Mold for manufacturing lead buttons, and method for manufacturing lead buttons

Abstract

This improves the efficiency of recovering cooled and solidified material from molds in the manufacturing of lead buttons. [Solution] A mold for manufacturing lead buttons in a dry assay, comprising a bottomed funnel-shaped container portion and a base portion having a through hole that contacts the outer surface of the container portion when it is inserted and can support the container portion from below, wherein the container portion is separate from the base portion and is detachably configured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mold for manufacturing a lead button and a method for manufacturing a lead button.

Background Art

[0002] For example, a sample may contain a noble metal such as Au, and the noble metal may be separated and recovered from the sample. From the viewpoint of grasping the content of the noble metal in the sample, etc., the noble metal contained in the sample may be analyzed. As this analysis method, there is a dry assay method. The dry assay method is standardized in JIS M 8111 (Method for Quantitative Analysis of Gold and Silver in Ores).

[0003] In the dry assay method, first, the sample is mixed with lead (II) oxide, a flux, and a reducing agent, then melted in a crucible, and the molten sample is poured into a mold and then cooled. The cooled solidified product thus obtained is formed by specific gravity separation of a lead layer containing lead and a slag layer containing slag. The noble metal is collected in the lead layer and thus separated from other components other than lead. Next, the cooled solidified product is struck to physically separate the lead layer. This lead layer is button-shaped and becomes a lead button. Then, after shaping the lead button into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape by hitting it with a hammer or the like, cupellation is performed to take out only the noble metal and quantify it.

[0004] As a mold for producing a lead button, for example, one with a hemispherical bottom is used. The lead button obtained from such a mold has a convex lens shape or a hemispherical shape corresponding to the mold. This lead button is shaped into, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped or a cube, and after this shaping, the lead button is introduced into a cupellation furnace.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0005]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] Incidentally, molds used to produce lead buttons generally have multiple hemispherical recesses into which the molten sample is poured, in order to efficiently perform the operation of pouring the molten sample from a crucible and obtaining a cooled and solidified product. For example, a mold is used that has a total of 10 recesses, with 5 recesses arranged in two rows.

[0007] However, molds with multiple recesses like these can present the following challenges. Specifically, when collecting the cooled solidified material produced in each recess of the mold, it is necessary to turn each solidified material over one by one using a pointed tool such as tweezers, which requires considerable effort and time to remove. Furthermore, because a single mold has multiple recesses, there is a risk of misidentifying the collected solidified material or contamination occurring due to contact or mixing of samples. These issues affect the quantitative analysis results of precious metals, thus requiring even more effort and time to handle the solidified material.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a technology that improves the efficiency of the process of recovering cooled and solidified material from a mold in the manufacturing of lead buttons. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A first aspect of the present invention is: A mold for manufacturing lead buttons in the dry assay method, A container section having a bottomed funnel shape and configured to contain a molten sample, The base portion has a through hole that contacts the outer surface of the container portion when the container portion is inserted and can support the container portion from below, The container portion is separate from the base portion and is configured to be detachable. This is a mold used to manufacture lead buttons.

[0010] A second aspect of the present invention is, in the first aspect, The container portion comprises an enlarged diameter portion and a molding portion connected to the enlarged diameter portion for containing the molten sample. The molded part has a cylindrical shape.

[0011] A third aspect of the present invention is, in the first aspect, The container portion comprises an enlarged diameter portion and a molding portion connected to the enlarged diameter portion for containing the molten sample. The molded portion has an inverted truncated cone shape, in which the inner wall is inclined such that the inner diameter decreases towards the bottom.

[0012] A fourth aspect of the present invention is that in any one of the first to third aspects, The thickness of the container portion is 3 mm or more and 7 mm or less.

[0013] A fifth aspect of the present invention is that in any one of the first to fourth aspects, The inclination angle of the inclined surface in the enlarged diameter portion is between 15 degrees and 25 degrees.

