Method and apparatus for forming a member from an excess slurry of refractory material

Claim 2

Apparatus for forming a member from a slurry of refractory material, said apparatus comprising container means for holding a supply of slurry, a first mold section, a second mold section cooperable with said first mold section to at least partially define a mold cavity corresponding to the shape of the member, means connected with at least one of said mold sections for effecting relative movement between said mold sections, means for forming a trough connected in fluid communication with and opening downwardly toward the mold cavity to direct slurry from said container means into the mold cavity to thereby flood the mold cavity and to hold slurry in excess of the amount required to flood the mold cavity to thereby provide a head of slurry to compensate for any decrease in the volume of slurry in the mold cavity, means for conducting slurry from said container means to said means for forming a trough, and means connected in fluid communication with said container means for returning the excess slurry to said container means to thereby enable the excess slurry to be mixed in the supply of slurry before being reused.

Claim 3

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for forming a trough includes flexible diaphragm means which is movable between a first position extending downwardly toward an opening to the mold cavity to thereby at least partially form a trough for holding the excess slurry and a second position extending downwardly away from the opening to the mold cavity to thereby enable the excess slurry to flow away from the opening toward said means for returning the excess slurry to said container means.

Claim 4

Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for returning the excess slurry to said container means includes a receptacle having an outer side disposed outwardly of an outer edge portion of said diaphragm means, said diaphragm means in said second position extending outwardly and downwardly toward said outer side of said receptacle so that the excess slurry will flow off the diaphragm into said receptacle.

Claim 5

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including suction means for drawing liquid from the slurry in the mold cavity to promote the formation of the member.

Claim 6

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including piston and cylinder means for moving said second mold section relative to said first mold section and means operatively interconnecting said second mold section and said piston and cylinder means for enabling relative movement to occur between said second mold section and said piston and cylinder means.

Claim 7

Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 further including a press member fixedly connected to said piston and cylinder means and movable relative to said second mold section between a first position spaced apart from the member being formed in the mold cavity and a second position engaging the member being formed in the mold cavity and spaced a predetermined distance from a mold surface on said first mold section to thereby form a portion of the member in the mold cavity with a thickness corresponding to the predetermined distance.

Claim 8

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for forming a trough is operable between a first condition for holding excess slurry to provide a head of slurry on the mold cavity and a second condition in which the head of slurry is removed from the mold cavity, said apparatus further including means for operating said means for forming a trough between said first and second conditions and selectively adjustable timer means for determining the length of time said means for forming a trough is maintained in said first condition before being operated to said second condition.

Claim 9

Apparatus for forming a member from a slurry of material to be deposited to form the member, said apparatus comprising a base, a first mold section operatively connected with said base, a second mold section operatively connected with said base and cooperable with said first mold section to form a mold cavity corresponding to the shape of the member, flexible diaphragm means extending around said first mold section and having an inner edge portion operatively connected to said first mold section, first drive means operatively connected to said base for providing relative movement between said first mold section and said diaphragm means to operate said diaphragm means between a first position in which said diaphragm means at least partially forms a trough connected in fluid communication with the mold cavity and extending around said first mold section and a second position in which said diaphragm means extends downwardly, second drive means operatively connected to said base for providing relative movement between said first and second mold sections to thereby move said first and second mold sections between an open position and a closed position in which said first and second mold sections cooperate to form the mold cavity, means for supplying a quantity of slurry to the trough when said diaphragm means is in the first position and said first and second mold sections are in the closed position to thereby flood the mold cavity with slurry conducted through an opening connecting the mold cavity in fluid communication with the trough and to enable excess slurry to be held in the trough, suction means operatively connected with at least one of said mold sections for drawing liquid from the slurry in the mold cavity and enabling at least a portion of the excess slurry in the trough to flow into the mold cavity to thereby tend to promote the deposition of material from the slurry in the mold cavity to form the member, and control means connected with said first drive means for effecting operation of said first drive means to operate said diaphragm means from said first position to said second position to thereby enable any excess slurry in the trough to flow away from said first mold section after sufficient material has been deposited in the mold cavity to form the member, said control means including selectively adjustable suction timer means for regulating the duration of operation of said suction means to facilitate controlling the depositing of material from the slurry in the mold cavity.

