Abstract: Processes and methods related to producing, processing, and hot working alloy ingots are disclosed. An alloy ingot is formed including an inner ingot core and an outer layer metallurgically bonded to the inner ingot core. The processes and methods are characterized by a reduction in the incidence of surface cracking of the alloy ingot during hot working.

Abstract: Processes and methods related to producing, processing, and hot working alloy ingots are disclosed. An alloy ingot is formed including an inner ingot core and an outer layer metallurgically bonded to the inner ingot core. The processes and methods are characterized by a reduction in the incidence of surface cracking of the alloy ingot during hot working.

Abstract: Processes and methods related to producing, processing, and hot working alloy ingots are disclosed. An alloy ingot is formed including an inner ingot core and an outer layer metallurgically bonded to the inner ingot core. The processes and methods are characterized by a reduction in the incidence of surface cracking of the alloy ingot during hot working.

Abstract: The energy consumption during electroslag remelting is determined to a considerable extent by the heat losses of a slag bath on the wall of a water-cooled ingot mould. A process and an ingot mould suitable for carrying it out wherein these heat losses may be avoided for the most part. Remelting thus takes place in a short, two-part sliding ingot mould known per se, except in the start-up phase, during normal block construction, the metal surface is always kept in the lower, water-cooled part of the ingot mould- that is below the line of separation between water-cooled part and insulated part of the same—by corresponding control of the relative movement between ingot mould and remelting block, so that the distance between the surface area of the metal surface on the one hand and the planes determined by the line of separation between cooled part and insulated part on the other hand, is at least 5 mm, but 100 mm at the most.

Abstract: The energy consumption during electroslag remelting is determined to a considerable extent by the heat losses of a slag bath on the wall of a water-cooled ingot mould. A process and an ingot mould suitable for carrying it out wherein these heat losses may be avoided for the most part.

Abstract: The invention is a method for producing a cast ceramic anode for metal oxide electrolytic reduction by feeding metallic iron and metallic nickel in solid form to an oxidizing reactor; melting and oxidizing the iron and nickel and forming molten nickel ferrite; mixing the molten nickel ferrite with dopant in a holding vessel such as ladle or tundish to increase electrical conductivity of the mixture, and casting the mixture into a mold to form a near net shape of the desired anode. Apparatus for carrying out the method, and the resulting product are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for producing metallic ingots or strands, especially from steel and Ni and Co based alloys, by melting self-consuming electrodes in an electroconductive slag bath, using an alternating current or a direct current in a short water-cooled mold which opens downwards, via which an electric contact can be produced for the slag bath. The supplied melt current is passed via the consumable electrode, the bottom plate, the remelt ingot and the melting bath, and optionally at least one electroconductive element of the mold, to the slag bath. The current distribution can be regulated in a controlled manner and the return circuit of the melt current passes back via at least one other electroconductive element of the mold, which is electrically isolated in relation to a first part of the mold which forms the remelt ingot. The proportion of the entire melt current supplied via the bottom plate is selected between 0 and 100%.

Abstract: In a method of producing substantially segregation-free and in particular freckle-free castings of metal—in particular high-alloyed steels and Ni- and Co-based alloys of large dimensions in accordance with an electroslag melting or casting method—using a short electrically conductive water-cooled chill mold (10), in the wall of which current-conducting elements (6) which are not directly water-cooled are installed in electrically insulated relationship with the part of the chill mold (10) forming the casting, a substantially segregation-free and freckle-free bloom (24) of a cross-sectional area which is at most 90% of the part of the chill mold (10) forming the casting is arranged therein and connected to the supplied metal, using a slag bath (31) which is heated by the flow of current and which is disposed in the region of the current-conducting elements (16) by continually quantitatively controlledly pouring in liquid metal (34)—or by the supply of solid metal in the form of for example gr

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing metallic ingots or strands, especially from steel and Ni and Co based alloys, by melting self-consuming electrodes in an electroconductive slag bath, using an alternating current or a direct current in a short water-cooled mould which opens downwards, via which an electric contact can be produced for the slag bath. The supplied melt current is passed via the consumable electrode, the bottom plate, the remelt ingot and the melting bath, and optionally at least one electroconductive element of the mould, to the slag bath. The current distribution can be regulated in a controlled manner and the return circuit of the melt current passes back via at least one other electroconductive element of the mould, which is electrically isolated in relation to a first part of the mould which forms the remelt ingot. The proportion of the entire melt current supplied via the bottom plate is selected between 0 and 100%.

