A u-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold and a casting method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold and its casting method, comprising a mold base, a mold cover plate, and at least one clamp; the mold base is provided with a liquid inlet, and the bottom of the inner wall of the liquid inlet is provided with at least one venting channel, and at least one forming protrusion for forming a U-shaped positioning structure on the casting; the mold base and the mold cover plate are detachably fixedly connected by the clamp, and the connection position of the clamp with the mold base and / or the mold cover plate is adjustable. The U-shaped aperture of the silver busbar cast by this invention is equal to the diameter of the cylindrical conductive rod used in daily production, and fits perfectly, improving the point-line contact to curved surface contact, increasing the contact area, effectively solving the problem of easy slippage of the conductive rod on the busbar, increasing the conductivity of silver electrolysis, and improving production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of metallurgy, and in particular to a U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold and its casting method. Background Technology

[0002] Electrolysis is currently the most widely used process for producing high-purity silver. By applying an external electric field to a silver-containing solution, silver ions are deposited in large quantities at the cathode, while impurities remain in the liquid phase or anode slime. Due to its advantages such as good purification effect, high metal recovery rate, and favorable working environment, electrolysis has become the primary method for large-scale production of high-purity silver.

[0003] Busbars are a crucial component of silver electrolysis equipment. Currently, the most commonly used silver electrolysis busbars in the metallurgical field are rectangular metal plates that connect wires to the anode and cathode conductive rods. Their conductivity directly affects the overall performance of silver electrolysis. The main factors determining busbar performance are the selected material and shape. Most manufacturers use pure copper or copper-silver alloys as the material for busbars, which has the advantage of low manufacturing cost. However, due to the presence of acid mist in the silver electrolysis production environment, pure copper and copper-silver alloy busbars are frequently corroded, producing verdigris, which affects their conductivity and increases the workload of operators.

[0004] Furthermore, since the conductive rod is cylindrical, U-shaped groove positioning is often used for the busbar to facilitate positioning and increase the contact area between the conductive rod and the busbar. For example, patents CN 201704422 U (a conductive busbar and electrolytic cell for an electrolytic cell), CN 221028719 U (a high-efficiency nickel electrolysis conductive busbar), and CN 202989305 U (a conductive busbar for wet electrolysis of metals) all employ this U-shaped positioning busbar design. More complex busbar shapes place higher demands on the casting mold and casting method. In the field of silver casting, surface shrinkage, pitting, and internal voids are common problems in silver products due to uneven heat dissipation and air bubbles during the casting process. These problems severely affect the conductivity and service life of the busbar.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold and its casting method. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the above problems, the present invention provides a U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold and its casting method, which solves the problems of poor corrosion resistance and low conductivity of pure copper busbars and copper-silver alloy busbars, while reducing the losses generated during the silver electrolysis process and improving production efficiency.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold is provided, comprising a mold base, a mold cover plate and at least one clamp; The mold base is provided with a liquid inlet, and the bottom of the inner wall of the liquid inlet is provided with at least one exhaust channel and at least one forming protrusion for forming a U-shaped positioning structure on the casting. The forming protrusion is used to form a U-shaped positioning structure on the casting with the same diameter as the cylindrical conductive rod. The U-shaped positioning structure is used to form a surface contact with the cylindrical conductive rod and prevent the conductive rod from sliding. The top of the mold base and the bottom of the mold cover plate are fitted together; The mold base and the mold cover plate are detachably fixedly connected by the clamp, and the connection position of the clamp to the mold base and / or the mold cover plate is adjustable.

[0008] In the above scheme, the exhaust channel is located on both sides of the bottom of the liquid inlet.

[0009] In the above scheme, the forming protrusion is an arc-shaped protrusion, and the liquid inlet is provided with a plurality of arc-shaped protrusions with equal spacing.

[0010] In the above solution, the bottom of the mold base and the mold cover plate are respectively provided with multiple screw holes, and the clamp is connected to the screw holes at different positions by threads to realize the adjustment of the connection position.

[0011] In the above scheme, there are multiple clamps, which are arranged at intervals along the length of the mold.

[0012] In the above scheme, the entire mold is made of heat-resistant alloy material or heat-resistant cast iron material.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for casting a silver motherboard using a mold described in any of the above-described solutions is provided, comprising the following steps: S1. Align and fit the mold base with the mold cover plate, clamp and fix it with the clamp, and stand the mold upright with the liquid inlet facing upward; S2. Use a heating device to preheat the mold evenly to 120~150℃ for 30~40 minutes; S3. Pour molten silver at a temperature of 1050℃~1150℃ into the mold through the inlet, and increase the casting speed from 0.5kg / min to 5kg / min at a constant speed without stopping. S4. After casting is completed and cooled, the mold is removed to obtain the U-shaped positioning silver busbar.

