Process and apparatus for direct chill casting
AssigneeAlmex USA, Inc.
InventorsRavindra V. Tilak, Rodney W. Wirtz, Ronald M. Streigle
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Abstract
A process in direct chill casting wherein molten metal is introduced into a casting mold and cooled by impingement of a liquid coolant on solidifying metal in a casting pit including a movable platen and an occurrence of a bleed-out or run-out is detected the process including exhausting generated gas from the casting pit; and introducing an inert gas into the casting pit, the inert gas having a density less than a density of air; reducing any flow of the liquid coolant.
Claims20
A process in direct chill casting of aluminum lithium alloys wherein molten metal is introduced into a casting mold and cooled by the impingement of a liquid coolant on the solidifying metal in a casting pit having top, intermediate and bottom portions and including a movable platen comprising:
- detecting an occurrence of a bleed-out or a run-out;
- after detecting an occurrence of a bleed-out or a run-out,
- stopping any flow of molten metal and reducing a flow of liquid coolant into the casting mold,
- exhausting generated gas from the casting pit through exhaust ports located in a plurality of areas within the casting pit, wherein the volume flow rate of exhaustion is enhanced relative to a volume flow rate prior to detecting an occurrence of a bleed-out or run-out;
- and while exhausting generated gas,
- introducing an inert gas into the casting pit, the inert gas having a density less than a density of air.
A non-transitory, tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon that cause a controller to perform a process in direct chill casting of aluminum lithium alloys wherein molten metal is introduced into a casting mold and cooled by the impingement of a liquid coolant on the solidifying metal in a casting pit having top, intermediate and bottom portions and including a movable platen, wherein the process comprises:
- detecting an occurrence of a bleed-out or a run-out;
- after detecting the occurrence of a bleed-out or run-out,
- stopping any flow of molten metal and reducing a flow of liquid coolant into the casting mold,
- exhausting generated gas from the casting pit through exhaust ports located in a plurality of areas within the casting pit, wherein the volume flow rate of exhaustion is enhanced relative to a volume flow rate prior to detecting an occurrence of a bleed-out or run-out;
- and while exhausting generated gas,
- introducing an inert gas into the casting pit, the inert gas having a density less than a density of air.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.