EP3099436B1 - Device for producing a cylinder crankcase using the low-pressure or gravity casting method - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for producing a cylinder crankcase in the low-pressure or gravity casting with an outer mold with moldings that form a casting mold the outer contour of the cylinder crankcase mold cavity in the assembled state, a metering furnace containing liquid metal and at least one gate, which geodetically below the mold cavity is arranged and via which the metering furnace is fluidically connectable to the mold cavity.

Internal combustion engines with cylinder banks made of light metal alloys arranged in a V-shaped or row-like manner are frequently produced by means of low-pressure die casting or by gravity casting. Usually, the filling is carried out with the crankcase with overhead cylinder and lower bearing block. In addition, it is known to arrange the cylinder crankcase lying during casting and to arrange the gates laterally to cool storage chairs and cylinder walls to improve the texture, as for example in the DE 10 2006 030 129 A1 is described.

When casting in the stationary state, the solidification of the melt takes place either from the cylinder head side to the crank chamber or vice versa, depending on where the melt is introduced into the cavity of the mold. This solidifies either the cylinder deck or the Storage chairs slower than the other area, resulting in a coarser structure with reduced strength in the slower solidifying areas. Furthermore, there are relatively long solidification paths due to the arrangement of the gates and hence high necessary tool temperatures to ensure a correct filling of the mold without voids formation. In the design, there is also the difficulty not completely cut off the feed path through the inner cores during casting, the number and complexity of which increase in modern internal combustion engines.

In order to ensure the best possible bearing stability through short solidification times, it has therefore been proposed to fill the cylinder crankcase from below using the low-pressure method, the cylinder deck being arranged at the bottom and the bearing block at the top. So will in the EP 1 498 197 A1 proposed to pour a crankcase of V-type internal combustion engines upside down and introduce the melt from below, ie cylinder side. To prevent voids, feeders are used which are arranged outside the cavity which forms the cylinder crankcase. The melt passes through the ascending movement in the direction of the bearing seat in a cooled state near the eutectic temperature in the region of the bearing block, which thus results in high cooling rates and subsequent fine structure with small Dendritenarmabständen. However, rapid solidification on the cylinder deck is not achievable. The strength in the field of screw pipes is insufficient, since due to poor supply of these areas voids can form.

Furthermore, from the DE 10 2011 056 985 A1 a low-pressure casting process for combustion engines with V-shaped arranged cylinders, in which the casting layer is selected so that the cylinder pointing down to the gate. The sprue takes place in each case on the mutually facing sides of the cylinder. The cylinders can be cooled by means of cooling molds, so that small dendrite arm distances can be achieved both in the bearing block area and on the cylinder walls. However, the supply of the high-volume parts of the cylinder crankcase with the melt, in particular by shrinkage processes during cooling is not sufficient, so that sufficient strength in these areas or in the field of screw pipes is not achieved.

Accordingly, there is the problem that no method is known in which both small Dedritenarmabstände in the area of the bearing block and the cylinder surfaces at the web areas as well as high strength can be achieved by avoiding voids in the screw pipes.

It is therefore the object to provide an apparatus for producing a cylinder crankcase in the low-pressure or gravity casting, can be achieved with the optimal structural properties in the bearing block area and in the area of the cylinder webs and in the field of screw pipes and the cylinder corner.

This object is achieved by a device for producing a cylinder crankcase in the low-pressure or gravity casting with the features of the main claim.

The fact that each gate is connected to a sprue bush, which projects into a cylinder space of the cylinder crankcase forming portion of the mold cavity, is achieved that a directional solidification in the range of massive sections, such as the bearing block and the Screw pipes is achieved, so that in these areas high strength results from low Dendritenarmabstände. At the same time these areas can also be refilled during solidification through the direct connection to the sprue, so that voids are avoided by shrinkage during cooling.

Advantageously, the sprue bushes are designed as lost sprue bushes, which are expressed after casting from the crankcase side. The lost sprue bushings are made of fiber materials, ceramic materials, foundry mold materials or a combination of these materials. This results in a simple and cost-effective production of sprue bushes.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the sprue bushings have a cylindrical channel from which channels extend at an angle through the side walls delimiting the sprue bushing. Through these channels, the connection takes place a directed filling and feeding of the massive sections of the cylinder crankcase, with high strength values are achieved.

A particularly simple production results when the channels are formed as transverse channels, which extend perpendicular to the cylindrical channel.

In this case, the arrangement of the channels preferably takes place in such a way that the channels are directed in the direction of massive casting areas of the cylinder crankcase, whereby the make-up of these areas is optimized.

