US2524447A - Sand feed for core blowers - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 3, 1950 J, s JUDELL 2,524,447

SAND FEED FR CORE BLOWERS Filed Sept. 25, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I ,IIHIHIU 1N V EN TOR.

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fa MQW 119434 @wm/M Afro/@VIPS Patented Oct. 3, 1950 SAND FEED FOR CORE BLOWERS Julius S. Judell,

Shorewood, Wis.,

assignor to Western Hardware & Specialty Manufacturing' Company, of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation Application September 23, 1948, Serial No. 50,753

10 Claims.

This invention relates generally to improvements in the manufacture of foundry cores, and relates more particularly toimprovements in the construction and operation of machines for blowing sand cores or the like with the aid of air pressure.

The primary object of my present invention is to provide improved mechanism for effectively transferring sand or other core producing material from a source of supply to the blow hopper or cartridge from which batches of the material are blown into the successive molds.

As shown and described in my Patent No. 2,468,672, granted April 2-6, 1949, I have heretofore proposed to blow successive sand cores in relatively rapid succession by causing one or more sand filled cartridges to communicate with successive molds, and with a source of air under pressure past a compressed air delivery valve operable by a cartridge sealing and mold clamping disc which is reciprocable by a piston actuated air conducting tube. While this prior assemblage has proven highly satisfactory and successful in commercial use, it does not provide sucient capacity and for convenient reloading of the sand injecting cartridges or blow hoppers, thus retarding the volume and speed of production of the molds, to some extent, by introducing eX- cessive delay caused by cartridge refilling operations.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide various refinements in the construction and operation of core blowing machines of the type disclosed in said issued patent, whereby fresh sand is automatically conveyed from an abundant supply source and is effectively delivered into the blow hopper during normal operation of the mechanism, thereby not only enhancing the rapidity of mold production but also insuring production of perfect successive molds.

Another important object of this invention is t provide improved mechanism for producing better sand cores faster than has heretofore been possible with the aid of prior core blowers,

and wherein the core clamping and blowing operations may be repeated in rapid succession by manipulation of a single control lever.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved core blowing unit, which is simple and compact in construction, eicient and reliable in operation, and eXible in its adaptations.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved sand core blowing assemblage operable by compressed air, which is operable with minimum eiort to produce perfect cores of diverse sizes and shapes, and which embodies relatively large sand storage capacity.

An additional object of my present invention is to provide an improved sand core blower which may be manufactured and sold for various uses at moderate cost, and wherein the sand can be quickly and conveniently transferred in variable quantities from the supply bin or receptacle to the blow tube or hopper in order to insure maximum and more uniform core production.

These and other important objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of a typical embodiment of the improved features constituting the invention, may be had by referringl to the drawings accompanying and forming apart of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a typical sand core blowing unit embodying the present improvements, showing the mechanism in action as while blowing a core;

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the same sand core blower, showing the apparatus in action as in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the sand supply bin and reservoir column of the improved unit, showing the details of construction of the sand paddle wheel, the section having been taken approximately along the line 3--3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a similarly enlarged transverse vertical section through the sand supply bin, also showing the paddle wheel; and

Fig. 5 is a further enlarged top view of the sand delivery gate associated with the lower lend of the reservoir column.

While the invention has been illustrated and described herein as being especially applicable to vertical air actuated sand core blowers, it is not my desire or intent to unnecessarily restrict the scope or the utility of the improvement by virtue of this limited embodiment, since the new sand feed mechanism may also be applied to other types of molding equipment; and it is furthermore contemplated that specific descriptive terms employed herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the disclosure.

