MELTING TECHNIQUES

CUPOLA FURNACE:
Before pouring the metal into the mould, the metal to be cast has to be in the molten state. This is done by melting the metal in a furnace.
Varieties of furnaces are available for
melting the material such as cupola
furnace, pit furnace, open-hearth furnace,
and Rotary furnace. The selection of a
particular type of furnace depends upon the
amount and type of material to be melted.
For example, cupola furnace is used for
melting cast iron, open-hearth furnace is
used for melting steel.
Cupola furnace is basically
refractory lined vertical vessel of steel,
which is employed for the melting of cast
iron. In ferrous foundries cupola is
considered as a cheap furnace for melting
cast iron and it produces constantly high
quality molten metal. Its excellent features
are its high thermal efficiency, low
operating cost, its versatility and ease of
operation.
For igniting the cupola, soft and
dry pieces of wood are placed on sand bed.
Fire is ignited after placing coke over the
wooden pieces. Once fire is ignited, the
cupola is ‘charged’ from the charging door.
Charging cupola implies adding alternate
layers of metal (pig iron+scrap), coke and
flux. The amount of coke (fuel) used
depends upon quantity of metal to be
melted and the quality of fuel available.
This ratio of metal to coke is known as
melting ratio and it usually varies from 4:1
to 12:1. Air necessary for combustion
enters from the tuyers.
Once the cupola is fully charged,
it is left for about ½ - 1 hr for pre-heating
the charge. This period is known as
soaking period. At the end of soaking
period, air blast is turned on, that is, air is
blown in. The temperature resulting from
combustion becomes fairly high to melt the
metal charge. After a certain period of
time, molten metal starts collecting at
tapping hole. Flux in the form of limestone
or sodium carbonate, which is added
during charging of cupola helps in the
formation of slag to remove impurities and
retards oxidation of iron. After enough
molten metal has collected, first the slag
hole is opened and is collected in a
separate container and disposed off. The
molten metal collected at the tap hole is
collected intermittently in a ladle by
opening the tap hole. There from the
molten metal is poured into moulds ready for pouring. Cross-sectional view of a Cupola furnace
INDUCTION FURNACES:
Because of their very rapid melting rates and the relative ease of controlling pollution, electric induction furnaces have become another popular
means of melting metal. There are two basic types of induction furnaces.

High-frequency or Coreless Induction Furnaces:

These units consist of a crucible surrounded by a water-cooled coil of copper tubing. A high-frequency electrical current passes through the coil,
creating an alternating magnetic field. The varying magnetic field induces secondary electrical currents in the metal being melted, which bring
about a rapid rate of heating. These furnaces are used for virtually all common alloys, with the maximum temperature being limited only by the
refractory and the ability to insulate against heat loss. They provide good control of temperature and composition and are available in a range of
capacities up to about 65 tons. Because there is no contamination from the heat source, they produce very pure metal. Operation is generally on a
batch basis.

High-frequency or coreless type Low-frequency or channel-type

Cross-sectional view of various types of Induction Furnaces showing their basic principle
Low-frequency or Channel-type Induction Furnaces:
These are also seeing increased use. Only a small channel is surrounded by the primary (current-carrying or heating) coil. A secondary coil is
formed by a loop, or channel, of molten metal, and all the liquid metal is free to circulate through the loop and gain heat. To start, enough molten
metal must be placed into the furnace to fill the secondary coil, with the remainder of the charge taking a variety of forms. The heating rate is
high, and the temperature can be accurately controlled. As a result, channel-type furnaces are often preferred as holding furnaces, where the
molten metal is maintained at a constant temperature for an extended period of time. Capacities can be quite large, up to about 250 tons.