Metal wire forming device and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a metal wire forming device and method, and relates to the field of metal forming manufacturing. The problems that according to an existing magnesium alloy wire preparation method, the preparation process is tedious, the magnesium alloy wire preparation efficiency is low, internal stress exists in the plastic deformation process, and the service life of a magnesium alloy wire is affected are solved. The device comprises a smelting furnace and a shaping wheel, the smelting furnace is configured to perform melting treatment on metal raw materials to form molten metal, the smelting furnace is provided with a wire outlet channel, and the molten metal can be discharged from the wire outlet channel; the shaping wheel is provided with a shaping groove, a cooling oil film is arranged on the inner surface of the shaping groove, and a wire outlet channel of the smelting furnace is arranged in the shaping groove; and the shaping wheel rotates, the wire outlet channel sprays the molten metal wire to the bottom of the shaping groove, and the cooling oil film cools the molten metal wire, so that the molten metal wire is solidified into the metal wire in the shaping groove. The method is mainly used for preparing metal wires.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of metal forming and manufacturing, and in particular to a metal wire forming device and a forming method. Background Art

[0002] Traditional magnesium alloy wire is typically produced using techniques such as casting, rolling, cold drawing, and extrusion. These methods involve plastic deformation to stretch the magnesium alloy into a filamentous shape. Due to the unique chemical properties of magnesium, it is easily oxidized by oxygen in the air at room temperature and can even cause combustion under extreme circumstances. This characteristic poses significant challenges to the magnesium alloy smelting process. To ensure the safe and efficient smelting of magnesium alloys and prevent quality loss and safety hazards caused by oxidation and combustion, special protective measures (such as shielding gases and covering agents) are often required during magnesium alloy smelting.

[0003] Generally, before cold working magnesium alloys, the ingot undergoes homogenization annealing. This involves heating the alloy to a temperature below the solidus and holding it there for a period of time to achieve a more uniform composition. Hot forging then forms the blank to eliminate casting defects and improve the alloy's processing properties. After hot forging, the outer iron layer is stripped off, and the alloy's surface is polished to remove the surface oxide layer. The magnesium alloy then undergoes cold drawing at room temperature. During the drawing process, the alloy wire is first guided through a precision, trumpet-shaped die with a specific aperture. A wire drawing machine then applies tension to the wire, forcing it through the die. As the wire passes through the die, compression reduces its cross-sectional area and increases its length. This cold working process causes the material to harden, increasing the wire's hardness. After a single drawing cycle, the die is replaced with a smaller aperture and the drawing process is repeated to further refine the wire diameter. Finally, the drawn wire undergoes heat treatment. During heat treatment, in order to protect the sample, the alloy sample is first tightly wrapped with copper foil, then evenly covered with a layer of graphite powder on the outside, and finally the wrapped sample is placed in a high-temperature resistant ceramic crucible. The purpose of this is to isolate the air and prevent the alloy from undergoing oxidation reaction in a high-temperature environment.

[0004] It can be seen that in the traditional preparation method, multiple processing steps and heat treatment procedures are required to complete the preparation of magnesium alloy wire. In addition, the magnesium alloy rod obtained by smelting is plastically deformed in the drawing die. This process may be accompanied by oxidation, resulting in changes in the physical and chemical properties of the magnesium alloy wire. At the same time, during the drawing process, the magnesium alloy wire may undergo work hardening due to various plastic deformations, causing defects inside the magnesium alloy wire and reducing the storage life of the magnesium alloy wire. In addition, the drawing equipment also occupies a large area. Therefore, the existing method for preparing magnesium alloy wire has a cumbersome preparation process, resulting in low efficiency in the preparation of the magnesium alloy wire, and there is a problem of internal stress during the plastic deformation process, which affects the service life of the magnesium alloy wire. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a metal wire forming device and a forming method, which can solidify molten metal into a continuous metal wire by extrusion cooling.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0007] A metal wire forming device, comprising:

[0008] The smelting furnace is configured to melt the metal raw material to form a molten metal. The smelting furnace is provided with a wire outlet channel, and the molten metal can be discharged through the wire outlet channel;

[0009] The shaping wheel is provided with a shaping groove, the inner surface of which is provided with a cooling oil film, and the wire outlet channel of the smelting furnace is arranged in the shaping groove;

[0010] The shaping wheel rotates, and the wire outlet channel sprays molten metal wire toward the bottom of the shaping groove. The cooling oil film cools the molten metal wire so that the molten metal wire solidifies into metal wire in the shaping groove.