[0014] A sixth aspect of the present invention is: A method for manufacturing lead buttons using the dry assay method, The process involves preparing a mold comprising: a container portion having a bottomed funnel shape and configured to contain a molten sample; and a base portion having a through hole that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the container portion when it is inserted and can support the container portion from below, wherein the container portion is separate from the base portion and is detachably configured; The process involves pouring the molten sample into the container and allowing it to cool and solidify, The process involves detaching the container portion from the base portion and removing the cooled and solidified material from the container portion. The process includes a step of producing a lead button from the cooled and solidified material. This is a method for manufacturing lead buttons.

[0015] A seventh aspect of the present invention is, in the sixth aspect, The container portion comprises an enlarged diameter portion and a molding portion connected to the enlarged diameter portion for containing the molten sample. The shaping part has a cylindrical shape, In the step of taking out the cooled and solidified product, the container part is turned upside down.

[0016] The eighth aspect of the present invention is, in the sixth aspect, The container part is configured to include a diameter-expanded part and a shaping part connected to the diameter-expanded part for accommodating the molten sample, The shaping part has an inverted frustum cone shape with an inner wall inclined so that the inner diameter becomes smaller toward the bottom direction, In the step of taking out the cooled and solidified product, the container part is turned upside down.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, in the production of lead buttons, the efficiency of the operation of recovering the cooled and solidified product from the mold can be increased.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a mold according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a view showing a schematic configuration of a container part constituting the mold. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a container part constituting the mold. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a modified example of a container part constituting the mold. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a cooled and solidified product obtained from the mold. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a modified example of a cooled and solidified product obtained from the mold. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional mold.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] As mentioned above, conventional molds require considerable time and effort to cool the molten sample and recover the resulting solidified material, resulting in low efficiency in producing lead buttons. Here, we will explain conventional molds using Figure 6. Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of a conventional mold.

[0020] As shown in Figure 6, a conventional mold 100 is composed of multiple container sections 110 as hemispherical recesses into which molten sample is poured, and a flat plate-shaped member 120 that integrates them. In Figure 6, for convenience, the container sections 110 and the flat plate-shaped member 120 are drawn separately as the mold 100, but they are a single mass and are manufactured, for example, by casting. In this mold 100, it is necessary to turn over and collect each cooled and solidified material produced in each container section 110 using tweezers or the like. Furthermore, the cooled and solidified materials to be collected must be handled carefully to avoid mixing them up or coming into contact with other cooled and solidified materials, which can be time-consuming and laborious.

[0021] Furthermore, the inventors' studies revealed that the conventional mold 100 presents the following additional problem: It is difficult to adjust the cooling rate when cooling the molten sample in the conventional mold 100. This point will be explained below.

[0022] In mold 100, the cooling rate of the molten sample is important from the standpoint of separating lead from slag in the cooled and solidified material of the molten sample. If the cooling rate is excessively fast, the molten sample may cool and solidify before the lead settles and is sufficiently separated from the slag. As a result, lead may be mixed into the slag, making it difficult to accurately quantify the precious metals captured by the lead. Therefore, it is desirable to adjust the cooling rate in mold 100 so that it is not excessively fast.

[0023] However, conventional molds 100 tend to have a fast cooling rate. Specifically, the mold 100 comprises a container section 110 into which the molten sample is injected and a flat plate-shaped member 120, and since these are integrally formed, the entire mold is generally made with a thick wall. When a molten sample is injected into such a container section 110, a small amount of the molten sample comes into contact with the excess amount of metal forming the mold 100. As a result, the heat from the molten sample is quickly absorbed by the mold 100. In other words, with conventional molds 100, because the entire mold is thick and it is not possible to make only the container section 110 locally thinner, it is difficult to adjust the cooling rate to prevent it from becoming excessively fast.

[0024] The inventors further investigated these points and focused on making the container part and the supporting member separate components. With this configuration, the container part can be handled independently, improving its handling capabilities. In other words, the recovery of the cooled and solidified material can be made more efficient. Moreover, since the container part can be designed independently of the other components, it becomes possible to adjust the cooling rate. That is, it becomes possible to form only the container part thinly, without relying on the supporting member.

[0025] <One Hundred Ideas> The following describes one embodiment of the present invention. First, a mold for manufacturing lead buttons will be described, and then a method for manufacturing lead buttons using the mold will be described with reference to the figures. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of a mold according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2A is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the container part constituting the mold. Figure 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the container part constituting the mold.

