Spray casting of gas atomized molten metal to produce high density ingots

A process for producing a spray cast metal ingot characterized by high density of substantially over 90% of the actual density of the metal which comprises:

• providing a teeming stream of molten metal under substantially non-oxidizing conditions,
• allowing said molten metal stream to pass longitudinally and centrally though a hollow converging conical jet stream of super cooled non-oxidizing atomizing gas flowing at supersonic velocity downwardly and coaxially of said molten metal stream, the conical gas stream being focused at said supersonic velocity to impinge substantially symmetrically against said coaxially disposed molten metal stream in the direction of flow thereof and at a conical angle of impingement of less than 30.degree. to produce a highly energetic outwardly expanding conically configurated atomized stream of molten metal with an included angle of substantially less than 25.degree.,
• directing said conically configurated atomized stream of metal into the interior of an ingot mold supported transverse to the path of said energetic metal stream with the longitudinal axis of said metal stream disposed at an acute angle to the interior wall of said mold,
• causing said atomized stream of metal to scan the interior of said mold and strike the wall thereof at an acute angle by effecting relative transverse movement between said atomized metal stream and said mold to promote substantially uniform filling thereof,
• and continuing the filling of said mold with the axis of said atomized metal stream directed at said acute angle to the interior wall of said mold until the mold has been filled,
• thereby obtaining a compact high density spray cast ingot having an average density of substantially over 90% of the actual density of said metal.

A process for producing a spray cast metal ingot characterized by high density of substantially over 90% of the actual density of the metal which comprises:

• tapping a charge of molten metal into a tundish,
• teeming the metal from the tundish through a teeming nozzle to form a molten stream, allowing said molten metal stream to pass longitudinally and centrally through a hollow converging conical jet stream of super cooled non-oxidizing atomizing gas flowing at supersonic velocity produced by a plurality of jets substantially equally spaced in a circle with a first set of alternate jets projecting downwardly to define an included conical angle of impingement with said molten metal stream of less than about 30.degree. and a second set of alternate jets projecting downwardly to define an included conical angle of at last 2.degree. less than the angle formed by said first set,
• thereby providing a double impact mode system on said teeming molten metal stream in which the impingement produced by said second set of alternate jets is below the impingement produced by said first set of jets,
• such that, by virtue of said double mode impact, a relatively tight cone of atomized metal is produced having an included angle substantially less than 25.degree.,
• directing said conically configurated atomized stream of metal into the interior of an ingot mold supported transverse to the path of said energetic metal stream with the longitudinal axis of said metal stream disposed at an acute angle of about 5.degree. to 45.degree. to the interior wall of said mold,
• causing said atomized stream of metal to scan the interior of said mold and strike the wall thereof at said acute angle while rotating said mold about its axis and oscillating said mold across the path of said stream to promote substantially uniform filling of said mold,
• and continuing the filling of said mold,
• thereby obtaining a compact high density spray cast ingot having an average density of substantially over 90% of the actual density of said metal.