APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING CONSTANT MOLTEN METAL LEVEL IN GASPERMEABLE SHELL MOLD METAL CASTING

Abstract: Apparatus and method for providing a constant level of molten metal to a mold in gas permeable shell mold cast­ ing. The apparatus includes a furnace (l2) for melting and holding metal (ll4) to be cast. Structure (64) is provided for locating a mold to be filled in casting rela­ tionship with the molten metal in the furnace and for causing molten metal to be drawn from the furnace into the mold. Structure (40, 42) responsive to the sensor is provided for tilting the furnace relative to the mold causing the level of the molten metal to remain constant relative to the mold as the mold is being filled.

Description: Background Of The Invention This invention relates to metal casting apparatus and methods which employ gas permeable shell molds. Gas permeable shell mold casting for casting of metal in an evacuated/inert gas atmosphere is known and was developed to permit precision casting, on a high production basis, of metals which must be cast in an evacuated or inert gas atmosphere. Prior to the development of gas permeable shell mold casting, precision casting of metals in an evacuated or inert gas atmosphere presented a number of problems. In part, those problems were due to the time necessary to establish the required seals and to evacuate the casting apparatus, especially insofar as the relatively large melting and pouring chamber was concerned. There were also problems caused by the inclusion in the cast parts of dross or other impurities present on the surface of the molten metal. Although gas permeable shell mold casting solved many of the problems of casting metals in an evacuated or inert gas atmosphere, problems still remain. The most critical problem is in providing a constant level of molten metal to the mold. Until the present invention, this problem has remained largely unsolved. It is therefore an object of the invention to pro­ vide an apparatus and method for providing a constant level of molten metal to a mold in gas permeable shell mold casting which is simple, effective and reliable. Other objectives and advantages of the invention will become apparent hereinbelow. Summary Of The Invention The present invention is an apparatus for providing a constant level of molten metal to a mold in gas permeable shell mold casting. The apparatus comprises furnace means for melting and holding metal to be cast, means for loca­ ting a mold to be filled in casting relationship with the molten metal in the furnace means, and means for causing molten metal to be drawn from the furnace means into the mold. Sensor means are provided for sensing the change in the level of the molten metal in the furnace means relative to the mold as molten metal is drawn into the mold. Means responsive to the sensor means are provided for tilting the furnace means relative to the mold for causing the level of the molten metal to remain constant relative to the mold as the mold is being filled. The present invention includes a method of providing a constant level of molten metal to a mold in gas permeable shell mold casting, and comprises the steps of melting and holding metal to be cast in a furnace means, locating a mold to be filled in casting relationship with the molten metal in the furnace means, causing molten metal to be drawn from the furnace means into the mold, sensing the change in the level of the molten metal in the furnace means relative to the mold as molten metal is drawn into the mold, and tilting the furnace means relative to the mold in response to change in the level of the molten metal relative to the mold to cause the level of the molten metal to remain constant relative to the mold as the mold is being filled. Description Of The Drawings For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and instrumentalities shown. Figure l is a simplified elevational view of appara­ tus in accordance with the present invention. Figure 2 is a simplified block diagram of the present invention. Figure 3 is a partial sectional view of the apparatus of Figure l, showing the furnace means in a tilted position relative to the mold. Figure 4 is a top plan view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure l, taken along the lines 4-4. Figure 5 is a partial sectional view of a novel fur­ nace construction especially useful in connection with the present invention. Description Of The Invention Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in Figure l a cast­ ing machine l0 equipped with the apparatus of the present invention. The casting machine l0 includes a furnace l2 for melting and holding metal to be cast. As will be under­ stood by those skilled in the art, furnace l2 comprises a housing or shell l4 and a crucible l6 constructed of a suitable refractory material, such as a high temperature ceramic, within the shell l4. Furnace l2 is provided with a plurality of induction coils l8 surrounding crucible l6 and through which high frequency electric current is passed to inductively heat and melt the metal to be cast. Induc­ tion coils l8 are connected to a suitable source of elec­ trical power (not shown in Figure l) in known manner. As best seen in Figures l and 4, furnace l2 includes a pair of arms 20 and 22 on opposite side of the furnace by means of which furnace l2 may be mounted to a support structure or frame 24. Frame 24 comprises a pair of up­ right standards 26 and 28 which are mounted on horizontal support members 30 and 32. Arms 20 and 22, which are fixed to furnace l2, are pivotably mounted to standards 26 and 28 as shown at locations 34 and 36. Pivot