Abstract: A casting system and method for producing a metal casting is provided. The metal casting can comprise a fine-grain, homogeneous microstructure that is essentially oxide- and sulfide-free, segregation defect free, and essentially free of voids caused by air entrapped during solidification of the metal from a liquidus state to a solid state. The casting system can comprise an electroslag refining system; a nucleated casting system; and a cooling system that cools the metal casting so as to cool a liquidus portion of the metal casting. The metal casting is cooled in a manner sufficient to provide a microstructure that comprises a fine-grain, homogeneous microstructure that is essentially oxide- and sulfide-free, segregation defect free, and essentially free of voids caused by air entrapped during solidification from a liquidus state to a solid state.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and the apparatus required for carrying out the method for the continuous production of billets or ingots of metals, in particular steels and Ni- and Co-base alloys using the method of electroslag remelting and electroslag continuous casting in downwardly open water-cooled ingot molds, in which the billet issuing downwardly from the ingot mold is pressed against at least one guide element arranged rigidly in respect of its position with respect to the ingot mold axis, by at least one clamping element arranged opposite the guide element, in such a way that the regions of the billet surface which are in contact with the guide or clamping elements change within short intervals of time, wherein at least one of the elements is driven to withdraw the billet while the others move with the billet and a contact with a current source can be made by way of at least one of the elements.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a welding mold for butt welding two metal parts by casting a molten filler metal in an imprint defined by a mold. At least one of the components of the mould includes a spacer member shaped and sized so that it can be engaged in a gap between the two parts only if the latter have a mutual separation at least equal to a specific mutual separation, so as to allow the mutual assembly of the components of the mold around the parts to be welded only on this condition. Applications include the welding of railway rails, concrete reinforcing rods and metal bars.

Abstract: In a process for producing blocks of metals, in particular steels and nickel-base and cobalt-base alloys, by remelting self-consumable electrodes under electrically conductive slag in an atmosphere of controlled composition, the operation of melting down the self-consuming electrode is effected in a space which is gas-tightly delimited by the slag bath surface, the wall of a chill mold and a hood which is disposed on the chill mold, wherein for opening the closed-off space for effecting the electrode-change operation the gas-tight connection between the hood and the chill mold is separated, with the hood raised the residual electrode portion is removed from the melting region and a new electrode is moved into the melting position.

Abstract: For the continuous remelting of metals--in particular steels and Ni-- Co-base alloys--in a short, downwardly open water-cooled chill mold (20) for producing an elongate casting portion (26) the latter is produced either by continuous or stepwise withdrawal from the chill mold (20) or when the elongate casting portion (26) is stationary by corresponding lifting movement of the chill mold (20). In order to ensure on the one hand a sufficiently high and thus economical smelting rate and on the other hand a high level of quality in respect of the remelted elongate casting portions (26), the cross-sectional area of the smelting-off electrode (16) should be at least 0.5 times the cross-sectional area of the remelted elongate casting portion (26) and the smelting-off rate should be so adjusted that it corresponds to between 1.5 and 30 times the equivalent elongate casting portion diameter (D.sub.eq) calculated from the circumference (U) of the casting cross-section, in accordance with the relationship:D.sub.eq =U/.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for casting a molten metallic material in ingot form are provided wherein the molten metallic material is transported to the ingot mold and an upper surface temperature and temperature distribution of the molten metal pool in the casting mold are measured by an imaging radiometer which is disposed external to an inert gas filled chamber enclosing the ingot mold, and is disposed to view the ingot pool surface through a sight port. At least one plasma arc torch is employed to direct an arc at the ingot pool surface, the intensity of which is selectively modulated and the impingement of the arc is simultaneously selectively positioned in order to maintain a desired preselected mold pool surface temperature and temperature distribution thereby yielding a preselected metallurgical structure in the solidified ingot.

