US2555134A

US2555134A - Molten metal feeding apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2555134A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hunter Marshall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-10-17
Filing date: 1949-10-17
Publication date: 1951-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 1968-05-29

Description

May 29, 1951 M. HUNTER 2,555,134,

' MOLTEN METAL FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 17. 1949 I 20 Jr 22 o v 3 0 "27 28 I I I I. I 1| 7 \J I 30. Fl 6. I

INVENTOR.

AM RSHAL 1. NU r/m'fi Patented May 29, 1951 U N IT ED STATES EAT ENT wO F Fl CE vIVIOLTEN tMETALFEEDING APPARATUS -Marshall Hunter, Englewood, C010.

1 Application October '17, 1949; Serial No. 121,688

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates tozmoltenmetal feeding apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for transferring molten metal from-one crucible, which will be referredto as the first crucible, to another, which Willbe designated the receiving crucible.

The apparatus embodying my inventionis es pecially adapted to supply metal for the pot of typesetting machines such as. Linotype,- .:Intertype, Ludlow, Monotype and kindred machines, but: may be employed for feeding molten metal for other purposes. In the patented art relating to metal feeding apparatus for machinesxof the character referred to, the crucible which I call the first crucible is designatedthe auxiliary pot and flthe. one which I name 'the'receiving crucible is designated the main pot.

One of the objects-ofmy invention-is to. pro-' vide means for conveying moltenumetala from the first crucible to the receivingcrudiblerat a predetermined temperatureand to. :maintain said temperature uniformly throughout theucon veying operation.

Another object of the invention is :to: provide means for conveying molten metal from aufirst crucible which is located at a distance fromzthe receiving crucible into which the metal is. to be transferred. Heretofore these crucibles have been located closely together. Frequentlythe first or auxiliary crucible has been mounted ,on the receiving or main crucible, and in some: instances these crucibles have been mounted on the same frame or support. This arrangement is objectionable because it requires that the size-of the first crucible be limited according tothe capacity of the receiving crucible to support it, or according to the strength and space afforded by a common frame or support for both crucibles. By the improved construction herein described, the first crucible may be supported ona floor, in any convenient location; and may be ofany desired or required size and shape, irrespective of the capacityor form of the receivingcrucible, which when used for supplying molten metal to a typesetting machine necessarily is limited as to size and restricted to a specific location in juxtaposition to the typesetting machine.

The fact that my first crucible may be of any desired capacity is a great advantage in that it permits of loading the crucible withzscrap metal, suchas ,dead slugs, cuttings fromsaws, trimmingsfromthe casting machines, and the like, and obviates the necessity of casting ingotsfor suchfceding machines as use them. Aiull ,dayssupply of metal maybe-loaded into the' fi'rst crucible, thus allowing ian operator or attendant go dismiss the thought of metal supply for the Another advantage of this arrangement is the fact that the first crucible may be sufficie ntly large to feed'more than one receiving crucible. Thus a plurality :of: typesettingmachines and their receiving crucibles :may be' fed'from a single supply crucible-through: a plurality of metal feed lines of theicharacter to be described. ,JMy novelmechanism for conveying molten metal 'ata. uniform, predetermined temperature from a supply crucible to one or more receiving crucibles is an importantfactor in the successful operation of apparatus in which'thefirst crucible .and the receiving crucible or crucibles are not mounted in: direct or close communication. witheach other.

:Another important feature of the invention is the mechanism by means of which the molten metal in the receiving crucible is maintained at a substantially constant level.

These and other advantages will be apparent from the drawings and following specification.

Inthe drawings:

. Fig. l isan'elevational viewofpart of a typesetting machine and of my apparatus for feedingmoltenmetal thereto, said apparatus being shown. partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus-taken in the plane of the line 2-2 'of Fig. 1, looking in the'direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 31is anenlarged vertical sectional view of a. portionof'the float controlled air line.

1 Fig. 4: is aztransverse sectional view, enlarged, through the metal conveying conduit between the first-crucible and. the receiving crucible, the sectionbeing taken int-he plane of the line 4- -4 of Fig.11.

Fig. 5 is. a .verticalsectional view, enlarged, or" the valve controlled. intake: end of the metal conveyingconduit.

- In that embodimentof the invention shown in Figs. 1 to. 5,:inclusive,the.first crucible, is des- ID may be varied according to the capacity and the number of receiving crucibles it is intended to supply with molten metal.

The contents of the crucible l preferably are heated by electrical means, such as the Calrod I6, or other suitable heating means capable of melting and maintaining the molten metal at required temperature. Metal for typesetting usually is heated to 550 F. but the temperature required to melt different metals will vary. For example, if the apparatus were being employed to feed molten alloys which melt at relatively low temperatures, such as are used for coating fusible links and the like, much lower temperatures suffice to melt the alloys.

