Patents Examined by J. Reed Batten, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5597029
    Abstract: The shooting has an opening (1) at its inlet side for selective connection to a filling device or a clamping head for sealingly applying compressed air. The filling device has an outlet member that immerses into the shooting head and predetermines therein a filling level (5). At its outlet side, the shooting head has a shooting plate (4) which shooting nozzles (3). In order to automatically produce core packs when the difference in weight is extreme between the individual cores, a core sand guide system (6) extends inside the shooting head substantially from the lower edge of the outlet member immersed to its deepest level in the shooting head, or from the filling level (5) defined by the outlet member, to the shooting nozzles (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1997
    Assignee: Adolf Hottinger Maschinenbau GmbH
    Inventor: Werner Landua
  • Patent number: 5595234
    Abstract: The golf club head comprises a head body which defines the front striking face of the club head. Disposed within the head body is a ceramic insert which defines the rear face of the club head. The head body is cast about the insert in a manner wherein the insert is partially encapsulated by the head body and rigidly captured therewithin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1997
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
    Inventor: William C. Beck
  • Patent number: 5592986
    Abstract: The apparatus comprises first and second mold blocks, each having a pair of matching mold half cavities and being adapted to be held in assembled relationship with the half cavities in abutting register, to define, a pair of full cavities. The apparatus further includes a sprue cutter plate pivotally mounted on the upper surface of one of the blocks. The sprue plate also has (i) a pair of orifice holes in a lower planar surface spaced so as to be aligned with the tops of the full cavities, (ii) a pair of spaced apart countersinks recessed into an upper planar surface and in respective connecting register with the pair of orifice holes, and (iii) a trough in the upper planar surface connecting the pair of countersinks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Inventors: Armande P. Auger, Roger L. Barnes
  • Patent number: 5586597
    Abstract: Steam explosions can be prevented or mitigated during a metal casting process by the placement of a perforated flooring system in the casting pit. An upward flow of compressed gas through this perforated flooring system is introduced during the casting process to produce a buffer layer between any spilled molten metal and the cooling water in the reservoir. This buffer layer provides a hydrodynamic layer which acts to prevent or mitigate steam explosions resulting from hot, molten metal being spilled into or onto the cooling water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Rusi P. Taleyarkhan
  • Patent number: 5586596
    Abstract: A die casting vacuum valve system with mating vent blocks which include lands and grooves defining a serpentine path enabling overflow of molten material. The path restricts, stops and prevents further flow of the molten material in the case of an electrical or mechanical malfunction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Inventor: Lewis G. Freeman
  • Patent number: 5582229
    Abstract: A continuous casting plant for the optional casting of an ingot of slab cross section or of ingots of smaller cross section has a first structural unit which is developed as plate mold for the casting of an ingot of slab cross section. This structural unit is supported on a mold support structure (1) and can be replaced by a second structural unit (16) having molds (21, 22, 23) for the casting of ingots of smaller cross section. For the dependable supporting of the molds (21, 22, 23) for the casting of a smaller cross section, the second structural unit (16) is formed of two longitudinal girders (17, 17') which are arranged spaced from and approximately parallel to each other and are rigidly connected to each other, the molds (21, 22, 23) being supported on the longitudinal girders (17, 17').
