NAME: LOBE REBECCA FENDE

MATRICULE: HT19A129

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: DR NGWE Nnoko NGAAJE

PRODUCTION OF METALS

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

It is important that a welder understand the way, production, and

refinement of metals in use in day to day life , having a thorough
understanding of metals in asset to the welding technicians. The
processes used to change ore to commercial mentals , and then to
produce alloys, are constantly being improved . Iron and steel are most
common mentals in metal used. Great quantities are produced each
time an aluminum is also being produced in large quantities ,
magnesium and titanium have many applications, particularly in the
aerospace in the quantities. Recently many exotic matals I have been
successfully produced, mainly due to the needs of nuclear and space
age.

METHODS OF MANUFACTURING STEEL

Steel is produced by adding large quantities of carbon to iron which is

quite pure. Most, if not all the carbon and other impurities have been
moved from the iron. This alloy (mixture) of iron carbon is called
straight or plain carbon steel.

Alloy steel are produced by adding additives elements, such as

chromium, nickel, and manganese to plain carbon steel. The alloying
elements are added in control amounts. Follow the steps in the steel
making process( below in figure 1) .
The first step in the production of steel is to refin the iron ore. The iron
ore contains many unwanted impurities. When the iron ore is refined it
is called Pig Iron. The refinement of iron ore is actually done in the
reducing atmosphere of a Blast Furnace

Pig iron contains some impurities and a relatively large amount of

carbon. The high carbon content in it, makes the pig iron brittle. In
other to produce steel, the carbon in the iron must be removed in the
oxidizing atmosphere of a STEELMAKING FURNACE .

The oxidizing atmosphere in these furnaces " burns off " and eliminates
the carbon and impurities in the iron. Once the impurities and the
carbon have been eliminated or reduced to a minimum, controlled
amounts of carbon and other alloying elements maybe added to the
iron to produce the type of steel desired.

The furnaces and the processes used to produce steel and alloy
steel are as follows.

1) Basic oxygen furnace ( Heading 25-10).

2) Open hearth furnace ( Heading 25-11).

3) Electric furnace ( Heading 25-12).

4) Crucible furnace ( Heading 25-13) .

5) Induction furnace ( Heading 25-14).

6) Vacuum furnace (Heading 25-15).

When it has been determined that the steel in the steelmaking

Furnace contains the desired amounts of carbon and other elements,
the molten steel is form into ingots, slabs, blooms or billets. All these
shapes differ in cross- sectional shape or area. (See figure 2 bellow.)

25- 2
MATERIAL USED BY THE BLAST FURNACE

Iron seldom exist free in nature. It is mined from the earth in the form
of IRON ORE or IRON OXIDES mixed with impurities in the form of clay,
sand, and rock. The most important type of iron ore are as follows:
- Hematite. Fe2O3. 70% iron ( red iron)

- Magnetite. Fe3O4. 72.4% iron (black)

- Limonite Fe2O3H20. 63 % iron (brown)

- Sederite FeCO3. 48.3 % iron ( iron carbon)

Taconite (Fe3O3) has an iron content of 25-35 percent. It is made

commercially useful by refining it to 70℅ iron to shipping.

A good FLUX that will melt and combine with impurities in the
molten iron ore must be used in the blast furnace. One flux that is the
commonly used is limestone. The LIMESTONE combines with the
impurities and floats them in the combined state (SLAG) above the
molten iron. The molten slag is drained from above the pig iron just
before the pig iron is tapped or removed from the furnace.

One of the best fuel for the blast furnace is the COKE. The coke
furnishes enough heat to reduce the iron ore. Coke is low in such
impurities such as sulphur and phosphorus. Some modern blast
furnaces use gas injection and solid soft coal ( Bituminous) in a closed
container until the gases and impurities are driven off. Coke , which is
practically pure carbon, then remains.

