Abstract: This invention teaches an improved apparatus and method to make metal alloy castings, such as subway car undercarriage bearing housings. One embodiment of the invention comprises a core mold assembly unit, wherein the mold unit is filled with molten metal. The core mold assembly units may be further formed of the same material, such as phenolic urethane impregnated sand, which is used to accurately replicate the desired shape of a final desired product.

Abstract: The casting unit solves problems of a conventional casting unit, in which a non-consumable sprue is connected to a lost foam gate attached to a core, such as troublesome assembly and post-treatment after casting. In the casting unit, a plurality of cores having molten metal inlets, which open into the surfaces of the cores and through which a molten metal is caused to flow into cavities formed in the cores, and a lost foam pattern, which forms a sprue between each of the molten metal inlets and a sprue cup, in which a molten metal is poured, and which has a peripheral surface coated with a refractory mold coating agent, are embedded in dry sand except for the sprue cup, and the cores, which are adjacent to each other, are connected to each other so that the plurality of cores are integrated.

Abstract: A core box assembly for casting a crankshaft. The core box assembly comprises axially aligned cores that define different axial portions of a cavity that receives molten metal to cast the crankshaft. Oil gallery cores are placed in the core box assembly to form as-cast oil galleries in the crankshaft. Heavy metal inserts are held by sand cores disposed in the portions of the cavity that form the counterweights of the crankshaft.

Abstract: A casting apparatus, comprising: a heating chamber having an open lower end defined by a periphery; a chill plate having a peripheral region for supporting one or more casting molds thereon and being in movable to move the molds from within the heating chamber to below the lower end of the heating chamber to withdraw the casting molds from the heating chamber; a cooling spool disposed at the periphery of the open lower end of the heating chamber and including a surface area for receiving heat energy radiated from at least one of the heating chamber and the casting molds; and a spool shield disposed at the cooling spool and movable to control an amount of the surface area of the cooling spool available for receiving the heat energy. In another embodiment there is an additional inner cooling spool movable inside the area surrounded by the casting molds for receiving radiant energy. A second spool shield at the inner spool controls its available surface area.

Abstract: A casting apparatus includes a substantially stationary heating chamber having an upper pouring opening and a substantially open lower end; an outer cooling spool disposed at a periphery of the open lower end of the heating chamber; a chill plate having an aperture therethrough and movable through the lower end of the heating chamber; a mold assembly receivable in the chamber and movable through the lower end of the chamber and including peripherally disposed mold cavities defining a substantially interior space accessible through the open lower end of the chamber, an inner cooling spool movable through the aperture of the chill plate and the open lower end of the mold assembly; a first actuator for vertically displacing the chill plate and mold assembly; and a second actuator for vertically displacing the inner cooling spool.

Abstract: The sand-metal ratio of a mold used for casting a crank shaft or cam shaft having discrete shapes is reduced to make the mold more compact. Basic discrete cavities (15) including cavities (6) corresponding to one half of shaft portions and cavities (7) corresponding to one half of cam portions are staggered by axially offsetting them in horizontal and/or vertical direction.

Abstract: A method of casting a plurality of caliper forms by using a mold and a core member of a special design is presented. The core member 20 has axial sections 22A, 22B formed on its each end aligned parallel to each other, and the middle section 21 between the axial sections is provided with a depression section 24A for forming a teeth section 9 of the caliper form 17A. Between the depression section 24A and the axial section 22A, there is a depression section 24B opposing the depression section 24A for forming the other teeth section 9 of the other caliper form 17B. There are internal surface forming sections 27A, 27B for forming the internal surfaces of the disc pass sections 8, respectively, between the axial section 22A and the depression section 24A, for the caliper form 17A and between the axial section 22B and the depression section 24B for the caliper form 17B.

Abstract: A ceramic shell mould (70) for casting a single crystal turbine blade comprises a plurality of article portions, (72), each of which has an article chamber (74) for defining the shape of a turbine blade, a plurality of selector portions (76), a plurality of starter portions (80) and a runner portion (84). The runner portion (84) comprises a first subsection (86) which has a central axis (87) arranged parallel to, and spaced from, the central axes (73) of the article portions (72) and a plurality of second subsections (90) which interconnect the first subsection (86) with the article portions (72). The second subsections (90) are arranged to make an acute angle with the first subsection (86) of the runner portion (84) and with the starter portions (80) so that the second subsections (90) may bend to allow relative movement between the first subsection (86) and the starter portions (80) to prevent the cast turbine blades falling off the mould.

Abstract: A long thin metal article having a thick portion is cast with a stress free interconnection between the thick and thin portions of the article. A heat transfer wall is provided around at least a portion of a mold in which the article is cast. To preheat the mold, heat is radiated from an inner side surface of a furnace wall to an outer side surface of the heat transfer wall. Heat is radiated from an inner side surface of the wall to the mold. Molten metal is conducted into the long thin portion of the article mold at a location other than along the length of the long thin portion of the article mold. During solidification of the molten metal, heat is radiated from the thick portion of the article mold to the inner side surface of the heat transfer wall. As the mold structure is withdrawn from the furnace chamber during solidification of the molten metal in the article mold cavity, heat is radiated from the outer side surface of the heat transfer wall to locations outside of the furnace.

Abstract: The conventional investment casting technique is modified to cast metal products where the product has one or more support portons and at least one feeding tube for feeding molten metal into the cast of the product comprising providing a source of molten metal, connecting at least one metal feed tube to the mold of the metal product to be cast, of forming a hole in each support portion wherein the hole in each support portion is much larger than the volume of metal that can be non turbulently transmitted in a deflected manner into the mold by the feed tube so that the metal poured nto the generally uniform cross section mold cools gradually so that the support portions of the cast metal products will have a generally homogenous composition without air bubbles or cracks which could weaken the product.

