Casting method for improving appearance surface quality of metal lithium

Abstract

The invention discloses a casting method for improving appearance surface quality of metal lithium, which comprises a flow guide device, a casting pipe mechanism, a mold, a lithium liquid conveying pipeline and an oil coating mechanism, the flow guide device is placed on the mold, and the flow guide device comprises a flow guide sleeve, a flow guide rod, four flow dividers, four inner connecting plates, four outer connecting plates and a fixing plate; the casting pipe mechanism comprises a casting pipe inlet and a casting pipe outlet; the liquid metal lithium casting device is reasonable in design and convenient to use, liquid metal lithium casting is achieved, liquid lithium flows out of a mold base plate in the casting process, the downward flow speed of lithium liquid is reduced through the internal structure of the flow guide device, and small lithium beads splashed when the lithium liquid impacts the base plate are blocked by the flow guide sleeve; the purpose of reducing the splashing speed and range of the lithium liquid is achieved, scars are avoided, the casting quality of a lithium ingot is improved, bubbles are avoided, and meanwhile the problem that other flow guide tools cannot be taken out due to the fact that the lithium liquid is rapidly solidified and embedded in metal lithium is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of casting methods, and in particular relates to a casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium. Background Art

[0002] Lithium metal has good application prospects as a new energy negative electrode material, and is also an indispensable material for the petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. In the actual production process, the casting of lithium metal will have a decisive influence on the appearance and quality of the product. The appearance quality of the product mainly includes surface gloss, and the absence of defects such as pores, scars, oil marks, cold shuts, shrinkage holes, etc. that affect product quality. When liquid lithium metal is cast, the above defects may occur due to excessive or insufficient white oil, uneven white oil, pressure, gravity, flow rate, etc., resulting in the appearance quality of lithium metal not meeting the requirements.

[0003] In view of this, Chinese patent number CN220407090U proposes an ear-hanging guide device for automatic casting of lithium metal, which is provided with two bosses on the casting tube body for hanging the guide device. The ear-hanging guide device is a guide tube with a longitudinal groove and two L-shaped grooves. The L-shaped groove is used to rotate and buckle on the boss after the guide tube sleeve is inserted upward on the casting tube body. The longitudinal groove is an exhaust groove during casting. However, the above patent cannot solve the splashing problem of lithium liquid flowing down at a high speed, and there is no specific method for improving the casting quality of lithium metal. Chinese patent number CN117139608A proposes a liquid metal automatic pouring device and a pouring method thereof, which uses gravity and spring downward pressure to make the steel ball contact with the conical inclined surface of the casting port to form a seal, and the lithium liquid flows out by lifting the steel column during casting. When the mold rises to the specified position, the steel ball is automatically lifted, and the lithium liquid flows into the mold. After casting to the specified height, the mold descends, and the steel ball descends to the conical surface inside the casting port to form a seal; while the above patent provides a metal lithium automatic casting scheme, but at the beginning of casting, due to the high-speed jet flow of lithium liquid when the steel ball rises, it is very easy for lithium liquid to splash at the bottom of the mold, forming small lithium beads on the inner wall of the mold, affecting the casting quality.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to invent a casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium to solve the above problems. The method can allow the metallic lithium liquid to achieve the effect of cooling and solidification through heat exchange with the mold, and the internal structure of the guide device is used to reduce the downward flow rate of the lithium liquid. The guide sleeve blocks the small lithium beads splashed out when the lithium liquid impacts the chassis, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the splashing speed and range of the lithium liquid, avoiding the appearance of scars, and improving the casting quality of lithium ingots. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium to solve the problems raised in the above background technology. The method can reduce the probability of bubbles, scars, cold shuts and shrinkage holes during the casting and solidification of metallic lithium liquid, thereby improving the surface quality.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium, comprising a flow guide device, a casting pipe mechanism, a mold, a lithium liquid delivery pipeline and an oiling mechanism, wherein the flow guide device is placed on the mold, and the flow guide device comprises a flow guide sleeve, a flow guide rod, four flow dividers, four inner connecting plates, four outer connecting plates and a fixing plate; the casting pipe mechanism comprises a casting pipe inlet and a casting pipe outlet; the oiling mechanism comprises a driving motor and an oiling sponge; A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium, the method is as follows: Step 1: Grinding the inner surface and the bottom plate of the mold for casting lithium ingots to a roughness of 10-20 microns; Step 2: The lithium ingot mold to be cast is moved upward by an external lifting device, so that the oiling sponge of the oiling mechanism penetrates into the mold, and the driving motor drives the oiling sponge to rotate until the inner wall and the bottom plate are evenly coated with white oil with a thickness of 0.01 mm; Step 3: The mold to be cast is lowered by an external lifting device and moved to the casting station, and the guide device is placed in the mold. The bottom end of the guide sleeve is 10-20mm away from the mold chassis; Step 4, start casting, lithium liquid is transported from the lithium liquid transport pipeline, flows in through the casting pipe inlet, flows out through the casting pipe outlet, and flows along the guide rod. When the flowing lithium liquid passes through the diverter, it is blocked by the diverter, the inner connecting plate and the outer connecting plate, and the flow rate decreases; Step 5: The lithium liquid with reduced flow rate finally flows along the guide rod to the bottom plate of the mold. A small amount of lithium beads produced by splashing adhere to the inner wall of the guide sleeve. As the lithium liquid casting continues, it finally re-melts in the guide sleeve and enters the mold.

