GB1195292A - Improvements relating to Cleaning, Descaling and Polishing Ingot Moulds - Google Patents

Abstract

1,195,292. Blasting; cleaning ingot moulds. KREIS OHG WERKZEUG-UND-MASCHINEN FABRIK GEB. 28 June, 1967 [6 July, 1966], No. 29861/67. Heading B3D and B3F. Ingot moulds are cleaned, descaled and polished by projecting a stream of cleaning material against the cavity-defining wall of a mould by centrifugal force; apparatus comprises a bladed impeller arranged for movement along the axis of the mould. Apparatus for treating the internal wall 3 of an ingot mould 1, which is heavily scaled and has flaking, excrescences, encrustations &c. as a result of use, comprises a trestle frame 4 having a platform 8 on which is mounted a hopper 11 for cleaning material which may be quartz sand but is preferably metallic, e.g. steel shot, steel grit or a mixture thereof. The hopper delivers to a flexible hose 12 passing over a fixed guide roll 13 and a movable guide roll 14 loaded by a weight 16. The hose 12 is coupled at 17 to a substantially rigid pipe 18. The pipe delivers into a member 19. An impeller 23 comprises alloyed steel blades 25 disposed between hardened discs 26, 27. The member 19 is connected to the impeller disc 27 and has a side wall 20 with a large number of exit holes 21. The member 19 is surrounded by a non- rotatable part 22 supported on the lower end of the pipe 18 and having a port 24 the position, cross-section and peripheral length of which determines the form of the blast. The impeller disc 26 is secured to a hub 29 secured to a drive body 30 mounted by a roller bearing in a housing 37. A hollow extension 34 of the drive body is mounted in roller bearings in the housing 37 and is engaged by a drive roller 35 of an electric motor 36 secured to the housing 37. The motor may be replaced by a small I.C.E. carrying its own fuel supply which may be just sufficient for one working cycle. A steamdriven motor may be used. The housing 37 is secured to a tubular member 40 slidable in rings 41, 42 mounted in struts, 6, 7 of the frame 4. The member 40 is suspended by a cross-bar 43 from the piston rod 44 of a piston cylinder unit 45, 46. The cylinder 46 is suspended from a platform 8 of the frame 4 and is connected by conduits 48, 49 by a pump or compressor 10 mounted, with its motor 9, on the platform 8 for vertically reciprocating the member 40, housing 37 and impeller 23. The mould 1 is supported on a grid 50 above a pit 51 from which spent cleaning material and waste (scale, casting crusts, flakings and dirt) is removed by conveyer belts, conveyer screws, vibrating tables &c. and passed to a separator 52 ; unusable waste is removed through a pipeline 53, and removable cleaning material is returned through a pipeline 54, which may contain a bucket device, to the hopper 11, fresh cleaning material being added as necessary. The platform 8 may carry a number of apparatuses for simultaneously treating a number of moulds. Alternatively the apparatus may travel relative to the platform so that treatment can be started or carried out while interchanging moulds which have been treated with those still to be treated. The mould may be inclined to the vertical; it may be horizontal, the assembly then being drawn through the mould by a rope.