Claims
- 1. A method of galvanizing a linear element composed of a ferrous metal by means of a pump, said method comprising:
- providing an upwardly open reservoir of molten zinc;
- maintaining an atmosphere of inert gas within an enclosed space above the surface of the molten zinc in said reservoir;
- heating the linear element to be galvanized to a temperature at least as great as that of the molten zinc;
- driving said heated linear element axially through an application zone located above said surface in said enclosed space;
- pumping under pressure a stream of said molten zinc from said reservoir to a position at one side of said linear element adjacent said application zone:
- projecting said stream unconstrained under pressure from said pump from said position through said application zone around the entire circumference of said linear element in quantity exceeding that which will adhere to said linear element, said stream being sufficiently short and rapid to preclude substantial solidification of said molten zinc due to cooling of said stream in said inert atmosphere; and
- allowing the excess and unadhered molten zinc to fall from said linear element onto the surface of the molten zinc in said reservoir, whereby said linear element is coated with zinc without requiring heating of said stream in said inert atmosphere and said excess and said unadhered molten zinc is returned to said reservoir.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of projecting said stream comprises the step of allowing said stream to remain unconstrained after said stream has contacted said linear element and using surface tension to urge said stream to the side of said linear element opposite said one side.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of projecting an unconstrained stream of molten zinc comprises the step of providing a downward component of force to said stream.
- 4. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of projecting an unconstrained stream of molten zinc comprises the step of providing an upward component of force to said stream.
- 5. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of projecting an unconstrained stream of molten zinc comprises the step of providing a lateral component of force and either an upward or a downward component of force to said stream.
- 6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the molten zinc is projected as a transverse curtain wider than the transverse dimension of said linear element.
- 7. The method of claim 5 wherein said step of projecting an unconstrained stream of molten zinc comprises the step of projecting multiple distinct streams of said molten zinc converging upon the surface of said linear element.
- 8. The method of any of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 in which the cooling step is preceded by stripping from said linear element an amount less than the total amount of molten zinc adhering thereto.
- 9. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of projecting an unconstrained stream comprises the step of pumping said molten zinc from said reservoir to a discharge point above said application zone.
- 10. The method of claim 1 wherein said pumping is conducted at a variable rate.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/287,856, filed Aug. 9, 1994, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2647814 |
Dec 1990 |
FRX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
287856 |
Aug 1994 |
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