Wagstaff, Inc.

Novelis, Inc.

David Alan Salee

Frank E Wagstaff

Robert B Wagstaff

Wade Bowles

Aaron David Sinden

Michael Kim Anderson

John Steven Tingey

Jack Hamby

Brett Allan Thielman

Gary Patrick Grealy

Steve Anderson

Jacob Lee Kerbs

Alexander J Fischer

Ryan Anthony Faulkner

The present disclosure relates to a system, apparatus, and method for a cooling water spray pattern for a direct chill casting mold, and more particularly, to a spiral water spray pattern for a direct chill billet casting mold. An example direct chill casting mold includes a mold body defining a mold cavity there through; and a plurality of spray jets arranged proximate an exit of the mold cavity, wherein the plurality of spray jets are angled with respect to the mold cavity such that streams of fluid exiting the plurality of spray jets impinge upon a casting exiting the mold cavity at an angle offset from a centerline of the casting.

System, apparatus, and method for a direct chill casting cooling water spray pattern

Provided herein is a system, apparatus, and method for venting a direct chill casting mold by venting excess casting gas and retaining oxide from atop a casting during the direct chill casting process. Methods of venting casting gas from a direct chill casting mold include: supplying the direct chill casting mold with molten metal through a transition plate; supplying a casting gas through a casting surface of the direct chill casting mold; venting the casting gas from a gas pocket in the transition plate, wherein venting the casting gas from the gas pocket in the transition plate is performed in response to a pressure of the casting gas in the gas pocket reaching a predetermined pressure.

System, apparatus, and method for direct chill casting venting

A continuous casting mold with a bleedout detection system is disclosed, which may include a casting mold framework, a molten metal casting mold with a mold inlet and a mold outlet, the mold outlet having a mold cavity perimeter; and a bleedout detection system which may include: a signal generator that provides a balanced current to a sensor/conductor at or near the mold outlet perimeter; a current detector electrically connected to the sensor/conductor; and a programmable controller configured to receive an electrical signal from the bleedout detection system regarding the status of the sensor/conductor.

Bleedout detection system

A gas flow control system for molten metal molds with permeable perimeter walls, wherein an approximately constant gas mass flow is maintained in individual molds and approximately equal gas mass flows are maintained in molds on the same mold table. A PLC is utilized in combination with a gas mass flow controller to continually monitor and maintain the approximately desired mass flow of gas to the mold cavities.

Gas flow control system for molten metal molds with permeable perimeter walls

A mold for horizontal casting of molten metal comprising a mold body forming an open-ended mold cavity having an inlet end and an outlet end. An annular permeable wall member is mounted in the mold body adjacent the inlet end of the mold cavity with an inner face thereof forming an interior face of the mold. A refractory transition plate is mounted at the inlet end of the mold cavity, this transition plate providing a mold inlet opening having a cross-section less than that of the mold cavity. This provides an annular shoulder at the inlet end of the cavity. Means are provided for feeding molten aluminum through the inlet opening. Separate conduits are also provided for feeding a gas into the shoulder and via the permeable wall means for providing a layer of gas between the metal and the inner face of the mold. A gas that is more reactive with molten aluminum is fed into the shoulder and a less reactive gas is fed via the permeable wall. The reactions with the molten aluminum create a skin or shell on the aluminum which provides smooth passage through the mold and allows for more rapid secondary cooling of the emerging ingot.

Horizontal continuous casting of metals

An apparatus is described for starting and stopping a horizontal casting machine, e.g. a caster for continuous casting of metal ingots. The caster comprises a feed trough for carrying molten metal, at least one casting mould and a connecting trough separately connecting each casting mould to the feed trough. A shutoff gate is associated with each connecting trough and movable between an open position and a closed position. Each connecting trough includes a drop-down portion located between the shutoff gate and the casting mould, this drop-down portion being adapted to swing downwardly and thereby rapidly drain molten metal from the connecting trough and an entrance of the mould. The apparatus may also include an elongated starter block, adapted to be inserted into the casting mould and having a threaded recess formed therein for receiving molten metal. An O-ring is fitted to the starter block to seal the block against the casting mould.

Method and apparatus for starting and stopping a horizontal casting machine

A trough is described for carrying molten metal, comprising an outer shell defined by a bottom wall and two side walls, an insulating layer filling the outer shell and a conductive U-shaped refractory trough body for carrying molten metal, the trough body being embedded in the insulating layer. At least one heating element is positioned in the insulating layer, adjacent to but spaced apart from the trough body, to provide an air gap between the heating element and the trough body.

Heated trough for molten metal

An opening 206 is provided in a system for delivering molten metal to the mold cavity 18 of a molten metal casting apparatus. A valve closure device 192, 196 is mounted at 198 to be reciprocated in relation to the opening 206 to control the flow of molten metal therethrough, and the driven end 206 of a bellows motor 208 is connected with the valve closure device at 258 to reciprocate the device in relation to the opening. A pair of concentric relatively inside and outside thimble-shaped chambers 238 and 240, 264 is circumposed about the bellows motor so that the bight portions thereof are opposed to the driven end of the motor, and interconnected with one another by a restricted liquid flow passage 270 in the screw 268. When fluid input signals are generated in the relatively outside chamber 240, 264, for the actuation of the closure device through the bellows motor, each signal is transmitted to the end of the bellows motor through the restricted liquid flow passage 270 and the relatively inside chamber 238. But when suction occurs in the opening 206 of the molten metal delivery system, the restricted liquid flow passage 270 substantially resists the transmission of relatively low pressure feedback signals to the fluid input signals from the driven end 260 of the bellows motor because of the restriction in the passage.

