Continuous rapid-cooling solidification apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed is a continuous rapid solidification apparatus, which includes a cooling roll configured to cool a molten metal supplied to an outer circumference surface thereof; a crucible configured to supply the cooling roll with the molten metal; and two or more molten metal supplies configured to melt raw material metal and alternately supply the crucible with the molten metal.

Claims

1. A continuous rapid solidification apparatus, comprising: a cooling roll configured to cool a molten metal supplied to an outer circumference surface thereof; a crucible configured to supply the cooling roll with the molten metal and having a heater that surrounds the crucible; and two or more molten metal supplies configured to melt a raw material metal and alternately supply the crucible with the molten metal, wherein each of the two or more molten metal supplies comprises an auxiliary crucible chamber configured to include an internal heater and wherein a first auxiliary crucible chamber of the two or more molten metal supplies is disposed on a left-hand side of the crucible and a second auxiliary crucible chamber of the two or more molten metal supplies is disposed on a right-hand side of the crucible; a first chamber configured to form a sealed space where the molten metal supplied from the crucible is cooled by the cooling roll; a second chamber configured to be formed of a space separated from the first chamber and to form a sealed space where the molten metal is supplied to the crucible by the two or more molten metal supplies; a vacuum level controller configured to control a vacuum level of the first chamber; a pressure controller configured to control a pressure of the second chamber; and a controller configured to control the vacuum level controller and the pressure controller so as to increase the vacuum level of the first chamber and the pressure of the second chamber in proportion to an exhausted state of the molten metal supplied to the crucible.

2. The continuous rapid solidification apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two or more molten metal supplies include a melting furnace that melts the raw material metal contained therein.

3. The continuous rapid solidification apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the two or more molten metal supplies comprises: a gate configured to open and close the auxiliary crucible chamber; and an auxiliary crucible configured to melt the raw material metal in the auxiliary crucible chamber and to be transported toward the crucible when the gate is opened so as to supply the crucible with the molten metal.

4. The continuous rapid solidification apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a continuous supply controller configured to control opening and closing of the gate and transportation of the auxiliary crucible such that the molten metal is alternately supplied from the two or more molten metal supplies.

5. The continuous rapid solidification apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pressure controller provides an inert gas into the second chamber to control the pressure therein.

6. The continuous rapid solidification apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to control the pressure controller so as to increase the pressure of the second chamber in proportion to an exhausted status of the molten metal supplied to the crucible.

7. The continuous rapid solidification apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to control the vacuum level controller so as to increase the vacuum level of the first chamber in proportion to an exhausted status of the molten metal supplied to the crucible.

8. The continuous rapid solidification apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vacuum level of the first chamber is controlled in a range of 0.1 to 10 torr.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a manufacturing apparatus employing the melt spinning method in the art.

(2) FIG. 2 is a typical plan view illustrating a rapid solidification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 3 is a typical vertical sectional view illustrating a rapid solidification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating components related to a control of a molten metal supply among a rapid solidification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating components related to a vacuum level of a first chamber and a pressure control of a second chamber in a rapid solidification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE

(6) A continuous rapid solidification apparatus according to the present invention comprises a cooling roll configured to cool a molten metal supplied to an outer circumference surface thereof; a crucible configured to supply the cooling roll with the molten metal; and two or more molten metal supplies configured to melt raw material metal and sequentially supply the crucible with the molten metal.

MODES

(7) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. When not defined or mentioned explicitly otherwise, the terms used to indicate directions in the description are based on the status illustrated in the drawings. Further, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same components throughout respective embodiments. Meanwhile, each component illustrated in the drawings may be exaggerated in its thickness and dimension for the convenience of description, and it does not mean that each embodiment should be configured in its practical dimension or configuration ratio.

(8) A continuous rapid solidification apparatus according to an embodiment is described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a typical plan view illustrating a rapid solidification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 3 is a typical vertical sectional view illustrating a rapid solidification apparatus according to an embodiment.

