An apparatus and process are provided for discharging a dose of a molten metal from a pressure pour furnace. A heating chamber of the furnace is used to keep the molten metal at a selected temperature. A sealing port between the heating chamber and a pressure chamber allows selectively filling of th
An apparatus and process are provided for discharging a dose of a molten metal from a pressure pour furnace. A heating chamber of the furnace is used to keep the molten metal at a selected temperature. A sealing port between the heating chamber and a pressure chamber allows selectively filling of the pressure chamber with molten metal from the heating chamber by inserting or removing a sealing means from the sealing port. The sealing means inserted in the sealing port also provides a means for preventing back flow of the molten metal to the heating chamber when the pressure chamber is pressurized. Differential pressure sensing of the pressure of the molten metal in the pressure chamber and the pressure of the pressurizing gas in the pressure chamber can optionally be used to achieve an accurate measured discharge from the pressure chamber as the level of molten metal decreases from repeated discharges of doses from the furnace. The sealing plate in which the sealing port is disposed and the sealing means selectively inserted or removed from the sealing port can be used as a metering valve between two molten metal containing components such as a launder and a pressure chamber of a pressure pour furnace.
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The invention claimed is: 1. A pressure pour furnace for discharge of a dose of a molten metal, the pressure pour furnace comprising: a receiving chamber for receiving the molten metal from a source of the molten metal; a heating chamber having an at least partially open inlet connected to the rece
The invention claimed is: 1. A pressure pour furnace for discharge of a dose of a molten metal, the pressure pour furnace comprising: a receiving chamber for receiving the molten metal from a source of the molten metal; a heating chamber having an at least partially open inlet connected to the receiving chamber, the heating chamber having a means for heating the molten metal to a suitable temperature; a pressure chamber having an at least one sealing port to control a flow of the molten metal from the heating chamber to the pressure chamber; a sealing means for insertion into, or removal from, each of the at least one sealing port to prevent the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port, or to allow the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port; a dosing tube protruding through a dosing tube opening in a wall of the pressure chamber; a bellows attached at a first end to the wall of the pressure chamber around the dosing tube opening and attached at a second end to the outside of the dosing tube to provide a pressurized seal around the dosing tube opening; a means for injecting a gas into the pressure chamber to force the molten metal in the pressure chamber out of the pressure chamber through the dosing tube; and a means for venting the pressure chamber to atmospheric pressure. 2. A pressure pour furnace for discharge of a dose of a molten metal, the pressure pour furnace comprising: a receiving chamber for receiving the molten metal from a source of the molten metal; a heating chamber having an at least partially open inlet connected to the receiving chamber, the heating chamber having a means for heating the molten metal to a suitable temperature; a pressure chamber having an at least one sealing port to control a flow of the molten metal from the heating chamber to the pressure chamber, each one of the at least one sealing port attached to a sealing plate, the sealing plate substantially forming the boundary wall between the pressure chamber and the heating chamber to block the flow of the molten metal from the heating chamber to the pressure chamber except through the at least one sealing port; a sealing means for insertion into, or removal from, each of the at least one sealing port to prevent the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port, or to allow the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port; a dosing tube protruding through a dosing tube opening in a wall of the pressure chamber; a means for providing a pressurized seal around the dosing tube opening; a means for injecting a gas into the pressure chamber to force the molten metal in the pressure chamber out of the pressure chamber through the dosing tube; and a means for venting the pressure chamber to atmospheric pressure. 3. A pressure pour furnace for discharge of a dose of a molten metal, the pressure pour furnace comprising: a receiving chamber for receiving the molten metal from a source of the molten metal; a heating chamber having an at least partially open inlet connected to the receiving chamber, the heating chamber having a means for heating the molten metal to a suitable temperature; a pressure chamber having an at least one sealing port to control a flow of the molten metal from the heating chamber to the pressure chamber; a sealing means for insertion into, or removal from, each of the at least one sealing port to prevent the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port, or to allow the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port; a dosing tube protruding through a dosing tube opening in a wall of the pressure chamber; a means for providing a pressurized seal around the dosing tube opening; a means for injecting a gas into the pressure chamber to force the molten metal in the pressure chamber out of the pressure chamber through the dosing tube; a means for venting the pressure chamber to atmospheric pressure; and an immersion tube heater disposed in the pressure chamber to heat the molten metal in the pressure chamber. 