Titanium alloy sintering apparatus

Abstract

This invention discloses a titanium alloy sintering apparatus, relating to the field of titanium alloy sintering technology. It includes an outer shell, a carbon felt layer, and a graphite furnace body arranged sequentially from the outside in. An intermediate region is formed between the graphite furnace body and the carbon felt layer. The graphite furnace body contains a graphite cavity and also includes a transfer shell for argon gas flow. The transfer shell is equipped with a connecting pipe and two connecting pipes, which are respectively connected to the intermediate region and the graphite cavity. A pressure difference sensing alternating sealing mechanism is installed within the transfer shell, which can alternately seal the two connecting pipes based on the pressure difference between the intermediate region and the graphite cavity. The titanium alloy sintering apparatus provided by this invention can sense the pressure difference between the intermediate region and the graphite cavity through the pressure difference sensing alternating sealing mechanism, and then change the sealing of the two connecting pipes based on the change in pressure difference, minimizing the probability of C and O penetrating into the graphite cavity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of titanium alloy sintering technology, and more specifically to a titanium alloy sintering equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, sintering furnaces are generally used in the field of powder metallurgy to sinter metal products. Sintering is a key step in the manufacturing of powder metallurgy products. Common sintering furnaces on the market include graphite furnaces and metal furnaces.

[0003] For example, the patent document with authorization announcement number CN119609130B, authorization announcement date August 8, 2025, entitled "A Method for Sintering TC4 Titanium Alloy in a Graphite Furnace," describes a graphite furnace comprising, from the outside in, an outer shell, a carbon felt layer, and a graphite furnace body. An intermediate region is formed between the graphite furnace body and the carbon felt layer. The graphite furnace body contains a graphite cavity. High-purity argon gas is introduced into both the graphite cavity and the intermediate region to maintain an argon atmosphere. This solves the problems of carbon and oxygen contamination that exist in existing graphite furnace sintering methods for TC4 titanium alloy.

[0004] In the existing technology, during the vacuum sintering process of titanium alloys, argon gas needs to be continuously injected into and discharged from the graphite cavity and the intermediate region. Moreover, the gas pressure in the graphite cavity must be greater than the gas pressure in the intermediate region. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously measure the gas pressure in the two spaces and control the gas injection volume. Obviously, such operation is quite cumbersome. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a titanium alloy sintering device to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0007] A titanium alloy sintering device includes an outer shell, a carbon felt layer, and a graphite furnace body arranged sequentially from the outside to the inside. An intermediate region is formed between the graphite furnace body and the carbon felt layer. The graphite furnace body has a graphite cavity. It also includes a transfer shell for argon gas circulation. The transfer shell is provided with a connecting pipe and two connecting pipes. The two connecting pipes are respectively connected to the intermediate region and the graphite cavity. The transfer shell is provided with a differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism, which can alternately seal the two connecting pipes based on the pressure difference between the intermediate region and the graphite cavity.

[0008] The aforementioned titanium alloy sintering equipment includes a partition inside the transfer housing, a movable groove communicating with a connecting pipe inside the partition, a movable block being slidably and sealed inside the movable groove, and a through hole being constructed on the partition.

[0009] In the aforementioned titanium alloy sintering equipment, the movable block is provided with a through groove, and the movable block is provided with two connecting grooves.

[0010] In the aforementioned titanium alloy sintering equipment, the movable block has a first position and a second position. In the first position, the movable block blocks the through hole, and in the second position, the through groove and the through hole are connected.

[0011] The aforementioned titanium alloy sintering equipment includes a linear drive mechanism inside the transfer housing for driving the movable block to move within the movable slot.

[0012] In the aforementioned titanium alloy sintering equipment, both of the two connecting tanks are equipped with check valves to prevent gas from flowing into the connecting pipe.

[0013] In the aforementioned titanium alloy sintering equipment, the movable groove extends to the middle region, and a first elastic element is provided within the carbon felt layer to force the movable block to a first position.

[0014] The aforementioned titanium alloy sintering equipment includes a differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism comprising a piston that is slidably disposed in a through groove, with connecting parts on both sides of the piston, sealing plates on the connecting parts, and a second elastic element on the movable block for forcing the piston to one end of its sliding stroke.

