Patent ID: 7601293

Claim:
A method of employing a fill tube assembly to transfer molten metal into a casting mold, the method comprising: providing a casting mold having a fill tube socket and a plurality of fastener-receiving apertures; providing a fill tube assembly including a fill tube with a tapered flange and a clamping assembly structured to maintain a seal between the fill tube and the casting mold while accommodating dimensional variations, the clamping assembly including at least a gasket, a tapered load ring, a clamping plate with a plurality of fastener-receiving openings corresponding with the fastener-receiving apertures of the casting mold, and a plurality of fasteners; inserting the fill tube into the fill tube socket, with the gasket disposed between the fill tube and the casting mold; sliding the tapered load ring over the fill tube to engage the tapered flange thereof; sliding the clamping plate over the fill tube onto the load ring; providing a pre-load gap between the clamping plate and the casting mold, the pre-load gap sized to compensate for the dimensional variations; inserting the plurality of fasteners through the fastener-receiving openings in the clamping plate and into the fastener-receiving apertures in the casting mold; and tightening each of the plurality of fasteners, thereby tightening the clamping plate against the load ring which sealingly compresses the fill tube against the casting mold while narrowing the pre-load gap between the clamping plate and the casting mold, the tightened clamping plate accommodating the dimensional variations.