Apparatus for simplified production of heat treatable aluminum alloy castings with artificial self-aging

Abstract

Apparatus for simplified heat-treatment in making aluminum alloys castings of the type improved by aging, especially for automotive engine heads, etc. The newly solidified castings have an end product (workpiece) portion and a riser portion (ultimately cut off as waste). The apparatus transfers the casting oriented to selectively quench the workpiece portion from solution temperatures down to about 120° C. (e.g. by water misting the workpiece, while maintaining the essentially unsprayed riser portion at relatively significantly higher temperatures). After the quench, the residual heat retained by the riser portion reheats the workpiece portion (by internal heat conduction) and maintains it for an effective time within the temperature range for artificial aging (obviating any need for the prior art's aging furnace). Preferably, the quench occurs immediately after the casting mold extraction (without the standard natural cooling, reheating, and solution heat-treatment, all prior to quenching), thus also eliminating any solution heat-treatment furnace.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An apparatus for quenching and artificially aging a hot aluminum alloy casting having a riser portion and a workpiece portion, comprising: 
 a quench unit;    an aging unit;    transfer means for moving at least one casting successively through said units and for positioning such casting in said quench unit in an oriented position;    cooling means for rapidly and selectively quenching the workpiece portion of the casting so oriented in said quench unit largely to the exclusion of the riser portion, which latter will thus initially remain at a relatively higher temperature.    
     
     
         2 . An apparatus according to    claim 1   , wherein said units are part of a continuous processing line; said quench unit is a spray containment housing; said cooling means is at least one liquid quench sprayer directed to impinge directly on essentially only the workpiece portion of the casting presented to it by the transfer means in the oriented position; and said aging unit is an insulated tunnel housing.