[0015] In the aforementioned titanium alloy sintering equipment, when the pressure difference across the partition is less than a set threshold, the piston is at one end of its stroke to open the connecting groove on one side of the piston; when the pressure difference across the partition is greater than the set threshold, the piston overcomes the elastic force of the second elastic element and moves to the other end of its stroke to open the connecting groove on the other side of the piston.

[0016] The aforementioned titanium alloy sintering equipment also includes a gas extraction mechanism for extracting gas from the intermediate region and the graphite cavity.

[0017] In the above technical solution, the titanium alloy sintering equipment provided by the present invention can sense the pressure difference between the intermediate region and the graphite cavity through a pressure difference sensing alternating sealing mechanism. Based on the change of pressure difference, the sealing of the two connecting pipes is changed. When the pressure difference between the intermediate region and the graphite cavity is less than a set threshold, the connecting pipe connected to the graphite cavity is opened; when the pressure difference is greater than the set threshold, the connecting pipe connected to the intermediate region is opened. In this way, argon gas is introduced into the intermediate region and the graphite cavity alternately based on the pressure difference, so as to minimize the probability of C and O penetrating into the graphite cavity. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure provided for an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an active block structure provided in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first elastic element structure provided in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a piston structure provided in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the second elastic element structure provided in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a piston structure is provided for another embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an air extraction mechanism provided in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0027] 1. Outer shell; 2. Carbon felt layer; 3. Graphite furnace body; 4. Intermediate area; 5. Graphite cavity; 6. Transfer shell; 7. Connecting pipe; 8. Communicating pipe; 9. Partition; 10. Movable block; 11. Through hole; 12. Through groove; 13. Communicating groove; 14. Check valve; 15. First elastic element; 16. Piston; 17. Connecting part; 18. Sealing plate; 19. Second elastic element; 20. Limiting protrusion; 21. Connecting plate; 22. Sealing plate. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Reference Figure 1-7 This invention provides a titanium alloy sintering device, comprising an outer shell 1, a carbon felt layer 2, and a graphite furnace body 3 arranged sequentially from the outside in. An intermediate region 4 is formed between the graphite furnace body 3 and the carbon felt layer 2. The graphite furnace body 3 has a graphite cavity 5 inside. It also includes a transfer shell 6 for the flow of argon gas. The transfer shell 6 is provided with a connecting pipe 7 and two connecting pipes 8. The two connecting pipes 8 are respectively connected to the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5. The transfer shell 6 is provided with a pressure difference sensing alternating sealing mechanism, which can alternately seal the two connecting pipes 8 based on the pressure difference between the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5.

[0030] Specifically, the graphite cavity 5 is used for sintering titanium alloys. During the vacuum sintering process of titanium alloys, high-purity argon gas needs to be continuously introduced into the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5 (argon gas is introduced and discharged at the same time to allow the high-purity argon gas to flow). The argon gas in the graphite cavity 5 should be greater than that in the intermediate region 4. This can remove C and O from the intermediate region 4 and prevent C and O from outside the graphite cavity 5 from seeping into the graphite cavity 5 and causing contamination to the sintered titanium alloy parts. The above are all existing technologies and will not be elaborated here. The innovation of this invention lies in the fact that a transfer housing 6 is provided on the outer shell 1, and an external gas inlet mechanism for filling high-purity argon gas is connected to a connecting pipe 7. Argon gas is then introduced into the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5 through a differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism and two connecting pipes 8. The differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism can be a combination of a differential pressure sensor and two sets of sealing structures in the prior art. When the pressure difference between the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5 is less than a set threshold, the connecting pipe 8 connected to the graphite cavity 5 is opened, and when the pressure difference is greater than the set threshold, the connecting pipe 8 connected to the intermediate region 4 is opened. In this way, argon gas is introduced into the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5 in an alternating manner based on the pressure difference, so as to minimize the probability of C and O penetrating into the graphite cavity 5.

