Patent GB-818165-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to semi-automatic machines for the centrifugal casting of cylinder liners
IPC: B22D13/00
Filed: 1957-01-25
Abstract: 818,165. Centrifugal casting machines. REGIE NATIONALE DES USINES RENAULT. Jan. 25, 1957 [Feb. 3, 1956], No. 2795/57. Class 83 (1). Apparatus for centrifugally casting I.C. engine liners, comprises a turntable continuously driven at constant speed and supporting a number of centrifugal casting-machines, which move in succession past each of a number of fixed stations, including a first station for loading a die and a die-carrier, on to a casting- machine, a second station at which molten metal is cast, and a third station for unloading each die and its carrier, a first conveyer circuit for bring- ing into position above a casting-machine at said second station liquid metal in small ladles, a second conveyer circuit comprising means for removing the die-carriers with the filled dies at the third station and means for replacing die carriers with empty dies on the casting-machines at said first station. The installation, Figs. 2A and 4, comprises a turntable 1 carrying centrifugal casting-machines 2, a conveyer 3 serving the mould stripping station 4 and replenishment station 5, a conveyer 6 for the dies comprising the extraction station 7 and ramp 8 for conveying cast tubes to stowage 9, and die-conditioning stations 10, 11, and a conveyer 12 for casting-ladles 13, each holding sufficient liquid metal for one cast tube. The table is rotated at constant speed by a mechanism located in a pit beneath the machine, and cams 50 on the table actuate fixed valves to control the loading and unloading of the table. Each casting- machine comprises driven rolls which receive and rotate tubular die carriers and dies held therein; the carriers and dies being as disclosed in Specification 724,832, which is referred to. A die-carrier and die-assembly is lowered on to a casting-machine at station 14 in a manner to be referred to later, and moved in succession to station 15 where the centrifugal casting-machine is started, to station 16 where metal is poured from a ladle 13 suspended from the conveyer 12, and to stations 17 and 18. At station 18 the die-carrier is automatically lifted from the casting-machine by a fork 64, Fig. 6c, which is vertically-raised by a cylinder 60 so that the die-carrier moves upwardly, pushing a spring- loaded bridge 72 out of the way; the bridge then returns to the position shown and the cylinder 60 lowers the fork 64 to deposit the diecarrier on the bridge 72, whence it rolls to the stripping-station 4. At the station 4, Figs. 7a, 7c, the die-carrier is supported in a cradle 80 on rollers 81 which may be rotated by a cylinder 91 so that the carrier is rotated until the joint-plane of the split-die is horizontal, the position being determined by stops 93, 94 on the carrier and support respectively. A cylinder 96 clamps the carrier on the support, and the filled die is pushed from the carrier by a push-member 85 on to a roller conveyer 88 and thence to a trolley 90 on the conveyer-circuit 6. The empty die-carrier in the cradle 80 is raised by a piston 97 until the cradle engages a stop 98, tilts, and ejects the carrier on to a conveyer 99 leading to the replenishment station 5. The trolley 90 carrying the filled die, moves by gravity, under the control of check-members 100, 101, Fig. 8a, to the extraction-station 7. Thereat the trolley is held by a stop 186, Figs. 12b, 12c and cylinders 171, 173 actuate catches 172, 174 to engage the upper and lower diehalves respectively. The cylinders 171 are carried on a support 176 which is then rotated through 90 degrees to remove the upper die-half. Cylinders rotate arms 180 in a horizontal plane, the ends of the arms thereby engaging the endcavities of the cast tube, and cylinders 183 then cause the arm 180 to move upwardly and carry the cast tube to the position shown, Fig. 12b, when the tube is released and rolls down a ramp 191 to stowage. 9. The arms 180 and support 176 are returned to their initial positions, the die-halves closed, catches 172, 174 released, and the trolley and die moved on by actuation of the stop 186 by a cylinder 185 through a tunnel 10, where the die is water-sprayed. At station 11, at the output end of the tunnel, a coating is sprayed into the die by an automatic gun 113, Fig. 9a, chain-driven into and out of operative position by a motor 117, and the trolleys are then transferred automatically to the replenishment station 5 by check-members 100, 101, Fig. 8a. As the trolley reaches station 5, Fig. 10a, a cylinder 148 is actuated to move an airblowing member 149 through a waiting diecarrier on a support 142, and a push-member 133 is then actuated to push the die from the trolley 90, past graphite spraying-nozzles 165a, 165b, into the carrier. The support 142 is then tilted by cylinders 139 and the diecarrier and die-assembly rolls by gravity to the loading station 14, where it engages a stop controlling the distribution of dies, one-by-one, on a tilting bridge 68, Fig. 6b. From the tilting bridge the die-carrier is lifted by a fork 64, the bridge is raised, and the fork lowered to deposit the die-carrier on a centrifugal casting-machine positioned below the bridge.