Heat treatment of metal castings and in-furnace sand reclamation
AssigneeConsolidated Engineering Company, Inc.
InventorScott P. Crafton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The method and apparatus for reclaiming substantially pure sand from a heat treating furnace; wherein a casting with sand core and/or sand mold, comprising sand bound by a combustible binder, attached thereto is introduced into the heat treating furnace; or, wherein portions of sand core and/or sand mold that are not attached to a casting are introduced into the heat treating furnace. Wherein, the reclaiming within the furnace is carried out, in part, by a fluidizer that promotes binder combustion by one or more process of agitating, heating, and oxygenating. Wherein, the characteristics of tile reclaimed sand are selectively controlled by controlling the dwell time of tile sand within the heat treating furnace.
Claims48
An apparatus for heat treating a casting with sand core, comprising sand bound by a combustible binder, attached thereto and for reclaiming sand from the sand core, said apparatus comprising:
- a furnace for receiving the casting therewithin;
- furnace heating means for heating said furnace to a temperature sufficient to loosen portions of sand core from the casting, while the casings is in said furnace;
- and
- means for reclaiming, within said furnace, sand of loosened portions of sand core, wherein said means for reclaiming includes, at least,
- a collection means for collecting loosened portions of sand core within said furnace to define a bed of loosened portions of sand core, and
- a fluidizer so positioned and so constructed to fluidize, within said furnace, the bed of loosened portions of sand core.
An apparatus for heat treating a casting and reclaiming sand from portions of sand core, comprising sand bound by a combustible binder, said apparatus comprising:
- a furnace for receiving a casting therewithin;
- furnace heating means for heating said furnace;
- furnace reclaiming means for reclaiming portions of sand core within said furnace;
- and
- a supplemental sand reclamation assembly operatively upstream of said furnace reclaiming means and including, at least,
- a reclaimer hopper, located outside of said furnace, defining a reclaimer interior and including, at least,
- a reclaimer inlet, through which portions of sand core are deposited into the reclaimer interior, and
- a reclaimer outlet, from which partially reclaimed portions of sand core pass out of the reclaimer interior,
- means for partially reclaiming portions of sand core within the reclaimer interior, and
- discharge means, connected to said reclaimer outlet, for ejecting partially reclaimed portions of sand core into said furnace such that the partially reclaimed portions of sand core are subjected to said furnace reclaiming means within said furnace.
A method for heat treating a casting with sand core, comprising sand bound by a combustible binder, attached thereto and for reclaiming sand from the sand core, said method comprising the following steps:
- introducing the casting into a furnace;
- heating the furnace such that portions of sand core are loosened from the casting while the casting is in the furnace;
- and
- reclaiming, within the furnace, sand of loosened portions of sand core, wherein said step of reclaiming includes, at least,
- collecting loosened portions of sand core within the furnace to define a bed of loosened portions of sand core, and
- fluidizing within the furnace the bed of loosened portions of sand core.
A method for heat treating a casting with sand core attached thereto and for reclaiming sand from portions of and core, comprising sand bound by a combustible binder, said method comprising the following steps:
- introducing the casting into a furnace;
- heating the furnace including, at least, the step of loosening portions of sand core from the casting while the casting is in the furnace;
- introducing unattached portions of sand core into the furnace, wherein the unattached portions of sand core are not attached to the casting;
- and
- reclaiming, within the furnace, sand of loosened portions of sand core and sand of unattached portions of sand core, wherein said step of reclaiming includes, at least
- collecting the portions of sand core within the furnace to define a bed of portions of sand core, and
- fluidizing within the furnace the bed of portions of sand core.
Ana apparatus for heat treating a casting with sand core, comprising sand bound by a combustible binder, attached thereto and for reclaiming sand from the sand core, said apparatus comprising:
- a furnace for receiving the casting therewithin;
- a furnace heating means for heating said furnace such that portions of sand core are loosened and fall from the casting while the casting is in said furnace;
- a reclaiming means for reclaiming, within said furnace, sand of loosened portions of sand core, wherein said means for reclaiming includes, at least, a means for agitating, within said furnace, the loosened portions of sand core;
- collection means disposed within said furnace for collecting the loosened portions of sand core such that collected portions of sand core have a high probability of being recurrently acted on by said means for agitating;
- discharge means for discharging reclaimed sand from said furnace;
- and
- regulating means for controlling the discharging operation of said discharge means such that the length of time that collected portions of sand core are subjected to said means for agitating is automatically controlled to sufficiently reclaim sand within said furnace to a state reusable for cores.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.