Patent ID: 8790572

Claim:
A continuous process for producing titanium strip material consisting essentially of a continuous sequence of the steps of: (a) continuously passing a supply of powder consisting essentially of titanium powder to a roll compaction station and subjecting the powder to direct powder rolling in the roll compaction station to thereby consolidate the powder and form self-supporting titanium powder green strip which issues from the compaction station, (b) continuously passing the titanium powder green strip of step (a) as it is produced and issues from the compaction station to and through a heating station in which the titanium powder green strip is heated under a protective atmosphere, as it passes through the heating station, to a temperature at least sufficient for hot rolling, (c) passing pre-heated strip of step (b) from the pre-heating station to and through a rolling station while still under the protective atmosphere and hot rolling the pre-heated strip to produce a hot rolled strip of a required level of hot densification; and (d) passing the hot rolled strip of step (c) from the hot rolling station, to and through a cooling station adapted to provide cooling of the hot rolled strip, while still under the protective atmosphere, and cooling the hot rolled strip to a temperature at which it can be passed out of the protective atmosphere; wherein hot rolling in step (c) provides the predominant hot densification mechanism involved in the process, the strip is at an elevated temperature during steps (b) and (c) for a period of time which is less than 5 minutes, wherein the pre-heating, hot rolling and cooling stations are spaced within a single housing throughout which the protective atmosphere for each of steps (b), (c) and (d) is maintained by supplying protective gas to the housing to maintain an over-pressure in the housing, and wherein the housing has a first part in which the preheating and hot rolling stations are contained, and a second part defining or containing the cooling station.