Method and apparatus for adding heat and charge material to molten metal under vacuum

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ADDING HEAT TO MOLTEN METAL UNDER VACUUM, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING, IN COMBINATION, A MOLTEN METAL RECEPTACLE CONTAINING A MELT, SAID MOLTEN METAL RECEPTACLE HAVING A NON-ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING LINING IN CONTACT WITH THE MOLTEN METAL CONTAINED THEREIN TO THEREBY PRECLUDE PASSAGE OF CURRENT THROUGH THE RECEPTACLE, STRUCTURE FORMING A VACUUM ENVIRONMENT IN A SPACE ABOVE THE MELT, MEANS FOR CREATING A VACUUM IN THE SPACE ABOVE THE MELT, A PAIR OF ELECTRODES, SAID ELEVTRODES BEING SPACED FROM, BUT IN ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH, THE MELT AND FORMING, WITH THE ARC, PART OF AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT WHICH INCLUDES A SOURCE OF D.C. CURRENT, A VOLTAGE PROBE IN THE CIRCUIT AND IMMERSED IN THE MELT, SAID VOLTAGE PROBE BEING EFFECTIVE TO MEASURE THE VOLTAGE DROP BETWEEN THE ELECTRODES AND THE MELT, AND MEANS, RESPONSIVE TO OPERATION OF THE VOLTAGE PROBE, FOR CONTROLLING THE CURRENT IN THE D.C. CIRCUIT.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF MEASURING THE QUANTITY OF ALLOY ADDITIONS TO A MELT UNDER VACUUM, SAID METHOD INCLUDING THE STEPS OF FORMING A CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR CONTAINING A PREDETERMININED AMOUNT OF ALLOYS TO BE ADDED T THE MELT UNDER VACUUM, STRIKING AND MAINTAINING AN ACR BETWEEN THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR AND THE MELT, MEASURING THE VOLTAGE DROP BETWEEN THE MELT AND THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR FROM A VOLTAGE PROBE IMIMERSED IN THE MELT, ADVANCING THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR TOWARDS THE MELT AT A PREDTERMINED RATE, BY MOTOR MEANS CONTROLLED BY AN INDICATION OF THE VOLTAGE DROP AS MEASURED BY THE VOLTAGE PROBE; MEASURING THE DISPLACEMENT OF THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR, AND CORRELATING THE LINEAR DISPLACEMENT OF THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR FROM ITS INITAL POSITION TO THE TOTAL QUANTITY OF ALLOYS IN THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR TO THEREBY DETERMINE THE QUANTITY OF ALLOY ADDED TO THE MELT.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF MEASURING THE QUANTITY OF ALLOY ADDITIONS TO A MELT UNDER VACUUM, SAID METHOD INCLUDING THE STEPS OF FORMING A CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR CONTAINING A PREDETERMININED AMOUNT OF ALLOYS TO BE ADDED T THE MELT UNDER VACUUM, STRIKING AND MAINTAINING AN ACR BETWEEN THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR AND THE MELT, MEASURING THE VOLTAGE DROP BETWEEN THE MELT AND THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR FROM A VOLTAGE PROBE IMIMERSED IN THE MELT, ADVANCING THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR TOWARDS THE MELT AT A PREDTERMINED RATE, BY MOTOR MEANS CONTROLLED BY AN INDICATION OF THE VOLTAGE DROP AS MEASURED BY THE VOLTAGE PROBE; MEASURING THE DISPLACEMENT OF THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR, AND CORRELATING THE LINEAR DISPLACEMENT OF THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR FROM ITS INITAL POSITION TO THE TOTAL QUANTITY OF ALLOYS IN THE CONSUMABLE CONDUCTOR TO THEREBY DETERMINE THE QUANTITY OF ALLOY ADDED TO THE MELT.