US2672661A - Rotary-table casting apparatus with water-cooled molds - Google Patents

Description

March 23, 1954 s. N. LUTZ ROTARY-TABLE CASTING APPARATUS WITH WATER-COOLED MOLDS 3 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed July 9, 1951 FIELi- March 23, 1954 s, LUTZ 2,672,661

ROTARY-TABLE CASTING APPARATUS WITH WATER-COOLED MOLDS Filed July 9, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i/j Mia/wag March 23, 1954 s, N, LUTZ 2,672,661

ROTARY-TABLE CASTING APPARATUS WITH WATER-COOLED MOLDS Filed July 9, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 F IELZI- 59 if 5% 12 I 52. 7 M 4 4 i z y v 524 45 2a 25 I 25 26 L19 I W F "5-4.

if if 7.;

jZ- M Z Inventor: fim/vz 0 /V. 11/72,

Patented Mar. 23, 1954 ROTARY TABLE CASTING APPARATUS WITH WATER- COOLED MOLDS Stanley N. Lutz',-Lor'ain, States Steel Corporati Jersey Ohio; assignor' to United on, a corporation. of: New

Application J uly 9,]1951, Serial No..23'5,826"

L Claim. 1

This invention relates to: apparatus for supporting and conveying'a series of molds past a pouring station whereby'metal castings maybe produced rapidly and efficiently.

Many types of rotary-table casting apparatus have been proposed heretofore. It is the object of my invention to improve generally on such known apparatus and, in: particular; to provide apparatus particularly adapted for casting articles which. may'bemade in one-piece perma nent metal molds. Further objects are-toprovide" suitable water cooling'for such molds and mountings therefor which will facilitate dump-- ing. of the castings when cooled. Other more specific objects of the invention will become apparent hereinafter.

In a pref'erredembodiment' of'the invention, I providea rotary'table or horizontal wheel in the form. of a spider-likeskeleton having a plurality of 'armsradiatingfrom a central hub. The'hub iszjjournaled on a vertical tubular spindle. Moldcarrying buckets spaced circumierentiall'y' of the table have trunnions pivoted in bearings carried by the arms, the common axisof'the bearings'of each bucket lying generally tangentially of the table; A mold. is removably secured in each bucket by a flangewhich serves as a" cover; and inlet" and outlet connections for cooling water are provided for'each bucket. Water is supplied to the inlet connections from a main extending through the spindle. The hub has a collector basinfor receiving water" discharged from the outlet connections. 1

A- complete understanding of' the invention maybe obtained'irom the'iollowing detailed description' and-explanation which refer to the accompanying drawings illustrating" thepresent preferred embodiment. In" the drawings,

Figure 1' is a plan view ofmy improved casting apparatus;

Figure 2 is a cross-section thereof taken along theplaneofline II--II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-section to enlarged scale through one of thebuckets, taken along the plane of line IIIIII of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a partial section through one of the buckets taken alongtheplane of line IV-IV of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is apartial side elevation of one of the buckets showing a portionin section taken along the plane of line V-V of Figure 3.

Referring'nowin detail to the drawings and, for the present, to Figures 1 and'2, a base plate I having a centralopening' H therein, .is secured to'rafound-ation. l2. S pacedZwehplates lit disposed radially about the opening I I support a vertical hollow spindle or post bottom ring' I 4* and a sleeve M wardly therefrom. A horizontal indicated generally at M including a extending up-- is composed of a central hub l6 and arms I! radiating therefrom; The hub is journaled on the spindle by an upper thrust-and-radial bearing l8 and a lower radial bearing 59. The arms reston a flange l6 -adja-- cent the bottom of the hub; are braced by gussets 21) welded thereto and to the hub, andare tied together intermediate their ends by bars" The table is drivenatlow speed (from to I R. P: M.) by a variable-speed motor (not shown) through areduction gear 22 having a vertical low-speed output shaft onwhich is'secured a pinion 23". The pinion meshes'with a; gear 24' secured to the hub l6' at'the lower end thereof.

Cross bars 25 at the'ends of arms I! carry a bearing 26 at each end; In each pair of bearings'including one on each of two adjacent cross bars; a bucket Z'I'isjournaled by means of trunnicns 28 thereon (see-Figure 3)'. As shown in Figure 1, the arrangement of the pairs of bearings supporting each of the several buckets is such that the latter are tiltable about horizontal axes generally tangential to the table I5. The t'runnions are located at a level such that the buckets normally hang vertical in the bearings; Each bucket has a handle 29 by which it may be tilted outwardly at the top until it'- is substantially' inverted; A lug 30 is fixed to one of the bearings of each bucket forcooperation with a radial lug 3| secured to the latter (see Figures 3 and 5) thus providing a stop limiting the re'- turn swingof' the bucket after' tilting;

Each bucket contains a: one-piece metal mold The mold includes acavity forming portion 32 a stepped portion 32 and" a flange-32 which rests on the rim of the bucket and serves as a covertherefor. The'under-sid'e of the flange has a groove for a sealing gasketwhich seats on the bucket" rim: The mold is removably secured. to the bucket bybolts' extending through holes in" flange 32' and through lugs 3 projecting ra- 'diaily f'romthebucket. A" sand core35 including a pouring basin 35 is fittedinto' eachmold be flarepouring molten metal therein. The basin fitssnugly in: the stepped portion of: the mold. The cavity in the molds: may be: of any desired shape:v shown is for' the. production of plugs usedin. rolling seamless-tubes.

