Improvements in Mechanism for the Production of Castings.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left. 27th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 22nd Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for the Production of Castings.
1, WILLIAM ROWLAND TAYLOR, of No. 2 Star Hill Villas, Rochester, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in mechanism for the production of
castings and is especially applicable to mechanisin for dealing with metals of low
specific gravity, such as aluminium and its alloys, which cannot, because of their
lightness, be made to flow down the ordinary ingate.
The invention further relates to improvements in mechanism for forming and
presenting a mould, duly cored when necessary, to the metal, for injecting the
latter into the mould and for withdrawing and opening the mould, all these motions
being derived from a single rotary shaft.
The mould is made of any suitable material, and in two or more portions as
may be required. One for bottle stoppers consists of three portions, two for the
body of the stopper and a third for the top.
The two body portions are adapted to slide to and from each other on or between
suitable guides. They are connected by links to fixed points on the respectively
opposite sides of the base plate or platform of the mechanism. The third portion
is likewise adapted to slide to and from the other two in a line at right angles
to that of their motion. The guides for the body portions, as well as that for the
third portion, are fast upon a movable plate adapted to slide, in a plane parallel
with that in which the said three portions move and upon the top of the base
plate or platform of the mechanism. The cores are made fast to the portions of
the mould as may be most convenient. A core on the third portion will produce
a hollow stopper. The movable plate and third portion are, respectively, con-
nected by eccentric or cam rods, to a shaft rotatable by hand or otherwise in
suitable bearings. This shaft is transverse to the motion of the movable plate
and parallel with that of the body portions. The eccentrics or their equivalents,
are set so that the third portion shall be withdrawn from the two other portions
before they are moved away from each other so as to clear the stopper top while
the body is still held fast. The to and fro motion of the two body portions is
caused by the motion of the movable plate acting in conjunction with the hold of
the fixed points aforesaid on the links to which the said body portions are,
respectively, made fast.
The furnace (when one is required) is constructed within the base of the
mechanism and may be of any convenient type. The melting pot is stationary
and is provided with a force pump. The latter is, preferably, vertical, its piston
working through a guide fixed bridgewise across the pot. The piston lever has its
fulcrum in the bridge and is worked by suitable eccentric or cam gear from the
transverse shaft above mentioned. The nozzle of the pipe through which the
molten metal is delivered is tapered to enter a corresponding cavity in the opposite
face of the conjoined body portions. The respective positions of the nozzle and
cavity may be reversed. The pump eccentric is set to inject the metal as soon
as the mould is made up.
The eccentric rods above mentioned are, as many of them as may be required
to be so, adjustable in point of length in order to adapt the mechanism to, in
combination with substitute moulds, produce larger or smaller castings.
There is also provided, when necessary, a jet to heat the nozzle above mentioned.

page_text: I prefer to use gas from any convenient supply and compressed air from a cylinder
attached to the base of the mechanism or from any suitable air blast.
I provide for the rapid cooling of the casting by forming a jacket within the
material of the mould or around it, through which, water or compressed gas, such
as carbonic acid, or any other cooling agent, is fed during, or immediately after,
the act of casting and prior to the opening of the mould. The cooling fluid may
be sent through the jacket, or its passage through the same, controlled, by pump-
and-valve mechanism worked from the shaft above mentioned or by the mould
itself or by both.
The invention described above is not limited to the casting of molten metal
but is equally applicable, as far as the mould and the pot and pump are concerned,
to plastic materials.
Dated this 28th day of December 1893.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for the Production of Castings.
I, WILLIAM ROWLAND TAYLOR of No. 2 Star Hill Villas, Rochester, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly declared and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in mechanism for the production of
castings and is specially applicable to mechanism for dealing with metals of low
specific gravity, such as aluminium, which cannot be made, because of their
lightness, to flow down ordinary gates and which, for the same reason, require to
be cast under more or less pressure if the castings are to be turned out with
sharp edges.
The invention consists of improvements in mechanisms for forming a mould by
closing together the several portions of it, for duly coring it when necessary, for
presenting it to the metal delivery nozzle from the furnace; for working the
metal pump; for separating the said portions of the mould and for withdrawing
the core when such withdrawal is necessary. Each member of the said mechanism
is actuated from a single shaft having a regular rotary motion. The due
co-operation of the said members is secured by the interposition between the
shaft and connecting rods to the respective members, of duly timed cams fast on
the shaft.
In the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as part of this Specification
and read therewith:-
11
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a complete casting plant made according to the
present invention.
Figure 2 is a plan corresponding therewith.
Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a rear clevation.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the crucible and force pump of a modified form
of plant.
Figure 7 is a rear elevation corresponding therewith, and
Figure 8 is a plan.
