Apparatus for treating molten cast iron

It is known to contact molten cast iron with various treating agents in the casting mold in order to influence the base structure or the form of the graphite. Such casting molds for making castings of cast iron containing vermicular and/or spheroidal graphite are provided with an intermediate chamber, which is provided in the pouring system between the pouring gate and the ingate to the casting mold proper. That intermediate chamber serves to receive the graphitizing agent and to contact it with the molten cast iron. To permit a functional adaptation of the chamber surface area or the surface area of the treating agent contained in the chamber to the pouring gate, which changes as the pouring proceeds, the casting mold is provided with a frustopyramidal intermediate chamber which has a rectangular base disposed in the parting plane of the mold.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
Our present invention relates to a casting mold for treating molten metal, 
particularly molten cast iron used to produce cast iron containing 
spheroidal and/or vermicular graphite and to a method of casting iron. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
It is known to contact molten cast iron in the casting mold with various 
treating agents in order to influence the basic structure or the shape of 
the graphite. 
Such treatments rely on the fact that the treatment will be the more 
effective the shorter is the time between the addition of the treating 
agent and the solidification of the molten material (German patent 
publication No. 12 48 239; German Pat. No. 1,172,806). 
German patent publication No. 25 18 367 discloses another process, which 
serves to make modular iron and in which a casting mold provided with an 
intermediate chamber is used. In that process it is essential that the 
surface of the graphite-spheroidizing agent contained in the intermediate 
chamber has always the same area. For this reason it is believed that the 
base area of the intermediate chamber used in said process is a decisive 
feature and that other dimensions of the chamber are not significant. 
The use of the known reaction chamber has given satisfactory results and 
permits a favorable utilization of the treating agent. But that process 
too does not comply in all cases with the conditions encountered in 
foundry practice. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the invention to ensure a uniform treatment of the 
molten metal flowing into the casting mold and to avoid a surplus of the 
treating agent. 
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of iron 
casting which promotes the formation of uniform cast-iron bodies 
containing spheroidal (globular) and/or vermicular graphite. 
It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved casting mold, 
especially a two-part casting mold having a cope and a drag, whereby 
problems with earlier systems are avoided. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
These objects are accomplished according to the invention by the provision 
of a casting mold for making castings consisting of cast iron containing 
vermicular and/or spheroidal graphite, comprising an intermediate chamber, 
which is provided in the pouring system between the pouring gate and the 
in gate to the casting mold proper and serves to receive the graphitizer 
and to contact it with the molten cast iron. In accordance with the 
invention, such casting mold is characterized in that the intermediate 
chamber is frustopyramidal and has a rectangular base disposed in the 
parting plane of the mold. 
The molten cast iron flowing into the casting mold contacts the treating 
agent and thus initiates a reaction. It has also been found that the use 
of a pouring system which contains the treating agent results in a longer 
pouring time than the use of a pouring system which contains no treating 
agent. 
The increase of the pouring time is due to the fact that the molten iron 
reacting with the treating agent presents a higher resistance to the flow 
of the molten iron which is following up. Besides, there will be a 
backpressure when the mold has been filled above its parting plane. As the 
increase of the pouring time involves a longer residence time in the 
chamber, the surface area presented by the treating agent must be 
decreased as the pouring time increases if a uniform treatment of the 
molten metal is to be ensured, e.g. a uniform treatment of the molten cast 
iron with magnesium or a magnesium-containing alloy. 
In accordance with the invention the reaction chamber in the casting mold 
consists of an inverted frustum of a pyramid which has a base disposed in 
the parting plane of the mold. The base is rectangular and particularly 
square. The height of the frustopyramidal chamber is suitably twice to 
three times the side length of the base. The side faces of the 
frustopyramidal reaction chamber have an inclination of 50 degrees to up 
to 80 degrees. With that inclination and that shape it is ensured that the 
inflowing molten iron will be thrown back at the wall surface opposite to 
the gate and will thus be forcibly mixed. 
