The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Casting processes for forming articles using molds and cores employ casting chambers including outer molds and inner core elements each having features and reliefs that form details, recesses, and cavities in a casting when molten material such as liquid metal is poured into the mold. One casting formed by such a casting process is an engine block formed from molten cast iron or molten aluminum alloys. Inner core elements can be constructed from bonded sand. The inner core elements are extracted from the casting subsequent to the forming process. Portions of the casting may be subject to high-stress in-use, and it may be desirable to impart varying metallurgical properties to those portions. For example, a time-rate of removal of thermal energy from liquid metal during casting affects grain structure, with increased cooling and solidification of the poured liquid metal leading to an improvement, in general, of material properties such as tensile strength, fatigue strength, and in some cases machinability.
Known casting processes use thermal chill devices in proximity to specific portions of a casting in place of or in conjunction with features on the mold and core elements. This includes using chill devices at bulkheads and crankshaft bearing surfaces on engine blocks.
Known casting processes can include quiescently feeding molten metal upwards into a casting chamber in a counter-gravity fill process. The casting process can include subsequently inverting the casting chamber to allow molten metal to gravity-feed into the inverted casting chamber to fully form the casting.