US1375589A

US1375589A - Appliance for casting metal ingots into molds

Info

Publication number: US1375589A
Application number: US320422A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hosack Harold Heron
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1919-08-28
Filing date: 1919-08-28
Publication date: 1921-04-19
Anticipated expiration: 1938-04-19

Description

H. H. HOSACK. APPLIANCE FOR CASTING NIETAL INGOTS INTO MOLDS.

APPLICATION med AUG.28, 1919.

H. H. HOSACK. v APPLTANCE FOR CASTING METAL TNGoTs INT0 MoLns. APPLICATION FILED AUG.2U. 1919. 1,375,589, Y. Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLIANCE FOR CASTING METAL INGO'IS` INTO MOLDS.

Speciication'of Letters Patent.

p Patented Apre 19, 1921i.

Application filed August 28, 1919. Serial No. 320,422.

T o all whom 'it may concer/n y Be it known that I, HAROLD HERON Hosncx, a subject of the King of England, residing at Twickenham, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Appliances for Casting Metal Ingots Into Molds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to the pouring or teeming of molten steel and other metals into molds generally called ingot molds; and it'has primarily for its objects and eects to diminish or obviate splashing of the metal when poured into the ingot mold from above, and thereby to diminish as `far as possible the oxidization of the metal, and other deteriorating effects upon or in the metal due to such splashing, and the present method of pouring or casting.

According to this invention, the molten steel (or other metal) which is run from a furnace into a movable casting ladle or container,is not directly run or delivered from f this ladle or container into the mold, but is introduced into it through the intermediary of a vessel-which may be called a pilot ladle-which is adapted to rise and fallv and receives it from the'main ladle or container, and in turn delivers it, when at or near the bottom of the mold, into the mold, so that its discharge or delivery is at a very small head, and quietly and as the mold iills, the ilot ladle is caused to rise, so that the splashing and carrying down of air bubbles into the metal, is to a very large extent obviated. According to one mode of carrying out this method or system of pourin or casting, the vertically movable pilot ladle (which will come directly under the main ladle, and may be supported therefrom or from the upper part of the ingot mold) is counter-balanced, the weights being such as to keep it when empty,l in its uppermost position at the required position under the `ladle pourin spout; but when it receives metal from t e ladle, which is delivered to it by lifting a plug as usual, the weight of the molten metal and that of the pilot ladle exceeds that of the counter weights, and the pilot ladle falls, lifting the weights; and it is `carried down to near thebottom of the ingot mold; and the metal from the pilot ladle Hows relativelyv slowly in a quiet the bottom of the mold. As the level of the stream or streams from the pilot ladle intov4 metal rises in the mold, and reaches the pilot. ladle,l the diminution of the specific gravity of it, due to the pressure of the molten metal of the mold, will cause it to rise as the mold fills; and when it is completely filled, and the stopper or plug of the main ladle or container closed, the pilot ladle will empty itself, and rise clear of the mold, being pulled up by the counterbalance weights.

'When an ingot mold has been filled, the ladle is moved over another mold, land the operations above described will be repeated.

ln some cases, the pilot ladle may be of ordinary metallurgical crucible material; while in other cases it may consist of a metal shell, with a ire brick or refractory mate* rial linin According to a modification, the vertically moving pilot ladle may, instead of being entirely automatic, partly automatic that is controlled by an attendant; or it may be moved down and up into and out of the ladle by hand operated or mechanical, say an electrically operated means.

Also in some cases, a valve or plug device may be used in the pilot ladle, which will be operated and opened at the right time, when the pilot ladle is at the required depth or position in the mold. Also this ladle may be heated to any desired degree before pouring takes place.

The mold may have a sinkin head on its upper end of any known suitab e kind. y

The system according to this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

(in which Figure l is an elevation in section showing one arrangement of parts. Figs. 2 and 3 are plan and elevation showing a modified arrangement; and Figs. 4 and 5 are two other modifications; while Fig. 6 shows a detail.

Referring first to Fig. 1, a represents the pilot ladle, b the traveling pouring ladle, and c the ingot mold. d are the counterbalance weights, and e the chains or ropes connecting the pilot ladle with the weights, they vbein passed over the pulleys f on' the bottom o the ladle b. The sinking head is marked z', and is provided with a sand internal lining as shown.

The dotted part marked g represents a hollow jacket or hood,the interior space of which would be exhausted of air, and put under a vacuum. This hood stands over the sinking head, and the lower edge of it reste on an asbestos or other packing, carried by the angle iron ledge h on the mold.

The pilot ladle a has a hole in its bottom, and in some cases a plurality of holes around it, as shown, in Fig. 1, so that it discharges its contents in a multiplicity of quiescent streams.

.Before pouring, "the pilot ladle takes the upper p-osition shown in the drawing; and when the main ladle stopper is lifted, the metal pours into the pilot ladle, and, the combined weight of this metal and ladle causes the latter to fall to as near the bottom as desired, say about the position shown in the dotted lines in the drawing; and so the length the streams from the holes in it, falling on to the bottom of the mold is short.

