Recent Developments

High-velocity mould compacting -- New, high output methods of manufacturing accurate, strong and smooth surfaced moulds, particularly by compacting at high pressures exceeding 10-15 kg/cm2 have recently been evol-ved in the laboratory of Technical High School, Brno, Csechoslovakia.The work was carried out by the casting production faculties the school and the Moscow auto-mechanical institute, USSR. To verify the effect of a major increase in the compacting speed on the process, the energy released by exploding a charge of smokeless powder was used in this research. A punch with two sealing rings moves in a cylinder attached to the frame by two hori-zontal steel plates, which are connected by four columns. Above the punch is a firing chamber, fastened to the cylinder by a bush. A channel in the chamber contains a 12 mm cartridge with a charge of smokeless powder, which is
exploded by a blow from a spring-loaded firing pin on
the firing cap.