Apparatus for metering liquid flow discharge

Claim 1

Apparatus for repetitively dispensing a predetermined amount of liquid metal for use with a metal melting furnace comprising a vessel defining a chamber to hold liquid metal, said vessel being partly submerged in a container of the liquid to be discharged, said chamber having a liquid inlet below the level of the liquid in said container through which liquid enters to at least partially fill said chamber, means defining a discharge channel disposed adjacent and in fluid communication with said chamber, said discharge channel having a pouring orifice at one end remote from said chamber, and said discharge channel defining means partly immersed in said liquid, means applying a uniform fluid pressure to a surface of said liquid metal in said chamber to cause the liquid metal to be discharged from said chamber through said discharge channel, a pour flow detector means positioned adjacent said pouring orifice for detecting the presence of liquid metal discharging from said orifice, actuating means operatively connected to said pour flow detector means and responsive to the start of liquid metal discharge from said orifice as sensed by said pour flow detector means for causing said fluid pressure applying means to maintain metal discharge only for a preset time interval through said orifice, thereby discharging a predetermined amount of liquid metal from said chamber regardless of the initial level of the liquid metal in said chamber, said discharge channel having an inlet end which, in one position, engages and precludes liquid flow between said container and said vessel through said chamber inlet while establishing liquid communication between said chamber and said discharge channel and, in a second position, is remote from and opens said chamber inlet to liquid flow from said container, and means for moving said discharge channel defining means between said first and second positions.