Referring to Figures 1 to 5, a, a is the frame of the plant. It is mounted upon
carrying wheels b, for convenience in moving it about. c is the furnace; c', the
funnel and d, the crucible.
The mould illustrated is one for producing hollow bodied screwed stoppers, but

page_text: the detail construction of the mould is not a part of the present invention. In
any case, the mould, as far as it is a mould, is made as heretofore, i.e., according
to the conformation of the article to be cast, in respect of the number of parts of
which such mould is composed..
e, e are the two body portions of the mould.
vertical plane, as clearly shewn in Figure 3.
far as
Their meeting faces are in the
e is a jacket for cooling the mould and its contents. It is a space formed in
the shells of the body portions e, e. Its object is to receive and hold about (as
possible) the molten metal in the mould, a quantity of cooling liquid or
gas. is the reservoir for the cooling agent in question which is supplied to
the reservoir and maintained therein under pressure, by any suitable means. eis
the delivery to the space e', and e, a controlling valve thereon. e, e are a pair
of extensions on the back of the body portions e, e, adapted to close upon the
nozzle e of the delivery pipe e'.
ffare a pair of parallel guides between which the body portions e, e can slide
freely. Both guides are made fast to a sliding plate g upon which they stand in a
direction more or less parallel with the direction in which the said body portions
must move to make or to open the mould.
The motion of the plate y is at right angles with that of the said body portions.
h, h are its guides. They are held fast upon the top of the frame a.
i is the rotary shaft referred to above. It is supported in suitable bearings, i
which stand up from the top of the frame a. This shaft is at right angles with
the travel of the plate g.
j, are connecting rods from the plate g to the blocks, of the cams k, k.
Each rod, cam block and cam is a counterpart of the other respectively and
stands equidistant from the adjacent guide h. is an adjusting device in each
connecting rod for regulating its length. The operative faces of each cam
block are kept in the path of the respective cam by the boss of the cam on one
side, and a collar 2 on the other side, of the block.
1, are links from the respective body portions e, e above mentioned, to fixed
points ', . The latter are on the frame a outside the guides h so as to be clear
of the sliding plate g, one on each side of the latter. 1, 12 are set screws for
adjusting the position of the fixed points l¹.
m is the third portion of the mould. Its principal function is to carry the
core m', to the presence of which the hollowness of the stopper body above
referred to, is due. In the construction illustrated, this third portion carries the
formative surfaces for the top and side of the stopper top. It is actuated from
the shaft in substantially the same way as is described above with reference to
the body portions e, e. n is its connecting rod, n' its cam block and o its cam.
n2 is the nut of the adjusting device for regulating the length of the rod. o¹ is the
boss of the cam aud o³, the collar on the shaft i. The latter may be rotated by a
handle and wheel or by any suitable device. ³ is the rod guide. It is carried
by the sliding plate g.
The cams of the sliding plate, i.e., of the body portions e, e of the mould and
of the third or core carrier m, are set on the shaft i at the proper relative angles
for providing for the core being withdrawn clear of the joined body portions e, e,
before the latter are moved away from each other, and consequently clear also of
the stopper itself, because the latter will, for the time being, remain in the said
body portions, being held therein by reason of the screw thread on it.
9 is the force pump having its cylinder and supply supported within the
crucible d. g' is the piston rod; g², its adjustment, and g³, a bridge piece over the
crucible, and in the crown of which, there is provided a guide for the rod gl.
The pump piston g¹? is.worked from the shaft by means of the cam g' through
the following chain of mechanism :-9, a cam block of substantially the same
construction as before described: and 96, a lever pivotted by one end to the bottom
of the said cam block, having its fulcrum at g' and pivotally connected by its
opposite end to 9' a link, fitted with an adjustment 9 and pivotally connected by

page_text: its opposite end to one end of g₁, a lever having its fulcrum at " in the bridge
piece and pivotally connected at its opposite end to the pump rod g'.
The pump cylinder is lined and the piston coated with carbon or similar
material, to prevent aluminium coming in contact with the iron of which they are
made, thereby guarding the said surfaces from the destructive action of the metal
in question.
is a Bunsen gas jet fed with gas through the pipe and with air from the
cylinder through the pipe . The function of this jet is to maintain the
temperature of the nozzle at least up to that of the molten metal passing
through it.
My invention constructed as above described works as follows after the metal in
the crucible is molten.
When the shaft is turned, the cams k, k move the plate g up towards the
crucible. The front guide presses against the body portions e, e, and they, being
held on both hands by the fixed points 1, 1, and behind, by the back guide f, are
virtually thrust by the said points up against each other.
The cam o next pushes the core carrier up into position, thereby closing the
front of the mould in the way illustrated in Figure 4. By that time, the cam g
has come up with the lower half of the cam block 9 thereby depressing the
adjoining end of the lever and operating the pump. As soon as the metal is
injected, the valve e is opened and the cooling fluid admitted to the jacket e¹.
