensile strength, percent ultimate elongation, ductility, fatigue resistance and yield strength as compared to conventional aluminum alloys of similar electrical properties.

Abstract: An improvement in the process for the recovery of aluminum from alunite in which potassium hydroxide is recovered from byproduct potassium sulfate by electrodialysis, further improvement being the use of sodium hydroxide from the bleed stream from the Bayer leach for use in the electrodialysis process for recovering potassium hydroxide from potassium sulfate.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for the immersion treatment of discrete lengths of galvanized conduit to inhibit the formation of "white rust" on the conduit surfaces are disclosed. The conduit is continually conveyed successively through three treatment zones comprising a cleaning bath containing a cleaning agent which removes lubricating oils, greases, dirt and the like from the conduit interior and exterior surfaces, a rinse bath and a coating bath containing a coating agent including chromate ions and a polymeric coating composition. A rotary star wheel-type conveyor is arranged in each treatment zone for transporting the conduits in spaced, substantially parallel relation to each other about an arcuate path through each bath and for inclining the conduit above the bath for a time effective to drain excess liquid from the interior and exterior conduit surfaces. Effective draining of excess liquid prior to entry to another zone minimizes contamination of the various baths and yields a high quality product.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for continuously casting molten metal are disclosed wherein a flexible belt is used to enclose the peripheral groove of the casting wheel of a wheel-belt type machine and the useful life of the belt as well as the heat-transfer rate of the molten metal are increased by providing a continuous length of ablative material on the surface of said flexible belt which contacts the molten metal.

Abstract: A system for continuously quench-pickling cast rod from a continuous casting machine wherein molten metal is poured into a mold of a casting device and cooled and solidified into a continuous solid bar, the bar is elongated and reduced in its cross-sectional area to form continuous rod, and the rod is arranged in a coil. The surface of the hot rod from the rolling mill is contacted with a pickling fluid, such as a citric acid solution, after the rod leaves the rolling mill and before the rod is arranged in a coil, to simultaneously quench and pickle the rod.

Abstract: A method of treating molten aluminum and aluminum alloys to remove solid and gaseous impurities therefrom is disclosed. Molten metal is flowed through an integrated series of successively arranged purification stages including a deslagging stage wherein relatively large particulate impurities are removed from the molten metal by filtering the same through a woven refractory filter, a fluxing stage for removing entrapped and dissolved hydrogen from the molten metal, an adsorption stage wherein the molten metal is passed over a plurality of impurity-adsorbing refractory plates and a final filtration stage wherein the finer particulate impurities are removed by filtering the molten metal through a rigid, porous refractory filter medium.

Abstract: In a continuous casting system where molten copper is cast into a bar and then rolled into a rod, the copper rod is immediately hot-coiled before being subjected to any quenching or cooling operation. The hot-coiling of the rod is carried out at a temperature of from 700.degree. F. to 1200.degree. F. and preferably within a range of from 950.degree. F. to 1150.degree. F., so that the rod is hot-coiled at a high enough temperature to permit sufficient thermal vacancy diffusion to occur within the rod material, and thereafter gradually cooled to room temperature to thereby impart certain improved mechanical properties to the resultant rod product. A copper or copper alloy rod which is processed in this fashion has a lower yield tensile strength, lower ultimate tensile strength, lower recrystallization temperature, lower hardness and is much more ductile and hence easier to draw into wire than a corresponding rod which is quenched or cooled prior to coiling.

Abstract: An improved rotary shearing apparatus for cutting a rapidly moving body including rotatable blades which may be inserted into a cutting position and withdrawn therefrom, positioning means for inserting or withdrawing the blades into or out of cutting position, and automatic switches and circuitry capable of causing insertion of the blades and their withdrawal within one rotation of the blades, so that the blades will sever the rapidly moving body with a single clean cut and without disturbing its rapid movement.