Aluminum alloy wheel multi-sprue casting mold, method and equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses an aluminum alloy wheel multi-pouring-gate casting mold, method and equipment, the aluminum alloy wheel multi-pouring-gate casting mold comprises an upper mold plate and a bottom plate, an upper mold is arranged on the upper mold plate, an outer core pulling block is arranged on the outer side of the upper mold, a lower mold base is arranged on the bottom plate, a lower mold is arranged on the lower mold base, and the upper mold, the lower mold and the outer core pulling block jointly form a casting blank cavity. A transverse pouring gate matched with a product is arranged on the lower die base, a plurality of inner pouring gates communicated with a casting blank cavity are arranged on the inner side of the transverse pouring gate, a vertical pouring gate is arranged between the parting surfaces of the outer core pulling block and communicated with the transverse pouring gate and the casting blank cavity, a side pouring gate communicated to the transverse pouring gate is arranged on the outer side of the bottom plate, and the side pouring gate is communicated with the inner pouring gate. According to the structure, the transverse pouring gate, the inner pouring gate and the vertical pouring gate are used in cooperation, so that the feeding distance is greatly shortened, the feeding effect of all parts of a casting is improved, and then the casting quality is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of casting, and in particular to a multi-gate casting mold, method and equipment for aluminum alloy wheels. Background Technology

[0002] Lightweighting is one of the most important ways to reduce energy consumption and emissions in gasoline vehicles and to reduce fuel consumption and extend the range of new energy vehicles. Replacing traditional steel materials with lightweight materials such as aluminum alloys has become an inevitable choice for the upgrading of automotive design. Aluminum alloys used in automobiles can be divided into cast aluminum alloys and wrought aluminum alloys. Cast aluminum alloys are mainly used to manufacture engine, clutch housing, wheel, chassis parts and other components. With the demand for improved casting quality and the development of casting technology, more parts are being produced using low-pressure casting, differential pressure casting and pressure regulating casting, all of which belong to anti-gravity casting methods. The basic principle of this casting method is to use low-pressure gas to drive the molten metal in the crucible or holding furnace, causing it to rise through the riser pipe and enter the mold cavity. After filling, the molten metal in the mold completes solidification and feeding under pressure.

[0003] Traditional aluminum alloy low-pressure, differential pressure, and pressure-regulating wheel casting technology typically employs a single-gate, single-riser filling technique. Taking aluminum alloy wheels as an example, a riser pipe is placed at the center of the wheel, allowing molten metal to enter the mold cavity and complete filling and solidification. This method is simple in design and easy to implement, but its disadvantages include a long filling distance, difficulty in molding, and the wheel mold temperature generally reaching 400℃ to avoid cold shuts. This results in a low cooling rate, coarse microstructure, and a tendency for casting defects such as shrinkage cavities and porosity to form at hot-bonding areas. To refine the microstructure and eliminate casting defects such as shrinkage cavities and porosity, existing technologies generally use water cooling or water mist cooling to enhance the cooling of the wheel mold. However, while enhanced cooling significantly shortens the solidification time of the wheel (e.g., the solidification time of large-sized wheels can be reduced to less than 100 seconds after enhanced cooling), it also causes difficulties in controlling the temperature field during the cooling and solidification process, making sequential solidification difficult, resulting in unstable product performance and a low yield rate. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem solved by this invention is to provide a multi-gate casting mold for aluminum alloy wheels, which achieves a stable and rapid filling process, and a short casting feeding distance, thereby facilitating sequential solidification and sufficient feeding, resulting in defect-free castings.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: a multi-gate casting mold for aluminum alloy wheels, including an upper template and a base plate. An upper mold is provided on the upper template, and an outer core-pulling block is provided on the outer side of the upper mold. A lower mold base is provided on the base plate, and a lower mold is provided on the lower mold base. The upper mold, lower mold, and outer core-pulling block together constitute a casting cavity. A horizontal sprue adapted to the product is provided on the lower mold base. Multiple inner sprues communicating with the casting cavity are provided on the inner side of the horizontal sprue. A vertical sprue is provided between the parting surfaces of the outer core-pulling block. The vertical sprue communicates with the horizontal sprue and the casting cavity respectively. A central gate communicating with the center of the casting cavity is provided at the center of the base plate, and a side gate communicating with the horizontal sprue is provided on the outer side of the base plate.

[0006] Furthermore, the outer core-pulling block includes at least two blocks, and vertical runners are provided between the parting surfaces of the outer core-pulling blocks.

[0007] Furthermore, the gating system is a ring-shaped gating system with at least one side gate at the bottom, and the plurality of ingates are arranged along the circumference.