[0007] The lithium liquid casting pipe mechanism is a thick pipe connected to a thin pipe, and is welded to the lithium liquid conveying pipeline, so that the lithium liquid flow rate is accelerated to reduce the gas in the lithium liquid pipeline entering the mold to form lithium ingot inclusion pores, and at the same time, it plays a role in avoiding the hidden danger of lithium ingot stratification caused by lithium liquid solidification due to long casting time; the guide sleeve allows the lithium liquid to flow in a directional manner and is not easy to disperse, so as to avoid splashing and forming scars; the guide device is a mechanism, and the guide sleeve forms a fixed guide, which is composed of four layers of lithium liquid diverters, so that the lithium liquid forms a directional flow during the flow, and the gas is discharged in time to avoid the formation of pore defects on the surface of the lithium ingot; the white oil is applied to the treated inner surface of the lithium ingot mold before casting to form an oil film with a thickness of no more than 0.1 mm, and the surface of the obtained finished lithium ingot is smooth and has a metallic luster; the present invention has the advantages of ingenious structure, rapid directional flow of lithium liquid, and high quality of the lithium ingot surface.

[0008] Preferably, one side of the four inner connecting plates is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the guide rod, the other side of the four inner connecting plates is respectively fixedly connected to one side of four diverters, the outer walls of the four diverters are respectively fixedly connected to one side of four outer connecting plates, the outer walls of the four outer connecting plates are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the guide sleeve, and one end of the outer wall of the guide sleeve is fixedly connected to the fixing plate; the fixing plate is placed on the mold.

[0009] Preferably, one end of the casting pipe inlet is welded to one end of the lithium liquid delivery pipeline, and the casting pipe outlet is inserted into the upper end tip of the guide rod.

[0010] Preferably, the size of the oil sponge is compatible with the inner diameter of the mold.

[0011] Preferably, in the steps 2 to 5, the mold circulates at corresponding positions of the oiling mechanism and the guide device through an external transmission device.

[0012] Preferably, in the step 2, the mold is controlled from bottom to top and from top to bottom in the oiling mechanism and the casting station by an external lifting device.

[0013] Preferably, in step 2, the amount of oil in the oiling mechanism is determined by sensing via an external flow sensor and a pressure sensor.

[0014] Preferably, in step 4 and step 5, the casting of liquid metal lithium is determined by sensing the liquid level through stroke setting, distance sensor or contact sensor.

[0015] Technical effects and advantages of the present invention: The invention achieves qualified appearance quality by processing the mold, applying white oil, connecting the casting device and controlling the casting process.

