US3739837A

US3739837A - Direct chill casting mold

Info

Publication number: US3739837A
Application number: US00154567A
Authority: US
Inventors: F Wagstaff; W Wagstaff; P May
Original assignee: Wagstaff Machine Works Inc
Current assignee: Wagstaff Machine Works Inc
Priority date: 1971-06-18
Filing date: 1971-06-18
Publication date: 1973-06-19
Anticipated expiration: 1990-06-19

Abstract

The mold has means therein defining a fluid coolant chamber around the inner peripheral wall thereof, and an aperture in the body thereof, about one end opening thereof, adjacent the inner peripheral wall of the mold. There are also means in the mold for supplying fluid coolant to the aperture, for discharge into the inner peripheral plane of the mold, including a fluid coolant inlet which is connected to the aperture separately and independently of the chamber.

Description

United States Patent 1 Wagstaff et al.

[111 3,739,837 June 19, 1973 DIRECT CHILL CASTING MOLD [75] Inventors: Frank E. Wagstaff, Spokane; Wiliam G. Wagstaff, Veradale; Paul H. May, Spokane, all of Wash.

[73] Assignee: Wagstaff Machine Works, Inc.,

Spokane, Wash.

22 Filed: June 18, 1971 21 Appl.No.:154,567

52 user. ..l64/283, 164/89 51 1m. (:1 ..B22d 11/12 58 Field of Search 164/283, 89; 249/79 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,286,309 11/1966 Brondyke et al. 164/283 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 813,755 9/1951 Germany 164/283 932,085 8/1955 Germany 164/283 Primary Examiner-Robert D. Baldwin Attorney-Christensen & Sanborn [57] ABSTRACT The mold has means therein defining a fluid coolant chamber around the inner peripheral wall thereof, and an aperture in the body thereof, about one end opening thereof, adjacent the inner peripheral wall of the mold. There are also means in the mold for supplying fluid coolant to the aperture, for discharge into the inner peripheral plane of the mold, including a fluid coolant inlet which is connected to the aperture separately and independently of the chamber.

17 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the direct chill casting of metal ingots, and in particular to a mold and/or apparatus for use in this connection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION INCLUDING CERTAIN OBJECTS THEREOF In the direct chill casting of metal-ingots, the molten metal is continuously or continually charged into a sleeve-like, open-ended casting mold which is continuously chilled and cooperatively arranged over a male platen to reduce each charge to a form sustaining condition, as the platen is continuously or continually withdrawn from the mold in the axial direction thereof, to progressively accumulate the charges in an elongated ingot of the metal which may be severed from time to time as the operation proceeds. The mold is chilled by either circulating a fluid coolant therethrough, or by subjecting the mold to a spray of the same. Conventionally, the ingot itself is also chilled as it emerges from the mold. The additional cooling effect is added to various degrees, depending on the properties desired in the body of the metal. It is achieved by discharging the mold coolant flow onto the ingot from a slot about the underside of the mold, together possibly with spraying the ingot from heads located under the mold.

Heretofore, then, the effect of the additional cooling process has been dependent on the temperature and rate of coolant flow to the mold itself, since the latter flow is ordinarily added to the ingot coolant flow in all cases. One object of the present invention is to provide a direct chill casting mold and/or apparatus wherein the temperature, rate and other parameters set for the coolant flow to the ingot, are controllable separately and independently of the coolant flow to the mold itself, either by bypassing the whole of the ingot coolant flow around the mold coolant-stage, or by bypassing a portion of the same therearound. Another object is to provide a mold and/or apparatus of this nature wherein at least a portion of the ingot coolant flow is made up of a fresh fluid coolant medium which has not been preheated by the mold coolant stage. A further object is to provide a mold and/or apparatus of this nature wherein the mold coolant stage and the ingot coolant stage are segregated from one another, so that the effect in each stage can be regulated without regard to the other stage, even to the extent of achieving a zero condition in either stage if desired. A still further object is to provide a mold and/or apparatus of this nature wherein though segregated, both the mold coolant flow and the ingot coolant flow are channelled through the body of the mold to their respective stages; as for example, where the mold coolant flow is circulated to the inner peripheral wall of the mold, whereas the ingot coolant flow is a separate flow which is put through the underside of the mold and discharged onto the ingot from an aperture around the lower end opening thereof. Other objects include the provision of a mold and/or apparatus of this nature wherein the task of cleaning and otherwise maintaining the mold is greatly facilitated by embodying those operative elements of the mold which ordinarily require cleaning and close monitoring, in a subassembly that is easily stripped from the mold and cleaned as a separate integral unit. Still further objects will become apparent from the description of the invention which follows hereafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These objects and advantages are realized by a direct chill casting mold of our invention which has means therein defining a fluid coolant chamber around the inner peripheral wall of the mold, and an aperture in the body thereof, about one end opening thereof, adjacent the inner peripheral wall of the mold; together with means for supplying fluid coolant to the aperture for discharge into the inner peripheral plane of the mold, including a fluid coolant inlet which is connected to the aperture separately and independently of the chamber. The mold may also have passage means in the body thereof, connecting the chamber to the aperture to discharge the coolant in the chamber therethrough. Or alternatively, the body of the mold may be equipped with passage means connecting the chamber to an outlet which is separate and indepen dend of the aperture, to discharge the coolant in the chamber through it instead.