Abstract: A horizontal casting technique and mold for use specifically with shell molds and runner feeder sections. The runner feeder sections are assembled within the shell molds such that the ends of the runner feeder section protrude from the mold and can be flow connected to a runner feeder of an adjacent assembly. A plurality of these assemblies constitute the horizontal mold having a horizontal runner feeder and a plurality of shell molds in spaced, side-by-side relationship.

Abstract: Casting metal in rigid, self supporting, gas permeable molds with one or more mold cavities for molding one or more parts, in which the mold cavities have gate passages with their lower open ends at the lower surface of the mold, by submerging the lower ends of the gate passages beneath the surface of molten metal and applying a reduced pressure to the upper surface of the mold to fill the mold cavities with molten metal to produce unconnected metal parts or groups of parts.

Abstract: In a mould assembly for multiple castings each mould is fed from a source of molten metal through a thin slit the width of which lies in the range 1.25 mm to 0.25 mm. The cast articles can be easily removed from the runner and riser system after casting without a machining operation so that the casting moulds can be packed closer together and more castings can be produced from each mould assembly. The thin slit also acts as a filter. A particular mould assembly seen in FIG. 2 is cylindrical and comprises a plurality of wedge-shaped mould segments 2 having mould cavities 4 in abutting faces. A central runner passage 6 is formed when the mould segments are assembled and the metal flows into the mould cavities through narrow slits 10 in one edge of each mould. After casting and removal of the mould the narrow flashing formed in the slits can be easily broken to remove the cast articles from the metal formed in the central runner passage.

Abstract: An improved method is utilized to make an improved mold for forming a plurality of small objects, such as piston rings. The mold is made by stacking a plurality of mold sections formed of gas permeable material, such as CO.sub.2 sand, resin bonded sand or green sand. The stacked mold sections are then clamped together to hold them against movement relative to each other. A wet coating of liquid ceramic material is then applied over the stack of mold sections. This liquid ceramic mold material is dried to form a rigid gas permeable ceramic casing which encloses the stack of mold sections. The rigid casing of ceramic material holds the mold sections against movement relative to each other to prevent break-out of metal from between the mold sections when a flow of molten metal is directed into the mold cavities. Due to the gas permeable construction of both the rigid ceramic casing and the mold sections, gas can readily escape from the mold as the molten metal enters the mold cavities.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for producing ceramic shell molds characterized in that a plurality of pattern set-ups are arranged with their longitudinal axes transverse to an axis of rotation and are rotated as a group while applying fluent refractory material to produce either a multiple number of molds or a single mold. A ceramic shell mold characterized by a main sprue passage, a plurality of transverse sprue passages extending therefrom, and casting cavities gated into the transverse passages.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method of manufacture of valve seats which comprises forming a series of vertically stacked molds each having at least one mold cavity with a configuration approximating that of a ring-shaped valve seat insert blank. After the molds are formed, they are stacked and the cavities are connected by a common molten metal passageway in such a way that the passageway connects with an axially facing outer surface of each mold cavity to provide a lap gating relationship. Molten metal is then poured into the lap gated passageway to form a series of valve seat insert blanks each having a gate formed on an axially outer face. The blanks are then removed from the molds. Various grinding operations are then applied to the blanks and the axially outer-facing surfaces of the blanks are ground to remove the gates to form valve seats for use in internal combustion engines.

Abstract: A machine for making molds in which cast welding rods can be formed includes a vertically movable pressure plate having a plurality of pointed depending rods thereon and apparatus including a hydraulically actuated piston and cylinder assembly for moving the pointed rods into and out of a sand filled flask to form cavities in which welding rods are subsequently cast. The machine includes a second pressure plate which is apertured and through which the rods move with the second pressure plate forming pouring buttons and runner configurations in the sand in the flask to facilitate pouring of the metal in the cavities formed by the rods.

Abstract: A mould assembly for producing multiple castings in which a plurality of mould components are closely arranged together in an array and define a plurality of mould cavities. At the base of the array there is provided a regularly shaped space which communicates with each of the individual mould cavities via a runner passage and thus molten metal admitted to the space fills each of the mould cavities simultaneously leading to uniform properties in all the castings. The individual mould components are preferably injected moulded in a ceramic material.

Abstract: Gas permeable shell molds and methods of using them for vacuum/inert gas casting of metal are disclosed. The single or multiple cavity gas permeable shell mold described has a riser passage with an open lower end and one or more mold cavities connected to the riser passage by gate passages each having a novel stabilizing screen member with a multiplicity of openings therein extending across it. The screen is preferably in a slanted plane with the bottom portion thereof nearer to the mold cavity.

Abstract: A mould for use in the casting of molten metal, comprises one or more generally vertically disposed mould cavities with an ingate to the or each mould cavity, the ingate communicating with a part of the mould adapted to form part of a runner-feeder and the said part of mould adapted to form part of the runner-feeder being so formed as to provide a weir, whereby with several moulds secured in side-by-side relationship, adjacent said parts of the moulds combine to form a generally horizontal runner-feeder, with a weir between longitudinally successive adjacent ingates, the weir being of a height such that the minimum vertical cross-sectional area of the runner-feeder is not less than the cross-sectional area of the ingate or the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the ingates associates with one mould, and the top of the weir is above the uppermost part of the or each mould cavity, so that with molten metal poured into the runner-feeder, molten metal flows into the well associated with a first mould from where