Ingot Mold Top Core Functional Surface Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ingot molds for casting metals and alloys, particularly for internal combustion engine cylinder heads, face challenges due to the need for disposable sand cores that increase processing costs and can disrupt optimal solidification due to their insulating effects, limiting the ability to achieve precise functional surface formation.
Innovation Solution
An ingot mold design that incorporates a top core and movable molding parts to form functional surfaces, allowing for reduced top core size and minimizing insulating effects, enabling optimal solidification and cost reduction by using the ingot mold and top core in conjunction to form the functional surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If sand cores are used to form functional surfaces, then the functional surface can be formed, but processing costs increase and solidification is disrupted due to insulating effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of the ingot mold and the top core to form the functional surface. Instead of relying solely on the disposable top core, the permanent ingot mold is designed with molding surfaces that directly form the functional surface (cover flange) in conjunction with the top core. This eliminates the need for expensive, disposable sand cores while maintaining the ability to produce precise functional surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter of the molding surface from disposable sand (top core) to permanent metal (ingot mold). This parameter change allows the functional surface to be formed by the reusable ingot mold, reducing processing costs while maintaining manufacturing precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If sand cores are used to form functional surfaces, then the functional surface can be formed, but solidification is disrupted due to insulating effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the molding surfaces of the permanent ingot mold with the top core to form the functional surface. This merger allows the solidification process to occur directly against the permanent mold wall, which conducts heat more efficiently than sand cores, ensuring reliable and controlled solidification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite approach where the functional surface is formed by the interaction of the permanent metal mold and the top core. The permanent mold provides thermal conductivity for reliable solidification, while the top core provides the necessary shaping, creating a composite molding system that ensures both surface formation and solidification reliability.
3Manufacturing precision
If a large top core is used to form the functional surface, then the functional surface can be formed, but molding material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functional surface formation between the permanent ingot mold and a minimized top core. The permanent mold takes on the primary responsibility for forming the functional surface, allowing the top core to be reduced to a minimum size, thereby significantly reducing sand consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The permanent ingot mold serves as a reusable copy or template for forming the functional surface. Instead of creating a new sand core for each casting, the permanent mold repeatedly forms the functional surface, eliminating the need for large amounts of molding material while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A mold includes an ingot mold and a top core. The top core is disposed in and/or on the ingot mold. The top core forms, in part, a functional surface of a component formed in the mold and the ingot mold forms at least a sub-region of the functional surface of the component formed in the mold.