Reynolds Metals Company

Robert Downie

Nolan E Richards

Ray D Peterson

Roger D White

A mold for the casting of aluminum sow ingots includes a mold box having a bottom wall and side walls that define a generally rectangular mold cavity. The bottom wall includes a central raised longitudinally extending protrusion and side longitudinally extending protrusions adapted to define corresponding depressions in the ingot bottom. The side depressions establish ledges for receiving a pair of fork lift blades or tines entering the ledges from either transverse side of the ingot perpendicular to the ledges. A pair of transversely extending protrusions in the mold bottom wall establish corresponding transverse depressions in the mold bottom that are perpendicular to the central longitudinal depression and equispaced from the central transverse axis by a distance enabling the pair of fork lift blades to enter the transverse depressions from a direction perpendicular to either of the longitudinally extending ingot sides to provide a dual entry feature for ease of handling. The depressions in the ingot bottom also define a surface to volume ratio enabling a solidification front in the molten metal to occur that moves from the ingot bottom surface to the top surface to significantly reduce formation of voids in the ingot and depression of the top surface. The sow ingot cast has depressions in its bottom surface that facilitate solidfication and stacking of the ingot.

Growing community of inventors

Lauderdale County, AL, United States of America

Robert Downie