Referring to the drawings, the typical core blower shown therein comprises in general a main frame 1 having spaced opposite side channels 8 rigidly interconnected at their upper ends 'agierte-ivA by vtransverse beams 9, and at lower portions thereof by other transverse beams ID which provide a rm support for a base plate II; a compressed air actuated power cylinder i3 vertically adjustably supported above the upper frame beams s by a bracket I5 and sturdy upright guide rods I5; a vertically movable and elongated compressed air conducting tube Il slidably cooperating with one of the xed guide rods I6 and with a bearing confined between the upper beams 9, and being suspended at its upper extremity from the reciprocable piston rod I8 of the power cylinder I3, while its lower end is provided with a compressed air delivery valve operable by a vertically movable clamping disc I9 and also has a pair of parallel guide rails 23 suspended therefrom by an inverted U-shaped support 2l a sand Vcartridge or blow hopper 23 mounted upon a carriage 24 having wheels 25 cooperable with the rails 2B to permit disposition of the cartridge 23 either in vertical alinement with the tube El or forwardly thereof above the base plate ll; a sand supply source or bin 26 having a depending tubular i easuring spout or reservoir 2l formed integral therewith above the plate II and in the central vertical plane of travel of the carriage 24 and blow hopper 23, the bin 26 being rigidly attached to the upper beams 9 and having a sand thrower or paddle wheel 28 conned therein while the lower extremity of the sand measuring reservoir 2l has a shut-off plate 29 swingably associated therewith; a compressed air supply pipe 3| for the air conducting tube l'l having one end attached to and communicating with a pressure control valve 32 past a suitable shut-off valve while its opposite end communicates with the tube Il through a fitting 33 and a rigid section of the pipe 3l communicating therewith, the latter slidably cooperating with one of the guide rods I3 through a guide block Elli rmly attached to this pipe section; an actuating arm 5 for the paddle wheel 28 mounted upon the wheel supporting shaft 35 and being adjustably connectible to the tube il adjacent to the fitting 33 by a link 35; and an air control valve 3B carried by the frame beams 9 and communicating with a source of compressed air through `a pipe 39 and with the power cylinder I3 through flexible pipes 5, the valve 38 being manipulable by means of a lever 4I.

The main frame 'I may be rigidly constructed of structural steel beams rmly united as by welding, and the base plate I I should rest solidly upon the lower beams I@ and be attached thereto, but should also extend forwardly of the frame I to provide an extensive front work shelf or table as shown 'in Figs. l arid 2. The successive split core molds i3 are adapted to rest directly upon the base plate I I and may be positioned and clamped in vertical alinement with the air conducting tube Il' and cylinder I3 by means of a stop member M carried by the plate II and a pair of elongated clamping bars f3.5, l5 adjustably cooperable with the side channels 8 of the main frame l', the bar l5 being-adjustable by air pressure while the bar i6 is manually adjustable. The bracket l5 and guide rods I5 should be connected to each other and to the frame beams 9 so as to provide a rigid support for the power cylinder I3, and the latter is vertically adjustably suspended from` the bracket I5 by means of an upright screw threaded rod il and nuts i8 coacting with the screw threads thereof. This vertical adjustability of the power cylinder I3 permits the use of a relatively short and compact power unit cooperable with molds 43 of various heights, since the cylinder I3 may be elevated bodily away from the work table or plate II when operating upon high molds, and it may be lowered toward this table when lower molds are being utilized.

As previously indicated, the compressed air supply tube ll which is suspended from the lower end of the piston rod I8 by the intervening tting 33, is guided for vertical reciprocation in a bearing confined between the upper beams 9, and the compressed air delivery valve at the lower end of the tube Il and which is adapted to be opened by the clamping disc I3 is preferably constructed and operable as shown and described in my Patent No.V 21,468,672, granted April 26, v1949. The sand receiving cartridge or blow hopper 23 has an unobstructed opening at its upper end adapted to communicate with the interior of the tube I1 past the disc IQ to receive compressed air, and with the lower end of the batch measuring reservoir 2l to receive successive batches oi sand, and the lower end of this hopper 23 is perforated and adapted to communicate with the mold inlet openings in the manner illustrated in my issued patent. The blow hopper 23 is also provided with a handle 50 as shown in Fig. 1 for effecting convenient movement thereof from a position of vertical alinemerit with the air supply tube I1 as in Figs. l and 2, to a position of vertical alinement with the sand supply spout 27 of the bin 25, and for also effecting complete removal of the cartridge from the machine for cleaning and other purposes.