A- guidetube 36-- is secured to each' bucket by a web. plate: 3%. A U--shaped plunger or yoke 3.1: has. a long. leg. reciprocable throughthe. are, a short leg adapted to exert a downward" thrust wheel or table on the core and a horizontal portion connecting the two legs. A spring 38 on the long leg of the plunger is compressed between a washer thereon and the upper end of the tube and constantly urges the plunger downwardly. An expendable spacer block 39 is disposed between the short leg of the plunger and the core to prevent splashed metal from freezing on the plunger and interfering with removal of the casting from the mold. The plunger is turned to a position in which the short leg is out of alinement with the mold when a core is being placed therein.

In order to insure quick freezing of the molten metal poured into the molds and keep the latter at a safe temperature, I provide means for circulating cooling water through the buckets 21. A supply pipe 40 extends below ring 14* and up wardly through spindle M. A pipe ring or annulus 4! above hub I6 is connected to pipe 40 by a hose 42 and has connections 43 extending to inlet pipes 44 inserted through one of the trunnions 2B of each bucket. Each connection 43 includes a control valve 45 and a swivel 46 at the joint with the inlet pipe. The other trunnion of each bucket has an outlet pipe 41 inserted therethrough and connected by a swivel 48 to an outlet pipe as. Pipes 49 have downturned nozzles 59 at their inner ends which discharge into a collector basin secured on top of hub 16 and having a bottom outlet fitting in the upper end of spindle M. A drain pipe 52 connected to the bottom ring of the spindle extends through a void in foundation [2 to the sewer. The elevation and visibility of the nozzles 50 and the discharge jets therefrom make it possible for the operator constantly to verify the maintenance of continued circulation of cooling water through each bucket and to leave out of service any bucket through which circulation may be reduced by partial stoppage of its supply pipe or maladjustment of its control valve, for example, until the necessary corrective measures may be taken.

The apparatus is prepared for operation by bolting a set of molds 32 of the desired size in buckets 21. spection is made to detect leaks. The entering water is preferably held at about 110 F. since a lower temperature may permit condensation of atmospheric moisture in the molds. Cores 35 of the proper size are then placed in the molds and held by means of plungers 31' and wood blocks 39. Molten metal is then poured into the molds, usually by two operators from a. small ladle. The pouring operation is the slowest part of the proccss and therefore A convenient location is chosen as the pouring station and as soon as one mold is filled, the table is rotated to bring another mold up to the pouring station. The table is stopped while each mold is being poured.

After three or four molds have been poured, the first casting is usually cool enough for dumping and this operation is performed by an operator stationed in the proper location who lifts the plunger 3'1, turns it free of the mold, grasps handle 29 and tilts bucket 21 outwardly through an angle sumcient to cause the casting to fall out of the mold by gravity. If any sticking occurs, it can usually be overcome by swinging the bucket back so that lug 3| strikes stop 30 a sharp blow. This jarring action loosens the casting so that it falls out readily when the bucket is again swung outwardly. In the case of rolling-mill plugs, the symmetrical tapered shape of the castings facilitates their removal from the molds.

The water is turned on and an inthe limiting factor in output.

Another operator then places new cores in the molds and secures them in place by means of the plungers 3'! and new wood blocks 39. These molds are then ready to receive molten metal for additional castings and the process may be continued as long as a supply of molten metal is available.

It is possible to set up different sizes of molds in the several buckets at one time. In this case, however, the output is limited by the pouring time on the largest casting.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that my invention provides casting apparatus having peculiar advantages for the production of small articles suited for casting in one-piece metal molds. The construction is simple and inexpensive yet rugged and sturdy enough to withstand a considerable degree of rough usage. Progressive rotation of the table brings the molds successively up to the pouring station so that the casting may proceed with little interruption. The provisions for water cooling eifect prompt solidification and cooling of the castings so they may be quickly dumped and the molds fitted with new cores for the next cycle. The apparatus is quite flexible in that the pouring, dumping and corefitting stations may be located where desired around the periphery of the table, so long as they are properly spaced and in correct sequence.

Although I have disclosed herein the referred embodiment of my invention, I intend to cover as well any change or modification therein which may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

Casting apparatus comprising a base, a vertical tubular post upstanding on said base, open at the top, a hub telescoped over said post, vertically spaced bearings on said post rotatably supporting said hub thereon, a plurality of horizontal arms spaced circumferentially of the hub and extend ing radially therefrom, a pair of fixed bearings mounted on the outer end of each arm, the adjacent bearings of each pair of adjacent arms being spaced apart, a mold-carrying bucket pivoted in said adjacent bearings and depending therebetween, an open-topped collector basin fitting in the top of said hub and having a bottom outlet discharging into said post, an annulus lying in a horizontal plane above said basin, an inlet pipe extending upwardly through said post and connected to said annulus, supply pipes extending radially outward from said annulus and radial return pipes extending inwardly and upwardly above the top of the basin and discharging thereinto over the rim thereof whereby the flow from said return pipes is readily visible, one of the supply pipes and one of the return pipes being connected to each bucket through the two bearings, respectively, supporting each bucket.

STANLEY N. LUTZ,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Shook et al. 1 Sept. 12, 1950

Images