Combination sand cleaning and heat treating apparatus for sand casted metallic parts and method
AssigneeApplied Process
InventorsJohn R. Keough, William R. Keough, Bela V. Kovacs
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Sand castings are removed from their molds before cooling and reheated in a heat treating booster furnace. The castings are transferred from the booster furnace to a rotary drum filled with agitation media. As the castings pass through the media drum, they are simultaneously cleaned of sand particles and down-quenched by the agitation media. The system is particularly suited for austempering cast iron parts.
Claims36
An apparatus for simultaneously heat treating and cleaning sand from hot, demolded sandcast metal parts having residual sand adhering thereto, comprising:
- a booster furnace adapted to heat hot demolded sand-cast metal parts to an appropriate heat treatment temperature;
- a flow-through agitation container which receives the metal parts from the booster furnace;
- means for transporting the metal parts from the booster furnace to the agitation container;
- a flowing, non-melting, non-reactive agitation media partly filling the agitation container;
- and
- means for agitating the agitation media around and in contact with the metal parts;
- the agitation media being smaller in size than the metal parts and of a size and composition simultaneously adequate to clean the residual adhering sand from the metal parts by impact, and to quench the metal parts by removing heat from the metal parts by contact.
An apparatus for simultaneously tempering and cleaning sand from hot, demolded sand-cast metal parts having residual sand adhering thereto, comprising:
- (a) a booster furnace adapted to boost the temperature of hot demolded sand-cast metal parts to an appropriate elevated pre-tempering temperature;
- (b) a flow-through agitation container for cleaning and quenching the metal parts, and a flowing, non-melting, non-reactive heat sink agitation media partially filling said container, the agitation container being equipped with an agitation means for agitating the agitation media around and in contact with the metal parts;
- (c) means for transporting the metal parts from the booster furnace to the agitation container;
- (d) a sand reclamation device associated with the agitation container for collecting residual sand removed from the metal parts in the agitation container;
- (e) an agitation media reclamation device associated with the agitation container for collecting the agitation media from the agitation container after the agitation media has flowed through the agitation container and has cleaned and quenched the metal parts;
- and
- (f) a cooling means associated with the agitation media reclamation device for reducing the temperature of the agitation media collected by the agitation media reclamation device;
- wherein the agitation media partially filing the agitation container has a temperature lower than the pre-tempering temperature of the metal parts, adequate to temper the metal parts;
- and
- wherein the agitation media is smaller in size than the metal parts and is of a size and composition simultaneously adequate to (a) downquench the metal parts by contact, and (b) clean the residual adhering sand from the metal parts by impact.
In a foundry including means for demolding hot, sand-cast metal parts from sand molds in which the parts are cast, the improvement comprising:
- a booster furnace for receiving the hot, demolded, sand-cast metal parts from said demolding means, said booster furnace being capable of raising the temperature of the parts to a pre-tempering temperature;
- and
- a quenching means including a rotary drum, a non-melting, non-reactive agitation media partly filling the drum, and a worm screw in the drum for urging the media and the parts through the drum;
- the agitation media being of a type adequate to simultaneously (a) remove heat from the parts of a rate sufficient to quench the parts and (b) clean the parts by impact;
- wherein the booster furnace is located with respect to the demolding means such that the demolded parts do not cool below about 1400.degree. F. before the parts are received in the booster furnace means.
In a foundry including means for demolding hot, sand-cast metal parts from sand molds in which the parts are cast, the improvement comprising:
- an agitation container for receiving and agitating the demolded, sand-cast metal parts therein, and a non-melting, non-reactive agitation media partly filling the agitation container, the agitation media being of a type simultaneously adequate to (a) remove heat from the parts at a rate sufficient to quench the parts and (b) clean the parts by impact;
- and
- a booster furnace between the demolding means and the agitation container, for receiving hot, demolded sand-cast metal parts from the demolding means, said booster furnace being capable of raising the temperature of the parts to about 1500.degree.-1700.degree. F. prior to delivery of the parts to the agitation container,
- wherein the agitation container is located with respect to the demolding means such that the parts received in the agitation container have residual heat sufficient for heat treatment of the parts, and have not cooled below about 1400.degree. F. prior to being received in the agitation container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.