US629480A - Casting and conveying apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

No. 629,480. Patented July 25, i899. E. A. uEHLmG & J. w. MILLER. CASTING AND. CONVEYING APPARATUS.

(Application filed J une 30, 1897.)

6 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

s f i@ :nlumfmu No. 629,480. Y Patented Iuly 25, |899.- E. A. UEHLING &. J. W. MILLER.

CASTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

6 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(Application led June 30, 1897.) N o M o d e I Llruo., wAsHmuToN D c Patented July 25, |899. E. A. UEHLING &. J. W. MILLER. CASTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

(Application led June 80. 1897.)

A (No Model.)

6 Sheets-Sheet 3.

, .5 mzwmzamy y No. 629,480. Patented luly 25, |899.

E. A. UEHLING J. W. MlLLER. GSTINGI AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

, (Application med :une so, 1897.) (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

. 1N; Nonms PETER: co.. PHo'ro-LITNc. wnmamu, n. c.

No. 629,480. Patented luly 25, |899. E. A. UEHLING & J. W. MILLER.

CASTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

l (Application led June 80, 1897,) INU ModeI-I 6 Sheets-Shea! 5.

III'I I w 'III I I IIIIIII''. l

I l I IIl IIIII I III Nu. 629,480. Patented July 25, |999. E. A. UEHLING 9 J. w. MILLER.

CASTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

(Application led June 30. 1897,) :No Modem 6 Sheets-Sheet 6- TH: Nonms Evans cofmmaumo.. wAsHmarnN n c NITEI) STATES EDWARD A.- UEIILING., oF I'EwARK, NEW JERSEY, AND JAMES W.

F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

fffEEIcE.

MILLER,

CASTlNG lAN-D CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 629,480, datd July 25, .1899' Application filed Julie 30,1897. Serial No.`642,924. illo model.)

'To tt' 'Lu/wm t may concern/,-

Be it known that we, EDWARD A. UEHLIN G,

residing in Newark,in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, and JAMES W. MIL- LER,residing in Chica go,inthe countylof Cook and State of Illinois, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful 1897; in France, No. 283,872, filed April 23, l

Improvements in Casting and Conveying A pparatus, (for which we have applied for Let# ters Patent of foreign countries as follows, to wit: in Germany, No. 2,586, filed April 23,

1897; in Belgium, No; 99,010, filed April 23,

1897;. in Austria, filed April 23, 1897; in

Sweden, No. 576, led April 23, 1897, and in Russia, No. 1,795, filed April 30, 1897;) and teriorated from its' desired condition.

we hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, andexact description thereof.

Our invention is in the nature of an iinprovement upon the apparatus described and claimedin Letters Patentof theUnited States No. 548,116, granted October-15, 1895, to Edward A. Uehling, and has relation to the treatment `of metal in a molten condition with particular reference, iii-st, to changing usefulin .the casting of pig-iron which is to be adapted for use in making foundry-castings.

The greatest evil in casting pigs ofany metal in sand molds is due to the fact that when the metal congeals it takes up silica from .the sand, whereby the quality of the pig becomes de- The making of these sand molds or pig-beds is troublesome and expensive, and the pigs are irregular in shape and inconvenient to handle.' Moreo\er under previous methods ofcasting, where it has been the: practice to convey the metals through runways to sows and pi glbeds, it is well known that'ihe pigs farthest from fe1ior-in quality to those nearer to the fur' y nace, the variation in qualitybeing much Y greaterV than should be expectedfrom any variation in the action of the furnace itself. This is generally known to be due to the fact that the molteniron in the course of its travel takes up impurities and changes in its char acter to a lower grade'of metal, and the far'- ther-it travels necessarily the more'marked becomes its deterioration. After the pigs have been made and after they have cooled they must be deported from the 'pig-bed, which is destroyed in' the operation, and loaded upon cars for shipment, andfora new casting new pig-beds mustbe'fmade,v When it is remembered that in basic pig it is of theutmost importance that the v percentage of silicon contained thereinsgbe the lowest possible'and that the 'utmost' care is practiced in smelting the ore to produce a pig thus low in silicon, it'beconies manifest that the silica ad# y heriug-to the outside' ofthe pig because of the use of vsand in the pig-bed is most objectionable. bythe use of our apparatus andmethod of casting, and the pigs are uniform ,smooth, and shapely. 4

In making pig metalfor foundry purposes it is manifestlyv of the highest importance that the carbon content of the iron shall, if possible, exceed the carbon content obtainable in the blast-furnace and 'that its form shall be that best suited for castings. With this object in view and to the end that this carbon vcontent'may be either increased or changed to a form where its value in the production of foundry-castings shall be improved it has been suggested that the iron p should be introd need into a vessel previously charged with pulverized carbonaceous mate- This contamination by sand is avoided *Y increased or not, in such a form or,combina y.