For example, where the chamber coolant is also discharged through the aperture, the inner periphery of the chamber may be defined by the inner peripheral wall portion of the mold, and the aforesaid passage means in the body of the mold may include a series of passages extending within this wall portion between the chamber and the aperture.

In a presently preferred embodiment of the invention which embodies this feature, the aforesaid fluid coolant inlet is interconnected with the aperture through a second chamber which is disposed adjacent the one end of the mold and defined in part by that section of the inner peripheral wall portion of the mold adjacent the one end thereof. The aperture takes the form of a slot of nozzled cross section in the one end of the mold, and in addition to the aforementioned passages, there are other passages interconnected between the second chamber and the slot, in the one end wall portion of the mold, to discharge the coolant in the second chamber across the path of the coolant issuing from the firstmentioned passages.

In this embodiment, moreover, the mold has a cavity in the one end thereof, and the first and second mentioned chambers are formed in the cavity by a removable cover which is disposed on the one end of the mold, across the opening of the cavity, and equipped with partitioning that inserts in the cavity to form a cellular infrastructure therein. The second mentioned passages between the second chamber and the slot are defined by mutually opposing surfaces of the cover and the inner peripheral wall portion of the cavity.

Preferably, each chamber has baffling therein to uni formly distribute the coolant in the same before it dis-- charges through the respective passages. I

On the other hand, where the coolant of the first mentioned chamber discharges to an outlet separate and independent of the aperture, preferably the inlet for the coolant flow to the aperture is interconnected with the same through a second chamber which is separated from the inner peripheral wall portion of the mold by the first mentioned chamber. The first mentioned chamber is defined in part by the one end wall portion of the mold, and the second mentioned chamber is interconnected with the aperture by a series of passages extending within the one end wall portion of the mold.

The passage means to the outlet for the first mentioned chamber, include a system of box partitioning which is interposed between the first and second chambers, and operative to form a pair of tubular jackets therebetween which communicate with the first mentioned chamber, to supply and withdraw fluid coolant therefrom. The passage means also include a plurality of nipples which are interconnected with the jackets to supply and return the coolant through the one end wall portion of the mold.

In a second embodiment of the invention, the mold again has a cavity in the one end thereof, the opening of which in this case is closed by a removable cover that is equipped with the partitioning and nipples, to form the necessary cellular infrastructure therein, including the jackets. The cover also has a bulkhead raised thereon, about the inner peripheral edge thereof, and the passages to the aperture from the second mentioned chamber are disposed in the bulkhead, again to communicate with a slot of nozzled cross section in the one end of the mold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These features will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate each of the aforementioned embodiments.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first mentioned embodiment which operates to blend the mold coolant with the ingot coolant, and vise versa;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the mold line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the mold line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the mold along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the mold along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the mold line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the mold along the line 7-7 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the mold along the line 8-8 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a part perspective cut-out view of the second embodiment which maintains a dual flow; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged lower end cross section of the mold seenin FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to the blender version of FIGS. 1-8, it will be seen that the mold 2 has an open-ended rectangular body configuration in either plan view, and a low, flat, shallow profile from all sides, which profile is accentuated by a thick peripheral flange 4 around the outer peripheral upper edge thereof. The inner peripheral wall 6 of the mold is convex and prolate in configuration, to correspond to the elongated rectangular character of the mold, and has rounded corners 6' at the points where it changes direction in the mold. In vertical cross section, the mold has a hollow infrastructure which is largely concealed behind a flat annularly shaped plate 8 that is fastened to the underside of the mold to cover and substantually close a deeply recessed along the along the along the cavity 10 therein. The cavity 10 extends about the entire perimeter of the mold, so that the main body of the mold has an overturned U-shaped cross section, the inner peripheral wall portion 12 of which is considerably thicker than the outer peripheral wall portion 14 thereof. Moreover, the cavity 10 is countersunk to a considerable depth, so that the wall portions have shoulders 16 thereabout which are coplanar with one another to provide a seat for an annular plate 18 that is tightly screw-clamped to the mold in the cavity, on the shoulders, to divide the cavity into relatively upper and lower chambers 29 and 22, respectively, that likewise extend about the entire perimeter of the mold. Each chamber is serviced with fluid through a tapped

hole

24 or 26 in the outer peripheral wall portion 14 of the mold at one end thereof. Each chamber is also subdivided by a

baffle

28 or 30 which operates to uniformly distribute the fluid contained therein before the fluid is discharged into the inner peripheral plane 32 of the mold, along the underside of the mold, as shall be explained.