[0016] The invention realizes the casting of liquid metal lithium by reasonable design and convenient use. During the casting process, the liquid lithium flows out from 10-20 mm above the bottom plate of the mold. The internal structure of the flow guide device is used to reduce the downward flow rate of the lithium liquid. The flow guide sleeve blocks the small lithium beads splashed out when the lithium liquid impacts the bottom plate, so as to achieve the purpose of reducing the splashing speed and range of the lithium liquid, avoid the occurrence of scars, improve the casting quality of the lithium ingot, avoid the generation of bubbles, and solve the problem that other flow guide tools cannot be taken out because the lithium liquid is embedded in the metal lithium due to rapid solidification.

[0017] The present invention is applied in a fully automated casting production line without manual intervention, further improving the stability of the surface quality of metallic lithium. Due to its simple structure, the investment and maintenance costs are greatly reduced.

[0018] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in the following description, and partly become apparent from the description, or understood by practicing the present invention. The purpose and other advantages of the present invention can be realized and obtained by the structures pointed out in the description, claims and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0020] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the installation distribution structure of the casting pipe mechanism and the lithium liquid delivery pipeline of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the installation distribution structure of the flow guide device, the mold and the lithium liquid delivery pipeline of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the flow guide device of the present invention; Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the casting pipe mechanism of the present invention; Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the oiling mechanism of the present invention.

[0021] In the figure: 1. guide device; 101. guide sleeve; 102. guide rod; 103. diverter; 104. inner connecting plate; 105. outer connecting plate; 106. fixing plate; 2. casting pipe mechanism; 201. casting pipe inlet; 202. casting pipe outlet; 3. mold; 4. lithium liquid delivery pipeline; 5. oiling mechanism; 501. driving motor; 502. oiling sponge. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] The present invention provides Figure 1-6 A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium shown in the figure comprises a flow guiding device 1, a casting pipe mechanism 2, a mold 3, a lithium liquid delivery pipeline 4 and an oiling mechanism 5, wherein the flow guiding device 1 is placed on the mold 3, and the flow guiding device 1 comprises a flow guiding sleeve 101, a flow guiding rod 102, four flow dividers 103, four inner connecting plates 104, four outer connecting plates 105 and a fixing plate 106; the casting pipe mechanism 2 comprises a casting pipe inlet 201 and a casting pipe outlet 202; the oiling mechanism 5 comprises a driving motor 501 and an oiling sponge 502; A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium, the method is as follows: Step 1: Grinding the inner surface and the bottom plate of the mold 3 for casting lithium ingots to a roughness of 10-20 microns; Step 2: The lithium ingot mold 3 to be cast is moved upward by an external lifting device, so that the oiling sponge 502 of the oiling mechanism 5 penetrates into the mold 3, and the driving motor 501 drives the oiling sponge 502 to rotate until the inner wall and the bottom plate are evenly coated with white oil with a thickness of 0.01 mm. The oil amount of the oiling mechanism 5 is determined by the flow sensor and the pressure sensor to ensure that the oil film layer is 0.01 mm; Step 3: The mold 3 to be cast is lowered by an external lifting device and moved to the casting station, and the guide device 1 is placed in the mold 3, with the bottom end of the guide sleeve 101 being 10-20 mm away from the bottom plate of the mold 3; Step 4, start casting, lithium liquid is transported from the lithium liquid delivery pipeline 4, the casting pipe mechanism 2 is a thick pipe connected to a thin pipe, the casting pipe inlet 201 with a diameter of 25-38mm is connected to the casting pipe outlet 202 with a diameter of 15mm, the height is 15mm, the front end forms a 45° bevel, and is welded to the 25-38mm lithium liquid delivery pipeline 4; the lithium liquid flows in through the casting pipe inlet 201, flows out of the casting pipe outlet 202, flows along the guide rod 102, and the flowing lithium liquid is blocked by the diverter 103, the inner connecting plate 104 and the outer connecting plate 105 when passing through the diverter 103, and the flow rate decreases; Step 5: The lithium liquid with reduced flow rate finally flows along the guide rod 102 to the bottom plate of the mold 3. A small amount of small lithium beads produced by splashing adhere to the inner wall of the guide sleeve 101. As the lithium liquid casting continues, it finally re-melts in the guide sleeve 101 and enters the mold 3. The guide sleeve 101 is a 38-40mm diameter stainless steel 304 thin-walled tube, 10-20mm away from the bottom of the lithium ingot mold 3.