In a specific advantageous embodiment, the channels in the direction of screw pipes and / or main oil channels and / or the Connecting portions between the main bearings and the cylinder chambers of the cylinder crankcase, so that in these areas a directional filling and make-up arises and a cylinder crankcase is made with low Dendritenarmabständen.

Preferably, the sprue bushings are arranged on a cylindrical part delimiting the cylinder deck, wherein the side walls thereof at least partially serve as a boundary wall for forming the cylinder space. Thus, due to the casting position, a simple exact placement of the sprue bushes can be done.

Alternatively, the sprue bushes are fastened in a holding mold part extending into the cylinder space, which at least partially serves to form a boundary wall of the cylinder space. The placement of the sprue bushes is simplified and done with high precision and good durability.

It is particularly advantageous if cooling molds protrude at least in areas of each cylinder space, which are arranged close to the cylinder deck or on the webs. In this way, a directed rapid solidification of the melt can be additionally achieved in these strength-critical areas and thus a fine structure with high strength can be achieved. These cooling molds can be mounted as a cooling iron in the sprue bushes and used with these in the mold.

In an alternative embodiment, the holding moldings are designed as cooling molds that hold the sprue. Through this design, a particularly simple connection of the sprue is achieved.

A further improvement results when the cylinder-top-side molded part is made of steel and can be cooled in chill casting. Thus, a directed solidification by a short cooling time of the melt can be achieved on the cylinder deck, so that fine structures with high strength are the result.

In a preferred embodiment, the holding mold members each have four axially extending arms which form a circumferentially interrupted cylinder, the arms being uniformly distributed about the circumference. In a holding mold part designed in this way, the sprue bushing can be fastened easily and reliably. In addition, this body is easy to manufacture.

So that a simple demolding of the sprue bushing can take place and good cooling can take place via the arms, an insulation insert is arranged in the radially inner region of the arms, which has openings corresponding to the interruptions between the arms, over which the filling of the mold takes place.

Preferably, the interruptions are diagonal to the screw pipes, which on the one hand good filling and feeding of these areas is ensured and on the other hand, a cooling of the land area between the cylinders is ensured on the holding moldings, so that good strength values are achieved here.

It is advantageous if the casting filter is arranged directly under the gate or in the sprue bush, so that no oxides or other impurities get into the casting.

For further improvement of the mold filling and feeding in Kernpaket- and Kokillengießverfahren preferably, the device Components on which the mold or the core package after filling with the molten metal can be rotated by 180 ° and decoupled from the metering furnace. The temperature gradient generated by the mold filling supports directional solidification.

It is thus an apparatus for producing a cylinder crankcase for internal combustion engines created with the directional solidification to maintain optimum microstructures and thus strength in the strength-critical areas, ie in the area of the bearing block, the screw pipes and the web portions of the cylinder is ensured. The cooling can be almost completely from outside to inside or from outside in the direction of the sprues, whereby the solidification times are minimized. At the same time structural defects in the interior are avoided by the feed function of the sprue bush.

• Figur 1 zeigt eine Seitenansicht eines Ausschnitts einer ersten erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zur Herstellung eines Zylinderkurbelgehäuses in geschnittener Darstellung.
• Figur 2 zeigt eine Seitenansicht eines Ausschnitts einer alternativen erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zur Herstellung eines Zylinderkurbelgehäuses in geschnittener Darstellung.
• Figur 3 zeigt eine Draufsicht entlang der Schnittlinie in Figur 2 auf die Angussbuchse und das Halteformteil.
• Figur 4 zeigt eine Seitenansicht eines Ausschnitts einer dritten erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zur Herstellung eines Zylinderkurbelgehäuses in geschnittener Darstellung.

Three embodiments of devices according to the invention for producing a cylinder crankcase in a row construction are shown schematically in the figures and are described below.

• FIG. 1 shows a side view of a section of a first device according to the invention for producing a cylinder crankcase in a sectional view.
• FIG. 2 shows a side view of a section of an alternative device according to the invention for producing a cylinder crankcase in a sectional view.
• FIG. 3 shows a plan view along the section line in FIG. 2 on the sprue bushing and the holding mold part.
• FIG. 4 shows a side view of a section of a third device according to the invention for producing a cylinder crankcase in a sectional view.

In the FIG. 1 The apparatus shown has an outer mold 10 consisting of a plurality of molded parts made of steel or foundry mold materials, which has a lower part 12, two side parts 14, 16 and an upper part 18, in their interior after the molding or closing of the molded parts 12, 14, 16, 18 a mold cavity 20 is formed, which is an outer contour of a cylinder crankcase 22, the cylinder chambers 24 have geodetically facing down, while the bearing block 25 facing upward.