Referring to FIG. 2 in particular, it will be seen that the inner peripheral wall portion 12 of the mold has a depending lip 34 thereon whose inner peripheral surface coincides with the inner peripheral plane 32 of the mold, and the outer peripheral surface 36 of which tapers toward the plane 32 in the downward direction. The lip 34 is relatively radially opposed to, but spaced from the inner peripheral edge 38 of the cover plate 8, and like the lip 34, the edge 38 is mitered so that the slot 40 formed therebetween has a nozzled cross section which is angled on a line of discharge toward the inner peripheral plane 32 of the mold. The slot 40 communicates with the

chambers

20 and 22 through two series of

passages

42 and 44 which radiate thereabout, in the directions of the respective chambers. The passages between the slot 40 and the upper chamber 20 take the form of a system of holes 42 which are bored from the inner peripheral wall portion 12 of the mold, along lines that are disposed in radial planes thereof, and inclined steeply to the inner peripheral plane 32 of the mold, to enter the upper chamber at points in the upper-half thereof. The passages between the slot 40 and lower chamber 22 take the form of grooves 44 which are routed from the upper surface of the cover plate 8, at the tapered edge 38 thereof, andextended sufficient length in radial planes of the plate, to open into the inner half of the lower chamber at the bottom. The fluid in the borings 42 operates to cool the inner peripheral wall 12 of the mold; whereas the fluid discharged through the grooves 44 impinges on the fluid issuing from the borings, and intermixes with it in the slot 40 to regulate the coolant capacity of the mix before it discharges into the inner peripheral plane 32 of the mold.

The

bafi'les

28 and 30 are interposed upright in the

chambers

20 and 22 to divide each into radially inner and outer subchambers between which the fluid undergoes reentrant flow in reaching

therespective passages

42 and 44. Thus, the baffle 28 in the upper chamber 20 has a series of apertures 46 in the lower half thereof to require the fluid in the upper chamber to undergo downturned reentrant flow to the borings 42; and the baffle 30 in the lower chamber 22 has a series of apertures 48 in the upper half thereof to require the fluid in the latter chamber to undergo upturned reentrant flow to the grooves 44. Each baffle is dadoed into the plate below, and is sealed to the ceiling of its chamber by means of a channelled and V-grooved elastomeric sealing ring 50 mounted about the upper edge thereof, thus rendering the entire baffle and plate assembly removable from the mold for cleaning purposes. Other elastomeric sealing members 52 are dadoed into the plate 8 to reseal the assembly in the mold when it is returned thereto.

in the modified dual-flow version of FIGS. 9 and 10, the mold 54 is similar in plan view and profile, but the cavity 56 recessed in the underside thereof is defined between inner and outer peripheral wall portions 58 and 60 of substantially equal thickness, and there is a corbel 62 jutting into the cavity from the inner peripheral wall portion 58 of the mold, at a level above the bottom of the outer peripheral wall portion 60. Also, the cavity 56 is serviced through a plurality of

nipples

64, 66 and 68 which are mounted on the cover plate 70 screw-clamped to the underside of the mold. The plate 70 has a mitered inner peripheral edge 72, however, which together with a tapered lip 74 depending from the inner peripheral wall portion of the mold, defines a nozzled slot 76 in the underside of the mold, as in the earlier described embodiment. Fluid is fed to the slot through one of a plurality of chambers which are formed in the cavity 56 at the inside ends of the nipples, as shall be explained.