Within the scope of the invention the frustopyramidal chamber may be 
pontoon-shaped. In another embodiment of the invention the outlet from the 
chamber is at right angles to the inlet to the chamber and the inlet to 
and the outlet from the chamber are on different levels, i.e., the outlet 
opening for the molten metal lies above the inlet opening. As a result of 
these measures, the molten iron which as it is cast always will be treated 
in the reaction chamber and cannot simply flow into said chamber over the 
molten iron which is contained in the reaction chamber and is reacting 
therein with the treating agent.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION 
As will be apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, the said mold can have a flask 
formed by an upper flask portion 10 and a lower flask portion 11 forming 
the cope and drag sections of the mold and packed with sand 12, 13 to 
define a parting plane P between the mold parts. 
The upper mold part is provided with the issue sprue 1 which opens into a 
reaction chamber. In the preferred or best mode embodiment of the 
invention, the reaction chamber may have the configuration of an inverted 
frustum of a pyramid whose small base 2a is turned downwardly and whose 
broad base 2b lies in the plane P. The height H of this chamber is 2 to 3 
times the smallest side length L of the broad base in the best mode 
embodiment of the invention and the angle .alpha. at which the sides of 
the pyramid are inclined to the horizontal can range between 50.degree. 
and 80.degree.. 
While the rectangular plan configuration of the base is preferably a square 
configuration, it should be noted that the opposite sides 2d and 2c can be 
oppositely concave thereby imparting a pontoon shape to the cross section 
or plan configuration or can be shorter sides of the rectangle. 
In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 the bar 3 defining the outlet gate 3' 
ensures that this outlet gate will commence at a location below the inlet 
gate 14. Either of these arrangements will ensure that molten metal cannot 
pass directly from inlet side to outlet side without engaging in a complex 
flow pattern thereby guaranteeing intimate mixing of the molten metal with 
the treatment agent shown at 20 in FIG. 1. 
In the embodiment, the treated molten metal passes from the reaction 
chamber to a runner 4 formed in the upper flask, past a slag snubber 5 and 
across a bar 6 to the in-gates of the mold cavities not shown. 
The casting mold is used to treat molten metal, particularly to make 
castings of cast iron containing vermicular and/or spheroidal graphite. 
The graphitizing agent (all percents by weight) introduced into the 
frustopyramidal reaction chamber may consist of lumps or agglomerates or a 
powder or of a body cast from molten material, e.g. in the form of a 
sphere, cylinder or frustum of a cone. Such agents for treating molten 
cast iron are known and may consist, e.g., of magnesium or 
magnesium-containing alloys. Nodular iron may be made, e.g. with the aid 
of a magnesium-containing alloy composed of 
3 to 15% by weight magnesium, 
40 to 70% by weight iron, 
optionally 0.3 to 2.5% by weight calcium, 
optionally 0.3 to 2.0% by weight rare earth metals, with the cerium content 
amounting to 50% by weight, the lanthanum content amounting to 20 to 30% 
by weight, balance other rare earth metals, balance silicon. 
In the use of an alloy of this type, which contains rare earth metals, it 
has been found to be desirable to entirely or partly replace the 
cerium-containing misch metal, which is conventionally used in alloying, 
by lanthanum. In such case the content of other rare earth metals in the 
lanthanum must be less than 20% by weight. In accordance therewith a 
master alloy which contains rare earth metals preferably contains 0.2 to 
1.0% by weight lanthanum. 
An alloy composed of 
3.0 to 4.0% magnesium 
3.5 to 4.5% rare earth metals 
4.0 to 5.5% titanium 
0.1 to 1.0% calcium 
45.0 to 55.0% silicon 
balance--iron 
is particularly suitable for making cast iron containing vermicular 
graphite. 
In the treatment of molten cast iron, the use of the present invention 
results in various advantages. Graphite can be completely converted to 
spheroidal or vermicular graphite because the molten material is treated 
with the treating agent at a uniform rate, and the economical utilization 
of the treating agent is ensured. There is no need for a surplus of the 
treating agent. 
Owing to the specific geometric configuration of the reaction chamber, the 
surface area of the chamber becomes functionally adapted to the pouring 
rate, which varies as the pouring process proceeds. Because the angle of 
inclination of surfaces defining the reaction chamber can be varied, the 
pouring rate may be varied within a wider range. Besides, the casting mold 
according to the invention is less susceptible to variations in the 
particle size distribution of the alloy and will promote the mixing of the 
molten material and optimize the yield of the master alloy. Moreover, the 
casting mold according to the invention affords a maximum reliability 
regarding the segregation of slag so that the castings will be absolutely 
free from slag. 