[0024] One side of the four inner connecting plates 104 is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the guide rod 102, and the other side of the four inner connecting plates 104 is fixedly connected to one side of the four diverters 103 respectively. The outer walls of the four diverters 103 are fixedly connected to one side of the four outer connecting plates 105 respectively. The outer walls of the four outer connecting plates 105 are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the guide sleeve 101. The guide rod 102 is a stainless steel rod with a diameter of 5 mm. The diverter 103 is a four-layer guide thin-walled 304 stainless steel truncated cone with different inner and outer diameters. The diverter 103 is connected to the inner connecting plate 104 through the inner connecting plate 105. 4 is welded to a stainless steel rod with a diameter of 5 mm, and each layer of truncated cone-shaped small circles is 5 mm away from the stainless steel rod. The diverter 103 is welded to the guide sleeve 101 through the external connecting plate 105. The guide rod 102 stainless steel rod is 10 mm away from the upper end surface of the guide sleeve 101 and 5 mm away from the lower end surface; one end of the outer wall of the guide sleeve 101 is fixedly connected to the fixing plate 106; the fixing plate 106 is placed on the mold 3, and the outer wall of the guide sleeve 101 is welded with a 20 mm wide stainless steel fixing plate 106 in the horizontal 180° direction, and the length is 5 mm greater than the outer wall of the lithium ingot mold 3.

[0025] One end of the casting pipe inlet 201 is welded to one end of the lithium liquid delivery pipeline 4 , and the casting pipe outlet 202 is inserted into the upper end tip of the guide rod 102 .

[0026] The size of the oiling sponge 502 is matched with the inner diameter of the mold 3 .

[0027] As a specific implementation of the present invention, in step 2 to step 5, the mold 3 circulates at the corresponding positions of the oil coating mechanism 5 and the guide device 1 through an external transmission device.

[0028] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, in step 2, the mold 3 is controlled from bottom to top and from top to bottom in the oiling mechanism 5 and the casting station by an external lifting device.

[0029] As a specific implementation of the present invention, in step 2, the oil amount of the oiling mechanism 5 is determined by sensing through a flow sensor and a pressure sensor.

[0030] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, in step 4 and step 5, the casting of liquid metal lithium is determined by sensing the liquid level through stroke setting, distance sensor or contact sensor.

[0031] The metallic lithium liquid contacts the mold 3 for heat exchange to achieve the effect of cooling and solidification.

[0032] The casting port is designed with a shrinkage mouth, which compresses the pipe diameter to increase the local metal lithium flow rate and the pressure in the casting pipe to avoid cavities in the pipe and the introduction of gas.

[0033] The white oil coated on the inner wall of the mold 3 is vaporized to form an air film when it contacts the metallic lithium liquid. The solidification of the lithium liquid is completed by floating on the surface of the air film, and the surface of the lithium ingot is flat and has no ripples.

[0034] In order to ensure the uniformity and effectiveness of the air film, the surface of the mold 3 is polished to improve the uniformity and adhesion of the white oil. By processing the mold 3, applying white oil, connecting the casting device and controlling the casting process, qualified appearance quality is achieved.

[0035] The flow guide device 1 can effectively reduce the impact and splashing range of the lithium liquid flowing downward into the mold 3, greatly improving the appearance surface quality of the cast lithium ingot.

[0036] The design is reasonable and easy to use, and the casting of liquid metal lithium is realized. During the casting process, the liquid lithium flows out from 10-20 mm above the bottom plate of the mold 3. The internal structure of the guide device 1 is used to reduce the downward flow rate of the lithium liquid. The guide sleeve blocks the small lithium beads splashed out when the lithium liquid impacts the bottom plate, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the splashing speed and range of the lithium liquid, avoiding the occurrence of scars, improving the casting quality of the lithium ingot, and avoiding the generation of bubbles. At the same time, it solves the problem that other guide tools cannot be removed due to the rapid solidification of lithium liquid embedded in the metal lithium.

