Patents by Inventor Thomas E. Prucha

Thomas E. Prucha has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5503214
    Abstract: A casting mold assembly includes cope and drag sections having a casting cavity therebetween and a casting core supported within the cavity. A vertical down sprue extends through the cope section and joins a flow passage extending through the core in prolongation of the down sprue for introducing molten metal directly into the mold cavity to produce a disk brake rotor. A filter is supported in the flow path of the core and a flow control lip is provided at the exit of the flow path to provide a flow constricting gap between the annular lip and an underlying lower cavity wall to slow the flow of metal into the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1996
    Assignee: CMI International, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald L. Cribley, Thomas E. Prucha, Robert R. Fors
  • Patent number: 5361823
    Abstract: A decomposable casting core (56a, 56b) is formed in-situ with a sleeve-like liner member (64) and the assembly mounted within the mold cavity (24) of a cylinder block casting mold (22) for lining piston cylinder chambers (62a, 62b) of a cylinder block (26) cast within the mold (22). The liner member (64) is formed with an inner annular recess (80) which receives a corresponding annular projection (76) of the core (56a, 56b) for preventing the liner (64) from sliding axially on the core (56a, 56b) during casting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1994
    Assignee: CMI International, Inc.
    Inventors: John W. Kuhn, Thomas E. Prucha
  • Patent number: 5280820
    Abstract: A method for metallurgically bonding cylinder liners (12, 12') within a cylinder block 14 of an internal combustion engine. The liners (12, 12') are cleaned (16) and their outer surfaces coated (18) with a low melting point cooling material (20) such as molten zinc forming a metallurgical bond therebetween. The coating (20) is allowed to solidify forming an outer oxidized layer (24) on the coating (20). The oxidized layer (24) is subsequently removed to expose an unoxidized outer surface (26) of the coating (20). The coated liners (12, 12') are then disposed within a casting mold and molten aluminum-based cylinder block material (36) is poured into the mold and about the coated liners (12, 12'). The molten cylinder block material (36) remelts the coating (20) on the liners (12, 12') and causes the coating to further alloy with the cylinder block material (36), whereupon cooling the cylinder liners (12, 12') are metallurgically bonded to the cylinder block (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 25, 1994
    Assignee: CMI International
    Inventors: Karl D. Voss, Thomas E. Prucha, John W. Kuhn