Claim 10

Apparatus for forming a member from a slurry of material to be deposited to form the member, said apparatus comprising a base, a first mold section operatively connected with said base, a second mold section operatively connected with said base and cooperable with said first mold section to form a mold cavity corresponding to the shape of the member, flexible diaphragm means extending around said first mold section and having an inner edge portion operatively connected to said first mold section, first drive means operatively connected to said base for providing relative movement between said first mold section and said diaphragm means to operate said diaphragm means between a first position in which said diaphragm means at least partially forms a trough connected in fluid communication with the mold cavity and extending around said first mold section and a second position in which said diaphragm means extends downwardly, second drive means operatively connected to said base for providing relative movement between said first and second mold sections to thereby move said first and second mold sections between an open position and a closed position in which said first and second mold sections cooperate to form the mold cavity, means for supplying a quantity of slurry to the trough when said diaphragm means is in the first position and said first and second mold sections are in the closed position to thereby flood the mold cavity with slurry conducted through an opening connecting the mold cavity in fluid communication with the trough and to enable excess slurry to be held in the trough, suction means operatively connected with at least one of said mold sections for drawing liquid from the slurry in the mold cavity and enabling at least a portion of the excess slurry in the trough to flow into the mold cavity to thereby tend to promote the deposition of material from the slurry in the mold cavity to form the member, and control means connected with said first drive means for effecting operation of said first drive means to operate said diaphragm means from said first position to said second position to thereby enable any excess slurry in the trough to flow away from said first mold section after sufficient material has been deposited in the mold cavity to form the member, said control means including selectively adjustable suction timer means for regulating the duration of operation of said suction means to facilitate controlling the depositing of material from the slurry in the mold cavity.

Claim 11

Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 further including receptacle means operatively connected with said base and extending around an outer edge portion of said diaphragm means with an outer wall of said receptacle means spaced from the outer edge portion of said diaphragm means whereby any excess slurry in the trough flows over the outer edge portion of said diaphragm means into said receptacle means upon operation of said diaphragm means from said second position to said first position, and pump means connected in fluid communication with said receptacle means for returning slurry from said receptacle means to said means for supplying slurry.

Claim 12

Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said control means further includes selectively adjustable charge timer means for regulating the duration of flow of slurry from said means for supplying slurry into the trough when said diaphragm means is in said first position to thereby facilitate controlling the quantity of slurry which flows into the trough.

Claim 13

Apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said control means further includes secondary charge means for enabling a secondary quantity of slurry to flow into the trough from said means for supplying slurry after operation of said charge timer means and the flow of an initial quantity of slurry into the trough to thereby compensate for any slurry which may flow from the trough into the mold cavity to replace liquid drawn from the slurry by operation of said suction means.

Claim 14

Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said control means further includes secondary charge timer means for regulating the duration of flow of slurry into the trough due to operation of said secondary charge means to thereby facilitate controlling the size of the secondary quantity of slurry.

Claim 15

Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 further including forming means movable relative to said first mold section between a first position spaced apart from the material deposited in the mold cavity to form the member and a second position engaging the material deposited in the mold cavity and spaced a predetermined distance from a mold surface on said first mold section to thereby form a portion of the member in the mold cavity with a thickness corresponding to the predetermined distance.

Claim 16

Apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said control means further includes selectively adjustable timer means for regulating the duration of time for which said forming means is in the second position.

