EP3175938A1 - Temperature controlled casting process - Google Patents
Temperature controlled casting process Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3175938A1 EP3175938A1 EP16200994.8A EP16200994A EP3175938A1 EP 3175938 A1 EP3175938 A1 EP 3175938A1 EP 16200994 A EP16200994 A EP 16200994A EP 3175938 A1 EP3175938 A1 EP 3175938A1
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- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- mould
- molten material
- interstitial
- retainer
- temperature
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22C—FOUNDRY MOULDING
- B22C9/00—Moulds or cores; Moulding processes
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22C—FOUNDRY MOULDING
- B22C9/00—Moulds or cores; Moulding processes
- B22C9/12—Treating moulds or cores, e.g. drying, hardening
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
- B22D2/00—Arrangement of indicating or measuring devices, e.g. for temperature or viscosity of the fused mass
- B22D2/006—Arrangement of indicating or measuring devices, e.g. for temperature or viscosity of the fused mass for the temperature of the molten metal
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a temperature-controlled method of casting.
- a method of casting wherein a molten material to be cast is flowed into, through and out of a mould.
- This flow of molten material serves to heat the mould.
- the mould temperature reaches a desired temperature
- the flow of the molten material out of the mould is stopped, but the molten material continues to flow into the mould, such that the molten material begins to at least partially fill the mould.
- This method allows the mould to be heated using the same flow of molten material that is to be used to fill the cast and subsequently be casted into the desired object.
- the molten material that flows out of the mould may be collected in a container, such as a crucible.
- the temperature of the mould may be measured to accurately determine when the desired mould temperature is reached.
- the temperature of the mould may be measured close to or at the interior surface of the interior cavity of the mould. Further, the temperature may be measured by thermocouples or thermostats.
- the temperature of the mould can be determined by determining that a predetermined mass and/or volume of the molten material has passed through the mould, that is sufficient to achieve the desired temperature of the mould.
- the predetermined mass and/or volume of the molten material may be collected in a container, and the container may include a means of measuring that the predetermined mass and/or volume of molten material has been collected within it.
- the container may be a sump with a fixed volume, designed to be equal to the predetermined volume of molten material that is sufficient for the desired temperature of the mould to be achieved. In this instance, the mould may automatically be filled by the flow of molten material entering the mould due to the backlog of molten material prevented from entering the filled sump.
- the flow of the molten material through the system may be controlled using an outlet valve located downstream of the mould, between the exit of the mould and any container. There may also be an inlet valve upstream of the mould, located before the entrance to the mould to further control the flow of molten material through the system when used in combination with the outlet valve.
- the valves may be used to create different flow rates of the molten material at the entrance and exit of the mould.
- the mould may be empty before the molten material enters the mould.
- the mould may already contain a material that has either previously been cast, or that is prepared within the mould and is ready to be cast with the molten material about to be introduced into the mould.
- the mould may further include a retainer for retaining a material within the mould during the introduction of the molten material and the final casting process.
- the molten material that flows out of the mould may be reheated and subsequently reintroduced to the system such that it may once again flow into the mould.
- the methods described above may be used in the context of a sand casting, a gravity casting, or a pressure die casting process, or a combination of these. Further, the measurement, control, and operation of any of the above components may be implemented by a computer system that is connected to these components and the casting system as a whole.
- Figure 1 illustrates a schematic representation of the heating process in operation.
- the system has a first crucible 1 that is suitable for containing any molten material, herein referred to as a base material, that is to be cast in the casting process.
- the base material exits the crucible 1 and is transported via a suitable connection means or conduit to a runner system 3.
- the runner system 3 allows the base material to enter the mould 5.
- the general configuration of the mould 5 will be known to the skilled person, and the mould 5 may be any mould suitable for casting base materials.
- the mould 5 may be for use in sand casting or gravity casting, but it is not limited thereto.
- the mould 5 has an internal cavity 13 which is filled by the base material in the casting process. The interior wall of this cavity 13 is called the interface surface 15.
- the interface surface 15 is where the material of the mould 5 contacts with the base material when the base material is in the mould 5.
- the mould 5 has temperature measurement devices 11, such as thermocouples or variable thermostats, located either at or close to the interface surface 15, such that measurement of the temperature of the interface surface 15 may be achieved at any point in the casting process.
- the temperature measurement devices 11 may be electrically connected to a computer control system, and may be operated by suitable electrical control circuitry.
- the mould 5 also has an entrance 6 and an exit 8 that allows the base material to flow from the runner system 3, through the mould 5, and out of the mould 5.
- the exit 8 to the mould 5 is attached to a suitable connection means or conduit that allows the base material to continue to travel away from the mould 5.
- the flow of the base material along this exit connection means is controlled by an outlet valve arrangement 7.
- the outlet valve arrangement 7 is operable to vary the flow of the base material, and is able to provide a continuous or at least variable range of flow rates between its fully closed and fully open states.
- the outlet valve 7 may be electrically connected to the computer control system, and may be operated by suitable electrical control circuitry.
- the base material in the first crucible 1 is able to flow through the system in a controlled manner, based on the state of operation of the outlet valve 7.
- the temperature measurement devices 11 detect the temperature of the interface surface 15. This information may be transmitted to a user by a display, or to the computer control system described earlier. If the temperature of the interface surface 15 as measured by the temperature measurement devices 11 is lower than a desired temperature, any one of the heating processes described below may be implemented.
- the desired temperature is a variable predetermined quantity, and is dependent on the base materials being used and the desired material properties of the final cast substance.
- the heating is advantageously achieved using the base material itself, and harnessing the heat energy that has already been used to liquefy the base material.
- the mould 5 may be initially empty, and a preheating operation is required.
- preheating is begun by allowing the base material to flow through the system from the first crucible 1, through the runner system 3, and into the mould 5.
- the base material As the base material enters the mould 5, it flows over the interface surface 15 and transfers heat energy to the interface surface 15 in so doing.
