Cold crucible suspension smelting device based on plasma beam heating and smelting method

Abstract

The invention provides a plasma beam heating-based cold crucible suspension smelting device and smelting method. The plasma beam heating-based cold crucible suspension smelting device comprises a plasma beam emitter and a cold crucible main body, the cold crucible main body is of a split type water cooling structure, a cold crucible water path is arranged in the cold crucible main body, a cooling water jacket is arranged on the outer side of the bottom of the cold crucible main body, the cold crucible water path is communicated with the cooling water jacket, a detachable crucible plug is further arranged at the bottom of the cold crucible main body, and the shape of the crucible plug is matched with that of an opening in the bottom of the cold crucible main body; an induction coil is arranged around the outer side of the cold crucible main body; a first electric shaft driving device is mounted on the plasma beam emitter, and a second electric shaft driving device is mounted on the cold crucible main body. The plasma beam emitter emits plasma beams to directly heat metal materials in the cold crucible, the superheat degree of a molten pool of the cold crucible can be effectively increased, metal materials with higher melting points can be molten after the superheat degree is increased, crystal structures in the metal can be refined, the mechanical properties of the alloy can be improved, and the purity of the alloy can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of smelting and casting equipment, and in particular to a cold crucible suspension smelting device and a smelting method based on plasma beam heating. Background Art

[0002] Cold crucible smelting is a method of vacuum induction melting of metal materials using a water-cooled split copper crucible. The specific principle is: place the metal in a split crucible, then place the split crucible in an alternating electromagnetic field, use induced eddy currents to heat the metal in the crucible to melt it, and at the same time, when the induction coil is energized, a strong magnetic field will be formed inside the crucible, relying on the electromagnetic suspension force to keep the molten metal in a semi-suspended or fully suspended state, thereby ensuring that the molten metal does not come into close contact with the crucible wall. The purpose of splitting the copper crucible is to prevent the conductive crucible from shielding the electromagnetic field; the purpose of water cooling is to keep the crucible wall temperature in a cold state to prevent the molten material in the molten pool from physical and chemical reactions with the crucible.

[0003] Although cold crucible smelting has the advantages of pollution-free and suspension smelting, it also has a significant drawback, that is, the superheat of the metal material in the crucible cannot be increased. Since the cold crucible relies on water cooling circulation to dissipate heat during operation, when the metal material in the crucible is completely melted and liquid, the coil induction can no longer continue to work, and the cooling water circulation will also take away most of the heat inside the crucible, which will cause the superheat of the molten pool to be unable to increase. Summary of the invention

[0004] The invention provides a cold crucible suspension smelting device and a smelting method based on plasma beam heating, which are used to solve the problem in the prior art that it is difficult to increase the superheat of a molten pool during cold crucible smelting.

[0005] The invention provides a cold crucible suspension smelting device based on plasma beam heating, comprising a plasma beam emitter and a cold crucible body; the cold crucible body is a split-type water-cooling structure, a cold crucible water path is arranged inside the cold crucible body, a cooling water jacket is arranged on the outer side of the bottom of the cold crucible body, the cold crucible water path is connected with the cooling water jacket, a detachable crucible plug is also arranged on the bottom of the cold crucible body, and the crucible plug matches the opening shape of the bottom of the cold crucible body; an induction coil is arranged around the outer side of the cold crucible body for heating the metal material in the crucible by electromagnetic induction, and the plasma beam emitter is used for emitting a plasma beam to directly irradiate the metal material in the cold crucible body; a first electric axis driving device is installed on the plasma beam emitter, and a second electric axis driving device is installed on the cold crucible body.

[0006] Optionally, the plasma beam emitter and the cold crucible body are both arranged in a sealed furnace body, and the sealed furnace body is in a vacuum or inert gas environment.

[0007] Optionally, a casting mold is fixedly installed at the bottom of the sealed furnace body; the plasma beam emitter is installed on the top of the sealed furnace body through a first electric shaft drive device, and the cold crucible body is installed in the middle of the sealed furnace body through a second electric shaft drive device.

[0008] Optionally, the bottom of the cold crucible body is arranged in an arc-shaped structure.

[0009] Optionally, a cooling water inlet and outlet are provided on the cooling water jacket.

[0010] Optionally, the rotation angle range of the first electric shaft drive device and the second electric shaft drive device is 0-180°.

