Improvements in Apparatus for Removing Moulds from Ingots.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Removing Moulds from Ingots.
I, JOHN EVANS, of Llwyncelyn, Merthyr Tydfil, in the County of Glamorgan,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for removing moulds from the ingots that
have been cast therein, and has for objects the construction of apparatus that shall
be stable, shall be less in height than those heretofore usually employed, and
shall be economical of pressure-fluid and speedy, and yet sufficiently powerful to
overcome the great resistance occasionally offered by the adhesion of the moulds to
the ingots.
With these objects according to this invention there are provided for removing a
mould from its ingot, three hydraulic or other fluid-pressure rams arranged pre-
ferably side by side and with their axes in a single vertical plane, the central
ram being for holding down the ingot, and the two side rams for raising the
mould. The two side rams are each made with two portions of different cross
sectional areas, and each is provided with two barrels-viz., (in one arrangement)
an upper free barrel containing the part of smaller cross section and connected to
a strong cross-head, common to both upper barrels and provided with pendent rods
carrying at their lower ends slings or links adapted to engage automatically
with lugs on the mould, and a lower barrel containing the portion of larger cross
section and fixed to a base-frame to which is also fixed the barrel of the central ram.
The interiors of the two barrels of each side ram are connected together by a
passage in the ram, the arrangement being such that a larger cross section of the
ram will be used for the initial movement of the mould upon the ingot and that
thereupon the mould will be lifted clear of the ingot by the action of the pressure-
fluid upon a part of effectively smaller cross section. The central ram has an
upward extension carrying a boss, which may be adjustable thereon; and the
barrel of the central ram is connected to a tank or other reservoir of water (herein-
after, for distinction, called " non-pressure water) at a suitable elevation above
it. The slings or links may be connected together by lever arms and links.
"
When it is desired to use the apparatus, pressure is put under the side rams,
and both the rams and their upper barrels ascend together and independently,
carrying with them ultimately the central ram by means of the aforesaid boss,
against which the crosshead comes to bear. When the central ram has been
sufficiently raised, the ingot-mould is brought into position, whereupon the pres-
sure is reduced below the side rams, which then, along with the
central ram, descend until the latter rests upon the ingot, the barrel
of the central ram being meanwhile filled, above the ram, with non-pressure
water gravitating from the reservoir above mentioned. The side rams continue to
descend until the slings automatically engage with and under the lugs of the
mould, whereupon the non-pressure water in the barrel of the central ram is
imprisoned therein by a suitable valve. Pressure is now again put under the

page_text: side rams, and the mould is lifted, whilst the ingot is kept down by the central ram,
which is held rigid and immovable by the imprisoned water, which is released when
the aforesaid boss is reached by the crosshead. All the rams then rise together,
and the non-pressure water is forced back into the reservoir for use over again.
Sometimes I provide means for automatically opening and closing the water-valve
of the central barrel. One arrangement for this purpose comprises links connected
together and respectively to the ram and the crosshead, & a lever operated by the
said links and which in turn is connected to and works the valve.
The base-frame, which may carry any convenient number of sets of rams such
as described, is preferably mounted on wheels or slides arranged to run on a
track carried by a suitable framework transversely over two tracks, one for car-
riages bringing the full moulds, and the other for carriages to receive the moulds
removed from the ingots; and hydraulic or other pressure rams may advantageously
be provided for transversing the vertical rams from over one track to over the other
and vice versa.
Dated this 1st day of March 1898.
Improvements in Apparatus for Removing Moulds from Ingots.
I, JOHN EVANS, of Llwyncelyn, Merthyr Tydfil, in the County of Glamorgan,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
4
This invention relates to apparatus for removing moulds from the ingots that
have been cast therein, and has for objects the construction of apparatus that shall
be stable, shall be less in height than those heretofore usually employed, and
shall be economical of pressure-fluid and speedy, and yet sufficiently powerful to
overcome the great initial resistance occasionally offered by the adhesion of the
moulds to the ingots.
In describing the invention and the manner of performing the same, reference
will be had to the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which Figs. 1, 2, and 3
are respectively a side elevation, an end elevation, and a plan of an example of
apparatus constructed according to this invention, and Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional
side elevation, drawn to a larger scale, of the upper portion thereof.
