Abstract: An apparatus suitable for forming a metal tube filled with powders for the treatment of a liquid metal bath is disclosed. The apparatus includes a feeding unit provided with rollers capable of unrolling a metal sheet from a roll and advancing it into a filling chamber where powders supplied from separate hoppers are charged on the sheet by a powder metering unit. The metering unit includes a device for continuous weighing of the powders to be supplied. A programmer or computer is used for calculating the required powder amounts. A roller shaping device is provided which forms the sheet into the shape of an open U-shaped channel. A roller forming means is also provided for closing the U-shaped channel to form a continuous tube by partially overlapping the side flanges of the U-shaped tube. Finally, a guiding and introduction device moves the just-formed tube under the surface of the molten liquid bath in the ladle.

Abstract: Process for the continuous forming of a metal tube filled with powdered elements, such as ferroalloys and other materials, utilizable in the treatment of liquid metals in ladle at same time of its forming, consisting in making advance a metal sheet (2) unrolling from a roll (1), in sending it into a filling matrix or chamber (5), then in depositing on the same sheet a metered and weighted amount of processing powders fed from separate hoppers, in subsequently bending said loaded sheet so as to let it assume a substantially U-shaped channel shape, and in making it then assume the shape of a closed tube with compacted powder inside it, due to partial overlapping of the side flanges of U-shaped channel and, finally, in dipping the so-formed tube into a ladle (16).

Abstract: Self-baking electrode for electric arc furnaces, particularly suited to the production of metal silicon, ferro-alloys and the like, including a containing metal casing (1), an electrodic carbonaceous mass (4,7) and a supporting structure (8) for said electrodic mass, said supporting structure being manufactured from carbon fibres and/or composite materials based on carbon fibres, which permits to obtain products, in particular metal silicon, having a high titer and a low impurity content. Said electrode is also endowed with improved mechanical characteristics.