JP4354684B2 - Rotary mixed material feeder - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a rotary mixed material feeder attached to a metal melting facility, and in particular, when supplying a mixed material in which a plurality of types of melting raw materials having different specific gravity or bulk specific gravity are mixed to a vibration feeder. The material composition of the mixed material is made uniform and the ingot is homogenized without excessively increasing the amount and without increasing the size of the equipment.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Metal melting technology using electron beams is widely used not only for melting iron and nickel alloys, but also for melting high-melting metals such as molybdenum, niobium and tantalum, and active metals such as titanium and titanium alloys. Yes. Generally, an ingot-shaped raw material called an electrode is used as a raw material supplied to the metal melting furnace. However, due to recent technological advances, depending on the apparatus used, powdery or lump-like raw materials such as titanium sponge and cutting chips can be used.
[0003]
When an ingot is manufactured from a plurality of types of raw materials using an electron beam, these raw materials are supplied to a rotary mixed material feeder 1 called an Archimedes can in which a spiral rib is formed on the inner surface as shown in FIG. Accommodate. Thereafter, by rotating the rotary mixed material feeder 1 in the circumferential direction, a predetermined amount of the mixed material is supplied to the vibratory feeder 3 from the opening 1a provided in the rotary mixed material supplier 1 under the operation of the plunger valve 2. Primary discharge is performed, and the mixed material is supplied from the vibration feeder 3 to the hearth 4 that is the melting portion. Furthermore, the mixed material is melted by irradiating the mixed material with an electron beam using the electron beam gun 5 to manufacture the ingot 6.
[0004]
However, for example, when raw materials having different bulk specific gravities, such as sponge titanium and cutting chips, are mixed and supplied to the hearth 4, cutting chips having a small bulk specific gravity are easily discharged preferentially. It is difficult to make a mixed material made of raw materials having different specific gravities uniform in all mixing regions. For this reason, there exists a possibility that a mixed material may be supplied to the hearth 4 with a locally uneven raw material structure. Under such circumstances, since the purity differs depending on the type of raw material, the distribution of impurity components in the ingot 6 obtained by dissolving the mixed material becomes heterogeneous in the longitudinal direction, and satisfies the required characteristics of the user. I can't.
[0005]
In addition, when a titanium-aluminum alloy is manufactured by dissolving a titanium alloy mixed material in which sponge titanium and a chip containing a predetermined amount of aluminum component are mixed, the aluminum component contained in the chip is volatilized. Therefore, it is necessary to add an excess aluminum component together with the sponge titanium. For this reason, it is important to keep the supply rate of sponge titanium as constant as possible in the raw material composition of the mixed material supplied from the rotary mixed material supplier. When the raw material composition of the mixed material supplied from the rotary mixed material feeder is not uniform, the composition of the ingot after melting is also non-uniform. Therefore, the required characteristics can be obtained by dissolving the generated ingot as an electrode again by VAR melting. Can be satisfied. However, when an ingot that has been primarily melted is melted again to obtain a product ingot, the manufacturing cost becomes high, which is not economical. In addition, although a certain degree of improvement is achieved when remelted, the ingot is not always homogeneous in the longitudinal direction.
[0006]
Considering the actual situation, as a method of supplying the mixed material, conventionally, sponge titanium, titanium scrap material, alloy elements, etc. are mixed in advance, so that “titanium or titanium alloy” or “titanium or titanium alloy” There has been proposed a method of supplying a metal with a high vapor pressure "wrapped in a thin plate or a metal mesh to a hearth from a feeder (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, a method of supplying raw materials to be dissolved to Hearth by independently adjusting the supply speeds with a plurality of feeders has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2).
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-131330 (pages 2, 3 and 2)
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-66129 (2nd page, FIG. 1)
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the number of manufacturing steps increases because a premixing step such as sponge titanium is required. Moreover, since the technique described in Patent Document 2 requires a plurality of feeders, there is a problem that the equipment is increased in size. Therefore, in recent years, the supply of the mixed material, which is a mixture of raw materials with different specific gravity, such as sponge titanium and cutting chips, to the vibratory feeder is performed without excessively increasing the number of manufacturing steps and without increasing the size of the equipment. In addition, there has been a demand for the development of a rotary mixed material feeder that can be realized in such a manner that the mixed material raw material composition to be supplied is uniform.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above demands, and can supply a mixed material mixed with raw materials having different specific gravity or bulk specific gravity to a vibration feeder with a uniform raw material configuration of the mixed material, and its manufacture. It is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary mixed material feeder without excessively increasing the number of steps and without increasing the size of equipment.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The rotary mixed material feeder of the present invention is a rotary mixed material feeder comprising a bottomed cylindrical body and a lid having an opening attached to the open end of the bottomed cylindrical body. Helical ribs are formed on the inner surface of the body and over almost the entire inner surface, and linear ribs inclined with respect to the rotation axis direction of the mixed material feeder are formed on the inner surface of the bottomed cylindrical body. The linear rib and the spiral rib are formed in contact with each other, and a groove section defined by the linear rib and the spiral rib is formed on the inner surface .