(9) A cooling roll 10 cools a molten metal, that is, a liquid metal supplied from a crucible 30. Specifically, the cooling roll 10 receives a rotation force from a motor 20 so that it rotates around a certain axis of rotation. The cooling roll 10 cools the supplied molten metal using its outer circumference surface whose temperature is relatively lower than the molten metal and then scatters it in a certain direction D2.

(10) A cooled material such as a ribbon type alloy, which is cooled by the cooling roll 10 and flows in a certain direction D2 is rolled up and stored in a storage 50.

(11) The crucible 30 is located on the cooling roll 10 and supplies the outer circumference surface of the cooling roll 10 with the molten metal contained therein. Specifically, the crucible 30 is supplied with the molten metal from a molten metal supply 40. The molten metal contained in the crucible 30 is heated by a heater 35 which is adjacent thereto or included therein so that it is controlled at a suitable temperature.

(12) Two or more molten metal supplies 40 are included. The molten metal supplies 40 melt a raw material metal and alternately supply the crucible with the molten metal. In this case, while any one of the molten metal supplies 40 supplies the crucible 30 with the molten metal, remaining molten metal supplies 40 is heated to melt the metal to be supplied in the next time or stands by with keeping the temperature. Also, each of the molten metal supplies 40 controls the amount of the molten metal that is continuously supplied to the molten metal supply 40 according to the tapping speed of the molten metal contained in the crucible 30. That is, it is desired that the molten metal supply 40 replenishes the amount of the molten metal tapped from the crucible 30 so that a certain level of metal is maintained in the crucible 30.

(13) In this case, various devices may be used to sense the level of the molten metal contained in the crucible 30. For example, it may be possible to sense the level of the molten metal by partially measuring the temperature using a number of bimetals or the like, which are included in the crucible 30. Further, it may be possible to sense the level of the molten metal contained in the crucible 30 through an image process by installing an imaging device (not shown) to take a picture of an interior of the crucible 30.

(14) Specifically, the molten metal supply 40 includes an auxiliary crucible chamber 43, an auxiliary crucible 41 and a gate 45. The auxiliary crucible 41 contains a raw material metal and/or a molten metal in order to manufacture a molten metal to be supplied to the crucible 30. The auxiliary crucible chamber 43 provides a sealed space that includes heaters to heat the auxiliary crucible 41 thereby producing the molten metal or maintaining the temperature, and the gate 45 opens and closes the crucible chamber 43 to provide a path through which the auxiliary crucible 41 goes out of the gate 45.

(15) The auxiliary crucible 41 may be transported by a separate transportation means (not shown) from the auxiliary crucible chamber 43 up to the top of the crucible 30 and then supply the crucible 30 with the molten metal contained therein.

(16) Meanwhile, such molten metal supplies 40 may sequentially supply the molten metal simply using two or more melting furnaces (not shown) without a separate chamber or the like.

(17) Referring to FIG. 3, the rapid solidification apparatus according to the present invention may include a first chamber C1 which forms a space where the molten metal supplied from the crucible 30 is cooled by the cooling roll 10, and a second chamber C2 which forms a space where the molten metal is supplied to the crucible 30 by the molten metal supply 40.

(18) At this time, it is preferred that the first chamber C1 and the second chamber C2 are formed as sealed independent spaces, respectively. For example, the first chamber C1 and the second chamber C2 may be separated by a chamber partition CP. With such a configuration, the vacuum process may be performed in the first chamber C1.

(19) That is, the first chamber C1 may perform the cooling process efficiently by controlling the vacuum level, and the second chamber C2 may supply the cooling roll 10 with the molten metal contained in the crucible 30 at a constant pressure by producing an inert atmosphere and controlling the pressure according to the exhausted level of the molten metal contained in the crucible 30.

(20) The related specific components and descriptions thereof will be given below.

(21) A continuous supply controller and a controller for the pressure and the vacuum level according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration related to a control of a molten metal supply of a rapid solidification apparatus according to an embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating components related to a vacuum level of a first chamber and a pressure control of a second chamber in a rapid solidification apparatus according to an embodiment.

(22) Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the rapid solidification apparatus according to the present embodiment may further comprise a continuous supply controller 60.

