JPH07100804B2 - Metal powder manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a metal powder by injecting molten metal into a swirling moving cooling liquid layer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Since an endothermic solidified metal powder has fine crystal grains and an alloying element can be supersaturated, for example, an extruded material formed of aluminum, its alloy, or rapidly solidified powder is included in an ingot material. It has excellent material characteristics that do not occur, and is attracting attention as a material for machine parts and the like.

A rotating drum method is a suitable method for producing the rapidly solidified metal powder. In this method, as shown in FIG. 2, a cooling liquid layer 62 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of a rotating cooling drum 61.
Is formed by the action of centrifugal force, the molten metal is injected into the cooling liquid layer 62, and finely divided to obtain rapidly solidified metal powder. In the figure, 63 is an injection crucible as a molten metal injection means, a high frequency coil 64 for heating is attached to the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the injection nozzle 6 is provided on the lower side wall thereof.
5 has been opened. Molten metal 66 in the crucible 63
Is injected from the nozzle 65 by injecting an inert gas 67 into the crucible 63 under pressure. Then, when a certain amount of the metal powder in the cooling drum 61 is accumulated, the rotation of the cooling drum 61 is stopped, and the metal powder is collected together with the cooling liquid.
To be dried.

[0004]

However, in the rotary drum method, so-called batch type operation is performed and productivity is poor. Moreover, since the injection of the molten metal must be stopped when the powder is collected, there is a problem that the nozzle is likely to be clogged. In order to keep the cooling temperature constant, it is necessary to supply and discharge the cooling liquid from the liquid surface of the cooling liquid layer to control the temperature, but at this time, the liquid surface is disturbed and the powder particle size and quality vary. There was a problem that it was easy. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a metal powder manufacturing apparatus capable of continuously producing metal powder of stable quality.

[0005]

The manufacturing apparatus of the present invention made to solve the above problems is provided with a cooling liquid jet pipe 7 for jetting and supplying the cooling liquid from the tangential direction along the inner peripheral surface. And a molten metal injection means 2 for injecting molten metal into the cooling liquid layer 21 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 1 by the cooling liquid ejected from the cooling liquid ejection pipe 7. And a cooling liquid supply means 3 for supplying the cooling liquid to the cooling liquid ejection pipe 7, and a cooling liquid layer is provided below the discharge port 8 of the cooling liquid ejection pipe 7 on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 1. 21 is attached to the layer thickness adjusting ring 6A, and further another layer thickness adjusting ring 6B is attached below the ring.

[0006]

The cooling liquid ejected from the discharge port 8 of the cooling liquid ejection pipe 7 along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 1 flows down while swirling along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 1 for adjusting the layer thickness. The ring 6A overflows and flows downward. At this time, the flow rate of the cooling liquid can be suppressed by the layer thickness adjusting ring 6A provided first from the top, and the flowing energy can be effectively used as the rotational energy in the circumferential direction. It is possible to suppress a decrease in the layer thickness of the cooling liquid layer 21 caused by an increase in speed, and to powder and cool the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 1 with a substantially constant inner diameter and a constant swirling flow velocity with a relatively small amount of cooling liquid. The cooling liquid layer 21 can be formed. Also, another cooling liquid layer 22 can be formed below the upper cooling liquid layer 21 by the second ring 6B.

Since the cooling liquid layers 21 and 22 are always formed by the newly supplied cooling liquid, a constant temperature can be easily maintained. Therefore, it is not necessary to supply and discharge the cooling liquid from the liquid surface for temperature control, the liquid surface is less likely to be disturbed, and the stability is excellent. When the molten metal is injected and supplied to the inner peripheral surface of the upper cooling liquid layer 21, the molten metal is divided by the swirling flow, rapidly cooled and solidified, and the metal powder is continuously produced.
This powder is used for the upper cooling liquid layer 2 whose temperature and liquid level are stable.
Since it is formed of No. 1 and is sufficiently cooled by the lower cooling liquid layer 22, the quality stability is excellent.

[0008]

EXAMPLE FIG. 1 shows a metal powder manufacturing apparatus according to an example, in which a cooling cylinder 1 for forming a cooling liquid layer 21 for powdering and cooling on an inner peripheral surface, and a cooling liquid layer 21. An injection crucible 2 which is a means for injecting and supplying the molten metal 23 to the
A pump 3 as a means for supplying a cooling liquid to the cylindrical body 1 is provided.

The cylindrical body 1 has a cylindrical shape, and a lid 5 having an opening 4 of an appropriate size is centrally attached to the upper end of the cylindrical body 1. A discharge port 8 of the cooling liquid ejection pipe 7 is opened on the upper inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 1, and the pipe axis direction of the ejection pipe 7 is set to a tangential direction slightly obliquely below the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body. . A ring thickness adjusting ring 6A of the cooling liquid layer 21 is attached to the lower inner peripheral surface of the discharge port 8, and another layer thickness adjusting ring 6B is attached to the lower side thereof by bolts so as to be detachable and replaceable. .

