Abstract: A door for molten metal holding furnaces which includes a fixed plate with charging and inspection hole provided with two supports positioned at the sides of the charging hole and with two vertical wings positioned on an upper part of the plate and two guides are hinged to the two vertical wings and directed downwards, beyond a lower edge of the charging hole. A closing panel with gasket is equipped with lateral pins that are housed in the guides for making the closing panel slide along the guides. One or more pressure mechanisms act on lower ends of the guides and rotate the guides so as to bring the closing panel in contact with the plate and press the panel against the hole or to move it away from the plate.

Abstract: The invention is a new automatic door for molten metal holding furnaces, comprising a fixed plate with charging and inspection hole, provided with two supports positioned at the sides of the charging hole and with two vertical wings positioned on the upper part of the plate; two guides with rectangular hole are hinged to the two vertical wings positioned on the upper part of the plate and directed downwards, beyond the lower edge of the charging hole; the closing panel with gasket is equipped with lateral pins that in turn are housed in the rectangular holes of the guides, said pins and guides being suitable for making the closing panel slide along the guides. One or more pressuremechanisms, acting on the lower end of the guides, rotate the guides in such a way as to bring the closing panel in contact with the plate hole and press the panel against the hole or to move it away from the plate. A hydraulic cylinder controls the translation of the closing panel along the guides with rectangular hole.

Abstract: A wheel rim has spaced indentations in the rim to remove material from the rim and decrease wheel weight. The indentations may be elongated grooves, which are aligned with the axis of the wheel. The grooves are evenly spaced circumferentially about the wheel. Each groove's cross-section is an arc of a circle. The grooves extend into the rim more than one half of the rim's nominal thickness. The radius of the circle that form the cross-section is much larger than the groove's depth so that the edges of the grooves do not meet the rim's surface at a sharp angle. This intersection minimizes stress. The grooves may be in the rim's an inner or outer surfaces or in both surfaces. The application also discloses other configurations for the indentations.

Abstract: The die includes fixed or movable protuberances associated with die parts corresponding to the rim circumference. In the rim thus obtained the inner part of the spokes is hollow and communicates with the rim channel inside the tire but the hollow is spaced from the wheel hub.

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.