Sprue structure for low-pressure casting device and low-pressure casting device having said sprue

• US 10,286,444 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2015
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Yuta, Schubeler, Carl, Okamura, Giichirou
• Primary Examiner(s): Kerns, Kevin P
• Application Number:
  US15/549,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20180021847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 164133, 164337, 164254, 164256, 164257, 164258
• CPC Class Codes: B22C 9/08 Features with respect to supply of molten metal, e.g. ingates, circular gates, skim gates
• CPC Class Codes: B22C 9/082 Sprues, pouring cups
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 18/04 Low pressure casting, i.e. making use of pressures up to a few bars to fill the mould
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 18/08 Controlling, supervising, e.g. for safety reasons controlling or regulating in general G05

Abstract

A sprue for a low-pressure casting device includes a stalk connection part to be connected to a stalk, a molten metal reservoir and a cavity connection part to be connected to the cavity. The shape of the molten metal reservoir is such that the perimeter of the cross section perpendicular to the flow direction of molten metal gradually increases toward the cavity connection part while the area of the cross section remains constant.

Claims

1. A sprue structure that is used for a low-pressure casting device to communicate a stalk with a cavity of a mold, the sprue structure comprising:

a stalk connection part configured to be connected to the stalk of the low-pressure casting device;

a molten metal reservoir; and

a cavity connection part configured to be connected to the cavity,

wherein a shape of the molten metal reservoir is such that the molten metal reservoir has a circular cross section at a connection to the stalk connection part and a non-circular cross section at a connection to the cavity connection part such that a perimeter of each cross section of the molten metal reservoir perpendicular to a flow direction of molten metal gradually changes from the circular cross section at the connection to the stalk connection part to the non-circular cross section at the connection to the cavity connection part while an area of each cross section remains constant.

2. The sprue structure for a low-pressure casting device according to claim 1, wherein the stalk connection part has a circular cross section.

3. The sprue structure for a low-pressure casting device according to claim 1, further comprising a heater configured to heat the molten metal reservoir.

4. A low-pressure casting device, comprising:

a holding furnace configured to hold molten metal;

a stalk with a lower end configured to be dipped in the molten metal in the holding furnace;

a sprue communicating the stalk to a cavity of a mold; and

a pressure controller configured to control a pressure in the holding furnace,

wherein the sprue comprises;

a stalk connection part configured to be connected to the stalk;

a molten metal reservoir; and

a cavity connection part configured to be connected to the cavity, and

the shape of the molten metal reservoir is such that the molten metal reservoir has a circular cross section at a connection to the stalk connection part and a non-circular cross section at a connection to the cavity connection part such that a perimeter of each cross section of the molten metal reservoir perpendicular to a flow direction of the molten metal gradually changes from the circular cross section at the connection to the stalk to the non-circular cross section at the connection to the cavity connection part while an area of each cross section remains constant.

5. The low-pressure casting device according to claim 4, wherein the sprue comprises a plurality of sprues, and the plurality of sprues have one or both of different lengths of cavity connection parts and different perimeters of the cavity connection parts.

6. The low-pressure casting device according to claim 4, wherein the stalk comprises an expanding part with a diameter increasing toward the sprue, and

the expanding part is disposed inside the holding furnace.

7. The low-pressure casting device according to claim 4, further comprising a suctioning device configured to vacuum the cavity.

8. The low-pressure casting device according to claim 4, wherein the stalk connection part has a circular cross section.

9. The low-pressure casting device according to claim 4, further comprising a heater configured to heat the molten metal reservoir.