The upper surfaces of the layer-thickness adjusting rings 6A and 6B are formed by taper surfaces which are expanded radially outward, and the lower ring 6B has a size equal to or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the upper ring 6A. It is said that. Further, the distance between the upper and lower rings 6A, 6B may be about 1 to 3 times the distance between the upper end of the tubular body 1 and the upper ring 6A. The distance between the upper end of the cylindrical body 1 and the upper ring 6A varies depending on the inner diameter of the cylindrical body, the discharge amount of the cooling liquid, and the ejection speed, but is set so that the cooling liquid layer 21 having a substantially constant inner diameter can be obtained. A cylindrical draining net 9 is connected to the lower end of the cylindrical body 1, and a funnel body 10 for powder recovery is attached to the lower end thereof. Also, a cover 11 is provided around the mesh 9.
Is provided.

The cooling liquid jet pipe 7 is connected to the tank 12 through a pump 3 through a pipe. Also, the cover 1
The bottom of 1 is piped to the tank 12, and the cooling liquid collected by the cover 11 is returned to the tank 12 and is circulated and used. Incidentally, the tank 12 is provided with a replenishing cooling liquid supply pipe (not shown), and a cooler may be appropriately interposed in the tank or in the middle of the circulation flow path. Water is generally used as the cooling liquid. An injection crucible 2 as a molten metal supply means is provided on the top of the lid 5, a heating coil 14 is wound around the outer periphery thereof, and a nozzle hole 15 is formed at the bottom thereof. . Ar in the injection crucible 2
Inert gas such as N and N ₂ and molten metal are pressure-fed, and crucible 2
The molten metal 23 inside the cooling liquid layer 21 from the nozzle hole 15
Is injected into.

In order to carry out the present invention, first, the pump 3 is operated to form a cooling liquid layer 21 on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 1, which flows down while swirling at high speed. Using the cylindrical body 1 of FIG. 1, the inner diameter of the upper ring is φ50 mm, the inner diameter of the lower ring is φ60 mm, the distance from the upper end of the cylindrical body to the upper end of the upper ring is 50 mm, and the vertical ring spacing is 1.
Cooling water was spouted from the discharge port (diameter φ11 mm) of the spout pipe using a pump of 50 mm, 120 m water column-0.3 m ³ / min, and a cooling liquid layer was formed. The cooling liquid layer 21 was formed.

Next, Ar gas or the like is pressure-fed to the injection crucible 2 provided on the upper part of the cylindrical body 1 so that the molten metal 2 is introduced into the crucible 2.
3 is jetted toward the inner surface of the cooling liquid layer 21 above the nozzle hole 15. The injected molten metal flow is pulverized and rapidly solidified by the swirling liquid of the cooling liquid layer 21 having a substantially constant layer thickness and flow velocity, and is sufficiently cooled in the lower cooling liquid layer 22,
A homogeneously cooled powder with a substantially constant particle size is produced.

The rapidly solidified metal powder has a cooling liquid layer 21,
It is sent to the net body 9 through the lower end opening of the cylindrical body 1 together with the cooling liquid forming 22. Most of the cooling liquid flows into the funnel body 10 due to the centrifugal force of the cooling liquid itself until it flows down to the funnel body 10.
Are separated and discharged in the radial direction. On the other hand, the metal powder that has been primarily deliquored by the mesh body 9 is discharged through the funnel body 10 and sequentially subjected to an appropriate deliquoring device such as a centrifuge, so that the liquid content almost disappears in a short time. Easily dried to product powder.

[0015]

As described above, in the metal powder manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body is provided with the cooling liquid jetting pipe whose tangential direction is the pipe axial direction, and the cooling port is provided below the discharging port. Since a ring for adjusting the layer thickness of the liquid is attached, an increase in the flow-down speed of the cooling liquid jetted from the discharge port along the peripheral surface of the cylinder is suppressed and a decrease in the peripheral speed is prevented. As a result, a cooling liquid layer having a constant inner diameter and a constant flow rate can be obtained. Further, since another layer thickness adjusting ring is mounted below the ring, another cooling liquid layer is formed below the powdering cooling liquid layer. Therefore, by rapidly supplying the molten metal from the molten metal injection means into the upper cooling liquid layer, it is pulverized under uniform conditions, and further, the rapidly solidified powder of constant quality, which is sufficiently cooled in the lower cooling liquid layer, is continuously formed. It is produced, and the nozzle is not clogged.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a main part of a metal powder manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a main part of a conventional metal powder manufacturing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cooling cylinder 2 Injection crucible (molten metal injection means) 3 Pump (cooling liquid supply means) 6A Layer thickness adjusting ring 6B Layer thickness adjusting ring 7 Cooling liquid ejection pipe 9 Liquid draining net 21 Cooling liquid layer 22 Coolant layer

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cooling cylinder (1) provided with a cooling liquid jet pipe (7) for jetting and supplying a cooling liquid from a tangential direction along an inner peripheral surface, and the cooling liquid jet pipe (7). Molten metal jetting means (2) for jetting molten metal to the cooling liquid layer (21) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body (1) by the cooling liquid jetted from the cooling liquid jetting pipe ( 7) is provided with a cooling liquid supply means (3) for supplying the cooling liquid, and the discharge port (8) of the cooling liquid ejection pipe (7) is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body (1).
Ring (6A) for adjusting the layer thickness of the cooling liquid layer (21) below
Is attached, and another layer thickness adjusting ring (6
B) is attached, The metal powder manufacturing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.