Abstract: Apparatus for on-line degassing and filtering aluminum and its alloys, constituted by a thermally insulated container body, provided with a removable lid (2) incorporating heating means (7) for heating the metal to be processed, said container body being internally subdivided, by means of a vertical partitioning wall (11) into two chambers communicating with each other only near the bottom of the container, wherein in one of said two chambers, provided with an inlet for the liquid metal to be processed, injection means (13, 14) are provided, for injecting inert, and/or active gases, which are so located as to perform a degassing in countercurrent relatively to the entering metal stream, while at the bottom of the second chamber at least a substantially horizontal plate, or wall (12) is provided, made of a porous material, such as ceramic, graphite, or the like, which is positioned spaced apart from the bottom of the container, such to allow the metal, coming from the first chamber, to flow upwards, and pass t

Abstract: Ceramic porous bodies, including ceramic foam filters and smooth-faced ceramic objects, e.g., ceramic foam bricks, ceramic foam melting crucibles, and ceramic foam cores, made in accordance with the present invention are suitable for use with molten metal in general and molten superalloys in particular. The invention also provides a tundish for use with ceramic foam filters to filter metal en route from a metal furnace to a casting mold, and a melting device for use in casting metal which employs a ceramic foam filter as a bottom pour valve for a melting crucible such that the ceramic foam filter valve regulates the flow of molten metal therethrough in order to permit an entire ingot of metal to melt in the melting crucible before any metal begins to pour from the melting device into a casting mold.

Abstract: An aluminum refining vessel has two refining stages positioned side-by-side, with flow of molten aluminum into and out of the vessel being from the same side thereof. The vessel is readily adaptable for the reversal of flow therethrough, and for ease of installation, operation and maintenance.

Abstract: A ladle stream breaker is disclosed, for use in a tundish comprising a pouring zone where a stream of molten metal is poured from a casting ladle through a pouring tube, and a flotation zone downward the pouring zone, where the molten metal free from its inclusions flows out through a vertical outlet tube into a continuous casting mold. The stream breaker consists of a closed box made from a refractory material, which box has a top wall provided with an opening sized to receive the lower end of the pouring tube, and a number of lateral walls each provided with a plurality of openings sized to allow the molten metal injected into the box to escape from this box in the form of a plurality of sub-streams of low energy. The lateral walls of the closed box and their openings are arranged in such a manner that every sub-stream flowing out of its associated opening impinges a wall of the tundish and flows in a direction substantially perpendicular to this tundish wall.

Abstract: A continuous casting tundish has a horizontal baffle intermediate its height. The baffle has a hole therethrough, to receive the downward flow of molten steel from the snorkel of a ladle, which flow educts steel through the hole and with it any desired additives such as alloying and/or refining agents. The space below the baffle is of lesser cross sectional area than the space above the baffle, and at least one end of the space below the baffle communicates with the space above the baffle, so that circulating flow of steel through the hole, below the baffle, and back over the baffle and again through the hole, is induced, that flow being turbulent below the baffle and laminar above the baffle. The tundish has the usual casting holes in its bottom.

Abstract: A continuous casting tundish has a horizontal baffle intermediate its height. The baffle has a hole therethrough, to receive the downward flow of molten steel from the snorkel of a ladle, which flow educts steel through the hole and with it any desired additives such as alloying and/or refining agents. The space below the baffle is of lesser cross sectional area than the space above the baffle, and at least one end of the space below the baffle communicates with the space above the baffle, so that circulating flow of steel through the hole, below the baffle, and back over the baffle and again through the hole, is induced, that flow being turbulent below the baffle and laminar above the baffle. The tundish has the usual casting holes in its bottom.

Abstract: A cast dam, for use in a tundish, is described. The dam is positioned between the tundish walls in the lower part and protrudes from the tundish floor. It has an L-shape. The dam has ducts connected to at least one pipe for conveying a supply of gas to the tundish. The ducts extend from the pipe to at least one dam surface which becomes exposed to molten metal during use of the tundish. A weir is also provided in the tundish.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved filtering vessel for filtering molten metal. The filtering vessel of the present invention is provided with a partition and fitted with a removable filter blade. The partition provides support for the removable filter blade. The removable filter blade contains a filter element. Molten metal is filtered by passing through the filter element contained in the removable filter blade. Molten metal can be made to pass through the filter element by the appropriate application of pressure to the surface of the unfiltered molten metal, by tilting the vessel in such a manner as to cause hydrostatic pressure to force unfiltered molten metal through the filter element, or by removing filtered molten metal with a ladle and thereby causing a differential hydrostatic pressure between the region of the vessel containing filtered molten metal and the region of the vessel containing unfiltered molten metal.