[0026] (1) Mold The mold 1 of this embodiment is for manufacturing lead buttons in the dry assay method. As shown in Figures 1, 2A, and 2B, the mold 1 comprises a bottomed funnel-shaped container portion 10 and a base portion 20 that supports the container portion 10. The container portion 10 and the base portion 20 are separate components, and the container portion 10 is configured to be detachable from the base portion 20.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2A, the container section 10 has an opening 11 and is configured to accommodate the molten sample to be injected. In the container section 10, a cooled and solidified product 30 molded into a predetermined shape can be obtained by cooling the injected molten sample. The container section 10 has a bottomed funnel shape so as to accommodate the molten sample. Specifically, the container section 10 comprises an enlarged diameter section 12 having an opening 11 and a molding section 13 connected to the bottom of the enlarged diameter section 12.

[0028] The enlarged diameter section 12 is configured such that the inner diameter on the opening 11 side is larger than the inner diameter on the molding section 13 side, and the inner diameter narrows from the opening 11 towards the molding section 13. The opening 11 serves as an injection port for the molten sample, and the enlarged diameter section 12 introduces the injected molten sample into the molding section 13. The inner diameter of the opening 11 is not particularly limited as long as it is larger than the inner diameter of the molding section 13 and prevents leakage of the injected molten sample to the outside.

[0029] Furthermore, it is preferable that the inclination of the enlarged diameter section 12 be gentle. If the inclination of the enlarged diameter section 12 is steep, the distance from the spout of the crucible into which the molten sample is poured to the inclined surface of the enlarged diameter section 12, or the distance from the spout to the surface of the molten sample contained in the container section 10, that is, the distance the molten sample falls, becomes larger. If the fall distance is large, the molten sample may be scattered as droplets. If the molten sample is scattered, droplets of lead containing precious metals may adhere to the inner wall of the container section 10 or become mixed with the slag, making it difficult to accurately quantify the precious metals contained in the sample. Also, if the fall distance is large, the falling speed of the molten sample increases, causing the molten sample injected into the container section 10 to be stirred, which can cause a phenomenon called fluctuation in the lead layer 31. As a result, the sedimentation separation of lead and slag becomes insufficient, making it easier for lead to be mixed into the slag layer 32 or for slag to be mixed into the lead layer 31. In this regard, by making the inclination of the enlarged diameter portion 12 gentler, the distance the molten sample falls is shortened, and the molten sample can be injected along the inclined surface, thereby suppressing scattering and fluctuation of the molten sample. Specifically, the inclination of the enlarged diameter portion 12 refers to the angle it makes with the horizontal plane, and it is preferable that this angle is between 15 degrees and 25 degrees.

[0030] From the viewpoint of suppressing leakage and scattering of the molten sample to the outside, it is preferable that a side wall portion 14 is formed on the edge of the opening 11 of the enlarged diameter portion 12. The side wall portion 14 is configured to rise up around the opening 11, which makes it possible to suppress leakage to the outside when the molten sample is injected into the enlarged diameter portion 12.

[0031] The molding section 13 is where the molten sample is contained and the cooled and solidified material 30 is formed by cooling. The shape of the molding section 13 is not particularly limited, but for example, it may be cylindrical or rectangular. By making the molding section 13 rectangular, the process of molding the lead button into a rectangular prism can be shortened or omitted. On the other hand, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B, by making the molding section 13 cylindrical, it is possible to remove the solidified material more easily than in the case of a rectangular prism by eliminating the corners. In addition, by molding the cooled and solidified material 30 into a cylindrical shape, it is possible to suppress the slag from embedding into the lead layer 31 when peeling the slag layer 32 from the cooled and solidified material 30. This point will be described in detail later. The depth and inner diameter of the molding section 13 are not particularly limited and may be changed as appropriate according to the size of the lead button.

[0032] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of making it easier to remove the cooled and solidified material 30, the molding section 13 is preferably configured such that its inner wall is inclined so that the inner diameter decreases towards the bottom, as shown in Figure 3. In other words, it is preferable that the molding section 13 be frustoconical in shape. With such a molding section 13, the cooled and solidified material 30 can be molded into a shape that tapers towards the bottom (inverted frustoconical shape), making it easier to remove the cooled and solidified material 30 from the container section 10. The molding section 13 may also be conical in shape.

