| There are several types of casting furnaces | | | | hearth, consisting of refractory lining the lower |
| which include Electric Arc furnaces, Blast furnaces, | | | | bowl, and the roof, that can be water-cooled or |
| Cornwall Iron Furnace, etc. Here’s a quick | | | | refractory-lined, and can easily be shaped into a |
| review of some of them. | | | | spherical section or conical section (frustum). A |
| Electric Arc Furnace: This furnace can be | | | | refractory delta is also supported by the roof at |
| described as a furnace heating charged materials | | | | its center, by the way of which graphite |
| by the way of an electric arc. These furnaces | | | | electrodes make an entry. |
| exist in all the sizes-right, from the smallest one | | | | The process of operation starts with delivery of |
| having a capacity of around 1 ton to the largest | | | | scrap metal to scrap bay which is located |
| one having a capacity of 400 tons. The former | | | | adjoining melt shop. After that, the loading of |
| one is used in foundries to produce cast iron | | | | scrap into huge buckets or baskets takes place. |
| products, whereas the latter one is used for | | | | The next step is to carry this basket to the melt |
| secondary steel making. The ones used by | | | | shop. The charging takes place here. After the |
| dentists and in research laboratories might be | | | | completion of charging, let the electrodes be |
| having capacity of a few grams only. The electric | | | | allowed to enter and placed onto scrap. This |
| arc furnace can have temperatures risen up to | | | | causes the arc to be struck. Lower voltage is |
| 1800 Celsius. The first electric furnaces came into | | | | preferred for this part (of operation) to provide |
| being in 1907, at the hands of Paul Heroult of | | | | protection to the walls and roof against arc |
| French origin. The commercial part of these | | | | damage and excessive heat. After having the |
| furnaces was established in the United States of | | | | electrodes reached the heavy melt, shielding of |
| America. In the beginning, the specialty product | | | | arcs by scrap takes place. This enables a rapid |
| used in the making of spring steel and machine | | | | formation of molten pool, thereby decreasing |
| tools was electric steel. Calcium Carbide was also | | | | tap-to-tap times. Oxygen is also allowed to enter. |
| prepared in these arc furnaces. It (calcium | | | | Blast Furnace: It can be referred to as a kind of |
| carbide) was used in carbide lamps. | | | | metallurgical furnace, through which the process |
| This furnace comprises of a refractory-lined | | | | of smelting takes place. This produces metals, |
| vessel, normally water-cooled in huge sizes, having | | | | normally iron. These furnaces trace their origin to |
| a covering of a retractable roof, through which | | | | China (around 500 BC). They were also found in |
| the entry of graphite electrodes takes place. | | | | Belgium and England later. They do not have any |
| They might be one or many in number. The | | | | special mode of operation. The metals get melted |
| furnace is divided into 3 sections: the shell, | | | | by heating only. Generally, iron is melted in these |
| consisting of lower steel bowl and sidewalls, the | | | | furnaces. |