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Festl, Helmut Eidinger, Richard Kasmader
  • Patent number: 5582227
    Abstract: In a molding system a box has a pair of oppositely open ends has inner side faces and respective mold plates are engageable in the open ends to close same and have faces defining with the inner side faces a mold cavity. Sand is introduced into the cavity between the faces and is compressed in the cavity to form a mold part. An aerosol mist under superatmospheric pressure and comprised of air and finely divided droplets of a coating liquid is sprayed into the mold cavity when same is closed by the mold plates but before the sand is introduced into the cavity so that the droplets settle on the faces and coat same with the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Inventors: Karin Schuch, Harry Post
  • Patent number: 5582230
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Wagstaff, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert B. Wagstaff, David A. Salee
  • Patent number: 5579824
    Abstract: In a process of withdrawing castings while vertically oscillating a mold formed with long side walls and short side walls, the long side walls are moved apart from the castings by operating a hydraulic cylinder in the time zones for which the castings are applied with a large frictional force. On the contrary, the separated long side walls are made to move together to the casting in the other time zones for which the casting is not applied with the large frictional force. By repeating the separation and approaching of the long side walls, it is possible to obtain castings which are reduced in the depths of oscillation marks and suppressed in segregations at oscillation mark trough portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1996
    Assignee: Kawasaki Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Seiji Itoyama, Hirokazu Tozawa, Shuji Takeuchi, Kenichi Sorimachi
  • Patent number: 5579823
    Abstract: A plumbing part is made from a permanent core and a body cast around the core. The core is formed of a material which meets the requirements as to the permitted leachability of lead and/or other undesirable materials from the core into water flowing through it. The core material has a melting point preferably at least 200.degree. F. above that of the cast body. The core also has a coefficient of expansion which is equal to or less than that of the material forming the cast body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1996
    Assignee: Moen Incorporated
    Inventors: Erwin F. Mikol, Andrew G. Pawlyszyn
  • Patent number: 5577548
    Abstract: In continuous casting in a continuous casting plant, a strand (2) after emergence from the mold (1) is reduced in thickness by a wedge-shaped roller gap. In order to assure upon the casting to obtain the shortest possible wedge-shaped solidified head piece (25) or in the event of an interruption in casting or a decrease in the operating casting speed a short completely solidified strand intermediate piece of a thickness (28) differing from the desired final thickness (26) of the strand, the strand (2) is reduced in thickness exclusively in a region in which it has a liquid center (20), support segments (4, 5) being so directed at all times that the liquid tip (19) of the liquid center (20) always lies in a region of the strand guide in which the roller gap developed by the rollers (8) is the narrowest parallel gap--with respect to the following strand guide and disregarding a roller adjustment which follows the shrinkage of the completely solidified strand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Gerald Hohenbichler, Kurt Engel, Andreas Kropf
  • Patent number: 5577550
    Abstract: A wax shell covered pre-formed core body is provided, the thickness of the wax shell corresponding to the desired thickness of the wall structure. A ceramic shell is formed about the wax shell. The wax shell is removed by melting the wax, thereby to form an opened gap between the ceramic shell and the core body. Molten metal is cast into the opened gap, thereby to form the wall structure extending about the core body and at the sole, while forming and maintaining port structure through the wall structure and spaced from the sole, and allowing the wall structure to solidify to form the head. The ceramic shell is removed from the wall structure, and the core body is removed from the interior of the solidified head, and via the port structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventor: Glenn H. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 5573056
    Abstract: A stream of overheated metal melt is applied from a container through a pouring nozzle as a closed jet, or in such a way as to be split up into drops by a gaseous medium, at a pouring point, to the inner surface of a strip coil or composite body also rotating in a mold body. Thus, an initially liquid metal film is produced to which a liquid coolant, preferably a low-temperature liquefied gas such as argon or nitrogen, is applied from a cooling nozzle at a cooling point which is offset in the direction of rotation relative to the pouring point. The coolant dissipates a substantial portion of the excess and melt heat of the metal film, mostly due to vaporization of the liquid coolant. Depending on the residual heat which it still has after the cooling operation, the metal film either remains isolated from the innermost metal layer applied beforehand, so that a strip coil develops, or melts with the metal layer so that a rotationally symmetrical composite body forms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1996
