Alloy Casting Apparatus
AssigneeCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
InventorsJohn Francis Carrig, Geoffrey De Looze, Thang Tran Nguyen, Vladimir Nikolai Alguine
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Abstract
Apparatus for gravity flow and feeding of alloy in a casting operation has a supply vessel for holding a supply of alloy, a furnace in which the vessel is contained and in which the vessel is heatable to maintain the supply of alloy at suitable casting temperature, and a die mounted laterally outwardly from the vessel in relation to the furnace. A conduit provides communication between the vessel and the die. The apparatus further includes means for reversibly tilting an assembly including the furnace, the vessel and the die about a substantially horizontal axis to enable or prevent the flow of the alloy from the vessel to a die cavity defined by the die.
Claims34
A casting apparatus which enables gravity flow and feeding of alloy in a casting operation, wherein the apparatus has a supply vessel for holding a supply of alloy, a furnace in which the vessel is contained and in which the vessel is heatable to maintain the supply of alloy at a suitable casting temperature, a die mounted laterally outwardly from the vessel in relation to the furnace, a conduit providing communication between the vessel and the die, and means for reversibly tilting an assembly including the furnace, the vessel and the die about a substantially horizontal axis to enable or prevent the flow of the alloy from the vessel to a die cavity defined by the die.
An alloy supply installation for the supply of molten alloy for gravity flow and feeding of alloy to a die cavity of a die in a casting operation, wherein installation has a supply vessel for holding a supply of alloy;
- a furnace in which the supply vessel is contained and in which the vessel is heatable to maintain a supply quantity of alloy at a suitable casting temperature;
- an elongate conduit having an inlet end in communication with the supply vessel and an outlet end, the conduit extending laterally outwardly from the vessel and the furnace and being adapted at its outlet end for mounting the die thereon to position the die cavity above the outlet end of the conduit;
- and means for reversably tilting the installation between a non-casting position in which, with the supply quantity of molten alloy in the supply vessel within a required range, the alloy has a common level in the vessel and in the conduit which is below the second end of the conduit, and a casting position in which the level of the quantity of alloy in the required range is above the second end of the conduit to enable alloy to flow from the vessel for displacement of alloy along the conduit under gravity for filling the die cavity of a die when the die is mounted on the second end of the conduit.
A process for casting an alloy by gravity flow and feeding of the alloy, wherein the process includes the steps of:
- providing an assembly including a furnace, a supply vessel contained in the furnace, a die defining a die cavity and mounted laterally outwardly from the supply vessel in relation to and beyond the furnace, and a conduit extending outwardly from the furnace and providing communication between the supply vessel and the die to enable gravity filling of the die from below;
- providing the supply vessel with a supply of metal alloy, such as a magnesium alloy, to maintain in the vessel a quantity of alloy within a required range;
- heating the supply vessel by operation of the furnace to bring the alloy to a suitable molten casting temperature;
- tilting the assembly from a non-casting position, in which with the quantity of alloy in the vessel within the required range a common level of alloy in the supply vessel and in the conduit is below the die, and a casting position in which the level of alloy in the supply vessel is raised relative to the die to a height at which alloy is able to flow from the supply vessel for displacement of alloy along the conduit under gravity to achieve gravity filling of the die cavity;
- and
- tilting the assembly from the casting position towards the non-casting position, on solidification of alloy in the die cavity, to retract alloy in the conduit from the die.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.