JP2005171276A - Apparatus for cooling molded article and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that a conventional quenching method of immersing a metal-molded article in a liquid coolant tends to cause deformation due to ununiform cooling. <P>SOLUTION: This cooling apparatus has a die 2 for constraining the molded article 1 which is to be cooled through quenching or the like. The die has passages 4a and 4b therein for supplying cooling water to the molded article constrained by the die. The passages communicate with main pores formed in cooling water-supplying portions 3a and 3b of the die 2, so as to face the surface to be cooled of the molded article. The cooling method comprises constraining the solution-treated metal-molded article in the die, and then quickly cooling the molded article while circulating the cooling water to the cooling water-supplying portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling device and a cooling method suitable for quenching a metal molded product.

In order to improve and adjust the mechanical properties of metal molded products such as aluminum alloys, heat treatment including quenching such as T6 treatment is performed. Conventionally, for this quenching, as shown in Patent Document 1, the molded product is cooled by being submerged in a cooling liquid.
JP 2003-213324 A

  In such a conventional quenching method, distortion and deformation are likely to occur due to non-uniform cooling, and in particular, a thinner portion or product is more likely to be deformed. For this reason, conventionally, after quenching, it has been necessary to correct the shape and dimensions by hammering out with a hammer or the like or using a press device.

  In the present invention, a restraint body such as a mold or a jig that restrains a molded product subjected to cooling treatment such as quenching partially or entirely is provided, and water or the like is directly cooled on the molded product in a state restrained by the restraint body. Supply fluid. For this purpose, a passage for guiding the fluid to the surface of the molded product is provided, and a fluid supply device for pumping the fluid to the surface of the molded product through the passage is provided. The passage communicates with a number of holes formed in the restraining body so as to face the cooling surface of the molded product.

  In order to quench the metal molded product with the above-described configuration, the solution-treated metal molded product is partially or wholly constrained by a mold, and then cooled to a large number of holes facing the cooling surface of the molded product. Cool fluid rapidly by circulating fluid.

  According to the present invention, the cooling fluid is applied to the cooling surface of the molded product through a large number of holes provided in a state where the molded product is constrained by a restraint body such as a mold and facing the cooling surface of the molded product. Since it is supplied directly, not only rapid cooling required for quenching is possible, but also the cooling surface of the molded product can be uniformly cooled, and distortion and deformation of the molded product due to cooling are suppressed. be able to.

  FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a metal molded product made of an aluminum alloy or the like to be quenched, and 2 denotes a mold as a restraining body for holding the molded product 1 during cooling. The mold 2 has a divided structure composed of an upper mold 2a and a lower mold 2b, and the upper mold 2a and the lower mold 2b are each made of a metal material having good thermal conductivity. Formed surfaces having the same outer shape as the molded product 1 are formed on the lower surface of the upper mold 2a and the upper surface of the lower mold 2b, respectively, and between the respective molded surfaces of the upper mold 2a and the lower mold 2b in the illustrated clamping state. The molded product 1 is constrained as a whole.

  The molding surfaces in contact with the molded product 1 of the upper mold 2a and the lower mold 2b are cooling water supply parts 3a and 3b made of a porous material such as sintered metal, respectively. The porous cooling water supply parts 3a, Water as a cooling fluid is supplied to the molded product 1 through a large number of holes 3b. For this reason, the upper mold 2a and the lower mold 2b are provided with cooling water supply passages 4a and 4b communicating with the substantially central portions of the respective cooling water supply portions 3a and 3b, and a cooling water discharge passage 5a communicating with the substantially outer peripheral portion. 5b are provided.

  Next, the process of quenching the molded product 1 using the mold 2 will be described together with the configuration of a cooling water supply device (fluid supply device) that circulates the cooling water to the cooling water supply units 3a and 3b.

  In order to perform the quenching process, first, the solution-treated molded article 1 is sandwiched between the upper mold 2a and the lower mold 2b, clamped, and constrained between the upper and lower cooling water supply units 3a and 3b.

  Next, the pump 11 is driven, the cooling water in the reservoir tank 12 is sent to the cooling device 13, and the cooling water cooled by the cooling device 13 is supplied to each cooling water via the supply pipes 14 connected to the cooling water supply passages 4a and 4b. It pumps to supply part 3a, 3b. The cooling device 13 has a function of cooling the cooling water to a predetermined temperature by heat radiation by a radiator such as a radiator or forced cooling by a refrigeration cycle. A switching valve 15 is provided between the cooling device 13 and the supply piping 14, and this switching valve 15 is selectively connected to the cooling device 13 during the cooling process, and to the atmosphere side when cooling water to be described later is discharged. Connect to.

  The cooling water introduced into the cooling water supply units 3a and 3b goes to the outer cooling water discharge passages 5a and 5b through the voids of the porous structure, and a part of the cooling water passes on the surface of the molded product 1 in the middle thereof. It contacts and cools the molded article 1 rapidly. The cooling water whose temperature has risen by cooling the molded product 1 returns to the reservoir tank 12 through the discharge pipe 16 connected to the cooling water discharge passages 5a and 5b. By circulating and supplying cooling water to the cooling water supply units 3a and 3b, the molded product 1 is rapidly cooled and quenched.

  After cooling the molded product 1, the switching valve 15 is switched from the cooling device 13 to the atmosphere side to open the supply pipe 14 to the atmosphere. In this state, the cooling water in the mold 2 can be returned to the reservoir tank 12 using gravity, but in this embodiment, a vacuuming device 21 is provided to forcibly discharge the cooling water. .