The inner peripheral edge portion of the cover plate 70 has a stepped bulkhead 78 raised thereon, immediately radially outwardly from the mitered edge 72 thereof, and tightly interposed between the upper surface of the bulkhead and the ceiling of the cavity 56, is a welded superstructure of box partitioning 80 forming a pair of

tubular jackets

82 and 84 around the perimeter of the mold, the upper 82 of which jackets is wider than the lower jacket 84 and defined in part by the ceiling of the cavity. The step 86 of the bulkhead is tightly clamped against the corbel 62 on the inner wall portion of the mold, when the cover plate 70 is added, and the trough-like casing of the upper jacket 82 is equipped with a pair of channelled and V-grooved elastomeric sealing rings 88, as in the case of the

baffles

28 and 30 in the earlier embodiment, to effect a seal against the ceiling of the cavity. The disposition of the partitioning 80 divides the cavity 56 into inner peripheral and outer peripheral chambers 90 and 92, respectively, and one body of fluid is circulated to inner peripheral chamber 90, to cool the inner peripheral wall portion 58 of the mold, whereas another body of fluid is circulated to the outer peripheral chamber 92 to service the slot 76, as shall be explained.

The

jackets

82 and 84 have series of circumferential openings 94 and 96 about the upper and lower halves thereof, respectively, through which they communicate with the inner peripheral chamber 90, and fluid is circulated to the chamber by introducing it into the upper jacket 82 through a set of relatively small diameter elbowed nipples 64 passed upwardly through the cover plate 70 and the outer peripheral chamber 92 to each corner of the jacket 82. From the upper jacket, the fluid enters the inner peripheral chamber through the openings 94 and ultimately drains into the lower jacket 84 and out of the mold through another set of relatively small diameter elbowed nipples 66 passed downward through the outer chamber 92 and the cover plate 70 at points midway along the sides of the mold. Meanwhile, other fluid is fed to the outer peripheral chamber 92 through a set of relatively large diameter nipples 68 which are flush-mounted in the comers of the plate and from there, the fluid enters the slot 76 through a series of inclined, circumferentially oriented borings 98 about the base of the bulkhead 78.

As in the earlier described embodiment, the entire plate and partitioning assembly is removable for cleaning, there being elastomeric sealing members 100 dadoed into the plate for rescaling the assembly when it is returned to the mold.

I claim:

1. In combination, an axially upright, monolithic, sleeve-like, open-ended direct chill casting mold provided with an annular recess in and about the lower axial end thereof, so as to have an inverted U-shaped cross section at points about the axis thereof, comprised of substantially axially coextensive inner and outer peripheral walls joined across the upper end portions thereof by an annular end wall, the inner peripheral wall of said mold having a dlepending lip on and about the lower end thereof, the inner peripheral surface of which coincides with the inner peripheral surface plane of said inner peripheral wall; an annular plate secured to the mold on the lower ends of the inner and outer peripheral walls, and extending about the lip so as to cover the recess and form an annular cavity in the mold, but being spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the lip so as to form an aperture therebetween; partition means interposed in the cavity between the inner and outer peripheral walls of the mold so as to divide the cavity into two separate chambers, one of which is disposed adjacent the annular upper end wall of the mold; means for supplying coolant fluid to each chamber; means including the inner peripheral wall, defining a passage which extends adjacent the inner peripheral surface plane of the inner peripheral wall and interconnects the one chamber with the lower end of the inner peripheral wall, to cool the cast by circulating the fluid in the one chamber into contact with the inner peripheral wall; and means including the plate, defining a passage which extends adjacent the lower end of the inner peripheral wall and interconnects the other chamber with the aperture, to further cool the cast by releasing at least the fluid in said other chamber into the aperture, for discharge into the inner peripheral surface plane of the inner peripheral wall at the lip of the mold.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the partition means is disposed in the cavity so as to form relatively upper and lower chambers adjacent the upper end wall of the mold and the: plate, respectively.

3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the lip terminates in spaced relationship to the lower inner peripheral end edge of the inner peripheral wall, to form a shoulder thereon, and the plate abuts the shoulder and the lower end of the outer peripheral wall, but has grooves therein which together with the shoulder form passages interconnecting the lower chamber with the aperture.

4. The combination according to claim 2, wherein the inner peripheral wall has holes therein forming passages which interconnect the upper chamber with the aperture to release the fluid in the upper chamber into the same for discharge into the inner peripheral surface plane of the inner peripheral wall.

5. The combination according to claim 2, wherein the partition means takes the form of another annular plate which is secured to the mold in the cavity in spaced, parallel relationship to the first mentioned annular plate.

6. The combination according to claim 2, wherein the fluid is supplied to the chambers through holes in the outer peripheral wall.

7. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the partition means is disposed in the cavity so as to form relatively inner and outer chambers adjacent the inner and outer peripheral walls, respectively.

8. The combination according to claim 7, wherein the inner peripheral wall has an annular corbel on and about the inner peripheral surface thereof adjacent the lip, and the plate abuts the corbel and the lower end of the outer peripheral wall to close the bottoms of the inner and outer chambers, but the plate has holes therein forming passages interconnecting the outer peripheral chamber with the aperture.

