Intelligent casting island for screw forming

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of sand mold casting, in particular to an intelligent casting island for screw forming, which is characterized in that a sand mold casting module is scanned through a scanning module so as to respectively obtain sand core outlines of an upper sand box and a lower sand box in a continuous casting process, and corresponding sand mold filling areas are determined; whether a sand mold instability risk exists in the molten iron injection process of a screw sand core or not is judged through an intelligent analysis module, an air gap form change dominant area and an air gap form change non-dominant area are determined through a risk evaluation module according to the position relation between a sprue gate and a sand mold filling area, and the sand mold instability risk category is judged. The casting adjusting mode is selected through the control module on the basis of the instability risk category of the sand mold, and then continuous dynamic monitoring, risk assessment and parameter regulation and control are conducted on the sand mold state in the screw sand mold casting process, the screw casting quality is improved, and the sand mold utilization rate is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of sand casting technology, and more particularly to a smart casting island for screw forming. Background Technology

[0002] Against the backdrop of the booming development of the manufacturing industry, the foundry sector is undergoing a transformation towards intelligent and efficient production. In the traditional sand casting process for producing products such as screws, the stability of the sand mold is poor due to the difficulty in precisely controlling the compactness of the sand mold and the bonding strength of the resin sand during the mold-making stage. During the pouring process, the scouring force of molten iron on the sand mold easily causes the resin sand to detach, mixing with the molten iron and forming sand holes, severely affecting product quality. Simultaneously, air inside the sand mold, especially in thicker sections, is difficult to expel smoothly during molten iron injection, becoming trapped inside and forming pores, reducing the mechanical properties of the screw. With the deepening of the intelligent manufacturing concept, the market has placed higher demands on the quality, production efficiency, and resource utilization of foundry products. Intelligent foundry islands, through intelligent analysis, achieve precise monitoring and control of the screw sand casting process, improving product quality.

[0003] For example, Chinese Patent Publication No. CN118650116A discloses a sand casting process, including a workbench, an upper mold box, a lower mold box, an upper mold, a lower mold, and positioning rods; the process includes the following steps: S1, preparing resin sand; S2, preparing a sand mold; S3, inspecting the sand mold; S4, repairing the mold by cleaning and repairing it with tools such as scrapers or grinding wheels; S5, applying coating; S6, closing the molds, after cleaning the cavity of the sand mold, closing the upper and lower sand molds to prepare for casting; S7, removing the formed product from the sand mold and cleaning the sand off the product to obtain a preliminary product. This technical solution uses a method of adding sand and compacting it simultaneously during sand mold preparation to improve the tightness of the sand mold. Multiple positioning rods can relatively fix the mold box, and a detection device is set up to avoid deformation of the sand mold due to molten metal squeezing it later.

[0004] The following problems still exist in the existing technology:

[0005] Existing technologies cannot monitor the dynamic changes of sand molds in continuous casting in real time, and cannot adjust casting parameters in a targeted manner. This can easily lead to problems such as obvious porosity at the pouring gate and uneven screw sand mold morphology, which affect the screw casting quality and sand mold utilization rate. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address this, the present invention provides an intelligent casting island for screw forming, which overcomes the problems of existing technologies that cannot monitor the dynamic changes of sand molds in continuous casting in real time, cannot adjust casting parameters in a targeted manner, and ultimately easily lead to obvious porosity at the pouring gate and uneven shape of screw sand molds.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a smart casting island for screw forming, comprising:

[0008] A sand casting module includes an upper sand box, a lower sand box, and several pouring ports on the upper sand box for introducing molten iron. The upper sand box and the lower sand box are closed to form a screw sand core.

[0009] The scanning module is used to scan the sand casting module to obtain the sand core outlines of the upper and lower sand boxes during the continuous casting process, and to determine the sand mold filling areas corresponding to the sand core outlines in the upper and lower sand boxes.

[0010] The intelligent analysis module, which is connected to the scanning module, is used to determine whether there is a risk of sand mold instability during the molten iron injection process of the screw sand core based on the area ratio of the sand mold filling region.

[0011] The risk assessment module, which is connected to the intelligent analysis module, is used to determine the areas with obvious air gap morphology changes and the areas with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes based on the positional relationship between the pouring port and the sand mold filling area, and to determine the sand mold instability risk category based on the area change trend of the areas with obvious air gap morphology changes and the areas with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes.

[0012] The control module, which is connected to the risk assessment module and the sand casting module, is used to control the molten iron introduction interval of the pouring gate for continuous casting based on the sand mold instability risk category, or to determine the number of pouring gates that can be opened.

[0013] Furthermore, the scanning module is used to determine the enclosing contour based on the sand core profile, wherein,

[0014] The scanning module is used to obtain the outline of the first sand core inside the upper sand box, and to determine the smallest rectangular area enclosing the outline of the first sand core as the first enclosing outline;

[0015] The scanning module is used to obtain the outline of the second sand core inside the lower sand box, and to determine the smallest rectangular area enclosing the outline of the second sand core as the second enclosing outline.