[0011] The present invention also provides a metal smelting method of a cold crucible smelting device, comprising the following steps:

[0012] S1: Use a crucible plug to seal the opening at the bottom of the cold crucible body, so that the cold crucible body forms an open cavity with a completely closed bottom;

[0013] S2: introducing cooling water into the cooling water jacket through the cooling water inlet, so that the cooling water flows through the cold crucible water path and then flows out from the cooling water outlet;

[0014] S3: loading the metal material into the cold crucible body, turning on the power, and heating the metal material through the induction coil;

[0015] S4: After the metal material begins to melt, the position of the plasma beam emitter is adjusted by the first electric axis driving device so that it is aligned with the metal material in the cold crucible body. After alignment, the plasma beam emitter is turned on to emit a plasma beam to directly irradiate the metal material, thereby increasing the superheat of the molten metal to a target temperature.

[0016] Optionally, the metal smelting method further comprises the following steps:

[0017] S5: When the metal material is completely melted, the plasma beam emitter is turned off, and the second electric axis driving device is started to tilt the cold crucible body, so that the molten metal material is cast into the casting mold;

[0018] S6: After the casting is completed, the first electric axis driving device is started to adjust the position of the plasma beam emitter so that it is aligned with the metal material in the casting mold. After alignment, the plasma beam emitter is turned on to emit a plasma beam to directly irradiate the metal material in the casting mold to keep it warm.

[0019] The cold crucible suspension smelting device and smelting method based on plasma beam heating provided by the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0020] 1. The plasma beam emitter can directly heat the metal material in the cold crucible by emitting a plasma beam to effectively increase the superheat of the cold crucible molten pool. After the superheat is increased, the metal material with a higher melting point can be melted, and the crystal structure inside the metal can be refined, the mechanical properties of the alloy can be improved, and the purity of the alloy can be increased.

[0021] 2. The plasma beam emitter emits a plasma beam to directly assist in heating the metal material in the cold crucible, thereby increasing the smelting metal capacity.

[0022] 3. The plasma beam emitter emits a plasma beam to directly heat and insulate the molten metal in the casting mold, allowing it to cool slowly. This can reduce casting defects such as shrinkage cavities and pores formed after casting and improve the mechanical properties of the metal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] 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.

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a cold crucible suspension melting device based on plasma beam heating provided in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a cold crucible suspension melting device based on plasma beam heating provided in Example 2 of the present invention.

[0026] Description of reference numerals:

[0027] 1-plasma beam emitter, 2-cold crucible body, 3-metal material, 4-sealed furnace body, 11-first electric axis driving device, 21-cold crucible water channel, 22-cooling water jacket, 23-crucible plug, 24-second electric axis driving device, 41-casting mold. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] 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 is clearly and completely described below. 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 also fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] like Figure 1As shown, the present invention provides a cold crucible suspension smelting device based on plasma beam heating, comprising a plasma beam emitter 1 and a cold crucible body 2; the cold crucible body 2 is a split-type water-cooling structure, a cold crucible water path 21 is arranged inside, a cooling water jacket 22 is arranged on the outer side of the bottom of the cold crucible body 2, the cold crucible water path 21 is connected to the cooling water jacket 22, and a detachable crucible plug 23 is also arranged on the bottom of the cold crucible body 2, and the crucible plug 23 matches the opening shape of the bottom of the cold crucible body 2; an induction coil is arranged around the outer side of the cold crucible body 2 for heating the metal material in the crucible by electromagnetic induction, and the plasma beam emitter 1 is used to emit a plasma beam to directly irradiate the metal material 3 in the cold crucible body 2; a first electric axis driving device 11 is installed on the plasma beam emitter 1, and a second electric axis driving device 24 is installed on the cold crucible body 2.

[0030] The main structure of the cold crucible suspension melting device based on plasma beam heating includes two parts, namely, a plasma beam emitter 1 for auxiliary heating of metal materials, and a cold crucible body 2 for carrying and mainly heating metal materials. The plasma beam emitter 1 and the cold crucible body 2 are respectively installed with a first electric axis driving device 11 and a second electric axis driving device 24, and the two driving devices are respectively used to adjust the irradiation direction of the plasma beam emitter 1 and the opening direction of the cold crucible body 2, so that the plasma beam emitted by the plasma beam emitter 1 can accurately irradiate the metal material.