Claim 17

Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said suction means is connected in fluid communication with said second mold section and is operable to urge the member formed in the mold cavity against said second mold section upon movement of said first and second mold sections to the open position in which said second mold section is spaced from and higher than said first mold section whereby the member formed in the mold cavity is maintained in engagement with said second mold section, and shuttle means movable from a position adjacent to one side of said first and second mold sections to a position beneath said second mold section when said first and second mold sections are in the open position, said control means including means for interrupting fluid communication between said suction means and said second mold section when said first and second mold sections are in thE open position and said shuttle means is beneath said second mold section to thereby facilitate depositing the member formed in the mold cavity on said shuttle means.

Claim 18

Apparatus as set forth in claim 15 further including means for supplying fluid under pressure to said second mold section to apply fluid pressure against the member formed in the mold cavity upon interruption of fluid communication between said suction means and said second mold section to thereby further facilitate depositing the member on said shuttle means.

Claim 19

Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein one of said mold sections includes a foraminous mold surface for forming an innermost surface of the member, said suction means being connected in fluid communication with said foraminous mold surface to draw slurry into an innermost end portion of the mold cavity to thereby tend to promote the depositing of material from the slurry at the innermost end portion of the mold cavity.

Claim 20

Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 further including means for supplying fluid under pressure, said control means including means for interrupting fluid communication between said suction means and said second mold section after a sufficient amount of material to form the member has been deposited in the mold cavity and for connecting said second mold section in fluid communication with said means for supplying fluid under pressure to discharge liquid drawn from the slurry from said second mold section.

Claim 23

A method as set forth in claim 19 further including the method step of varying the time for which liquid is drawn from the slurry in the mold cavity to maintain the liquid content of the wet-cake formed in the mold cavity substantially constant even though the liquid content of the slurry varies.

Claim 26

A method as set forth in claim 21 further including the method step of forming an outer surface of the wet-cake in the mold cavity by moving a member into engagement with a portion of the wet-cake exposed at the opening to the mold cavity.

Claim 27

A method as set forth in claim 21 further including the method steps of collecting the slurry in excess of that required to form the member in a receptacle, and pumping the collected slurry from the receptacle to a tank of slurry to enable the collected slurry to be subsequently reused to form another member.

Claim 28

Apparatus for forming a member from a slurry of refractory material, said apparatus comprising a first mold section, a second mold section cooperable with said first mold section to at least partially define a mold cavity corresponding to the shape of the member, means connected with at least one of said mold sections for effecting relative movement between said mold sections, flexible diaphragm means for forming a trough connected in fluid communication with and opening downwardly toward the mold cavity to direct slurry into the mold cavity to thereby flood the mold cavity and to hold slurry in excess of the amount required to flood the mold cavity to thereby provide a head of slurry to compensate for any decrease in the volume of slurry in the mold cavity, suction means operatively connected to at least one of said mold sections for drawing liquid from the slurry in the mold cavity for a predetermined time period, and suction timer means connected with said suction means for selectively adjusting the predetermined time period for which liquid is drawn from the slurry in the mold cavity.

Claim 29

Apparatus for forming a member from a slurry of refractory material, said apparatus comprising a first mold section, a second mold section cooperable with said first mold section to at least partially define a mold cavity corresponding to the shape of the member, means connected with at least one of said mold sections for effecting relative movement between said mold sections, flexible diaphragm means for forming a trough connected in fluid communication with and opening downwardly toward the mold cavity to direct slurry into the mold cavity to thereby flood the mold cavity and to hold slurry in excess of the amount required to flood the mold cavity to thereby provide a head of slurry to compensate for any decrease in the volume of slurry in the mold cavity, suction means operatively connected to at least one of said mold sections for drawing liquid from the slurry in the mold cavity for a predetermined time period, and suction timer means connected with said suction means for selectively adjusting the predetermined time period for which liquid is drawn from the slurry in the mold cavity.

Claim 30

Apparatus as set forth in claim 24 further including drive means for moving said first and second mold sections between a first position in which said means for forming a trough is ineffective to direct slurry into the mold cavity and a second position in which said means for forming a trough is effective to direct slurry into the mold cavity, and control means for initiating operation of said suction means and said suction timer means upon flooding of the mold cavity with slurry while said first and second mold sections are in the second position and for effecting operation of said drive means to move said first and second mold sections from the first position to the second position during the predetermined time period during which liquid is drawn from the slurry in the mold cavity.

