Apparatus and method of coating by vapor deposition

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR COATING A MOVING SUBSTRATE WITH ALUMINUM BY VACUUM-EVAPORATING SAID ALUMINUM AND CONDENSING SAID ALUMINUM ON SAID MOVING SUBSTRATE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF FEEDING ALUMINUM TO A GROOVE IN THE UPPER SURFACE OF A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL ELONGATED HEATED SURFACE, SAID FEEDING BEING AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN MOLTEN ALUMINUM ON SAID SURFACE AT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL TIMES DURING COATING, PROVIDING ON SAID SURFACE AT LEAST A STRATUM COMPRISING A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE CARBIDES AND NITRIDES OF TITANIUM, ZIRCONIUM, HAFNIUM, VANADIUM, COLUMBIUM AND TANTALUM, SAID COMPOUND BEING WETTABLE BY, AND SUBSTANTIALLY INERT TO, MOLTEN ALUMINUM AT TEMPERATURES ON THE ORDER OF 1300* C. TO CAUSE SAID ALUMINUM TO SPREAD OUT IN A THIN EXTENDED LAYER OF SUBTANTIALLY GREATER SIZE THAN THE GROOVE TO WHICH THE ALUMINUM IS FED SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL PORTIONS OF SAID SURFACE IN POSITION TO RADIATE SUBSTANTIAL QUANTITIES OF HEAT TO THE SUBSTRATE ARE COVERED BY MOLTEN EVAPORATING ALUMINUM, HEATING SAID SURFACE AND THE ALUMI-