- the temperature of the interface surface 15 within the mould is continuously measured by the temperature measurement devices 11, and this information is transmitted to the user via a display or to the computer system as described above.
- the outlet valve 7 is in an open state, thereby allowing the base material to flow through and out of the mould 5 towards the second crucible 9, where it is collected.
- the outlet valve 7 is initially in a closed state, or at least partially closed, so as to allow the mould 5 to fill with the base material, up to a predetermined level.
- the outlet valve 7 is fully opened to allow the base material to flow through and out of the mould 5 towards the second crucible 9, where it is collected.
- the base material is allowed to continue flowing through the system in this manner until a desired temperature of the interface surface 15 is measured by the temperature measurement devices 11. At this point the mould 5 is at a suitable temperature for casting the base material flowing through it, and the outlet valve 7 is switched to a closed state. The closing of the outlet valve 7, combined with the continued flowing of the base material from the first crucible 1, causes the mould 5 to begin to fill. Once the mould 5 contains a desired quantity of the base material, either manually or automatically determined, the flow of base material from the first crucible 1 is stopped, and the casting process is begun. The casting process itself may be a conventional casting process, and is not described further herein. The base material present in the second crucible 9 is then returned directly to the first crucible 1 for reuse, or reheated in a conventional manner and subsequently reintroduced to the first crucible 1.
- This process has a number of distinct advantages over the known processes in the field.
- an efficiency of energy and cost is achieved by avoiding the need to use any of the separate dedicated heating processes known in the art.
- a second distinct advantage over the prior art is the removal of the need for scrap runs. This beneficially leads to an increase in resource efficiency as wastage of the base material that is inherent to scrap runs has been removed. Indeed, this advantage is particularly dramatic in embodiments of the present invention as there is no wastage of base material at all, as all base material collected in the second crucible 9 is recovered and reused.
- the heating of the mould 5 by means of a flow of the base material is distinctly advantageous over other methods of heating, as the flow of the base material is able to cover all the relevant interface surfaces 15 of the mould 5 that the user is concerned with, thereby leading to an improved uniform heating of the interface surface 15 and overcoming disadvantageous uneven heating that results in poor quality casts.
- the flow of the base material in particular is distinctly advantageous over the use of other flow based heating methods such as gas, oil or water, as each of these methods may leave deposits within the mould 5 and lead to defects and impurities in the cast substance. Further, these other methods inherently waste the precious natural resources of oil, water and gas etc.
- the process of heating the mould 5 as described in the embodiment of the present invention is also particularly advantageous in that it is highly targeted, allowing specific heating of the interface surface 15 of the mould 5 rather than the mould 5 as a whole, as in many known heating techniques. Indeed, the most important area in which to accurately achieve certain temperature thresholds is at the interface between different materials being cast. Hence, the present invention is particularly advantageous in closed mould casting methods, where heating of the interior of the mould can be difficult to accurately achieve. In combination with the specific location of the temperature measurement devices 11 being at or close to the interface surface 15, these features synergistically lead to an increased accuracy in the determination and control of the temperature of the interface surface 15 of the mould 5 during the casting process, and thereby result in an increased quality of cast.
- the heating of mould 5 as described in the preferred embodiment may be used or repeated at a later stage in a multi-stage casting process.
- the mould 5 may have a layer of alloy material already within it.
- the alloy material already in the mould 5 may be different from the base material to be added to the mould 5.
- the heating of the mould 5 in embodiments of the present invention is achieved using the base material about to be used in the cast, it is advantageously possible to heat the mould 5 at any stage of a casting process, not just during the initial preheating stage as is the case in many conventional heating systems.
- the flow of the base material is carried out in the same way as described in the above embodiments, with the difference that the temperature measurement devices 11 are at this stage measuring the temperature between the interface surface 15 of the mould 5 and the alloy material already within the mould 5, and as such the measurement of the interface surface temperature between the alloy material and the base material may be inferred from the temperature as measured at the interface surface 15 between the alloy material and the mould 5.
- the rest of the heating process is carried out as described in the embodiments above.
- Figure 2 illustrates another embodiment of the invention.
- the mould 5 before casting, the mould 5 may be prepared with an alloy material 17 already within it.
- the temperature measurement devices 11 may be arranged at or close to the interface surface 19 between the alloy material 17 already within the mould 5 and inner cavity 13 where the base material will be when it enters the mould.
- the heating process of this embodiment is carried out as described in the above embodiments.
- these embodiments are therefore able to heat either the interface surface 15 of the mould 5, or the interface surface 19 of the alloy material in the mould 17, in each instance by using the base material about to be cast.
- FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the invention, features of which may be combined with features of any of the embodiments described above.
- an inlet valve 21 located between the runner system 3 and the mould 5.
- This inlet valve 21 is configured to control the flow of the base material along the connection means before entry to the mould 5.
- the inlet valve 21 is operable to vary the flow of the base material in a manner known to the skilled person, and is able to provide a continuous or at least variable range of flow rates between its fully closed and fully open states.
- the inlet valve 21 may be electrically connected to the computer control system, and may be operated by suitable electrical control circuitry. When the inlet valve 21 is in an open state, the base material flows into the mould 5.
- the combination of the inlet valve 21 and the outlet valve 7 allows an improved control of the flow rate of the base material through the system. This is particularly beneficial if an alloy material 17 is already in the mould, as described above, as it is possible to achieve a flow rate of the base material that does not cause such turbulence as to disturb the alloy material 17. Further, it is advantageous in that it allows the mould 5 to be heated in different time periods as a result of different heat transmission characteristics related to varying flow rates of the base material over the interface surfaces 15, 19.
- the temperature measurement devices 11, the inlet valve 21 and the outlet valve 7 may be electrically connected to a computer control system, and may be operated by suitable electrical control circuitry.
- a computer control system may be configured to electronically operate the outlet valve 7 and/or inlet valve 21, for instance to automatically close the outlet valve 7 once the desired temperature is achieved.
