Process and Apparatus for Casting Metallic Ingots in a Sectional Mold..
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 5th July, 1887.
Complete Left, 18th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 6th Sept., 1887.
Process and Apparatus for Casting Metallic Ingots in a
Sectional Mold..
I, JAMES BOWYER D'ARCY BOULTON, of Jersey City, Hudson County, New
Jersey, U.S.A., Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates especially to the production of cast steel ingots, and the object
of the invention is to form an ingot free from certain defects incident to their casting
with the methods heretofore practiced; and to provide in some instances, for separating
such ingot into convenient lengths.
My process consists in using a series of molds or what might be termed a sectional
mold, the several sections of which, excepting the first, are open at the bottom, and
are held movably at some point within a bolder, during the process of casting; each
section being placed upon the top of that previously filled, and the metal poured therein
being united with that inside the previous section.
Provision is made for moving the mold sections downward within the holder as
rapidly as they can be filled, without regard to the cooling of the metal therein;
and for packing the joints between the successive mold sections to prevent leakage
thereat; and the process of casting may therefore be practiced with great rapidity, and
the metal deposited in the successive mold sections be very thoroughly united at its
point of junction near the union of the sections.
The holder is preferably formed of two bars pressed toward one another by spring
clamps, and the sections when placed upon one another are moved successively down-
ward in the holder by a reciprocating carrier arranged to grasp the upper section and
force it downward upon those already in the holder.
The upper section is thus forced down a little below the upper end of the holder,
which then serves as a guide for the application of the subsequent section; and the
lowest section in the holder is at the same time forced completely therefrom, leaving
the bottom of the subsequent section even with the bottom of the holder.

page_text: The joint between two of the mold sections is thus placed at the bottom of the
holder, and the latter is provided at the same time with an apparatus for separating the
ingot bar into separate sections if desired.
This apparatus is provided with a die or pocket, to receive the mold section expelled
from the holder and to shift it transversely to rupture the ingot at the joint between
the two sections.
The packing inserted between the mold sections is preferably formed of asbestos,
with a central aperture of the same size as the ingot, or smaller if desired, and the
packing is saturated with combustible fluid, as alcohol, which becomes ignited, by the
metal in the mold to the upper end of which it is applied, and the subsequent mold
section, when placed thereon, is filled with the gases or products of such combustion,
to expel the air from such empty section before the metal is poured therein, and thus
avoid the oxidation of such metal.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Process and Apparatus for Casting Metallic Ingots in a
Sectional Mold.
I, JAMES BOWYER D'ARCY BOULTON, of Jersey City, county of Hudson, state of
New Jersey, U.S.A., 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 :-
My invention relates especially to the production of cast steel ingots, and the
object of the invention is to form a steel casting which may be sound, and free from
defects, by reason of the perfect feeding of the fluid metal during the shrinkage in
cooling, and which may be conveniently separated into a series of ingots of the
desired size.
My process is adapted to produce a cold-shut around the periphery of the casting
at regular intervals, which predisposes the casting to rupture at such points; and my
invention also provides for rupturing the casting at such points before its removal
from the molds.
I am aware that it is old to divide a casting in a mold by inserting at different
points perforated plates, or partitions of metal, or refractory material, but my
invention differs from any previous apparatus in employing a series of vertical mold
sections which are placed one upon another in a series separately, and each section
filled with fluid metal before the next section is applied; so that a cold-shut is formed
between the successive charges of metal at the margin of the mold, while the central
part of the metal is continuous throughout the series of charges so as to effectually
feed the shrinkage in one charge from that which is subsequently poured.
The annexed drawing represents one form of apparatus for practicing my invention,
Fig. 1 being an edge view of the apparatus, and Fig. 2 a section of the same on
line a, e, in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of the top of the apparatus, and Fig. 4 a view
of the lower end of the same.
