US1836310A - Cooling means for ingot molds - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 15, 1931. CORDES 1,836,310

COOLING MEANS FOR INGOT MOLDS Original Filed Dec. 29, 1 26' s Sheets-Sheet 1 I I INVENTOR Dec. 15, 1931. F. CORDES 1,836,310

v COOLING MEANS FOR INGOT MOLDS Original Filed Dec. 29, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Dec. 15, 1931 PATENT OFFICE FRANK CORDES, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA ooomne MEANS son meow MOLDS Application filed. December 29, 1926, Serial No. 157,644. Renewed March 18, 1930.

' The present invention relates broadly to the art of metal founding, and more particularly, to the production of ingots.

It is well recognized at the present time by those skilled in the art that it is necessary in the production of ingots to take special steps to prevent segregation or piping of the metal forming the ingot. Not infrequently ingots are produced in which the pipe extends through more than half the length of the ingot, thereby requiring the cropping off of the major portion of the ingot prior to rolling.

Many attempts have been made to control or minimize the segregation or piping, not only by constructing ingot molds with molding cavities of various contours adapted to follow the ingot during shrinkage, but by so constructing the molds as to provide greater masses of metal adjacent predetermined portions, as for example, the bottom, and thereby increase the heat-absorbing properties of such portions to correspondingly hasten cooling in the adjacent zones of the ingots.

It has also been proposed to artificially cool the entire ingot mold by forming the mold walls with cast-in conduits or pipes adapted to receive a suitably controlled cooling fluid. Such constructions have not only been objectionable by reason of the greatly increased cost of the molds so produced, but by reason of the impossibility of obtaining properly controlled localized cooling and the danger inherent in the use of the molds, due

to defective castings or burning out of the casting in such manner as to permit contact between the molten metal and the cooling fluid. Such molds have, therefore, not gone into extended use, it being customary in the 40 large majority of cases to utilize standard ingot molds equipped with so-called hot tops or feeders adapted to conserve the heat in the upper portions of the ingots and thereby provide a body of .molten metal effective for feeding the shrinkage caused by cooling and solidification of the ingots.

Such hot tops have proven extremely valuable, but due to their limited life (there usually being a new hot top for each ingot),

they have represented an expense and han-- through a sectionalized cooler in position on dling problem which may be effectively overcome in accordance with the present invention.

The present invention has for one of its objects an improved method of producing ingots whereby the cooling may be effectively controlled locally in a predetermined zone of the ingot, without necessitating a special mold structure and Without precluding the use of hot tops or ordinary stripping apparatus as now used.

In the accompanying drawings,-there are shown for purposes of illustration only, certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, it being understood that the drawings do not define the limits of my invention, as changes in the construction and operation disclosed therein may be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention or the scope of my broader claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View through one form of mold and cooler in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2-is a transverse sectional view on 7 the line'IIII of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a modified embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view through an ingot mold and ingot showing another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional View an ingot; and

Figure 6 is a view illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

In producing ingots in accordance with Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there may be provided an ingot mold 2 of any desired construction, such for example, as a big end down mold of the character frequently used at the present time, although the utility of the invention is not limited with respect thereto. The mold is shown as resting on a base or stool 3 of suitable construction, and as containing an ingot 4 which has been cast therein.

The outer surface 5 of the mold may be left 100 in its original condition, but it is preferably machined or otherwise smoothed to provide a better bearing surface for cooperation with a detachable cooler 6. This cooler may be of a wide variety of shapes and widths, but is preferably 'so constructed that it may be quickly and easily applied in position around a predetermined portion of the mold. To this end, it may comprise angular sections 7 and 8, preferably of identical structure, whereby they may be interchanged. Each section is preferably threaded to receive at least one nipple 9 in an end thereof, and at least one similar nipple 10 in one side thereof. When the sections are assembled, thenipples 9 of each section will come adjacent the nipples 10 of the other section, thereby providing adjacent pairs of nipples to which connections 11 and 12 may be made, respectively, for the inlet and discharge of cooling fluid, as indicated by the arrows.

The sections may be clamped or otherwise secured in position around the ingot molds or the fittings for the cooling liquid may be' relied upon for the desired holding of the parts in operative position. When the outer walls of the molds and the inner walls of the sections have been machined, it will be apparent that there is provided a contact of such nature as to permit expeditious heat transfer.