[0031] In another embodiment of the present invention, preferably, the transfer housing 6 has a partition 9, a movable groove communicating with the connecting pipe 7, a movable block 10 is slidably disposed within the movable groove, and a through hole 11 is formed on the partition 9. The movable block 10 has a through groove 12 and two connecting grooves 13. Specifically, the two connecting pipes 8 are respectively connected to both sides of the partition 9, so that the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5 are respectively connected to both sides of the partition 9; a differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism is disposed within the through groove 12. When the through groove 12 of the movable block 10 is connected to the through hole 11 of the partition 9, the differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism within the through groove 12 can introduce argon gas into the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5. Optionally, a differential pressure sensor is installed in the through groove 12, and two connecting grooves 13 are connected to the through groove 12 and located on both sides of the differential pressure sensor. A set of sealing structures is installed on each of the two connecting grooves. In this way, the operation of the two sets of sealing structures can be controlled based on the differential pressure sensor, so as to alternately introduce argon gas into the middle region 4 and the graphite cavity 5 based on the differential pressure.

[0032] Preferably, the movable block 10 has a first position and a second position. In the first position, the movable block 10 blocks the through hole 11; in the second position, the through groove 12 and the through hole 11 are connected. The transfer housing 6 is provided with a linear drive mechanism for driving the movable block 10 to move within the movable groove. Specifically, the linear drive mechanism can be an existing electric push rod or lead screw drive structure (not shown, and not described in detail). In this way, the movable block 10 can be moved between the first and second positions via the linear drive mechanism; for example... Figure 2As shown, the movable block 10 is located at the bottom of its stroke, i.e., the second position. At this time, the through groove 12 and the through hole 11 are connected, and the argon gas transported by the connecting pipe 7 can be transported to the middle area 4 or the graphite cavity 5 through the differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism. Conversely, when the movable block 10 moves to the top of its stroke, it is in the first position (as shown). Figure 3 (Position of movable block 10 in the middle), at this time the upper half of movable block 10 blocks the upper half of movable groove to isolate the space on both sides of connecting pipe 7 and partition 9.

[0033] With this configuration, when the device is not undergoing vacuum sintering, the pressure on both sides of the partition 9 is relatively high (close to normal atmospheric pressure). Compared to the near-vacuum sintering process (that is, compared to the operation of the differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism), the pressure it experiences is different, which may damage the differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism. Therefore, the movable block 10 is moved to the first position to isolate the through groove 12 and minimize the impact on the sensitivity of the differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism. When the device is undergoing vacuum sintering, the movable block 10 is switched to the second position to connect the through groove 12 and the through hole 11, so that the differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism can operate normally.

[0034] Preferably, each of the two connecting slots 13 is provided with a check valve 14 to prevent gas from flowing into the connecting pipe 7. Specifically, in the above embodiment, if the check valve 14 is not provided in the two connecting slots 13, when the movable block 10 is in the second position, the spaces on both sides of the partition 9 will be connected through the spaces on the side of the two connecting slots 13 closest to the connecting pipe 7. Obviously, this will affect the operation of the differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism. Therefore, check valves 14 are provided in the two connecting slots 13 so that gas can flow into the through slot 12 through the connecting pipe 7 and the connecting slot 13, thereby inputting into the corresponding intermediate region 4 or graphite cavity 5. However, gas cannot enter the connecting pipe 7 through the connecting pipe 8, through hole 11, through slot 12 and connecting slot 13, so as to avoid the spaces on both sides of the partition 9 being connected and affecting the normal operation of the differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism.

[0035] As an alternative to the above-mentioned method of switching the position of the movable block 10 by a linear drive mechanism, optionally, the movable groove extends to the middle region 4, and a first elastic element 15 is provided in the carbon felt layer 2 to force the movable block 10 to the first position. Specifically, the first elastic element 15 can be a spring structure in the prior art, with one end fixed to the extension structure of the carbon felt layer 2 and the other end fixed to the movable block 10, so that the movable block 10 is forced to the first position by the first elastic element 15. In this embodiment, the end of the movable groove away from the connecting pipe 7 is connected to the middle region 4. During vacuum sintering, the air pressure in the middle region 4 changes from close to normal atmospheric pressure to a near-vacuum state. During the process, there will be a pressure difference between the two ends of the movable block 10, which can force the movable block 10 to move to the second position so that the through groove 12 and the through hole 11 are connected, so that the pressure difference sensing alternating sealing mechanism can operate.

