Copper Melting and Casting Some Technical Aspects

Introduction: Copper, civilizations ancient modern metal is known for its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, formability as well as recyclability. The initial starting point for almost all copper products is electro refined cathode. The copper cathode is an excellent material from the point of view of chemical analysis, but is not amenable to direct mechanical working due to its electrodeposited structure. Consequently it has to be melted and cast for further mechanical processing This presentation deals with melting and casting of Cathodes and igh !rade Copper "crap. Thermodynamic aspects of melting and solidification are also discussed. Raw Materials: #remium quality cathodes are used for high tech applications.. The presentation goes through the analysis of cathodes. $t discusses issues concerned with specific impurities and their effect on final quality. %or example &' ppm of $ron can be tolerated whereas (ismuth can be tolerated up to & ppm only. The presentation discusses the effect of various impurities with regard to conductivity, hot shortness and annealing characteristics. "ince cathodes are expensive they can be partially or fully substituted by "crap for less stringent applications. The quality of scrap with regard to impurities decides the quantity which can be used for a process visa )is product requirement. Melting: The presentation highlights various options for melting depending upon the volume of production, quality requirement as well as the product. $t dwells in some detail regarding "haft *elting %urnace, its energy advantages, control of combustion and especially quality. "haft *elting furnace can be used for Cathodes and scrap. +o refining is possible in "haft %urnace and refining is to be done in a separate furnace. The melt is sub,ected to refining in many cases to take care of some impurities within limits. %luxes are not used for melting of high grade cathodes and very high grade scrap. -hen lower grades of copper scrap are used the fluxing plays a big role and these issues are presented. Checking of .xygen on the shop floor can be done by collecting a sample and observing the set surface. .xycells using solid electrolytes are available with disposable sensor tips. Checking the microstructure under a microscope can also determine oxygen levels. The most accurate method is to use a /eco .xygen analyzer. Role of Oxygen: .xygen plays a beneficial role in copper casting to counter the negative effect of metallic impurities. owever, oxygen containing copper cannot be used for )acuum and 0educing atmosphere applications. 1 comparison of 2T# Copper 3which contains oxygen4 and .%C Copper is also discussed. ighly impure copper needs more oxygen to counter the effects of impurities, bu are sub,ected to higher work hardening. .nce the oxygen is determined, it can be controlled by wood poling, gas poling or by adding deoxidizers. /ist of deoxidizers and their use has also been indicated. orosity and role of !ydrogen " Sulphur: The content of oxygen is the predominant factor from the point of view of porosity. "ulphur and ydrogen are the other two ma,or elements which are responsible for blow holes while oxygen can be controlled fairly well5 ydrogen

content depends upon the operating practice and temperature. "ulphur depends upon the input analysis and the fuel and atmosphere used. 6uring melting with different sources of cathodes, it was found that some cathodes have high hydrogen content. The cathodes with hydrogen more than 7 ppm were found to be detrimental. ydrogen apparently has been located to the organic additives. The thermodynamics of blow8hole formation is illustrated with the help of representative equilibrium diagrams. $t may be mentioned that the porosity is formed because of formation of steam and sulphur dioxide. The total porosity depends upon the content of these elements whereas the rate of formation of gases is triggered by oxygen content, the distribution of pores depends upon the amount of these impurities, temperature of melting and casting and cooling arte. 9nderstanding of the mechanics can help the melter to produce a good casting. Casting options for CC Rod manufacture: The presentation also highlights on various continuous casting techniques for producing both 2T# and .xygen %ree copper with comparisons. The various processes such as o o o 9pcast processes -heel and (and casting systems 8#roperzi and "outhwire "traight line casting : Contirod

*ethods to check wire rod quality are also briefly discussed.