Abstract: A cast aluminum alloy vehicle wheel has a central disk, a rim, and a rim carrying portion located between the rim and the central disk. The rim has an end or tip portion that is the farthest portion of the rim from the disk, and a barrel portion is located between the rim carrying portion and the rim end. The microstructure of the metal provides a dendritic arm spacing (DAS) that is smaller at the rim end than at the rim barrel. Additionally, the DAS of the barrel portion is less then at the central disk. The DAS of the rim carrying portion is equal or less then the DAS of the barrel portion on the rim. A high strength wheel is provided, especially at the rim.

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus for assembling battery plates and includes mould, generally indicated at 10 which defines a pair of ducts 11, 12 which supply respective sets of mould cavities 13, 14 via weirs 15. Each feed duct 11,12 has a respective pair of feed passages 16, 17 and 18, 19 extending beneath it and is interconnected to the respective feed passages by generally vertical passages 20, 21. The feed passages 16-18 are fed by a pump.

Abstract: Metal-matrix composites and methods for producing these composites are provided. The manufacturing methods include providing a ceramic preform having a uniform distribution of ceramic particles sintered to one another. The particles include an average particle size of no greater than about 3 microns, and at least one half of the volume of the preform is occupied by porosity. The preform is then disposed into a mold and contacted by molten metal. The molten metal is then forced into the pores of the preform and permitted to solidify to form a solid metal-matrix composite. This composite is machinable with a high-speed steel (HSS) bit for greater than about 1 minute without excessive wear occurring to the bit. This invention preferably employs metal-matrixes including Al, Li, Be, Pb, He, Au, Sn, Mg, Ti, Cu, and Zn. Preferred ceramics include oxides, borides, nitrides, carbides, carbon, or a mixture thereof. Inert gas pressures of less than about 3,000 psi can be used to easily infiltrate the preforms.

Abstract: A process for forming pressure cast alumina tile reinforced aluminum alloy rmor in which a silver coated aluminum disc is first inserted into a mold assembly, the mold assembly includes a base plate, a hollow steel die with a removable steel liner located on the base plate, a plug disposed on the base plate within the die cavity, and a punch movably disposed within the die cavity, the aluminum disc being inserted within the die cavity over the plug. Next, an alumina tile preform is prepared by cutting a plurality of alumina tiles and weaving the tiles together with a stiff steel wire. The alumina tile preform is inserted over the silver coated aluminum disc in the cavity of mold assembly. The steel die, the plug and the disc are heated. The punch is also heated separately. A melt of molten aluminum is prepared and poured into the die cavity, completely covering the alumina tile preform. The heated punch is immediately driven into the cavity to apply pressure to the molten aluminum.

Abstract: In a continuous casting mold, the adjustable cooled narrow walls between the broad walls for continuous casting of thin slabs are divided into upper slab-shaping and lower supporting parts. At the lower parts, gaps are provided at the edges of the slab to reduce cooling and thereby prevent the formation of edge cracks on the solidifying slab.

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.

Abstract: An investment casting process utilizes a temporary mold which is formed by pouring a liquid over a positive pattern, and cooling the liquid until it solidifies. The positive pattern is removed, and a temporary pattern is formed by pouring another liquid into the cavity of the temporary mold, and cooling the second liquid until it solidifies. The temporary mold may then be melted or dissolved to leave a temporary pattern, which may be coated with a ceramic slurry to form a ceramic shell. The temporary pattern may then be melted or dissolved in order to remove the temporary pattern from the ceramic shell. The ceramic shell may be filled with molten metal which is allowed to solidify to form the final cast piece.

Abstract: A teeming arrangement for a continuous casting apparatus comprises a tundish, a casting nozzle which projects from the bottom of the tundish, and a stopper rod for regulating flow through the casting nozzle. The nozzle has an inlet end and an outlet end and narrows progressively from each of these ends to the middle of the nozzle. The distance from the middle of the nozzle to either end is at least 7 cm. The stopper rod is movable between a closed position in which it seals the middle of the nozzle and an open position in which the nozzle is unobstructed. In the open position, the stopper rod and the nozzle define an annular gap, and the gap has a section which extends from the inlet end of the nozzle partway to the middle and narrows in a direction from the inlet end towards the outlet end. During casting, molten material is discharged from a bath in the tundish via the nozzle and forms a molten pool in a mold.

Abstract: A valve assembly for venting diecasting moulds comprises a venting channel, a venting valve communicating with the venting channel and having an axially displaceable valve closure member, and an actuating member for operating the venting valve from an open position into a closed position. The actuating member includes a power pick up member exposed to the liquid casting material escaping during the casting operation from a casting chamber provided in the diecasting mould through the venting channel and being axially displaceable under the influence of the kinetic energy transmitted from the liquid casting material to the power pick up member when the liquid casting material hits the power pick up member.

Abstract: An austenitic stainless steel sheet is produced by a twin-roll synchronous continuous casting process wherein the sheet has a Ni segregation ratio in the vicinity of its center section of 0.90 or more and .delta.Fe.sub.cal. (mass %) is 6 mass % or more. Ni segregation ratio is defined by the formula: {average Ni content of the segregated portion (%) }/{average Ni content of the cast sheet (%)}; where Ni content is expressed in % by mass. .delta.-Fe.sub.cal. (mass %) is defined by the formula: 3(Cr+1.5 Si+Mo+0.5 Nb)-2.8(Ni+0.5 Cu+0.5 Mn+30 C+30 N)-19.8; wherein the chemical elements are given in % by mass.

Abstract: A cylinder block has a cylinder block body and a cylinder liner block mounted by casting in the cylinder block body. The cylinder liner block is formed from a material having a rigidity larger than that of the cylinder block body, and the cylinder liner block comprises a liner section mounted by casting in position in a cylinder barrel portion of the cylinder block body, and a reinforcing wall section mounted by casting in position in a bearing wall of a crank case portion of the cylinder block body. Thus, it is possible to increase the wear resistance of cylinders in the cylinder block, as well as to provide an increase in performance by reductions in vibration and noise of the engine including the cylinder block, and to provide reductions in size, weight and cost of the cylinder block by a reduction in thickness of the bearing walls.

Abstract: A vibrating apparatus for vibrating a mold 1 by an electrohydraulic stepping cylinder 5 through a link mechanism 3 is characterized in that when a driving signal delivered into a drive unit 26 for the stepping cylinder 5, the actual acceleration of the mold 1 is fed back to a target waveform signal for the mold 1 and compensating signals for cancelling the operation delay of the stepping cylinder 5 and the signal transfer lag due to elastic deformation of the link mechanism and the like are added thereto to make feed-forward compensation.

Abstract: A casting core 100a, 100b is fabricated entirely of decomposable refractory material such as foundry sand/binder and is formed with a plurality of push rod passage-forming portions (136a, 136b) for forming a corresponding plurality of push rod passages within a cylinder block (26) and a transverse intersecting oil gallery-forming portions (138a, 138b) for forming an associated long and narrow oil gallery within the cylinder block.