PURPOSE: To stably produce a Cu-Zr alloy wire rod having superior heat resistance with no segregation by putting granules of a Cu-Zr mother alloy having a specified diameter and a specified Zr content in molten pure copper and by passing a seed wire of pure copper through the resulting molten Cu alloy contg. Zr.
CONSTITUTION: A hollow barrier cylinder 13 is placed in a graphite crucible 11 and molten pure copper 19 in a melting furnace 18 is fed into the crucible 11. Granules 4 of a Cu-Zr mother alloy consisting of 1W89wt.% Zr and the balance Cu are put in the molten copper 19 in a feed chamber 14 between the crucible 11 and the cylinder 13. The resulting molten Cu-Zr alloy 22 enters the cylinder 13 through communicating holes 16. A seed wire 6 of pure copper is then travelled upward in a seed wire travelling chamber 15 in the cylinder 13 to obtain a cast rod 23 of a Cu-Zr alloy contg. 50W2,000ppm Zr. At this time, the diameter (y) (mm) of the molten alloy granules 4 and the Zr content (x) (wt.%) are allowed to satisfy relation represented by an inequality y≤-0.0417x+4.42 so as to prevent the segregation of Zr in a Cu-Zr alloy layer stuck to the surface of the seed wire 6.
TAKAYAMA TERUYUKI
KUROSAKA AKITO
