Molten metal impeller
First Claim
1. An impeller for a molten metal pump comprised of a generally cylindrical ceramic or graphite body, said cylindrical body having opposed top and bottom surfaces and a circumferential sidewall, an annular recess in said top surface forming an outer ring and an inner column extending above a bottom wall of said annular recess, said annular recess having a depth less than one half of the overall height of said cylindrical body, a bore formed in said inner column to accommodate a shaft, and a plurality of passages formed in said sidewall, said passages intersecting said annular recess.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An impeller for a molten metal pump having a cylindrical body comprised of a refractory material. The cylindrical body includes generally coplanar top and bottom surfaces. A central bore is provided in the top surface to provide a point for mating with a shaft. A plurality of circumferentially spaced passages extend from the top or bottom surface to a side wall of the impeller, each of the passages being separate and preferably having an inlet opening which is equal to or less than the corresponding outlet opening in size. A recess being optionally formed in the top or bottom surface, forming the initial inlet to the passages.
126 Citations
23 Claims
- 1. An impeller for a molten metal pump comprised of a generally cylindrical ceramic or graphite body, said cylindrical body having opposed top and bottom surfaces and a circumferential sidewall, an annular recess in said top surface forming an outer ring and an inner column extending above a bottom wall of said annular recess, said annular recess having a depth less than one half of the overall height of said cylindrical body, a bore formed in said inner column to accommodate a shaft, and a plurality of passages formed in said sidewall, said passages intersecting said annular recess.
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6. A molten metal pump comprising:
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a) an elongated shaft having first and second ends;
b) a means for rotating said shaft about an axis and communication with said first end of said shaft;
c) an impeller disposed adjacent said second end of said shaft;
d) a pumping chamber housing said impeller, said pumping chamber having an inlet opening through which molten metal can be drawn and an outlet opening through which molten metal can be discharged; and
e) said impeller comprising a generally cylindrical body, said cylindrical body having opposed top and bottom surfaces and a circumferential sidewall, a circumferentially continuous annular recess in said top surface forming an outer ring and an inner column extending above a bottom wall of said annular recess so that a channel is formed circumferentially around an outer perimeter of the inner column, said annular recess having a depth less than one half of the overall height of said cylindrical body, said shaft secured to said inner column, and a plurality of passages formed in said sidewall intersecting said annular recess. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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- 12. An impeller for a molten metal pump comprised of a cylindrical refractory body, said cylindrical body having opposed top and bottom surfaces and a radial sidewall, a bearing ring seated in one of said top or bottom surfaces, a cap member secured to the other of said top or bottom surfaces, said sidewall providing a substantially contiguous surface interrupted only by a plurality of passages extending from said top or bottom surfaces to said sidewall and a means for securing a shaft on said top surface.
- 16. An impeller for a molten metal pump comprised of a generally cylindrical ceramic or graphite body, said cylindrical body having opposed top and bottom surfaces and a circumferential sidewall, an annular recess in said top surface forming an outer ring and an inner column extending above a bottom wall of said annular recess, a cap member secured to said outer ring, a bore formed in said inner column to accommodate a shaft, and a plurality of passages formed in said sidewall, said passages intersecting said annular recess.
- 18. An impeller for a molten metal pump comprised of a generally cylindrical ceramic or graphite body, said cylindrical body having opposed top and bottom surfaces and a circumferential sidewall, a recess in said top surface forming an outer ring, an inner column or shaft in combination with said outer ring defining an inlet passage having a radial width, and a plurality of passages formed in said sidewall, said passages intersecting said annular recess, wherein a width throughout each of said passages is greater than the radial width of said recess.
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22. A molten metal pump comprising:
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a) an elongated shaft having first and second ends;
b) a means for rotating said shaft about an axis and communication with said first end of said shaft;
c) an impeller disposed adjacent said second end of said shaft;
d) a pumping chamber housing said impeller, said pumping chamber having an inlet opening through which molten metal can be drawn and an outlet opening through which molten metal can be discharged; and
e) said impeller comprising a generally cylindrical body, said cylindrical body having opposed top and bottom surfaces and a circumferential sidewall, a circumferentially continuous annular recess in said top surface forming an outer ring and an inner column extending above a bottom wall of said annular recess so that a channel is formed circumferentially around an outer perimeter of the inner column, a cap member secured to said outer ring, said shaft secured to said inner column, and a plurality of passages formed in said sidewall intersecting said annular recess.
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23. A molten metal pump comprising:
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a) an elongated shaft having first and second ends;
b) a means for rotating said shaft about an axis and communication with said first end of said shaft;
c) an impeller disposed adjacent said second end of said shaft;
d) a pumping chamber housing said impeller, said pumping chamber having an inlet opening through which molten metal can be drawn and an outlet opening through which molten metal can be discharged; and
e) said impeller comprising a generally cylindrical body, said cylindrical body having opposed top and bottom surfaces and a circumferential sidewall, a circumferentially continuous annular recess in said top surface forming an outer ring and an inner column extending above a bottom wall of said annular recess so that a channel is formed circumferentially around an outer perimeter of the inner column, said shaft secured to said inner column, and a plurality of passages formed in said sidewall intersecting said annular recess, said passages having both a height and width greater than the width of said annular recess.
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Specification