[0008] Furthermore, the horizontal gating system is composed of multiple arc-shaped horizontal gating systems, each of which has at least one side gating port at its bottom, and the multiple ingates are arranged along the circumference.

[0009] Furthermore, the bottom height of the ingate is higher than the bottom surface of the casting cavity.

[0010] Furthermore, a flow divider cone extending into the casting cavity is provided on the upper mold at the corresponding center gate.

[0011] This invention also discloses a multi-gate casting method for aluminum alloy wheels. Using the multi-gate casting mold for aluminum alloy wheels described above, a low-pressure casting machine simultaneously injects molten aluminum into the center gate and side gates through multiple riser pipes. The molten aluminum enters the casting cavity from the center gate and flows into the horizontal runner from the side gate. The molten aluminum in the horizontal runner enters the casting cavity simultaneously through multiple ingates and vertical runners until the casting cavity is completely filled.

[0012] The present invention also discloses a multi-gate casting equipment for aluminum alloy wheels, which is used in conjunction with the multi-gate casting mold for aluminum alloy wheels described above. The equipment includes a low-pressure casting machine, wherein the low-pressure casting machine is provided with multiple liquid riser pipes, and the multiple liquid riser pipes are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the center gate and the side gate.

[0013] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0014] 1. In this structure, the combined use of the horizontal sprue, the ingate, and the vertical sprue allows molten aluminum to enter the casting cavity simultaneously from the central gate, the ingate, and the vertical sprue. This enables simultaneous feeding of various parts of the casting, greatly shortening the feeding distance, improving the feeding effect of various parts of the casting, and thus improving the quality of the casting.

[0015] 2. At the same time, the horizontal runner in this mold allows the molten aluminum to flow more smoothly and with less impact when it enters the ingate and vertical runner and then into the casting cavity, thereby reducing the formation of internal defects in the casting. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a structural cross-sectional view of a multi-gate casting mold for aluminum alloy wheels according to an embodiment of this application.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the horizontal runner structure of a multi-gate casting mold for aluminum alloy wheels according to an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Enlarged diagram of point A in the middle.

[0019] Figure 4 100X metallographic structure diagram of multi-gate process.

[0020] Figure 5 100X metallographic structure diagram of the center gate process.

[0021] Figure 6 This is an X-ray non-destructive testing image of the wheel hub manufactured using a multi-gate process.

[0022] Figure 7 This is an X-ray non-destructive testing image of the wheel core of a wheel hub manufactured using a multi-gate process.

[0023] The components in the diagram are marked as follows: 1. Upper template; 2. Base plate; 3. Upper mold; 4. Outer core block; 5. Lower mold base; 6. Lower mold; 7. Casting cavity; 8. Horizontal runner; 9. Inner runner; 10. Vertical runner; 11. Side gate; 12. Center gate; 14. Runner cone. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] like Figures 1 to 3As shown in the figure, an embodiment of this application discloses a multi-gate casting mold for aluminum alloy wheels, including an upper mold plate 1 and a base plate 2. An upper mold 3 is provided on the upper mold plate 1, and an outer core-pulling block 4 is provided on the outer side of the upper mold 3. A lower mold base 5 is provided on the base plate 2, and a lower mold 6 is provided on the lower mold base 5. The upper mold 3, the lower mold 6, and the outer core-pulling block 4 together constitute a casting cavity 7. A horizontal runner 8 adapted to the product is provided on the lower mold base 5. Multiple inner runners 9 communicating with the casting cavity 7 are provided on the inner side of the horizontal runner 8. A vertical runner 10 is provided between the parting surfaces of the outer core-pulling block 4. The vertical runner 10 is connected to the horizontal runner 8 and the casting cavity 7 respectively. A side gate 11 communicating with the horizontal runner 8 is provided at the bottom of the horizontal runner 8. A center gate 12 communicating with the center of the casting cavity 7 is provided at the center of the base plate 2.

[0026] This mold needs to be used with a low-pressure casting machine. Specifically, during operation, the upper mold plate 1 moves towards the lower mold plate 6, causing the upper mold 3 and the lower mold 6 to close. Then, the low-pressure casting machine simultaneously injects molten aluminum into the center gate 12 and the side gate 11 through multiple riser pipes. The molten aluminum enters the casting cavity 7 from the center gate 12 and flows into the horizontal runner 8 from the side gate 11. The molten aluminum in the horizontal runner 8 enters the casting cavity 7 simultaneously through multiple ingates 9 and vertical runners 10 until the casting cavity 7 is filled. After the molten aluminum is filled, a pressure holding operation is performed. After holding the pressure for a period of time, the pressure is released, and then the mold separation operation is performed. The upper mold plate 1 is driven to move away from the bottom plate 2. At this time, the upper mold plate 1, the upper mold 3, and the outer core-pulling block 4 drive the cast wheel hub to move away from the bottom plate 2 together. The core-pulling block drive structure drives the core-pulling block to move outward and perform the core-pulling operation. After the core-pulling is completed, the casting wheel hub can be unloaded.

