Spin Cup Means for the Production of Metal Powder

Application Ser. No. 862,898, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,335 to Robert A. Metcalfe et al for "ROTARY ATOMIZATION MEANS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF METAL POWDER" and application Ser. No. 862,899, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,462 to Charles C. Thompson for "COOLING MEANS FOR METAL ATOMIZATION MEANS" are being filed herewith and disclose related arrangements.

This invention relates to apparatus for the formation of metal powders which are cooled at high rates, and more particularly to the use of an atomizer rotor, or cup, for receiving molten metal and flinging it radially outwardly from the rotor as liquid metal droplets. Specific apparatus for using an atomizer rotor, or cup, as disclosed in this application, is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,025,249 and 4,053,264. A further disclosure of an apparatus and method for using such a rotor cup is set forth in application Ser. No. 654,247 now abandoned and application Ser. No. 751,004, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,873. Other prior art patents showing various types of cups are listed below: U.S. Pat. No. 2,062,093; U.S. Pat. No. 2,310,590; U.S. Pat. No. 2,439,772; U.S. Pat. No. 2,439,776; U.S. Pat. No. 2,699,576; U.S. Pat. No. 3,196,192; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,746. It is noted that the atomizing cup can be used with many different types of apparatus and in different methods for producing metal powder.

According to the present invention, an atomizer rotor, or cup, is set forth for use in apparatus for the manufacture of metal powders.

It is an object of this invention to provide an atomizing cup which is spun by any means desired for the atomization of liquid metal. The cup is constructed having an outer body with a refractory sheet metal insert with a low conductivity thermal insulator between the body and insert. This construction reduces heat losses to a quantity which can be readily supplied by a superheated liquid metal.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an inner cup which is tapered inwardly as it extends from its bottom to the top edge to provide an annular pool of molten metal to aid the liquid metal in attaining the peripheral speed of the spinning cup as it reaches the top edge of the inner cup. A ceramic liner or ceramic coating is applied to the inner cup to resist erosion by the molten metal. The ceramic also keeps the cup edge as smooth as possible.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means for both preheating the cup and maintaining the spinning cup at a temperature above the melting point of the liquid metal. The heater can be a donut-type radiant heater, or a heater directing a heated gas over the cup surface.

It is another object of this invention to provide a hot spinning cup for preventing the uncontrolled formation of a metal skull around the outer surface and over the upper edge. The uncontrolled formation of a metal skull will produce a severe imbalance in the system and the metal skull provides rough channels which produce particles of uncontrolled size and shape.

FIG. 1 is a view of an apparatus for making metal powder with the housing broken away to show the spin cup;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the spin cup;

FIG. 3 is a view of the interior of the spin cup in phantom with a heating means for controlled heating of said cup; and

FIG. 4 is a view of a portion of the interior of the spin cup in phantom with a portion of a modification of a heating means for controlled heating of said cup.

The apparatus for making metal powders shown in FIG. 1 is fully described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,249. Basically, metal is melted in a crucible (not shown) in the upper part of the housing 1 where it is then poured into tundish 14 which directs the molten metal onto a spinning cup means 90. The tundish 14 includes a restricted opening, or nozzle, 18. A heater 16 extends around the tundish 14 and can be one of many types with controls mounted externally of the housing 1. Heat shields 81 are located around the heater 16 and a heat shield disc means 80 is positioned below the heater 16 and heat shields 81. The heat shield disc means 80 has a center opening. An annular nozzle plate means 10 has its inner end positioned against the heat shield disc means 80, the center opening of the heat shield disc means 80 being aligned with the center opening in the annular nozzle plate means 10. Said annular nozzle plate means 10 extends outwardly to the inner surface of the housing 1.

The center opening of the heat shield disc means 80 and the center opening of the annular nozzle plate means 10 are placed under the restricted opening 18 of the tundish 14 to allow the molten metal passing therefrom to pass through to the cup means 90. The nozzle plate means 10 includes a plurality of annular nozzles therein for directing a cooling fluid downwardly around the cup means 90. A specific nozzle plate means is shown and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,264. The molten metal is spun from the cup means 90 into the cooling fluid where it is cooled to solid metal particulate. Cooling fluid is maintained in a coolant supply means 40 where it is directed to three external annular manifolds 41, 42 and 43. Each manifold 41, 42 and 43 is connected by conduits, respectively, to said annular nozzles in nozzle plate means 10. Means are provided to control the total mass flow of cooling fluid in a desired manner between the nozzles.

