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MELTING FURNACES
Various types of melting furnace are used in the foundry shop.
The type of furnace used depends upon the type of metal and
the quantity of metal to be melted. The metal melting furnaces
used in foundries are:
Cupola furnace – for cast iron
Blast furnace – for smelting iron to produce pig iron
Open hearth furnace – for steel
Crucible furnace – for non ferrous metal
Pot furnace
Electric furnace
Dielectric arc furnace
Indirect arc furnace
Induction furnace
CUPOLA FURNACE
CUPOLA FURNACE
A cupola furnace is a melting device used in foundries
that can be used to melt scrap metal and pig iron
(crude iron as first obtained from a furnace) for
production of various cast irons - nodular and
malleable cast iron.
Cupola furnace consists of a large shell of steel plate
lined with refractory material.
The ‘‘charge,’’ consisting of iron, coke, flux, and possible
alloying elements, is loaded through a charging door
located less than halfway up the height of the cupola.
o The iron is usually a mixture of pig iron and scrap
(including risers, runners, and sprues left over from
previous castings).
o Coke is the fuel used to heat the furnace.
o Forced air is introduced through openings near the
bottom of the shell for combustion of the coke.
o The flux is a basic compound such as limestone that
reacts with coke ash and other impurities to form slag.
o The slag serves to cover the melt, protecting it from
reaction with the environment inside the cupola and
reducing heat loss.
o As the mixture is heated and melting of the iron occurs, the
furnace is periodically tapped to provide liquid metal for the
What is Furnace???
Heating media or device.
Used for heating and melting.
For providing heat to chemical reactions for
processes like cracking.
The furnace may be heated by fuel as in many
furnaces coke is used as a fuel.
some are operated by electrical energy e.g.
electric arc furnace.
Cupola Furnace
Spark arrester.
Charging door.
Air box.
Tuyeres.
Tap hole.
Slag hole.
Zones
Well
The space between the
bottom of the Tuyeres and the
sand bed.
Molten metal collected in this
portion.
Combustion zone
Also known as oxidizing zone
.
Combustion take place in this
zone.
It is located between well and
melting zone.
Zones