[0016] Furthermore, the scanning module is used to determine the sand mold filling area based on the enclosing contour and the sand core contour, wherein,

[0017] The scanning module is used to determine the area between the first enclosing contour and the first sand core contour as the first sand mold filling area;

[0018] The scanning module is used to determine the area between the second enclosing contour and the second sand core contour as the second sand mold filling area.

[0019] Furthermore, the intelligent analysis module is used to determine whether there is a risk of sand mold instability during the molten iron injection process of the screw sand core.

[0020] The intelligent analysis module is used to calculate the area ratio of the first sand mold filling area within the first enclosing contour, and to calculate the area ratio of the second sand mold filling area within the second enclosing contour.

[0021] If the area ratio of a region is greater than the preset reference value for the area ratio, the intelligent analysis module determines that there is a risk of sand mold instability in the molten iron injection process of the screw sand core.

[0022] Furthermore, the risk assessment module is used to determine the dominant sub-regions and indistinct sub-regions of the air gap, wherein,

[0023] The risk assessment module is used to determine the tooth-shaped sub-region closest to the pouring port as the air gap dominant sub-region of the first sand mold filling area, and the tooth-shaped sub-region farthest from the pouring port as the air gap non-dominant sub-region of the first sand mold filling area.

[0024] Furthermore, the risk assessment module is used to determine the tooth-shaped sub-region closest to the pouring port position as the air gap visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region, and to determine the tooth-shaped sub-region farthest from the pouring port position as the air gap non-visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region.

[0025] Furthermore, the risk assessment module is used to determine the region composed of the air gap visible sub-region of the first sand mold filling region and the air gap visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region as the region with visible air gap morphology change, and to determine the region composed of the air gap non-visible sub-region of the first sand mold filling region and the air gap non-visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region as the region with non-visible air gap morphology change.

[0026] Furthermore, the risk assessment module is used to determine the regional area change trends of the regions with obvious air gap morphology changes and the regions with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes, wherein,

[0027] The risk assessment module is used to obtain the area of ​​the visible region of air gap morphology change and the area of ​​the non-visible region of air gap morphology change after several casting processes.

[0028] The risk assessment module establishes a rectangular coordinate system with the area as the vertical axis and the number of castings as the horizontal axis, and fits the first curve of the area of ​​the region with obvious air gap morphology changes as a function of the number of castings, and the second curve of the area of ​​the region with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes as a function of the number of castings.

[0029] Furthermore, the risk assessment module is used to determine the sand form instability risk category, wherein,

[0030] The risk assessment module determines the area difference between the first and second change curves on the vertical axis under the same horizontal axis as the air gap morphology change characterization value, and forms a characterization value series of air gap morphology change characterization values ​​corresponding to different horizontal axes according to the order of gradually increasing horizontal axis.

[0031] If the sequence of characterization values ​​is not an increasing sequence, the risk assessment module determines that the sand type instability risk category is the first risk category;

[0032] If the sequence of characterization values ​​is an increasing sequence, then the risk assessment module determines that the sand type instability risk category is the second risk category.

[0033] Furthermore, the control module is used to select a casting adjustment method based on the sand mold instability risk category, including:

[0034] If the sand mold instability risk category is the first risk category, the control module controls the interval of molten iron introduction during continuous casting at the pouring gate;

[0035] If the sand mold instability risk category is the second risk category, the control module determines the number of times molten iron is introduced through the pouring gate.

[0036] Furthermore, the control module is used to determine the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value in the characterization value sequence;

[0037] Under the first risk category, the control module extends the molten iron introduction interval for continuous casting at the pouring gate according to the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value. The molten iron introduction interval is positively correlated with the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value.

[0038] Under the second risk category, the control module determines the number of injection ports to be opened based on the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value, and the number of ports to be opened is positively correlated with the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value.

[0039] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The present invention uses a scanning module to scan the sand casting module to obtain the sand core outlines of the upper and lower sand boxes during the continuous casting process and determine the corresponding sand mold filling areas; the intelligent analysis module determines whether there is a risk of sand mold instability during the molten iron injection process of the screw sand core; the risk assessment module determines the areas with obvious air gap morphology changes and the areas with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes based on the positional relationship between the pouring port and the sand mold filling area, and determines the sand mold instability risk category; the control module selects the casting adjustment method based on the sand mold instability risk category. Thus, the present invention achieves continuous dynamic monitoring, risk assessment and parameter control of the sand mold state during the screw sand casting process, thereby improving the screw casting quality and sand mold utilization rate.