locations 34 and 36 may have any suitable structure for providing a pivotable connection between arms 20 and 22 and standards 26 and 28. A pivot axis 38 about which furnace l2 may tilt, as will be described in greater detail below, is defined through pivot locations 34 and 36, as best seen in Figure 4. The ends of arms 20 and 22 opposite pivot locations 34 and 36 are con­ nected to cylinders 40 and 42, respectively. Cylinders 40 and 42 may be pneumatic or hydraulic, and include exten­ sible/retractable cylinder rods 44 and 46, respectively. Rods 44 and 46 are extensible and retractable by cylinders 40 and 42 in known manner, and have their free ends pivot­ ably connected to arms 20 and 22 at pivot locations 48 and 50, respectively. The opposite end of cylinders 40 and 42 are pivotably connected to base 30, as at location 52 in Figure l. Cylinders 40 and 42 may be connected to a source of pneumatic or hyraulic fluid by suitable valving and con­ nections, in known manner. Horizontal support members 30 and 32 may be provided with wheels 54 and mounted on track members 56 and 58 so that furnace l2 can be moved left to right with respect to casting machine l0 in Figure l. Movement of furnace l2 can be accomplished by cylinder 60, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. A stop member 62 may be pro­ vided on casting machine l0 to limit movement of furnace l2 to the left (as viewed in Figure l) and to properly posi­ tion furnace l2 with respect to casting machine l0. As best seen in Figure l, casting machine also includes a head 64 in which may be located a gas permeable shell mold 66. Gas permeable shell molds are well known in the art, and need not be described in detail here. Head 64 is connected by a vacuum line (not shown) to a vacuum pump (not shown), by means of which a vacuum may be drawn on mold 66 so that molten metal may be drawn into the mold, in known manner. Head 64 and mold 66 may be moved vertically toward and away from furnace l2 by means of cylinder 70 and rod 72, in known manner. Guide rods 74 and 76 are provided in tubular guides 78 and 80 so that head 64 and mold 66 can be moved straight up and down and will not be skewed when head 64 and mold 66 are raised or lowered. Next to head 64 is mounted a remote level sensor l00. Level sensor l00 may be mounted on a standard l02 which is fixed with respect to casting machine l0. Level sensor l00 may be any suitable remote level sensor, such as a laser level sensor, familiar to those skilled in the art. Standard l02 and level sensor l00 are located so that the level sensor has a clear line of sight to the level of molten metal in the furnace, unobstucted either by head 64 or the edge of the furnace when the furnace is tilted. Casting machine l0 may also be supplied with a suit­ able charge system for adding metal to be melted to furnace l2. Alternatively, liquid metal may be added directly. Any suitable charge system, such as a conveyor system, may be employed. Charge for furnace l2 is directed into crucible l6 via a chute l04. Chute l04 may be pivoted as at location l06, so that chute l04 may pivot out of the way to allow for tilting of furnace l2. The apparatus of the invention is shown schematically in Figure 2. The central controller for the invention is computer l08, which may be a mini-computer or dedicated microprocessor suitably programmed to carry out the opera­ tions of the invention. As inputs, computer l08 receives the output signal from level detector l00 and the output of a shaft position encoder ll0, which is not shown in Figures l or 4, but which may be mounted on furnace l2 along pivot axis 38 to sense the angle through which fur­ nace l2 is tilted. Shaft encoders for sensing angular position are well known, and need not be described in detail here. An additional input to computer l08 is a signal from a temperature sensor which senses the temperature of the metal in the furnace. Temperature of the molten metal may be sensed by any suitable means, such as a contact probe or infrared pyrometer. This measurement may be made separately and the results inputted to computer l08 by a conventional keyboard (not shown). In response to the inputs, computer l08 generates a number of control outputs for the apparatus. One output is a control signal to the furnace power supply ll2 to control the power being supplied to induction coils l8 of furnace l2. Computer l08 controls power supply ll2 so that a pre­ determined temperature of the molten metal in the furance may be maintained, and so that additional power may be supplied to furnace l2 for melting when furnace l2 is charged with cold metal. The way in which computer l08 may control power supply ll2 for these functions will be well understood by those skilled in the art, and need not be described here in detail. Computer l08 also processes the signals from level sensor l00 and shaft encoder ll0 and generates a tilt control output, which is used to control the operation of cylinder 40. The mode of operation of the invention is now des­ cribed. After furnace l2 has been charged with and melted the metal to be cast, or has been charged with liquid metal, head 64 and mold 66 are lowered into furnace l2 so that mold 66 is partially immersed in the molten metal ll4. A vacuum is then drawn on mold 66 to draw molten metal into the mold. Level sensor l00 continuously monitors the level ll6 of molten metal ll4 relative to mold 66. It will be appreciated that, as molten metal is drawn up into mold 66, level ll6 will drop. The change in level ll6 is sensed by level sensor l00, and a signal representative of the change in level ll6 is sent to computer l08. Computer l08 processes this signal and