Patent GB-189917876-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to the Making of Moulds for Casting Metals.
Inventor: COOPER HARRY CLIFFORD
Filed: 1899-09-05
Granted: 1900-02-17
Abstract: 17,876. Cooper, H. C. Sept. 5. Moulding.-A moulding-machine is arranged to perform automatically all the operations necessary to produce a mould from a pattern, and is provided with a special form of chaplet and a clamping device to secure the two flasks together. Fig. 3 shows a section of the cope machine, and Figs. 108- 117 indicate various stages in the operations. The flask F<5>, with a runner box F<52>, is picked up by a radial arm (not shown) raised and lowered by a cylinder, and swung in over a cylinder D<8>, in which is a piston D' carrying the pattern-supporting mechanism. The flask F<5> is then lowered to rest on a chill F<4> resting on a chill support F<2> carried by a ring D<17>, capable of vertical movement on the piston D'. In the example shown, the pattern consists of three parts R<1>, R', R<3> for moulding the cope of a car wheel, the parts being separately supported by rings capable of independent vertical movement on the piston D'. The initial stage is shown in Fig. 108. A false outer flask C<28>, made up of sections of any desired height, is released from a casing C<30> by the fall of the flask F<5>. Simultaneously a plunger B<17> with sprue-forming pins drops, and a quantity of sand is discharged from a hopper A<8> through a chute C<41>. The hopper has escapement doors A<10>, A<34>, A<35>, forming reservoirs, the capacity of the reservoir A" being adjustable. An inner false flask C<29> and a second lot of sand are then allowed to fall. The first lot of sand fills the flask, the outer false flask, and a runner box, and the second lot, contained between the doors A<34>, A<35>, fills the inner false flask as shown in Fig. 110. The piston D' is then raised to compress the sand against a perforated pressure plate C'‹. Through this plate, tapered vent pins on a plate C<18> are projected into the sand, Fig. 112. When the piston reaches its maximum height, the flasks are held ready for the next operation. The part R<2> of the pattern is then further advanced to compress the sand in the lower parts of the pattern. The three parts R', R<2>, R<3> are then advanced together by their rings to compress the sand uniformly. The plunger B<17> acts as a rammer in the runner box. The vent pins are then stripped through the pressure plate, and the sprue pins stripped through a ring B<6> and the plunger, the latter being stripped through the ring B<6>. The parts of the pattern are then separately stripped by the lowering of the rings, and the piston falls, the flask with the finished cope, Fig. 117, being caught by a second crane arm and swung out of the machine. The drag machine is of similar construction, except that there are no sprue pins, inner false flask, or other features necessary only for the cope, this allowing the sand chute to be arranged centrally and to require only one lot of sand. The rings for supporting the pattern parts may have adjustable bearing-surfaces to suit the height of the patterns. Fig. 34 shows a chaplet and a shield for protecting the same from sand. The stem S<1> of the chaplet is frictionally fitted into the runner box F<52>. A casing S<3> is fixed on the pattern R<2> and carries an adjustable pin S<9> passing through the tubular shield S<6>, which is pressed up by a spring to cover the chaplet. As the pattern rises, the pin S<9> presses the chaplet into the required position, the chaplet being protected by the shield throughout. A slightly-modified form may he used, in which the shield may be held down by a catch while fitting the chaplet. Fig. 144 shows a clamp for clamping together the cope flask V, the drag flask V<1>, and the bottom board V<2>. The flask V<1> has a double lug V<3> in which engage trunnions V<5> on a nut V<4> carried by a right and left handed screw V<17>. A similar screw V<16> has a nut V<12> with a double hook V<13> engaging cam surfaces on the nut V<4>. The screw V<16> has a nut with an arm V<15> to engage the flask V, and the screw V<17> has a nut V<7> with an arm V<8> to engage the bottom board. The parts are engaged as shown, the screw V<17> being tightened first. To disengage the clamp, the arm V<8> is knocked off the board by striking the projection V<9>. The parts are then thrown out by springs V<17>, V<18>. A suitable elastic block V<19> is provided to allow the flasks to expand.