FIELD: metallurgy.
SUBSTANCE: method and device for obtaining compact ingots from powder materials, which involves heating of powders of zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, thorium, titanium, beryllium and alloys on their basis in plasma discharge of hollow hot cathode to the temperature of their ductility or fusion with further obtaining of compact ingot of electron-beam quality. Device consists of vacuum chamber (1) in upper part of which there is water-cooled plasmotron (2) with hollow tantalum cathode fixed on it by means of thread. Inert gas supply method provides separate supply of inert gases in three circuits; at that, as carrier gas there used is argon which is supplied together with freely flowing powder through water-cooled tube (3), and as stabilising gas there used is vortex helium flow which is supplied between tube (3) and external cathode.
EFFECT: stabilisation of plasma discharge and processed powder, protection of cathodes against interaction with the constituent impurities of the processed powder, and considerable increase of continuous operation of cathodes.
2 cl, 4 dwg, 2 tbl
