Applied Process, Inc.

Ajax Tocco Magnethermic Corporation

Lift Technology

Atmosphere Group

John R Keough

Bela V Kovacs

Kathy L Hayrynen

Douglas M Pramstaller

William R Keough

Kristin R Brandenberg

Gerald J Wurtsmith

George D Pfaffmann

Robert John Madeira

Jiten Shah

Christopher Allen Bixler

Thomas A Cobett

John B Wagner

A method for inorganic binder casting, comprising: selecting a Shape-Forming Material based on pre-determined manufacturing and shape characteristics, selecting a casting shape based on pre-determined design characteristics, and forming the Shape-Forming Material into a mold. The mold is coated with an inorganic binder solution at a pre-defined weight ratio and is dehydrated the Shape-Forming Material. The method further comprises pouring a hot liquid metal into the mold and allowing said hot liquid metal to cool to form a molded part. The Shape-Forming Material may be washed from said molded part with a solvent, the inorganic material and Shape-Forming Material reclaimed, reused, and the Shape-Forming Material reformed to a mold. The method further comprises recreating a liquid inorganic binder solution using the reclaimed inorganic material and recoating the Shape-Forming Material with the reclaimed inorganic binder solution.

Method for inorganic binder castings

A system and method for producing locally austempered ductile iron includes a computer program for closely controlling the heating and cooling of an iron part or workpiece. The process allows for the austempering of a relatively low cost iron workpiece to produce significantly higher quality end products. The locally austempered regions may be formed to a substantial controlled depth.

Method of producing locally austempered ductile iron

A down hole rock drill bit and method of manufacture of the same comprising a cast metal drill bit body having a plurality of hardened carbide studs partially cast in the drill bit body. The drill bit is cast by means of a foam pattern replicating the drill bit, typically made from polystyrene within which a plurality of carbide studs are partially inserted into the grinding surface of the foam drill bit model. The model is then subsequently supported within a vessel of sand and molten metal is poured over the foam, vaporizing it and taking the exact form of the foam pattern and permanently retaining the carbide studs within the metal drill bit.

Method of producing downhole drill bits with integral carbide studs

A method of manufacturing a plate-type track shoe. The method involves casting or obtaining a cast, plate-type track shoe which has been made from a suitably high quality ductile iron and heating the plate-type track shoe to a desired austentizing temperature within a range of about 1450.degree. F.-1750.degree. F. for up to about six hours to austentize the ductile iron. The plate-type track shoe is then rapidly cooled to a desired austempering temperature within a range of about 450.degree. F.-800.degree. F. and maintained at the desired austempering temperature for up to about 6 hours to isothermally produce a plate-type track shoe having an ausferrite microstructure. The plate-type track shoe is then cooled, washed, and optionally coated with a rust inhibitor and/or coated or painted. The process produces austempered plate-type track shoes which have high strength, excellent durability, and which are less costly to produce, per pound, than comparable parts manufactured from formed steel. Additionally, the cast feature allows surface features and indicia to be incorporated which is not possible with roll formed steel track plates. Most importantly, the process of the present invention enables specific, desired quantities of track shoes to be produced, which would not be possible with parts formed from steel, where an entire heat of rolled steel would have to be purchased and used, thus requiring the manufacture and inventorying of a very large quantity of track shoes.

Method of forming plate-type track shoe

Sand castings are removed from their molds before cooling and reheated in a heat treating booster furnace. The castings are transferred from the booster furnace to a rotary drum filled with agitation media. As the castings pass through the media drum, they are simultaneously cleaned of sand particles and down-quenched by the agitation media. The system is particularly suited for austempering cast iron parts.

Combination sand cleaning and heat treating apparatus for sand casted

A method for producing a selectively surface hardened cast iron part includes the steps of (a) heating the part to a desired austempering temperature of between about 450.degree. F. and about 800.degree. F. until the entire cast iron part possesses the desired austempering temperature substantially uniformly throughout it; (b) heating only the surface of the cast iron part to an austenitizing temperature of between about 1500.degree. F. and about 1800.degree. F. by immersing the cast iron part in a molten lead or tin bath until a desired thickness of an austenite layer is formed on the surface of the cast iron part, without substantial heating of the interior of the cast iron part; (c) quenching the surface-heated cast iron part in a non-liquid quenching bath atmosphere, i.e. a gaseous atmosphere maintained at the desired austempering temperature, for a time adequate to transform the surface austenite layer to an ausferritic structure; and (d) cooling the cast iron part before bainite is formed in the heat-treated surface layer. In this manner, only the heat-treated surface layer of the cast iron part is hardened, because it is quenched from both sides simultaneously from two sources: self-quenching by the interior of the part, and external quenching by the austempering atmosphere. Typical heating times in step (a) are between about 10 minutes and about 10 hours, and in step (b) are between about 3 seconds and about 10 minutes. The quenching time in step (c) is typically between about 15 minutes and about 8 hours.

