Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Casting Metal.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 13th May, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Casting Metal.
A communication from LEONHARD C. B. HOLMBOE, c/o The Illinois Steel
Company, Chicago, State of Illinois, United States of America.
J, JAMES WILLIARD MILLER, of 169, Queen's Gate, County of Middlesex,
Manufacturer's Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvement in apparatus for casting metal, in which,
generally stated, an endless series of moulds are mounted, in pivotal relation to
each other, in an endless carrier, formed of pivotally connected links on wheels
or rollers and travelling an extended straight-sided and preferably inclined
course along upper and lower tracks or supports, and over vertical sprocket-
wheels, or the like, at opposite ends of the tracks. The metal to be cast is
poured into the moulds as they pass from the lower or receiving end of the
apparatus along the upper track, the length of the course and the speed of travel
being such as to cause the metal poured into the moulds to solidify, either with
or without artificial cooling means, before it reaches the discharge-end of the
apparatus. The moulds move along the upper track with their open sides upward
and as they descend over the discharge-end of the apparatus they upset, to discharge
the casting, returning in upset condition along the lower track to the receiving
end of the apparatus where, in their movement to the upper track, they are righted
again before reaching the point where the metal is poured.
While the apparatus may be employed in casting various kinds of metal, its
more general use, hitherto, has been in connection with blast-furnaces for casting
the iron into pigs. The moulds employed for casting pig iron, at blast-furnaces,
are subject to more or less frequent fracture in use which makes their removal
and replacement with new moulds necessary; and as they are necessarily heavy,
weighing upwards of 200 pounds each, they are difficult to handle by manual
labour alone.
The object is to provide improved means for fastening the moulds in the
carrier, whereby, while held securely against accidental displacement, they may
be readily removed and replaced; and whereby when upset in their movement
over the discharge end of the carrier they drop in their fastenings a limited
distance to jar the contained castings and ensure the loosening and discharge of
the latter from the moulds. The object is further to provide improved means
for lifting the replacing moulds quickly and easily into their fastenings on the
carrier.
The improvements are especially applicable to blast-furnace casting machines
of the general construction shown and described in Letters l'atent No. 19352 of
1895 granted to Edward A. Uehling to which patent reference may be had for
more detailed description of the apparatus as a whole, than is thought necessary
in the present application.

page_text: Keferring to the drawings:-
Figure is a broken side elevation of the discharge-end portion of a metal
casting apparatus provided with the improvements and with part of the supports,
and the track on the near side, left out;
Figure 2, an enlarged section taken on line 2 of Figure 1, showing a mould
in upright position, partly in elevation and partly in section;
Figure 3 a broken and enlarged section taken on line 3 of Figure 1 and illus-
trating the operation of placing a mould in the carrier;
Figure 4 a broken plan view of the carrier showing one mould in position; and
Figure 5, a broken view on an irregular line showing one mould in elevation,
another in section and the fastening means at one side for another mould.
A is the carrier; B one of a pair of sprocket-wheels at the discharge-end around
which the carrier moves; B¹ one of the brackets on which the shaft of the sprocket-
wheel is journalled; and C the foundation upon which the brackets B' rest.
D is the lower track and D₁ the upper track, the said tracks being suitably
supported in the frame-structure of the apparatus. The carrier A is formed with
parallel endless chains each comprising a series of inner mould-supporting links t
and outer links s, the ends of the links being pivotally joined to cross-shafts r
tarrying rollers r. The rollers travel upon rails 7 at the upper and lower tracks
or supports D D. The links are formed with central projecting lugs or plates t¹
provided in their ends with sockets 2. Fastened against the outer sides of the
links t, and extending along and beyond the plate-portions are mould-engaging
-latches, comprising arms or plates provided with openings t through them.
The arms are preferably of springy metal and curved outward at their free-ends
as shown.
EE are the moulds provided at opposite ends with comparatively narrow
projecting lugs or ear-portions p forming shoulders and of a shape to fit the
socket 2 in the links The body-portion of each-mould is of a length approxi-
mating the distance between a pair of links t at opposite sides, and the ears p
extend past the sockets in the links. The ends of the ears or lugs are preferably
inclined to form cams, whereby in the operation of placing a mould in position
to extend at its cars-or-lugs--in-the-sockets_,_the_cam-ends of the ears will
bear against the surfaces of the spring-arms and press them apart until the
cars pass to the openings in the spring-arms, when the latter will recoil over
the ears and thus hold the moulds in place. The openings in the spring-arms
are. somewhat longer than the ears p. Thus when the moulds travel in upright
position they rest at their cars 2 in the sockets of the links, as shown in
Figure 2, and when reversed they drop to the ends of the openings in the spring-
arms, as illustrated most plainly in Figure 1.
In practice, the moulds in passing over the discharge end of the apparatus
may drop an inch, more or less, in order to loosen the contained pig, in the event
that it should stick in the mould, and insure its discharge when the mould has
upset. When it is desired to remove a mould from the carrier one of the
spring-arms may be forced outward with a crow-har, or other tool, to release the
cars. The ears and sockets 12 are of tapering form and fit each other closely 4
to hold the moulds against independent oscillation while travelling along the
upper track.
To facilitate the placing of moulds in the carrier a frame or platform F is
provided beneath the lower track, preferably near the discharge-end of the
machine, which frame or platform may be capable of holding several moulds. 5
At the end of the frame or platform is a lifting device G, which may be of any
desired construction. In Figure is illustrated a hydraulic lifting device
having a piston-cylinder n, and a piston-stem carrying a head which
conforms in size and outline to the inner face of the mould to bold the same
in one position in the lifting operation. The lifting device is located centrally
below the carrier and in such position with relation to the platform that
when it is down a mould may be slid on to the head with little trouble. When