[0033] From the viewpoint of adjusting the cooling rate, it is preferable to form the container portion 10 thinly. In this embodiment, the container portion 10 is separate from the base portion 20, so they can be constructed independently. In other words, the thickness of the container portion 10 can be freely adjusted independently of the base portion 20, and for example, the thickness of the container portion 10 can be made thinner than that of the base portion 20. The thicker the container portion 10, the easier it is for heat to be absorbed from the molten sample to the container portion 10, and the faster the cooling rate tends to be. In this case, it may not be possible to secure sufficient time for sedimentation separation, making it difficult to settle the lead and separate the lead from the slag. In this respect, in this embodiment, since the thickness of the container portion 10 can be freely adjusted, it is possible to more reliably separate the lead from the slag by adjusting the thickness to slow down the cooling rate. The thickness of the container portion 10 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of maintaining a predetermined strength while slowing down the cooling rate, it is preferable to have a thickness of 3.0 mm or more and 7.0 mm or less. The thickness of the container portion 10 refers to at least the thickness of the molded portion 13, and the thickness refers to the distance from the inner surface to the outer surface of the container portion 10, that is, the wall thickness.

[0034] The base portion 20 is constructed by providing legs 23 to a flat plate-shaped member 22 and supports the container portion 10. The flat plate-shaped member 22 is provided with a through hole 21 that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the container portion 10 when it is inserted, allowing the container portion 10 to be supported from below. The through hole 21 allows, for example, the molded portion 13 of the container portion 10 to be inserted through, while the enlarged diameter portion 12 is not inserted through, thereby surrounding the enlarged diameter portion 12 and supporting and fixing the container portion 10. The base portion 20 can support the container portion 10 in a state where it is floating above the mounting surface by the legs 23. The size of the through hole 21 is not particularly limited as long as it can support and fix the container portion 10 when it is inserted, and can be appropriately changed according to its outer diameter.

[0035] The thickness of the base portion 20 is not particularly limited as long as it provides sufficient strength to support the container portion 10. From the viewpoint of obtaining the required strength, the thickness of the base portion 20 is preferably 3 mm or more. The upper limit of the thickness is, for example, 10 mm or less. Note that the thickness of the base portion 20 refers to the thickness of the flat plate-shaped member 22.

[0036] The number of through holes 21 in the base portion 20 is not limited to the six shown in Figure 1, and can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, their arrangement can also be changed as appropriate.

[0037] Furthermore, the container portion 10 and the base portion 20 should be made of a heat-resistant material. For example, general structural rolled steel can be used. The container portion 10 and the base portion 20 can also be formed by conventionally known methods such as machining or press molding.

[0038] (2) Method for manufacturing lead buttons Next, we will describe a method for manufacturing lead buttons using the mold 1 described above.

[0039] (Melting process) First, the sample is melted to obtain a molten sample.

[0040] The sample is not particularly limited as long as it contains precious metals, and examples include ores containing precious metals and intermediates containing precious metals produced in the smelting of non-ferrous metals.

[0041] Next, lead(II) oxide, flux, and reducing agent are added to the crucible along with the sample and mixed. If necessary, coating materials such as sodium chloride and borax may also be added and mixed. Conventional known reagents can be used for the lead(II) oxide and flux. Multiple crucibles should be prepared, corresponding to the number of container sections 10 provided in the mold 1. In Figure 1, the base section 20 has six through holes 21, allowing for the placement of six container sections 10; therefore, six crucibles should be prepared.

[0042] Next, each of the crucibles is placed in a furnace and heated. This melts the sample in each crucible, forming a molten sample.

[0043] (preparation process) In addition to the melting process described above, prepare mold 1 as shown in Figure 1.

[0044] (Cooling solidification process) Next, molten sample is poured from multiple crucibles into each of the multiple container sections 10 in the mold 1. After pouring, the molten sample is cooled. In this embodiment, since the container section 10 is formed thinly, it is possible to adjust the cooling rate of the container section 10 to be slow. This allows the lead to settle while the molten sample is cooling and solidifying, and enables a more reliable separation of lead and slag. In other words, it is possible to suppress the incorporation of lead or precious metals into the slag, and the incorporation of slag into the lead. By cooling and solidifying the molten sample, a cooled and solidified product 30 can be formed.