The receiving crucible is designated H as a whole. The construction of the receiving crucible may be varied and need not be described in detail. It is mounted on the frame l8 of a type casting machine and is provided with a spout or throat IQ for feeding molten metal to a mold in the mold wheel 20 of the type casting machine, as is well understood in the art. The casting machine parts are not a part of this invention and need not be described.

The mechanism about to be described constitu'tes the means for conveying the molten metal from the first crucible ID to the receiving crucible l1 and for maintaining a substantially constant level in the receiving crucible. This mechanism utilizes air to force the molten metal to pass upwardly from the floor-supported crucible 10 to the raised receiving crucible l1 and the air pressure is controlled by a moving part of the type casting machine and by a float valve actuated by variations in the level of the molten metal in the receiving crucible. Thus the moving part of the casting machine may operate an air pump which supplies air under pressure to the metal conveying means at regular intervals while the casting machine is operating, but in the event the level in the receiving crucible is such that no additional metal is needed, the float valve controlled by said molten metal level functions to prevent the air pressure from forcing additional metal to pass to the receiving crucible and the air is by-passed and dissipated until the level in crucible I1 is lowered and the float valve closes the air passage and again renders the air pressure effective to force metal into the receiving crucible, as will be explained in detail.

Said metal conveying means comprises an air pump indicated diagrammatically at 2|, connected to an air conduit 22 which communicates with one arm of a T-shaped valve member 23 best shown in Fig. 3. The two part stem 24 of the T-member is constructed to provide a shoulder 25 interiorly of the stem to form a seat for the ball 26. The ball 26 is movable by the rod 21 of the float 28 but its upward movement is limited by the stop pin 23 projecting inwardly from the valve member 23. The float is controlled by the level of the molten metal in the crucible l1. When the ball 26 is seated on the shoulder 25, air in the conduit 22 passes through the valve member 23 into the air conduit 30 which extends downwardly from the member 23 into a reservoir 3| which consists of a vertically disposed portion in continuation of the air conduit 30 and a horizontally disposed portion located in the first crucible ID. The vertically disposed portion of the reservoir 3| is also located within the crucible l0, its upper end extending through the cover M.

This reservoir 3| will be referred to herein as a metal reservoir. It is immersed in the molten metal in the first crucible In as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The form and construction of the intake member 32 of the metal reservoir 3| is shown in Fig. 5. The metal intake end 32 is controlled by a ball 33 seatable on the seat 34, the movement of the ball being limited by the stop pin 35 projecting inwardly from the wall of the member 32. It will be seen from Fig. 5 that the metal reservoir 3| enters the intake chamber as indicated at 36. The molten metal in the crucible l3 seeks its level by entering the metal reservoir 3| through the opening controlled by the ball valve 33 and will fill the horizontally disposed portion as well as part of the vertically disposed g 32 inside of a hollow tubular casing 38 which also houses an electrical conduit 39 for heating oil, water or. other medium 43 for maintaining the metal conveying conduit 31 and its contents at desired temperature. If the molten metal in conduit 31 has a relatively low metling point, such as alloys which melt at less than the boiling point of water, that medium may be employed, but for maintaining the desired temperature of molten metal such as is used in type casting machines, I have found oil to be a suitable medium. In Fig. 4 I have indicated by the numeral 40 the medium surrounding the metal conveying conduit 31, which is heated by the electrical conduit 33. Insulating means 40 confined in a hollow casing preferably surrounds the casing 33. It will be understood of course that the tubular housing 38 is closed at its ends or at least at its bottom end to retain the heated medium 40. The tubular housing 38 takes the form of an inverted U at its upper end 4| from which the metal conveying conduit 31 emerges, in such position that the molten metal is dropped into the receiving crucible l1.

Operation.Metal to be molten is placed in the inner casing l2 of the first crucible Ill. The heating medium I5 is supplied from any suitable source of electrical current. The molten metal in the crucible It] seeks its level and unseats the ball 33 and enters the metal reservoir 3| through the horizontal intake 32.

The pump 2| is put into operation by any moving part of the typesetting machine to which it is operatively connected or other timed mechanism may be employed for this purpose. Air under pressure from the pump passes into and through the air line 22 into the float controlled valve chamber 23. Assuming the receiving crucible 11 to be empty at the beginning of the operation, the float 28 will be in its lowest position and the ball 23 will be seated on the shoulder 25 and thus close the stem 24 and prevent passage of air outwardly therethrough. Thus the air from the conduit 22 must pass through the valve member 23 and into the conduit 30 which conveys the air under pressure to the top of the metal reservoir 3|, The air pressure against the body of molten metal in the reservoir 3| causes the ball valve 33 to seat on the seat 34 and close the metal intake 32, and at the same time to force the molten metal from the reservoir upwardly into the conduit 31. In its travel upwardly through the conduit 31 the metal is maintained at uniform, predetermined temperature by the medium 40 in the tubular housing 38 as heretofore described, and is conveyed through the conduit 31 into the receiving crucible H. The desired temperature of the medium 49 preferably is maintained by thermostatically controlled heating means.

