Process and apparatus for minimizing the potential for explosions in the direct chill casting of aluminum lithium alloys
AssigneeAlmex USA, Inc.
InventorsRavindra V. Tilak, Rodney W. Wirtz, Ronald M. Streigle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Steam exhaust ports are located around a perimeter of a direct chill casting pit, at various locations from below the top of the pit to the pit bottom to rapidly remove steam from the casting pit with addition of dry excess air. Gas introduction ports are also located around a perimeter of the casting pit and configured to introduce an inert gas into the casting pit interior.
Claims19
A process for minimizing the potential for explosions in the 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, halting any flow of molten metal, halting a flow of liquid coolant into the casting mold, and stopping any motion of the platen;
- exhausting generated gas from the casting pit at enhanced flow volume rate by using an exhausting mechanism;
- and
- introducing an inert gas into the casting pit, the inert gas having a density less than a density of air.
An apparatus comprising:
- a casting pit having top, intermediate and bottom portions;
- a mold located at a top portion of the casting pit;
- a mechanism for introducing coolant for cooling molten metal into a solid shape as it passes through the mold,
- a downward moving platen supporting the solid shape as it solidifies in the mold;
- a mechanism for detecting the occurrence of a bleed out;
- a mechanism for halting and/or diverting the flow of coolant upon the detection of a bleed out;
- a mechanism for halting a downward movement of the platen upon detection of a bleed out;
- an array of exhaust ports about at least a top periphery of the casting pit;
- and
- an array of inert gas introduction ports about at least the top periphery of the casting pit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.