[0045] Furthermore, in the container section 10, by setting the inclination angle of the enlarged diameter section 12, that is, the angle the inclined surface makes with the horizontal plane, to 15° or more and 25° or less, and configuring the inclination to be gentle, the distance the molten sample falls is reduced, and the molten sample can be injected gently along the inclined surface, thereby suppressing the scattering of the molten sample as droplets when it is injected. In addition, by configuring the opening 11 of the enlarged diameter section 12 to have a vertically rising side wall section 14, leakage and scattering of the molten sample to the outside can be suppressed.

[0046] (Removal process) Next, the cooled and solidified material 30 is removed from the mold 1. For example, by detaching one container section 10 from the mold 1 and turning it upside down, the cooled and solidified material 30 can be easily removed. At this time, the bottom of the container section 10 may be struck with a hammer or the like to remove the cooled and solidified material 30. As shown in Figure 4, in the cooled and solidified material 30, a lead layer 31 is formed at the bottom as the lead settles in the molded section 13, and a slag layer 32 is formed on top of it. The cooled and solidified material 30 also has a shape corresponding to the container section 10. In this embodiment, since the molded section 13 is cylindrical, the cooled and solidified material 30 is also cylindrical. If the molded section 13 is cylindrical and has no corners, it becomes easier to remove the cooled and solidified material 30 from the container section 10. Furthermore, if the molded section 13 has a frustoconical shape, it can be removed even more easily.

[0047] (molding process) Next, a lead button is made from the extracted cooled and solidified material 30. Specifically, since the cooled and solidified material 30 consists of a lead layer 31 and a slag layer 32 that are bonded together, an impact is applied to the boundary between them. For example, the boundary can be struck with a hammer. This separates the lead layer 31 and the slag layer 32, obtaining the lead button, which is the lead layer 31.

[0048] When the cooled and solidified material 30 is cylindrical with rounded sides, it is possible to suppress the slag layer 32 from embedding into the lead layer 31 and the residue of the lead layer 31 on the slag layer 32 when separating the lead layer 31 and the slag layer 32. When the lead layer 31 and the slag layer 32 are separated by applying impact with a hammer or the like at the boundary, a portion of the slag layer 32 may become embedded in the lead layer 31. Also, a portion of the lead layer 31 may remain in the slag layer 32. If a portion of the lead layer 31 remains in the slag layer 32, a portion of the lead layer 31 is removed along with the slag layer 32, which may result in a negative error in the analysis value of precious metals. On the other hand, if a portion of the slag layer 32 becomes embedded in the lead layer 31, the slag may become mixed into the lead button, causing molten material to splatter when the lead button is melted by cupellation. This may result in inaccurate analysis of precious metals. Furthermore, when calculating the precious metal content by the gravimetric method, the inclusion of slag may result in a positive error in the analysis value of precious metals. In this regard, as shown in Figure 4, if the sides of the cooled solidified material 30 are rounded, then when an impact is applied, for example with a hammer, striking any single point allows for easy and sharp separation, suppressing the adhesion and residue of each layer at the boundary. In other words, it becomes possible to analyze precious metals with greater precision. Thus, by making the molded part 13 cylindrical or truncated cone-shaped instead of rectangular parallelepiped-shaped, it becomes possible not only to remove the cooled solidified material 30 more easily, but also to easily separate the lead layer 31 and the slag layer 32, and to prevent the aforementioned adhesion and residue.

[0049] Furthermore, the manufactured lead buttons should be shaped into a rectangular prism to facilitate their introduction into the ash tray of the cupellation furnace in the next step. If the lead buttons are cylindrical, they can be easily shaped into a rectangular prism by applying impact to their sides with a hammer or similar tool. For example, striking them on an anvil will allow them to be shaped into a rectangular prism with a minimum of two blows.

[0050] Based on the above, a molded lead button can be obtained using the dry assay method.

[0051] <Effects according to this embodiment> This embodiment provides one or more of the following effects.