[0040] Furthermore, this invention uses a scanning module to accurately acquire the actual contours of the sand cores inside the upper and lower sand boxes, and constructs the boundaries enclosing these two sand core contours using the smallest rectangles. The annular area between the two contours is then defined as the sand mold filling area. The principle behind this technique is the establishment of a digital representation system for the spatial state of the sand mold. The enclosing contours serve as the smallest outer frame of the theoretical boundary of the sand core, providing a benchmark reference for the actual shape of the sand core. The filling area between the two contours quantifies the potential air accumulation space in the sand mold, providing a spatial data foundation for precise monitoring of the intelligent casting process.

[0041] Furthermore, this invention uses an intelligent analysis module to calculate the area ratio of the first and second sand mold filling regions within the corresponding enclosing contours. This is significant because the first and second sand mold filling regions correspond to the spaces between the sand cores in the upper and lower sand boxes and the enclosing contours, respectively. The size of this area within the corresponding enclosing contour directly reflects the air retention capacity of the sand mold's contact surface with the molten iron. A larger proportion of the first and second sand mold filling regions means a larger gap between the sand mold and the forming boundary, and more space for air to accumulate in the sand surface structure. When molten iron is injected, this accumulated air is compressed by the high-temperature molten iron. If it cannot be discharged in time, it will form bubbles during the solidification process of the molten iron and adhere to the surface of the formed part, resulting in an uneven surface. Based on this, the intelligent analysis module can accurately determine the risk level of air accumulation in the sand mold by calculating this area ratio and comparing it with a preset reference value: if the ratio exceeds the preset reference value, it indicates that there are too many gaps in the sand mold structure that easily accumulate air. During the molten iron injection process, air release is very likely to cause forming defects, thus determining the risk of sand mold instability and providing a scientific basis for early identification of surface quality problems in the formed part.

[0042] Furthermore, this invention achieves targeted monitoring of air gap risks by dividing the sand mold filling area into visible and invisible sub-regions based on the distance from the pouring gate, and further combining them into visible and invisible regions of air gap morphology change. The tooth-shaped sub-region closest to the pouring gate is designated as the visible air gap sub-region, accurately focusing on the high-incidence defect area where molten iron impact is most direct and air gap changes are most significant, ensuring the system captures air gap anomalies in this area immediately. Simultaneously, the farthest tooth-shaped sub-region is designated as the invisible air gap sub-region, utilizing its characteristics of being less affected by molten iron flow and having a more stable air gap state, serving as a benchmark for air gap changes in the visible region. By comparing the two, it more accurately determines whether air gap changes exist in the visible region, thereby achieving continuous dynamic monitoring and risk assessment of the sand mold state during screw sand casting.

[0043] Furthermore, the significance of this invention in establishing a quantitative analysis model of air gap morphology changes and classifying risk categories accordingly lies in its ability to intuitively capture the evolution law of sand mold air gaps with the number of castings by continuously collecting area data of visible and invisible regions after multiple castings and fitting change curves. This overcomes the limitation of static detection, which can only reflect the state at a single moment, allowing the system to predict the trend of sand mold stability changes in advance. Secondly, a precise quantitative differentiation mechanism for risk categories is constructed. By calculating the area difference between visible and invisible regions under the same number of castings and constructing a series representing the increase or decrease trend: when the series is non-increasing, it indicates that the increase in air gaps in visible regions is not significant; when the series is increasing, it indicates that the air gap difference continues to expand with the number of castings, reflecting the potential risk of thick parts of the sand mold, and realizing continuous and targeted assessment of the sand mold state during screw sand casting.

[0044] Furthermore, the significance of this invention in establishing a quantitative analysis model of air gap morphology changes and classifying risk categories accordingly lies in its ability to intuitively capture the evolution law of sand mold air gaps with the number of castings by continuously collecting area data of visible and invisible regions after multiple castings and fitting change curves. This overcomes the limitation of static detection, which can only reflect the state at a single moment, allowing the system to predict the trend of sand mold stability changes in advance. Secondly, a precise quantitative differentiation mechanism for risk categories is constructed. By calculating the area difference between visible and invisible regions under the same number of castings and constructing a series representing the increase or decrease trend: when the series is non-increasing, it indicates that the increase in air gaps in visible regions is not significant; when the series is increasing, it indicates that the air gap difference continues to expand with the number of castings, reflecting the potential risk of thick parts of the sand mold. This enables continuous dynamic monitoring, risk assessment, and parameter control of the sand mold state during screw sand casting, improving screw casting quality and sand mold utilization rate. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 This is a functional block diagram of the intelligent casting island for screw forming according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the enclosing outline of the sand box and the sand mold filling area in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the visible and invisible air gap sub-regions within the first sand mold filling area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 4 A logic flowchart for selecting a casting adjustment method for the control module in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] In the figure: 1-First sand core outline, 2-First enclosing outline, 3-First sand mold filling area, 4-Pour port, 5-Air gap visible sub-region of the first sand mold filling area, 6-Air gap non-visible sub-region of the first sand mold filling area. Detailed Implementation