rThe U-shaped support 2l which suspends the parallel guide rails 26 from the tube I'I, is adapted to lower these rails away from the cartridge supporting rollers 25 when the blow hopper 23 is in active position as illustrated, and the clamping disc I9 has been moved toward the lower end of the tube I1 to open the air supply valve; but when the tube Il is elevated by the power motor, then the rollers 25 engage the rails 20 and the cartridge 23 is also lifted away from` the plate I I and the mold 113, Vand may thereafter be rolled forwardly along these rails 20 toward the spout 2. The sand shut-oil plate 29 is swingably suspended from the bin spout or reservoir 21 by means of a pivot pin 5l as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and is constantly urged toward closed position by a tension spring 52, but when the cartridge 23 is rolled forwardly along the rails 20 toward a position of vertical alinement with the spout 2l, the upper extremity of the blow hopper engages a recess 53 formed in the plate 29 and swings the plate about the pin 5I until the open upper cartridge end is in open communication with the lower end of the sand supply spout 21. Reverse rolling motion of the hopper 23 causes the spring 52 to quickly close and seal the lower spout end, thus permitting rapid and convenient reloading of the cartridge.

The main sand supply bin 26 has considerable sand capacity and should be abundantly supplied with fresh core sand, and this bin may be formed oi two sections bolted iirmly together as shown in Figsl to 4 inclusive. The bin 2S is preferably vertically adjustably mounted upon the main frame 'I by means of suspension bolts 54 coacting with lugs 55 formed integral with one of the bin sections, and these bolts 54 permit the bin to be properly positioned so that the lower extremity of the batch discharge reservoir 2'! and the shut-orf plate 29 will properly cooperate with the blow hopper 23. The major portion ci the bin 26 is disposed laterally of the xisof the spout 21, and the spout lling rotor or paddle wheel 28 whichis revolvably mounted within theV bin by means of the shaft 35, has an annular series of blades 56 which are rather snugly cooperable with a curved portion 51 of the bin bottom, and is located laterally of the spout sand receiving upper end see Figs. 3 and 4. The paddle wheel shaft 35 is periodically rotatable or oscillatable by the actuating lever or arm 34 which is provided with a series of openings 58 any of which may be connected to the lower end of the link 35 the upper extremity of which is swingably attached to the tube I1 byA means of a strap 59, as shown in Fig. 2; and the arm 34 may also be manually oscillated when the link 36 is disconnected therefrom, with the aid of a hand lever 60 secured to the arm. i

The compressed air line or pipe 3| which supplies airto the tube I1 should also be provided with a filter 62, a pressure gauge 63, and shutoff valve 64 as shown, in order to insure delivery of clean air at suitable pressure to the successive molds 43, and these moldsmay assume various sizes and shapes and are provided with proper air escape openings, in a well known manner. The lower end of the blow hopper 23 should also be provided with a replaceable perforated bottom plate 65 adapted to properly cooperate with the various molds 43, and as previously indicated the hopper or cartridge 23 may be readily removed from the machine to permit such replacement of the plates 65 by rolling the blow hopper past and beneath the spout 21 and plate 29 along the rails 20 when no mold 43 is present upon the work shelf. All of the control and shut-olf valves, and the levers 4I, 60, are readily accessible and manipulable by an operator located in front of the unit, and the entire mechanism is mounted upon the main frame 1 which is portable and may be placed in any suitable locality.

In order to avoid subjecting the vertically reciprocable tube I.' to tilting pressure, this tube besides being lguided in a bearing between the upper beams 9, is additionally guided at its upper end by means of a guide block 66 which slidably engages one of the Xed rods I6 and also supports the end of the air supply pipe 3| near the fitting 33, as shown in Fig. 2.

When the improved core blowing unit has been properly assembled and adjusted as hereinabove described, it may be utilized to produce successive cores in rapid succession by merely providing an abundant supply of sand in the bin 26 and by supplying the apparatus with air under suitable pressure and thereafter proceeding as follows. The successive empty molds 43 should first be properly positioned upon and anchored to the work supporting plate I with the aid of the stop 44 and clamping rods 45, 46, whereupon the blow hopper 23 should be rolled forwardly into open communication with the down spout 21 of the supply bin 26 in order to receive a batch of sand. When the sand batch has been thus deposited into the blow hopper 23, the loaded hopper or cartridge should be rolled rearwardly along the rails into alinement with the elevated tube I1 and with the pre-positioned empty mold 43, whereupon the lever 4| may be manipulated to actuate the power motor so as to cause the piston rod I8 thereof to lower the compressed air supply tube I1. As the tube I1 descends, the valve actuating disc I9 will first seal the upper `end of the cartridge hopper 23 and will thereafter clamp the cartridge against the mold 43 and open the cessive cores. 23 from the lower end of the air supply tube I'I` 6a air admission valve located within the-tube I1, thereby forcing or blowing sand from within the hopper 23 into the mold andiilling the latter.