Claim 31

Apparatus as set forth in claim 25 further including selectively adjustable timer means for controlling the period of time for which said first and second mold sections remain in the second position before being moved to the first position under the influence of said drive means.

Claim 32

Apparatus for forming a member from a slurry of refractory material, said apparatus comprising a first mold section, a second mold section cooperable with said first mold section to form a mold cavity corresponding to the shape of the member, means connected with at least one of said mold sections for effecting relative movement between said mold sections, flexible diaphragm means for forming a trough connected in fluid communication with and opening downwardly toward the mold cavity to direct slurry into the mold cavity to thereby flood the mold cavity and to hold slurry in excess of the amount required to flood the mold cavity to thereby provide a head of slurry to compensate for any decrease in the volume of slurry in the mold cavity, means connected in fluid communication with the trough for supplying slurry to the trough including valve means operable between a closed condition and an open condition to control a flow of slurry to the trough, and charge timer means connected with said valve means for effecting operation of said valve means to the closed condition after said valve means has been in the open condition for a predetermined time period, said charge timer means being selectively adjustable to vary the predetermined time period to thereby facilitate regulating the amount of slurry supplied to the trough.

Claim 33

Apparatus for forming a member from a slurry of refractory material, said apparatus comprising a first mold section, a second mold section cooperable with said first mold section to form a mold cavity corresponding to the shape of the member, means connected with at least one of said mold sections for effecting relative movement between said mold sections, flexible diaphragm means for forming a trough connected in fluid communication with and opening downwardly toward the mold cavity to direct slurry into the mold cavity to thereby flood the mold cavity and to hold slurry in excess of the amount required to flood the mold cavity to thereby provide a head of slurry to compensate for any decrease in the volume of slurry in the mold cavity, means connected in fluid communication with the trough for supplying slurry to the trough including valve means operable between a closed condition and an open condition to control a flow of slurry to the trough, and charge timer means connected with said valve means for effecting operation of said valve means to the closed condition after said valve means has been in the open condition for a predetermined time period, said charge timer means being selectively adjustable to vary the predetermined time period to thereby facilitate regulating the amount of slurry supplied to the trough.

Claim 34

Apparatus as set forth in claim 27 wherein said charge timer means includes primary timer means for effecting oPeration of said valve means from the open condition to the closed condition after a first predetermined period to thereby regulate the amount of slurry supplied to the trough in a primary charge of slurry and secondary timer means for effecting operation of said valve means from the closed condition to the open condition after the primary charge of slurry is supplied to the trough to thereby supply a secondary charge of slurry to the trough, said secondary timer means being operable to effect operation of said valve means from the open condition to the closed condition after a predetermined time period to thereby regulate the amount of slurry supplied to the trough in a secondary charge of slurry.

Claim 35

Apparatus as set forth in claim 28 further including suction means operatively connected to at least one of said mold sections for drawing liquid from the slurry in the mold cavity for a predetermined time period during which the primary and secondary charges of slurry are supplied to the trough, and suction timer means for selectively adjusting the predetermined time period for which liquid is drawn from the slurry in the mold cavity by said suction means.

Claim 36

Apparatus as set forth in claim 27 further including suction means operatively connected to at least one of said mold sections for drawing liquid from the slurry in the mold cavity for a predetermined time period, and suction timer means for selectively adjusting the predetermined time period during which liquid is drawn from the slurry in the mold cavity.

Claim 37

Apparatus as set forth in claim 27 further including drive means for moving said first and second mold sections between a first position in which said means for forming a trough is ineffective to direct slurry into the mold cavity and a second position in which said means for forming a trough is effective to direct slurry into the mold cavity, and control means for effecting operation of said valve means to the open condition and for initiating operation of said charge timer means upon movement of said first and second mold sections to the second position.