- the computer system may be configured to electronically operate the outlet valve 7 and/or inlet valve 21, for instance to automatically close the outlet valve 7 once the desired temperature is achieved.
- it allows automation of the system such that human error can be removed.
- the mass and/or volume measurements of the second crucible 9 may be taken by electronic components connected to the computer control system and the closing of the outlet valve 7 could be automatically achieved.
- the measurement of mass and/or volume of the base material in the second crucible 9 could be achieved using a mechanical cut-off configuration, thereby mechanically closing off the outlet valve 7 once the required mass and/or volume is achieved.
- other variables of the system including for instance temperature of the base material and flow rate of the base material, should be kept the same as they were under the initial conditions when the correlations were derived.
- the outlet valve 7 could be dispensed with as the flow of base material through the mould 5 would automatically begin to fill the mould 5 once the fixed volume sump was full.
- Figure 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the main process steps of Figure 1 .
- the base material is introduced into the mould such that the base material flows through the mould.
- interstitial elements suspended in matrices of the 'parent' base material In order to achieve certain material properties in the final cast, for instance strength, lubricity, or resistance to wear et cetera, it is often desirable to use interstitial elements suspended in matrices of the 'parent' base material. In a conventional casting process, this may be achieved by preparing the mould before casting with an interstitial material already within it. However, in the above described heating and casting processes, if a mould is prepared for use with an interstitial material already within it, in certain circumstances the flow of the base material through the mould, either during the heating stage or otherwise, may displace the pre-placed interstitial materials. The turbulence created by the fluid base material as it travels through the system may be sufficient to displace the interstitial material. In other words, the pre-placed interstitial material may be washed out of position or out of the mould entirely by the flow of the base material.
- Figure 5 illustrates an embodiment of the invention that addresses this problem.
- the mould 5 may be prepared with an interstitial material 23, such as tungsten carbide or molybdenum or any other suitable material, already within its inner cavity 13.
- the interstitial material 23 is then covered or otherwise retained by a retainer 25.
- the retainer 25 may be made of steel or any other suitable material for use within the temperature domains of the casting process.
- the retainer 25 is then attached to the mould 5 by any suitable means, for instance by means of nails, staples or pins, such that it is able to retain its position within the mould 5 whilst the base material flows through the inner cavity 13 of the mould 5.
- the retainer 25 may take any suitable form, for instance the retainer 25 may be a mesh, grid or array of wires or bars.
- the retainer 25 comprises openings to allow the base material to flow through the retainer 25, wherein the openings may take any suitable form, for instance the openings may be gaps, slits, pores or perforations.
- the dimensions of the retainer 25 openings are chosen to be suitably sized such that the base material may flow freely through the retainer 25, but such that the interstitial material 23 may not pass through the retainer 25.
- the openings of the retainer 25 are sized such that the interstitial material 23 is unable to escape through the openings and be washed away, and hence is instead held in position both before and during the heating or casting processes.
- the openings of the retainer 25 are dimensioned to be smaller than the dimensions of any single grain of the interstitial material 23, thereby preventing movement of the interstitial material 23 through the retainer 25.
- the base material flows through the mould 5 in a manner as described in any previous embodiment, the base material also flows through the openings of the retainer 25 and through the interstitial material 23. In this way, the base material comes into physical and thermal contact with both the retainer 25 and the interstitial material 23.
- the retainer 25 maintains the interstitial material 23 in its original location in the mould 5 throughout any of the heating or casting processes as described above.
- the interstitial material 25 could be placed anywhere within the inner cavity 13 of the mould 5, as it can be held in position by the retainer of the retainer 25, and as the base material can flow through both the retainer 25 and the interstitial material 23. Further, there may be a plurality of different sections of interstitial material 23 within the mould 5, each of which is held in a particular location by a respective separate retainer 25.
- interstitial materials In order to improve the binding, retention and overall material properties of these interstitial materials in the final cast, it is often desirable to promote a degree of sintering between the interstitial materials and the parent material during the cast process. To achieve this, the interstitial materials must be raised to above their sintering temperature at some time before the casting process is concluded. This sintering process is facilitated by the openings of the retainer 25 which allow the base material to flow through retainer 25 and come into direct physical and thermal contact with the interstitial material 23, thereby transferring heat energy from the base material to at least a part of the interstitial material 23. For instance, at least the boundary areas of the grains of the interstitial material 23 may be exposed to sufficient thermal energy to sinter.
- the material of the retainer 25 may also be chosen to facilitate this by having a heat transfer characteristic that allows sufficient heat energy to conduct from the base material through the retainer 25 and into the interstitial material 23 to allow sintering of at least a part of the interstitial material 23.
- the interstitial material 23 is initially prepared in the mould 5.
- the retainer 25 is then located so as to cover the interstitial material 23, and the retainer 25 is then attached to the mould 5 by any suitable means, as described above.
- the mould 5 is then prepared for preheating and casting. To achieve at least partial sintering of the interstitial material 23, a desired predetermined temperature of the retainer 25 will need to be reached.
- the requisite heating is achieved using any of the above described preheating or casting methods, in which the base material will flow through the mould 5, through the retainer 25, and through the interstitial material 23, whereby thermal energy will be transferred from the base material to the interstitial material 23, such that sintering of at least the boundary areas of the interstitial material 23 will cause the interstitial material 23 to chemically and/or physically bond to the base material in the final cast.
- any of the above described methods of preheating the mould 5 to a particular temperature may be used, such as opening and closing the valves 7 and 21 to control the base material flow rate, filling the mould 5 to a predetermined level of base material, or collecting a certain amount of base material in a second crucible 9.
- the temperature measurement devices 11 are located in the interstitial material 23 as shown in Figure 5 .
- the temperature measurement devices 11 may be arranged to be located at or close to the interface surface 15 between the inner cavity 13 of the mould 5 and the interstitial material 23, in which case the temperature of the interstitial material 23 as a whole may be inferred from the temperature as measured at this location.