[0011] Furthermore, the smelting furnace includes a furnace body and an induction coil. A through hole is opened at the bottom of the furnace body to serve as a wire outlet channel. The induction coil surrounds the furnace body to heat the metal raw material in the furnace body when the induction coil is energized.

[0012] Furthermore, a gas pipe connected to a gas cylinder filled with inert gas is inserted into the furnace body.

[0013] Furthermore, let the thickness of the cooling oil film be a, the diameter of the metal wire be b, and a≥5b.

[0014] Furthermore, assuming the length of the wire outlet channel is k, the solution process for k is as follows:

[0015]

[0016] k>h

[0017] Where γ is the surface tension of the convex liquid surface of the molten metal in the wire outlet channel, in N / m; ρ is the density of the molten metal, in kg / m 3 ; h is the height of the liquid column of molten metal in the wire outlet channel, unit is m; r is the radius of the wire outlet channel, unit is m; θ is the angle between the tangent line of the droplet surface and the solid surface, that is, the wetting angle, unit is °.

[0018] Furthermore, the shaping groove is a cylindrical groove body.

[0019] Furthermore, a wheel axle is provided at one end of the shaping wheel facing away from the notch of the shaping groove, and the shaping motor is drivingly connected to the wheel axle to rotate the shaping wheel.

[0020] Furthermore, the metal raw material is a magnesium alloy.

[0021] Another technical solution adopted in the present invention is:

[0022] A metal wire forming method is implemented using a metal wire forming device, comprising:

[0023] placing a metal wire forming device in a chamber filled with an inert gas at standard atmospheric pressure;

[0024] The smelting furnace heats the metal raw materials to a molten state;

[0025] The shaping wheel rotates, so that the cooling oil at the bottom of the shaping groove forms a uniform cooling oil film under the action of centrifugal force;

[0026] The molten metal in the smelting furnace is pressurized and sprayed from the wire outlet channel to the bottom of the shaping tank. The cooling oil film cools the molten metal wire. As the shaping wheel rotates, the molten metal wire solidifies into a spiral solid metal wire in the shaping tank.

[0027] Furthermore, the outlet speed of the molten metal wire is the same as the linear speed of the cooling oil film.

[0028] The beneficial effects of the present invention compared with the prior art are:

[0029] The metal wire forming device of the present invention primarily melts metal raw material into molten metal, then extrudes the filaments and sprays them into a high-temperature-resistant lubricating oil that does not react with the metal for rapid cooling, thereby forming a continuous metal wire. This forming method avoids repeated drawing and annealing processes, eliminating internal stress in the metal wire and increasing its service life. Furthermore, this simple processing method improves metal wire production efficiency. Furthermore, the forming device of this embodiment has a simple structure and utilizes the rotation of a sizing wheel to drive the solidified metal wire, resulting in a small overall footprint. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application and are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a metal wire forming device of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the smelting furnace.

[0033] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of the shaping wheel.

[0034] Description of reference numerals:

[0035] 1- melting furnace; 11- wire outlet channel; 12- air pipe; 13- furnace body; 14- silicone plug; 2- shaping wheel; 21- shaping groove; 22- wheel axle; 3- cooling oil film; 4- sealed cavity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0037] See also Figure 1 In this embodiment, a metal wire forming device includes a melting furnace 1, a shaping motor (not shown in the figure), and a shaping wheel 2. A cylindrical shaping groove 21 is formed on one side of the shaping wheel 2, wherein the circumferential surface of the shaping groove 21 serves as the bottom of the shaping groove 21, and a uniform cooling oil film 3 is provided at the bottom of the shaping groove 21. A wheel axle 22 is provided on the other side of the shaping wheel 2, and the motor shaft of the shaping motor is fixedly connected to the wheel axle 22. The melting furnace 1 is set in the shaping groove 21 of the shaping wheel 2. Figure 2 The bottom of the smelting furnace 1 is provided with a wire outlet channel 11, the outlet of which faces the bottom of the sizing tank 21. Metal raw material is filled into the smelting furnace 1 and heated. Once the raw material is melted into molten metal, the molten metal is pressurized and ejected from the wire outlet channel 11 to form molten metal wire. The molten metal wire is rapidly cooled after being ejected into the cooling oil film 3. As the sizing wheel 2 rotates, the molten metal wire ejected to the bottom of the sizing tank 21 solidifies into a continuous metal wire.

