Rigging system for casting railcar coupler parts

Abstract

A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles is provided. The rigging system comprises cope and drag portions of a mold, a down sprue defined in said cope portion, at least one riser defined in said mold, at least two ingates defined at least partially in said mold and connected to said at least one riser, at least two knuckle mold cavities defined in said mold, and wherein said ingates have a non-circular shape.

1 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 cope and drag portions of a mold;   a down sprue defined in said cope portion;   at least one riser defined in said mold;   at least two ingates defined at least partially in said mold and connected to said at least one riser;   at least two knuckle mold cavities defined in said mold; and   wherein said ingates have a non-circular shape.   
     
     
         2 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said drag portion includes knuckle cavities that match knuckle cavities defined in said cope portion. 
     
     
         3 . The rigging system of  claim 2 , wherein said at least two ingates are partially defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         4 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said ingates are oval shaped. 
     
     
         5 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said ingates are teardrop shaped. 
     
     
         6 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said ingates have a length of less than about 2″. 
     
     
         7 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional area of each ingate is at least about 14 square inches. 
     
     
         8 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said cope and drag portions are air set molds. 
     
     
         9 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein the volume of said at least one riser is at least about 300 cubic inches. 
     
     
         10 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein the height of said at least one riser is at least about 12″. 
     
     
         11 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said ingates feed the front face of said knuckle mold cavities. 
     
     
         12 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second riser;   at least two ingates defined at least partially in said mold and connected to said second riser; and   at least four knuckle mold cavities defined in said mold.   
     
     
         13 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second riser;   at least two ingates defined at least partially in said mold and connected to said second riser; and   at least four knuckle mold cavities defined in said mold.   
     
     
         14 . The rigging system of  claim 12 , wherein said at least two ingates are defined at least partially in said drag portion. 
     
     
         15 . The rigging system of  claim 12 , further comprising a core having a hollow body;
 a top with a first opening defined therein;   a bottom having an outer wall; and   second and third openings defined opposite each other in the side wall of the body.   
     
     
         16 . The rigging system of  claim 15 , wherein said first opening matches a down sprue defined in a cope portion of said mold. 
     
     
         17 . The rigging system of  claim 16 , wherein said outer bottom wall is shaped to match a well defined in said drag of said mold. 
     
     
         18 . The rigging system of  claim 16 , wherein said second and third openings are designed to feed into first and second risers defined in said mold. 
     
     
         19 . The rigging system of  claim 14 , wherein said outer wall of said bottom of said core includes a first extension defined thereon. 
     
     
         20 . The rigging system of  claim 15 , wherein said first extension is shaped to match an opening defined in said drag portion of said mold. 
     
     
         21 . The rigging system of  claim 16 , wherein said first extension is cylindrical. 
     
     
         22 . The rigging system of  claim 16 , further comprising a second extension defined on said side wall of said core. 
     
     
         23 . The rigging system of  claim 18 , wherein said second extension is a cylindrical trough. 
     
     
         24 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said down sprue is tapered. 
     
     
         25 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said down sprue has an internal diameter of at least 1.4″. 
     
     
         26 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said down sprue has a cross-sectional area of at least 1.5 square inches. 
     
     
         27 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said cope and drag sections are comprised of sand, and the final sand-to-metal ratio of a finished casting is less than 2.5:1. 
     
     
         28 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 cope and drag portions of a mold;   a down sprue defined in said cope portion;   at least one riser defined in said mold;   at least two ingates defined in said mold and connected to said at least one riser;   at least two knuckle mold cavities defined in said mold; and   wherein said ingates include a bottom surface and said bottom surface forms an obtuse angle with a side wall of said at least one riser.   
     
     
         29 . The rigging system of  claim 28 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         30 . The rigging system of  claim 29 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said cope portion. 
     
     
         31 . The rigging system of  claim 28 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said cope portion. 
     
     
         32 . The rigging system of  claim 31 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         33 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 cope and drag portions of a mold;   a down sprue defined at least partially in said cope portion;   at least one riser defined in said mold;   at least one ingate defined in said mold and connected to said at least one riser;   at least one knuckle mold cavity defined in said mold; and   wherein said ingate has a non-circular shape.   
     
     
         34 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 cope and drag portions of a mold;   a down sprue defined at least partially in said cope portion;   at least one riser defined in said mold;   at least one ingate defined in said mold and connected to said at least one riser;   at least one knuckle mold cavity defined in said mold; and   wherein said ingate has a non-circular shape.   
     
     
         35 . The rigging system of  claim 34 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         36 . The rigging system of  claim 35 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said cope portion. 
     
     
         37 . The rigging system of  claim 34 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said cope portion. 
     
     
         38 . The rigging system of  claim 37 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         39 . The rigging system of  claim 34 , wherein said ingate is teardrop shaped. 
     
