Slide closure mechanism for casting vessels for liquid metallic melts

Claim 2

A slide closure mechanism for casting vessels or the like, comprising a bottom block having a melt throughflow opening provided for the casting vessel, said throughflow opening including a substantially circular-shaped inlet portion, a base plate, a movable slide plate movable in two directions and a discharge member cooperating with said bottom block, said base plate, movable slide plate and discharge member each having a respective opening for passage of the melt, said opening of said base plate communicating with the interior of the casting vessel via said throughflow opening of said bottom block, said opening of said base plate and said opening of said slide plate each possessing a substantially elongate cross-sectional configuration, the primary direction of extension of said base plate- and slide plate-openings is substantially transverse to the directions of movement of said movable slide plate, said opening of said discharge member and said opening of said bottom block likewise possessing a substantially elongate crosssectional configuration at least at the interface regions thereof directly neighboring said slide plate and base plate, respectively, said discharge member- and bottom block- openings at said neighboring regions likewise possessing a primary direction of extension which is substantially parallel to said primary direction of extension of said openings of said slide plate and base plate, the cross-sectional area of said opening of said discharge member reducing in the flow direction of the melt, said throughflow opening of said bottom block being defined by a bottom block sleeve member carried by said bottom block and possessing said circular-shaped inlet portion, said elongate cross-sectional configuration of said throughflow opening of said bottom block having two axes of different length, said throughflow opening narrowing in the flow direction of the melt, and wherein narrowing of said throughflow opening is realized by reducing the length of that one axis of the circular-shaped inlet portion of the throughflow opening which is situated in a plane containing the shorter axis of said substantially elongate crosssectional configured opening of said bottom block at the region neighboring said base plate.

Claim 3

A slide closure mechanism for casting vessels or the like, comprising a bottom block having a melt throughflow opening provided for the casting vessel , said throughflow opening including a substantially circular-shaped inlet portion, a base plate, a movable slide plate movable in two directions and a discharge member cooperating with said bottom block, said base plate, movable slide plate and discharge member each having a respective opening for passage of the melt, said opening of said base plate communicating with the interior of the casting vessel via said throughflow opening of said bottom block, said opening of said base plate and said opening of said slide plate each possessing a substantially elongate cross-sectional configuration, wherein the primary direction of extension of said base plate- and slide plate- openings is substantially transverse to the directions of movement of said movable slide plate, said opening of said discharge member and said opening of said bottom block likewise possessing a substantially elongate cross-sectional configuration at least at the interface regions thereof directly neighboring said slide plate and base plate, respectively, said discharge member- and bottom block- openings at said neighboring regions likewise possessing a primary direction of extension which is substantially parallel to said primary direction of extension of said openings of said slide plate and base plate, the cross-sectional area of said opening of said discharge member reducing in the flow direction of the melt, said opening of said discharge member possessing the same cross-sectional shape over its entire length, and both axes of said opening of the discharge member possessing said substantially elongate cross-sectional configuration at least at the interface region thereof neighboring said slide plate simultaneously reducing in the flow direction of the melt.

Claim 4

A slide closure mechanism for casting vessels or the like, comprising a bottom block having a melt throughflow opening provided for the casting vessel , said throughflow opening including a substantially circular-shaped inlet portion, a base plate, a movable slide plate movable in two directions and a discharge member cooperating with said bottom block, said base plate, movable slide plate and discharge member each having a respective opening for passage of the melt, said opening of said base plate communicating with the interior of the casting vessel via said throughflow opening of said bottom block, said opening of said base plate and said opening of said slide plate each possessing a substantially elongate cross-sectional configuration, wherein the primary direction of extension of said base plate- and slide plate- openings is substantially transverse to the directions of movement of said movable slide plate, said opening of said discharge member and said opening of said bottom block likewise possessing a substantially elongate cross-sectional configuration at least at the interface regions thereof directly neighboring said slide plate and base plate, respectively, said discharge member- and bottom block- openings at said neighboring regions likewise possessing a primary direction of extension which is substantially parallel to said primary direction of extension of said openings of said slide plate and base plate, the cross-sectional area of said opening of said discharge member reducing in the flow direction of the melt, said opening of said discharge member possessing the same cross-sectional shape over its entire length, and both axes of said opening of the discharge member possessing said substantially elongate cross-sectional configuration at least at the interface region thereof neighboring said slide plate simultaneously reducing in the flow direction of the melt.