The cup means 90 is positioned below the tundish 14 with the center of the disc being positioned under the nozzle 18. The device is rotated by any means desired, such as by an air turbine, and is mounted for rotation on the end of an upstanding pedestal 91 which is fixed to flat struts 92 in a funnel member 107 at the bottom of the housing 1. The solid particles formed by the molten metal being flung into the cooling fluid are collected in a container 98. A conduit 96 can lead to other separators and collectors, if desired, and can also direct the cooling fluid to heat exchange devices (not shown) so that it can be returned to the supply means 40.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cup means 90 comprises an outer cup 20 having a refractory sheet metal cup insert 22 positioned therein and spaced therefrom to provide for a low conductivity thermal insulator 24. The low-conductivity thermal insulator 24 can be formed of felt-like zirconia fibers. The sheet metal cup insert 22 is formed having an outwardly extending annular flange 26 at a midpoint thereof for engagement with the top of the outer cup 20. While an annular flange can be attached by any number of known ways, FIG. 2 shows the flange 26 connected to the bottom of a short cylindrical member 27. The top of the cylindrical member 27 is welded or brazed to the top of the sheet metal cup insert 22. A hold-down ring 28 is placed over the end of the annular flange 26 above the top of the outer cup 20; this hold-down ring is bolted down to the cup by bolts 30. A ceramic coating 32, such as of ZrO.sub.2, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, MgZrO.sub.3 or other suitable refractory ceramic, is placed over the interior of the refractory sheet metal cup insert 22 extending over the top edge thereof and over the weld, or braze, material and top edge of the cylindrical member 27. The sheet metal cup insert 22 is tapered inwardly as it extends from its bottom to the top edge to provide an annular pool A of molten metal around the tapered inner surface. In a construction made, the angle of taper of the sheet metal cup insert was 5.degree.. The bottom of the outer cup 20 is formed having an annular recess 34 for receiving an upwardly projecting annular flange 36 on the top of a shaft 38, said shaft 38 being mounted for rotation in an upstanding pedestal 91. Bolts 39 extend through the outer cup 20 into the upwardly projecting annular flange 36 on the top of the shaft 38 to fix the outer cup 20 thereto.

As shown in FIG. 3, additional heater means 35 are provided to preheat the atomizing rotor, or cup means, 90 and provide heat around the molten metal flowing below the heater 16 which is provided around the tundish 14. The heater means 35 extends from adjacent the bottom of the tundish 14 to a location within the cup means 90. Cylindrical heat shields 83 extend downwardly from an annular recess in the heat shield disc means 80 and extend within the inner opening in the annular nozzle plate means 10 to a point extending just below the bottom surface thereof. A sheet metal cover means 70 is fixed to the bottom of annular nozzle plate means 10 and has a large cylindrical section 71 enclosing the bottom ends of the heat shields 83 and a smaller cylindrical section 72 enclosing the bottom of the heater means 35. The annular heat shields 83 are fixed in position between the annular recess in the heat shield disc means 80 and the step portion between the two cylindrical sections 71 and 72 of the sheet metal cover means 70. The lower cylindrical portion 72 has a bottom, having an opening 73 therein which is aligned with the restricted opening 18 of the tundish 14 to permit a stream of molten metal therefrom to enter the cup means 90. This lower end of the cylindrical section 72 projects into the sheet metal cup insert 22, heating the interior of the cup means 90 and maintaining the heat in the molten metal. The heater means 35 can be a resistance-type heater with electrodes 78 being connected to controls externally of the housing 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, a modified heater means 65 is provided to preheat the atomizing rotor or cup means 90 and provide heat around the molten metal flowing beneath the heater 16 which is provided around the tundish 14. The heater means 65 extends from adjacent the bottom of the tundish 14 to a location above the cup means 90 where it directs a heating gas flow into the cup means 90. Cylindrical heat shields 83 extend downwardly from an annular recess in the heat shield disc means 80 and extend within the inner opening in the annular nozzle plate means 10 to a point extending just below the bottom surface thereof. A sheet metal cover means 70A is fixed to the bottom of annular nozzle plate means 10 and is formed as a cylindrical section 71A enclosing the bottom ends of the heat shield 83 and has a bottom annular flange 74 extending radially inwardly further to an ope ning 73A therein. As shown in FIG. 3, the cylindrical heat shields 83 are fixed in position between the annular recess in the heat shield disc means 80 and the bottom annular flange 74 of the cylindrical section 71A of cover means 70A. The opening 73A is in line with the restricted opening 18 of the tundish 14 to permit a stream of molten metal therefrom to enter the cup means 90.

A plurality of tubes 79 are located adjacent the inner surface of the cylindrical heat shield 83 and extend upwardly into the center opening of the heat shield disc means 80 and downwardly through the bottom of annular flange 74 of the sheet metal cover means 70 between said annular heat shield 83 and the edge of opening 73A. The tubes 79 are fixed to the bottom annular flange 74 of cover means 70A, such as by welding.

The upper end of each tube 79 has one tube 95 extending from the top thereof radially outwardly through an elongated opening 97 in heat shield disc means 80 to a gas supply having a flow meter control (not shown) located outside of said housing 1, and a second tube 96 extending from a point spaced from the top thereof radially outwardly into another elongated opening 98 in heat shield disc means 80. Each tube 79 has a resistance heater 100 extending along its length with control conduits 101 extending through tubes 96 and elongated openings 98 to a power controller (not shown) located externally of the housing 1. It can be seen that gas from a gas supply can have its flow directed down through tubes 95 to tubes 79 where the gas then flows over the resistance heaters 100 and into the cup means 90; at the same time the heat of the resistance heaters can be controlled by the power controller. To prevent any adverse reaction to the molten metal, the gas supply could be an inert gas, such as helium or argon.