Molten metal-atomizing apparatus

Claim 1

A molten metal liquid-atomizing apparatus comprising: a tundish provided with a molten metal nozzle adapted to cause a molten metal to flow in a downward direction; an injection nozzle having an inner wall face surrounding the molten metal flow flowing downwardly from the molten metal nozzle, said inner wall face having an upper portion coinciding with a frustoconical part of an imaginary conical surface of an imaginary cone having an apex positioned in the molten metal flow, and an annular injection port located at a lower end of said inner wall face for forming a high speed jet tilted in a downward direction so as to provide an intersection angle in a range of 25° to 50° at a first point positioned in the molten metal flow, said apex and said first point being positioned on a downstream side of the molten metal flow when viewed from a position of the injection port, wherein both a first vertical distance (OP 1 ) defined between the apex and a second point defined by a position at a horizontal level equal to that of a lower end of the injection port, and a second vertical distance (OP 2 ) defined between the first point and the second point are determined such that the first vertical distance is 40%-85% of the second vertical distance.