`4'D transverse conveyer; Fig. (5a, a transverse ing the Way ofsupporting the molds.

tion that the metal is vastly superior for foundry uses, producing castings of greatlyincreased strength and softness. It is believed that this process of treating the metal with carbonaceous material while molten produces its beneficial effect by changing the carbon or carbids that form the matrix or cement between the crystals of iron. In this changed condition the carbon materially contributes to the strengthening of the metal, at the same time vincreasing its softness to a marked degree `and. also improving 4its elasticity and resilience. Much diiiiculty has been found, however, in producing iron in large quantities by the process just described, and our invention has been successfu lly employed and is directed more particularly-to an apparatus by which the entire output of a furnace or any number of furnaces can be successfully converted into the high-class foundryiron here described.

In the drawings, Figure lis a view,diagram matic in its nature, showing in a general way the entire apparatus and the operation of it, beginning with the tapping of ,the furnace and ending with the loading of the pigs on the cars. Fig. 2 is a side 'elevation showing the apparatus for casting and conveying the metal from the furnace to the carrierwhich leads tothe car and also showing the method of treating the metal for .improving it when the apparatus is` used for that purpose. Fig. 3 is a viewtof the conveyer which transfers the pigs fromthe molds to the cars.` Fig. et is a cross-section through the carrier, showing the frame and the supports for the'inolds. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the carrier, show- Fi 6Y is a view at the `end of the carrierV at tige point where the metal is droppedinto the sectional View on the line x Fig. 6b, of the preferred means of supporting the molds; Fig. 6", a plan view ofone of thelinks. Fig. 7 is a plan View of 'the `box which contains the refractory or carbonaceous pulverulent material which is to4 be sprayed against the' molds; Fig. 8, a front ele`vation,.partly in section, of thesame; Fig. .9,au end sectional elevationof the same. Fig. lO` is a view in side elevation of our device for cooling the center of the pig without cooling the molds,

which might easily he fractured it they were cooled before the mass of iron which they contain is cooled. Fig. 1l is a front view of the same apparatus. Fig. l2 is a view in ele. vation, Fig. 13 a View in vertical section,

'and Fig. 14 a view in horizontal section, of a pneumatic spraying device the function of which 1s to spray against the molds either carbonaceous material or refractory material,

depending upon whether Vthe conveyer is to be used in making a pig for foundry purposes or a basic pig.

A indicates a blast-furnace.

B represents a ladle mounted on a truck,

operated. size and shapesuitable for 'forming thepigs,

so that it may receive the iron from the blast-l furnace and carry it to the casting apparatus. Where the iron is to be treated for the purpose of changing or increasing its carbon,'we place ground carbonaceous material in the ladle before introducing the bulk of the molten iron, and as, for many reasons, the` preferred method of doing this we coat its sides and bottom with pulverized carbonaceous material-such as graphite, coke, or the likein such quantity asv may be necessary to bring about the desired change in the iron. The carbonaceous .material need not be an impalpable powder, but ought not to be too coarse. The time taken to carry the `ladle from the blast-furnace to the casting apparatus is en-l tirely suficient tov enable all the action that is to take place to be completed'. then the iron is already high in carbon or is suihciently treat-ed without requiring further treatment .with carbon in the ladle, this treatment may be dispensed with and the treatment in the molds, presently described, may be found en tirely sufcient.

C represents a trough located between two carriers D` and servingto deflect the metal poured into the trough from the tipped ladle B, so that the metal passes tothe molds in the carriers D. Each carrier D is constructed of links i, the ends ofwhich are connected in endless `relation by axles the ends of which have loose flanged wheels s, running on rails s outside of the links. The rails are secured in a supporting structure so that the hanged wheels will be supported alike `on the under and traveling sidesof the endless mold-carrier,`while the carrier is `n'laintain'ed inposi- `tion uponthe support-ing structure bya suitable drunt mounted in each end of the structure. The respectivedrum-shafts at the` delivery ends of the mold-carriers are connected by `suitablemechanism with an engine, by which ei'ther'or both of the carriers canbe The molds or buckets E are of a and they are fixed by means of lugs on their ends to the links, so that each mold is caused to turn overat the end ofthe carrier to deliver the pig and to bring the `upper `side of the mold down in its travel back to thel spout,

where the open side of the mold is again turned uppermost to beagain filled with metal. It will thus be understood that when theopeu side of the mold is up ittravelsforward, conveying the molten metal to the point of delivery, and as the mold travels back in the endless movement of the carrier, havingbeen heated Aby the hot iron which it previously contained, it is` at the proper point in Vits travelsprayed with carbonaceous material, if