(23) The continuous supply controller 60 is a component which controls components illustrated in FIG. 3 so that the molten metal is sequentially supplied from a number of molten metal supplies 40 to the crucible 30. In case of an auxiliary crucible type, specifically, the continuous supply controller 60 sequentially opens and closes gates of the molten metal supplies 40a and 40b and then controls a crucible transportation means 47 to transport the auxiliary crucible so that the auxiliary crucible is transported toward the crucible. When the auxiliary crucible is transported toward the crucible, the continuous supply controller 60 controls the molten supply means 49 so that the molten metal is supplied from the auxiliary crucible to the crucible.

(24) Referring to FIG. 5, the rapid solidification apparatus according to the present invention may include a vacuum level controller 71 and a pressure controller 73.

(25) The pressure controller 73 may control the pressure in the second chamber C2, thereby controlling the pressure applied to the molten metal contained in the crucible. At this time, the pressure controller 73 may control the pressure by supplying the second chamber C2 with an inert gas.

(26) The vacuum level controller 71 may control the vacuum level in the first chamber C1. At this time, it is preferred that the vacuum level of the first chamber C1 is controlled in the scope of 0.1 to 10 torr. There occurs a problem that a rapid solidification speed is reduced at the low vacuum level of 10 torr or more so that the cooling efficiency is low and the yield is reduced. Further, there occurs a problem that it may be difficult to produce such environment as the high vacuum level of 0.1 torr or less and a whirl occurs due to the rotation of the cooling roll 10, whereby a phenomenon occurs that a nozzle is rapidly cooled and closed.

(27) Meanwhile, the controller 65 controls the pressure controller 73 and the vacuum level controller 71 so as to control the pressure of the second chamber C2 and the vacuum level of the first chamber C1, so that the final supply pressure of the molten metal supplied to the cooling roll through the crucible may be controlled.

(28) Specifically, the controller 65 may control the pressure controller 73 to increase the pressure of the second chamber C2 in proportion to the exhausted status of the molten metal contained in the crucible. The molten metal contained in the crucible may be controlled to maintain a certain level as described above. However, the level of the molten metal contained in the crucible may be reduced in the process that a replacement is performed between the first auxiliary crucible 41a and the second auxiliary crucible 41b to supply the molten metal.

(29) At this time, as the molten metal contained in the crucible becomes exhausted, the pressure in the second chamber C2 gradually becomes reduced and accordingly the pressure of the molten metal supplied to the cooling roll from the crucible also becomes reduced. Here, it may be possible to increase the pressure applied to supply the cooling roll with the molten metal contained in the crucible by increasing the internal pressure of the second chamber C2 in proportion to the exhausted status of the molten metal contained in the crucible.

(30) Further, the controller 65 may also increase the vacuum level of the first chamber in proportion to the exhausted status of the molten metal supplied to the crucible. It may be possible to control the vacuum level controller 71 in order to increase the vacuum level of the first chamber C1 in proportion to the exhausted status of the molten metal contained in the crucible in the similar manner that the pressure in the second chamber C2 is increased according to the status of the molten metal contained in the crucible. As the vacuum level of the first chamber C1 increases, the pressure of the second chamber C2 relative to the first chamber C1 gradually increases. Using such a method, it may be possible to obtain the effect similar to that the pressure of the second chamber C2 is gradually increased.

(31) Also, the controller 65 may simultaneously control the vacuum level of the first chamber C1 and the pressure of the second chamber C2. For example, it may also be possible to gradually increase the vacuum level of the first chamber C1 and the pressure of the second chamber C2 simultaneously in proportion to the exhausted status of the molten metal contained in the crucible. Even in case that the molten metal contained in the crucible is exhausted like the above-described technologies, it may be possible to maintain a constant pressure of the molten metal supplied from the crucible to the cooling roll by maintaining the pressure of the second chamber C2 at a suitable level.

(32) Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, technical ideas of the present invention are not limited to the preferred embodiments, and they may be variously embodied within the scope without departing from the technical ideas of the present invention specified in the appending claims.