Improvements in Separating Funnels or Gits Used for Making Perfectly Solid and Pure Castings of Iron, Steel, or any other Metal.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Aug, 1885.
Complete Left, 12th Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th Apr., 1887.
Improvements in Separating Funnels or Gits Used for Making
Perfectly Solid and Pure Castings of Iron, Steel, or any other
Metal.
I ROBERT SCHNEIDER Engineer of Düsseldorf in the German Empire do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:—
It is well known that both in ironfounding and in making castings of any other
metal the greatest difficulty to be overcome is to produce castings without any pores
in them and free of slag, phosphorous and sulphurous ingredients. With a view to
surmounting these difficulties so-called "dead heads" in which all impurities can
accumulate, are given to such castings as have necessarily to be of pure metal without
any pores in it. This method necessitates however that many things, thus for instance:
steam-cylinders, rollers otc., are cast in upright moulds. Founders rarely succeed in
making the upper side of an article cast in a horizontal (lying) mould of pure metal
and free of pores. Attempts have been made to construct the casting-funnels for
sand or loam-moulds in such a way that the light ingredients carried along by the
metal, such as slag etc. find time, while still in the funnel, to ascend; thus they are
prevented from getting into the mould with the pure metal. But the success of this
method can be easily marred by the workman making the least mistake in the shape
of the funnel.
I have therefore made the following improvements.
A casing is made of some fire-proof material such as loam, graphite, clay or sand etc.
and is divided into compartiments, the latter of which has an outflow-aperture. The
casing is placed on the moulding-box in such a way, that the outflow-aperture of the
last compartment exactly covers the inlet-aperture of the moulding-box. The partition
walls of the compartments have at the bottom flat connecting-passages by means of
which the compartments are brought in connection with one another. The diagonal
dimensions of these passages or apertures are such, that the cross-cut section of the
connecting-passage between the first compartments is greater than the sum total of
the cross-cut sections of the passages (apertures) between the other compartments.
The outflow-aperture has the sinallest cross-section. The metal steel, iron etc. contained

page_text: in the ladle is first skimmed and then poured into the first compartment in such a way,
that the latter is always kept filled. The separation commences even in this compart-
ment and the lighter ingredients begin to rise, for the heavier metal forces its way
below into the adjoining compartment. As the metal passes on from compartment to
compartment the quantity of the ingredients that are separated from the mass becomes
less and less, and when the metal reaches the outflow-aperture it is perfectly pure.
If the first compartment is kept full, the metal in the other compartments and in the
outflow-aperture will be almost equally high, and by this means bubbles are prevented
from getting into the mould. In the separating-funnel or git constructed by me the
size of the compartments and the cross-sections of the connecting-passages are in
proper proportion to one another and to the outflow-aperture. Owing to this circum-
stance neither the pureness of the metal nor the success in casting are dependent on
the moulder, and except, as regards his taking the necessary care in making the
mould, the quality of the casting does not depend on him at all.
Dati, aou
P

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Separating Funnels or Gits Used for Making
Perfectly Solid and Pure Castings of Iron, Steel, or any other
Metal.
I, ROBERT SCHNEIDER, Engineer of Düsseldorf in the German Empire 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:-
It is well known that both in iron-founding and in making castings of any other
metal the greatest difficulty to be overcome is to produce castings without any pores
in them and free of slag, phosphorous and sulphurous ingredients.
With a view to surmounting these difficulties so-called "dead heads" in which all
impurities can accumulate are given to such castings as have necessarily to be of pure
metal without any pores in it. This method necessitates however that many things,
thus for instance: steam cylinders, rollers etc. are cast in upright moulds. Founders
rarely succeed in making the upper side of an article cast in a horizontal (lying)
mould of pure metal and free of pores.
Attempts have been made to construct the casting funnels for sand or loam moulds
in such a way that the light ingredients carried along by the metal, such as slag etc.
find time while still in the funnel to ascend; thus they are prevented from getting
into the mould with the pure metal. But the success of this method can be easily
marred by the workman inaking the least mistake in the shape of the funnel. I have
therefore made the following improvements.
A casing is made of some fire-proof material such as loam, graphite, clay or sand etc.
and is divided into compartments, the latter of which has an outflow aperture. Tho
casing is placed on the moulding-box in such a way that the outflow aperture of the
last compartiment exactly covers the inlet aperture of the moulding box. The partition
walls of the compartments have at the bottom flat connecting passages by incans of
which the compartments are brought in connection with one another. The dimensions
of these passages or apertures are such, that the area of the connecting passage
between the first compartment is greater than the sum total of the transverse sections
of the passages (apertures) between the other compartments. The outflow-aperture
has the smallest cross section. The metal, steel, iron etc. contained in the fadle is
first skimmed and then poured into the first compartment in such a way that the latter
is always kept filled. The separation commences even in this compartment and the
lighter ingredients rise, the heavier metal passing below them into the next compart-
ment. As the metal passes on from compartment to compartment the quantity of the
ingredients that are separated from the mass becomes less and less, and when the
metal reaches the outflow aperture it is perfectly pure. If the first compartment.is
kept full, the metal in the other compartments and in the outflow aperture will be
almost equally high and by this means bubbles are prevented from getting into the

page_text: mould. In the separating funnel or git constructed by me the size of the compart-
ments and the cross sections of the connecting passages are in proper proportion to
one another and to the outflow aperture. Owing to this circumstance neither the
pureness of the metal nor the success in casting are dependent on the moulder, and
except, as regards his taking the necessary care in making the mould, the quality of
the casting does not depend upon him at all.
The accompanying drawings represent several forms of funnels or gits according to
my invention for supplying moulds with molten metal for castings. Fig. 1 is a
longitudinal section and Fig. 2 is a plan of a funnel placed on an ordinary mould.
The funnel A is a vessel open on both sides, made of fire clay, graphite, loam or other
suitable refractory material, wider at the one end than the other, and divided by
partitions P into four compartments a¹ a³ a³ a, these partitions not reaching the
bottom but leaving under them passages from each compartment to the next. This
funnel is placed upon the sand or loam S in the moulding box with its last compart-
ment immediately over the git G which leads into the interior of the mould. A bar
of iron B is placed across the middle of the second compartment a² near its bottoin.
The molten inetal from a ladle or spout is poured into the first compartment a¹, and
thence it flows into and fills or nearly fills the succeeding compartments passing from
each to the next through the openings, under the successive partitions P; and finally
into the git G. The flow of the metal is checked by the partitions, and the heavier
metal subsides in each compartment and flows to the next while gases are liberated
above the level of the passages from compartment to compartiment. The iron bar B
also by interrupting the flow and cooling some of the metal causes a commotion which
promotes liberation of the gases; and thus the metal which reaches the git G is
free from the gases or other matters that cause bubbles, blow holes or porosity in
castings.
As shewn in Figs. 3 and 4, the first compartment a¹ is formed partly in the sand or
loam of the mould, and a slab F of refractory material forms a bottom for this and for
the other compartments. The outlet from the last compartment at may branch out as
shewn to supply several runners or channels C leading to several gits.
The funnel may be of circular form as shewn in Figs. 5 and 6, with radiating
partitions having the passages through them arranged so as to give the flowing motal
a zig-zag course. Thus the metal poured into the compartment a¹ after passing
through the successive compartments a² a³ a reaches a whence it flows to the git G.
The funnel is placed on a refractory slab F laid on the sand S of the mould.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
The construction and use of a git funnel for casting metal, consisting of a vessel of
refractory material divided into several compartments by vertical partitions with
passages under them constructed and applied substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.