The rotary mixed material feeder of the present invention, in use, after each raw material constituting the mixed material is accommodated in a bottomed cylindrical body and covered, the feeder is rotated in the circumferential direction so that the mixed material is The material composition is uniform, and the mixed material is supplied to the outside through an opening provided in the lid.
Specifically, when the rotary mixed material feeder is rotated, the mixed material is positioned on a groove between adjacent spiral ribs, and is conveyed substantially in the circumferential direction along with the groove following the rotation of the groove. Then, the mixed material falls more due to gravity when it becomes unable to follow the rotational movement of the groove, and at this time, mixing is promoted. By repeating such an operation, the mixed material finally reaches the opening and is supplied to the outside.
In the present invention, the linear rib is formed on the inner surface of the conventional rotary mixed material feeder, so that when the mixed material gets over the linear rib, the mixing is further promoted and only the raw material having a large specific gravity is conveyed. As a result, the mixed material becomes more uniform in the raw material structure and is not supplied into the furnace in a locally non-uniform raw material structure. For this reason, the composition of the ingot obtained by melting the mixed material supplied using the rotary mixed material feeder of the present invention is sufficiently homogeneous in the longitudinal direction, and sufficiently satisfies the user's required characteristics. It will be satisfactory.
In addition, when the rotary mixed material feeder of the present invention is used, since the raw material premixing step as in the technique described in Patent Document 1 is not necessary, the number of manufacturing steps does not increase excessively. . Further, when the rotary mixed material feeder according to the present invention is used, a plurality of feeders are not required unlike the technique described in Patent Document 2, so that the equipment is not enlarged. Therefore, according to the present invention, sufficient ingot homogenization due to the formation of linear ribs, suppression of manufacturing man-hours due to the absence of a raw material premixing step, and the need for multiple feeders It is possible to simultaneously prevent the equipment from becoming large.
[0011]
In such a rotary mixed material feeder, the lid is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the spiral rib, and the linear rib extends over the entire region other than the fitting region of the lid in the axial direction of the inner surface. It is desirable to extend and to be inclined with respect to the axial direction. In the present invention, the number of times that the mixed material goes over the linear rib can be maximized by extending the linear rib over the entire region other than the fitting region of the lid in the axial direction of the inner surface. For this reason, the mixing effect resulting from overcoming the linear rib of the mixed material can be sufficiently obtained, and the mixed material can be made sufficiently uniform. In addition, since the linear rib is inclined with respect to the axial direction, the mixed material moves not only in the circumferential direction but also in the axial direction when getting over the linear rib, so that mixing of the raw materials is further promoted, The mixed material can be made more uniform.
[0012]
In such a rotary mixed material feeder, the inclination angle of the linear rib with respect to the axial direction is preferably 10 ° to 50 °. When the inclination angle is less than 10 °, the mixed material moves only in the circumferential direction when the mixed material moves over the linear rib, so that the raw material is not sufficiently moved in the axial direction. For this reason, the mixing effect in both the circumferential direction and the axial direction due to the use of the linear rib cannot be sufficiently obtained. If the inclination angle exceeds 50 °, the mixed material moves only in the axial direction when the mixed material moves over the linear rib, so that the raw material is sufficiently moved in the circumferential direction. Absent. For this reason, also in this case, the mixing effect in both the circumferential direction and the axial direction due to the use of the linear rib cannot be sufficiently obtained. When the inclination angle exceeds 50 °, there is no significant difference between the formation mode of the linear rib and the formation mode of the spiral rib. Therefore, the linear rib is an obstacle to overcome the mixed material. Cannot fully fulfill their role. For this reason, the mixing effect is not so different from the case where there is no linear rib, and the mixing effect due to the use of the linear rib cannot be sufficiently obtained. In order to further obtain the above effects, it is more desirable to set the inclination angle to 30 ° to 50 °.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings while contrasting with the prior art.
FIG. 2 (a) shows a conventional rotating mixed material feeder, in which the right side is a side sectional view thereof, and the left side is a front view thereof. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a bottomed cylindrical body, and 12 denotes a lid that is detachably attached to the open end of the bottomed cylindrical body 11. As shown in the figure, the bottomed cylindrical body 11 is continuously formed with spiral ribs 11a and 11b having different heights over almost the entire inner surface. Moreover, the bottom wall 11c is attached to the bottomed cylindrical body 11 with a bolt, for example. The lid 12 includes a plate portion 12a that has a disc shape and closes the opening of the bottomed cylindrical body 11, and a cylindrical portion 12b that has a cylindrical shape and is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the spiral rib 11b. ing. An opening 12c for supplying the mixed material to the outside is formed in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the plate portion 12a. The lid 12 is attached to the bottomed cylindrical body 11 with a bolt or the like in use. FIG. 2B is a developed view of the bottomed cylindrical body 11 shown in FIG. 2A, and as shown in the figure, the spiral rib 11a is directed from the bottom wall 11c side toward the lid 12 side. It extends in a spiral shape, is wider from the stepped portion D at its end, and extends toward the opening of the bottomed cylindrical body 11 as a spiral rib 11b.