generates a tilt control signal which, through appropriate hyraulic or pneumatic lines and valving causes cylinder 40 to extend shaft 44. As shaft 44 is extended, furance l2 tilts about pivot axis 38. See Figure 3. Tilting furnace l2 in effect raises the level ll6 of molten metal ll4 with respect to mold 66. Computer l08 may be programmed to continuously tilt furnace l2 as molten metal is drawn up into mold 66, with the effect that the level ll6 of molten metal ll4 remains constant with respect to mold 66. When the mold 66 is full, it is withdrawn from furnace l2, and casting machine l0 sends a signal to computer l08 that the casting operation is complete. When the casting operation is complete, head 64 and mold 66 are raised out of furnace l2, a new mold is placed in head 64, and the process repeated. Computer l08 may be programmed to control the opera­ tion of the charge system so that additional charge may be added to furnace l2 to continually replenish the metal being drawn into mold 66. The shaft position encoder signal is processed by computer l08 to determine whether the angle of tilt of furnace l2 is sufficiently large that more metal should be added. If so, computer l08 activates the charge system, charging additional metal into the furnace. The computer l08 will maintain level ll6 constant as metal is charged into the furnace by reducing the angle of tilt of the furnace. The change in angle of tilt of the furnace is continuously sensed by shaft position encoder ll0. When the shaft position encoder senses that furnace l2 has returned to its original horizontal position, computer l08 terminates the charging operation. The computer l08 calcu­ lates the total charge being placed in the furnace by the change in angle of tilt, and signals power supply ll2 to maintain an average power level in furnace l2 so that cold metal can be melted and temperature stability is maintained. Computer l08 may be programmed to stop the tilting of furnace l2 after furnace l2 has been tilted for a pre­ selected number of degrees. When furnace l2 has been tilted to the preselected number of degrees, as indicated by shaft position encoder ll0, computer l08 will stop the tilting of furnace l2, and reverse the drive to cylinder 40. Cylinder 40 will then retract rod 44, allowing furnace l2 to be tilted back to its original horizontal position. Alternatively, the change in level ll6 sensed by level sensor l00 may be processed to generate a signal representative of the change in level ll6. This signal is sent to computer l08, which processes this signal and gen­ erates a lift control signal that controls the vertical position of mold 66 relative to level ll6 of liquid metal ll4. In this alternate form of the invention, furnace l2 remains in a horizontal position and no tilting takes place. Instead, as level ll6 falls as metal is drawn into mold 66, the mold is lowered to keep level ll6 constant relative to mold 66. When the level ll6 falls below a predetermined value, level control l00 sends a signal to computer l08 and either solid or liquid metal is added to the furnace. The furnace l2 needs to have a very large surface area to accomodate mold 66. However, for holding of metal, especially ductile iron, for example, it is important to have the minimum quantity of metal on hand at the casting station. This is because changes in metallurgy of the molten metal can occur over time which affect the quality of the end casting. The longer the "dwell time" of the molten metal in furnace l2, the greater the changes in metallurgy will be. To minimize "dwell time", a very small depth of metal is preferred in this casting process. A furnace construction which makes possible the efficient melting and/or holding of small depths of metal is shown in Figure 5. For ease of correlating the various parts of the furnace of figure 5 to the other drawings, primed reference numerals are used. Furnace l2′ in Figure 5 comprises a furnace shell l4′ within which is a crucible l6′. As shown in Figure 5, the interior of crucible l6′ is very shallow. Surrounding crucible l6′ within shell l4′ are induction coils l8′. Normally in a coreless furness, the load length and coil length are equal. However, it is well known that a coreless furnace is inefficient when the load and coil length are short in comparison to the load and coil dia­ meter, as is required here to maintain a very small depth of molten metal. Accordingly, in the novel furnace according to the present invention, the coil length is made much longer than the load. So as not to allow stray flux to heat the mold surroundings, the minimum metal level is held to the top of the induction coil. Thus, the induction coil l8′ extends far below the metal. The bottom turns of the coil l8′ couple magnetically to the bottom of the molten metal and, thus, act as if both the load and coil were very much longer than the load depth. Thus, small load depths can be made to act as if they were equal to the much larger depth shown by the induction coil with similar electrical characteristics and efficiencies. Coil to load depth ratios of l to l or more can be achieved, with higher ratios yielding higher efficiencies. Prelimi­ nary calculations show that extension of the coils l8′ of three times the load depth produce optimum efficiencies. Thus, it is believed that optimum results are achieved at a ratio of 4 to l. The furnace of Figure 5 thus enables very small depths of metal to be melted and/or held at very high efficiencies, which in turn allows "dwell time" and changes in metallurgy to be minimized. The present invention may be embodied in other spe­ cific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.