Abstract: Method of and apparatus for leaching copper from slags by the use of a device comprising at least two cells separated by partitions and connected to each other by means of through-holes provided at the bottom part of the partitions, a slag charging hole, a copper matte charging hole, a slag discharge hole, a copper matte discharge hole, and a heating appliance, said partitions being alternately higher and lower, the height of the through-holes through the higher partitions increasing toward the slag discharge holes. Said method includes reduction, sulphidization, and copper matte rinsing of the slag, the copper matte rinsing of the slag being accomplished by its successive movement from one cell into another through a copper matte layer in alternately downward and upwardly directed streams.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously refining molten crude lead including a furnace for removal of antimony from the crude lead regardless of whether the crude lead does or does not contain arsenic and/or tin. The furnace is of the reverberatory type having a plurality of transverse walls dividing the interior thereof and thus the lead into a number of distinct but connected compartments with the passageways through the transverse walls being staggered so that molten lead passes along a zigzag or tortuous path through the furnace which is lined with a refractory material. Air is injected into the molten crude lead as it passes from the inlet end of the furnace to the discharge end for progressive softening of the crude lead. The low antimony content slags produced near the lead discharge end of the furnace becomes progressively enriched in antimony as they react with the higher antimony content metal as they pass toward the lead inlet end where they are discharged at a slag overflow device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for the treatment of a stream of aluminum or magnesium-based liquid metal or alloy during its passage, comprising a ladle formed by an external metal casing, a refractory lining, a channel for the admission of the crude liquid metal at the rear, a nozzle for the casting of the treated liquid metal at the front, at least one internal partition leaving, with the bottom of the ladle, a space for the circulation of the liquid metal and defining a first rear compartment and at least one second front compartment opening into the casting nozzle. The ladle is fixed on a supporting cradle connected to an articulated frame relative to which the said cradle can rock forwards about a first horizontal axis passing through the casting nozzle, the articulated frame itself being connected to a fixed frame relative to which it can rock about the second horizontal axis. The first horizontal axis is approximately perpendicular to the stream of liquid metal.

Abstract: A device for the gasification of carbon containing material to obtain the continuous production of gas, essentially a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, by using the molten metal bath process is provided. The carbon material, oxidizing agents, and slag-forming additives as needed are introduced into a reactor below the surface of a molten metal bath. The reactor is provided with outlets for the slag, gases, and molten metal. The reactor is also provided with the ability to tilt, swivel, or rotate about a horizontal axis. This rotational movement causes the molten metal bath to alter its location within the reactor, allowing for replacement of the input apparatus of the raw materials, which are normally below the surface, without the necessity of draining the molten metal bath from the reactor.

Abstract: A process and apparatus are disclosed for removing inclusions and inclusion clusters from a molten metal or alloy stream prior to casting. In the process, the molten metal is passed through a flotation box having a primary chamber and a secondary chamber located within the primary chamber. The primary chamber is provided with entry and exit portions, one on each side of the secondary chamber so that the stream of molten metal or alloy is directed to flow into the primary chamber, flowing beneath the secondary chamber and out the exit portion. Inclusions and inclusion clusters float to the surface of the molten metal or alloy in the secondary chamber prior to the exiting of the molten metal or alloy stream from the primary chamber through the exit portion for supply to a casting station.

Abstract: Raw magnesium is charged into a precipitation chamber in a refining furnace beneath the metal surface as a stream directed toward a salt layer beneath the metal. The resultant precipitated sludge is directed along a sloped bottom in the chamber to an adjacent accumulating chamber. Magnesium rises in the precipitation chamber and passes through openings in partition walls between adjacent precipitation chambers. The purest magnesium from an upper metal layer in one chamber is expelled to a lower level in next chamber in the process direction. The refining furnace comprises an accumulating chamber for sludge and plurality of successively arranged precipitation chambers divided from each other by vertical walls. The openings in the partition walls between adjacent precipitation chambers are designed as skewed channels with an inlet at a higher level than an outlet in the following chamber.

Abstract: Disclosed are apparatus for and a method of continuously trapping slag during molten copper transfer wherein a refractory slag trap comprising baffles traps slag particles by providing areas of non-uniform flow within the molten copper melt thereby causing all constituents having a specific gravity less than that of molten copper to rise to the surface of the molten copper and form agglomerates which can be easily separated from the copper by a pseudodeconting procedure or by other manual means.

Abstract: A furnace assembly of the type used for melting of ore concentrate, wherein at least one separating wall is provided within the confines of the furnace to dip into the melt and divides the furnace space into separate melting, settling, and exhaust spaces. The specific improvement of the present invention involves providing a separating wall which is composed of individual metallic cooling elements in a stacked arrangement with each cooling element being provided with means for passing a coolant therethrough.

Abstract: A furnace for the melting and refining of raw copper and/or blister copper comprises a shaft furnace having a lock-chamber feeder for the material at the top of the shaft furnace and an opening into a hearth furnace in which the copper is refined. The shaft furnace and the hearth furnace are constructed unitarily with one another with the shaft furnace surmounting the hearth furnace in such manner that, when the apparatus has been charged, a pile of copper is formed which is supported on the bottom of the hearth furnace and slopes toward a portion of the length of the hearth furnace.

Abstract: The process includes the delivery of molten metal for solidification in stepped flow and the blowing of a gas through the flow at a step located at the level of the surface of that portion of the flow which is directly fed for solidification, or at a level exceeding said level by as much as 300 mm.The apparatus for realizing said process comprises a tundish with a stepped bottom. A means for blowing the gas through the flow of metal is provided within that portion of the tundish which is located level with the upper generatrix of the outlet from the tundish or preferably, at a level about 300 mm above said generatrix.