Dowa Mining Co., Ltd.

Yoshio Nakashima

Hideki Inoue

Takeshi Naito

Akihiro Wakatsuki

Kouichi Ogihara

Tadanori Nakahiro

In a method of and apparatus for controlling an atmosphere in a heat treatment furnace according to the present invention, a carburizing is carried out while supplying a hydrocarbon series gas and an oxidization gas into the furnace. The quantity of a residual CH.sub.4, a partial pressure of the oxidization gas and a partial pressure of CO are measured. The quantity of each gas to be supplied into the furnace is controlled according to either one of the values of the partial pressures.

Method and apparatus for controlling the atmosphere in a heat treatment

In a method of and apparatus for controlling an atmosphere in a heat treatment furnace according to the present invention, a carburizing is carried out while supplying a hydrocarbon series gas and an oxidization gas into the furnace, and the supply of the hydrocarbon series gas is stopped either when the quantity of a residual CH.sub.4 in the furnace is changed to increasing from decreasing, or when a partial pressure of oxygen in the furnace reaches a predetermined value.

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Tokyo, Japan

Yoshio Nakashima