Molten metal admission control in casting

Balance beams are pivotally mounted on and crosswise of an elongated rack extending parallel to a trough over a series of mold cavities, valve closure devices are suspended from corresponding first end portions of the beams to throttle valve openings in the trough, float sensors are suspended from points on the opposing second end portions of the beams to contact the surfaces of molten metal columns brought to a state of equilibrium in the cavities, and the rack is elevated in relation to the cavities as molten metal is delivered to the trough, so that as the first end portions impose a desired value on the rate at which the surfaces escalate up the axes of the cavities, the second end portions elevate the suspension points for the sensors at a rate commensurate therewith, to assure that the input signals transmitted to the first portions through the fulcra for the beams, are consistent with the imposed value. Alternatively, non-contact sensors are suspended from the rack, and the input signals thereof are transmitted through an electronic controller to balance beams on the trough, either electrically to motor driven linear actuators for the balance beams, or through a device which converts the signals to pneumatic signals for pneumatically driven actuators for the beams. The desired value is imposed on the actuators from the controller, and the rack is elevated to raise the signal generation points at a rate commensurate therewith; or the opposite is done.

To control the admission of molten metal to a series of mold cavities through a series of valve openings in the downspouts of a trough thereabove, an elongated rack is arranged parallel to the trough, a set of balance beams is pivotally mounted on the rack, a set of valve closure devices is suspended from corresponding first end portions of the beams for throttling the openings, and a set of float sensors is suspended from points on the opposing second end portions of the beams for contact with the surfaces of the molten metal in the cavities. After an initial phase of the fill operation in which the surfaces of the molten metal reach a state of equilibrium at an intermediate elevation above the tops of the blocks, the rack is elevated in relation to the series of cavities so that as the first end portions of the beams impose a desired value on the rate at which the surfaces escalate up the vertical axes of the cavities, the second end portions raise the elevation of the suspension points for the sensors at a rate commensurate therewith so that the input signals transmitted to the first portions from the second portions through the fulcra for the beams, are consistent with the imposed value. In other versions using non-contact sensors hung from the rack, the input signals are developed electrically and transmitted through an electronic controller which either transmits them electrically to motor driven linear actuators for a set of balance beams on the trough from which the valve closure devices for the openings are suspended, or through a device which converts the electrical signals to pneumatic signals for pneumatically driven actuators for the set of trough mounted beams. In either of the latter versions, the desired value may be imposed on the actuators from the controller, and the rack elevated to raise the signal generation points of the sensors at a rate commensurate therewith, or the opposite may be done, in either case to assure that the imposed value and the input signals transmitted to the actuators for the balance beams are consistent with one another.

The mold has a first chamber defined by a pair of inner and outer peripheral walls circumposed about the axis of the cavity and spaced apart from one another transverse the axis. The first chamber has oppositely disposed end walls that extend transverse the axis and an inlet for the supply of liquid coolant under pressure. The inner peripheral wall has a step which projects into the first chamber. The step has a first surface that extends transverse the axis and a second surface that extends parallel to the axis and coterminates with the first surface to form a corner. A second chamber is formed in the inner peripheral wall at the step. A series of holes open into the first chamber at one of the surfaces of the step to permit coolant to discharge into the second chamber at a reduced pressure. A passage opening discharges the reduced pressure coolant onto a body of metal emerging from the discharge end opening of the cavity.

Direct cooled annular mold

In direct cooling an ingot emerging from a mold, two sets 136 and 142 of liquid coolant streams are discharged onto the ingot from an annulus 62 circumposed about the lower end opening 72 of the mold. One set of streams, 136, is discharged downwardly at 22.5 degrees to the axis 12 of the mold, and the other, 142, is discharged downwardly at 45 degrees to the axis of the mold. The two sets are staggered to one another circumferentially of the mold, and because of the high angle of incidence of the 45 degree set to the axis of the mold, substantial portions of the 45 degree streams rebound from the surface of the ingot at their points 144 of impact with the ingot, and mushroom into corolla-like masses of air borne liquid coolant spray 146 lying crosswise the paths of the 22.5 degree streams, which in turn entrain the spray and impact the successive layers 138 of coolant therebelow with the spray. To aid in the entrainment, the respective streams are spaced apart from one another so closely that the respective pairs of adjacent corolla-like masses of spray actually shoot up 'interaction fountains' 148 of spray directly in the paths of the 22.5 degree streams of coolant. The effect is to widen the bands 135 of turbulence in the layers 138 of coolant; and the bands may even be widened to the extent of eliminating the laminar flow regime 137 in each layer. The height 133 of the bands is also commonly raised.

Direct cooled metal casting process and apparatus

The apparatus includes a first chamber disposed about the mold cavity and defined by a top, a bottom, and walls extending between the top and bottom at the inner and outer peripheries of the first chamber. A liquid coolant is supplied under pressure to the first chamber through an inlet. A step is formed adjacent one of the corners between the top and bottom .and the inner peripheral wall of the first chamber, a circumferential groove is formed in the outer peripheral wall of the step, and an elastomeric sealing ring is sealingly engaged with the mouth of the groove to define a second chamber in the groove. Meanwhile, the shoulder of the step is spaced apart from the other corner of the first chamber, and a series of holes is formed in the shoulder to permit the coolant to pass into the second chamber at a reduced pressure. A passage then discharges the reduced pressure coolant onto a body of metal emerging from the discharge end opening of the cavity.

Growing community of inventors

Spokane, WA, United States of America

David Alan Salee