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Remelting furnace / vacuum / electric arc - VAR
VAR is widely used to improve the cleanliness and refine the structure of standard air-melted or vacuum induction melted ingots, then called consumable electrodes. VAR steels and superalloys as well as titanium and zirconium and its alloys are used in a great number of highintegrity applications where cleanliness, homogeneity, improved fatigue and fracture toughness of the final product are essential. Aerospace, power generation, defense, medical and nuclear industries rely on the properties and performance of these advanced remelted materials.Process Technology and Process Characteristics
VAR is the continuous remelting of a consumable electrode by means of an arc under vacuum. DC power is applied to strike an arc between the electrode and the baseplate of a copper mold contained in a water jacket. The intense heat generated by the electric arc melts the tip of the electrode and a new ingot is progressively formed in the water-cooled mold. A high vacuum is being maintained throughout the remelting process.
The basic design of the VAR furnace has been improved continuously over the years particularly in computer control and regulation with the objective of achieving a fully- automatic remelting process. This in turn has resulted in improved reproducibility of the metallurgical properties of the products.