As the metal in the mold rises, its action on the pilot ladle in rising is to take oil? weight from it; and the counterbalance weights d being then slightly heavier than the weight of the pilot ladle, will cause it to .rise as the metal rises; and the metal from the orifices of the pilot ladle flows quietly and evenly without splashing, or carrying down of air into the cast metal, from the commencement of pouring to the end; and

when the mold is entirely filled, and the main ladle stopper shut down, the weights el will 4pull the-pilot ladle clear of the sinking head i, when itis ready for a similar operation with the next mold in the bench of molds.

Having 4by these means cast an ingot, as free from splashings, and inclusions of air as possible, this advantage is followed up by providing means of feeding the contents of the mold with hotter steel or metal than is contained in it; and thisis effected bythe employment4 of the vacuum hood g, which immediately after casting is placed over the sinking head, as indicated in the4 drawing; the conduction of heat by the hood away from 4this portion of the mold, being prevented orreduced by the` asbestos or like joint of the supporting ledge h above specified The metal .in the upper portion of the ingot is then kept liquid --for as long a period as possible, and serves to feed the main bulk of the ingot, as the metal cools from the bottom upward.

y In the modification shown in Figs. 2' and 3, instead of there being-separate weights,

only one weight o is employed, bothV chains or ropes e passing over the pulleys f which are inclined toward one another as shown.

In the arrangement in Fig. 4, the pilot" ladle a issupported by chains or ropes e,

Y and pulleys from a shaft 1c, carried in bearing supports Z from the bottom of the ladle Zi,- and this shaft has fixed upon it a chain or rope pulley m, the rope or chain n of which has a weight o on the bottom, so as to 4counterbalance Athe pilot'ladle a. On

or connected with this gear per should be closed, and the pilot ladle a may be lowered to the bottom of the mold.` This ladle a may have a discharge' control stopper or valve, operated by hand from above, similarly to an ordinary casting ladle stopper, or automatically as hereinafter described, by striking the bottom of the mold; and when the pilot ladle is near the bottom of the mold and the valve or stopper is opened, the metal will pour from the lower pouring spout in its bottom, quietly onto the bottom of the mold, and ush thelower portion of same. As soon as the metal is released from the pilot ladle, the main ladle stopper may be opened so as to discharge into the pilot ladle, which being acted upon by the rising metal run into the ingot mold, will by means of the counter-balance weight acting upon it, beJ lifted as the metal rises,

similarly as abo-ve described. Y

In some cases, however, it 'may be preferred that the upward or downward move# ment' or both of the pilot ladle may be effected mechanically as by an electric motor,

with a lower stem`p1, and an upper stem p2, the latter of 'which when lifted, due to the stem p1 strikingthe bottom of the mold in lowering, will be pushed up into the tapered socket hole .q of the. inner ladle, and so thereby held. The molten metal will be received by the inner i essel of the ladle, and passed through the holes in the bottom, of which there are a multiplicity', and then out by the central hole in the bottom of the outer ladle wall.

By this means the guiescent falling of the4 Y liquid metal, and its the carrying down of air into the metal in the mold iS accomplished.

ischarge into the ingot mold is promoted; and the avoidance of Instead of the plug or valve p being held up by friction as just described, may be held up by a detent asl shown in Fig. 6. The de tent in this case is in the form of a weighted pawl 1', supported on a cross pin r1, in a recess or opening in the upper stem p2. `When the stopper is being lifted, the nose of this pawl will be pressed into the recess p3 in the stemy, by passing over the surface of the material around the hole g, and when the nose of the weighted pawl enters the enlarged upper part g1 of the hole g, it rises, and projects into the hole, so that when the stopper lower stem leaves the bottom of the mold, the stopper will be held up in the open position.

To lower the stopper, it is turned around so that the nose of the pawl 1 comes over a vertical groove or slot way g3 through the material forming the lower part of the hole g, so that it can fall down; and then afterward, it is turned around so that the nose would be away from this slot g3, and in a position ready for the stopper being lifted.

From the above description it will be apparent that the pilot ladle in effect floats upon the surface of the molten metaland is elevated by the buoyancy added by the counterweights. The counterweights will of course assist in holding the pilot ladle upright and operating to maintain its position about centrally of the main mold.

What is claimed is l. The herein described method of casting metal from a ladle, consisting in delivering the metal from said ladle into a pilot ladle counterbalanced to maintain said pilot ladle floating on the surface of the metal rising in the mold, whereby to maintain the pilot ladle constantly at the level of the rising metal in the mold to deliver the metal from the pilot ladle at or near the surface of the metal in the mold.-

2. A means for delivering molten metal into a mold comprising in combination a pilot ladle adapted to receive the molten metal from a supply, and mounted for movement vertically in the mold, and means for counterbalancing the pilot ladle to maintain said pilot ladle as a floating element on the surface of the metal in the mold.

` In testimony whereof I have signed name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HAROLD HERON HOSACK. Witnesses:

GEO. P. S. KELSEY, ERNEST PAsK.