[0031] The bottom of the conventional cold crucible body 2 is provided with an opening. When in use, after the metal material in the molten pool melts, it will flow out through the opening. Although the metal material has melted at this time, its superheat is low, and the casting defects (such as pores, cracks, etc.) obtained by cooling the molten metal at this time are more. At the same time, after the metal is melted, the induction coil can no longer heat the metal material by electromagnetic induction, and in this process, the cooling water continues to circulate and take away the heat of the metal material, so the superheat of the metal material is difficult to improve. The cold crucible suspension smelting device based on plasma beam heating provided by the present invention is provided with a crucible plug 23 at the opening at the bottom of the cold crucible body 2, and the opening at the bottom of the cold crucible body 2 is blocked by the crucible plug 23, so that the cold crucible body 2 forms an open cavity with a completely closed bottom. When the metal material is smelted, the metal material is first heated by an induction coil (not shown in the figure). When the metal material is heated and melted, the molten metal is sealed in the cold crucible body 2 by the crucible plug 23. At this time, the plasma beam emitter 1 is started to perform auxiliary heating on the metal material to increase its superheat, thereby ensuring that the product casting has good performance.

[0032] like Figure 2 As shown, further, the plasma beam emitter 1 and the cold crucible body 2 are both arranged in a sealed furnace body 4, and the sealed furnace body 4 is in a vacuum or inert gas environment.

[0033] The plasma beam emitter 1 and the cold crucible body 2 are arranged in a sealed furnace body 4 with a vacuum or inert gas environment to prevent the gas in the air from contaminating the metal material during melting.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, further, a casting mold 41 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the sealed furnace body 4; the plasma beam emitter 1 is installed on the top of the sealed furnace body 4 through a first electric shaft driving device 11, and the cold crucible body 2 is installed in the middle of the sealed furnace body 4 through a second electric shaft driving device 24.

[0035] Furthermore, the bottom of the cold crucible body 2 is arranged in an arc-shaped structure.

[0036] The bottom of the cold crucible body 2 is configured as an arc-shaped structure so that the metal material can be smoothly taken out when solidified into an ingot.

[0037] Furthermore, a cooling water inlet and outlet are provided on the cooling water jacket 22 .

[0038] Furthermore, the rotation angle range of the first electric shaft driving device 11 and the second electric shaft driving device 24 is 0-180°.

[0039] The present invention also provides a metal smelting method of a cold crucible smelting device, comprising the following steps:

[0040] S1: Use the crucible plug 23 to seal the opening at the bottom of the cold crucible body 2, so that the cold crucible body 2 forms an open cavity with a completely closed bottom;

[0041] S2: Cooling water is introduced into the cooling water jacket 22 through the cooling water inlet, so that the cooling water flows through the cold crucible water path 21 and then flows out from the cooling water outlet;

[0042] S3: loading the metal material 3 into the cold crucible body 2, turning on the power, and heating the metal material 3 through the induction coil;

[0043] S4: After the metal material 3 begins to melt, the position of the plasma beam emitter 1 is adjusted by the first electric axis driving device 11 so that it is aligned with the metal material 3 in the cold crucible body 2. After alignment, the plasma beam emitter 1 is turned on to emit a plasma beam directly to irradiate the metal material 3, thereby increasing the superheat of the molten metal to the target temperature.

[0044] Furthermore, the metal smelting method further comprises the following steps:

[0045] S5: When the metal material 3 is completely melted, the plasma beam emitter 1 is turned off, and the second electric axis driving device 24 is started to tilt the cold crucible body 2, so that the molten metal material 3 is cast into the casting mold 41;

[0046] S6: After the casting is completed, the first electric axis driving device 11 is started to adjust the position of the plasma beam emitter 1 so that it is aligned with the metal material 3 in the casting mold 41. After alignment, the plasma beam emitter 1 is turned on to emit a plasma beam through the plasma beam emitter 1 to directly irradiate the metal material 3 in the casting mold 41 to keep it warm.

[0047] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0048] Example 1

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, when smelting metal materials, the device is first installed. During installation, the crucible plug 23 needs to be installed at the bottom of the cold crucible body 2 to block the opening at the bottom of the cold crucible body 2, so that it forms an open cavity with a completely closed bottom. After the blocking is completed, cooling water is introduced into the cooling water jacket 22 through the cooling water inlet, so that the cooling water flows through the cold crucible water channel 21 and then flows out from the cooling water outlet, thereby auxiliary water cooling the cold crucible body 2. After the above preparations are completed, the metal material can be smelted.