- the information received by the temperature measurement devices 11 may be transmitted to a user by a display, or to the computer control system, both as described earlier. If the temperature of the interstitial material 23 as measured by the temperature measurement devices 11 is lower than a desired temperature, any one of the heating processes described above may be implemented.
- the heating process of this embodiment is carried out as described in the above embodiments.
- the base material is allowed to continue flowing through the system, flowing in through the retainer 25, and through the interstitial material 23, until a desired temperature of the interstitial material 23 is measured by the temperature measurement devices 11.
- the mould 5 is at a suitable temperature for casting the base material flowing through it, and the outlet valve 7 is switched to a closed state, and the mould 5 fills with base material as described in previous embodiments.
- a multi-stage casting process may also be applied, wherein two separate desired temperatures are to be achieved at different stages of the cast. This may be carried out as described in previous embodiments above.
- the finished cast including the interstitial material 23 and the retainer 25 may be removed from the mould 5 as in conventional casting processes.
- the resulting cast comprises the base material, the retainer 25, at least a portion of partially sintered interstitial material 23, and the remaining interstitial material 23.
- the retainer 25 as herein described, it is possible to create a final cast including interstitial materials for improved material properties, even within the context of the previously described heating and casting processes.
- the retainer 25 is present in the final cast, it also serves to provide extra reinforcement to the final cast.
- the retainer as herein described provides the possibility of using interstitial materials in casts created using the above-described heating processes, wherein the retainer is simultaneously able to retain the interstitial material in its required location during heating or casting, whilst also facilitating the desired level of sintering of the interstitial materials in the process.
- any of the above described embodiments may be controlled and operated by a computer system (not described here), so that the each of the components, measurements and operations described above may be controlled by suitable electrical control circuitry connected to the computer system.
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a temperature-controlled method of casting.
- There are many different types of casting known in the art. However, a common aspect of many casting processes is the need to achieve certain temperature thresholds within the mould. These temperatures need to be achieved accurately, as the material properties of the cast substance are highly sensitive to even slight variations in casting temperature and duration. These considerations are vitally important for creating particular material properties in single material casts, and for optimizing the physical and chemical bonding of dissimilar materials in alloys.
- Presently, to achieve the desired mould temperatures, it is known in the art to heat moulds by a number of different methods, including by introducing hot gas, water or oil into the mould before casting, by infra-red heating, by electrical probes inserted into the mould, and by placing the mould in a dedicated preheating oven from which it is removed before casting. Further, it is also common in the art to use any of the above preheating methods to crudely reach an approximate temperature domain, and to then begin the casting process accepting that at least the first few castings will produce poor quality scrap due to suboptimal mould temperature and/or uneven mould temperature distribution. In this way, the scrap castings are used to further heat the mould to reach the desired mould temperature.
- However, these known heating methods suffer from a number of disadvantages, including increased material cost due to scrap wastage, inaccurate temperature heating, and uneven temperature distribution within the mould. Further, these methods are generally not suitable for heating the system at any stage other than at the preheating stage, before casting has begun.
- Hence, it would be beneficial in the field if both the temperature of the mould, and the materials within it, could be accurately and efficiently heated at multiple stages of the casting process, and without wasting precious materials.
- Further, manufacturers are ever more concerned with the impact that their processes may be having on the environment around them. However, it is crucial that such concerns can be addressed within the context of profitable business. As such, innovations that can simultaneously decrease the adverse effects on the environment, whilst also increasing efficiency, represent vital contributions to the field.
- According to an aspect of the invention, a method of casting is provided wherein a molten material to be cast is flowed into, through and out of a mould. This flow of molten material serves to heat the mould. Subsequently, once the mould temperature reaches a desired temperature, the flow of the molten material out of the mould is stopped, but the molten material continues to flow into the mould, such that the molten material begins to at least partially fill the mould. This method allows the mould to be heated using the same flow of molten material that is to be used to fill the cast and subsequently be casted into the desired object. The molten material that flows out of the mould may be collected in a container, such as a crucible.
- The temperature of the mould may be measured to accurately determine when the desired mould temperature is reached. The temperature of the mould may be measured close to or at the interior surface of the interior cavity of the mould. Further, the temperature may be measured by thermocouples or thermostats.
- Alternatively, the temperature of the mould can be determined by determining that a predetermined mass and/or volume of the molten material has passed through the mould, that is sufficient to achieve the desired temperature of the mould. The predetermined mass and/or volume of the molten material may be collected in a container, and the container may include a means of measuring that the predetermined mass and/or volume of molten material has been collected within it. Alternatively, the container may be a sump with a fixed volume, designed to be equal to the predetermined volume of molten material that is sufficient for the desired temperature of the mould to be achieved. In this instance, the mould may automatically be filled by the flow of molten material entering the mould due to the backlog of molten material prevented from entering the filled sump.
- The flow of the molten material through the system may be controlled using an outlet valve located downstream of the mould, between the exit of the mould and any container. There may also be an inlet valve upstream of the mould, located before the entrance to the mould to further control the flow of molten material through the system when used in combination with the outlet valve. The valves may be used to create different flow rates of the molten material at the entrance and exit of the mould.
- The mould may be empty before the molten material enters the mould. Alternatively, the mould may already contain a material that has either previously been cast, or that is prepared within the mould and is ready to be cast with the molten material about to be introduced into the mould.
- The mould may further include a retainer for retaining a material within the mould during the introduction of the molten material and the final casting process.
- The molten material that flows out of the mould, which may or may not be collected in a container, may be reheated and subsequently reintroduced to the system such that it may once again flow into the mould.
- The methods described above may be used in the context of a sand casting, a gravity casting, or a pressure die casting process, or a combination of these. Further, the measurement, control, and operation of any of the above components may be implemented by a computer system that is connected to these components and the casting system as a whole.
- There now follows, by way of example only, a detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the figures identified below.
- Figure 1
- is a schematic representation of the casting in a first embodiment.