To operate a modern blast furnace for one day requires

approximately 2, 000 tons (900mg) of coke , 500 tons ( 450 Mg) of
limestone, and 4,000 tons (3,600 Mg) of air.

25-3. BLAST FURNACE

The blast furnace has five major operations to perform:

1. Deoxidize iron ore .

2. Melt the slag.

3. Melt the iron.

4. Carbonize the iron.

5. Separate the iron from the slag.

The modern blast furnace is huge tubular furnace made of steel and
line with firebrick. The average size is approximately 100 feet ( 30 m)
high and 25 feet (8m) in diameter. Some furnace in cross section.
Around the bottom of the furnace are openings ( TUYERES) through
which allow gases to escape. The iron ore, limestone and coke are
carried up to the top of the furnace and dumped down into the furnace
through a bell shape opening( Hopper).

The coke burns and produces enough heat to melt the iron.
The excess carbon from the coburnites with the iron and lowers it's
melting temperature. The melted iron forms at the bottom of the
furnace. It is drawn off when sufficient quantity has been collected. The
flux melts and collects the impurities. It floats on top of the molten
iron.

The flux can be drawn off the furnace through an opening

higher than the one in which the iron is taken out. The operation of the
furnace is continous. The right proportion of iron ore, limestone and
coke are regularly dumped in at the top of the furnace. Every few hours
a batch of blast furnace iron ( pig iron) is drawn off from the bottom of
the furnace. See figure 3
 The iron
coming
out of
the blast
furnace is called (PIG IRON) because it was formally cast into the blast
from the blast furnace and is not allowed to cool. The molten iron is
taken directly to another furnace such as the open hearth furnace or
the cupola furnace .

25-4 CAST IRON

 Approximately 30% of all the pig iron produced is used in the
manufacture of gray cast iron.

Gray cast iron is the most common form of cast iron.GRAY CAST IRON,
is simply a casting that has been cooled slowly ,thus, allowing some of
the carbon to separate, forming free graphite (carbon) flakes. This
graphite causes the gray appearance in the Gray cast iron and can be
machined.

White Cast Iron

Is made by cooling the casting quickly. White cast iron is very hard
and brittle. It very difficult to machine the white cast iron.

Cast Iron is usually made by melting and oxidizing pig iron in a cupola
furnace.

25-5 CUPOLA FURNACE

The cupola furnace is used to reduce cast iron. The cupola

furnace resembles a small blast furnace. Coke is used as fuel to heat the
furnace.

Limestone is used as a flux. Pig iron is added along with scrap cast iron
and steel.

The cupola furnace eliminates the excess carbon and impurities as the
metal and flux melt. When a large quality of molten metal is formed,
the furnace is ready to be tapped. TAPPING is the term used to draw off
the molten metal from the furnace.
 First the molten slag is drawn off, then the furnace is tapped. The
molten metal in the cupola furnace is ready to be cast. It is called the
cast iron.

25-6 MALLEABLE IRON

Cast iron is a desirable metal from which in-create mental parts maybe
cast. Cast iron is very fluid when molten and flows freely to all parts of a
mold. It maybe machined relatively easily. However, it has several
desirable characteristics such as brittleness and lack of Maileability( the
ability to be for into shape) in parts demanding malleability or
resistance to shock, malleable iron maybe used. Malleable Iron is made
by prolonged heating or ANNEALING of white cast iron at the
temperature of approximately (1659° F 900°).the casting are heId at
this temperature for about 50 hours. Then will be allowed to cool
slowly.

The casting is heated in other to allow the carbon to diffuse ( move)

with the structure. The carbon gathers and form small resset shapes.
This gives the remaining iron low in carbon which has rod ductility ( the
ability to change into shapes without break) and toughness.

By this heat treating process, brittle white cast iron is transformed into
a soft malleable cast iron.