[0050] To make the objectives and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described below with reference to embodiments; it should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0051] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0052] It should be noted that in the description of this invention, the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," etc., which indicate the direction or positional relationship, are based on the direction or positional relationship shown in the drawings. This is only for the convenience of description and is not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0053] Furthermore, it should be noted that, in the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0054] Please see Figure 1 As shown, it is a functional block diagram of the intelligent casting island for screw forming according to an embodiment of the present invention. The intelligent casting island for screw forming of the present invention includes:

[0055] A sand casting module includes an upper sand box, a lower sand box, and several pouring ports on the upper sand box for introducing molten iron. The upper sand box and the lower sand box are closed to form a screw sand core.

[0056] In this invention, the number of pouring ports for introducing molten iron into the upper sand box can be three.

[0057] Specifically, the present invention does not limit the specific structure of the upper sand box, the lower sand box, and the several pouring ports for introducing molten iron. The upper sand box is closed with the lower sand box through a guide rod. After the mold is closed, a screw sand core to be poured is formed between the upper sand box and the lower sand box. Molten iron is introduced into the screw sand core through the pouring port. After cooling, the mold is opened, and the completed screw part is taken out by the robotic arm in the casting island for subsequent grinding and inspection. This is a conventional casting equipment and process in sand casting by those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0058] The scanning module is used to scan the sand casting module to obtain the sand core outlines of the upper and lower sand boxes during the continuous casting process, and to determine the sand mold filling areas corresponding to the sand core outlines in the upper and lower sand boxes.

[0059] Specifically, the present invention does not limit the scanning module, which may include a high-definition camera and an image processor connected to the high-definition camera. The high-definition camera is used to acquire surface images of the upper and lower sand boxes after each casting and mold opening during the continuous casting process and transmit them to the image processor. The image processor uses a pre-stored contour recognition algorithm to determine the sand core contour and the sand mold filling area corresponding to the sand core contour based on the surface images of the upper and lower sand boxes. Using recognition algorithms to identify contours in the image is a common technique in image processing, which will not be elaborated here.

[0060] The intelligent analysis module, which is connected to the scanning module, is used to determine whether there is a risk of sand mold instability during the molten iron injection process of the screw sand core based on the area ratio of the sand mold filling region.

[0061] The risk assessment module, which is connected to the intelligent analysis module, is used to determine the areas with obvious air gap morphology changes and the areas with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes based on the positional relationship between the pouring port and the sand mold filling area, and to determine the sand mold instability risk category based on the area change trend of the areas with obvious air gap morphology changes and the areas with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes.

[0062] Specifically, the present invention does not limit the structure of the intelligent analysis module and the risk assessment module. In the embodiments of the present invention, the intelligent analysis module and the risk assessment module can be a data processor and a memory. The memory is used to store instructions. When the data processor calls and executes the instructions, the data processor executes the relevant instruction algorithm to realize data calculation and analysis, so as to complete the logical judgment and output the judgment result.

[0063] The control module, which is connected to the risk assessment module and the sand casting module, is used to control the molten iron introduction interval of the pouring gate for continuous casting based on the sand mold instability risk category, or to determine the number of pouring gates that can be opened.

[0064] In this invention, a solenoid valve can be used to control the opening and closing of the valve on the pouring port.

[0065] Specifically, the present invention does not limit the specific structure of the control module, which can be constructed using logic components, such as field-programmable logic components, microprocessors, processors used in computers, etc., which will not be elaborated here.

[0066] Specifically, the scanning module is used to determine the enclosing contour based on the sand core profile, wherein,

[0067] The scanning module is used to obtain the outline of the first sand core inside the upper sand box, and to determine the smallest rectangular area enclosing the outline of the first sand core as the first enclosing outline;

[0068] The scanning module is used to obtain the outline of the second sand core inside the lower sand box, and to determine the smallest rectangular area enclosing the outline of the second sand core as the second enclosing outline;

[0069] Please see Figure 2 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the enclosing contour and sand mold filling area inside the sand box in an embodiment of the present invention. Taking the sand box as an example, the smallest rectangular area enclosing the first sand core contour 1 is the first enclosing contour 2. The method of determining the second sand core contour and the second enclosing contour is the same.

[0070] Specifically, the scanning module is used to determine the sand mold filling area based on the enclosing contour and the sand core contour, wherein,

[0071] The scanning module is used to determine the area between the first enclosing contour and the first sand core contour as the first sand mold filling area;

[0072] The scanning module is used to determine the area between the second enclosing contour and the second sand core contour as the second sand mold filling area.

[0073] Please continue reading. Figure 2As shown, taking the sand box above as an example, the area between the first enclosing contour 2 and the first sand core contour 1 is the first sand mold filling area 3, and the method for determining the second sand mold filling area is the same.