The lower mold part 12 has a filling system 26, via which the mold cavity 20 is connected to a metering furnace 28, which is arranged below the mold 10. It is a low-pressure casting machine, so that the promotion of the molten aluminum alloy from the metering furnace 28 into the mold cavity 20 by generating a pressure difference, which causes the melt is lifted from the bottom to the top.

The filling system 26 extends from the metering furnace 28 to a plurality of gates 30, wherein a gate 30 is formed per cylinder, which is arranged in each case centrally below each cylinder chamber 24 of the cylinder crankcase 22. In the region of each gate 30 during chill casting or before entering the casting run during sand casting, a casting filter 32 is arranged so that there is a 90 ° deflection of the melt stream during the mold filling in front of the casting filters 32 or in the casting filter.

Each gate 30 is connected to a sprue bushing 34, which in the embodiment according to the FIG. 1 has a cylindrical shape and thus substantially the cylinder chamber 24 or boundary walls 35 of the cylinder maps. These sprue bushes 34 are made of a ceramic material, fiber material or a foundry material such as foundry sand or salt or a combination of these substances and aligned and fixed on the lower part 12 accordingly.

In its interior, a cylindrical channel 36 extending along the cylinder center axis is formed. From the channel 36 extend in the present embodiment, four transverse channels 38 through the side walls 40 of the sprue bushings 34, which open into the mold cavity 20. These transverse channels 38 are distributed over the circumference according to the mass accumulations on the component and extend in the direction of screw pipes 42 of the cylinder crankcase 22, that is aligned obliquely offset from the non-visible cylinder webs of the cylinder crankcase 22. The transverse channels 38 open above cores 46 to produce a coolant jacket of the cylinder crankcase 22 in the mold cavity 20. Thus, these transverse channels 38 in the direction of the massive areas of the cylinder crankcase 22, such as the screw pipes 42, the main oil channels 48, which are also formed by corresponding cores inserted be, as well as the connections of the bearing block 25 with the main bearings 50 of the crankshaft.

If now melt is lifted from the metering furnace 28 by the generation of pressure via the gate 30 in the sprue bushing 34, this melt flows through the transverse channels 38 in the mold cavity 20 and fills first the region of the downwardly facing cylinder deck 52, at which thus rapid solidification is achieved because no material in flows in this area. The further filling is now increasing from bottom to top. The main bearings 50 as the highest-lying parts are filled last, so that when these areas of the cylinder crankcase 22, the melt is already in the eutectic temperature and thus rapidly solidifies, whereby fine structure can be achieved with small Dendritenarmabstände, resulting in high strengths. The entire solidification direction is thus from outside to inside. The massive areas of the screw pipes 42 and the connection to the bearing block 25 remains in contact with the transverse channels 38, so that over this on cooling from outside to inside a Nachspeisung takes place, which reliably prevents voids formation by the shrinkage. There is thus a directional filling and solidification with good strength values.

An additional improvement of this casting result can with an embodiment according to the FIGS. 2 and 3 be achieved, wherein the same reference numerals are used below for the same components. This embodiment differs from the above-described in that the lower part 12 of the casting mold 10 is made of steel and can be cooled, that is, for example, 12 cooling channels are arranged in the interior of the lower part. In addition, this lower part 12 34 holding mold parts 54 for each sprue bushing. These consist of four evenly distributed over the circumference arms 56, which serve as a chill 58, record the sprue bush 34 radially and determine the height and width of the boundary wall 35 of the cylinder during casting as in FIG. 3 can be seen. The arms 56 respectively form a cylinder with circumferentially distributed interruptions 60. The breaks 60 are equally distributed around the circumference as the transverse channels 38 of the sprue bushing 34. In the channel 36 is an insulating insert 62 again with corresponding recesses to allow the Filling and feeding, through which a heat transfer is reduced between acting as Kühlkokillen 58 arms 56 and the sprue bushing 34.

The filling of the mold cavity 20 is now carried out in the same manner as described in the first embodiment. However, even finer microstructures on the cylinder deck 52 and in the region of the cylinder webs are achieved, since these areas are cooled directly and thus the solidification times are shortened. In the area of the main bearing points 50, an additional active cooling can be carried out, which leads to reduced Dendritenarmabständen and increased strength on the bearing block 25 in comparison to the already achievable by the directed filling structures.