- Figure 2
- illustrates a further embodiment of the process of
Figure 1 . - Figure 3
- illustrates another embodiment of the process of
Figure 1 . - Figure 4
- is a flow diagram illustrating the main process steps of
Figure 1 . - Figure 5
- illustrates a further embodiment of the process of
Figure 1 . - In the following description, functionally similar parts carry the same reference numerals between figures. Preferred embodiments of the invention are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
-
Figure 1 illustrates a schematic representation of the heating process in operation. The system has afirst crucible 1 that is suitable for containing any molten material, herein referred to as a base material, that is to be cast in the casting process. The base material exits thecrucible 1 and is transported via a suitable connection means or conduit to arunner system 3. Therunner system 3 allows the base material to enter themould 5. The general configuration of themould 5 will be known to the skilled person, and themould 5 may be any mould suitable for casting base materials. For instance, themould 5 may be for use in sand casting or gravity casting, but it is not limited thereto. Themould 5 has aninternal cavity 13 which is filled by the base material in the casting process. The interior wall of thiscavity 13 is called theinterface surface 15. In other words, theinterface surface 15 is where the material of themould 5 contacts with the base material when the base material is in themould 5. Further, themould 5 hastemperature measurement devices 11, such as thermocouples or variable thermostats, located either at or close to theinterface surface 15, such that measurement of the temperature of theinterface surface 15 may be achieved at any point in the casting process. Thetemperature measurement devices 11 may be electrically connected to a computer control system, and may be operated by suitable electrical control circuitry. - The
mould 5 also has anentrance 6 and anexit 8 that allows the base material to flow from therunner system 3, through themould 5, and out of themould 5. Theexit 8 to themould 5 is attached to a suitable connection means or conduit that allows the base material to continue to travel away from themould 5. The flow of the base material along this exit connection means is controlled by anoutlet valve arrangement 7. Theoutlet valve arrangement 7 is operable to vary the flow of the base material, and is able to provide a continuous or at least variable range of flow rates between its fully closed and fully open states. Theoutlet valve 7 may be electrically connected to the computer control system, and may be operated by suitable electrical control circuitry. When theoutlet valve 7 is in an open state, the base material flows away from themould 5 through theoutlet valve arrangement 7 and into asecond crucible 9 able to contain the base material. Hence, through the above arrangement, the base material in thefirst crucible 1 is able to flow through the system in a controlled manner, based on the state of operation of theoutlet valve 7. - In operation, the
temperature measurement devices 11 detect the temperature of theinterface surface 15. This information may be transmitted to a user by a display, or to the computer control system described earlier. If the temperature of theinterface surface 15 as measured by thetemperature measurement devices 11 is lower than a desired temperature, any one of the heating processes described below may be implemented. The desired temperature is a variable predetermined quantity, and is dependent on the base materials being used and the desired material properties of the final cast substance. - In each of the below described heating processes, the heating is advantageously achieved using the base material itself, and harnessing the heat energy that has already been used to liquefy the base material. The numerous advantages of this will be described below.
- In an embodiment, the
mould 5 may be initially empty, and a preheating operation is required. In this instance, preheating is begun by allowing the base material to flow through the system from thefirst crucible 1, through therunner system 3, and into themould 5. As the base material enters themould 5, it flows over theinterface surface 15 and transfers heat energy to theinterface surface 15 in so doing. The temperature of theinterface surface 15 within the mould is continuously measured by thetemperature measurement devices 11, and this information is transmitted to the user via a display or to the computer system as described above. During this preheating operation, theoutlet valve 7 is in an open state, thereby allowing the base material to flow through and out of themould 5 towards thesecond crucible 9, where it is collected. Alternatively, theoutlet valve 7 is initially in a closed state, or at least partially closed, so as to allow themould 5 to fill with the base material, up to a predetermined level. When the predetermined level of base material within themould 5 is reached, theoutlet valve 7 is fully opened to allow the base material to flow through and out of themould 5 towards thesecond crucible 9, where it is collected. This alternating process of opening and closing or partially closing theoutlet valve 7, thereby alternately filling and emptying themould 5, advantageously leads to a more uniform distribution of heat within themould 5. - The base material is allowed to continue flowing through the system in this manner until a desired temperature of the
interface surface 15 is measured by thetemperature measurement devices 11. At this point themould 5 is at a suitable temperature for casting the base material flowing through it, and theoutlet valve 7 is switched to a closed state. The closing of theoutlet valve 7, combined with the continued flowing of the base material from thefirst crucible 1, causes themould 5 to begin to fill. Once themould 5 contains a desired quantity of the base material, either manually or automatically determined, the flow of base material from thefirst crucible 1 is stopped, and the casting process is begun. The casting process itself may be a conventional casting process, and is not described further herein. The base material present in thesecond crucible 9 is then returned directly to thefirst crucible 1 for reuse, or reheated in a conventional manner and subsequently reintroduced to thefirst crucible 1. - This process has a number of distinct advantages over the known processes in the field. In the first instance, by harnessing the heat energy already within the base material to heat the mould, an efficiency of energy and cost is achieved by avoiding the need to use any of the separate dedicated heating processes known in the art. Further, a second distinct advantage over the prior art is the removal of the need for scrap runs. This beneficially leads to an increase in resource efficiency as wastage of the base material that is inherent to scrap runs has been removed. Indeed, this advantage is particularly dramatic in embodiments of the present invention as there is no wastage of base material at all, as all base material collected in the
second crucible 9 is recovered and reused. - These advantages further represent a distinct environmental benefit in the efficient use of energy resources, and in the reduced of wastage of precious base materials.
