Patent ID: 8651167

Claim:
A method of casting a wheel assembly, comprising: sand printing a drag mold, a cope mold and at least one mold insert, wherein the drag mold includes a cavity and a chill support chamber, and further wherein and the cope mold includes a frustum projection having a lower surface defining a wheel disk pattern; positioning a metal chill in the chill support chamber of the drag mold; inserting the mold insert into the cavity of the drag mold; forming a casting cavity, wherein the cavity is the shape of the desired casting, by closing the cope mold on the drag mold such that the frustum projection of the cope mold is generally disposed within the cavity of the drag mold; and casting a molten alloy into the casting cavity, such that a least a portion of the molten alloy is disposed adjacent to the chill; and allowing the molten alloy to directionally solidify beginning with molten alloy disposed adjacent to the chill.