Claim 5

The slide closure mechanism as defined in claim 2, further including means for rigidly connecting said discharge member with said movable slide plate.

Claim 6

A slide closure mechanism for casting vessels or the like, comprising a bottom block equipped with a melt through-flow opening provided for the casting vessel, said bottom block throughflow opening including an inlet portion and an outlet portion, said throughflow opening possessing a substantially circular-shaped cross-sectional configuration at the region of said inlet portion, the length of at least one of the axes of said throughflow opening reducing in the flow direction of the melt in the direction of said outlet portion, to thereby define a substantially elliptical-shaped throughflow opening at the region of said outlet portion, a base plate, a movable slide plate movable in two directions and a discharge member cooperating with said bottom block, said base plate, movable slide plate and discharge member each having a respective opening for passage of the melt, said opening of said base plate communicating with the interior of the casting vessel via said throughflow opening of said bottom block, said opening of said base plate and said opening of said slide plate each possessing a substantially elliptical cross-sectional configuration, wherein the major axis of said elliptical-shaped openings of said base plate and slide plate extend in a direction which is substantially transverse to the directions of movement of said movable slide plate, said opening of said discharge member likewise possessing a substantially elliptical cross-sectional configuration at least at the region thereof directly neighboring said slide plate, said respective elliptical-shaped openings of said discharge member and bottom block likewise possessing a major axis which extends substantially parallel with respect to the respective major axis of each of said elliptical-shaped openings of said slide plate and base plate, said discharge member having an outlet portion approaching a circular-shaped configuration, the cross-sectional area of said opening of said discharge member reducing in the flow direction of the melt, and wherein the cross-sectional area of the opening of the discharge member reduces in the flow direction of the melt by virtue of the fact that the major axis thereof decreases in size in the direction of the outlet portion approaching said circular-shaped configuration.

Claim 7

A slide closure mechanism for casting vessels or the like, comprising a bottom block equipped with a melt through-flow opening provided for the casting vessel, said bottom block throughflow opening including an inlet portion and an outlet portion, said throughflow opening possessing a substantially circular-shaped cross-sectional configuration at the region of said inlet portion, the length of at least one of the axes of said throughflow opening reducing in the flow direction of the melt in the direction of said outlet portion, to thereby define a substantially elliptical-shaped throughflow opening at the region of said outlet portion, a base plate, a movable slide plate movable in two directions and a discharge member cooperating with said bottom block, said base plate, movable slide plate and discharge member each having a respective opening for passage of the melt, said opening of said base plate communicating with the interior of the casting vessel via said throughflow opening of said bottom block, said opening of said base plate and said opening of said slide plate each possessing a substantially elliptical cross-sectional configuration, wherein the major axis of said elliptical-shaped openings of said base plate and slide plate extend in a direction which is substantially transverse to the directions of movement of said movable slide plate, said opening of said discharge member likewise possessing a substantially elliptical cross-sectional configuration at least at the region thereof directly neighboring said slide plate, said respective elliptical-shaped openings of said discharge member and bottom block likewise possessing a major axis which extends substantially parallel with respect to the respective major axis of each of said elliptical-shaped openings of said slide plate and base plate, said discharge member having an outlet portion approaching a circular-shaped configuration, the cross-sectional area of said opening of said discharge member reducing in the flow direction of the melt, and wherein the cross-sectional area of the opening of the discharge member reduces in the flow direction of the melt by virtue of the fact that the major axis thereof decreases in size in the direction of the outlet portion approaching said circular-shaped configuration.

Claim 8

The slide closure mechanism as defined in claim 4, wherein the decrease of the major axis of the opening of the discharge member is a function of the increasing distance from the interface between the discharge member and the slide plate.