An electric induction furnace for heating and melting electrically conductive materials is provided with a lining wear detection system that can detect replaceable furnace lining wear when the furnace is properly operated and maintained. In some embodiments of the invention the lining wear detection system utilizes an electrically conductive wire assemblage embedded in a wire assemblage refractory disposed between the replaceable lining and the furnace's induction coil.

A support tooling for porous preforms intended to be infiltrated by a molten metal includes a rack including two suspension bars each extending longitudinally along a first direction, the suspension bars being held spaced apart from one another along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a plurality or porous preform supports removably mounted on the suspension bars, each support including a first portion connected to one of the suspension bars by a connection sliding along a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions and a second portion extending from the first portion and including support elements which are able to hold a porous preform by point or linear contact.

An induction furnace comprising a upper furnace vessel; an induction coil positioned below the upper furnace vessel; and a melt-containing vessel positioned inside the induction coil and communicably connected to the upper furnace vessel, wherein the positioning of the melt-containing vessel inside the induction coil defines a gap between an outside surface of the melt-containing vessel and an inside surface of the induction coil. A system for direct-chill casting comprising at least one an induction furnace; at least one in-line filter operable to remove impurities in molten metal; at least one gas source coupled to a feed port associated with the gas; and at least one device for solidifying metal by casting. A method of cooling an induction furnace comprising introducing a gas into a gap between an induction coil and a melt-containing vessel positioned inside the induction coil; and circulating the gas through the gap.

The invention relates to a method for melting an aluminum load, comprising: supplying an aluminum load (11, 12, 13) of which at least 15% by weight is in the form of a sow of essentially cylindrical shape (11) of height h and maximum diameter d; loading said load into a cylindrical induction furnace (10) of height H and maximum internal diameter D in which the height direction of said sow is substantially parallel to the height direction of the furnace; melting said load by induction to obtain a liquid metal bath (2); optionally adjusting content of said liquid metal in which d is in the range from 0.7 D to 0.97 D and preferably in the range from 0.84 D to 0.92 D.

Disclosed is a channel type induction furnace (50) provided with a furnace floor (71) that is inclined downwards from an operative rear of the furnace hearth (50) towards an opposing operative front of the hearth (50), with a wall (73A) at the front of hearth (50) comprising a bottom section (76) and a top section (77), with the front wall bottom section (76) extending further into the hearth (50) than the front wall top section (77), and the front wall bottom section (76) terminating in an upper edge (78) in abutment with the front wall top section (77), with a down-passage (9) to an induction heater (79), located proximate the front wall (73A), having an inlet in the floor (71) at a location proximate the base of the front wall (73A) and the or each up-passage (54A, 54B) having an outlet in the floor (71) at a location in abutment with the base of the front wall bottom section (76) and with the front wall bottom section (76) being provided with a vertical slot (59A, 59B) extending upwards above the or each up-passage (54A, 54B) through it and opening onto the upper edge (78) of the bottom section (76).

A cold crucible may include a plurality of fingers extending in an axial direction and arranged in a circumferential direction, and a slit between each pair of adjacent fingers. The cold crucible may also include at least one insert in each of the slits. The at least one insert may include a first component made of a soft magnetic composite material, and a second component made of a soft magnetic component.

A hold down mechanism for releasably securing a refractory lining to a furnace. The hold down mechanism can comprise plate segments that form a composite plate. The plate segments can comprise a first plate segment structured to articulate relative to a second plate segment. Furthermore, a gap in the hold down mechanism can be structured to adjust in response to a thermal condition of the composite plate, such as thermal expansion or thermal contraction of at least one plate segment. The composite plate can also comprise an articulation plate pivotally coupled to at least one of the first plate segment and the second plate segment via a pivot and/or a slot and pin engagement. The composite plate can further comprise a third plate segment and a second articulation plate pivotally coupled to at least one of the second plate segment and the third plate segment.

An induction shield is configured to substantially reduce emissions emitted from an induction heat source (e.g., coil) during use. The shield is positioned adjacent to a vessel (e.g., in an injection system) having a melting portion configured to receive meltable material to be melted therein and an induction heat source positioned adjacent the vessel configured to melt the meltable material received in the melting portion of the vessel. The shield may include a tube configuration configured to flow liquid therein to absorb heat emitted from the heat source. The tube configuration can comprise a single tube or multiple tubes. The shield can be positioned adjacent the induction source in a helical manner, for example, or at ends of the vessel. The shield can be used during melting of amorphous alloy and for forming a part.

An induction furnace comprising a upper furnace vessel; an induction coil positioned below the upper furnace vessel; and a melt-containing vessel positioned inside the induction coil and communicably connected to the upper furnace vessel, wherein the positioning of the melt-containing vessel inside the induction coil defines a gap between an outside surface of the melt-containing vessel and an inside surface of the induction coil. A system for direct-chill casting comprising at least one an induction furnace; at least one in-line filter operable to remove impurities in molten metal; at least one gas source coupled to a feed port associated with the gas; and at least one device for solidifying metal by casting. A method of cooling an induction furnace comprising introducing a gas into a gap between an induction coil and a melt-containing vessel positioned inside the induction coil; and circulating the gas through the gap.

A combustion tube mounting system releasably mounts a combustion tube to an aperture in the floor of a furnace housing. The combustion tube has a base assembly with a cam and can be manually or automatically unlocked by cam pins in the floor for selectively engaging the cam for lowering the combustion tube from the floor of the furnace. When a new combustion tube is placed on the lower seal assembly and raised, it automatically aligns and engages the upper furnace seal and engages cams on the floor of the furnace housing which lock the combustion tube in place as it is introduced into the furnace.