[0074] Understandably, this invention uses a scanning module to accurately acquire the actual contours of the sand cores inside the upper and lower sand boxes, and constructs the boundaries enclosing these two sand core contours using the smallest rectangles. The annular area between the two contours is then defined as the sand mold filling area. The principle behind this technique lies in establishing a digital representation system for the spatial state of the sand mold. The enclosing contours, as the smallest outer frame of the theoretical boundary of the sand core, provide a benchmark reference for the actual shape of the sand core, while the filling area between them quantifies the potential air accumulation space of the sand mold, providing a spatial data foundation for precise monitoring of the intelligent casting process.

[0075] Specifically, the intelligent analysis module is used to determine whether there is a risk of sand mold instability during the molten iron injection process of the screw core.

[0076] The intelligent analysis module is used to calculate the area ratio of the first sand mold filling area within the first enclosing contour, and to calculate the area ratio of the second sand mold filling area within the second enclosing contour.

[0077] If the area ratio of a region is greater than the preset reference value for the area ratio, the intelligent analysis module determines that there is a risk of sand mold instability in the molten iron injection process of the screw sand core.

[0078] If no region has an area ratio greater than the preset reference value, the intelligent analysis module determines that there is no risk of sand mold instability during the molten iron injection process of the screw sand core.

[0079] In this invention, the area of ​​a region can be calculated by statistically analyzing the number of pixels within each contour or region of the image, counting the effective number of pixels in each region, and using the ratio of the effective number of pixels in different regions to calculate the area ratio.

[0080] In this invention, the preset area ratio reference value can be set according to the requirements of detection accuracy. If the area ratio reference value is set too high, the air in the screw core with thick sand filling between the screw threads will be easily escaped and cannot be effectively monitored. If the area ratio reference value is set too low, a large number of working conditions will be included in the monitoring range, and the massive data processing will affect production efficiency. Here, the range of the area ratio reference value is provided as [30%, 40%]. Preferably, the area ratio reference value can be 35%.

[0081] Understandably, this invention uses an intelligent analysis module to calculate the area ratio of the first and second sand mold filling regions within the corresponding enclosing contours. This is significant because the first and second sand mold filling regions correspond to the spaces between the sand cores in the upper and lower sand boxes and the enclosing contours, respectively. The size of this area within the corresponding enclosing contour directly reflects the air retention capacity of the sand mold's contact surface with the molten iron. A larger proportion of the first and second sand mold filling regions means a larger gap between the sand mold and the forming boundary, and more space for air to accumulate in the sand surface structure. When molten iron is poured, this accumulated air is compressed by the high-temperature molten iron. If it cannot be expelled in time, it will form bubbles during the solidification process of the molten iron and adhere to the surface of the formed part, resulting in an uneven surface. Based on this, the intelligent analysis module calculates this area ratio and compares it with a preset reference value to accurately determine the risk level of air accumulation in the sand mold: if the ratio exceeds the preset reference value, it indicates that there are too many gaps in the sand mold structure that easily accumulate air. During the molten iron pouring process, air release is highly likely to cause forming defects, thus determining the risk of sand mold instability and providing a scientific basis for early identification of surface quality problems in the formed part.

[0082] Specifically, the risk assessment module is used to determine the dominant and indistinct sub-regions of the air gap, wherein,

[0083] The risk assessment module is used to determine the tooth-shaped sub-region closest to the pouring port as the air gap dominant sub-region of the first sand mold filling area, and the tooth-shaped sub-region farthest from the pouring port as the air gap non-dominant sub-region of the first sand mold filling area.

[0084] Furthermore, the risk assessment module is used to determine the tooth-shaped sub-region closest to the pouring port position as the air gap visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region, and to determine the tooth-shaped sub-region farthest from the pouring port position as the air gap non-visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region.

[0085] Please see Figure 3 As shown, this is a schematic diagram of the visible and invisible air gap sub-regions within the first sand mold filling area according to an embodiment of the present invention. Based on the straight-line distance between the pouring port 4 and each toothed sub-region, the toothed sub-region closest to the pouring port 4 is determined as the visible air gap sub-region 5 of the first sand mold filling area, and the toothed sub-region farthest from the pouring port 4 is determined as the invisible air gap sub-region 6 of the first sand mold filling area. The determination method for the visible and invisible air gap sub-regions within the second sand mold filling area is the same.

[0086] In this invention, the coordinates of the center of each toothed sub-region can be determined, and the straight-line distance between the coordinates of the center of the region and the coordinates of the pouring gate can be used to distinguish the toothed sub-regions that are closest to or farthest from the pouring gate.

[0087] Specifically, the risk assessment module is used to determine the region composed of the air gap visible sub-region of the first sand mold filling region and the air gap visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region as the region with visible air gap morphology change, and to determine the region composed of the air gap non-visible sub-region of the first sand mold filling region and the air gap non-visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region as the region with non-visible air gap morphology change.

