Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
175 words
A method for hot rolling, directly inline with a continuous caster, a continuous bar of high impurity copper without cracking said bar during heavy reduction from the predominately as cast condition, comprising: (a) providing as a starting material, a molten flow of high impurity copper; then (b) continuously casting said molten flow into a continuous bar and directing the advancing solidified bar to an inline continuous hot rolling mill, said bar being in the as cast condition and at a hot-forming temperature; then (c) conditioning said bar immediately precedent to subjecting said bar to heavy reduction in said rolling mill, said conditioning being characterized in that said bar is preliminarily subjected to light reduction sufficient to cause recrystallization in a relatively thin surface shell within said bar but otherwise leaving said bar in a predominately as cast condition; and then (d) subjecting said bar to heavy reduction in at least the first roll stand following conditioning, said heavy reduction being sufficient to cause substantially complete recrystallization throughout the entire cross-section of said bar after conditioning.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
175 words
A method for hot rolling, directly inline with a continuous caster, a continuous bar of high impurity copper without cracking said bar during heavy reduction from the predominately as cast condition, comprising: (a) providing as a starting material, a molten flow of high impurity copper; then (b) continuously casting said molten flow into a continuous bar and directing the advancing solidified bar to an inline continuous hot rolling mill, said bar being in the as cast condition and at a hot-forming temperature; then (c) conditioning said bar immediately precedent to subjecting said bar to heavy reduction in said rolling mill, said conditioning being characterized in that said bar is preliminarily subjected to light reduction sufficient to cause recrystallization in a relatively thin surface shell within said bar but otherwise leaving said bar in a predominately as cast condition; and then (d) subjecting said bar to heavy reduction in at least the first roll stand following conditioning, said heavy reduction being sufficient to cause substantially complete recrystallization throughout the entire cross-section of said bar after conditioning.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said high impurity copper contains at least about 50 ppm impurities.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said impurities are in the range of about 50 to 200 ppm of one or more of the impurities lead, bismuth, iron, and antimony.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the cross-sectional area of said surface shell resulting from step (c) constitutes about 10% of the cross-sectional area of said bar.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1, 2, 3, or 4 wherein the cumulative reduction of the bar cross-section during said conditioning is in the range of about 5 to 20%.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said conditioning further comprises a first reduction of about 7% along a first axis of compression and a second reduction of about 7% along a second axis of compression being 90° removed from said first axis.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said heavy reduction of step (d) is at least about 40%.