5-7. DUCTILE CAST IRON

Gray cast iron has free graphite ( carbon) present in the metal. The
graphite is in the flake form and the flake causes the iron to be brittle.
To prevent the graphite from forming flakes, magnesium is added to
the liquid iron. The iron is then poured and cast. The magnesium
attracts the carbon and forms graphite spheres. The remaining iron is
low in carbon and therefore very ductile. Ductile cast iron has good
strength, hardness as show in figure 25-4 ductile iron is known as the
NODOLAR IRON.

25-8 WROUGHT IRON

Wrought iron contains the last amount of carbon of any of the

ferrous metals used commercially. It normal manufactured in the
PUDDING FURNACE . ( A pudding furnace is used to oxidized or the
burning off all the impurities and carbon in the pig iron. These furnaces
are used to produce wrought iron which is almost pure iron.)wrought
iron is no longer produced in large quantities. Steel has taken it's place
in most applications.

To make wrought iron, pig iron is melted on the hearth of the

reverberatory or the pudding furnace which is line with iron oxide. This
process almost completely removes all of the carbon, silicon and
manganese from the pig iron. As the carbon from is removed, the
fusion temperature of the iron rison. The iron becomes pasty and can
be rolled up in squeeze through rollers to remove most of the excess
slag. The wrought iron is rolled into much bars and finally into
commercial forms.

Wrought iron is soft, tough, and malleable. It is ideal for ornamental

work, as it is rust resisting easily shaped, and may be easily welded.

25-9. STEEL

Steel maybe defined as an iron combined with 0.1 to 1.7% of carbon.

Steel is produced by reducing cast iron and scrap steel in one of several
types of furnaces. Several types of steel producing furnaces are:

1) Basic oxygen

2) Open hearth

3) Electric.

4) Crucible.

5) Induction

6) Vacuum.

25-10. BASIC OXYGEN PROCESS

The basic oxygen furnace, shown in figure 4 is tipped on it's

side and molten iron scrap steel are poured into the mouth of the
furnace . The furnace is then rotated to a vertical position under an
exhaust hood. A water-cooled oxygen Lance is lowered to a position
above the molten metal and oxygen is blown into the furnace. Figure 4
shows properties for five types of ductile cast iron.

Ductile Tensile Yield Elongatio Hardness

Iron Type strength Strength n
Brinell
PSI MPa PSi. MPa %
*60-45-10 (60,000.) 45,000 to 10 to 25 140 to
 414 to 60,000 2000
552 310

to to

80,000 414
80-60-03 80,000 60,000 to 3 to 10 200 to
75,000 275
to
414 to
100,000
517
552 to
689
100-70-03 100,000 70,000 to 3 to 10 240 to
to 90,000 300
120,000
483 to
689 to 621
827
120-90-02 120,000 90,000 to 2 to 7 270 to
to 125,000 350
150,000
621 to
827 to 862
1,034
x Heat 60,000 to 45,000 to 0 to 20 140 to
Resistanc 100,000 75,000 300
e
414 to 310 to
689 517
#. This number is decoded as follows:

60 means 60,000 psi tensile strength, 45,000 psi yield strength, and 10
% elongation.

The ( figure 5 below) shows the schematic of a basic oxygen furnace.

Oxygen is blown into the furnace and products of combustion are
exhausted into a pollution control system. ( American Iron and steel
institute)

The
impurities in
the molten metal
and steel product.
In 20 to 60
minutes, about 80 tons ( 72, 575 kg) of quality steel can be produced.
At the end of the described ime, the oxygen is turned off. The oxygen
furnace is then tipped to pour off the steel produced. A new charge of
molten iron and scrap steel is poured in to begin a new cycle.

25-11 OPEN HEARTH PROCESS

The open hearth furnace method of making steel, figure 6, is

sometimes called the Siemens Martin open hearth process. In such a
furnace, the metal is contained in a large shallow basin, holding from
150 to 300 tons ( 136 to 272 Mg) of metal. The furnace is charge with
molten and solid pig iron, scrap and fluxes. Up to 50% scrap can be
used.