[0037] The flow guide device 1 can effectively reduce the impact and splashing range of the lithium liquid flowing downward into the mold 3, greatly improving the appearance surface quality of the cast lithium ingot.

[0038] The present invention is applied in a fully automated casting production line without manual intervention, further improving the stability of the surface quality of metallic lithium. Due to its simple structure, the investment and maintenance costs are greatly reduced.

[0039] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein; and these modifications or substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium, comprising a flow guide device (1), a casting pipe mechanism (2), a mold (3), a lithium liquid delivery pipeline (4) and an oiling mechanism (5), characterized in that: The flow guide device (1) is placed on the mold (3), and comprises a flow guide sleeve (101), a flow guide rod (102), four flow dividers (103), four inner connecting plates (104), four outer connecting plates (105) and a fixing plate (106); the casting pipe mechanism (2) comprises a casting pipe inlet (201) and a casting pipe outlet (202); the oiling mechanism (5) comprises a driving motor (501) and an oiling sponge (502); A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium, the method is as follows: Step 1: grinding the inner surface and bottom plate of the mold (3) for casting lithium ingots to a roughness of 10-20 microns; Step 2: The lithium ingot mold (3) to be cast is moved upwards via an external lifting device, so that the oiling sponge (502) of the oiling mechanism (5) extends into the mold (3), and the driving motor (501) drives the oiling sponge (502) to rotate until the inner wall and the bottom plate are evenly coated with white oil with a thickness of 0.01 mm; Step 3: The mold (3) to be cast is lowered by an external lifting device and moved to the casting station, and the guide device (1) is placed in the mold (3), with the bottom end of the guide sleeve (101) being 10-20 mm away from the bottom plate of the mold (3); Step 4, starting casting, lithium liquid is transported from the lithium liquid transport pipeline (4), flows in through the casting pipe inlet (201), flows out through the casting pipe outlet (202), and flows along the guide rod (102). When the flowing lithium liquid passes through the diverter (103), it is blocked by the diverter (103), the inner connecting plate (104) and the outer connecting plate (105), and the flow rate is reduced; Step 5: The lithium liquid with reduced flow rate eventually flows along the guide rod (102) to the bottom plate of the mold (3). A small amount of lithium beads generated by splashing adhere to the inner wall of the guide sleeve (101). As the lithium liquid continues to be cast, it eventually re-melts in the guide sleeve (101) and enters the mold (3).

2. A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method is as follows: one side of the four inner connecting plates (104) is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the guide rod (102); the other sides of the four inner connecting plates (104) are respectively fixedly connected to one side of four diverters (103); the outer walls of the four diverters (103) are respectively fixedly connected to one side of four outer connecting plates (105); the outer walls of the four outer connecting plates (105) are respectively fixedly connected to the inner wall of the guide sleeve (101); one end of the outer wall of the guide sleeve (101) is fixedly connected to a fixing plate (106); and the fixing plate (106) is placed on the mold (3).

3. A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the casting pipe inlet (201) is welded to one end of the lithium liquid delivery pipeline (4), and the casting pipe outlet (202) is inserted into the upper end tip of the guide rod (102).

4. A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium according to claim 1, characterized in that: The size of the oiling sponge (502) is compatible with the inner diameter of the mold (3).

5. A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the steps 2 to 5, the mold (3) circulates at corresponding positions of the oiling mechanism (5) and the flow guiding device (1) through an external transmission device.

6. A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the second step, the mold (3) is controlled from bottom to top and from top to bottom in the oiling mechanism (5) and the casting station by an external lifting device.

7. A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the second step, the amount of oil in the oiling mechanism (5) is determined by sensing via an external flow sensor and a pressure sensor.

8. A casting method for improving the surface quality of metallic lithium according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the steps 4 and 5, the casting of the liquid metal lithium is determined by sensing the liquid level through stroke setting, distance sensor or contact sensor.

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