[0014] In the above scheme, the heating device is a row of multiple sets of natural gas devices.

[0015] In the above scheme, during the casting process, the air contained in the molten silver liquid during cooling is discharged through the exhaust channel.

[0016] In the above scheme, after casting is completed, the material is cooled in air for 60-90 minutes.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. Using silver as the material for making busbars is advantageous because silver has the best electrical conductivity, strong corrosion resistance, and strong oxidation resistance, effectively solving the problem of easy corrosion of conductive busbars and increasing the efficiency of silver electrolysis current.

[0018] 2. The U-shaped aperture of the silver busbar cast by this method is equal to the diameter of the cylindrical conductive rod used in daily production, and they fit perfectly. This improves the point-line contact to curved surface contact, increases the contact area, effectively solves the problem of the conductive rod sliding on the busbar, increases the conductivity of silver electrolysis, and improves production efficiency.

[0019] 3. The mold is cleverly designed with venting channels and equipped with multiple natural gas devices for preheating and heat preservation, so that the surface of the cast silver busbar is smooth and free of pits, shrinkage pits and voids, realizing the one-time casting of ultra-long silver busbars. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This invention provides a drawing of a U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold.

[0022] Among them, 1. mold base, 2. mold cover plate, 3. clamp, 4. liquid inlet, 5. left vent, 6. right vent, 7. screw hole, 8. arc-shaped raised ridge.

[0023] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0025] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this disclosure are for distinguishing similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this disclosure described herein can be implemented, for example, in orders other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0026] Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0027] Multiple, including two or more.

[0028] And / or, it should be understood that, for the purposes of this disclosure, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold, the mold mainly includes: mold base 1, mold cover plate 2 and multiple clamps 3.

[0030] The mold base 1 is the lower load-bearing component, and its upper part has a liquid inlet 4 for introducing molten silver. The bottom of the inner wall of the liquid inlet 4 has a left vent 5 and a right vent 6 on both sides, forming a venting channel. This venting channel design allows air trapped inside or generated gas to be smoothly discharged from both sides after the molten silver is injected, effectively preventing bubbles, voids, or shrinkage cavities from forming inside the silver motherboard after casting, significantly improving the density and conductivity of the casting.

[0031] Inside the bottom of the liquid inlet 4, multiple arc-shaped raised bumps 8 are evenly spaced along the length of the mold. These bumps are used to form a U-shaped positioning structure that perfectly matches the diameter of the cylindrical conductive rod during the cooling and molding process of the molten silver. This U-shaped structure achieves surface contact with the conductive rod, replacing the point or line contact of the traditional flat busbar, significantly increasing the conductive contact area, preventing the conductive rod from slipping, and thus improving the current efficiency and operational stability of the silver electrolysis process.

[0032] The mold cover plate 2 and the top of the mold base 1 fit tightly together to form a complete casting cavity. The bottom of both the mold base 1 and the mold cover plate 2 have multiple screw holes 7. The clamp 3 engages with the screw holes 7 at different positions via threaded connections, thereby clamping and fixing the mold base 1 and the mold cover plate 2. Because there are multiple screw holes 7, the clamp 3 can be adjusted in position according to the mold length or the casting requirements of different batches, achieving flexible and adjustable clamping force distribution. This ensures that the mold maintains a good seal under alternating high and low temperature conditions, preventing leakage.

[0033] Furthermore, the mold is 2.1 meters long and is made entirely of heat-resistant alloy or heat-resistant cast iron. It has excellent high-temperature strength, oxidation resistance and thermal fatigue resistance, and is suitable for repeated casting of high-temperature silver liquid.