After a core blowing operation has been thus completed,the lever 4| may again be manipulated in a reverse direction to causethe power motor piston rod I8 and air supply tube I1 to ascend quickly, and during the upward movement of the tube I1 the'paddle wheel28 will be rapidly revolved in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3 and will throw loose sand into the reservoir spout 21 filling the same Awith a fresh batch of sand from Within the bin 26. Simultaneously with this operation of the paddle wheel 23, the disc I9will be released and withdrawn from the upper end of the blow hopper 23 so as to cause the air delivery valve within the tube |1 to close and to also cause the cartridge supporting rollers 25 to engage the adjacent tracks 20. The blow hopper 23 may then be moved. forwardly into vertical alinement with the spout 21, and the sand filled mold 43 may be removed from the work `table preparatory to application of a subsequent empty mold and repetition of the cycle of` operations. The successive cores may thus be effectively blown in rapid succession; and if the automatic filling of the reservoir 21 with the aid of the arm 34 and link 36 is insufficient, the hand lever 6U may `be utilized to aid in the spout lling operation.

From the foregoing detailed description of the construction and operation of my improved` core blower, it shouldV be apparent that I have in fact providednv unit which is simple, compact and durable in construction, and which is also exible` in its adaptations and highly efficient in operation. The improved assemblage has great capacity considering its relatively small size, and is well adapted to produce cores of many varieties of sizes and shapes with minimum eifort on the part of the operator. The sand slinging paddle wheel 28 is an important feature of the invenm tion since it functions to automatically com-` pletely refill the batch measuring reservoir 21 with loose sand after each delivery of material therefrom,` thereby eliminating bridging of the sand within the bin 26 and assuring an abundance of sand for the production of perfect suc- By suspending theblow hopper with the aid of rails 2|] and rollers 25 in the manner shown and described, this hopper or cartridge may be conveniently transferred from the tube I1 to the spout 21 and viceversa, without interfering with the mold clamping action of the tube I1Vand disc I9 during core blowing operations. The suspension of the power unit from the rigid rods I6 carried by the main frame 1 and the vertical adjustability thereof, permits the use of a relatively short cylinder I3 for blowing cores of various heights; and the guide block 66 coacting with one of the rods I6 avoids application of tilting pressures on the `compressed air supply tube I1 and insures free vertical movement of this tube. The improved unit has gone into successful commercial use and may be manufactured and sold at moderate cost for diverse core blowing purposes.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limitthis invention to the exact details of construction and operation of the core blower unit herein shown and described, for various modifica-` tions within `the scope of the lappended claims may `ocurtto` persons klllet. `Uh@ mit i I claim:

l. A core blower comprising, a main frame having upper cross-beams rigidly connected with and spaced from a lower mold support, a compressed air supply tube vertically movable relative to said beams toward and away from said support, rails carried by the lower portion of said tube between said beams and said support, a sand supply spout carried by said frame laterally of said tube, and a blow hopper movable along said rails to positions of vertical alinement with said tube or with said spout, said hopper being clamped by said tube to the successive molds resting upon said support and being released from supporting contact with said rails when in clamping engagement with a mold.

2. A core blower comprising, a normally stationary main frame having a pair of upper crossbeams rigidly attached to and spaced from a lower mold support, a compressed air supply tube movable vertically between said beams toward and away from said support, a pair of approximately horizontal guide rails carried by the lower portion of said tube in the space between said beams and said support, a sand supply bin carried by said frame and having a depending sand delivery spout located laterally of said tube, and a blow hopper movable along said rails from a position of vertical alinement with said spout to a position of vertical alinement `with said tube, said hopper being clamped by said tube against the successive molds resting upon-said support and being out of contact with said rails during mold lling and clamping operation of said tube.

3. A core blower comprising, a main frame having upper cross-beams rigidly connected with and spaced from a lower mold support, a compressed air supply tube verticallyT movable relative to said beams toward and away from said support, rails carried by the lower portion of said tube between said beams and said support, a sand supply spout carried by said frame laterally of said tube, a blow hopper movable along said rails, and means for moving said tube to clamp said hopper against a mold resting upon said support and to simultaneously move said rails out of supporting engagement with the hopper.