9. The combination according to claim 7, wherein the partition means has relatively upper and lower chambers formed therein adjacent the upper end wall of the mold and the plate, respectively, and the inner chamber interconnects with the upper and lower chambers of the partition means to form a passage which cools the cast by circulating the fluid thereof into contact with the inner peripheral wall, one of said upper and lower chambers ha ing an outlet to the exterior of the mold disposed to discharge the fluid therein separately and independently of the aperture between the lip and the plate.

10. The combination according to claim 7, wherein the partition means is upstanding on and about the plate, and is interconnected with the plate as a composite assembly which is conjointly attachable and detachable to and from the mold.

11. The combination according to claim 7, wherein the fluid is supplied to the chambers through holes in the plate.

12. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the aperture takes the form of an annular slot extending between the plate and the lip about the perimeter of the mold.

13. In a sleeve-like, open-ended direct chill casting mold, means including one end wall portion of the mold, defining a fluid coolant chamber around the inner peripheral wall of the mold, and an aperture in the body of the mold, about the opening in the one end thereof, adjacent the inner peripheral wall of the mold; means for supplying fluid coolant to the aperture for discharge into the inner peripheral plane of the mold, including a fluid coolant inlet which is connected to the aperture separately and independently of the chamber, through a second chamber which is separated from the inner peripheral wall of the mold by the first mentioned chamber, and interconnected with the aperture by a series of passages extending within the one end wall portion of the mold; and passage means in the body of the mold, connecting the first mentioned chamber to an outlet which is separate and independent of the aperture, to discharge the coolant in the first mentioned chamber therethrough, including a system of box partitioning which is interposed between the first and second mentioned chambers, and operative to form a pair of tubular jackets therebetween which communicate with the first mentioned chamber, to supply and withdraw fluid coolant therefrom.

14. The mold according to claim 13 wherein the passage means also include a plurality of nipples which are interconnected with the jackets to supply and return the coolant through the one end wall portion of the mold.

15. The mold according to claim 14 wherein there is a cavity in the one end of the mold, the opening of which is closed by a removable cover that is equipped with the partitioning and nipples, to form a cellular infrastructure which defines the jackets and inserts in the cavity to separate the first and second mentioned chambers from one another.

16. The mold according to claim 15 wherein the cover has a bulkhead raised thereon, about the inner peripheral edge thereof, and the passages to the aperture from the second mentioned chamber are disposed in the bulkhead.

17. The mold according to claim 13 wherein the aperture takes the form of an annular slot of nozzled cross section in the one end of the mold.

Claims

1. In combination, an axially upright, monolithic, sleeve-like, open-ended direct chill casting mold provided with an annular recess in and about the lower axial end thereof, so as to have an inverted U-shaped cross section at points about the axis thereof, comprised of substantially axially coextensive inner and outer peripheral walls joined across the upper end portions thereof by an annular end wall, the inner peripheral wall of said mold having a depending lip on and about the lower end thereof, the inner peripheral surface of which coincides with the inner peripheral surface plane of said inner peripheral wall; an annular plate secured to the mold on the lower ends of the inner and outer peripheral walls, and extending about the lip so as to cover the recess and form an annular cavity in the mold, but being spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the lip so as to form an aperture therebetween; partition means interposed in the cavity between the inner and outer peripheral walls of the mold so as to divide the cavity into two separate chambers, one of which is disposed adjacent the annular upper end wall of the mold; means for supplying coolant fluid to each chamber; means including the inner peripheral wall, defining a passage which extends adjacent the inner peripheral surface plane of the inner peripheral wall and interconnects the one chamber with the lower end of the inner peripheral wall, to cool the cast by circulating the fluid in the one chamber into contact with the inner peripheral wall; and means including the plate, defining a passage which extends adjacent the lower end of the inner peripheral wall and interconnects the other chamber with the aperture, to further cool the cast by releasing at leasT the fluid in said other chamber into the aperture, for discharge into the inner peripheral surface plane of the inner peripheral wall at the lip of the mold.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the partition means is disposed in the cavity so as to form relatively upper and lower chambers adjacent the upper end wall of the mold and the plate, respectively.

9. The combination according to claim 7, wherein the partition means has relatively upper and lower chambers formed therein adjacent the upper end wall of the mold and the plate, respectively, and the inner chamber interconnects with the upper and lower chambers of the partition means to form a passage which cools the cast by circulating the fluid thereof into contact with the inner peripheral wall, one of said upper and lower chambers having an outlet to the exterior of the mold disposed to discharge the fluid therein separately and independently of the aperture between the lip and the plate.