Method and apparatus for acoustically determining the size of cast ingots

• US 3,324,716 A
• Filed: 12/12/1963
• Issued: 06/13/1967
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/1963
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William Lewis Roberts
• Original Assignee: William Lewis Roberts
• Inventors: Roberts, William L.
• Application Number:
  US04/330,034
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• US Class Current: 73/149
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2966 making use of acoustical resonance or standing waves

Claims

1. AN APPARATUS IN THE FORM OF A SONIC CAVITOMETER FOR DETERMINING THE SIZE OF AN INGOT TO BE CAST IN A MOLD COMPRISING, THE COMBINATION WITH AN UPWARDLY OPEN INGOT MOLD, OF A CLOSURE MEMBER SUPPORTED FOR ADJUSTABLE VERTICAL MOVEMENT IN THE UPPER END OF SAID MOLD, SAID MEMBER AND SAID MOLD COOPERATING TO FORM A GAS-FILLED ENCLOSURE HAVING A VOLUME VARYING WITH THE VERTICAL POSITION OF SAID MEMBER IN SAID MOLD, MEANS PROVIDING A RESTRICTED PASSAGE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID ENCLOSURE, MEANS FOR SONICALLY VIBRATING THE GAS IN SAID ENCLOSURE AT A PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER BEING VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE TO A POSITION IN WHICH THE VOLUME OF SAID CHAMBER AND THE FREQUENCY OF SAID VIBRATIONS HAVE A RESONANT RELATION, AND TRANDUCER MEANS IN SAID PASSAGE FOR DETERMINING WHEN SAID CLOSURE MEMBER IS IN A VERTICAL POSITION PROVIDING SAID RESONANT RELATION AND THEREBY THE VETICAL LEVEL TO WHICH MOLTEN METAL MUST BE TEEMED INTO SAID MOLD TO PRODUCE AN INGOT OF PREDETERMINED SIZE.

5. IN A METHOD OF CASTING AN INGOT OF A PREDETERMINED SIZE, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE FORMING A GAS-FILLED CAVITY OF VARIABLE VOLUME IN THE LOWER PORTION OF AN INGOT MOLD, VIBRATING THE GAS IN SAID CAVITY AT A FREQUENCY WHICH HAS A RESONANT RELATION TO A VOLUME WHICH WHEN FILLED WITH MOLTEN METAL WILL PRODUCE AN INGOT OF SAID PREDETERMINED SIZE, AND VARYING THE VOLUME OF SAID CAVITY TO PRODUCE SAID RESONANT RELATION AND THEREBY DETERMINE THE VERTICAL LEVEL TO WHICH SAID MOLD MUST BE FILLED WITH MOLTEN METAL TO PRODUCE SAID INGOT.