Claims
- 1. A method for the continuous production of round copper stock wire .[.by refining impure copper anodes to produce wire.]. for electrical purposes .[.of a diameter of about 0.2 inches.]. by electrodeposition comprising the steps of:
- providing .Iadd.in a single tank .Iaddend.a bath of electrolytic fluid with dissolved copper therein;
- providing a plurality of anodes .[.made of impure copper.]. arranged .Iadd.within said single tank .Iaddend.in spaced and parallel relation with respect to one another in said bath and defining spaced parallel pathways;
- introducing a clean starting copper wire of a first diameter .[.of about 0.12 inch.]. into said bath at a first station and threading said wire through the bath and along each of the pathways in a serpentine path to successive stations with the wire traversing the pathways between each station .Iadd.said stations being outside of said bath and said wire forming at least a pair of vertical wire curtains defined by horizontally disposed wires, each of said curtains in said pair travelling in opposite direction from the other curtain in said pair within said single tank.Iaddend.;
- continuously drawing said wire through said bath between the stations to a final station including the steps of withdrawing said wire from the bath after each pathway is traversed and reintroducing said wire a plurality of times into said bath, repeatedly passing said wire through said bath for travel along the pathways between successive stations, so that pure copper is electrodeposited on the wire on travel along each pathway between the stations; and
- simultaneously applying an electrical current to said starting wire and to said anodes .[.at a current density less than 55 amps/feet.sup.2 of surface area of the wire.]. so that the wire, while in the bath, acts as a cathode and copper ions are progressively and uniformly electrodeposited on the wire, thereby progressively increasing the cross-sectional area thereof while maintaining the surface of the wire smooth at all times; and
- continuously withdrawing the enlarged smooth copper wire from said bath at said final station as it reaches the desired engrossed size .[.of about 0.2 inches.]..
- 2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said engrossed copper wire is subsequently annealed and drawn to impart to said wire the particular characteristics for electrical purposes and for use as starting wire for electroforming processes.
- 3. An apparatus for refining impure copper anodes to produce copper wire for electrical purposes by electrodepositing copper onto a starting copper wire which is clean .[.and of a diameter of about 0.12 inches.]., said apparatus comprising:
- means for holding an electrolytic bath .Iadd.said means including a single rectangular tank having a pair of parallel side walls separated by a pair of spaced end walls transverse to the side walls and separated from each other by the longitudinal dimension of the tank.Iaddend., said .[.bath.]. .Iadd.tank .Iaddend.having a first array of a plurality of .Iadd.vertically aligned .Iaddend.ports arranged in .[.rows and columns.]. .Iadd.each of said end walls .Iaddend.and a second array of a plurality of .Iadd.vertically aligned .Iaddend.ports arranged in .[.rows and columns.]. .Iadd.each of said end walls.Iaddend., each array being .[.longitudinally.]. spaced from one another .Iadd.a predetermined distance .Iaddend.and defining a .[.pathway.]. .Iadd.longitudinal channel .Iaddend.between .[.each of.]. the confronting ports in the arrays; .Iadd.a plurality of vertically disposed electrical conducting shafts located externally of each of said end walls and adjacent said first and second array of ports, means for rotating said electrically conducting shafts, said longitudinal channel being defined by two vertical cathode curtains separated by said predetermined distance each curtain being formed by a large plurality of closely associated horizontal copper wires disposed uninterruptedly lengthwise the tank, said curtains formed by a single continuous copper wire which is strung a plurality of times lengthwise through the tank and around said electrical conducting shafts, said single continuous copper wire sequentially passing around a first electrically conducting shaft, entering the electrolytic bath through a vertically aligned port in said first array traversing said longitudinal dimension of the tank, leaving said tank through a vertically aligned port in said first array passing around a second electrically conducting shaft, and re-entering the bath through a vertically aligned port in said second array and so forth until said wire has vertically traversed the wire curtain; .Iaddend.
- a plurality of anodes .Iadd.arranged in at least three rows each row parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tank, and .Iaddend.disposed in said bath .[.between the columns of ports.]. .Iadd.on either side of each wire curtain at least one of said rows being disposed in said longitudinal channel.Iaddend.;
- means for continuously introducing and withdrawing and reintroducing said copper wire into said bath, through said ports, to constrain the wire to travel in a serpentine path of movement and to pass through the bath a plurality of times between said ports and along said .[.pathways.]. .Iadd.longitudinal channel.Iaddend.;
- means for applying an electrical current .[.at a current density less than 55 amps/foot.sup.2 .]. between said anodes and said copper wire; and
- means for moving said copper wire through said bath and ports and withdrawing said copper wire from said bath on a substantially continuous basis such that copper ions are smoothly electrolytically deposited on said copper wire and the wire becomes enlarged to a smooth diameter .[.of about 0.2 inches.]..
- 4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said means for holding an electrolytic bath includes, at each port, sealing means lined with dielectric, abrasion resistant material for passage of said copper wire therethrough.
- 5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein roller means are provided to pull the wire through the bath and the roller means have a center line and said center line is coplanar with an associated anode and the diameter of said roller mans is equal to the distance between the center lines of adjacent pathways and anodes.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation-in-part of my earlier field patent application Ser. No. 007,764 filed Jan. 28, 1987 abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1172906 |
Oct 1968 |
GBX |
1398742 |
Sep 1972 |
GBX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
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7764 |
Jan 1987 |
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Reissues (1)
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107218 |
Oct 1987 |
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