4. A pressure pour furnace for discharge of a dose of a molten metal, the pressure pour furnace comprising: a receiving chamber for receiving the molten metal from a source of the molten metal; a heating chamber having an at least partially open inlet connected to the receiving chamber, the heating chamber having a means for heating the molten metal to a suitable temperature; a pressure chamber having an at least one sealing port to control a flow of the molten metal from the heating chamber to the pressure chamber; a sealing means for insertion into, or removal from, each of the at least one sealing port to prevent the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port, or to allow the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port; a dosing tube protruding through a dosing tube opening in a wall of the pressure chamber; a means for providing a pressurized seal around the dosing tube opening; a means for injecting a gas into the pressure chamber to force the molten metal in the pressure chamber out of the pressure chamber through the dosing tube; a means for venting the pressure chamber to atmospheric pressure; and a means of pressurizing the molten metal in the heating chamber to increase the time rate of refill of the pressure chamber when the at least one sealing port allows the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port. 5. A system for providing doses of a molten metal, the system comprising: an at least one metal melting furnace for the production of the molten metal by heating a metal charge; an at least one molten metal pressure pour furnace comprising: a receiving chamber for receiving the molten metal from a source of the molten metal; a heating chamber having an at least partially open inlet connected to the receiving chamber, the heating chamber having a means for heating the molten metal to a suitable temperature; a pressure chamber having an at least one sealing port to control a flow of the molten metal from the heating chamber to the pressure chamber; a sealing means for insertion into, or removal from, each of the at least one sealing port to prevent the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port, or to allow the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port; a dosing tube protruding through a dosing tube opening in a wall of the pressure chamber; a bellows attached at a first end to the wall of the pressure chamber around the dosing tube opening and attached at the second end to the outside of the dosing tube to provide a pressurized seal around the dosing tube opening; a means for injecting a gas into the pressure chamber to force the molten metal in the pressure chamber out of the pressure chamber through the dosing tube; and a means for venting the pressure chamber to atmospheric pressure; and a launder for transferring the molten metal from the at least one metal melting furnace to the receiving chamber of the at least one molten metal pressure pour furnace. 6. The pressure pour furnace of claim 1 further comprising a means for extending and retracing the dosing tube out of and into the pressure chamber. 7. The pressure pour furnace of claim 1 wherein the bellows comprises a first bellows section attached at a first end to the wall of the pressure chamber around the dosing tube opening and at a second end to a first connection around the outside of the dosing tube, and a second bellows section connected at a first end to the first connection around the outside of the dosing tube and at a second end to a second connection around the outside of the dosing tube, the second connection being near the external end of the dosing tube, wherein the first bellows section expands or contracts as the dosing tube is extended out of, or retracted into, the pressure chamber to maintain the pressurized seal and the second bellows section expands or contracts as the external end of the dosing tube moves away from the surface of a mold or moves towards the surface of a mold. 8. The pressure pour furnace of claim 2 wherein each of the at least one sealing port and the sealing plate are an integrally formed component. 9. The pressure pour furnace of claim 8 wherein the integrally formed component is cast from a high thermal conductivity ceramic. 10. The pressure pour furnace of claim 2 wherein the sealing means comprises a sealing element at a first end of a sealing tube, a second end of the sealing tube protruding through a sealing tube opening in a wall of the pressure chamber, and the pressure pour furnace further comprises a means for providing a pressurized seal around the sealing tube opening. 