For removing a mould from its ingot there are provided three hydraulic or
other fluid-pressure rams 1 and 2 arranged preferably, as shown, side by side and
with their axes in a single vertical plane, the central ram 1 being for holding
down the ingot, and the two side rams 2, 2, for raising the mould. The two side
rams are differential rams, that is to say, each made with two portions of different
cross sectional areas and each is provided with two barrels-viz., in the example
shown, an upper free barrel 2ª containing the part of smaller cross section and
connected to a strong crosshead 3 common to both upper barrels and provided with
pendent rods 4 carrying at their lower ends slings or links 5 adapted to engage
automatically with lugs 6 on the mould 7, and a lower barrel 2b containing the
portion of larger cross section and fixed to a base-frame 8 to which is also fixed the
barrel 9 of the central ram. The interiors of the two barrels 2 and 2b of each side

page_text: ram are connected together by a passage 10 in the ram the arrangement being
such that a larger cross section of each side ram (in the example shown, the
effective cross section of the lower portion) will be used for the initial movement
of the mould upon the ingot and the action will therefore be powerful, whereas the
mould will, after the stoppage of the side rams, be lifted clear of the ingot by the
action of the pressure-fluid upon a part of each ram of effectively smaller cross
section in the example shown, by its action between the upper ends of the rams
and the upper ends of the upper barrels 2". It will be obvious that instead of
having a lower portion of larger cross section and an upper portion of smaller
cross section contained in fixed and free barrels respectively as shown, each side
ram might have a lower portion in a fixed barrel but of smaller cross section and an
upper portion in a free barrel but of larger cross section, but as this would entail
the placing of the heavier portion at the top the arrangement shown is preferred.
In the example shown, the lower end of each side ram is provided with suit-
able ribs or projections 2* by means of which it rests on the bottom of its barrel 2b,
so that the pressure-fluid can act upon almost the whole of its surface, even when
the ram is in its lowest position; to limit the upward movement of each side ram,
there are provided at its lower end a number of radial projections 2° with spaces
between them, and on its barrel there are provided corresponding radial projec-
tions 2, the spaces between which enable the ram to be inserted in its barrel;
and for the purpose of keeping the projections 2° under or in line with the pro-
jections 2, there is secured to the shoulder 2 of the ram a ring 2 that engages
loosely with the adjacent pendent rod 4 so as to prevent the ram 2 from turning in
its barrel.
The central ram has an upward extension 1ª carrying a boss 11, which may be
adjustable thereon; and the barrel of the central ram is connected by pipes 12 to
a tank or other reservoir of water (hereinafter, for distinction, called non-pres-
sure" water) at a suitable elevation above it. The slings or links 5 may be con-
nected together by lever-arms 5 and links 5b to facilitate their working by hand.
When it is desired to use the apparatus, pressure is put under the side rams 2,
and their upper barrels ascend together, carrying with them ultimately the
central ram 1 by means of the boss 11, against which the crosshead 3 comes to bear.
When the central ram 1 has been sufficiently raised, the ingot-mould 7 is brought
into position, whereupon the pressure is reduced below the side rams 2, whose
barrels then, along with the central ram 1, descend until the latter rests upon the
ingot, the barrel of the central ram being meanwhile filled, above the ram 1 and
around its extension 1°, with non-pressure water gravitating from the reservoir
above mentioned, and entering the barrel 9 past a suitable valve such as 13. The
side barrels 2ª continue to descend until the slings 5 automatically engage with
and under the lugs 6 of the mould 7. After imprisoning in the barrel 9 of the
central ram, by means of the said valve, the non-pressure water contained therein
(which may be done at any time between the central ram's coming into contact with
the ingot and the lifting of the mould), pressure is again put under the side rams,
and the mould is lifted, whilst the ingot is kept down by the central ram, which
is held rigid and immovable by the imprisoned water, which is released when the
boss 11 is reached by the cross-head. The central ram and the side barrels then rise
together, and the non-pressure water is forced back into the reservoir for use over
again. The water-valve such as 13 of the central barrel may be opened and closed
either by hand or by any suitable means, electric or other. In the example shown,
automatic means are provided for operating this valve, these means comprising a
links 14, connected to the boss 11 on the extension 1* of the ram 1, and a slotted
lever 15 which has its fulcrum at 15 and is operated by means of the link 14.
being connected thereto by a pin 14, passing through a slide-block 14b that
embraces the said lever and engages in its slot 15. The weight of the slide-
block 14b is such as normally to keep the lever 15 in the vertical position and
The crosshead 3 carries
consequently the valve 13 closed, as shown in Fig. 4.