[0088] Understandably, this invention achieves targeted monitoring of air gap risks by dividing the sand mold filling area into visible and invisible sub-regions based on their distance from the pouring gate, and further combining them into visible and invisible regions of air gap morphology change. Designating the tooth-shaped sub-region closest to the pouring gate as the visible air gap sub-region accurately focuses on the high-incidence defect area where molten iron impact is most direct and air gap changes are most significant, ensuring the system captures air gap anomalies in this area immediately. Simultaneously, the farthest tooth-shaped sub-region is designated as the invisible air gap sub-region, utilizing its characteristics of being less affected by molten iron flow and having a more stable air gap state, serving as a benchmark for air gap changes in the visible region. By comparing the two, it more accurately determines whether air gap changes exist in the visible region.

[0089] Specifically, the risk assessment module is used to determine the regional area change trends of the areas with obvious air gap morphology changes and the areas with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes, wherein,

[0090] The risk assessment module is used to obtain the area of ​​the visible region of air gap morphology change and the area of ​​the non-visible region of air gap morphology change after several casting processes.

[0091] The risk assessment module establishes a rectangular coordinate system with the area as the vertical axis and the number of castings as the horizontal axis, and fits the first curve of the area of ​​the region with obvious air gap morphology changes as a function of the number of castings, and the second curve of the area of ​​the region with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes as a function of the number of castings.

[0092] In this invention, several coordinate points are determined with the horizontal axis representing the number of casting completions and the vertical axis representing the area of ​​the region. These points are then fitted with a smooth curve to form a first variation curve and a second variation curve.

[0093] Specifically, the risk assessment module is used to determine the sand form instability risk category, wherein,

[0094] The risk assessment module determines the area difference between the first and second change curves on the vertical axis under the same horizontal axis as the air gap morphology change characterization value, and forms a characterization value series of air gap morphology change characterization values ​​corresponding to different horizontal axes according to the order of gradually increasing horizontal axis.

[0095] If the sequence of characterization values ​​is not an increasing sequence, the risk assessment module determines that the sand type instability risk category is the first risk category;

[0096] If the sequence of characterization values ​​is an increasing sequence, then the risk assessment module determines that the sand type instability risk category is the second risk category.

[0097] For example, in the screw sand casting process, the risk assessment module collected data on the changes in air gap morphology after six casting cycles:

[0098] After the first casting is completed: the area of ​​the visible change in air gap morphology is 12 mm², the area of ​​the non-visible change in air gap morphology is 8 mm², and the characterization value of air gap morphology change = 12 - 8 = 4 mm².

[0099] After the second casting is completed: the area of ​​the visible change in air gap morphology is 14 mm², the area of ​​the non-visible change in air gap morphology is 10 mm², and the characterization value of air gap morphology change = 14 - 10 = 4 mm².

[0100] After the third casting is completed: the area of ​​the visible change in air gap morphology is 14 mm², the area of ​​the non-visible change in air gap morphology is 11 mm², and the characterization value of air gap morphology change = 14 - 11 = 3 mm².

[0101] After the fourth casting: the area of ​​the visible air gap morphology change is 15 mm², the area of ​​the invisible air gap morphology change is 11 mm², and the characteristic value of air gap morphology change = 15 - 11 = 4 mm².

[0102] After the 5th casting is completed: the area of ​​the obvious air gap morphology change is 16mm², the area of ​​the inconspicuous air gap morphology change is 12mm², and the characterization value of air gap morphology change = 16-12=4mm².

[0103] After the 6th casting, the area of ​​the visible change in air gap morphology is 16 mm², the area of ​​the non-visible change in air gap morphology is 13 mm², and the characterization value of air gap morphology change is 16-13=3 mm².

[0104] The resulting sequence of representation values ​​is: [4, 4, 3, 4, 4, 3]. Since this sequence of representation values ​​is not an increasing sequence, the risk assessment module determines that the current sand type instability risk category is the first risk category.

[0105] There is another set of data:

[0106] After the first casting is completed: the change in air gap morphology is represented by a value of 3 mm².

[0107] After the second casting is completed: the change in air gap morphology is represented by a value of 4 mm².

[0108] After the third casting is completed: the change in air gap morphology is 4 mm².

[0109] After the 4th casting is completed: the value of the change in air gap morphology is 5 mm².

[0110] After the 5th casting is completed: the change value of the air gap morphology is 6 mm²;

[0111] After the 6th casting, the change in air gap morphology was 8 mm².

[0112] The resulting sequence of representation values ​​is [3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 8], which shows an increasing trend. Therefore, the risk assessment module determines that the current sand type instability risk category is the second risk category.

