PRODUCTION OF PURE TITANIUM OR TITANIUM ALLOY MATERIAL

摘要

PURPOSE:To produce a high quality Ti material in superior material yield by melting an electrode material to be melted, composed principally of Ti material by means of electron beam cold hearth melting, casting the resulting molten metal into a slab of square-shaped sectional form, and rolling this slab. CONSTITUTION:A melting material 8 consisting of either or both of Ti sponge material and Ti scrap material is filled into cylindrical body 7 formed of thin sheet of Ti or Ti alloy as it is by which an electrode material 5 to be melted is prepared. This electrode material 5 is continuously inserted by means of a horizontal raw material inserting device 9 into a melting chamber 10 in vacuum state without breaking the vacuum, melted at the back end of a cold hearth 2 by means of an electron beam from an electron beam gun 3, and allowed to drop into the cold hearth 2. The molten metal allowed to drop into the cold hearth 2 is exposed to vacuum, allowed to overflow while removing impurity gas, and semicontinuously cast in a crucible 1 into a square-shaped slab 6 to be used for rolling without forging. By this method, the Ti or Ti alloy material having high quality and high purity can be produced at a low cost.