[0014]
In use, the rotary mixed material feeder shown in FIG. 2 fits the lid 12 to the bottomed cylindrical body 11 containing each raw material (not shown) constituting the mixed material, and then surrounds the feeder. The mixed material is made uniform in its raw material configuration by rotating in the direction, and the mixed material is supplied to the vibration feeder from the opening 12 c provided in the lid 12. At the time of rotation of the rotary mixed material feeder, the mixed material is positioned, for example, on one groove 11d formed between the adjacent spiral ribs, and follows the rotational movement of the groove 11d in the substantially circumferential direction together with the groove 11d. Moving. Then, when the mixed material can no longer follow the rotational movement of the groove 11d, it falls onto the groove 11e closer to the opening due to gravity, and mixing is promoted at this time. By repeating such an operation, the mixed material finally reaches the opening 12c and is supplied to the outside. However, when a mixed material made of raw materials having different bulk specific gravity is supplied to the vibration feeder using the rotary mixed material feeder having such a structure, only the raw material having a small bulk specific gravity is preferentially discharged. The ingot could not be homogenized.
[0015]
On the other hand, FIG. 3A shows an example of the rotary mixed material feeder of the present invention, the right side is a partial sectional view thereof, and the left side is a front view thereof. FIG. 3B is a development view of the bottomed cylindrical body 11 shown in FIG. The basic configuration of the rotary mixed material supplier shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is the same as that of the rotary mixed material supplier shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Therefore, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. The rotary mixed material feeder shown in FIG. 3A is an axis that intersects the spiral rib 11a on the inner surface of the bottomed cylindrical body 11 with respect to the rotary mixed material feeder shown in FIG. Three linear ribs 11f extending in the direction are further formed. Also in this example, the mixed material accommodated in the rotary mixed material feeder is mixed from the right side to the left side as shown in the right side view of FIG. It is conveyed repeatedly. In this example, since the linear rib 11f is formed, there is an effect that mixing is further promoted when the mixed material gets over the linear rib.
[0016]
In particular, in the case of supplying a mixed material by mixing two-component raw materials having a large bulk specific gravity difference, the linear rib 11f is connected to the fitting region of the lid 12 in the axial direction of the inner surface of the bottomed cylindrical body 11. By extending over the whole area other than the above, the number of times that the mixed material gets over the straight rib 11f can be set to the maximum. For this reason, the mixing effect resulting from overcoming the linear rib 11f of the mixed material can be sufficiently obtained, and the mixed material can be made sufficiently uniform. As a modification of the example shown in FIG. 3, when the linear rib 11f is inclined with respect to the axial direction as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the mixed material becomes the linear rib 11f. When moving over, it moves not only in the circumferential direction but also in the axial direction, which is preferable because the mixed material can be made more uniform. In this case, if the height of the linear rib 11f is higher than the height of the spiral rib 11a, the mixing effect is further enhanced. The inclination angle can be appropriately selected. For example, when titanium sponge and chips are used as raw materials, the angle is preferably 10 ° to 50 °, and in order to further obtain the above effect, 30 ° to More preferably, the angle is 50 °.
[0017]
Furthermore, when the rotary mixed material feeder shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 is used, various raw materials such as sponge titanium, chips and cutting chips are mixed, and the two-component mixed material is used as a vibration feeder. Of course, a mixed material of three or more components can be supplied to the vibratory feeder with a uniform raw material structure. Even when such a mixed material of three or more components is supplied to the vibration feeder, mixing is performed by forming the linear rib 11f intersecting the spiral rib 11a on the inner surface of the rotary mixed material feeder as described above. The supply of the material can be made more uniform in the raw material composition, and as a result, the ingot can be manufactured more homogeneously.
[0018]
A plurality of such linear ribs 11f may be formed since the uniformity in the raw material structure of the mixed material is further improved by increasing the number thereof. However, if the number is excessively increased, the mixed material is easily clogged when the mixed material is supplied to the vibration feeder. Therefore, it is preferable that the number is about 1 to 3 in the circumferential direction.
[0019]
【Example】
Next, examples of the present invention will be described.
