Method for the manufacture of hollow fused quartz or fused silica ingots
OwnerLothar Junginventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The method of manufacturing an ingot includes the steps of rotating a housing having an inner surface which defines an opening therethrough, the housing containing a layer of insulating material between the housing outer surface and the inner surface, depositing particulate material across the inner surface, and heating the particulate material above its melting point, the rotational movement of the housing holding the molten particulate material by centrifugal force on the inner surface for forming an ingot. The particulate material is deposited on the housing inner surface by gravity from an elongated, slotted tube, by rotating the tube until the slot faces downward.
Claims15
A method of manufacturing an ingot from a particulate ingot forming material, said method comprising:
- (a) providing a rotatable elongated housing, having an inner surface serving as a casting surface for the particulate material, and an elongated hollow feeder tube adapted for insertion into the interior of the housing and having a longitudinal slot of a length corresponding to the length of the casting surface;
- (b) rotating the elongated housing in a generally horizontal plane about its longitudinal central axis;
- (c) charging the elongated hollow feeder tube with the particulate material through the slot;
- (d) inserting the feeder tube into the rotating housing;
- (e) revolving the feeder tube within the rotating housing until the slot faces downward, thereby dumping the charged particulate material along the length of the casting surface, the dumped particulate material adhering to the interior wall of the rotating housing by centrifugal force;
- (f) heating the particulate material clinging to the interior wall of the housing as it is rotated to the top of the housing to melt the particulate material;
- and
- (g) cooling the melt to solidify and removing the solidified melt as the ingot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.