At each end of the basin or metal container there is a preheating stove.

The preheating stove is made of firebricks arranged in checkerboard
pattern. Air and a fuel gas enter the furnace at one end after passing
through one of the preheating stoves. As the fuel gas and air burn
above the metal in the furnace, they heat the metal. When the metal is
heated, the unwanted elements and impurities oxide or burn off. As
exhaust gases excit from the furnace, they travel through defuse
preheating furnace on the exhaust side of the furnace. The hot gases
heat the bricks in this stove as they travel out of the furnace.( The
figure 7) bellow explained the illustrations of the methods of heating
the incoming gas and air.
Periodically the direction of the incoming fuel gas and air is reversed.
The cold input gases travel over the hot bricks in the preheat stove
which was previously repeated by the exhaust gases. This is called the

EGENERATIVE PROCESS OF HEATING. The reheating of the incoming

fuel gas and air results at higher temperature inside the open hearth
furnace. The total time for processing each charge is 0 to 30 hours.

Pure oxygen is now being used in some open hearth furnaces to

speed the production of steel. For example, an 82.5 ton ( 74.8 Mg ) heat
in a furnace using oxygen maybe be completed in about 60 minutes.

Since more steel can be made in a given time with the use of oxygen
is economically feasible and is growing in popularity. The high
temperatures obtained by using oxygen in the steel making process air
in burning out the carbon and impurities in the iron.

Today, less than 1% of the steel produced in the U.S .A. Is made in
the open hearth furnace. Some of the advantages of the open hearth
process are:

1. Less quantity of steel is lost in the process.

2. Better control over the alloying element is obtained.

3. Steel is cleaner because it contains fewer oxides.

4. Larger batch of steel maybe made at one time.

5. Pig iron and scrap unsuitable for the basic.

Figure 7 schematic drawing of an open hearth furnace.

Oxygen process maybe made into steel by the open hearth method.

Steel manufactured by the basic oxygen process maybe further refined

in the open hearth furnace.

By taking periodical chemical analysis of the metal in the heat, the

exact composition maybe determined. By adding alloying ingredients,
the heat maybe held to very close chemical tolerances and a better
quality steel maybe produced than is possible in the basic oxygen
process.

25-12. ELECTRIC FURNACE

A popular method use to produce special, high quality, steel alloys is

the electric furnace, as shown in the( figure 8 bellow)
 In

this type of furnace, the chemical constituents of the metal maybe

closely controlled. Various alloying elements maybe added to create a
Steel with predetermined characteristics. Refer to the figure above.

Generally, pig iron and selected scrap steel are used to charge the
electric furnace. The furnace is then closed to the atmosphere.

The heat required to melt the metal in the furnace is produced by an

electric arc.

Large diameter movable electrodes are installed in the top of the

furnace above the metal. An arc is struck between the carbon
electrodes and the metal to furnish the heat required to melt the
metal. As the electrodes are consumed, they are moved down to a
given distance above the molten metal. The carbon electrodes maybe
changed as required from the top of the furnace.

Test samples of molten metal maybe removed through small inspection

sports. These samples are analyzed and alloying elements are added to
the furnace as required.
Electric furnaces vary in capacity from 5 to 50 tons ( 4.54 to 45.36)
metrics tons. The time required to complete a heat varies from three to
six hours. The entire furnace is generally built to tilt to make loading
and unloaded easy.

25-13. CRUCIBLE FURNACE

One of the oldest method of refining steel is the Crucible

furnace. The heat for this furnace is produced by burning fuel gas. A
Crucible or covered pot made of ceramics and graphite is usually used
to hold the charge. In this process, wrought iron or wrought iron and
scrap steel are loaded into a Crucible. The correct amounts of carbon
and other alloying elements required to produce the desired finished
steel are then charge into the Crucible. The use of scrap steel generally
lowers the quality of the finished product. After the Crucible is charged,
it is covered and sealed. The Crucible is then placed into the furnace
where hot gases heat the Crucible and it's contents.

