Pressurizing control method and pressurizing control system for low-pressure casting

• US 5,551,502 A
• Filed: 05/12/1995
• Issued: 09/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Matsubayashi, Nobuyuki, Takeshita, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Lavinder, Jack W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, ING HOUR
• Application Number:
  US08/439,939
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 164/457, 164/119, 164/306, 164/155.3
• US Class Current: 164/457
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 18/08 Controlling, supervising, e.g. for safety reasons controlling or regulating in general G05

Abstract

In a low-pressure casting in which molten metal is introduced into a cavity of a casting mold under a pressure applied to the surface of the molten metal according to a preset reference pressurizing pattern, the reference pressurizing pattern is corrected when that the cavity has been filled with molten metal is detected and the pressure applied to the molten metal surface is controlled according to the reference pressurizing pattern after the correction. The pressure difference between a set pressure at a predetermined time in the reference pressurizing pattern after the correction and a set pressure at the corresponding time in the reference pressurizing pattern before the correction, is calculated and a set pressure for the period up to the time the cavity is filled with molten metal in the reference pressurizing pattern for the next casting cycle is corrected on the basis of the calculated pressure difference.

Claims

1. In a low-pressure casting in which molten metal is introduced into a cavity of a casting mold under a pressure applied to the surface of the molten metal according to a preset reference pressurizing pattern,

a pressurizing control method of controlling the pressure applied to the molten metal surface comprising the steps of

correcting said reference pressurizing pattern when that the cavity has been filled with molten metal is detected,

controlling the pressure applied to the molten metal surface according to the reference pressurizing pattern after the correction,

calculating the pressure difference between a set pressure at a predetermined time in the reference pressurizing pattern after the correction and a set pressure at the corresponding time in the reference pressurizing pattern before the correction, and

correcting a set pressure for the period up to the time the cavity is filled with molten metal in the reference pressurizing pattern as a current reference pressure pattern for the next casting cycle on the basis of the calculated pressure difference.

2. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 1 in which said pressure difference is a difference between a maximum set pressure in the reference pressurizing pattern after the correction and a maximum set pressure in the reference pressurizing pattern before the correction.

3. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 2, wherein the reference pressuring pattern includes a pre-pressurizing period starting from a beginning of the pressurizing process to a time when the molten metal is raised to a gate of the casting mold, and a filling period starting from a time when the molten metal begins to be introduced into the cavity to a time when the molten metal has filled the cavity, and that the correction of the set pressure in the reference pressurizing pattern for the next casting cycle comprises at least the correction of a pressure at which the reference pressurizing pattern shifts from the pre-pressurizing period to the filling period.

4. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 3 wherein the casting mold comprises at least an upper mold and a lower mold, and a molten metal sensor for detecting the presence of the molten metal is provided in the upper mold such that the falling of the cavity with the molten metal is detected when the molten metal sensor detects the presence of the molten metal.

5. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 1 in which said pressure difference is a difference between a detected pressure detected at the time that the cavity has been filled with molten metal is detected, and the set pressure for the time that the cavity has been filled with molten metal is detected in the reference pressurizing pattern.

6. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 2 or 5 in which said reference pressurizing pattern after the correction in each casting cycle is employed as the reference pressurizing pattern in the next casting cycle.

7. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 5, wherein the reference pressuring pattern includes a pre-pressurizing period starting from a beginning of the pressurizing process to a time when the molten metal is raised to a gate of the casting mold, and a filling period starting from a time when the molten metal begins to be introduced into the cavity to a time when the molten metal has filled the cavity, and that the correction of the set pressure in the reference pressurizing pattern for the next casting cycle comprises at least the correction of a pressure at which the reference pressurizing pattern shifts from the pre-pressurizing period to the filling period.

8. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 7 wherein the casting mold comprises at least an upper mold and a lower mold, and a molten metal sensor for detecting the presence of the molten metal is provided in the upper mold such that the filling of the cavity with the molten metal is detected when the molten metal sensor detects the presence of the molten metal.

9. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 1 in which when the detected pressure at the time that the cavity has been filled with molten metal is detected is lower than the set pressure for the same time in the reference pressurizing pattern, the set pressure for the time that the cavity has been filled with molten metal is detected in the reference pressurizing pattern for the next casting cycle is lowered by the difference between the detected pressure and the set pressure.

10. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 9, wherein the reference pressuring pattern includes a pre-pressurizing period starting from a beginning of the pressurizing process to a time when the molten metal is raised to a gate of the casting mold, and a filling period starting from a time when the molten metal begins to be introduced into the cavity to a time when the molten metal has filled the cavity, and that the correction of the set pressure in the reference pressurizing pattern for the next casting cycle comprises at least the correction of a pressure at which the reference pressurizing pattern shifts from the pre-pressurizing period to the filling period.

11. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 10 wherein the casting mold comprises at least an upper mold and a lower mold, and a molten metal sensor for detecting the presence of the molten metal is provided in the upper mold such that the filling of the cavity with the molten metal is detected when the molten metal sensor detects the presence of the molten metal.

12. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 1 in which when the detected pressure at the time that the cavity has been filled with molten metal is detected is higher than the set pressure for the same time in the reference pressurizing pattern, the set pressure for the time that the cavity has been filled with molten metal is detected in the reference pressurizing pattern for the next casting cycle is increased by the difference between the detected pressure and the set pressure.

13. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 12, wherein the reference pressuring pattern includes a pre-pressurizing period starting from a beginning of the pressurizing process to a time when the molten metal is raised to a gate of the casting mold, and a filling period starting from a time when the molten metal begins to be introduced into the cavity to a time when the molten metal has filled the cavity, and that the correction of the set pressure in the reference pressurizing pattern for the next casting cycle comprises at least the correction of a pressure at which the reference pressurizing pattern shifts from the pre-pressurizing period to the filling period.

14. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 13 wherein the casting mold comprises at least an upper mold and a lower mold, and a molten metal sensor for detecting the presence of the molten metal is provided in the upper mold such that the filling of the cavity with the molten metal is detected when the molten metal sensor detects the presence of the molten metal.

15. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 1, wherein the reference pressuring pattern includes a pre-pressurizing period starting from a beginning of the pressurizing process to a time when the molten metal is raised to a gate of the casting mold, and a filling period starting from a time when the molten metal begins to be introduced into the cavity to a time when the molten metal has filled the cavity, and that the correction of the set pressure in the reference pressurizing pattern for the next casting cycle comprises at least the correction of a pressure at which the reference pressurizing pattern shifts from the pre-pressurizing period to the filling period.

16. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 15, wherein the pressurizing rate for the pre-pressurizing period is greater than that for the filling period.

17. A pressurizing control method as defined in claim 15, wherein the casting mold comprises at least an upper mold and a lower mold, and a molten metal sensor for detecting the presence of the molten metal is provided in the upper mold such that the filling of the cavity with the molten metal is detected when the molten metal sensor detects the presence of the molten metal.

18. In a low-pressure casting in which molten metal is introduced into a cavity of a casting mold under a pressure applied to the surface of the molten metal according to a preset reference pressurizing pattern, said preset pressure reference pattern including

(i) a pre-pressurizing period starting from the beginning of the pressurizing process to a time when the molten metal is raised to a gate of the casting mold;

(ii) a filling period starting from a time when the molten metal begins to be introduced into the cavity to a time when the molten metal has filled the cavity, the pressurizing rate for the pre-pressurizing period being greater than that for the filling period;

(iii) a pressure increasing period starting from the time when the molten metal has filled the cavity to a time when the pressure is increased by a predetermined value from the pressure value at the time of starting this period, the pressurizing rate for this period being greater than that for the filling period; and

(iv) a pressure holding period starting from the time when the pressure increasing period is finished, in this period the pressure is held at a constant level such that the molten metal is solidified;

a pressurizing control method for controlling the pressure applied to the molten metal surface comprising the steps of;

correcting said reference pressurizing pattern when that the cavity has been filled with molten metal is detected by a molten metal sensor,

controlling the pressure applied to the molten metal surface according to the reference pressurizing pattern after the correction,

calculating the pressure difference between a set pressure in the time section from the pressure increasing period through the pressure holding period in the reference pressurizing pattern after the correction and a set pressure at the corresponding time in the reference pressurizing pattern before the correction, and

correcting a set pressure for the time section from the pre-pressurizing period through the filling period in the reference pressurizing as a current reference pressure pattern for the next casting cycle on a basis of the calculated pressure difference.

19. A pressure control method as defined in claim 18, wherein the pressure pattern is shifted to the pressure increasing period irrespective of the reference pressurizing pattern when the molten metal sensor detects the completion of filling of the cavity.

20. A pressure control method as defined in claim 19, wherein the set pressure to be corrected on the basis of the calculated pressure difference, in the reference pressurizing pattern for the next casting cycle is a pressure at which the reference pressurizing pattern shifts from the pre-pressurizing period to the filling period.