Mold Cooling Device With Zone-Based Control for Uniform Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing mold cooling methods in centrifugal casting result in temperature variance due to time lags between cooling water application at different sites on the mold, affecting the quality of mold wash and potentially degrading the cast quality.
Innovation Solution
A mold cooling device with temperature detection units, spraying units, switching units, and a control unit that individually manage cooling times and adjust cooling water application based on detected temperatures to achieve uniform cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If cooling water is sequentially sprayed to multiple sites on the mold inner peripheral surface, then the cooling process can be completed, but time lags occur between cooling different sites causing temperature variance
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into multiple independent spraying units, each capable of cooling specific zones of the mold. This segmentation allows parallel cooling operations at different sites simultaneously, eliminating sequential time lags while maintaining temperature uniformity across the entire mold surface.
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature detection units measure the temperature at each site before cooling water is sprayed. This preliminary temperature measurement allows the control unit to calculate and optimize the cooling time for each specific site based on its initial temperature, ensuring uniform cooling without time lags when multiple sites are cooled in parallel.
2Area of stationary object
If the spray device moves axially through the mold to cool different sites, then cooling can be applied to the entire surface, but time lags between sites cause temperature variance
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single moving spray device, the system employs multiple spraying units positioned at different axial locations. Each spraying unit covers its specific zone, allowing simultaneous cooling of the entire mold surface area without the time lags inherent in sequential axial movement.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple spraying units operate simultaneously and continuously across different sites of the mold, eliminating the interruptions and time lags associated with a single device moving axially through each site sequentially. This continuous parallel cooling ensures uniform temperature distribution.
3Device complexity
If a single spray device is used to cool the mold, then the device complexity is low, but temperature uniformity across different sites deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple independent spraying units, each with its own temperature detection and control capabilities. This segmentation increases device complexity but enables simultaneous cooling of multiple sites, achieving uniform temperature distribution that a single device cannot accomplish.
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature detection units at each site provide real-time feedback to the control unit, which adjusts the cooling time for each site based on its specific temperature and deviation from the target. This feedback mechanism allows the more complex multi-unit system to achieve superior temperature uniformity by dynamically optimizing each zone's cooling.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables more uniform mold cooling, ensuring consistent mold wash application and improving cast quality by minimizing temperature variance and allowing for feedback corrections.
Implementation Method 1
a temperature detection unit that detects temperatures at a plurality of respective places on the mold
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of spraying units that spray cooling water to the mold
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling device (21) includes radiation thermometers (51 to 55), a plurality of nozzle parts, a plurality of electromagnetic valves (V1 to V5), and a control device (60). The radiation thermometers detect pre-cooling temperatures that are temperatures at a plurality of places on the mold before cooling water is sprayed from the plurality of nozzle parts to the mold. The control device individually sets a cooling time to each of the plurality of places on the mold based on a deviation between the pre-cooling temperature at the place on the mold and a target temperature and controls the electromagnetic valves based on the cooling times individually set to the plurality of respective places on the mold.