- Further, in embodiments of the present invention, the heating of the
mould 5 by means of a flow of the base material is distinctly advantageous over other methods of heating, as the flow of the base material is able to cover all the relevant interface surfaces 15 of themould 5 that the user is concerned with, thereby leading to an improved uniform heating of theinterface surface 15 and overcoming disadvantageous uneven heating that results in poor quality casts. Further, the flow of the base material in particular is distinctly advantageous over the use of other flow based heating methods such as gas, oil or water, as each of these methods may leave deposits within themould 5 and lead to defects and impurities in the cast substance. Further, these other methods inherently waste the precious natural resources of oil, water and gas etc. - The process of heating the
mould 5 as described in the embodiment of the present invention is also particularly advantageous in that it is highly targeted, allowing specific heating of theinterface surface 15 of themould 5 rather than themould 5 as a whole, as in many known heating techniques. Indeed, the most important area in which to accurately achieve certain temperature thresholds is at the interface between different materials being cast. Hence, the present invention is particularly advantageous in closed mould casting methods, where heating of the interior of the mould can be difficult to accurately achieve. In combination with the specific location of thetemperature measurement devices 11 being at or close to theinterface surface 15, these features synergistically lead to an increased accuracy in the determination and control of the temperature of theinterface surface 15 of themould 5 during the casting process, and thereby result in an increased quality of cast. - In another embodiment of the invention, the heating of
mould 5 as described in the preferred embodiment may be used or repeated at a later stage in a multi-stage casting process. In this instance, themould 5 may have a layer of alloy material already within it. In such cases, the alloy material already in themould 5 may be different from the base material to be added to themould 5. Hence, there may be a second desired temperature within themould 5 that was different to the original first desired temperature. As the heating of themould 5 in embodiments of the present invention is achieved using the base material about to be used in the cast, it is advantageously possible to heat themould 5 at any stage of a casting process, not just during the initial preheating stage as is the case in many conventional heating systems. In such a mid-cast heating process, the flow of the base material is carried out in the same way as described in the above embodiments, with the difference that thetemperature measurement devices 11 are at this stage measuring the temperature between theinterface surface 15 of themould 5 and the alloy material already within themould 5, and as such the measurement of the interface surface temperature between the alloy material and the base material may be inferred from the temperature as measured at theinterface surface 15 between the alloy material and themould 5. The rest of the heating process is carried out as described in the embodiments above. -
Figure 2 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, before casting, themould 5 may be prepared with analloy material 17 already within it. In this embodiment, thetemperature measurement devices 11 may be arranged at or close to theinterface surface 19 between thealloy material 17 already within themould 5 andinner cavity 13 where the base material will be when it enters the mould. In all other respects, the heating process of this embodiment is carried out as described in the above embodiments. Advantageously, these embodiments are therefore able to heat either theinterface surface 15 of themould 5, or theinterface surface 19 of the alloy material in themould 17, in each instance by using the base material about to be cast. -
Figure 3 illustrates another embodiment of the invention, features of which may be combined with features of any of the embodiments described above. As well as the above described systems, there is also provided aninlet valve 21 located between therunner system 3 and themould 5. Thisinlet valve 21 is configured to control the flow of the base material along the connection means before entry to themould 5. In a similar manner to theoutlet valve arrangement 7, theinlet valve 21 is operable to vary the flow of the base material in a manner known to the skilled person, and is able to provide a continuous or at least variable range of flow rates between its fully closed and fully open states. Theinlet valve 21 may be electrically connected to the computer control system, and may be operated by suitable electrical control circuitry. When theinlet valve 21 is in an open state, the base material flows into themould 5. Advantageously, the combination of theinlet valve 21 and theoutlet valve 7 allows an improved control of the flow rate of the base material through the system. This is particularly beneficial if analloy material 17 is already in the mould, as described above, as it is possible to achieve a flow rate of the base material that does not cause such turbulence as to disturb thealloy material 17. Further, it is advantageous in that it allows themould 5 to be heated in different time periods as a result of different heat transmission characteristics related to varying flow rates of the base material over the interface surfaces 15, 19. - In each of the embodiments described above, the
temperature measurement devices 11, theinlet valve 21 and theoutlet valve 7 may be electrically connected to a computer control system, and may be operated by suitable electrical control circuitry. Advantageously, this allows improved accuracy in the heating of the system, as the computer system may be configured to electronically operate theoutlet valve 7 and/orinlet valve 21, for instance to automatically close theoutlet valve 7 once the desired temperature is achieved. Further, it allows automation of the system such that human error can be removed. - In an alternative embodiment of the invention, for certain heating processes such as repeat castings, it may be possible to derive a correlation between the mass and/or volume of collected base material in the
second crucible 9, and the temperature at the interface surface within themould 5. Hence, it is possible to avoid using thetemperature measurement devices 11, or to remove them entirely, and to rely solely on the mass and/or volume of base material in thesecond crucible 9 to determine the temperature of theinterface surface outlet valve 7 and fill themould 5 for casting could be determined by measurement of the desired mass and/or volume achieved in thesecond crucible 9. In a similar manner to features described above, the mass and/or volume measurements of thesecond crucible 9 may be taken by electronic components connected to the computer control system and the closing of theoutlet valve 7 could be automatically achieved. Alternatively, the measurement of mass and/or volume of the base material in thesecond crucible 9 could be achieved using a mechanical cut-off configuration, thereby mechanically closing off theoutlet valve 7 once the required mass and/or volume is achieved. In this embodiment, other variables of the system, including for instance temperature of the base material and flow rate of the base material, should be kept the same as they were under the initial conditions when the correlations were derived. - Further, given the above correlation, it is also be possible to replace the
second crucible 9 with a sump of a fixed volume that corresponds to the desired temperature at theinterface surface outlet valve 7 could be dispensed with as the flow of base material through themould 5 would automatically begin to fill themould 5 once the fixed volume sump was full. Advantageously, this results in a simplified process for repeat casting systems, wherein filling of themould 5 is automatically achieved once the desired temperature is reached. -
Figure 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the main process steps ofFigure 1 . At step S1, the base material is introduced into the mould such that the base material flows through the mould. At step S2, it is determined whether a desired temperature of the mould is achieved. If so, at step S3, the base material is prevented from flowing out of the mould. At step S4, it is determined whether the mould has been filled to the desired level. If so, the process is complete and casting may continue in a conventional manner. - In order to achieve certain material properties in the final cast, for instance strength, lubricity, or resistance to wear et cetera, it is often desirable to use interstitial elements suspended in matrices of the 'parent' base material. In a conventional casting process, this may be achieved by preparing the mould before casting with an interstitial material already within it. However, in the above described heating and casting processes, if a mould is prepared for use with an interstitial material already within it, in certain circumstances the flow of the base material through the mould, either during the heating stage or otherwise, may displace the pre-placed interstitial materials. The turbulence created by the fluid base material as it travels through the system may be sufficient to displace the interstitial material. In other words, the pre-placed interstitial material may be washed out of position or out of the mould entirely by the flow of the base material.
