Crucible Patents (Class 373/45)
  • Publication number: 20130336353
    Abstract: The invention relates to a furnace and a method for electroslag remelting, wherein the furnace (37) comprises a base frame (38), wherein the base frame comprises supports (39) which bear a furnace head (41), wherein at the furnace head, an electrode can be disposed, wherein the electrode can be melted on in a crucible disposed below the furnace head, wherein the furnace comprises a transformer (42) which can supply electric power for melting on the electrode, wherein the transformer is fixedly disposed at the transformer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Inventors: Rolf Krepel, Ulrich Biebricher
  • Patent number: 6608856
    Abstract: A crucible melting furnace has a feature it has a high thermal efficiency and that differences in temperature does not substantially occur in a molten metal within a crucible and can provide products of uniform quality. Moreover, the crucible melting furnace has a feature it does not substantially damage the crucible, and can prolong the life (serviceable life) of the crucible. The furnace has the crucible 1, and the thermal flow guide 10, defined around the crucible 1, which guides the thermal flow heating the crucible 1. The thermal flow guide 10 has the guide (protruded streak) 3 which guides the thermal flow along the spiral path around the crucible 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Hokuriku Techno Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Tanaka, Masaaki Kikura
  • Patent number: 6350293
    Abstract: A bottom pour electroslag refining system refines raw material into refined liquid metal. The bottom pour electroslag refining system comprises an electroslag refining crucible; a slag; a bottom pour structure that comprises an orifice from which refined liquid metal from the electroslag refining crucible can flow as a stream of refined liquid metal; and a current path. The current path is defined in the bottom pour electroslag refining system for applying current to the raw material for melting and refining the raw material. The melted and refined raw material forms a refined liquid metal pool in the electroslag refining crucible. The current that is applied by the current path is sufficient to provide the refined liquid metal in the refined liquid metal pool with a viscosity under which the refined liquid metal can flow through the orifice under its own viscosity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William Thomas Carter, Jr., Mark Gilbert Benz, Felix Guenter Muller, Franz Waldemar Hugo, Robert John Zabala, Bruce Alan Knudsen
  • Patent number: 6295309
    Abstract: A VAR process is conducted in an apparatus characterized by a crucible wall that provides a stable shelf anchor. The VAR apparatus includes a furnace chamber, a consumable electrode formed of a material to be remelted within the furnace chamber and a crucible within the furnace chamber. The crucible has a wall that forms a vessel to collect melt material from the consumable electrode. At least part of the wall is textured to provide area for mechanical stabilization of the shelf as the underside of the shelf melts and the upperside of the shelf forms. In a vacuum arc remelting process, a consumable electrode is loaded into a furnace chamber above a cooled crucible having a textured wall that forms a vessel to collect melt material from the consumable electrode. The process includes striking a direct electric current between the electrode and a bottom of the crucible to cause melting of material from a tip of the electrode. Melt material is collected from the tip in the crucible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Gilbert Benz, Michael Francis Henry, William Thomas Carter, Jr., Bernard Patrick Bewlay
  • Patent number: 6219370
    Abstract: A channel arrangement for discharging molten metal from a smelting furnace, includes a channel (2) with two sidewalls (4, 5) and a channel bottom (6) made of a fireproof material. The channel (2) is arranged within a formwork trough (3) having receiving spaces (14) abutting lateral formwork walls (12, 13). A respective transversely moveable push wall (7, 8) is associated with each of the formwork walls (12, 13), while the receiving space (14) can be filled with a fireproof material, thereby providing a replacement sidewall. As soon as a channel (2) is worn, the channel is taken out of service and the bottom region is exposed. The remaining portion of the sidewalls (4, 5) together with the replacement sidewalls positioned in the receiving space (14) is displaced by a predetermined distance, and subsequently a fireproof material is poured into the channel bottom (6) as well as into the new receiving space (14) created behind the replacement sidewalls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: GfT Gesellschaft für Feuerfest-Technik m.b.H.
    Inventor: Paul-Antoine Wurtz
  • Patent number: 6104742
    Abstract: A melt guide is provided for enclosing a bottom of an electroslag refining crucible containing a melt of electroslag refined metal. The guide includes an upper plate sized to engage the crucible bottom for attachment thereto, and includes an upper orifice drain therethrough for draining by gravity the melt from the crucible. A lower plate is spaced below the upper plate to define a plenum therebetween, and includes a lower orifice drain therethrough. A downspout extends through the plenum in flow communication between the upper and lower drains, and includes a middle orifice drain. A heater surrounds the downspout for heating the melt drainable therethrough. And, a coolant is circulated through the plenum for cooling the guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William Thomas Carter, Jr., Robert John Zabala, Bruce Alan Knudsen, Howard Roscoe Hart, Jr., Mark Gilbert Benz
  • Patent number: 6063188
    Abstract: A crucible is held in a closed position when the crucible is at a certain temperature. A temperature sensitive member expands differently in response to heat than other portions of the crucible. When the temperature of the temperature sensitive member is increased, the temperature sensitive member expands an amount different than do other portions of the crucible and thereby causes the crucible to open.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Seh-America. Inc.