[0036] In another embodiment of the present invention, the differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism includes a piston 16 that is slidably disposed within a through groove 12. Connecting portions 17 are constructed on both sides of the piston 16, and sealing plates 18 are constructed on the connecting portions 17. A second elastic element 19 is provided on the movable block 10 to force the piston 16 to one end of its sliding stroke. Specifically, two limiting protrusions 20 are constructed within the through groove 12, allowing the piston 16 to have a certain sliding stroke within the through groove 12. A connecting plate 21 is constructed on one side of the movable block 10. The second elastic element 19 uses a spring structure from the prior art, with one end fixed to the connecting plate 21 and the other end fixed to the piston 16, so that the piston 16 is forced away from the connecting plate 21 (forcing the piston 16 to approach the connecting pipe 8 communicating with the graphite cavity 5) by the second elastic element 19. The connecting portion 17 is located at the bottom of the sealing plate 18. During the movement of the piston 16, the sealing plate 18 can seal or open the corresponding connecting groove 13, while the connecting portion 17 does not contact the end of the connecting groove 13.

[0037] With this configuration, when the pressure difference across the partition 9 is less than a set threshold, the piston 16 is at one end of its stroke to open the connecting groove 13 on one side of the piston 16; when the pressure difference across the partition 9 is greater than the set threshold, the piston 16 overcomes the elastic force of the second elastic member 19 and moves to the other end of its stroke to open the connecting groove 13 on the other side of the piston 16. Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, when both the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5 are in a near-vacuum state, the gas pressure in the spaces on both sides of the partition 9 is basically the same. At this time, the second elastic element 19 can force the piston 16 to the right end of its stroke. At this time, the left sealing plate 18 blocks the left connecting groove 13, and the right sealing plate 18 opens the right connecting groove 13. In this way, argon gas can be introduced into the graphite cavity 5 through the right connecting groove 13 and the right connecting pipe 8, so that the gas pressure in the graphite cavity 5 is greater than that in the intermediate region 4. As the pressure difference between region 4 and graphite cavity 5 increases, piston 16 gradually overcomes the elastic force of the second elastic element 19 and moves to the left. This gradually blocks the right-side connecting groove 13 while gradually opening the left-side connecting groove 13, thereby reducing the amount of argon gas entering the graphite cavity 5 and increasing the amount of argon gas entering the middle region 4. When the pressure difference between the middle region 4 and graphite cavity 5 exceeds a set threshold, piston 16 moves to the left end of its stroke to fully open the left-side connecting groove 13 and block the right-side connecting groove 13.

[0038] The advantages are as follows: First, when the device is in operation, argon gas can be preferentially introduced into the graphite cavity 5 through the connecting pipe 7 and the connecting groove 13 on the right side, so as to preferentially increase the gas pressure in the graphite cavity 5 and minimize the probability of C and O penetrating into the graphite cavity 5. Second, during the operation of the device, the piston 16 can adjust the opening degree of the two connecting grooves 13 based on the pressure difference, so as to control the pressure difference between the middle region 4 and the graphite cavity 5 within a certain value or a certain range. Third, when the pressure difference between the middle region 4 and the graphite cavity 5 exceeds or falls below the set threshold, the two sealing plates 18 can completely seal or open the corresponding connecting grooves 13 to quickly balance the pressure difference between the middle region 4 and the graphite cavity 5.

[0039] In another embodiment of the present invention, a suction mechanism is further included, which is used to extract gas from the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5. Specifically, in the above embodiment, the differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism can only control the pressure difference between the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5, but cannot control the gas pressure inside the graphite cavity 5. In this embodiment, a gas pressure measuring structure is provided inside the graphite cavity 5, and the suction mechanism operates based on the gas pressure measuring structure to control the gas pressure inside the graphite cavity 5 within a certain value or a certain range. Thus, in conjunction with the air intake mechanism and the transfer housing 6, the gas pressure and pressure difference between the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5 can be adaptively controlled.

