Abstract: Molten matte or slag is water granulated by feeding molten matte or slag through a launder to a granulator tank. The tank includes sloping walls and is equipped with adjustable overflow weirs and one or more of spray nozzles. These nozzles are positioned such that the water that they emit impacts on substantially all of the molten matte or slag that is fed to the granulator tank. The granulation tank is optionally coated with a polymeric material to reduce the potential for phreatic explosions. The granulator is also optionally equipped with a gas offtake which can be connected directly to a quench tower which in turn can be connected to an induced ventilation system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of reclaiming hazardous inorganic wastes to produce an environmentally benign abrasive for use in loose grain processes, as a coated or bonded abrasive, or as a polishing grain. A tough and useful abrasive, with a MOH hardness of 7 to 8, is manufactured from emission control dusts of the aluminum industry or sludges from other industries, and may include small amounts of lead and cadmium oxides as toughening agents. The abrasive particles are sized by air sifting or by water sedimentation separating methods. The process for the manufacture of abrasive material comprises the steps of removing soluble salts from a waste stream by hot water extraction; using a computer matrix to group the waste stream into different batches for mixing with other glass-making materials to form a batch mixture; oxidizing the organic compounds contained in the batched mixture; melting the batch mixture to form a glasseous substance; and fritting the glasseous substance to form the abrasive.

Abstract: Material, such as, for example, sealed double bags of asbestos containing waste or ash from infectious waste or toxic material or radioactive waste, is transferred into a glass melt of a furnace. Gas bubbles released into the melt form a gas curtain which causes enhanced mixing of the material to accelerate the dissolution of the components of the added material. The presence of the gas bubbles reduces the cross-section of the molten glass through which current passes, which in turn increases the electrical resistance of the glass melt and therefore increases power generation of the melt or power density at constant current. A highly oxidizing hot region is produced under the location where the material is introduced into the furnace. Drawn off glass is shaped and quenched into at least two sizes of approximate spheres. The spheres are cooled sufficiently fast to be thermally tempered and have a surface compressive strength level above 5000 psi.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for the semi-continuous melting of ceramic material by means of inductive melting in high-frequency and medium-frequency induction melting furnaces whose melting coil surrounds a sintering crust crucible and contains a run-out channel. In the method, melt is periodically run out and material to be melted is supplied to the crucible so as to replace the material removed preferably so as to maintain a constant level. An intensively cooled channel is used as a run-out device. For the melt broaching, the melt nose is grasped from below by way of an automatically controllable broaching lance of a broaching device and raised. The broaching lance is then advanced between the bottom of the channel and the solidified melt until the sintering crust is pierced. The method permits a reliable and economic management of the process and the maintenance of the quality of the melted products.

Abstract: Spherical products of a heat-softened material are produced by supplying a molten heat-softened material into a C-shaped channel-like spinner with an open upper surface and a large number of orifices formed in its circumferential wall, at a rate of 0.020 kg/hr or lower per a single orifice of the spinner; rotating the spinner at a high speed to form cone-like fine streams of the molten material from the orifices by means of a centrifugal force; and flowing streams of a hot gas so as to traverse the fine streams of molten material to thereby heat the same resulting in reducing the viscosity of the molten material and to break the fine streams by the hot gas streams.

Abstract: The present invention provides an additive powder for coating materials or plastics, comprising a particle of a metal or glass, comprised of a particle having a thickness of 0.5 to 5 .mu.m, a minor axis/major axis of from 5 to 500 .mu.m, an aspect ratio (ratio of the major axis to the thickness) of not less than 5, and a ratio of the minor axis to the major axis, of from 1 to 10, and having the shape of a leaf as a whole. This powder can be prepared by melting a metal or glass, bringing the resulting melt to flow out from a nozzle and jetting a gas to the melt to form droplets of the melt, and bringing said droplets, before they solidify, to collied against the surface of a rotating cooling member having the shape of an cone or horn and provided in the directio of the flow of said droplets, followed by cooling to effect solidification.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for producing spherical glass particles. The process involves forming a high velocity stream of molten droplets of glass, directing said stream toward a repellent surface, impacting the molten droplets against the surface to form fragmented portions, and cooling the fragmented portions to form a glass powder consisting essentially of particles the major portion of which are glass spheres.

Abstract: A method is provided for producing commercially large quantities of high melting temperature solid or hollow spherical particles of a predetermined chemical composition and having a uniform and controlled size distribution. An end (18, 50, 90) of a solid or hollow rod (20, 48, 88) of the material is rendered molten by a laser beam (14, 44, 82). Because of this, there is no possibility of the molten rod material becoming contaminated with extraneous material. In various aspects of the invention, an electric field is applied to the molten rod end (18, 90), and/or the molten rod end (50, 90) is vibrated. In a further aspect of the invention, a high-frequency component is added to the electric field applied to the molten end of the rod (90).

Abstract: Amorphous metals are produced by forming a molten droplet (115) of metal from source (126) and deploying the droplet into a focused acoustical levitating field or by dropping the unit through spheroidizing zone (116) slow quenching zone (118) and fast quenching zone (120) in which the droplet is rapidly cooled by in the standing acoustic wave field produced between half-cylindrical acoustic driver (168) and focal reflector (166) or curved driver (38) and reflector (50). The cooling rate can be further augmented by first cryogenic liquid collar (160) and second cryogenic liquid jacket (170) surrounding the drop tower (112). The sphere (117) is quenched to an amorphous solid which can survive impact in the unit collector (124) or is retrieved by vacuum chuck (20).

Abstract: Apparatus for the pelletization of heat-liquifiable materials, such as metallurgical slags, consists of feed means for the molten material, these feed means depositing the material on a downwardly-extending feed plate over which it flows while it is mixed with water, if water is necessary to promote the expansion of the molten material and for control of the cooling. The material then flows on to a first rotating radially-vaned drum or rotor by which it is projected into the air for simultaneous cooling and pelletization. The feed means comprises flow control means such that any flow greater than a predetermined maximum is fed onto a second feed plate disposed above the first, from which the excess molten material flows on to a second rotating radially-vaned drum or rotor operative in like manner to the first. The flow control means may comprise for example a dam over which the excess material flows.

Abstract: There is described a process and an apparatus for the granulation of glass melts by bringing the melt into contact with water, in which there is obtained a homogeneous granulate without oversize grains and glass threads. This is attained by impacting the vertically downwardly flowing glass melt all around with laterally slanting downwardly directed high pressure water jets. The apparatus consists essentially of an overflow channel to an overflow funnel and a collecting container, wherein there is arranged below the overflow channel a preferably U-shaped nozzle carrier which entirely or partially surrounds the melt and carries nozzles with a conical angle of 15.degree.-180.degree. sloping downwardly.