[0052] (a) In the mold 1 of this embodiment, the container section 10 into which the molten sample is injected and the base section 20 that supports the container section 10 are separate, and the container section 10 is configured to be detachable from the base section 20. Therefore, the cooled and solidified material 30 can be easily removed by simply picking up the container section 10 individually from the base section 20 and turning the container section 10 upside down. In contrast, as shown in Figure 6, the mold 100, in which a plurality of container sections 110 and a flat plate-shaped member 120 are integrally formed, is heavy due to the presence of multiple container sections 110, making operations such as turning it upside down difficult. Therefore, when recovering the cooled and solidified material from the mold 100, it is necessary to turn the cooled and solidified material upside down and recover it using, for example, tweezers. Thus, in this embodiment, the mold 1 allows for the recovery of the cooled and solidified material 30 to be made more efficient by individually manipulating the container sections 10, thereby shortening the time required to manufacture lead buttons.

[0053] (b) In the mold 1, the container portion 10 and the base portion 20 can be constructed separately, so the base portion 20 can be formed to any optimal thickness so as to have sufficient strength to support the container portion 10, regardless of the thickness of the container portion 10. On the other hand, the container portion 10 can be formed thinly so that the cooling rate does not become excessively fast and remains within a moderate range. For example, the thickness (wall thickness) of the flat plate-shaped member 22 in the base portion 20 can be set to 10 mm, while the thickness (wall thickness) of the molded portion 13 in the container portion 10 can be set to 5 mm. This allows the container portion 10 to be supported when the molten sample is injected, while after injection the molten sample can be cooled and solidified at a moderate cooling rate. As a result, sufficient sedimentation separation time can be secured, so that when the molten sample is cooled and solidified, lead can be settled while suppressing its incorporation into the slag layer 32. The resulting cooled and solidified material 30 can then be molded into a lead button and subjected to analysis to accurately quantify the precious metal.

[0054] In contrast, in the mold 100 shown in Figure 6, the thickness of the container portion 110 and the flat plate-shaped member 120 are the same, as it is difficult to form them independently. In this case, if the thickness of the flat plate-shaped member 120 is increased to provide sufficient strength to support the container portion 110, the thickness of the container portion 110 will also increase accordingly. As a result, the cooling rate in the container portion 110 tends to increase, and lead may be mixed into the slag layer, reducing the amount of precious metals collected in the lead layer. Consequently, it may be difficult to accurately quantify the precious metals.

[0055] Thus, according to the mold 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to support the container section 10 when the molten sample is poured in, while also adjusting the cooling rate of the molten sample to be slower. Furthermore, the lead button obtained from the mold 1 makes it possible to accurately quantify precious metals.

[0056] (c) In the mold 1, the container portion 10 is preferably composed of an enlarged diameter portion 12 and a molding portion 13, and the molding portion 13 is preferably cylindrical in shape. With such a molding portion 13, there are fewer corners, so the cooled and solidified material 30 obtained by cooling and solidification can be easily removed. For example, the cooled and solidified material 30 can be removed simply by turning the container portion 10 upside down. In contrast, if the molding portion 13 is rectangular parallelepiped or the like, it is difficult to remove the cooled and solidified material 30, and it becomes necessary to apply an impact to the bottom of the molding portion 13, for example with a hammer, which increases the number of times an impact is applied.

[0057] (d) Furthermore, since the molding section 13 has a cylindrical shape, the cooled solidified material 30 can be molded into a cylindrical shape, as shown in Figure 4. With such a cooled solidified material 30, when an impact is applied to the boundary between the lead layer 31 and the slag layer 32 to separate them, each layer can be separated easily and simply. In addition, the phenomenon of the slag layer 32 embedding into the lead layer 31 and the phenomenon of the lead layer 31 remaining in the slag layer 32 can be suppressed. As a result, it becomes possible to quantify precious metals with greater accuracy.

[0058] (e) The molding section 13 may also be configured such that its inner wall is inclined so that its inner diameter decreases towards the bottom, as shown in Figure 3. Specifically, the molding section 13 may be configured to have an inverted frustoconical shape. With such a molding section 13, the cooled solidified material 30 can be removed more easily than when it is cylindrical, as shown in Figure 2(b). Moreover, the resulting cooled solidified material 30 is formed in a frustoconical shape, as shown in Figure 5, and these can be easily separated by applying an impact to the boundary between the lead layer 31 and the slag layer 32.