Suitable. valves 13 and 14 for the inlet and outlet, respectively, may be provided whereby the desired rate of cooling may be obtained by merely varying the quantity of cooling fluid applied.

In Figure 3, there is illustrated a slightly modified embodiment of my invention, for the purpose of more clearly showing the possibility of utilizing the cooler for predeter mined-cooling of varying portions of a mold and ingot. In this figure, parts corresponding to parts already described are designated by the same reference characters having a prime affixed thereto. In this figure, the cooler sections 7 and 8 are shown cooperating with an intermediate portion of the mold 2, the sections being held in the desired adjusted position by suitable supports 15 or equivalent means. By means of this adjustment, different portions of a mold and ingot may be cooled as required either by the character of themold being used or the analysis of the ingot.

With both forms of the invention illustrated herein, the use of a plurality of inlets and outlets in different horizontal planes permits the effective width of the cooler sections to be varied in exactly the same manner as would be possible by dividing the sections horizontally and varying the number utilized in superimposed relationship at any one time. If desired, however, horizontal partitions 16 may be provided to give true section-alizing of the cooler both vertically and transversely to enable definite widths or multiples thereof ' nipple 9 and 10 be provided, the length of the fittings depending upon the dimensions of the mold with which the sections are used. These fittings thread into the sections at one end and into a manifold 21 at the opposite end whereby the manifold serves to maintain the sections in adjusted position about a mold. It will be apparent that sections of this character will be inefficient adjacent the corner of the molds, but adjacent each corner a mass of metal M embraced between the chain lines 22 will be available for abstracting heat from the molten metal. In view of the mass of this wall structure available at these points, the

cooling proceeds substantially uniformly throughout.

In Figure 5 there is shown a form of my invention similar to that illustrated in Figure .3 with the exception that true sections 23 individually removable at will are provided. This enables the number of sections to be varied at will.

The constructionillustrated in Figure 6 is similar to that shown inFigure 5 with the exception that each section comprises a plurality of coils 24. Sections of this character may be easily formed by bending a piece of .pipe of the desired length about an ingot mold as a mandrel.

If desired, section 25 as illustrated in Figures 1 and 8 of the drawings may be provided for cooling the bottoms of the ingots.

It will be apparent that the present invention enables cooling to be localized to predetermined zones as desired by'the character of the ingot molds or the composition of the material being cast. In this manner very effective results can be obtained.

The present invention permits the use of standard molds, either with or without a hot top as may be desired, and obviates the necessity of specially built and correspondingly expensive molds.

Other advantages of the present invention arise from the use of a separable cooler pretionalizing thereof either vertically or trans versely or both, whereby ease of application, control of the zone to be cooled and variation in-the width of the cooled zone are all possible.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a sectional cooler adapted to be bodily and detachably applied to an ingot mold, said sections having meeting lines adjacent at least two diagonally opposite corners of the mold and each "of said sections having a plurality of individually controllable means for supplying a cooling fluid thereto.

2. As an article of manufacture, a sectional cooler adapted to be bodily and detachably applied and held in cooperative relation to an ingot mold, each of said sections being substantially L-shaped in cross-section and means for varying the effective width of said sections.

3. As an article of manufacture, a cooler formed insections which are adapted to be bodily and detachably applied to an ingot mold in horizontal relation, said sections being divided along lines substantially parallel to the axis of the mold, and means for connecting said sections and supplying a coolin fluid thereto.

4. As an article of manufacture, a cooler adapted to be bodily and detachably appliedto an ingot mold, said cooler being divided into independent horizontally disposed sec tions, and water supply connections for interconnecting said sections.

5; As an article of manufacture, a sectional cooler adjustable axially of an ingot mold and adapted to be bodily and detachably applied to an ingotmold, each of said sections having a plurality of means for supplying a cooling fluid thereto.

6. As an article of manufacture, a sectional cooler adapted to be bodily and detachably applied andheld in cooperative relation to an ingot mold exteriorly thereof, means forholding said sections in different adjusted positions, and means for establishing independent circulation of a cooling fluid through the sections of the cooler.

7. As an article of manufacture, a cooler adapted to be bodily and detachably applied and held in cooperative relation to an ingot mold exteriorly thereof from a position entirely laterally thereof with the mold in normal position and means for selectively varyingthe effective width of said cooler.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK CORDES.

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