4. A core blower comprising, a normally stationary main frame havingY a pair of upper y cross-beams rigidly attached to and spaced from a lower mold support, a compressed air supply tube movable vertically between said beams toward and away from said support, a pair of approximately horizontal guide rails carried by the lower portion of said tube in the space between said beams and said support, a sand supply bin carried by said frame and having a depending sand delivery spout located laterally of said tube, a blow hopper rollable along said rails to positions of alinement with said tube and spout, and means for lowering said tube to clamp said hopper against a mold resting upon said support and to simultaneously disengage the hopper from said rails.

5. A core blower comprising, a normally stationary main frame having upper cross-beams rigidly attached to and spaced from a lower mold support, a compressed lair sulpply tube movable vertically between said beams toward and away from said support, a pair of approximately horizontal guide rails suspended from and movable by the lower portion of said tube inthe space between seid beams and said support, asand sup# ,ply bin carried by said frame andhavng a depending sand delivery spout located laterally of said tube, :a spout filling paddle wheel within said bin operatively connected to`-said tube, and a blow hopper movable along said rails from a p0- sition of vertical alinement with said spout to a position of vertical alinement with said tube.

6. A core blower comprising, .a normally stationary main frame having a pair of upper cross-beams rigidly attached to and spaced from a lower mold support, a -compressed air supply tube movable vertically between said beams toward and away from said support, a sand supply bin adjustably mounted upon said beams and having a depending sand delivery spout located laterally of said tube, a spout filling paddle wheel located within said bin laterally of said spout, means for rotating said Wheel whenever said tube is moved upwardly, a blow hopper movable from a position of vertical alinement with said spout to a position of vertical alinement with said tube, and a gate pivoted on said spout to move horizontally and being movable by movement of said hopper to open position.

7. A core blower comprising, .a normally stationary main frame having a pair of upper crossbeams rigidly attached to and spaced from a lower mold support, a compressed air supply tube movable vertically between said beams toward and away from said support, a pair of approximately horizontal guide rails carried by the lower portion of said tube in the space between said beams and said support, a sand supply bin carried by said frame cross-beams and having a depending sand delivery spout located laterally of said tube, a spout filling paddle Wheel within said bin operatively connected to said tube so as to be rotated by the movement of the tube, a closure gate for said spout, a blow hopper movable along said rails to actuate said gate, and means for lowering said tube to clamp said hoplper against a mold resting upon said support and to simultaneously disengage the hopper from said rails.

8. A core blower comprising, a main frame having upper beams connected with and spaced from a lower mold support, a compressed air supply tube vertically movable relative to said beams toward and awal7 from said support, rails carried by said tube between said beams and said support, a sand supply bin having a sand delivery spout located laterally of said tube, a spout filling paddle wheel within said bin operatively connected to said tube so as to be rotated by the movement of the tube, a blow hopper movable along said rails, and means for moving said tube to actuate said wheel and to clamp said hopper against a mold resting upon said support and to move said rails out of supporting engagement with the hopper.

9; A core blower comprising, a main frame having upper beams spaced from a lower mold support, a compressed air supply tube movable relative to said beams toward and away from said support, rails carried by said tube, a sand supply bin having a sand delivery spout located adjacent to said tube, a spout lling paddle wheel within said bin operatively connected to said tube so as to be rotated by the movement of the tube, a closure gate for said spout, a blow hopper movable along said rails to actuate said gate, and means for moving said tube to clamp said hopper against a mold resting upon .said support and to move said rails out of supporting engagement with the hopper,

10. A core blower comprising, a main frame having upper beams spaced from a lower mold support, a compressed air supply tube movable relative to said beams toward and away from said support, rails carried by said tube, a sand supply bin having a sand delivery spout located adjacent to said tube, a spout filling paddle wheel within said bin operatively connected to said tube so as to be rotated by the movement of the tube, a blow hopper movable along said rails, and means for lowering said tube to clamp said hopper against a mold resting upon said support and to simultaneously disengage the hopper from said rails.

JULIUS S. JUDELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,480,749 Demmler Jan. 15,` 1924 1,595,600 Demmler Aug. 10, 1926 1.866,301 Goodlin July 5, 1932 1,994,028 Rolf Mar. 12, 1935 2,468,672 Judell Apr. 26, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 543,832 Germany Feb. 15, 1932

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