The quality of the steel produced in a Crucible furnace is generally

considered to be higher than that produced in an electric furnace, but
the process is much slower and more expensive. The charge in a
Crucible may vary from a few pounds (kg) to several tons (megagrams
or metric tons).

25-14.INDUCTION HEATING PROCESS

 Induction heating is therefore defined as the raising of the
temperature of a material by means of electrical generation of heat
within the material and not by any other heating method such as
convection, conduction and radiation or radiation. In induction furnace,
the metal to be heated is contained in a vessel and electrical
conductors are wound around the vessel to form a coil. Alternating
current is passed through the coil and induction heating of the vessel
and metal in the vessel takes place. Induction heating is caused when
an alternating magnetic field is setup in a metal. The alternating
magnetic field is created by passing alternating current through the
electrical conductors.

When magnetic materials, such as iron and steel, are place within
the area of an alternating magnetic field, they are heated. The heating
is by both hysteresis and eddy current losses. See the schematic in the
(figure 9 bellow).
 HYSTERESIS LOSS is caused by friction among the molecules of the
molten steel. The action of the magnetic field causes by the molecules
in the molten steel to move around. The magnitude of this hysteresis
loss and the heat created are proportional to the frequency of the
electric current.

EDDY CURRENT LOSSES are losses caused by the electric resistance.

The resistance is a material placed in an alternating magnetic field.
These resistance losses cause heat which is been absorbed by the metal
being heated. The amount of heat created by the eddy current is
proportional to the square of the alternating frequency of the current.
It is also proportional to the square of the amperage flowing in the
conductor, which produces the magnetic field. By accurately controlling
the frequency and the amperage of the alternating current passing
through the induction coil, it is possible to accurately control the
temperature of the metal be-heated.

Figure 10 below shows a complete melting furnace installation.

A small induction furnace units is in fig 10 above.

Low-frequency induction furnace with a 4 ton to 63 metric tons)

capacity is being used in conduction with a cupola furnace to further
refined cupola iron. Tests show that iron from the cupola induction
furnace combination shows superior tensile strength, fluidity, and other
favorable metal characteristics. It also has desirable characteristics.
Figure 11 below shows a schematic cross section of a large induction
furnace.
The design of the furnace and its low frequency induction coil setups a
controlled stirring action of the molten metal in the furnace. In
addition, the stirring action keeps the slag on the layer rough which
entrapped gases may escape.

25-15. VACUUM FURNACES

The melting of Steel, steel alloys, titanium, and her pure

metals in a vacuum greatly reduces the amount of gas in the metal.
There is only a small amount of gas present in the furnace. Since there
are very little gas present, the absorption of gases in the molten metal
is very small. Steels, melted are more conventional methods, absorb
gases which cause porosity and inclusion in the metal when it's
solidifies. Gases formed in a vacuum furnace are pulled away from the
molten metal by the vacuum pumps. The absence of these gases
improves many of the qualities of the steel including ductility, magnetic
properties, impact strength, and fatigue strength. (See figure 12 below)
 There
two main
types of vacuum furnaces used today. There are two types which are
the vacuum arc and the vacuum induction-type furnaces.

In the VACUUM ARC FURNACE, the metal is first produced by

another method. The metal is the form into long round or square
cylinders. These Long metal cylinders are then melted as huge
consumable electrodes in the furnace at a controlled rate of speed to
control the arc length.

As the metal drops from the end of the electrode, it falls into a
water-cooled is the grounded part of the electrical circuit. Air and
containing gases are constantly pumped out of the furnace by vacuum
pumps. (Figure 13 shows such a furnace).