  The evacuation device 21 includes a vacuum pump and a vacuum tank that stores the generated negative pressure. The negative pressure in the vacuum tank acts on the space of the reservoir tank 12 by opening the switching valve 22. At the same time, the shutoff valve 23 that shuts off the passage between the reservoir tank 12 and the suction side of the pump 11 is closed so that the negative pressure acts only on the cooling water return path of the reservoir tank 12, that is, the discharge pipe 16. It is. By the operation of the vacuuming device 21, the cooling water in the mold 2 is forcibly returned to the reservoir tank 12 through the discharge pipe 16 by the atmospheric pressure acting through the supply pipe 14.

  After the cooling water in the mold 2 is discharged in this way, the upper mold 2a and the lower mold 2b are divided, and the molded product 1 is taken out. After taking out the molded product 1, the cooling water supply units 3 a and 3 b are dried by air blow as necessary. By performing this drying process, it is possible to stabilize the thermal characteristics of the cooling water supply units 3a and 3b in preparation for the next quenching process of the molded product.

  According to the above-described quenching process, the molded product 1 is constrained between the upper and lower molds 2a and 2b and then cooled, so that the molded product 1 is hardly deformed due to cooling. Moreover, since cooling water can be uniformly supplied to the surface of the molded article 1 from the many holes of the cooling water supply parts 3a and 3b made of a porous material, cooling can be performed quickly and uniformly. As a result, the molded product 1 after the quenching treatment can be expected to have a good quenching effect while reducing the necessity of correcting the shape and dimensions thereof.

  In this embodiment, although not shown in the drawings, a flow rate control valve for adjusting the flow rate of the cooling water is provided in the middle of the cooling water supply path, or a flow rate adjusting means such as adjusting the speed of the pump 11 is applied, thereby forming the molded product. The cooling rate of 1 may be adjusted.

  2 and 3 show another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the upper mold 2 a and the lower mold 2 b are provided with cooling water supply sections 3 a and 3 b corresponding only to the main parts of the molded product 1. 4a and 4b are cooling water supply passages, and 5a and 5b are cooling water discharge passages, and the cooling water is circulated and supplied to the respective cooling water supply portions 3a and 3b through these passages. According to this embodiment, when the molded product 1 has a comparatively thick part that is difficult to cool, the part can be preferentially cooled to ensure a uniform quenching effect as a whole.

  FIG. 3 shows that each of the upper mold 2a and the lower mold 2b is provided with a large number of holes 3 facing the molded product 1, and the cooling water supply passages 4a and 4b and the cooling water discharge passages 5a and 5b are provided for each hole 3. Is provided. According to this embodiment, since a large amount of cooling water can be directly supplied to the surface of the molded product via the relatively large hole 3, the effect of improving the mechanical properties by quenching can be increased by increasing the cooling rate.

  In each of the above embodiments, the entire molded product is constrained by a mold having a vertically divided configuration. However, depending on the shape and thickness of the molded product, only a main part is partially constrained by a jig or the like. Also good.

The schematic block diagram of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The schematic block diagram of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The schematic block diagram of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Molded product 2 Mold 2a Upper mold 2b Lower mold 3a, 3b Cooling water supply part 4a, 4b Cooling water supply path 5a, 5b Cooling water discharge path 11 Pump 12 Cooling water reservoir tank 13 Cooling device 14 Supply pipe 15 Switch valve 16 Discharge piping 21 Vacuuming device 22 Switching valve 23 Shut-off valve

Claims (11)

  A restraint body that restrains the molded product to be cooled, a passage that supplies a cooling fluid to the surface of the molded product, and a fluid supply device that pumps the fluid to the molded product through the passage, The cooling device for a molded product, wherein the passage communicates with a number of holes formed in the restraining body so as to open facing the cooling surface of the molded product.   The said restraint body consists of the upper mold | type and lower mold | die which have a molding surface of the same shape as a molded article, and formed so that the whole molded article might be restrained between the said upper mold | type and a lower mold | type. Cooling device for molded products.   The cooling device for a molded product according to claim 1, wherein the restraining body is a jig formed so as to partially restrain the molded product.   2. The cooling device for a molded product according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes are made of a porous material formed so as to be in contact with the surface of the molded product in a restrained state.   The cooling device for a molded product according to claim 1, wherein the restraint is a mold formed of a metal material. The passage includes a supply passage for supplying fluid to the hole and a discharge passage for discharging fluid from the hole,
2. The cooling device for a molded product according to claim 1, wherein the fluid supply device is configured to circulate the fluid through the hole by returning the fluid discharged from the discharge passage to the supply passage again. 3.   The said fluid supply channel | path is a cooling device of the molded article of Claim 1 or Claim 6 provided with the pump which pumps the fluid to the said channel | path, and the cooling device which cools a fluid.   The said fluid supply apparatus is a cooling device of the molded article of Claim 1 or Claim 6 provided with the evacuation apparatus selectively connected to the said channel | path via a switching valve.   The said fluid supply apparatus is a cooling device of the molded article of Claim 1 or Claim 6 provided with the flow volume adjustment means which adjusts the flow volume of the fluid supplied to the said channel | path. A step of partially or totally constraining a metal formed product subjected to solution treatment with a mold,
Circulating the cooling fluid to the cooling surface of the molded product after the restraint through a passage provided to open facing the molded product;
A method for cooling a molded product, comprising:   The method for cooling a molded article according to claim 10, further comprising a step of connecting a vacuum drawing device to the passage and discharging the cooling fluid in the passage after the circulation of the cooling fluid.

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