    Assignee: Ilse H. Feichtinger
    Inventors: Heinrich K. Feichtinger, Derek H. Feichtinger, Markus O. Speidel
  • Patent number: 5564488
    Abstract: The apparatus includes a pouring ladle with a sealable bottom opening and a distributing channel arranged beneath the ladle for the purpose of storing molten metal. The distributing channel is provided with at least two bottom openings that are openable and closable in a controlled manner. A separate tub-shaped basin is arranged beneath each bottom opening of the distributing channel and at least one mold is detachably connected to a bottom portion of each of the tub-shaped basins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1996
    Assignee: Mannesmann Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Joachim V. Schnakenburg, Franz Keutgen, Dieter Perings, Heinz-Josef Leuwer, Rudiger Winterhager, Peter Stadler
  • Patent number: 5564178
    Abstract: A hot coil with high quality and low cost is produced by rolling a billet continuously prepared with a 70 to 120 mm middle thickness continuous casting mechanism, a billet conveying table, a heating mechanism, a high draft rough rolling mill, a finishing rolling mill, and a down coiler, which components are all disposed closely together along a straight line. The center surface temperature of the billet and a peripheral velocity of the roll of the high draft rough rolling mill are controlled within a predetermined range to provide for continuous rolling through the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1996
    Assignee: Kyoei Steel Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Takashima, Yoshimichi Okita
  • Patent number: 5564487
    Abstract: A continuous casting mold comprises a mold tube encased in a water jacket. A radioactive source on one side of the mold tube and scintillation crystal detector on the opposite side of the mold tube are employed to gauge the level of the molten metal in the tube. The amount of radioactive source material is maintained at an inherently safe level by disposing the source material in one or more recesses in the wall of the mold tube and by employment of a "gel" light tube connection between the scintillation crystal and a photomultiplier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1996
    Assignee: Ronan Engineering Company
    Inventors: Bonaventure B. Cahill, Jack H. Adkins
  • Patent number: 5562150
    Abstract: The vent includes a plurality of passages formed by a plurality of stacked plates. The passages are dimensioned to permit the free flow of air but to prohibit the passage of molten metal. During die casting, air is free to exit the die while molten metal is retained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1996
    Assignee: Nelson Metal Products Corporation
    Inventor: Dennis S. Shimmell
  • Patent number: 5562147
    Abstract: The movable upper portion of a mould is positioned in a first position. Molten metal is forced upwardly into the mould cavity through an opening in a stationary lower mould portion. The upper portion is lowered to a position below the first position to force molten metal into all regions of the mould cavity and to force excess metal back into the furnace. A stop is moved downwardly through an upper opening defined in the upper mould portion to close the lower opening. The upper portion is lowered to a second position, and an external downward force is applied on the upper portion to compress the metal within the mould. The method is particularly suitable for forming vehicle wheel rim castings with reduced subsequent surface processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1996
    Inventor: Andrea Bortoloni
  • Patent number: 5560419
    Abstract: In a pressure-casting method and apparatus, wherein a metal melt is fed in a mold cavity and then an oscillating squeeze pressure is applied to the melt by a squeezing plunger of a hydraulic cylinder moving with an oscillating stroke varying to compensate for shrinkage of the melt while being solidified, the hydraulic cylinder is feedback-controlled, using a control unit including a detector for detecting information on an actual squeeze pressure, so that a pressure converted from the actual oscillating squeeze pressure to have a mean value of zero copies a desired alternately positive and negative impulsive pressure pattern or locus representing a pressure oscillated to have a mean value of zero with a given amplitude and frequency versus an elapse of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1996
    Assignee: Ube Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Yoshida, Naomichi Yamamoto, Mitsuru Adachi, Thoru Tsuno, Kazuki Hiraizumi
  • Patent number: 5558148
    Abstract: Molding sand (5) is fed into a space defined by a pattern plate (2) and a flask (3) mounted on the pattern plate (2), and the space is enclosed at the upper part of the flask (3) by a cover (6). The air in the enclosed space is evacuated to reduce the air pressure between the grains of the molding sand in the enclosed space to 1 Torr to 150 Torr, and then air is introduced into the enclosed space from the upper part of the space so that the pressure in the space can increase at the rate of 15 atm/s to compress the molding sand (5). The method eliminates the need for vent holes and enables the mold to be crack-free since the air flow is not reflected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Sintokogia, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nagato Uzaki, Ukichi Oishi, Ryoji Kanayama, Hironobu Amano, Tokiya Terabe