[0038] As can be seen from this, the metal wire forming device of this embodiment primarily melts the metal raw material into a molten metal, then extrudes the wire and sprays it into a high-temperature resistant lubricating oil that does not react with the metal for rapid cooling, thereby forming a continuous metal wire. This forming method avoids repeated drawing and annealing processes, eliminating internal stress in the metal wire and increasing its service life. Furthermore, this simple processing method improves the production efficiency of the metal wire. Furthermore, the forming device of this embodiment has a simple structure and uses the rotation of the sizing wheel 2 to drive the solidified metal wire to move, resulting in a small overall footprint.

[0039] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The smelting furnace 1 of this embodiment is an induction smelting furnace comprising a furnace body 13 and an induction coil (not shown). The bottom of the furnace body 13 is tapered, and the inner cavity of the furnace body 13 is cylindrical. A through hole is formed at the bottom of the furnace body 13, extending through the cylindrical inner cavity and the tapered tip of the bottom, serving as a wire outlet passage 11. This design allows for a longer length of the wire outlet passage 11. The induction coil surrounds the furnace body. Alternating current is passed through the induction coil, which generates an alternating magnetic field, inducing eddy currents directly within the metal material, causing it to heat and melt.

[0040] Among them, in order to realize the wire-forming of the molten metal, the furnace body 13 of this embodiment is a quartz glass tube, the upper tube mouth of the quartz glass tube is sealed by a silicone plug 14, and the silicone plug is connected to an air pipe 12. The air pipe 12 connects the gas cylinder filled with inert gas and the interior of the furnace body. Inert gas is filled into the air pipe 12. When the air pressure inside the furnace body 13 reaches a certain pressure, the molten metal is squeezed into wires through the wire-forming channel 11.

[0041] In order to ensure that the metal raw material does not automatically flow out of the wire outlet channel 11 during the melting process, the length k of the wire outlet channel 11 needs to be calculated:

[0042]

[0043] k>h

[0044] Wherein, γ is the surface tension of the convex liquid surface of the molten metal in the wire outlet channel 11, and the unit is N / m; ρ is the density of the molten metal, and the unit is kg / m 3 ; h is the height of the liquid column of the molten metal in the wire outlet channel 11, in m; r is the radius of the wire outlet channel 11, in m; θ is the angle between the tangent line of the droplet surface and the solid surface, i.e. the wetting angle, in degrees. The calculation of h is based on the surface tension of the molten metal. The surface tension γ is the tension of the molten metal at the convex point at the lower end of the conduit. The upward component of the tension is equal to the gravity of the liquid column, so that the molten magnesium alloy will not flow out of the conduit mouth. When k>h, it means that the molten metal can be kept in the wire outlet channel 11, thereby ensuring that the metal raw material will not automatically flow out of the wire outlet channel 11 during the melting process.

[0045] See also Figure 1 In this embodiment, the cooling oil film 3 at the bottom of the shaping groove 21 can be obtained by adding high-temperature resistant lubricating oil that does not react with metal into the shaping groove 21. As the shaping wheel 2 rotates at high speed, the lubricating oil is coated on the bottom of the shaping groove 21 under the action of centrifugal force.

[0046] Among them, the manufacturer and model of high-temperature resistant lubricating oil is WACKER Phenyl Silicone Oil AK 1000. The thickness of the lubricating oil should be greater than the diameter of the metal wire. The lubricating oil can not only cool the metal wire so that it solidifies from a molten state into a solid state, but also buffer it. The molten metal wire will cool into a uniform cylindrical shape in the oil film due to surface tension. If the lubricating oil is not added for cooling, the molten metal wire with a diameter of 1mm will not only be unable to cool quickly in the shaping groove 21, but the molten metal wire will generate an extrusion force with the groove bottom of the shaping groove 21 under centrifugal force, thereby causing the roundness of the metal wire to be insufficient. Long-term preparation may even cause the molten metal to stack into blocks. At the same time, as the shaping wheel 2 rotates, the metal wire sinks into the oil film under centrifugal force. The metal wire can rotate together with the oil film and the shaping wheel 2, so that the metal wire can be evenly distributed at the groove bottom of the shaping groove 21, preventing the metal wire from stacking in the oil film and losing its fiber shape.