In each of the following Examples and Comparative Examples, a mixed material composed of 261 kg of sponge titanium and 261 kg of chips is accommodated in a bottomed cylindrical body (Archimedes can) having an inner diameter of 1482 mm and a height of 1860 mm, and each rotary mixed material. The feeder was rotated in the circumferential direction at 6 rpm. The pitch of the spiral ribs was 150 mm, the height was 80 mm, and the widths of the spiral ribs and the linear ribs were both 12 mm. In the following, the results of various conditions for each example and comparative example, and the results of investigation on the supply rate (%) of titanium sponge and the total supply amount (kg) of the mixed material supplied to the vibration feeder are shown.
[0020]
[Example 1]
Example in which three linear ribs extending in the axial direction are formed on the inner side surface of the bottomed cylindrical body The structure shown in FIG. 3, that is, three in the axial direction of the inner side surface of the bottomed cylindrical body The case where a linear rib was formed was investigated. The height of the straight rib was 80 mm. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the supply rate of sponge titanium and the total supply amount of the mixed material supplied to the vibration feeder.
[0021]
[Example 2]
Embodiment in the case where three linear ribs extending obliquely with respect to the axial direction are formed on the inner side surface of the bottomed cylindrical body The structure shown in FIG. 4, that is, the shaft on the inner side surface of the bottomed cylindrical body The case where three linear ribs inclined by 30 ° with respect to the direction were formed was investigated. The height of the straight rib was 160 mm. The relationship between the supply rate of titanium sponge and the total supply amount of the mixed material supplied to the vibration feeder is also shown in FIG.
[0022]
[Comparative example]
・ Comparative example when linear ribs are not formed on the inner side surface of the bottomed cylindrical body The structure shown in FIG. 2, that is, when only conventional spiral ribs are formed on the inner side surface of the bottomed cylindrical body investigated. The relationship between the supply rate of titanium sponge and the total supply amount of the mixed material supplied to the vibration feeder is also shown in FIG.
[0023]
As can be seen from FIG. 5, each example has a smaller variation in the supply rate of sponge titanium than the comparative example, and it can be seen that the mixed material is more uniform in the raw material structure. In particular, good results have been obtained for Example 2. This is because the linear rib is inclined with respect to the axial direction on the inner side surface, and the mixed material moves in both the circumferential direction and the axial direction when getting over the linear rib. Because it is promoted.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, by forming the linear rib intersecting the spiral rib on the inner surface of the bottomed cylindrical body, the raw material configuration of the mixed material supplied to the vibration feeder can be made uniform. Moreover, this uniformization can be realized without excessively increasing the number of manufacturing steps and without increasing the size of the equipment. Therefore, the present invention is promising in that it can provide a rotary mixed material feeder suitable for adjusting the raw material composition of the mixed material when an ingot is manufactured using an electron beam.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a metal melting furnace facility for manufacturing an ingot by melting metal using an electron beam.
FIG. 2 (a) shows a conventional rotating mixed material feeder, the right side of which is a side sectional view and the left side of which is a front view thereof. (B) is a development view of the bottomed cylindrical body shown in (a).
FIG. 3 (a) shows one rotating mixed material feeder of the present invention, the right side is a partial sectional view of the side, and the left side is a front view thereof. (B) is a development view of the bottomed cylindrical body shown in (a).
FIG. 4 (a) shows another rotating mixed material feeder of the present invention, the right side is a partial sectional view of the side, and the left side is a front view thereof. (B) is a development view of the bottomed cylindrical body shown in (a).
FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the supply rate of titanium sponge and the total supply amount of the mixed material supplied to the vibration feeder for each example and comparative example.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Bottomed cylindrical body, 12 ... Cover, 11a, 11b ... Spiral rib, 11c ... Bottom wall, 11d, 11e ... Groove, 11f ... Linear rib, 12a ... Plate part, 12b ... Cylindrical part, 12c ... Opening Part, D ... Step.

Claims (3)

In the rotary mixed material feeder comprising a bottomed cylindrical body and a lid attached to the open end of the bottomed cylindrical body and having an opening,
Helical ribs are formed over the entire inner surface in contact with the inner surface of the bottomed cylindrical body,
Furthermore, a linear rib inclined with respect to the rotation axis direction of the mixed material feeder is formed in contact with the inner surface of the bottomed cylindrical body,
The rotary mixed material feeder, wherein the linear rib and the spiral rib intersect each other, and a groove section defined by the linear rib and the spiral rib is formed on the inner surface.   The lid is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the spiral rib, and the linear rib extends over the entire region other than the fitting region of the lid in the axial direction of the inner surface, and with respect to the axial direction. The rotary mixed material feeder according to claim 1, wherein the rotary mixed material feeder is inclined. The rotary mixed material feeder according to claim 1, wherein an inclination angle of the linear rib with respect to the axial direction is 10 ° to 50 °.

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