Schematically. The copper Crucible is shown being installed in the

furnace in figure 14 below.
This process is frequently used when the uniformity and purity of the
metal is very important. No provision is made in this furnace for adding
alloying elements.

THE VACUUM INDUCTION FURNACE

When close control of the chemistry of the metal is of prime

importance. The metal is melted in an electric vacuum induction
furnace. The induction furnace is airtight and attached to the Vacuum
pump, so that contaminated gases are constantly send with provision
are made to allow alloying also to be added to the furnace without
alloying the Vacuum.

The heating of the metal, the pouring of the metal into ingots, and the
cooling of ingots are under the Vacuum conditions to prevent
contamination. See figure 15 below that shows large induction vacuum
melting furnace installation.
25-16CCONTINUOUS CASTING PROCESS

The continuous casting process for the manufacture of Steel is

shown in (figure 16 below).

Liquid Steel is poured into a reservoir or TUNDISH. From the tundish,

the metal flow vertical into the water-cooled mold. The molten metal in
contact with the sides of the mold cools quickly and shrinks away from
the side of the mold. This forms a shell around the molten metal in the
center of the mold. This shell is supported by the WITHDRAWING rolls
as the column of Steel is pulled from the mold. As the column of Steel
leaves the mold, drain of water are sprayed on the metal to cool and
solidify the entire column. The metal, as it comes from the mold,
maybe in the form of a slab or a square bar. As the metal leaves the
withdrawing rolls, it is cut to desired lengths for further processing. See
the figure above.

The process has the advantages of elimination ingot pouring,

removing of the Ingot's from their molds, the use of soaking pits and
reheating furnaces, and the rough rolling of ingots into semi-finished
forms.

25-17. MANUFACTURING STAINLESS STEELS

STAINLESS STEEL, the most common of the alloy steels, maybe

made in the open hearth furnaces in the same manner as a straight
carbon steels. Alloy metals are added during the time the metal is in
the furnace. Stainless steel may also be made or refined in the electric
furnace.

25-18. MANUFACTURING COPPER

A great deal of copper ore contains a high percentage of pure

copper. This ore is crushed and then washed in water to remove the
lighter weight to earth particles from the heavier copper ore. The ore is
then mixed with the coke and the limestone and place into a small blast
furnace. Impurities in the Cooper ore are floated above the molten
copper in the form of slag. This is the same process on when refining
iron ore in a blast furnace.

The copper removed from the blast furnace is further refined by the
electrolysis process.

ELECTROLYSIS may be defined as a chemical change or decomposition.

The decomposition is created in material by passing electricity through
a solution of material or through a substance while it is in a molten
state.

The electrolytic cell used to refine copper is shown in (figure 17

below)

Pure copper
bars are used as the cathodes (negative). Impure copper to be refined
forms the anod (positive) in the cell.

Copper sulfate with some sulphuric acids is used as the electrolyte, or

fluid in the cell.
 When the electric current is turn on, pure copper leaves the anode
and deposits on or "plates" of the cathode. The impurities fall to the
bottom of the electrolytic cell. When the impure copper anode is
cinsumed, it is replaced. The heavily plated pure copper cathode are
removed and replaced with thinner bars. The sediment in the bottom of
the cell often contains small quantities of silver and gold.

25-19 MANUFACTURING BRASS AND BRONZE

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Bronze is an alloy of copper

and tin. When a third or fourth elements is added to brass or bronze to
improve the physical properties, an alloy brass or an alloy bronze is
created. Some of the alloying elements added to brass are: tin,
manganese, iron, silicon, nickel, lead, and aluminum.

To make brass or bronze, the alloying elements are heated in a

Crucible or an electric cupola furnace.

The term bronze is often used with copper alloys which contains no
tin in the alloy.

Hardware bronze, as an example, contains approximately 90%

copper, 8% zinc, and 2% lead. Manganese bronze contains
approximately 58.5 % copper, 1.0% tin, about 39% zinc, 28%
manganese, and 1.4% iron.