In the embodiment according to the figure, a Sandgussformpaket is used as a mold 10. Compared to the embodiment according to FIG. 1 is located in the region of the bearing block 25, a cooling mold 64, which is held by a cover core 66 as an additional molding. The lower part 12 is formed as a bottom core, in which a casting run 68 of the filling system 26 and the leading to the sprue bushings 34 gates 30 are formed. At the sprue bushings 52 cooling molds 58 are formed in the region of the cylinder deck 52. In addition, transverse runs 70 extending from the casting run 68, which lead to auxiliary gates 72, via which lateral cylinder walls can be additionally filled. In the region of the bottom core 12 there is a rotation axis 74 arranged parallel to the casting run 68, about which the entire core package is rotated through 180 ° after the horizontal filling with the melt, after the core packet has been uncoupled from the metering furnace 28. This process is referred to as a rotary casting or roll-over process.

There are thus provided devices with which a cylinder crankcase are manufactured in the low pressure casting process can, on the one hand high strengths on the highly stressed areas can be achieved and on the other hand reduced cycle times can be achieved, since there are short cooling times and a directional filling. In addition, there is the possibility of replenishment of massive lots, so that cavities are counteracted.

It should be clear that the scope of protection is not limited to the described embodiments. It is also suitable for gravity casting or for the production of engines with V-shaped cylinders. Other structural changes of the sprue bushing or retaining moldings are of course conceivable as well as the production of moldings from different cooled or non-cooled materials. Also, the position and number of transverse channels or their orientation is changeable, so that they can open, for example, below the water jacket cores.

Claims (17)

1. A device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method, comprising:

   an outer casting mold (10) comprising mold parts (12, 14, 16, 18) which, in an assembled state, form a mold cavity (20) that forms, for casting purposes, an outer contour of the cylinder crankcase (22);

   a dosing furnace (28) configured to contain a liquid metal;

   at least one gate (30) arranged geodetically below the mold cavity (20) and via which the dosing furnace (28) can be fluidically connected to the mold cavity (20)

   characterized in that

   each gate (30) is connected to a sprue bushing (34) configured to project into a region of the mold cavity (20) that forms the cylinder space (24) of the cylinder crankcase (22).
2. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in claim 1, characterized in that the sprue bushings (34) are lost sprue bushings (34).
3. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in claim 2, characterized in that the lost sprue bushings (34) are made of a fiber material, a ceramic material, a foundry molding material, or a combination thereof.
4. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in of one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sprue bushings (34) comprise a cylindrical channel (36) from which channels (38) extend at an angle through the side walls (40) defining the sprue bushings (34).
5. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in claim 4, characterized in that the channels are formed as transversal channels (38) which extend orthogonally to the cylindrical channel (36).
6. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the channels (38) are directed towards high-mass casting regions of the cylinder crankcase (22).
7. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in claim 6, characterized in that the channels (38) are directed towards at least one of bolt bosses (42), main oil channels (48) and connecting sections between main bearing sites (50) and the cylinder spaces (24) of the cylinder crankcase (22).
8. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in of one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sprue bushings (34) are arranged on a mold part (12) which delimits a cylinder deck (52), wherein the side walls (40) of the sprue bushings in part serve as a delimiting wall (35) for forming the cylinder space (24).
9. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in one of the preceding claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the sprue bushes (34) are fastened in a holding mold part (54) configured to extend into the cylinder space (24) and to at least in part form the delimiting wall (35) of the cylinder space (24).
10. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in of one of the preceding claims, characterized in that chill molds (58) protrude at least into regions of the cylinder space (24) arranged near the cylinder deck (52) or the cylinder webs.
11. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in claim 9, characterized in that the holding mold parts (54) are designed as chill molds (58),
12. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in of one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mold part (12) on the cylinder deck side is made of steel and is configured to be cooled.
13. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that each of the holding mold parts (54) comprises four axially extending arms (56) forming a cylinder with interruptions over the circumference thereof, the arms (56) being regularly distributed over the circumference.
14. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in claim 13, characterized in that an insulation insert is arranged in a radially inner region of the arms (56), the insulation insert comprising recesses (64) which correspond to the interruptions (60) between the arms (56).
15. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in one of claims 13 or 14, characterized in that the interruptions (60) are directed diagonally towards the bolt bosses (42).
16. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in of one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a casting filter (32) is arranged immediately below the gate (30) or in the sprue bushing (34).
17. The device for producing a cylinder crankcase (22) using a low-pressure casting method or a gravity casting method as recited in of one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device comprises components which are configured so that, after a filling with the metal melt, a core package (10) can be turned by 180° and be decoupled from the dosing furnace (28).

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