[0059] (f) The thickness of the container portion 10, particularly the thickness of the molded portion 13, is preferably 3 mm or more and 7 mm or less. This makes it possible to reduce the wall thickness of at least the portion of the container portion 10 that contains the molten sample, and to adjust the cooling rate of the molten sample to an appropriate range. As a result, the lead can be sufficiently settled before the molten sample cools and solidifies, and the lead and slag can be efficiently separated. As a result, when the lead button obtained from the cooled and solidified material 30 is subjected to analysis, the precious metal can be accurately quantified.

[0060] (g) Preferably, the diameter-expanding section 12 is configured with a gentle slope such that the angle between its inclined surface and the horizontal plane is 15° or more and 25° or less. With such a configuration, for example, when injecting a molten sample from a crucible onto the inclined surface of the diameter-expanding section 12, the distance the molten sample falls can be shortened. This allows the molten sample to be gently introduced into the molding section 13 along the inclined surface of the diameter-expanding section 12, suppressing the scattering of the molten sample as droplets. Moreover, it suppresses fluctuations in the injected molten sample and reduces the mixing of lead into the slag side of the molten sample. As a result, the lead layer 31 and the slag layer 32 can be efficiently separated, and the precious metal can be accurately quantified.

[0061] (h) Preferably, the enlarged diameter portion 12 is configured to have a side wall portion 14 that rises vertically from the edge of the opening 11. The side wall portion 14 helps to suppress leakage and scattering to the outside when the molten sample is poured into the container portion 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1. Mold 10 Container part 11 Aperture 12 Expanded diameter part 13 Molding section 14 Side wall section 20 Base 21 Through hole 22 Flat plate-shaped member 23 Legs 30. Cooled solidified material 31 Lead layer 32 Slag Layers

Claims

1. A mold for manufacturing lead buttons in the dry assay method, A container section having a bottomed funnel shape and configured to contain a molten sample, The base portion has a through hole that contacts the outer surface of the container portion when the container portion is inserted and can support the container portion from below, The container portion is separate from the base portion and is configured to be detachable. A mold for manufacturing lead buttons.

2. The container portion comprises an enlarged diameter portion and a molding portion connected to the enlarged diameter portion for containing the molten sample. The molded part has a cylindrical shape. A mold for manufacturing a lead button as described in claim 1.

3. The container portion comprises an enlarged diameter portion and a molding portion connected to the enlarged diameter portion for containing the molten sample. The molded portion has an inverted truncated cone shape, in which the inner wall is inclined such that the inner diameter decreases towards the bottom. A mold for manufacturing a lead button as described in claim 1.

4. The thickness of the container portion is 3 mm or more and 7 mm or less. A mold for manufacturing a lead button according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The inclination angle of the inclined surface in the enlarged diameter portion is 15 degrees or more and 25 degrees or less. A mold for manufacturing the lead button described in claim 3.

6. A method for manufacturing lead buttons using the dry assay method, The process involves preparing a mold comprising: a container portion having a bottomed funnel shape and configured to contain a molten sample; and a base portion having a through hole that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the container portion when it is inserted and can support the container portion from below, wherein the container portion is separate from the base portion and is detachably configured; The process involves pouring the molten sample into the container and allowing it to cool and solidify, The process involves detaching the container portion from the base portion and removing the cooled and solidified material from the container portion. The process includes a step of producing a lead button from the cooled and solidified material. A method for manufacturing lead buttons.

7. The container portion comprises an enlarged diameter portion and a molding portion connected to the enlarged diameter portion for containing the molten sample. The molded part has a cylindrical shape, In the step of removing the cooled and solidified material, the container is turned upside down. The method for manufacturing a lead button according to claim 6.

8. The container portion comprises an enlarged diameter portion and a molding portion connected to the enlarged diameter portion for containing the molten sample. The molded portion has an inverted truncated cone shape, in which the inner wall is inclined such that the inner diameter decreases towards the bottom. In the step of removing the cooled and solidified material, the container is turned upside down. The method for manufacturing a lead button according to claim 6.

Images