[0113] Understandably, the significance of this invention in establishing a quantitative analysis model of air gap morphology changes and classifying risk categories accordingly lies in its ability to intuitively capture the evolution of sand mold air gaps with the number of castings by continuously collecting area data of visible and invisible regions after multiple castings and fitting a change curve. This overcomes the limitation of static detection, which can only reflect the state at a single moment, allowing the system to predict the trend of sand mold stability changes in advance. Secondly, it constructs a precise quantitative differentiation mechanism for risk categories. By calculating the area difference between visible and invisible regions under the same number of castings and constructing a series representing the increase or decrease trend: when the series is non-increasing, it indicates that the increase in air gaps in visible regions is not significant; when the series is increasing, it indicates that the air gap difference continues to expand with the number of castings, reflecting the visible risk in thicker parts of the sand mold.

[0114] Specifically, please refer to Figure 4 The diagram shown is a logic flowchart of the control module selecting the casting adjustment method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The control module is used to select the casting adjustment method based on the sand mold instability risk category, including:

[0115] If the sand mold instability risk category is the first risk category, the control module controls the interval of molten iron introduction during continuous casting at the pouring gate;

[0116] If the sand mold instability risk category is the second risk category, the control module determines the number of times molten iron is introduced through the pouring gate.

[0117] Understandably, this invention addresses the root causes of instability risks in different sand molds by developing targeted casting adjustment strategies. For the first risk category, due to the long air venting path in the thick areas of the sand mold, the mismatch between the molten iron filling speed and the air venting speed can easily lead to pores forming on the surface of the molded part. The control module extends the molten iron introduction interval, allowing sufficient time for the thick areas of the sand mold to release the internally accumulated air between two pours, reducing the probability of air being trapped by molten iron during subsequent pours and mitigating potential risks. For the second risk category, the concentrated injection of molten iron into the pouring gate area prevents timely air venting. By using multiple pouring gates to divert the flow, the filling path of the molten iron in the sand mold can be optimized, providing more outlets for air to escape, avoiding the formation of concentrated pores near the pouring gate, and improving the balance between molten iron impact and venting efficiency.

[0118] Specifically, the control module is used to determine the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value in the characterization value series;

[0119] Under the first risk category, the control module extends the molten iron introduction interval for continuous casting at the pouring gate according to the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value. The molten iron introduction interval is positively correlated with the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value.

[0120] Under the second risk category, the control module determines the number of injection ports to be opened based on the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value, and the number of ports to be opened is positively correlated with the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value.

[0121] In this invention, the molten iron introduction interval is calculated as follows: (maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value / reference value of air gap morphology change) × initial value of molten iron introduction interval. That is, the larger the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value, the larger the final calculated molten iron introduction interval. The reference value of air gap morphology change can be set by those skilled in the art based on historical data. Preferably, the reference value of air gap morphology change can be set to 4 mm². The initial value of the molten iron introduction interval is the time interval between the start time of molten iron pouring in the (n+1)th casting and the time when the screw forming part is removed after the nth casting in the continuous casting process. Preferably, the initial value of the molten iron introduction interval can be set to 30 s.

[0122] In this invention, the number of openings = (maximum value of air gap morphology change characterization value / reference value of air gap morphology change) × initial value of openings; that is, the larger the maximum value of air gap morphology change characterization value, the more openings will be determined in the end. In this invention, the initial value of the number of openings is 1. The actual number of openings can be determined according to the rounding principle. The actual number of openings is at most the number of openings actually set on the upper sand box.

[0123] It is understood that the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value in the characterization value series of the present invention reflects the degree of air gap difference between the pouring gate area and the far end area. Under the first risk category, a more significant degree of air gap difference indicates that the thick sand mold needs a longer time to restore the internal structural stability, so as to avoid the accumulation of residual air due to insufficient interval time. Under the second risk category, the more serious the pouring gate venting problem, the more pouring gates are needed to divert molten iron to reduce the problem of residual air in the air gap not being able to be discharged in time due to excessive flow at a single point. By filling through multiple paths to enhance the venting capacity, the screw casting quality and sand mold utilization rate are improved.

[0124] The technical solution of the present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of protection of the present invention is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principles of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after these changes or substitutions will all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0125] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A screw-formed intelligent casting island, characterized in that, include: A sand casting module includes an upper sand box, a lower sand box, and several pouring ports on the upper sand box for introducing molten iron. The upper sand box and the lower sand box are closed to form a screw sand core. The scanning module is used to scan the sand casting module to obtain the sand core outlines of the upper and lower sand boxes during the continuous casting process, and to determine the sand mold filling areas corresponding to the sand core outlines in the upper and lower sand boxes. The intelligent analysis module, which is connected to the scanning module, is used to determine whether there is a risk of sand mold instability during the molten iron injection process of the screw sand core based on the area ratio of the sand mold filling region. The risk assessment module, which is connected to the intelligent analysis module, is used to determine the areas with obvious air gap morphology changes and the areas with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes based on the positional relationship between the pouring port and the sand mold filling area, and to determine the sand mold instability risk category based on the area change trend of the areas with obvious air gap morphology changes and the areas with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes. The control module, which is connected to the risk assessment module and the sand casting module, is used to control the molten iron introduction interval of the pouring gate for continuous casting based on the sand mold instability risk category, or to determine the number of pouring gates that can be opened.