When the level of molten metal in the receiving crucible I! has reached a predetermined level, the float 28 will raise the rod 21 which unseats the ball 26. Thus the air entering the valve chamber 23 from pump conduit 22 is bypassed and allowed to pass around the raised ball 26 and be dissipated through the stem 24. The conduit 30 is thus deprived of air under pressure and the valved opening in the metal intake 32 is again free to open under influence of the molten metal in first crucible I ll seeking its level, and metal enters the reservoir 3| to the level of the metal in the crucible l0. Although the pump 2! continues to send air into the passage 22, the conveying of the metal into the receiving crucible I! is interrupted until the float 28 falls sufficiently to allow the ball 26 to close the valve chamber 23 and thus force the air into the conduit 30 and to again exert pressure on the metal in the reservoir 3 I, whereupon the cycle of operations is repeated.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the relative size of the first crucible I0 may be increased, as compared to the receiving crucible I1, and that a plurality of molten metal conveying lines stemming from a common or main conveying line, air lines and associated mechanism may be employed to feed metal to a plurality of receiving crucibles. By disassociating the first, or supply crucible ID from the receiving crucible I1, and supporting it on a floor or other means not restricted as to location and size, this important change may be made in the existing methods of feeding metal to typesetting or other machines. The second important improvement which renders this advance possible is the provision of means for conveying the molten metal the necessary distance between the supply and receiving crucibles and maintaining a predeter mined temperature throughout the conveyance of the metal.

Changes may be made in the form of parts, in details of construction, in the number of receiving crucibles, size of supply crucibles, and number of metal conveying conduits, without departing from the scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for feeding molten metal. from a supply crucible to a receiving crucible, comprising a metal reservoir communicating with said crucibles, said metal reservoir having a metal intake opening, an air inlet and an outlet, means for opening and closing said metal intake opening, a pressure pump, an air conduit connecting the pump and the metal reservoir, an air chamber in the air conduit between said pump and metal reservoir, an air by-pass opening in the air chamber, means controlled by the level of metal in the receiving crucible for opening and closing said by-pass opening in the air chamber, and a metal conveying conduit connecting the metal reservoir outlet and the receiving crucible.

2. Apparatus for feeding molten metal from a supply crucible to a receiving crucible, comprising a metal reservoir communicating with said crucibles, said metal reservoir having a metal intake opening located in the supply crucible, air controlled means for opening and closing said metal intake opening, an. air inlet 6 and an outlet in said metal reservoir, a pressure pump, an air conduit connecting the pump and air inlet of the metal reservoir, an air chamber in the air conduit between said pump and metal reservoir, an air by-pass opening in the chamber, means for closing and opening said by-pass opening in the air chamber, said means being controlled by the level of the metal in the receiving crucible, and a metal conveying conduit connecting the metal reservoir outlet and the receiving crucible.

3. Apparatus for feeding molten metal from a supply crucible to a receiving crucible, comprising a metal reservoir communicating with said crucibles, said metal reservoir having a metal intake opening located in the supply crucible, air controlled means for opening and closing said metal intake opening, an air inlet and an outlet in said metal reservoir, a pressure pump, an air conduit connecting the pump and air inlet of the metal reservoir, an air chamber in the air conduit between said pump and metal reservoir, an air by-pass opening in the air chamber, means for closing and opening said bypass opening in the air chamber, said means comprising a ball, a seat surrounding the by-pass opening, a rod engaging the ball and movable in said opening, and a float on said rod controlled by the level of the metal in the receiving crucible, and a metal conveying conduit connecting the metal reservoir outlet and the receiving crucible.

4. Apparatus for feeding molten metal from a supply crucible to a receiving crucible, comprising a metal reservoir communicating with said crucibles, said metal reservoir having a metal intake opening, an air inlet and an outlet, means for opening and closing said metal intake opening, a pressure pump, an air conduit connecting the pump and the metal reservoir, an air chamber in the air conduit between said pump and metal reservoir, an air by-pass opening in the air chamber, means controlled by the level of metal in the receiving crucible for opening and closing said by-pass opening in the air chamber, and a metal conveying conduit connecting the metal reservoir outlet and the receiving crucible, said means for opening and. closing the metal intake opening comprising a seat adjacent said metal intake opening and a ball in the metal reservoir adapted to engage said seat, said ball being forced by air pressure to close the intake opening when the by-pass opening in the air chamber is closed.

MARSHALL HUNTER.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 579,293 Capehart Mar. 23, 1897 1,228,793 Lee June 5, 1917 1,866,682 Temmen July 12, 1932 1,874,721 Willis Aug. 30, 1932 1,930,727 Richardson Oct. 17, 1933 2,019,727 Quinn et al Nov. 5, 1935 2,135,183 Junghans Nov. 1, 1938 2,195,360 Daesen Mar. 26, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 614,750 Great Britain Dec. 2, 1948