[0027] In this structure, the combined use of the horizontal sprue 8, the ingate 9, and the vertical sprue 10 allows molten aluminum to simultaneously enter the casting cavity 7 from the center gate 12, the ingate 9, and the vertical sprue 10. This enables simultaneous feeding of various parts of the casting, greatly shortening the feeding distance, improving the feeding effect of various parts of the casting, and thus improving the quality of the casting. At the same time, the horizontal sprue 8 in this mold allows the molten aluminum to enter the casting cavity 7 more smoothly and with less impact after entering the ingate 9 and the vertical sprue 10, thereby reducing the formation of internal defects in the casting.

[0028] In this embodiment, the outer core-pulling block 4 includes at least two blocks, and vertical runners 10 are provided between the parting surfaces of the outer core-pulling blocks.

[0029] In this structure, the setting of at least two external core-pulling blocks 4 facilitates the subsequent removal of the external core-pulling blocks 4. At the same time, the setting of multiple vertical sprues 10 enables simultaneous feeding of various parts of the casting, greatly shortening the feeding distance and improving the feeding effect of various parts of the casting.

[0030] In this embodiment, the horizontal sprue 8 can be configured in various forms. The following are two example structures:

[0031] The first embodiment is as follows: the horizontal runner 8 is a ring-shaped horizontal runner 8, and the bottom of the ring-shaped horizontal runner 8 is provided with at least one side gate 11, and the plurality of ingates 9 are arranged along the circumference.

[0032] The second embodiment is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the horizontal gating system 8 is composed of multiple arc-shaped horizontal gating systems 8, and each arc-shaped horizontal gating system 8 has at least one side gating gate 11 at its bottom. The multiple ingates 9 are arranged along the circumference.

[0033] The structures of the two embodiments described above can be selected according to the specific process. In specific operation, the low-pressure casting machine injects aluminum liquid into the side gate 11 simultaneously through multiple liquid riser pipes, so that the aluminum liquid fills the annular horizontal runner 8 or each arc-shaped horizontal runner 8, and then simultaneously enters the casting cavity 7 through the horizontal runner 8 and the ingate 9, thereby realizing regional liquid injection and ensuring the stability and speed of the entire filling process.

[0034] In this embodiment, the bottom height of the inner gating 9 is higher than the bottom surface height of the casting cavity 7.

[0035] In actual operation, the low-pressure casting machine injects molten aluminum into the side gate 11 simultaneously through multiple riser pipes, so that the molten aluminum fills the annular horizontal runner 8 or each arc-shaped horizontal runner 8, and then simultaneously enters the casting cavity 7 through the vertical runner 10 and the ingate 9.

[0036] In this structure, since the bottom height of the ingate 9 is higher than the bottom height of the casting cavity 7, when the molten aluminum enters the casting cavity 7 from the ingate 9, the molten aluminum flows from the ingate 9 into the bottom of the casting cavity 7, thus achieving smooth liquid entry and preventing liquid splashing when the molten aluminum is directly injected into the casting cavity 7. At the same time, in the cast product, there is a certain height difference between the aluminum part of the ingate 9 and the bottom of the wheel hub body, which facilitates the subsequent scrap cutting operation.

[0037] In this embodiment, a flow divider cone 14 extending into the casting cavity 7 is provided on the upper mold 3 at the corresponding center gate 12.

[0038] Specifically, the design of the flow divider cone 14 in this structure can withstand the impact of molten aluminum, thereby allowing the molten aluminum to enter the casting cavity 7 smoothly and thus ensuring the quality of the product.

[0039] This invention also discloses a multi-gate casting method for aluminum alloy wheels. Using the multi-gate casting mold for aluminum alloy wheels described above, specifically, a low-pressure casting machine simultaneously injects molten aluminum into the central gate 12 and the side gate 11 through multiple riser pipes. The molten aluminum enters the casting cavity 7 from the central gate 12 and flows into the horizontal runner 8 from the side gate 11. The molten aluminum in the horizontal runner 8 enters the casting cavity 7 simultaneously through multiple ingates 9 and vertical runners 10 until the casting cavity 7 is filled.

[0040] This method, through the combined use of the horizontal sprue 8, the ingate 9, and the vertical sprue 10, allows molten aluminum to simultaneously enter the casting cavity 7 from the center gate 12, the ingate 9, and the vertical sprue 10. This enables simultaneous feeding of various parts of the casting, greatly shortening the feeding distance, improving the feeding effect of various parts of the casting, and thus improving the quality of the casting.