     
         40 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 cope and drag portions of a mold;   a down sprue defined at least partially in said cope portion;   at least one riser defined in said mold;   at least one ingate defined in said mold and connected to said at least one riser;   at least one knuckle mold cavity defined in said mold; and   wherein said ingate includes a bottom surface and said bottom surface forms an obtuse angle with a side wall of said at least one riser.   
     
     
         41 . The rigging system of  claim 40 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         42 . The rigging system of  claim 41 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said cope portion. 
     
     
         43 . The rigging system of  claim 40 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said cope portion. 
     
     
         44 . The rigging system of  claim 43 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         45 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 cope and drag portions of a mold, said drag portion having an outside bottom wall;   a down sprue defined at least partially in said cope;   at least one riser defined in said mold, said riser having a bottom wall defined in said drag portion;   at least one ingate defined in said mold and connected to said at least one riser;   at least one knuckle cavity defined in said mold;   at least one runner defined in said mold, said at least one runner connected to said riser and having a bottom wall, the distance between said bottom wall of said riser and said outside bottom wall of said drag being less than the distance between said bottom wall of said riser and said outside bottom wall.   
     
     
         46 . The rigging system of  claim 45 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         47 . The rigging system of  claim 46 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said cope portion. 
     
     
         48 . The rigging system of  claim 45 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said cope portion. 
     
     
         49 . The rigging system of  claim 48 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         50 . The rigging system of  claim 45 , further comprising a well connected to said down sprue, wherein said at least one runner connects said well to said riser. 
     
     
         51 . The rigging system of  claim 50 , wherein said well includes a bottom wall defined in said drag, the distance between said bottom wall of said well and said outside bottom wall of said drag being less than the distance between said bottom wall of said riser and said outside bottom wall. 
     
     
         52 . The rigging system of  claim 50 , wherein said at least one runner has a non-circular cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
         53 . The rigging system of  claim 50 , further comprising at least one knuckle cavity, said knuckle cavity having a top wall defined in said cope portion and a bottom wall defined in said drag portion, said at least one knuckle cavity being connected to said riser by at least one ingate. 
     
     
         54 . The rigging system of  claim 50 , further comprising at least one ingate connecting said at least one riser to said at least one knuckle cavity, said the majority of the cross sectional area of at least one ingate being positioned below a horizontal line of symmetry of said at least one knuckle cavity. 
     
     
         55 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 cope and drag portions of a mold, said drag portion having an outside bottom wall;   a down sprue defined at least partially in said cope portion;   at least one riser defined in said mold, said riser having a bottom wall defined in said drag portion;   at least one ingate defined in said mold and connected to said at least one riser;   at least one knuckle cavity defined in said mold;   at least one runner defined in said mold, said at least one runner connected to said riser and having a bottom wall, the distance between said bottom wall and said outside bottom wall being less than the distance between said bottom wall of said riser and said outside bottom wall.   
     
     
         56 . The rigging system of  claim 55 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said cope portion. 
     
     
         57 . The rigging system of  claim 56 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         58 . The rigging system of  claim 55 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         59 . The rigging system of  claim 58 , wherein said at least two ingates are at least partially defined in said cope portion. 
     
     
         60 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 cope and drag portions of a mold, said drag portion having an outside bottom wall;   a down sprue defined at least partially in said cope portion;   a well with a bottom wall defined in said drag portion;   at least one riser defined in said mold, said riser having a bottom wall defined in said drag portion; and   the distance between said bottom wall of said well and said outside bottom wall being less than the distance between said bottom wall of said riser and said outside bottom wall.   
     
     
         61 . The rigging system of  claim 60 , further comprising at least one knuckle cavity connected to said at least one riser by at least one ingate. 
     
     
         62 . The rigging system of  claim 61 , wherein said knuckle cavity has top and bottom walls and said at least one ingate has a bottom wall, said bottom wall of said at least one ingate being within 5″ of said bottom wall of said knuckle cavity. 
     
     
         63 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 cope and drag portions of a mold, said drag portion having an outside bottom wall;   a down sprue defined at least partially in said cope portion;   a well with a bottom wall defined in said drag portion;   at least one riser defined in said mold, said riser having a bottom wall defined in said drag portion; and   at least one ingate connected to said riser, said ingate positioned on a side wall of said riser and within about 2″ from said bottom wall of said riser.   
     
     
         64 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 cope and drag portions of a mold;   at least one riser defined in said mold;   at least one knuckle cavity defined in said cope and drag portions and having a horizontal line of symmetry; and   at least one ingate defined in said mold and being connected to said knuckle cavity such that said ingate is offset below said horizontal line of symmetry of said knuckle cavity.   
     
