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
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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.
Claims12
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 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 the occurrence of a bleed-out or a run-out:
- exhausting generated gas from the casting pit;
- and
- introducing an inert gas into the casting pit to impinge on the solidifying metal, the inert gas having a density less than a density of air,
- wherein the exhausting of generated gas is done continuously and in parallel with the introducing of the inert gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.