Method of producing high-quality ingots of reactive metals

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING INGOTS OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TANTALUM, TUNGSTEN, MOLYBDENUM, COLUMBIUM, TITANIUM,VANADIUM AND ABASE ALLOYS THEREOF FROM A CONSUMABLE ELECTRODE IN A SURROUNDING LIQUID-COOLED METAL MOLD, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING INSERTING A CONSUMABLE MOLD LINER, FORMED OF THE METAL TO BE CAST, INTO THE LIQUID-COOLED MOLD WITH SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE OPPOSING SURFACES OF THE INSERTED LINER AND SAID MOLD BEING IN DIRECT HEAT TRANSFER CONTACT; AND ARE MELTING SAID CONSUMABLE ELECTRODE IN THE THUS LINE LIQUIDCOOLED MOLD, SAID CONSUMABLE LINER HAVING A THICKNESS SUCH THAT, AS THE MOLTEN METAL DERIVED FROM THE CONSUMABLE ELECTRODE RISES IN THE MOLD, THE HEAT OF SAID MOLTEN METAL AND THE HEAT OF RADIATION FROM THE ARC CAUSE THE PORTION OF THE LINER ADJACENT THE MOLTEN METAL AND THE SPATTER ADHERING TO THE LINER TO MELT WHEREBY SAID METAL SPATTER AND SAID LINER BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE FINAL INGOT.