[0041] The present invention also discloses a multi-gate casting equipment for aluminum alloy wheels, which is used in conjunction with the multi-gate casting mold for aluminum alloy wheels described above. Its structure includes a low-pressure casting machine, and the low-pressure casting machine is provided with multiple liquid riser pipes, which are arranged one-to-one with the center gate 12 and the side gate 11.

[0042] Specifically, tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, and hardness tests were conducted on wheel hubs of uniform specifications manufactured using both the single-gate 12-stage low-pressure casting process and the multi-gate low-pressure casting process described in this application. The specific experimental results are shown in the table below:

[0043]

[0044]

[0045] The following conclusions can be drawn from the table above: the tensile strength, yield strength and elongation of each part of the wheel hub made by the multi-gate low-pressure casting process of this application are better than those of the single-center gate 12 low-pressure casting process, and the casting quality is significantly better.

[0046] Meanwhile, this application conducted metallographic analysis on wheel hubs of uniform specifications manufactured using both the single-center-gated 12-gate low-pressure casting process and the multi-gated low-pressure casting process described in this application, specifically as follows: Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, from Figure 4 As can be seen from the crystal phase diagram, the dendrites are fine, the eutectic silicon is in the form of small grains, uniformly distributed, and the second-order metamorphism is normal. Figure 5 As can be seen from the crystal phase diagram, the crystals are fine, the eutectic silicon is in the form of small particles, the distribution is relatively uniform, and the second-level modification is normal. That is, the eutectic silicon distribution in the product made by this process is more uniform and the performance is better.

[0047] In addition, X-ray imaging was used to perform non-destructive testing on wheel hubs manufactured using a multi-gate low-pressure casting process. Figure 6 and Figure 7 As can be seen, the spokes and hub of this product are undamaged, indicating excellent product performance.

[0048] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above descriptions are merely specific embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-gate casting mold for an aluminum alloy wheel, characterized in that: The invention comprises an upper mold plate (1) and a bottom plate (2), wherein an upper mold (3) is arranged on the upper mold plate (1), an outer core-pulling block (4) is arranged on the outer side of the upper mold (3), a lower mold base (5) is arranged on the bottom plate (2), a lower mold (6) is arranged on the lower mold base (5), the upper mold (3), the lower mold (6) and the outer core-pulling block (4) together constitute a casting cavity (7), the lower mold base (5) is provided with a horizontal runner (8) adapted to the product, and the A plurality of inner runners (9) connected to the casting cavity (7) are arranged on the inner side of the cross runner (8); a vertical runner (10) is arranged between the parting surfaces of the outer core pulling block (4); the vertical runner (10) is respectively connected to the cross runner (8) and the casting cavity (7); a central gate (12) connected to the center of the casting cavity (7) is arranged at the center of the base plate (2); and a side gate (11) connected to the cross runner (8) is arranged on the outer side of the base plate (2).

2. The multi-gate casting mold for an aluminum alloy wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer core pulling blocks include at least two, and vertical pouring channels (10) are arranged between the parting surfaces of the outer core pulling blocks (4).

3. The multi-gate casting mold for an aluminum alloy wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The runner (8) is an annular runner (8), at least one side gate (11) is arranged at the bottom of the annular runner (8), and the plurality of ingates (9) are arranged along the circumference.

4. The multi-gate casting mold for an aluminum alloy wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The runner (8) is composed of a plurality of arc-shaped runners (8), each arc-shaped runner (8) is provided with at least one side gate (11) at the bottom, and the plurality of inner runners (9) are arranged along the circumference.

5. The multi-gate casting mold for an aluminum alloy wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom end height of the inner runner (9) is higher than the bottom surface height of the casting cavity (7).

6. The multi-gate casting mold for an aluminum alloy wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that: A diverter cone (14) extending into the casting cavity (7) is arranged on the upper mold (3) at a position corresponding to the central gate (12).

7. A method for casting an aluminum alloy wheel with multiple gates, using the aluminum alloy wheel multi-gate casting mold according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The low-pressure casting machine simultaneously injects aluminum liquid into the central gate (12) and the side gate (11) through a plurality of liquid risers, and the aluminum liquid enters the casting mold cavity (7) from the central gate (12), and the aluminum liquid flows into the cross runner (8) from the side gate (11). The aluminum liquid in the cross runner (8) simultaneously enters the casting mold cavity (7) through a plurality of inner runners (9) and vertical runners (10) until the casting mold cavity (7) is filled.

8. An aluminum alloy wheel multi-gating casting device, used in conjunction with the aluminum alloy wheel multi-gating casting mold according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: It comprises a low-pressure casting machine, in which a plurality of liquid riser pipes are arranged, and the plurality of liquid riser pipes are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the central gate (12) and the side gate (11).

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