-
Figure 5 illustrates an embodiment of the invention that addresses this problem. The features of this embodiment may be combined with features of any of the embodiments described above. Before casting, themould 5 may be prepared with aninterstitial material 23, such as tungsten carbide or molybdenum or any other suitable material, already within itsinner cavity 13. Instead of leaving theinterstitial material 23 exposed, theinterstitial material 23 is then covered or otherwise retained by aretainer 25. Theretainer 25 may be made of steel or any other suitable material for use within the temperature domains of the casting process. Theretainer 25 is then attached to themould 5 by any suitable means, for instance by means of nails, staples or pins, such that it is able to retain its position within themould 5 whilst the base material flows through theinner cavity 13 of themould 5. Theretainer 25 may take any suitable form, for instance theretainer 25 may be a mesh, grid or array of wires or bars. Theretainer 25 comprises openings to allow the base material to flow through theretainer 25, wherein the openings may take any suitable form, for instance the openings may be gaps, slits, pores or perforations. The dimensions of theretainer 25 openings are chosen to be suitably sized such that the base material may flow freely through theretainer 25, but such that theinterstitial material 23 may not pass through theretainer 25. In other words, the openings of theretainer 25 are sized such that theinterstitial material 23 is unable to escape through the openings and be washed away, and hence is instead held in position both before and during the heating or casting processes. For instance, when the interstitial material is granular, the openings of theretainer 25 are dimensioned to be smaller than the dimensions of any single grain of theinterstitial material 23, thereby preventing movement of theinterstitial material 23 through theretainer 25. - In operation, when the base material flows through the
mould 5 in a manner as described in any previous embodiment, the base material also flows through the openings of theretainer 25 and through theinterstitial material 23. In this way, the base material comes into physical and thermal contact with both theretainer 25 and theinterstitial material 23. Advantageously, theretainer 25 maintains theinterstitial material 23 in its original location in themould 5 throughout any of the heating or casting processes as described above. - The
interstitial material 25 could be placed anywhere within theinner cavity 13 of themould 5, as it can be held in position by the retainer of theretainer 25, and as the base material can flow through both theretainer 25 and theinterstitial material 23. Further, there may be a plurality of different sections ofinterstitial material 23 within themould 5, each of which is held in a particular location by a respectiveseparate retainer 25. - In order to improve the binding, retention and overall material properties of these interstitial materials in the final cast, it is often desirable to promote a degree of sintering between the interstitial materials and the parent material during the cast process. To achieve this, the interstitial materials must be raised to above their sintering temperature at some time before the casting process is concluded. This sintering process is facilitated by the openings of the
retainer 25 which allow the base material to flow throughretainer 25 and come into direct physical and thermal contact with theinterstitial material 23, thereby transferring heat energy from the base material to at least a part of theinterstitial material 23. For instance, at least the boundary areas of the grains of theinterstitial material 23 may be exposed to sufficient thermal energy to sinter. Advantageously, the material of theretainer 25 may also be chosen to facilitate this by having a heat transfer characteristic that allows sufficient heat energy to conduct from the base material through theretainer 25 and into theinterstitial material 23 to allow sintering of at least a part of theinterstitial material 23. - In operation, the
interstitial material 23 is initially prepared in themould 5. Theretainer 25 is then located so as to cover theinterstitial material 23, and theretainer 25 is then attached to themould 5 by any suitable means, as described above. Themould 5 is then prepared for preheating and casting. To achieve at least partial sintering of theinterstitial material 23, a desired predetermined temperature of theretainer 25 will need to be reached. The requisite heating is achieved using any of the above described preheating or casting methods, in which the base material will flow through themould 5, through theretainer 25, and through theinterstitial material 23, whereby thermal energy will be transferred from the base material to theinterstitial material 23, such that sintering of at least the boundary areas of theinterstitial material 23 will cause theinterstitial material 23 to chemically and/or physically bond to the base material in the final cast. - In particular, any of the above described methods of preheating the
mould 5 to a particular temperature may be used, such as opening and closing thevalves mould 5 to a predetermined level of base material, or collecting a certain amount of base material in asecond crucible 9. - To determine the desired temperature of the
interstitial material 23 has been achieved, for instance to achieve sintering of theinterstitial material 23, thetemperature measurement devices 11 are located in theinterstitial material 23 as shown inFigure 5 . Alternatively, thetemperature measurement devices 11 may be arranged to be located at or close to theinterface surface 15 between theinner cavity 13 of themould 5 and theinterstitial material 23, in which case the temperature of theinterstitial material 23 as a whole may be inferred from the temperature as measured at this location. - The information received by the
temperature measurement devices 11 may be transmitted to a user by a display, or to the computer control system, both as described earlier. If the temperature of theinterstitial material 23 as measured by thetemperature measurement devices 11 is lower than a desired temperature, any one of the heating processes described above may be implemented. - In all other respects, the heating process of this embodiment is carried out as described in the above embodiments. Hence, the base material is allowed to continue flowing through the system, flowing in through the
retainer 25, and through theinterstitial material 23, until a desired temperature of theinterstitial material 23 is measured by thetemperature measurement devices 11. At this point themould 5 is at a suitable temperature for casting the base material flowing through it, and theoutlet valve 7 is switched to a closed state, and themould 5 fills with base material as described in previous embodiments. - As further described in previous embodiments, a multi-stage casting process may also be applied, wherein two separate desired temperatures are to be achieved at different stages of the cast. This may be carried out as described in previous embodiments above.