[0040] As an alternative or parallel solution to the aforementioned connecting pipe 7 communicating with the air intake mechanism and the piston 16 having a connecting part 17 and a sealing plate 18, preferably, the connecting pipe 7 of the transfer housing 6 is used to connect to the air extraction mechanism, and its piston 16 has a sealing plate 22. Specifically, in this embodiment, two sets of transfer housings 6 can be simultaneously provided on the outer shell 1. The transfer housing 6 in the above embodiment is connected to the air intake mechanism, and the transfer housing 6 in this embodiment is connected to the air extraction mechanism. In this embodiment, the piston 16 inside the transfer housing 6 no longer has a connecting part 17 and a sealing plate 18, but instead has a sealing plate 22 on the piston 16, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the left side of piston 16 is connected to graphite cavity 5 through corresponding connecting pipe 8, and the right side of piston 16 is connected to intermediate region 4 through corresponding connecting pipe 8. Check valves 14 are provided in both connecting slots 13, and the check valves 14 are used to prevent gas from flowing to the connecting pipe 8. Under the action of the second elastic element 19, piston 16 is at the left end of its stroke. At this time, sealing plate 22 blocks the left connecting slot 13 and opens the right connecting slot 13. The pumping mechanism can preferentially extract the gas in intermediate region 4. Then, piston 16 moves based on the pressure difference between intermediate region 4 and graphite cavity 5, thereby opening or blocking the corresponding connecting slot 13 through sealing plate 22 to extract the gas in intermediate region 4 or graphite cavity 5, so that the gas pressure in graphite cavity 5 is maintained at a certain value or within a certain range, and the pressure difference between intermediate region 4 and graphite cavity 5 is maintained at an appropriate value or within an appropriate range. The advantage is that by connecting the air intake mechanism and the air extraction mechanism through two sets of transfer housings 6 respectively, and setting up an air pressure measurement structure, the air intake or extraction force in the two spaces can be adjusted according to the pressure difference between the intermediate region 4 and the graphite cavity 5, so as to keep the air pressure and pressure difference within an appropriate value or range, effectively protecting the titanium alloy from contamination by impurities during the sintering process, and further improving the sintering efficiency of the titanium alloy and the service life of the graphite furnace.

[0041] The foregoing has only described certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention by way of illustration. Undoubtedly, those skilled in the art can modify the described embodiments in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A titanium alloy sintering apparatus, comprising, from the outside in, an outer shell, a carbon felt layer, and a graphite furnace body, wherein an intermediate region is formed between the graphite furnace body and the carbon felt layer, and the graphite furnace body has a graphite cavity, characterized in that, It also includes a transfer housing for argon gas circulation, which is provided with a connecting pipe and two connecting pipes. The two connecting pipes are respectively connected to the intermediate area and the graphite cavity. The transfer housing is provided with a differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism, which can alternately seal the two connecting pipes based on the pressure difference between the intermediate area and the graphite cavity.

2. The titanium alloy sintering equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer housing has a partition inside, and the partition has a movable groove that communicates with the connecting pipe. A movable block is slidably and sealed inside the movable groove, and the partition has a through hole.

3. A titanium alloy sintering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The movable block has a through groove and two connecting grooves.

4. The titanium alloy sintering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein The movable block has a first position and a second position. In the first position, the movable block blocks the through hole, and in the second position, the through groove and the through hole are connected.

5. A titanium alloy sintering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The transfer housing is equipped with a linear drive mechanism for driving the movable block to move within the movable slot.

6. A titanium alloy sintering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein Both of the aforementioned connecting slots are equipped with check valves to prevent gas from flowing into the connecting pipe.

7. A titanium alloy sintering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The movable groove extends to the middle region, and a first elastic element is provided within the carbon felt layer to force the movable block to a first position.

8. A titanium alloy sintering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The differential pressure sensing alternating sealing mechanism includes a piston that is slidably disposed in a through groove. Both sides of the piston are provided with connecting parts, and sealing plates are provided on the connecting parts. A second elastic element is provided on the movable block to force the piston to one end of its sliding stroke.

9. A titanium alloy sintering apparatus according to claim 8, wherein When the pressure difference across the partition is less than a set threshold, the piston is at one end of its stroke to open the connecting groove on one side of the piston; when the pressure difference across the partition is greater than the set threshold, the piston overcomes the elastic force of the second elastic element and moves to the other end of its stroke to open the connecting groove on the other side of the piston.

10. The titanium alloy sintering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein It also includes a gas extraction mechanism, which is used to extract gas from the middle area and the graphite cavity.

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