[0050] During smelting, the metal material to be melted is added into the cold crucible body 2, the power is turned on, and the metal material therein is heated by the induction coil. After the material begins to melt, the position of the plasma beam emitter 1 is adjusted by the first electric axis drive device 11 so that it is aligned with the metal material 3 in the cold crucible body 2. After alignment, the plasma beam emitter 1 is turned on, and the plasma beam emitted by the plasma beam emitter 1 directly irradiates the metal material 3 to increase the superheat of the molten metal to the target temperature. While heating the metal material, the cold crucible water channel 21 and the cooling water jacket 22 cooperate to take away the excess heat.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] Based on Example 1, Example 2 further provides a device structure and a method for heating the molten metal that has been cast in the mold: Figure 2As shown, when the metal material in the cold crucible body 2 in the sealed furnace body 4 is completely melted, the plasma beam emitter 1 is turned off, and the second electric axis drive device 24 is started to tilt the cold crucible body 2, so that the molten metal material 3 is cast into the casting mold 41. After the casting is completed, the first electric axis drive device 11 is started to adjust the position of the plasma beam emitter 1 so that it is aligned with the metal material 3 in the casting mold 41. After alignment, the plasma beam emitter 1 is turned on, and the plasma beam emitted by the plasma beam emitter 1 directly irradiates the metal material 3 in the casting mold 41 to keep it warm. The plasma beam emitted by the plasma beam emitter 1 is used for heat preservation, so that the metal material in the casting mold 41 is slowly cooled, thereby reducing the casting defects (such as shrinkage holes, pores, etc.) formed after casting.

[0053] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features therein may be replaced by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cold crucible suspension melting device based on plasma beam heating, characterized in that: It comprises a plasma beam emitter (1) and a cold crucible body (2); The cold crucible body (2) is a split-flap water-cooling structure, a cold crucible water path (21) is arranged inside the cold crucible body (2), a cooling water jacket (22) is arranged outside the bottom of the cold crucible body (2), the cold crucible water path (21) is connected to the cooling water jacket (22), and a detachable crucible plug (23) is also arranged at the bottom of the cold crucible body (2), and the crucible plug (23) matches the shape of the bottom opening of the cold crucible body (2); An induction coil is disposed around the outer side of the cold crucible body (2) for heating the metal material in the crucible by electromagnetic induction, and the plasma beam emitter (1) is used to emit a plasma beam to directly irradiate the metal material (3) in the cold crucible body (2); The plasma beam emitter (1) is provided with a first electric axis driving device (11), and the cold crucible body (2) is provided with a second electric axis driving device (24).

2. The cold crucible suspension melting device based on plasma beam heating according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plasma beam emitter (1) and the cold crucible body (2) are both arranged in a sealed furnace body (4), and the sealed furnace body (4) is in a vacuum or inert gas environment.

3. The cold crucible suspension melting device based on plasma beam heating according to claim 2, characterized in that: A casting mold (41) is fixedly installed at the bottom of the sealed furnace body (4); The plasma beam emitter (1) is installed on the top of the sealed furnace body (4) through the first electric axis driving device (11), and the cold crucible body (2) is installed in the middle of the sealed furnace body (4) through the second electric axis driving device (24).

4. The cold crucible suspension melting device based on plasma beam heating according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the cold crucible body (2) is arranged in an arc-shaped structure.

5. The cold crucible suspension melting device based on plasma beam heating according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling water jacket (22) is provided with a cooling water inlet and outlet.

6. The cold crucible suspension melting device based on plasma beam heating according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rotation angle range of the first electric shaft driving device (11) and the second electric shaft driving device (24) is 0-180°.

7. A smelting method using the cold crucible suspension smelting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1: using a crucible plug (23) to seal the opening at the bottom of the cold crucible body (2), so that the cold crucible body (2) forms an open cavity with a completely closed bottom; S2: introducing cooling water into the cooling water jacket (22) through the cooling water inlet, so that the cooling water flows through the cold crucible water path (21) and then flows out from the cooling water outlet; S3: placing the metal material (3) into the cold crucible body (2), turning on the power supply, and heating the metal material (3) through the induction coil; S4: After the metal material (3) begins to melt, the position of the plasma beam emitter (1) is adjusted by the first electric axis driving device (11) so that it is aligned with the metal material (3) in the cold crucible body (2). After alignment, the plasma beam emitter (1) is turned on, and a plasma beam is emitted by the plasma beam emitter (1) to directly irradiate the metal material (3), thereby increasing the superheat of the molten metal to a target temperature.

8. The smelting method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: S5: When the metal material (3) is completely melted, the plasma beam emitter (1) is turned off, and the second electric axis driving device (24) is started to tilt the cold crucible body (2) to cast the molten metal material (3) into the casting mold (41); S6: After the casting is completed, the first electric axis driving device (11) is started to adjust the position of the plasma beam emitter (1) so that it is aligned with the metal material (3) in the casting mold (41). After alignment, the plasma beam emitter (1) is turned on, and the plasma beam is emitted by the plasma beam emitter (1) to directly irradiate the metal material (3) in the casting mold (41) to keep it warm.

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