page_text: it has been necessary to remove a mould from the carrier, the carrier is moved
until the empty links are directly over the lifting device G. A new mould is
placed upon the head n², and the lifting device is then operated to raise the
mould between the links, and spread the spring-arms 3, which when the ears p
register with the openings, recoil under the ears and sustain the moulds as
described. The lifting head is then caused to descend out of the way. To
prevent yielding of the carrier under the pressure of the lifting device when a
mould is raised into position, guards or keepers m are provided over the lower
track at that point which hold the rollers r¹ to the track-rails.
While it is preferred to construct the improvements throughout as shown
and described they may be variously modified without departing from the spirit
of the invention as defined by the claims.
Hitherto it has been usual to secure the moulds to the links with bolts which
have to be removed and replaced whenever moulds are changed. Whenever
it happens that a mould has to be removed and replaced during a run of the
machine, the saving of time which the improvement effects over the old method
in making the change is of great importance, and while it is preferred to employ
spring-latches as shown the invention is not limited thereto.
In fact any
suitable form of latch which may be sprung, turned or shot into mould-retaining
position may be employed.
The dropping of the moulds in their fastenings as they turn over the discharge-
end of the apparatus is a valuable improvement, as it not only makes tapping
which tends to injure the moulds, unnecessary, but dispenses with the services
of a man hitherto required to do the tapping and is more certain in its operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :---
1. In a metal-casting machine, the combination of parallel carrier-chains
formed with mould-supporting links provided with latches arranged to move
into and out of engagement with the moulds, and moulds remoyably supported
on said links and engaged by said latches, substantially, as described.
2. In a metal-casting machine, the combination of parallel carrier-chains
formed with mould-supporting links provided with spring-latches, and moulds
removably supported on said links and engaged by said latches, substantially
as described.
3. In a metal-casting machine, moulds formed with end projections, parallel
corrier-chains formed with links having sockets to receive the said end-projections,
and latches on the links engaging the said projections, substantially as described.
4. In a metal-casting machine, moulds formed with end projections, parallel
carrier-chains formed with links having sockets to receive the said end-pro-
jections, and spring-latches on the links engaging the said projections substantially
as described.
5. In a metal-casting machine, the combination of parallel carrier-chains
formed with mould-supporting links and moulds supported on said links, the
connection between the moulds and links being formed by projections upon the
one and elongated lug-engaging sockets in the other in which the lugs have
play whereby the moulds have limited movement on their supports, whereby as
the moulds are upset in their course, a jarring, casting discharging drop is
Imparted to them, substantially as described.
6. In a metal-casting machine, the combination. of moulds formed with end-
projections, parallel carrier-chains formed with links having sockets to receive
he said end-projections, and projecting spring-latches on the sides of the links
aving openings to receive the said projections, substantially as described.
7. In a metal-casting machine, the combination of moulds formed with
apering end-projections, parallel carrier-chains formed with links having tapering

page_text: -
sockets into which the said end-projections fit, and latches on the links engaging
the said projections, substantially as described.
8. In a metal-casting machine, the combination of moulds E formed with
end-projections P, parallel carrier-chains formed with links provided with
sockets 2, and spring-latches on the links having elongated openings t, all
constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described.
9. In a metal-casting machine, the combination with the parallel carrier-
chains formed with mould-supporting links, of a mould-supporting and lifting
device beneath the carrier-chains, means for raising said device to lift the moulds
to the links, and mould-engaging means on the links, substantially as described.
10. In a metal-casting machine, the combination with the parallel carrier-
chains formed with mould-supporting links, of a mould-supporting and positioning
lifting-head beneath the carrier-chains, means for raising said head to lift the
moulds to the links, and mould-engaging means on the links, substantially as
described.
11. In a metal-casting machine, the combination with the parallel carrier-
chains formed with mould-supporting links, of a mould-supporting and lifting
device beneath the carrier-chains, means for raising said device to lift the moulds
to the links, mould-engaging means on the links, and a mould-supporting frame
conveniently adjacent to said lifting device, all arranged substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
12. In a metal-casting machine, the combination of the lower track and
parallel carrier-chains formed with mould-supporting links provided with mould-
engaging latches, of a mould positioning and lifting device beneath the lower
track, means for raising said device with a mould to place the mould-in the
links, and keepers above the lower tracks preventing rise of the links under
pressure of the lifting-device, substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of Wah………………………… 1000