Abstract: The casting apparatus includes an electro-slag mould (7) which includes a bath adapted to hold a pool of molten flux and an underlying pool of refined liquid metal and an exit passage extending downwardly from the bath. The casting apparatus further includes electrode carrier (FIG. 2) adapted to feed a consumable electrode (51) of raw metal into the bath and a power supply to pass a heating current from the electrode through the flux pool to melt the electrode. The apparatus further includes a product transporter (FIG. 1) to draw a cast product downwardly from the mould, and a drive (9,11) to effect concerted rotary oscillation about the axis of the product, of the mould, and of the product transporter.

Abstract: Process and apparatus for the production of metal blocks, castings or profile material (14) during which molten metal (S3) in a chill (K) is moved from a heating zone (HZ) into a cooling zone according to the solidification speed of the molten metal (S3) and during which cooling time hard material grains are continuously fed through the heating zone (HZ), preferably being electrical heated molten slag (12), the temperature of which is above the melting point of the hard material, into the molten metal (S3), the temperature of which is lower than the melting point of the hard material. The temperature of the molten slag, the height (h) of it and the height of the molten metal is controlled by the control device (ST) controlling the electrical current and dosing of the materials currents. Control methods and devices as well as material selections for matrix and doping materials are described.

Abstract: A method of nucleating highly alloyed metals is provided in which the metal alloy is melted, a metal alloy powder is added to the molten metal under conditions such that the powder enters the metal substantially free of surface impurities and the metal is then cooled to solidification.

Abstract: A method of controlling relative movement between an ingot and a mold consists of monitoring the level of the metal pool in the mold by measuring the voltage between the ingot and a mold section disposed above the metal pool, in contact with the bath of molten slag and insulated electrically from the ingot and from the ingot-forming mold section; comparing an instantaneous value of said voltage with a predetermined value and varying the relative speed of the ingot and the mold depending on a signal proportional to the difference between the instantaneous and the predetermined values of said voltage so that the predetermined level of the metal pool is restored.

Abstract: In an electroslag remelting apparatus comprising electrode holders adapted to hold at least two consumable electrodes connected to different terminals of an a.c. power source, the mould and the bottom plate are electrically connected to each other and, through rectifiers, to the a.c. power source, the rectifiers being connected to the same terminals of the a.c. power source as the electrode holders. The rectifiers are so connected into the circuit as to provide a flow of only direct current through the bottom plate and mould towards the a.c. source through said rectifiers.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a cooled mould mounted on a bottom plate and at least two consumable electrodes positioned so that their melting ends are at different levels relative to the bottom plate. The electrodes are connected to respective terminals of the secondary winding of a single-phase transformer and the bottom plate is connected to one of these terminals, with the electrode having a melting end at a higher level, being connected to the same terminal as the bottom plate. The electrodes are melted by passing an operating current, first through the electrode with the melting end being at a lower level to the bottom plate and then by passing the operating current from one electrode to the other, respectively, forming a portion of the casting, having a smaller cross-section, and then a portion of the casting, having a larger cross-section.Thus the present invention is especially well suited for manufacturing workpieces for vital parts such as connecting rods, piston rods, valves for ship engines, etc.

Abstract: The method includes remelting consumable electrodes in a melting container and effecting a positive action upon crystallization of the ingot in the course of the melting operation, consisting in that a cooled body is brought into contact with the molten metal constituting the metal bath and the contact is maintained till the melting operation is complete by moving the cooled body at a speed close to the melting rate. On completion of the melting operation, the cooled body is extracted from the metal bath. The cooled body may be made in the form of a float or of an extension widened at the bottom and fixedly attached to a movable mold.