25-20 MANUFACTURING ALUMINUM

Aluminum is normally produced by separating it from the

oxide (Al203) found in bauxite ore. It may also be found in many other
forms. After the aluminum oxide is removed from the ore, it is dissolved
in molten bath of sodium-aluminium fluoride (cryolite). N electric
current is pass through the molten bath and pure aluminum is obtained
by an electrolysis process, called the Hall process. The electrolytic cell
used in this process is a carbon line, open-top furnace. The electrolytic
cell also has carbon electrodes suspended in a solution of aluminum
oxide and cryolite. As the current passes through the solution, the
aluminum oxide is reduced. Pure aluminum is deposited at the cathode,
or negative terminal, which is the lining of the furnace. The pure
aluminum collects at the bottom of the cell as shown in figure 17 .

Such a furnace
is in continuous operation. Periodically the molten aluminium is poured
from the cell into ingots molds which are stored for further processing.

25-21. MANUFACTURING ZINC

Zinc is principally produced by a distilling process. The zinc ore

is heated with coke in a clay Crucible and the zinc vapor is then
condensed in a clay condenser. It may also be refined by an electrolytic
process. It is mainly as an alloying metal and for galvanizing.
25-22 PROCESSING METAL

Most metals as they come from the furnace are originally cast
into ingots or molds for further processing. As needed, the castings are
reheated to a definite temperature depending on the metal. The metal
is then formed into a finished or semifinished shape by one of the
following methods:

1. Casting.

2. Rolling (hot and cold)

3. Forging.

4. Extruding.

5. Drawing.

CASTING a metal in a sand or permanent mold is a popular method

of producing objects with in intricate shapes. A stationary or spinning
( centrifugal) mold may also be used.

To improve the physical properties of a metal, to form them into

more usable rough stock shapes, they are often ROLLED. The dense
structure of Steel after rolling is shown in figure 18 below.
In a Steel making plant, the large ingots are rolled between large
powerful rollers in a rolling mill. The ingots are reduced to blooms,
bullets, slabs and even sheet stock as required. These blooms billets,
slabs, and sheet stock may be further processed in rolling mill to
produce rails, T beams, I beams, angles, bar stock, etc.

figure 19 below shows some typical shapes which are form by rolling.
Numerous operations are required to form some of the shapes.
 FORGING, either drop or press, is used to obtain shapes stronger
than casting and which are not easily into shape. Forge harmmers
and/or forming dies are used to pound the metal into the shape
desired.

EXTRUDING, metal is a process by which metal normally in it's plastic

state is pushed with great force through dies which are cut in the shape
of the desired cross section. The process produces long length of metal
with uniform cross section.

DRAWING, is a process of pulling metals through dies to form

wires, tubing, and moldings. Drawing is a popular method of shaping
metals to meet a certain requirement.

Many intricate shapes which will be difficult or impossible to make

by any other method and now being produced by the

POWDERED METALS PROCESS. The metal to be used is reduced to a

powder texture and is force under pressure into a heated still mold. The
properties of the finished part approximately those of the original solid
metal (figure 20 below shows) a die set being
used to form gears from powdered metals.

These parts are made to very close tolerance, most of them can be
used without any additional machining or grinding.

Metal may also be reduced to actual fibers. The fibers are then laid
down or woven to form metal Mats of fibrous metal are finding
increasing use in resistance welding where the mats are placed
between parts to be welded.

25-23 REVIEW OF SAFETY

All furnaces which contains molten metal should be handle

with great caution. Careless handling can cause great bodily harm and
damage to equipment. Spilled molten metal will spread with great
speed and will burn almost anything combustion. Special clothing,
spats, and special shoes must be worn. Special face guard should be
worn. The eyes and face must be protected from flying particles and
glare.

Gloves are needed at all times.

OSHA regulations for workers in metal refining plants and foundries

should be obeyed.