SPECIFIC EXAMPLES 
EXAMPLE 1 
A base iron composed of 3.75% C, 2.10% Si, 0.12% Mn, 0.035% P and 0.010% S, 
balance Fe, was melted in an induction furnace. A master alloy to be added 
in an amount of 0.7% by weight of the iron amounting to 60 kilograms was 
placed into the frustopyramidal intermediate chamber, which had a base 
surface of 45.times.45 mm and a chamber volume of 605 cm.sup.3. The 
proportion of master alloy was selected with a view to the sulfur content 
of the base iron and the pouring temperature of 1450.degree. C. The 
magnesium-containing master alloy had a particle size 1 to 4 mm and was 
composed of 6.0% Mg, 0.5% Ca, 45.0% Si, 0.9% cerium-containing misch 
metal, balance Fe. Pouring into the mold was effected within 17 seconds. 
The casting had a chemical analysis of 3.7% C, 2.41% Si, 0.12% Mn, 0.035% 
P, 0.008% S, 0.028% residual magnesium, balance iron. The metallographic 
examination of the casting in a wall thickness range of 8 to 30 mm 
revealed a formation of spheroidal graphite amounting to at least 90% 
spherolites and a presence of 93% ferrite and 7% pearlite as structural 
constituents. The number of spherolites, amounting to about 300 per 
mm.sup.2 of microsection area, was surprisingly high. The metallographic 
examination of various portions of the casting revealed that the casting 
was perfectly free from reaction products and slag inclusions. 
EXAMPLE 2 
The base iron used in Example 1 was used to cast another casting having a 
weight of 30.5 kilograms. A magnesium-containing master alloy was used, 
which had the following analysis: 5.7% Mg, 0.3% Ca, 46.1% Si, 0.5% La, 
balance Fe. 183 grams of the master alloy, having a particle size range 
from 0.5 to 3 mm, were contained in the frustopyramidal intermediate 
chamber which had a base surface of 35.times.35 mm and a chamber volume of 
300 cm.sup.3. Pouring into the mold was effected within 11 seconds at a 
temperature of 1440.degree. C. The final analysis was 3.67% C, 2.35% Si, 
0.11% Mn, 0.03% P, 0.006% S, and 0.024% Mg, balance Fe. 
The metallographic examination of a lug sample 20 mm in diameter revealed a 
formation of spheroidal graphite comprising about 95% spherolites in 
conjunction with structural constituents consisting of 95 to 100% ferrite 
and 0 to 5% pearlite. No cementite was found in the base structure. There 
were about 350 spherolites per mm.sup.2 of microsection area. The casting 
was free from inclusions of any kind. 
Test rods in accordance with DIN were made from the lug sample and were 
tested with the following results: 
Ultimate tensile stress Rp--457 N/mm.sup.2 
Yield point Rm--288 N/mm.sup.2 
Elongation at break .delta.5--22.5% 
Brinell hardness HB.sub.30/2.5 --182/182 
EXAMPLE 3 
A base iron composed of 3.52% C, 0.18% Mn, 0.44% P, 1.95% Si and 0.006% S, 
balance Fe, was melted in an induction furnace. A pontoon-shaped 
intermediate chamber having a base surface of 25.times.25 mm and a volume 
of 250 cm.sup.3 was used to make a casting having a weight of 250 
cm.sup.3. The intermediate chamber contained 130 grams of a master alloy, 
which had a particle size of 1 to 3 mm and the following analysis: 
3.3% Mg, 0.5% Ca, 50.7% Si, 4.0% cerium-containing misch metal, 5.5% Ti, 
balance Fe. Pouring into the mold was effected within 8 seconds and at a 
temperature of 1450.degree. C. The final analysis was 3.48% C, 0.38% Mn, 
0.044% P, 2.18% Si, 0.06% Ti, 0.004% S, 0.015% Mg, 0.014% Ce, balance Fe. 
In all cross-sections of the casting, i.e. 7 to 15 mm, the cast structure 
was found to contain compact graphite in a predominantly ferritic matrix. 
About 80% of the graphite were vermicular and about 20% of it were 
spherolitic. No flaky graphite was found. The casting was free from 
inclusions.