Kobe Steel, Ltd.

Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho

Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)

Shigeo Kofune

Takao Fujikawa

Makoto Yoneda

Tomomitsu Nakai

Takeshi Kanda

Yasuo Manabe

Yutaka Narukawa

Yoshihiko Sakashita

Katsumi Watanabe

Masato Moritoki

Takefumi Horiuchi

Yoshio Kawate

Takeo Nishimoto

Shigeki Tojyo

Masayoshi Iwaskai

Masahiko Mitsuda

Tatsuo Uesaka

A hot isostatic pressing method is disclosed wherein workpieces are accommodated within a high pressure vessel and the interior of the high pressure vessel is filled with an inert gas of a high temperature and a high pressure to treat the workpieces. The method includes a cooling step which is performed after maintaining the interior of the high pressure vessel at a high temperature and a high pressure for a predetermined time and in which a liquid inert gas is fed into the high pressure vessel. According to this method it is possible to shorten the cycle time of an HIP apparatus.

Hot isostatic pressing method and apparatus

A hot isostatic pressing device according to the present invention includes an inner casing, an outer casing, and a heating means which are provided inside a high-pressure container. The device further includes a first cooling means for forcedly circulating pressure medium gas in such a manner that pressure medium gas guided upwardly between the inner casing and the outer casing is guided to the outside of the outer casing through an upper part of the outer casing, cooled while being guided downwardly along an inner circumferential surface of the high-pressure container, and then returned to between the inner casing and the outer casing through a lower part of the outer casing; and a second cooling means for guiding pressure medium gas within a hot zone formed inside the inner casing to the outside of the hot zone, cooling the pressure medium gas guided to the outside by merging it with the pressure medium gas forcedly circulated by the first cooling means, and returning the cooled pressure medium gas into the hot zone. According to such a structure, a high cooling efficiency can be attained while maintaining the hot zone in a thermally uniform condition.

Hot isostatic pressing device

In reforming mechanical characteristics of a precipitation hardening type Al alloy casting, the Al alloy casting is subjected to a high temperature/high pressure treatment, then the pressure is reduced while maintaining the temperature of the Al alloy casting, and subsequently the Al alloy casting is subjected to solution treatment, quenching, and aging in this order. According to this method, mechanical characteristics of the casting can be reformed efficiently and economically and there can be obtained a reformed product of good quality.

Method for reforming A1 alloy castings

A hot isostatic pressing apparatus (HIP apparatus) comprises a vertically cylindrical high-pressure vessel comprising a high-pressure cylinderand upper and lower lidsanda bottomed cylindrical casingcapable of housing workpiecesand a resistance-wire heatera heat insulating structureequipped with a gas flow regulating valveand formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape on the outside of the casingso as to cover the casingand a heat sinkhaving a water cooling mechanism provided in the space defined by the heat insulating structureand the inner surface of the high-pressure cylinderwhich are provided within the high-pressure vessel; and a pressure medium gas stirring fanfor promoting the temperature uniformity of the space of the treatment chamberfor housing the workpiecesthe stirring fan being arranged on the lower lidside within the casingwhereby the cooling to a temperature range of 100&#xb0; C. or lower which allows a quenching treatment and the safe manual handling of workpieces can be efficiently performed.

Hot isostatic pressing apparatus and hot isostatic pressing method

A treatment chamber for heating and pressing workpieces and a heat insulating structure which covers the treatment chamber sideways and from above are provided within a high-pressure vessel. Below the treatment chamber are disposed a base heater for heating a pressure medium gas and a fan for supplying the pressure medium gas in a heated state into the treatment chamber and stirring the heated gas. The workpieces can be held on the heat insulating structure side, and the heat insulating structure and the workpieces can be taken out from the interior of the high-pressure vessel and can be conveyed together separately from a lower lid of the high-pressure vessel. A hot isostatic pressing apparatus is provided less expensively which can heat and press workpieces at a relatively low temperature of not higher than 600&#xb0; C. Besides, it is possible to shorten the cycle time in HIP.

Hot isostatic pressing apparatus

The temperature measuring apparatus according to the present invention is of the high melting point metal carbide&#x2014;carbon system material thermocouple type. According to this temperature measuring apparatus, it is possible to measure temperatures from a room temperature range to a high temperature range in excess of 2000&#xb0; C. continuously, stably and with good accuracy. A constitution is preferable wherein a rod-like member formed of high melting point metal carbide is inserted into a pipe-like member with a bottom formed of carbon system material, and connected at the bottom to serve as a temperature measuring portion.

Temperature measuring apparatus of high melting point metal carbide-carbon system material thermocouple type, and method for producing the apparatus

In a high temperature/high pressure vessel for treating a workpiece placed in the interior of the vessel at a high temperature and a high pressure wherein piano wire is wound under tension round an outer periphery of a cylindrical body to apply a compressive residual stress to the cylindrical body and axial openings of the cylindrical body are tightly closed with upper and lower lids so that the lids can be disengaged from the openings, the cylindrical body is constituted as a two-layer cylindrical body comprising an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder which is fitted on the inner cylinder through plural spacers arranged along an outer periphery surface of the inner cylinder, allowing cooling water flow paths to be formed each between adjacent such spacers so as to extend from one end side to an opposite end side of the tow-layer cylindrical body. In this high temperature/high pressure vessel, vessel packings can be cooled effectively, the piano wire is not wet with cooling water, and the internal space of the vessel can be utilized effectively.

High temperature/high pressure vessel

While a workpiece is heated and pressed by one of a pair of high-pressure vessels, a workpiece being pressed by the other high-pressure vessel is placed in a heated state. In the reducing process after termination of heating and pressing treatment of the workpiece by one high-pressure vessel, both the high-pressure vessels are placed in communication, and the pressure medium gas released from one high-pressure vessel is poured into the other high-pressure vessel. After pressures of both the high-pressure vessels have assumed a nearly balanced state, the pressure medium gas is sucked out of one high-pressure vessel by a compressor and pressed, and is poured into the other high-pressure vessel, and the workpiece is heated and pressed by the other high-pressure vessel. By the method as described, considerable shortening of cycle time of HIP treatment is achieved, and the HIP treatment can be carried out with high efficiency.

A temperature detector for use in a high temperature and high pressure furnace, including thermocouple wires received in a tubular protective sheath for protection against the furnace atmosphere, and characterized by the provision of a pair of rod members of a large diameter serving as a thermocouple pair for the positive and negative sides thereof, a protective sheath having a rod suspending holder portion in an upper portion thereof for supporting the thermocouple rod members therein in a vertically suspended state and arranged to hold the rod members out of contact with each other except at a temperature measuring point and to contact the rod members with the protective sheath only in a region other than a high temperature region of the furnace.

Temperature detector for use in high temperature and high pressure

A method of measuring the temperature in a high pressure furnace of a hot isostatic pressing apparatus, wherein a closed-end pipe having its inside communicated with the inside of the high pressure furnace and enabling a pressure medium to pass therethrough is disposed in the furnace, an incident top end of an optical fiber, a bundle of optical fibers or like other equivalent optical rod-like memeber is disposed to the open end of the closed-end pipe so as to be capable of receiving thermally radiated light from the inside of the closed-ended pipe and an exit rear end thereof is led out through a cover and to the outside of said high pressure vessel and a measuring system is connected to said exit rear end to detect heat radiation power from the top end of the closed-end pipe to thereby measure the temperature inside of the furnace.

Growing community of inventors

Takasago, Japan

Shigeo Kofune