IOO

IIO

a foundry pig is to be made, or with a basic refractory material, if a basic pig is to he made. The moldsare of peculiar construction, being made of cast-iron and formed so as to present at one side an. upwardly-curved lip r, adapted to overhang the side r ofthe 629,480 l l 1s.

contiguous mold, and in this manner the rear side of one mold forms a lapping guard or shield over the space between the molds, and thereby prevents the metal as it is poured from the spout from falling between the molds. In order that the pig may easily drop out of the mold at the end of the conveyer and also to afford as large a surface as possible for treating the pig with carbonaceous material,the bottom of the mold or bucket.

has the central upward projection p.

It should be stated that it is desirable that the molds or buckets E shall be secured to the carrier in such a mannerthat incase one should crack or breakitcan be readily with. drawn anda new one put in its place. Such a means is illustrated in detail in Figs. 6a and 6l. Within the wheel s is a bolt a, on. which the wheel rotates. Around-the bolt d is a bushing b, having its central portionb' somewhat thicker than theend portions b2 to afford shoulders b3. The links t extend from wheel to wheel on each (side, being received at their ends on the bolt b. The links are held firmly in place by the lock-nut c. shoulders b3 prevent the inner links from pressing against the wheel s, and the ends of the bushing b serve similarly to prevent too close contact between the links. Each link on the inner side of the carrier is provided with the integral laterally-extending perforated ear d, through the hole in which eX- tends the bolt e, which also passes through the lugfon the end of the mold E. By this arrangement any broken part may be readily removed and replaced.

It is of the utmost importance that the pig shall be cooled in such a manner that the mold shall not break, and it is also important that the pig shall be permitted to solidify, so that when deposited upon the conveyer or platform which `leads to thecar it will be sufficiently cooled to be carried on this platform'. In order to cool the pig without cooling the mold,we have contrived the apparatus shown in Figs. l0 and 11. It consists of a wheel H, having large spurs H', which tit in the links t, so that as the carrier moves forward the links engaging the spurs H' serve to rotate the wheel H. On this wheel H and extending transversely from its side across the line of the molds are inverted-V-shaped deflector-plates I, these plates being in such relation to each other and to themolds carried by the carrier that as the molds advance and the wheel H rotates the deflecting-plates I will cover the meeting edges of the molds and the open space between the deflectingplates will be centrally over the center of the pig. Projecting into the space Within the series of defiector-plates I is a water-pipe K, having perforations, so that the water can come out of the pipe. It will thus be seen that while there is a constant stream of `water coming out of the pipe K and 'falling down toward the carrier the water is defiected so.

The

of a Water-pipe L, extending longitudinally of the carrier and having spraying-nozzles L'.

. In this way the surface of the pig-molds and the pigs therein are sprayed with water,which cools them without danger of breaking the mold.

, When the pig is conveyed to the end of the carrier and the molds pass around the drum at this end, the pigs fallout of the molds upon the traveling platform M. The platform M travels past the end of the carriers and down through a water-trough M' and thence up to a chute M2, at which point the conveyer drops suddenly down. The pig is thus transferred to the chute and from the chute to the car which is to receive the iron. The object of the water-trough M is to complete the neoessary cooling of the pig before it is delivered to the car. The 'car may be placed upon a weighing-scale, so that when the necessary weight of pig metal has been deposited thereon it can be moved away and another oar take its place. It may be stated that while it is usual to use ladles B, having a capacity of, say, fifteen tons, the capacity of the carrier is only limited by the demand upon it, and the entire output of a furnace contained in several ladles can be cast in a continuous operation.

When the molds have ybeen heated and before they take a second pig in their endless movement forward, it is necessary that they shall be recoated either with a refractory malerial or with carbonaceous material. It is found that it is impracticable to eect this recoating by hand or by mechanical brushing devices; but we accom plish the operation with unqualified success bythe use of the apparatus shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9, l2, 13,*and 14. It comprises a tank N, in the bottom of which are stirring-arms N', rotated by a shaft N2, connected with the driving power preferably by means of aclutch. (Shown in Figi.) The upper end of the tank is open. This tank contains either lime and water or othervrefractory material and water or finely-dividedcarbonaceous material and water, and the stirring-arms keep the mass thoroughly mixed. Leading down into the tank N, which is located immediately beneath the carrier, are branchesy of an air-pipe O, these branches terminating in the crook O', and the ends enter the under Side of the bell-shaped mouth P of the spraying-pipes p'. The ends of the.

pipe O' constitute an ejector. The bell-mouth P is located'below the level of the mixture of refractory material and water in the tank N just above the stirring-arms N', and the other end of the spraying-pipeP' extends above the IOO IIO

tank just below the line of the carrier being conveyed back to the ladle. The air-pipe O has a cock which can be operated by hand at the time the stirring-arms are started to rotate. The effect of the operation is to coat the molds uniformly throughout their interior with sufcient refractory or carbonaceous material for all purposes desired. The fact that the tank is considerably wider at its upper end than the mold which is being coated prevents the loss of refractory or carbonaceous material by waste, as all that is not deposited upon the hot surface of the mold falls back into the tank.