     
         65 . (canceled) 
     
     
         66 . (canceled) 
     
     
         67 . (canceled) 
     
     
         68 . (canceled) 
     
     
         69 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 a cope portion;   a drag portion;   a down sprue core;   said cope portion having a down sprue defined at least partially therein, said drag portion having a bottom wall;   said drag portion having a core seat defined therein, said core seat shaped to accept said down sprue core;   said cope and drag portions having corresponding knuckle cavity sections defined therein, said knuckle cavity sections being aligned when said cope and drag portions are closed together to form at least one knuckle cavity;   at least one runner defined in said mold and being angled upwards as compared to said bottom wall of said drag portion;   at least one riser defined in said mold and connected to said at least one runner; and   at least one ingate connecting said at least one riser to said at least one knuckle cavity.   
     
     
         70 . The rigging system of  claim 69 , wherein said down sprue core comprises:
 a body with a side wall;   a first opening in a top wall of said body;   a second opening in a bottom wall of said body;   a channel defined through said body connecting said first and said second openings; and   at least one channel defined in said bottom wall.   
     
     
         71 . The rigging system of  claim 70 , further comprising at least one filter seat defined in said bottom wall. 
     
     
         72 . The rigging system of  claim 71 , wherein said at least one channel is shaped to match said runner defined in said mold. 
     
     
         73 . The rigging system of  claim 72 , wherein said filter seat is connected to said at least one channel. 
     
     
         74 . The rigging system of  claim 70 , further comprising a plurality of channels defined in said bottom wall of said down sprue core. 
     
     
         75 . The rigging system of  claim 74 , further comprising a plurality of filter seats defined in said bottom wall of said down sprue core. 
     
     
         76 . The rigging system of  claim 70 , further comprising at least one channel defined in said side wall of said down sprue core. 
     
     
         77 . The rigging system of  claim 76 , wherein said at least one channel defined in said side wall is connected to said at least channel defined in said bottom wall of said down sprue core. 
     
     
         78 . The rigging system of  claim 77 , wherein said at least one channel defined in said side wall is shaped to form a portion of a vertical wall of said at least one riser. 
     
     
         79 . The rigging system of  claim 78 , further comprising at least one filter seat defined in said bottom wall. 
     
     
         80 . The rigging system of  claim 79 , wherein said at least one channel is shaped to match a runner defined in said drag portion. 
     
     
         81 . The rigging system of  claim 80 , wherein said filter seat is connected to said at least one channel. 
     
     
         82 . The rigging system of  claim 81 , further comprising a plurality of channels defined in said bottom wall of said core. 
     
     
         83 . The rigging system of  claim 82 , further comprising a plurality of filter seats defined in said bottom wall of said core. 
     
     
         84 . The rigging system of  claim 83 , further comprising a plurality of channels defined in said side wall of said core. 
     
     
         85 . The rigging system of  claim 84 , wherein when said core is in place in said core seat of said mold, said plurality of filter seats defined in said bottom wall of said core are each aligned with said one of said plurality of said filter seats defined in said mold and said plurality of channels defined in said bottom wall of said core are each aligned with one of said plurality of channels defined in said mold. 
     
     
         86 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one riser has a bottom wall and an exit point of said down sprue is lower in said mold than said bottom wall of said riser. 
     
     
         87 . The rigging system of  claim 1 , wherein said drag portion has a bottom outside wall, said at least one riser has a bottom wall, and said down sprue has an exit point, the distance from exit point of said down sprue to said bottom outside wall of said drag being less than the distance from the bottom wall of said riser to said bottom outside wall of said drag portion. 
     
     
         88 . (canceled) 
     
     
         89 . A rigging system for casting railcar coupler knuckles, said rigging system comprising:
 a mold comprising a cope portion and a drag portion, said drag portion having an outside bottom wall;   a down sprue defined in said mold;   at least one runner defined in said mold;   at least one riser defined in said mold and connected to said runner;   at least one knuckle cavity defined in said mold and connected to said riser by at least one ingate;   wherein the distance between the connection point of said runner to said riser and said outside bottom wall of said drag is less than the distance from the bottom of the ingate to the outside bottom wall of said drag.   
     
     
         90 . The rigging system of  claim 89 , wherein the distance from the topmost point of the connection between said runner and said riser to the bottom outside wall is less than the distance from the bottommost point of said ingate to said outside bottom wall. 
     
     
         91 . The rigging system of  claim 69 , further comprising at least one filter positioned said drag portion, said filter being entirely below a bottom wall of said knuckle cavity. 
     
     
         92 . The rigging system of  claim 69 , further comprising at least one filter, said filter being positioned lower in said drag portion than a bottom wall of said knuckle cavity. 
     
     
         93 . The rigging system of  claim 69 , further comprising a filter, wherein the distance from said filter to said bottom wall of said drag is less than the distance from said bottom wall of said knuckle cavity to said bottom wall of said drag.