This fluid injecting mechanism may be geared to the shaft i by any suitable means
so as to be worked from it at the right moment in the cycle of motions.
A further part of my invention relates to modifications of the above described
plant, necessary when the metal to be cast is aluminium. These modifications are
illustrated in Figures 6 to 8. They consist in improved mechanism for using the
resilience of a volume of air under pressure as the proximate agent for working
the metal pump.
d is the crucible. d' is an inner vessel having a port d in the bottom of it and
which is controlled by a valve d³ carried at the end of a valve rod the head of
which presents itself up above a suitable stuffing box on the cover of the crucible d
and vessel d', to be there engaged by a clutch . The vessel d' is lined with,
and the valve d³ made of, carbon or similar material, to guard the metal of which
they are made from the action of the molten metal upon them. is a returning
spring adapted to return the valve ³ upon its seat. The molten aluminium is kept
standing in the crucible at a sufficiently high level to feed a charge into the
vessel d' each time that the valve d³ is lifted. s is the force pump. is the
suction port and s², the delivery pipe from the bottom of the pump into the inner
vessel above mentioned. The port s is controlled by the pump piston and
worked from the shaft i in the same way and by the same chain of mechanism as
previously described. This being the case, it is still the down or forcing stroke
that is the operative one.
is a lug on the head of the pump plunger and is pivotally connected by its end
to one end of a lever having its fulcrum at sand which lever carries at its
opposite end a pivotted fingers. This finger is kept up in the position illustrated
-the working position-by a spring s adapted to hold it against a stop on the
said arm.
is a lever having its fulcrum at s-a fixed point independent of the
lever s'. One end of it carries the clutch already mentioned as engaging
the head of the valve rod . The opposite end of the lever and the pivotted
finger se stand in each other's path.
The action of the above described modification is as follows. As the pump
piston makes its up stroke, air fills its cylinder and the valve d³ is lifted off its
seat, thereby admitting aluminium from the crucible into the inner vessel d'.
During the down stroke, the spring d returns the valve, and air is forced,
after the piston has passed the suction port s', along the delivery pipe s² into the
vessel d', thereby forcing metal up the delivery pipe e into the mould.
Mechanism constructed as above described but omitting the furnace and the

page_text: nozzle heating jet, is equally applicable to casting plastic materials, and, as such,
is included within the present invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The hereinbefore described combination with one rotary shaft, of mechanisms
for severally closing together the body portions of the mould, for working the
metal pump and for separating the said body portions after the cast.
2. The herein before described combination with one rotary shaft, of mechanisms
for severally closing the various portions of the mould, for inserting and supporting
the core in the mould, for working the metal pump and for separating the said
portions and core after the cast.
3. The herein before described combination with one rotary shaft, of mechanisms
for severally closing together the body portions of the mould, for working the
metal pump, for cooling the mould during the process of casting and for separating
the said body portions after the cast.
4. The hereinbefore described combination with one rotary shaft, of mechanisms
for severally closing together the various portions of the mould, for inserting and
supporting the core in the mould, for working the metal pump, for cooling the
mould during the process of casting, and for separating the said portions and core
after the cast.
5. The hereinbefore described combination with one rotary shaft, of mechanisms
for severally closing together the body portions of the mould, for working the
metal pump, for separating the said body portions after the cast, and a jet apparatus
adapted to maintain the temperature of the delivery nozzle.
6. The herein before described combination with one rotary shaft, of mechanisms
for severally closing together the body portions of the mould, for working the
metal pump, for cooling the said mould during the process of casting, and for
separating the said body portions after the cast, as well as a jet apparatus adapted
to maintain the temperature of the delivery nozzle.
7. The hereinbefore described combination with one rotary shaft, of mechanisms
for severally closing the various portions of the mould, for inserting and supporting
the core in the mould, for working the metal pump, for cooling the mould during
the process of casting, and for separating the various portions of the mould, as
well as a jet apparatus adapted to maintain the temperature of the delivery
nozzle.
8. The combination with the herein before described mechanisms for mould
closing, metal injecting and mould opening, of the improved construction, as to
the guarded surface of its cylinder and piston, of force pump for injecting molten
metal.
9. The combination with the hereinbefore described mechanisms for mould
closing, metal injecting and mould opening, of the improved mechanism for
applying the resilience of a confined body of air to the work of transferring a
charge of molten metal from a crucible to a mould.
10. The combination with the herein before described mechanisms for mould
closing, metal injecting and mould opening, of the improved construction, as to
the guarded surfaces of its cylinder and piston, of the force pump for injecting
molten metal, as well as of the improved mechanism for applying the resilience of
a confined body of air to the work of transferring a charge of molten metal from
a crucible to a mould.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.