    Inventor: Gary R. Heid
  • Patent number: 5809057
    Abstract: A melt guide is provided for enclosing a bottom of an electroslag refining crucible containing a melt of electroslag refined metal. A base plate is sized to have a perimeter to engage the crucible bottom for attachment thereto. The base plate includes an upper surface for defining with the crucible a reservoir for receiving the melt, and a lower surface spaced therebelow. A central drain extends through the base plate for draining by gravity the melt from the reservoir. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart slots extend radially outwardly from the drain toward the base plate perimeter and extend vertically through the base plate. Induction heating coils are mounted below the base plate lower surface for heating the melt through the slots. The base plate may take various forms including a flat plate, with or without a cooperating and removable insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Gilbert Benz, William Thomas Carter, Jr., Paul Leonard Dupree, Howard Roscoe Hart, Jr., Bruce Alan Knudsen, Janel Koca Browning, Russell Scott Miller, Robert John Zabala
  • Patent number: 5610935
    Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a base anode (10) having a multiplicity of adjacently arranged metal elements (11) for a metallurgical vessel (1), the intermediate spaces (14) between the metal elements (11) are filled with refractory material (16), the refractory material (16) being compressed. To achieve a high degree of compression in a short period of time, the compression of the refractory material (16) takes place by means of vibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 11, 1997
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventor: Heinrich Auberger
  • Patent number: 5287382
    Abstract: A wall electrode includes a metal bar adapted to extend through the wall of the furnace, a water-cooled sleeve composed of a material which is a good conductor of heat and electricity, an end member composed of a material which is a good conductor of heat and electricity, and an annular member such as a ring composed of a metal which is heavy and has a low melting point surrounding the bar so that the heavy metal in the liquid state spreads in the space between the bar and the sleeve when the annular member is made to melt during use of the electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 15, 1994
    Assignee: Unimetal
    Inventors: Philippe Destannes, Jean-Claude Grosjean, Ghislain Maurer, Christian Lebrun
  • Patent number: 5087490
    Abstract: A method for impregnating a shaped ceramic material with an impregnation liquid, comprising the steps of placing the shaped ceramic material in the impregnation liquid, and applying an impregnation pressure to the impregnation liquid through a pressure transfer liquid so that the shaped ceramic material is impregnated with the impregnation liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1992
    Assignee: Toshiba Ceramics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Ito, Shuitsu Matsuo, Yasumi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 4888242
    Abstract: A refractory heat-insulating graphite sheet material characterized in that the material comprises a graphite sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1989
    Assignee: Toyo Tanson Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Matsuo, Kazuhiro Maekawa, Teruhisa Kondo
  • Patent number: 4612649
    Abstract: A process for refining metal in a crucible containing a layer of molten slag, wherein molten metal passes downwardly through the slag and resolidifies as an ingot thereunder. The slag is kept molten by passing electrical current through the slag layer and between a first electrode and a second electrode. The second electrode has liquid or gas cooling means as an integral part thereof. Current is passed between the first electrode and the second electrode through at least one electrically conductive member interposed between the slag and the second electrode. The electrically conductive member has a melting temperature above the melting temperature and below the bulk temperature of the slag. A portion of the surface of the electrically conductive member that is in contact with the slag has a temperature above the freezing temperature of the slag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1986
    Assignee: Cabot Corporation
    Inventors: Arthur H. Griebel, III, Richard A. Foster
  • Patent number: 4578794
    Abstract: The metallurgical vessel comprises a continuous wall and a bottom plate and such vessel constitutes a mold for electrically remelting an electrode by resistance heating of an electrically conductive slag bath. The metallurgical vessel further comprises solenoids for generating an electromagnetic field which is controlled by control means operatively connected to a reference signal generator and to magnetic measuring means like Hall generators preferably arranged tangentially relative to the vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1986
    Assignee: Vereinigte Edestahlwerke Aktiengesellschaft (VEW)
    Inventor: Walter Cadek
  • Patent number: 4389724
    Abstract: A substantially spherically-shaped electric melting furnace includes a carbon-lined crucible. The interior of said crucible is sealed from the atmosphere outside the crucible and a vacuum pump and venturi device control the atmosphere within the crucible by removing oxygen therefrom. A feeder lock allows material to be fed into the crucible without interfering with the atmospheric control of the crucible and a tap hole adjacent the lower portion of the crucible allows molten material to be removed. When used in the manufacture of mineral wool insulation, slag is fed into the crucible to be melted and the molten slag from the tap hole is delivered to a fiberizing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1980
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1983
    Assignee: Wooding Corporation
    Inventor: Patrick J. Wooding
  • Patent number: 4352189
    Abstract: An electrically conductive refractory lined crucible is covered by a refractory lined roof. At least one electrode supported by the roof extends downwardly into the crucible for melting the flux within the crucible. The crucible lining itself functions as the second electrode. The roof and the crucible are air-tight thereby preventing air from entering the crucible. An exhaust port located in the upper portion of the roof is connected to a vacuum device for exhausting fumes from the crucible and for controlling the atmosphere within the crucible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1982
    Assignee: Wooding Corporation
    Inventor: Patrick J. Wooding