PROCESS FOR CHEMICALLY SHAVING AND PICKLING COPPER ROD

• Main Authors: FARRARO, JOHN T, MONTES, GILBERT, ESCOBAR, BENJAMIN A., JR, WAHNER, LESTER J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 29.09.1992
• Edition: 5
• Subjects: CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; CLEANING OR DEGREASING OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY CHEMICALMETHODS OTHER THAN ELECTROLYSIS; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY

A process for producing copper rod having an improved surface smoothness and substantially no surface oxides, which rod is suitable for drawing or rolling into wire, is disclosed. The process comprises the steps of forming a bath of molten pure copper, casting the molten copper into a cast bar, conditioning the bar for hot-rolling, hot-rolling the bar to form a hot-rolled rod, cooling the hotrolled rod and chemically shaving and pickling the hot-rolled rod. The chemical shaving and pickling step is performed with a solution containing controlled concentrations of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Both the solution and the rod are maintained at elevated temperatures and the duration of the r action is controlled. The interrelated process variables are regulated so that substantially all of the surface oxides and a desired amount of copper are removed from the surface of the hot-rolled rod.