The body of the frame is formed with a spring holder consisting in two beams A, A',
pressed toward one another by springs B and the mold sections are placed therein
and guided in their downward movement between the beams by flanges Cupon
the edges of the latter.
is a mold section adjusted within the holder with its mouth just below the top
of the latter ready for filling is a section immediately beneath the same and
already filled with fluid metal; and is another filled section beneath the one last
filled.
The lower ends of the beams A, A', are secured to a cylinder, which operates
the mechanism for separating the ingot into sections; but above such point the
beam A' is slightly movable toward the beam A, so as to yield under the pressure of
the springs B, to sustain the weight of the molds by friction.

page_text: The springs operate upon gibs m clamped upon opposite sides of the beams by
bolts m¹.
Pistons are shown within the cylinder carrying a movable die or pocket e, to
receive the lower mold section 3 when forced entirely from the bottom of the holder,
and to shift the ingot sidewise to fracture the metal therein from that in the section b²
sustained within the holder beams A, A¹.
A spring presser el is inserted in the side of the pocket and operates by its
friction to support the weight of the mold section held therein.
When the lower mold section and its contained ingot are moved laterally by the
pocket e, the strain thrown upon the mold section is sustained by abutments which
are formed as two keys A and A³, inserted through an aperture in the upper side
of the cylinder adjacent to the ends of the beams A, A¹.
The pressure of the spring B upon the beams A, A', serves to support the weight
of the mold sections within the holder; and in order to move the sections downward
after each is filled with a separate charge of fluid metal, a pusher is provided and
actuated by hydraulic piston rods i. The pusher embraces the holder loosely and is
provided with pawls, which engage the mold sections by pressing into notches k
formed in their opposite sides, and an empty mold section is sustained by spring
arms sabove the top of the holder at a sufficient distance to admit the fluid metal to
the section b. The operation of the apparatus is as follows.
The mold section in the top of the holder is filled with fluid metal and a suitable
packing, as a washer e, is laid upon the top end of the section when filled and the
empty mold section b is placed upon such packing by lowering the hanger s.
The carrier and pawls are now raised to the top of their stroke, thus releasing the
arms from contact with the notches, and the pawls engage with the notches of the
superposed section, so that, upon the downward stroke, the pusher and pawl will press
such mold section downward to the position occupied within the holder by the previous
section, and, at the same time, force all the sections below it downward a similar
distance.
The empty section then occupies the place of the previously filled section and may
be immediately filled with the fluid metal before any material diminution of tempera-
ture occurs in the metal of the section previously filled.
The metal in the two sections thus becomes firmly united and any shrinkage within
the section first filled is promptly supplied, before the surface of the metal is chilled,
by the fresh metal at a high temperature within the top section.
While the empty section is being filled the lowest section 63 may be shifted laterally
by the pistons, and the separation of the bar effected, between the ends of the
adjacent sections, b³.
After such separation of the metal the mold section is held directly beneath the
section 3 so that the succeeding movement of the sections within the holder may free
the section from the pocket e with its contained ingot.
When the packing is applied only to the junction of the sections and does not
project inwardly into the mold, the dimensions of the ingot at such point are not
affected but to facilitate the separation of the ingot, a hole smaller than the dimen-
sions of the ingot may be formed in such packing washer, by using a yielding and
tenacious substance like asbestos, adapted to form a close joint between the mold
sections, while it partially separates the fluid within the sections in the desired manner.
The operation of thus filling the mold sections with separate charges of fluid metal
and lowering them successively within the holder, may be continued indefinitely
with the result of forming a series of connected ingots adapted to be separated from
one another before their removal from the apparatus or from the mold sections in
which they were cast.
If desired, any suitable cooling means may be applied to the lower mold sections of
the series to fit the cast metal for removal from the same.
If desired the mold sections may be divided longitudinally as is common in
ingot molds, and mold sections with metal walls more or less thick in proportion
to the internal bore may be used to cool their contents at the desired rate, but in

page_text: any case the upper mold section may be moved downward as soon as it is filled,
and the entire process may therefore be conducted so rapidly that the contents of the
upper sections within the holder are cooled very little before the metal in them is
united; thus securing the complete feeding, to the shrinking metal, of the hot metal
last supplied, and the formation of solid castings as desired.