[0047] A metal wire forming method according to this embodiment includes the following forming steps:

[0048] S1, metal raw materials are filled into the smelting furnace 1 and sealed, the smelting furnace 1 is placed in the shaping groove 21 of the shaping wheel 2 and remains stationary, and high-temperature resistant lubricating oil is added into the shaping groove 21.

[0049] S2, placing the forming device in the closed cavity 4, and filling the closed cavity 4 with inert gas at standard atmospheric pressure through the gas washing method, so that the metal raw material is melted in an environment full of protective atmosphere. By excluding oxygen, an oxygen-free or low-oxygen environment is created, thereby preventing the molten metal ejected from the nozzle from undergoing an oxidation reaction with oxygen, ensuring that the metal smelting can proceed smoothly.

[0050] S3, the shaping wheel 2 rotates, so that the high temperature resistant lubricating oil at the bottom of the shaping groove 21 forms a uniform cooling oil film 3 under the action of centrifugal force.

[0051] S4, an alternating current is supplied to the induction coil, and the alternating current generates an alternating magnetic field through the induction coil, which directly induces eddy currents inside the metal raw material to cause it to heat up and melt.

[0052] S5. After the metal raw material is melted into molten metal, argon gas is introduced into the smelting furnace 1, and the molten metal is ejected from the wire outlet channel 11 to form a molten metal wire. The molten metal wire outlet speed is the same as or similar to the linear velocity of the oil film. If the sizing wheel 2 rotates too slowly, the wire may pile up. If the sizing wheel 2 rotates too fast, the molten metal wire may become discontinuous or even broken. Therefore, a continuous metal wire can only be formed when the relative speeds of the sizing wheel and the sizing wheel are appropriate.

[0053] S6, when the molten metal wire is sprayed into the cooling oil film 3 and is rapidly cooled, as the shaping wheel 2 rotates, the molten metal wire sprayed to the bottom of the shaping groove 21 solidifies into a spiral solid metal wire.

[0054] S7, taking the metal wire out of the shaping tank 21, removing the lubricating oil on the surface, and forming a metal wire material for additive manufacturing with a diameter of 1 mm.

[0055] Example 1:

[0056] In this embodiment, magnesium alloy wire is prepared using magnesium alloy as raw material. The specific preparation process is as follows:

[0057] S1. Preparation: Prepare magnesium alloy rods with a diameter of 10 mm and a length of 30 mm. The melting furnace 1 is a quartz glass tube with an inner diameter of 13 mm and an outer diameter of 15 mm. The bottom of the quartz glass tube is provided with a wire outlet channel 11 with an inner diameter of 1 mm and a length of 8 mm. A 5 mm diameter gas pipe 12 is connected to the silicone plug at the top of the quartz glass tube. This gas pipe 12 is connected to a flow controller and a gas cylinder filled with argon. The shaping wheel 2 is a grooved copper wheel with a height of 50 mm and a diameter of 120 mm. The shaping groove 21 has an inner diameter of 100 mm and a depth of 30 mm.

[0058] S2, putting the magnesium alloy rod into the quartz glass tube, and sealing the upper tube opening of the quartz glass tube with a silicone plug 14.

[0059] S3, fixing the smelting furnace 1 into the shaping groove 21 of the shaping wheel 2, with the wire outlet channel 11 at the bottom of the smelting furnace 1 facing the bottom of the shaping groove 21 with a certain distance left.

[0060] S4, adding lubricating oil into the shaping groove 21.

[0061] S5, set the molding device in a closed cavity 4, check the airtightness of the closed cavity 4, and after the inspection is correct, introduce protective gas into the closed cavity 4, and through continuous ventilation, make the space where the closed cavity 4 is located reach Ar gas at a standard atmospheric pressure.