11. The pressure pour furnace of claim 10 further comprising a heating element in the sealing element to melt any molten metal frozen to the sealing tube. 12. The pressure pour furnace of claim 10 wherein the means for providing a pressurized seal around the sealing tube opening comprises a bellows attached at a first end to the wall of the pressure chamber around the sealing tube opening and attached at a second end to the outside of the sealing tube. 13. The pressure pour furnace of claim 2 wherein each of the at least one sealing port comprises a substantially conically-shaped opening having a generally vertically-oriented axial alignment, the substantially conically-shaped opening connected at its smaller diameter to a first end of a substantially cylindrically and elbow-shaped passage, a second end of the substantially cylindrically and elbow-shaped passage having a generally horizontally-oriented axial alignment, and the sealing means comprises a sealing element at a first end of a sealing tube, a second end of the sealing tube protruding through a sealing tube substantially pressure-sealed opening in a wall of the pressure chamber, the sealing means having a generally hemispherical shape for insertion into the substantially conically-shaped opening of each of the at least one sealing port. 14. The pressure pour furnace of claim 1 further comprising a means for sensing a ready level of the molten metal in the pressure chamber. 15. The pressure pour furnace of claim 14 wherein the means for sensing the ready level of the molten metal in the pressure chamber comprises a pair of separated conducting probes removably insertable into the end of the dosing tube protruding from the furnace, the ready level comprising the level of the molten metal in the dosing tube at which the molten metal completes an electrical circuit between the pair of separate conducting probes. 16. The pressure pour furnace of claim 14 wherein the means for sensing the ready level of the molten metal in the pressure chamber comprises a laser sensor disposed external to the pressure chamber, the laser sensor sensing the ready level of the molten metal in the dosing tube by the period of time for return of a laser beam to the sensor from the surface of the molten metal in the dosing tube. 17. The pressure pour furnace of claim 14 wherein the means for sensing the ready level of the molten metal in the pressure chamber comprises a gas pressure sensing tube for sensing the pressure of the melt at a point at an end of the sensing tube in the melt in the pressure chamber by adjusting the flow rate of a gas through the sensing tube so that approximately one bubble of gas per second rises through the melt from the end of the sensing tube when the melt in the pressure chamber is at the ready level. 18. The pressure pour furnace of claim 1 further comprising a means for drawing a vacuum above the surface of the melt in the pressure chamber when the at least one sealing port allows the flow of the molten metal through the sealing port to increase the time rate of refill of the pressure chamber. 19. The system of claim 5 further comprising an at least one metal treatment vessel, each of the at least one metal treatment vessel disposed in the launder between the at least one metal melting furnace and the at least one molten metal pressure pour furnace. 20. The system of claim 5 wherein at least one of the at least one molten metal pressure pour furnace further comprises a means for extending and retracing the dosing tube out of and into the pressure chamber. 21. The system of claim 5 wherein the means for providing a pressurized seal around the dosing tube opening comprises a bellows attached at a first end to the wall of the pressure chamber around the dosing tube opening and attached at the second end to the outside of the dosing tube. 22. The system of claim 5 wherein each one of the at least one sealing port is attached to a sealing plate, the sealing plate substantially forming the boundary wall between the pressure chamber and the heating chamber to block the flow of the molten metal from the heating chamber to the pressure chamber except through the at least one sealing port. 23. The system of claim 22 wherein the sealing means comprises a sealing element at a first end of a sealing tube, a second end of the sealing tube protruding through a sealing tube opening in a wall of the pressure chamber, and the at least one molten metal pressure pour furnace further comprises a means for providing a pressurized seal around the sealing tube opening. 24. The system of claim 23 wherein the means for providing a pressurized seal around the sealing tube opening comprises a bellows attached at a first end to the wall of the pressure chamber around the sealing tube opening and attached at a second end to the outside of the sealing tube. 25. The system of claim 22 wherein each of the at least one sealing port comprises a substantially conically-shaped opening having a generally vertically-oriented axial alignment, the substantially conically-shaped opening connected at its smaller diameter to a first end of a substantially cylindrically and elbow-shaped passage, a second end of the substantially cylindrically and elbow-shaped passage having a generally horizontally-oriented axial alignment, and the sealing means comprises a sealing element at a first end of a sealing tube, a second end of the sealing tube protruding through a sealing tube substantially pressure-sealed opening in a wall of the pressure chamber, the sealing means having a generally hemispherical shape for insertion into the substantially conically-shaped opening of each of the at least one sealing port.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (12)
Schaefer Carl W. D. (Dayton OH) Schaefer Richard L. (Dayton OH) Kennedy Gordon F. (Miamisburg OH), Aluminum melting furnace.
Schaefer Carl W. D. (Dayton OH) Schaefer Richard L. (Dayton OH) Kennedy Gordon F. (Miamisburg OH), Metal melting furnace with alternate heating systems.
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