From the above description my invention will be readily distinguished from those
intended to form a continuous homogeneous ingot bar, as in such cases it would be
practically impossible to pour the fluid metal in separate charges, as in my invention,
for the reason that the surface of the metal is certain to chill in some degree where in
contact, at its edges, with the surrounding mold, between the pouring of the
successive charges; and to thus exhibit a cold-shut or defect in continuity at the
joint of the separate charges.
My invention is designed particularly to take advantage of such cold-shut or defects
in continuity which result from the pouring of separate charges upon one another,
and the process is essentially one for forming a continuous casting which is peculiarly
adapted for separation into distinct ingots precisely at the joint of the several mold
sections in which the casting is formed, by reason of the cold-shut formed at the
surface of the metal on the top of such charge.
The fibrous washer may be saturated with an inflaminable fluid, as alcohol, to be
inflamed by the beat of the metal in the mold to which it is applied, and thus fill the
subsequent mold section with neutral gases to prevent oxidation of the metal poured
therein.
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 :-
1st. The method of forming a cast steel or metal ingot in a series of separate
movable mold sections which consists, first, in pouring the metal into one section,
secondly, superposing another and bottomless section upon the top of such filled
section, thirdly, pouring a separate charge of metal in such second section, and finally
continuing the process of applying separate mold sections and supplying them with
separate charges of fluid metal, so long as desired, substantially as herein set forth.
2nd. The method of forming and separating sections of an ingot, which consists in
employing a series of separable movable mold sections, placing the sections successively
upon one another, filling each section when placed upon the top of the previous
section, and moving each mold section at the bottom of the series laterally to rupture
the contained ingot, substantially as herein set forth.
3rd. The process herein described for forming an ingot, which consists, first, in
filling a section of an ingot mold with fluid metal, secondly, applying to the top of
such filled section a perforated yielding packing having its edge projected into the
mold, thirdly, superposing a bottomless mold section thereon, and fourthly, filling the
same with fluid metal, as and for the purpose set forth.
4th. An apparatus for forming a cast steel or metal ingot, consisting in a holder
adapted to retain a series of mold sections in line with one another, and, means for
moving the sections downward within the holder, and means for rupturing the lower
section of the ingot from the remaining sections, as and for the purpose set forth.
5th. An apparatus for forming and severing into sections a cast metal ingot,
consisting in a holder adapted to retain a series of mold sections in line with one
another, means for moving the inold sections within the holder, abutments for the
mold sections at the bottom of the holder, and a pocket movable laterally beneath the
abutments and adapted to move one mold section transversely to the adjacent mold
section, as and for the purpose set forth.
6th. An apparatus for forming a cast metal ingot, consisting in a spring holder
adapted to retain a series of mold sections in line with one another, a reciprocating
pusher with pawls for moving the mold sections downward within the holder, and
mold sections adapted to engage with the said pawls, as and for the purpose set forth.
7th. In an apparatus for forming a cast metal ingot, the combination, with a holder
adapted to retain a series of mold sections in line with one another, of hydraulic

page_text: cylinders arranged at opposite sides of the holder, and a pusher attached to the
hydraulic piston rods, and provided with pawls for moving the mold sections within
the holder, as and for the purpose set forth.
8th. In an apparatus for forming a cast metal ingot, the combination, with a holder
adapted to retain a series of mold sections in line with one another, of a reciprocating
pusher provided with pawls for moving the mold sections within the holder, a hanger
adapted to sustain a mold section above the holder, the hanger being provided with
teeth to engage the mold section, and arms adapted to withdraw the teeth
from the mold section by contact with a reciprocating pusher, substantially as herein
set forth.
9th. The combination, with sectional molds filled in succession as set forth, of a
fibrous packing washer saturated with inflammable fluid and applied to the top of each
mold section when filled, as and for the purpose set forth.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.