Method for producing a selectively surface hardened cast iron part

A method for preparing an austempered cast iron which includes an ausferritic matrix, the cast iron having a silicon content of from about 1.6 to about 2.4 weight percent, and a carbon content of from about 1.6 to about 2.2 weight percent, such that the carbon equivalent of the cast iron is from about 2.1 to about 3.0 weight percent. The method includes (a) melting the cast iron composition; (b) pouring the melt into a mold to form a casting having eutectic carbide particles; (c) altering the temperature of the casting to about 1650.degree.-1900.degree. F. and maintaining the temperature of the casting at about 1650.degree.-1900.degree. F. until substantially all of the eutectic carbide particles convert to temper graphite nodules to form a temper graphite-containing casting; (d) cooling the temper graphite-containing casting to about 1500.degree.-1750.degree. F. and maintaining the temperature of the tempered graphite-containing casting at about 1500.degree.-1750.degree. F. until a fully austenitic matrix is achieved; (e) quenching the austenitic matrix casting to a temperature of between about 460.degree. to about 750.degree. F. and maintaining that temperature until the entire casting is transformed to an ausferritic matrix; and (f) cooling the ausferritic matrix casting to room temperature before bainite is formed.

Method for preparing high silicon, low carbon austempered cast iron

A method for producing a selectively surface hardened cast iron part includes uniformly heating the surface of the part by immersion into a molten metallic bath until a desired thickness of surface austenite is produced, and thereafter quenching the heated cast iron part in a liquid quenching bath which is maintained at a temperature of between about 450.degree. to about 800.degree. F. for about 10 minutes to about 4 hours. The resultant selectively surface hardened cast iron part is surface hardened with the bulk of the body of the part remaining untempered. An apparatus for performing this process includes a molten metal bath chamber for containing the molten metal and a molten salt bath quenching chamber for quenching the cast iron parts with a conveyor means extending between the molten metal bath and the molten salt bath chambers. A second conveyor means removes the parts from the molten salt bath chamber.

Method and apparatus for surface austempering of cast iron parts

An austemperable cast iron which includes an ausferritic matrix, the cast iron having a silicon content of from about 1.6 to about 2.4 weight percent, and a carbon content of from about 1.6 to about 2.2 weight percent, such that the carbon equivalent of the cast iron is from about 2.1 to about 3.0 weight percent. The austempered cast iron is prepared by melting the cast iron composition; to about 1650.degree.-1900.degree. F. and maintaining the temperature of the casting at that temperature until substantially all of the eutectic carbide particles convert to temper graphite nodules to form a temper graphite-containing casting, then cooling the temper graphite-containing casting to about 1500.degree.-1750.degree. F. and maintaining the temperature of the tempered graphite-coating at about 1500.degree.-1750.degree. F. until a fully austenitic matrix is achieved, and then quenching and cooling the ausferritic matrix casting to room temperature before bainite is formed.

High silicon, low carbon austemperable cast iron

A closed mold assembly having a mold cavity therein, an ingate extending from the mold cavity through the mold assembly with an opening having an outer wall for immersion into a bath of molten metal, and an expendable cap fitting around the outer wall of the ingate having a continuously upward tapering dimension to urge the top larger of the molten metal in a bath away from the ingate opening during the immersion process to minimize impurity inclusion in the mold. The expendable cap is preferably made from a non-contaminating sacrificial material intended to be melted after immersion into the molten metal bath without being detrimental to the quality of the workpiece. The closed mold assembly may also include upflow channels formed within the bottom of the mold assembly to further urge impurities in the top layer to flow away from the ingate opening and may further include downwardly extending ribs in the mold assembly with flat surfaces on the bottom to form a level surface to facilitate easy mold handling such that the molds may be stacked upon one another.

Growing community of inventors

Birmingham, MI, United States of America

John R Keough