[0034] This invention employs dual-sided venting channels to ensure smooth gas discharge while preventing leakage of molten silver due to excessive static pressure during the initial casting stage. When molten silver is injected through the inlet 4, the air in the cavity and the trace amounts of gas dissolved in the silver itself expand rapidly due to heat, preferentially escaping through the dual-sided venting channels during the initial casting stage. Since the venting channels are located at the lowest point of the cavity, and the silver flows downwards from the top, the gas is always pushed towards the venting channels, preventing the formation of closed air bubbles inside the casting. Compared to the top venting holes commonly found in existing molds, the bottom dual-sided venting structure of this invention completely eliminates gas stagnation areas, preventing the formation of internal voids and surface pits from the source. The silver busbar cast by the equally spaced arc-shaped protrusions 8 requires no subsequent machining to directly obtain a U-shaped positioning groove that perfectly fits the conductive rod. Traditional busbars require additional cutting or milling to create the U-shaped groove, which not only increases process costs but also damages the dense layer on the silver surface, leading to decreased corrosion resistance. The one-piece molded U-shaped groove of this invention retains the dense surface layer of the cast state, resulting in superior corrosion resistance. More importantly, the U-shaped groove forms a continuous arc-shaped contact with the conductive rod, preventing the rod from rolling left and right or sliding axially, thus ensuring stable current transmission during silver electrolysis. Multiple screw connection holes 7, used in conjunction with the fixture 3, allow the mold to adapt to different casting stress distributions, extending mold life and ensuring consistent casting quality. The entire mold is made of heat-resistant alloy or heat-resistant cast iron, suitable for direct casting of molten silver at temperatures above 1050℃ without deformation or cracking.

[0035] This invention also provides a method for casting silver busbars using the aforementioned mold. This method fully utilizes the structural characteristics of the mold to achieve one-time casting of high-quality U-shaped positioning silver busbars. The specific steps of the method are as follows: Mold assembly: Align the mold base 1 with the mold cover plate 2 and make their mating surfaces make precise contact. Adjust the clamp 3 to the appropriate position and clamp the two together through the screw holes 7 to make the mold stand upright with the liquid inlet 4 facing upward.

[0036] Preheating: A row of multiple natural gas combustion devices is used to uniformly preheat the entire mold for 30-40 minutes at a temperature of 120-150°C. If the mold temperature is too low, the hot molten silver will solidify instantly upon contact with the cold mold wall, forming a thin shell. Subsequent molten silver will struggle to fuse with this shell, resulting in cold shuts or delamination defects. Preheating to above 120°C ensures the mold wall temperature is higher than the lower limit of silver's recrystallization temperature, resulting in good silver flow and a smooth, intact casting surface. Therefore, this preheating step effectively reduces the chilling effect when molten silver contacts the cold mold, preventing cold shuts, pitting, or cracks on the casting surface. Preheating causes air in the cavity to expand and its viscosity to decrease, making it easier to escape through the vent. Simultaneously, the increased mold temperature prevents water vapor condensation. Using a row of multiple natural gas devices, each with independently adjustable flame size, allows for uniform preheating along the 2.1-meter mold length compared to electric heating or single-nozzle heating, preventing localized overheating leading to mold deformation or localized undercooling causing casting defects.

[0037] Casting Process: Molten silver is heated to 1050℃~1150℃ and then injected into the mold at a constant speed through inlet 4. The casting speed is increased gradually: starting at 0.5 kg / min, then increasing uniformly to 5 kg / min until casting is complete, without interruption. Initially, the silver is injected slowly, allowing the liquid level to rise steadily, giving sufficient time for air in the cavity to escape through the side vents, while preventing high-speed liquid flow from entraining air bubbles or causing splashing due to impact with the mold wall. Subsequently, the injection speed is increased uniformly. Once the liquid level covers the vents, the remaining cavity must be filled quickly to prevent the silver from cooling and forming cold shuts at the flow front. Uniform acceleration avoids turbulence caused by sudden speed changes, ensuring that the filling process is predominantly laminar flow, resulting in a dense, air-free casting. Furthermore, continuous injection throughout the process prevents casting defects.

[0038] Cooling and Demolding: After casting, the mold is placed in air to cool naturally for 60-90 minutes. During cooling, residual gas continues to escape from the venting channels, and the molten silver solidifies sequentially from bottom to top, ensuring sufficient shrinkage and ultimately resulting in a smooth, pitted, shrinkage-free, and void-free U-shaped positioning silver busbar. Due to silver's high thermal conductivity, heat dissipates from the outside to the inside and from the bottom to the top. The presence of venting channels allows gas at the bottom to escape in the early stages of cooling, preventing central shrinkage cavities caused by shrinkage in the final solidification area. Furthermore, natural cooling in air prevents cracking due to excessive internal stress caused by rapid cooling. Naturally cooled busbars have low residual stress and stable dimensions during subsequent use.