[0062] S6, supplying alternating current to the induction coil, the alternating current generates an alternating magnetic field through the induction coil, and the induction coil heats the magnesium alloy raw material to a molten state, the temperature of which is at least 50° C. higher than the melting point of the magnesium alloy.

[0063] S7, start the shaping motor to ensure that the cooling oil forms an oil film evenly on the bottom of the shaping groove 21 under the action of centrifugal force, the oil film linear speed is 20m / s, and the oil film thickness is 5mm.

[0064] S8, after the magnesium alloy is melted, Ar gas is introduced into the quartz glass tube. As the gas pressure in the quartz glass tube increases, the magnesium alloy melt is ejected from the nozzle and enters the cooling oil film 3. The wire ejection speed of the nozzle is 20m / s.

[0065] S9, the magnesium alloy melt is cooled after entering the cooling oil film 3, and then solidified into a magnesium alloy wire. Since the nozzle position of the smelting furnace 1 remains stationary, as the shaping wheel 2 rotates, the solidified magnesium alloy wire moves with the cooling oil film 3 and sinks into the cooling oil film 3 under the action of centrifugal force, thereby forming a continuous, spiral solid magnesium alloy wire at the bottom of the shaping groove 21.

[0066] S10, taking the magnesium alloy wire out of the shaping tank 21, removing surface attachments (lubricating oil) to form a magnesium alloy wire for additive manufacturing with a diameter of 1 mm.

[0067] 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 the scope of protection of the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the essence and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A metal wire forming device, characterized in that: include: The smelting furnace is configured to melt the metal raw material to form a molten metal. The smelting furnace is provided with a wire outlet channel, and the molten metal can be discharged through the wire outlet channel; The shaping wheel is provided with a shaping groove, the inner surface of which is provided with a cooling oil film, and the wire outlet channel of the smelting furnace is arranged in the shaping groove; The shaping wheel rotates, and the wire outlet channel sprays molten metal wire toward the bottom of the shaping groove. The cooling oil film cools the molten metal wire so that the molten metal wire solidifies into metal wire in the shaping groove.

2. A metal wire forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The smelting furnace includes a furnace body and an induction coil. A through hole is opened at the bottom of the furnace body as a wire outlet channel. The induction coil surrounds the furnace body to heat the metal raw material in the furnace body when the induction coil is energized.

3. A metal wire forming device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A gas pipe connected to a gas cylinder filled with inert gas is inserted into the furnace body.

4. A metal wire forming device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Assume that the thickness of the cooling oil film is a, the diameter of the metal wire is b, and a≥5b.

5. The metal wire forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Assume that the length of the wire outlet channel is k, and the solution process of k is as follows: k>h Where γ is the surface tension of the convex liquid surface of the molten metal in the wire outlet channel, in N / m; ρ is the density of the molten metal, in kg / m 3 ; h is the height of the liquid column of molten metal in the wire outlet channel, unit is m; r is the radius of the wire outlet channel, unit is m; θ is the angle between the tangent line of the droplet surface and the solid surface, that is, the wetting angle, unit is °.

6. A metal wire forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shaping groove is a cylindrical groove body.

7. A metal wire forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An end of the shaping wheel facing away from the notch of the shaping groove is provided with a wheel shaft, and the shaping motor is drivingly connected to the wheel shaft to rotate the shaping wheel.

8. The metal wire forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal raw material is magnesium alloy.

9. A method for forming a metal wire, characterized in that: The method is implemented by using a metal wire forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising: placing a metal wire forming device in a chamber filled with an inert gas at standard atmospheric pressure; The smelting furnace heats the metal raw materials to a molten state; The shaping wheel rotates, so that the cooling oil at the bottom of the shaping groove forms a uniform cooling oil film under the action of centrifugal force; The molten metal in the smelting furnace is pressurized and sprayed from the wire outlet channel to the bottom of the shaping tank. The cooling oil film cools the molten metal wire. As the shaping wheel rotates, the molten metal wire solidifies into a spiral solid metal wire in the shaping tank.

10. A metal wire forming method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The outlet speed of the molten metal wire is the same as the linear speed of the cooling oil film.

Images