The mold-carrier may move in a perfectly horizontal line or it may be on a higher level where it receives the iron than it is at the point where it transfers the pig to the conveyer; but We prefer to have it move in an upward-inclined direction, so that the usual conditions ofthe formation of the ground at furnaces will enable the apparatus to be put into place without any special' topographical engineering. This is a matter, however, of slight importance when the vast economy effected by the apparatus is taken into consideration. W'e have not gone into detail as to the kind' of engine to be used, nor as to the connection between the engine and the drivingdrums, which should drive the links,and thus drive the molds, all these being matters as to which any skilled engineer has already full information. Neither have we deemed it necessary to show the connections for obtaining the necessary pneumatic pressure or the water-supply, as it isto be understood that any suitable source for air-pressure and for water-supply which the furnace surroundings present can be availed of in this connection. The conveyer which carries the'pig from the carrier to the car may be dispensed with and thepig deposited directly upon the car or filed and then conveyed to the car; but in all respects we consider the arrangement shown'as the best, as it enables us to transfer the pig metal to the point of transportation in a period not to exceed eleven minutes from the moment that the ladle is poured, and as this is accomplished without any manual labor whatsoever and presents, moreover, a pig free from sand and scrud and, if desired, materiallyimproved in its quality in the matter of its carbon content the great importance of the invention to foundrymen and to manufacturers of pig metal will be immediately apparent.

Although We have made special reference to basic pig, on the one hand, and to high-carbon pig, on the other, these are merely referred to as examples. Pigs of any metal, as well as any kind of iron pigs, can be cast and conveyed by this method and apparatus with great advantage, both in the matter of economy of handling and in the quality of product. In the mere matter of handling basic pig an approximate saving of two-thirds of the labor cost is eected, while the machinery itself need not be expensive or complicated in any sense. Y

The conveyer illustrated in Fig. 3 is much to be preferred under all conditions Where the ground-space at the plant and the quantity of iron produced in the furnace justifies its use; but it is not an indispensable feature of the apparatus. We have with entire success omitted the conveyer M and water-trough ,M' and in place thereof have caused the pigs to be deposited from the carrier directly uponl a receiving-car of metal, the pigs having been suliiciently solidified in the travel from the ladle to the dumping end to permit them to be received in this car. It is sometimes desirable to permit the subsequent ,cooling of the pig to take place naturally; but we have sometimes aided the cooling with artificial means, such as the injection of Water into the receiving-car. From the receiving-car the metal may be quickly conveyed to any point-as, for instance, to a car for shipment or to the metal pile for storage.

Vhat we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The apparatus herein described for treating and casting metal comprising, in combination, an endless conveyer, molds supported on said conveyer to ,move therewith in one direction with the open side up and in the reverse direction in an inverted position, means for cooling the contained metal in the movement from the receiving to the discharge end of the carrier, anda spray device located below the line of movement of the molds on their return to the receiving end and means for automatically operating it coincidently with the movement of the molds to spray against said molds while in a heated condition, a coating of pulverulent material, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for treating and casting metal, the combination with an endless carrier and molds supported thereon and adapted to receive the cast metal as it is discharged from the furnace, mixer or ladle, of a waterpipe having a fixed relation to the upper line of movement of the carrier, and a rotating wheel carrying spray-deflecting plates, said Wheel arranged to rotate with the movement of the carrier, andsaid spray-deflecting plates arranged to cover and protect the meeting edges of the molds, whereby the watery for cooling the pig is deiiected to the center of the casting, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for casting metal, the combination with an endless carrier and with the molds carried thereby in a manner to present their open face upward on the outward movementand downward on the return movement, of means for cooling the center of the pig without cooling the mold, comprising a IOO rotating wheel carrying deflecting-plates, said wheel having means for moving it in unison with. the carrier, and said deflecting-plates operating to cover the meeting `edges of the IOO then cooled throughout before its discharge from the carrier, all as set forth.

EDWARD A. UEHLING.` JAMES W. MILLER. Witnesses lto signature of Edward A. Uehling:

OTTO E. TRAUDT, JOHN FISCHER. Witnesses to signature of James WgMiller:

M. J. FROST, R. T. SPENCER.

Images