2. The intelligent casting island for screw forming according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scanning module is used to determine the enclosing contour based on the sand core profile, wherein... The scanning module is used to obtain the outline of the first sand core inside the upper sand box, and to determine the smallest rectangular area enclosing the outline of the first sand core as the first enclosing outline; The scanning module is used to obtain the outline of the second sand core inside the lower sand box, and to determine the smallest rectangular area enclosing the outline of the second sand core as the second enclosing outline.

3. The intelligent casting island for screw forming according to claim 2, characterized in that, The scanning module is used to determine the sand mold filling area based on the enclosing contour and the sand core contour, wherein... The scanning module is used to determine the area between the first enclosing contour and the first sand core contour as the first sand mold filling area; The scanning module is used to determine the area between the second enclosing contour and the second sand core contour as the second sand mold filling area.

4. The intelligent casting island for screw forming according to claim 3, characterized in that, The intelligent analysis module is used to determine whether there is a risk of sand mold instability during the molten iron injection process of the screw sand core. The intelligent analysis module is used to calculate the area ratio of the first sand mold filling area within the first enclosing contour, and to calculate the area ratio of the second sand mold filling area within the second enclosing contour. If the area ratio of a region is greater than the preset reference value for the area ratio, the intelligent analysis module determines that there is a risk of sand mold instability in the molten iron injection process of the screw sand core.

5. The intelligent casting island for screw forming according to claim 4, characterized in that, The risk assessment module is used to determine the dominant and indistinct sub-regions of the air gap, wherein... The risk assessment module is used to determine the tooth-shaped sub-region closest to the pouring port as the air gap dominant sub-region of the first sand mold filling area, and the tooth-shaped sub-region farthest from the pouring port as the air gap non-dominant sub-region of the first sand mold filling area. Furthermore, the risk assessment module is used to determine the tooth-shaped sub-region closest to the pouring port position as the air gap visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region, and to determine the tooth-shaped sub-region farthest from the pouring port position as the air gap non-visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region.

6. The intelligent casting island for screw forming according to claim 5, characterized in that, The risk assessment module is used to determine the region composed of the air gap visible sub-region of the first sand mold filling region and the air gap visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region as the region with visible air gap morphology change, and to determine the region composed of the air gap non-visible sub-region of the first sand mold filling region and the air gap non-visible sub-region of the second sand mold filling region as the region with non-visible air gap morphology change.

7. The intelligent casting island for screw forming according to claim 6, characterized in that, The risk assessment module is used to determine the area change trends of regions with obvious air gap morphology changes and regions with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes. The risk assessment module is used to obtain the area of ​​the visible region of air gap morphology change and the area of ​​the non-visible region of air gap morphology change after several casting processes. The risk assessment module establishes a rectangular coordinate system with the area as the vertical axis and the number of castings as the horizontal axis, and fits the first curve of the area of ​​the region with obvious air gap morphology changes as a function of the number of castings, and the second curve of the area of ​​the region with inconspicuous air gap morphology changes as a function of the number of castings.

8. The intelligent casting island for screw forming according to claim 7, characterized in that, The risk assessment module is used to determine the sand form instability risk category, wherein, The risk assessment module determines the area difference between the first and second change curves on the vertical axis under the same horizontal axis as the air gap morphology change characterization value, and forms a characterization value series of air gap morphology change characterization values ​​corresponding to different horizontal axes according to the order of gradually increasing horizontal axis. If the sequence of characterization values ​​is not an increasing sequence, the risk assessment module determines that the sand type instability risk category is the first risk category; If the sequence of characterization values ​​is an increasing sequence, then the risk assessment module determines that the sand type instability risk category is the second risk category.

9. The intelligent casting island for screw forming according to claim 8, characterized in that, The control module is used to select the casting adjustment method based on the sand mold instability risk category, including: If the sand mold instability risk category is the first risk category, the control module controls the interval of molten iron introduction during continuous casting at the pouring gate; If the sand mold instability risk category is the second risk category, the control module determines the number of times molten iron is introduced through the pouring gate.

10. The intelligent casting island for screw forming according to claim 9, characterized in that, The control module is used to determine the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value in the characterization value series; Under the first risk category, the control module extends the molten iron introduction interval for continuous casting at the pouring gate according to the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value. The molten iron introduction interval is positively correlated with the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value. Under the second risk category, the control module determines the number of injection ports to be opened based on the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value, and the number of ports to be opened is positively correlated with the maximum value of the air gap morphology change characterization value.

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