Claims: 1. Apparatus for providing a constant level of molten metal to a mold in gas permeable shell mold casting, CHARACTERIZED BY: furnace means for melting and holding metal to be cast, means for locating a mold to be filled in casting relationship with the molten metal in the furnace means, means for causing molten metal to be drawn from the furnace means into the mold, level sensor means for sensing the change in the level of the molten metal in the furnace means relative to the mold as molten metal is drawn into the mold, and means responsive to the level sensor means for causing the furnace means and the mold to move relative to one another for causing the level of the molten metal to remain constant relative to the mold as the mold is being filled. 2. Apparatus according to claim l, wherein the fur­ nace means includes induction means for inductively melting the metal to be cast. 3. Apparatus according to claim l, wherein the level sensor means comprises optical means for optically sensing the change in the level of the molten metal. 4. Apparatus according to claim l, further CHARACTER­ IZED BY tilt sensor means for sensing the amount of tilt imparted to the furnace means by the tilting means. 5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the tilt sensor means comprises a shaft position encoder. 6. Apparatus according to claim 4, further CHARACTER­ IZED BY charging means responsive to the level sensor means and tilt sensor means for adding metal to be cast to the furnace means. 7. Apparatus according to claim l, wherein the means responsive to the level sensor comprises means for tilting the furnace means relative to the mold. 8. Apparatus according to claim l, wherein the means responsive to the level sensor comprises means for moving the mold longitudinally relative to the furnace. 9. Apparatus according to claim l, wherein the means for causing molten metal to be drawn into the mold comprises vacuum means. l0. Apparatus according to claim 7, further CHARACTERIZED BY tilt sensor means for sensing the amount of tilt imparted to the furnace by the tilting means. 11. Apparatus according to claim l0, wherein the tilt sensor means comprises shaft position encoder means. 12. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the optical means comprises a laser. 13. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the charging means comprises conveyor means actuatable in response to signals from the level sensor means. 14. Apparatus according to claim l, further CHARACTER­ IZED BY: temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of the molten metal and generating a signal representative of the temperature, and power supply means responsive to the furnace temperature signal for varying the power supplied to the furnace means for maintaining a predetermined furnace temperature. 15. A coreless induction furnace CHARACTERIZED BY: a shell, a crucible within the shell, the crucible having an interior cavity whose depth is substantially smaller than the lateral dimensions of the crucible, and a plurality of induction coils within the shell and surrounding the crucible, said coils surrounding at least a lower portion of the interior cavity. 16. A furnace according to claim l5, wherein the coils surround at least a lower portion of the interior cavity for a preselected distance and extend below the interior cavity. 17. Method of providing a constant level of molten metal to a mold in gas permeable shell mold casting, CHARACTERIZED BY the steps of: melting and holding metal to be cast in a furnace means, locating a mold to be filled in casting relationship with the molten metal in the furnace means, causing molten metal to be drawn from the furnace means into the mold, sensing the change in the level of the molten metal in the furnace means relative to the mold as molten metal is drawn into the mold, and tilting the furnace means relative to the mold in response to change in the level of the molten metal relative to the mold to cause the level of the molten metal to remain constant relative to the mold as the mold is being filled. 18. Method according to claim l7, further CHARACTER­ IZED BY the step of adding metal to be cast to the furnace means in response to the sensed change in the level of the molten metal in the furnace means. 19. Method according to claim l8, wherein the step of adding metal comprises adding solid metal. 20. Method according to claim l8, wherein the step of adding metal comprises adding molten metal.

Inventors: MORTIMER, JOHN H.
Applicants: INDUCTOTHERM CORP.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B22D37
IPC codes: H05B6, B22D18, F27B14, B22D23, F27D11