- Once the casting process has been completed, the finished cast including the
interstitial material 23 and theretainer 25 may be removed from themould 5 as in conventional casting processes. As a result of the sintering facilitated by theretainer 25, the resulting cast comprises the base material, theretainer 25, at least a portion of partially sinteredinterstitial material 23, and the remaininginterstitial material 23. Hence, using theretainer 25 as herein described, it is possible to create a final cast including interstitial materials for improved material properties, even within the context of the previously described heating and casting processes. Advantageously, as theretainer 25 is present in the final cast, it also serves to provide extra reinforcement to the final cast. - Advantageously, the retainer as herein described provides the possibility of using interstitial materials in casts created using the above-described heating processes, wherein the retainer is simultaneously able to retain the interstitial material in its required location during heating or casting, whilst also facilitating the desired level of sintering of the interstitial materials in the process.
- Any of the above described embodiments may be controlled and operated by a computer system (not described here), so that the each of the components, measurements and operations described above may be controlled by suitable electrical control circuitry connected to the computer system.
- The embodiments described above are illustrative of, rather than limiting to, the present invention. Alternative embodiments apparent on reading the above description may nevertheless fall within the scope of the invention.
Claims (15)
- A method of casting, comprising:a. introducing a molten material into a mould (5), such that the molten material flows out of the mould (5);b. subsequently preventing the molten material from flowing out of the mould (5) once a desired temperature of the mould (5) is achieved, such that the molten material at least partially fills the mould (5).
- The method of claim 1, wherein a temperature of the mould (5) is measured so as to determine that the desired temperature of the mould (5) is achieved, wherein the temperature is preferably measured using one or more thermocouples (11) or thermostats (11).
- The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the desired temperature of the mould (5) is achieved comprises determining that a predetermined mass and/or volume of the molten material has flowed out of the mould (5).
- The method of any preceding claim, wherein the molten material that flows out of the mould (5) is collected in a container (9), wherein the container is preferably a crucible (9).
- The method of claim 4, wherein:the container (9) is a sump of a fixed volume, wherein when the sump is filled with molten material, the molten material in the mould (5) is prevented from flowing out of the mould (5); ora predetermined mass and/or volume of the molten material in the container (9) is measured so as to determine that the desired temperature of the mould (5) is achieved.
- The method of any preceding claim, further comprising controlling the flow of the molten material using a valve (7) downstream or upstream of the mould (5), wherein preferably preventing the molten material from flowing out of the mould (5) is achieved using the valve (7) downstream of the mould (5).
- The method of any preceding claims, wherein the mould (5) contains a second material (17, 23) before the flow of molten material is introduced into the mould (5).
- The method of claim 7, wherein the second material (17, 23) is an interstitial material (23).
- The method of claim 8, further comprising providing at least one retainer (25) within the mould (5), wherein the retainer (25) is suitable for retaining the interstitial material (23) within the mould (5).
- The method of claim 9, wherein the retainer (25) retains the interstitial material (23) in a location within the mould (5).
- The method of claim 10, wherein when the molten material is introduced into the mould (5), heat energy is conducted from the molten material to the interstitial material (23), wherein preferably the desired temperature is a temperature sufficient to cause sintering of at least a part of the interstitial material (23).
- The method of one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the retainer (25) comprises openings, wherein the openings are dimensioned so as to prevent the transport of the interstitial material (23) through the openings, but so as to allow the transport of molten material through the openings, and wherein the retainer (25) is preferably made of steel and wherein the interstitial material (23) is preferably at least one of tungsten carbide or molybdenum.
- The method of any preceding claim, wherein the molten material that flows out of the mould (5) is reheated and then reintroduced to the mould (5).
- A computer readable medium having stored thereon processor executable instructions that cause a computer to perform the method of any of the preceding claims when executed by a computer arranged to operate a casting apparatus.
- A mould (5) for use in a temperature-controlled casting process as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, the mould including interstitial material (23) and a retainer (25) for retaining the interstitial material (23) within the mould.
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GB1521213.7A GB2531663B (en) | 2015-12-02 | 2015-12-02 | Temperature controlled casting process |
GB1607352.0A GB2545037B (en) | 2015-12-02 | 2016-04-27 | Temperature controlled casting process |
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EP3175938B1 EP3175938B1 (en) | 2020-09-30 |
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JP3389449B2 (en) * | 1997-04-16 | 2003-03-24 | 新日本製鐵株式会社 | Continuous casting method of square billet |
DE102005022479B3 (en) * | 2005-05-14 | 2006-12-21 | Battenfeld Gmbh | Reproducibly preheating injection mold cavity, by introducing heated fluid into the cavity then forcing the fluid from the cavity by injecting molten plastics |
US20140190651A1 (en) * | 2011-06-21 | 2014-07-10 | Jaguar Land Rover Limited | Apparatus and Method for Embedding an Element |
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US5447188A (en) * | 1991-03-26 | 1995-09-05 | Bachmann Giesserei Und Formenbau Gmbh & Co. Kg | Process of and apparatus for casting metals without sprues |
JPH06304735A (en) * | 1993-04-26 | 1994-11-01 | Toyota Motor Corp | Die temp. rising method and manufacture of product |
JP3389449B2 (en) * | 1997-04-16 | 2003-03-24 | 新日本製鐵株式会社 | Continuous casting method of square billet |
DE102005022479B3 (en) * | 2005-05-14 | 2006-12-21 | Battenfeld Gmbh | Reproducibly preheating injection mold cavity, by introducing heated fluid into the cavity then forcing the fluid from the cavity by injecting molten plastics |
US20140190651A1 (en) * | 2011-06-21 | 2014-07-10 | Jaguar Land Rover Limited | Apparatus and Method for Embedding an Element |
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