on a suitable stud an antifriction roller 3* adapted to come against the link 14. The

page_text: slide-valve 13 is connected with the lever 15 by means of a lever 13ª (pivoted at 13b
on a bracket fixed to one of the barrels 2b) and two links 13 and 13. The
valve 13 is operated by this automatic arrangement as follows:-As the cross-
head 3 approaches the boss 11, the roller 3 comes into contact with, and raises,
the link 14, thereby moving the long lever 15 outwards, and, by means of the
lever 13 and links 13° and 13ª, opening the valve 13 so as to allow the non-
pressure water above the ram 1 in the barrel 9 to be expelled as the ram is then
raised by the cross-head. The valve 13 then remains open during the descent of
the crosshead to allow ingress of non-pressure water, until the descent of the ram 1
is stopped by the ingot, whereupon the crosshead descends without it and the
roller allows the link 14 to fall into the position shown in Fig. 4 and thereby
to close the valve 13 and imprison the non-pressure water in the barrel 9.
The apparatus shown can be used for ingots varying from 1 foot 6 inches to 6
feet long, and in the figures the boss 11 is shown as adjusted to suit all ingots be-
tween those two lengths. If it is desired, however, to use the apparatus only
for ingots of a certain length--say, from 5 feet to 6 feet-then the boss 11 is
lowered a suitable distance on the extension 1º, whereby the central ram will be
prevented from passing, during the raising of the mould, so far into the latter
before being raised by the crosshead, and the time and energy spent in lifting the
central ram will consequently be reduced.
The base-frame 8, which may carry any convenient number of sets of rams
such as described (in the example shown there are two sets) is preferably mounted
on wheels 16 (or slides) arranged to run on a track 17 carried by a suitable frame-
work 18 transversely over two tracks 19, 19, one (19) for carriages 20 bringing
the full moulds and the other (19") for carriages 20" to receive the moulds removed
from the ingots; and hydraulic or other fluid-pressure rams 21 and 21ª may
advantageously be provided for transferring the vertical rams from over one
track (19) to over the other (19) and vice versa. To allow for this movement of
the apparatus the pipes 12 leading to the central barrel 9 may be provided with
telescopic joints 12", and the pipes 22 for supplying fluid under pressure to the
side rams with swivel connexions at 22ª, 22, and 22. The supply and escape of
pressure fluid to and from the side ram barrels 2b is controlled by a suitable three-
way cock (not shown) provided with a hand lever 23, the escaping fluid passing
away by a conveniently arranged pipe.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire to have it under-
stood that I do not claim broadly the combination of three hydraulic or other fluid-
pressure rams arranged side by side, the central ram being adapted to act as an
abutment against one end of an ingot and the two side rams to pull the mould off
the ingot whilst the latter is being thus held by the central ram, but I declare
that what I claim is:-
1. In apparatus for removing moulds from ingots that have been cast therein,
the combination of three hydraulic rams arranged side by side, the central ram
being adapted to act as an abutment against one end of an ingot and the two
side rams being differential rams adapted to pull the mould off the ingot whilst
the latter is being thus held by the central ram, substantially as set forth.
2. Apparatus for removing moulds from ingots that have been cast therein, in
which hydraulic or other fluid-pressure rams provided for pulling a mould off its
ingot are made with two portions having cross sectional areas which are different
in size and are contained in separate and relatively movable barrels whose interiors
are connected together, the arrangement being such that a larger cross section of
ram will be used for the initial movement of the mould upon the ingot and that
the mould will afterwards be moved clear of the ingot by the action of the pres-
sure-fluid upon a part of smaller cross section, substantially as set forth.
3. Apparatus for removing moulds from ingots that have been cast therein, com-
prising a central vertical hydraulic ram for holding down the ingot and provided

page_text: with a barrel fixed to a base-frame, two vertical hydraulic or other fluid-pressure
rams for raising the mould and arranged at opposite sides of the central ram and
provided with upper free barrels connected by a crosshead, means for controlling
the communication between the upper portion of the central barrel and a reservoir
5 of "
non-pressure water, and means whereby the crosshead can raise the central
ram after upward movement of the side rams to an extent dependent on the length
of the ingot, whether or not the apparatus be constructed with means for varying
the extent of the said upward movement of the side rams.
"2
4. Apparatus according to Claim 3 in which means are provided for auto-
matically opening communication between the upper portion of the barrel of the
central ram and a supply of water when the central ram is about to be raised by
the side rams and closing the said communication after the central ram has come
into contact with the ingot and before the mould is raised by the side rams.
5. My improved apparatus for removing moulds from ingots constructed, ar-
ranged, and operating as herein before described with reference to and shown in
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1898.
For the Applicant.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.