Apparatus for subjecting rare earth alloy to hydrogenation process and method for producing rare earth sintered magnet using the apparatus

1. An apparatus for subjecting a rare earth alloy block to a hydrogenation process, the apparatus comprising:

a casing that defines an inner space for receiving a container, the container including an upper opening and arranged to store the rare earth alloy block therein;

a gas inlet port for introducing a hydrogen gas and an inert gas into the inner space of the casing;

a gas outlet port for exhausting the gases from the inner space of the casing;

a member arranged to produce a gaseous flow inside the inner space; and

a windbreak plate, which is disposed upstream with respect to the gaseous flow that has been produced inside the inner space and which reduces a flow rate of the gaseous flow that has been produced near the upper opening of the container.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the container further includes a bottom surface and side surfaces, and wherein the windbreak plate includes:

a shielding portion, which is located at a vertical level substantially corresponding to that of the upper opening of the container; and

at least one opening, which is opposed to at least one of the side surfaces of the container.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the container includes at least one hollow pipe, the hollow pipe connecting together two of the side surfaces of the container and having an inner surface that is substantially continuous with the two side surfaces of the container, the two side surfaces of the container being opposed to the windbreak plate.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the at least one opening of the windbreak plate is disposed so as to face the at least one hollow pipe.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second windbreak plate, the second windbreak plate including a shielding portion that covers the upper opening of the container.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the second windbreak plate has at least one opening.

7. An apparatus for subjecting a rare earth alloy block to a hydrogenation process, the apparatus comprising:

a casing that defines an inner space for receiving a container, the container including an upper opening and arranged to store the rare earth alloy block therein, an atmosphere inside the inner space being controllable to a reduced-pressure state;

a gas supply member arranged to supply a gas into the inner space of the container; and

a windbreak plate, which reduces a flow rate of a gaseous flow that has been produced near the upper opening of the container.

8. A method for producing a rare earth sintered magnet, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) preparing a container, which includes an upper opening and which stores a rare earth alloy block therein;

(b) pulverizing the rare earth alloy block into a coarse powder by performing a hydrogen pulverization process using the apparatus as recited in claim 1 ;

(c) making a fine powder from the coarse powder; and

(d) compacting the fine powder to obtain a green compact and sintering the green compact.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the rare earth alloy block is a rare earth alloy flake that has been obtained by subjecting a melt of a rare earth alloy to a quenching process.