[0039] This invention fully utilizes the structural characteristics of the mold, offering the following advantages: preheating expands the air inside the mold, enhancing its fluidity, and with the help of the venting channel, gas is more easily discharged; simultaneously, it avoids gas trapping inside the casting due to localized overcooling. The arc-shaped raised ridge 8 can be uniformly filled with molten silver under gradient casting speeds, avoiding turbulence or air entrapment, ensuring the integrity and dimensional accuracy of the U-shaped groove edges. The clamp 3 provides uniform clamping force, suppressing deformation during cooling and ensuring the straightness of the busbar and the alignment of the U-shaped groove.

[0040] Example 1

[0041] Align and precisely fit the mold base 1 with the mold cover plate 2. Adjust the positions of the three sets of clamps 3 and clamp and fix them together through the screw holes 7 to complete the mold assembly. Stand the mold upright with the liquid inlet 4 facing upwards. Use a row of multiple sets of natural gas devices to preheat the entire mold evenly for 30 minutes, controlling the preheating temperature at 120℃. After preheating, heat the molten silver to 1050℃ and pour it into the mold through the liquid inlet 4. Start the casting speed from 0.5 kg / min and increase it uniformly to 5 kg / min until casting is complete, without interruption. After casting, place the mold in the air to cool naturally for 60 minutes. Then remove the mold and take out the U-shaped positioning silver busbar. The busbar has a smooth surface, no pits or dents, no internal voids, and the U-shaped positioning groove size perfectly matches the conductive rod, with good contact surface fit.

[0042] Example 2

[0043] Align and precisely fit the mold base 1 with the mold cover plate 2. Adjust the positions of the three sets of clamps 3 and clamp them together using the screw holes 7 to complete the mold assembly. Stand the mold upright with the liquid inlet 4 facing upwards. Use a row of multiple sets of natural gas devices to preheat the entire mold evenly for 40 minutes, controlling the preheating temperature at 150℃. After preheating, heat the molten silver to 1150℃ and pour it into the mold through the liquid inlet 4. Start the casting speed from 0.5 kg / min and increase it uniformly to 5 kg / min until casting is complete, without interruption. After casting, place the mold in the air to cool naturally for 90 minutes. Then remove the mold and take out the U-shaped positioning silver busbar. The busbar is free of voids, pits, and shrinkage.

[0044] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0045] The sequence numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0046] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above implementation methods can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk), and includes several instructions to cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0047] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these forms are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold, characterized in that, Includes a mold base, a mold cover plate, and at least one clamp; The mold base is provided with a liquid inlet, and the bottom of the inner wall of the liquid inlet is provided with at least one exhaust channel and at least one forming protrusion for forming a U-shaped positioning structure on the casting. The forming protrusion is used to form a U-shaped positioning structure on the casting with the same diameter as the cylindrical conductive rod. The U-shaped positioning structure is used to form a surface contact with the cylindrical conductive rod and prevent the conductive rod from sliding. The top of the mold base and the bottom of the mold cover plate are fitted together; The mold base and the mold cover plate are detachably fixedly connected by the clamp, and the connection position of the clamp to the mold base and / or the mold cover plate is adjustable.

2. The silver motherboard casting mold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The exhaust channels are located on both sides of the bottom of the liquid inlet.

3. The U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The formed protrusion is an arc-shaped protrusion, and the inlet is provided with multiple arc-shaped protrusions with equal spacing.

4. The U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the mold base and the mold cover plate are respectively provided with multiple screw holes. The clamp is connected to the screw holes at different positions by threads to realize the adjustment of the connection position.

5. The U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamps are multiple and are arranged at intervals along the length of the mold.

6. The U-shaped positioning silver busbar casting mold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The entire mold is made of heat-resistant alloy or heat-resistant cast iron.

7. A method for casting a silver motherboard using the mold described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Align and fit the mold base with the mold cover plate, clamp and fix it with the clamp, and stand the mold upright with the liquid inlet facing upward; S2. Use a heating device to preheat the mold evenly to 120~150℃; S3. Pour molten silver at a temperature of 1050℃~1150℃ into the mold through the inlet, and increase the casting speed from 0.5kg / min to 5kg / min at a constant speed without stopping. S4. After casting is completed and cooled, the mold is removed to obtain the U-shaped positioning silver busbar.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The heating device is a row of multiple natural gas units.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, During the casting process, the air contained in the molten silver liquid is discharged through the exhaust channel as it cools.

10. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, After casting, cool in air for 60-90 minutes.

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