Abstract: A foundry for automatically making sand castings, in which a metal casting and sand cake are transferred to a container after partial cooling and are carried with the container to a storage zone to cool for a time independent of any restrictions imposed by the conveying path, conveying speed, or cooling time required by other castings being processed. During handling and cooling, the integrity of the sand cake about the casting is maintained to provide cooling characteristics desirable for complex castings with variations in wall thickness. Specific structures handle and convey the sand cake and casting efficiently and reliably. Associated structure fabricates the sand molds and pours the castings, all in a continuous process.

Abstract: A vessel for liquid, especially a ladle for molten metal, is constructed and arranged to facilitate pouring of the contents in a uniform stream along a predetermined path under a uniform pressure head, while facilitating starting and stopping of the stream. To this end, the vessel is supported for rotation about first and second generally horizontal, transverse, axes. The liquid is discharged from an outlet in the vessel located on the first axis when the vessel is rotated about the first axis. By controlling rotation, a constant head of liquid and uniform discharge trajectory is established. Flow is conveniently interrupted by rotation of the vessel about the second axis to tilt the first axis and raise the discharge outlet by an amount equal to the liquid head. Flow is restarted by lowering the discharge outlet to its original position. Preferably, the first axis is horizontal during discharge.

Abstract: An overhead monorail molten metal delivery self-propelled carrier comprising a carrier frame structure support on an overhead monorail, a power actuated hoist on the carrier frame connected by depending flexible members to a second movable structure or carriage for raising and lowering the latter relative to the carrier frame, cooperating guide members on depending vertical masts forming part of the carrier frame and the second structure or carriage confining the carriage to a predetermined vertical movement relative to the carrier frame, a third movable structure or ladle frame supported on horizontal trucks forming a part of the second structure for movement transversely of the path of movement of the carrier frame structure, power actuated mechanism for moving the third structure or ladle frame horizontally relative to the second structure or carriage, a second power actuated hoist on said third structure or ladle frame connected to a molten metal ladle support structure or ladle sub-frame having a ladle f