Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The preserlt invention rela-tes to an apparatus
employed in tappiny procedures in electric smelting furnaces
and more particularly, for plugging tapping holes therein.
It is well known in the smelting industry to employ
a suitable material such as clay, paste, or the like for plugging
tapping holes which may be conveniently provided at various
locations in the furnace. Typically employed are so-called
tapping guns which may consist of a tube with a piston operated
by a compressor or similar arrangement. Operating pressures on
- the piston typically are in the range 7-14 kg/cm . Pressures on
the plugging clay or paste piston may be as great as 28 kg/cm ,
the pressure requirement being simultaneously a function of the
type of plug paste employed and the smelting product. As will
be apparent, the plug paste is ejected from the gun with great
force.
Known tapping gun apparatus are so designed as to
require filling of the tube through a closable hatch on the tube,
-characteristically located over and slightly in front of the
rearmost or completely retracted position of the piston. The
!O size of the port associated with the typical hatch is, of
necessity, of rather small diameter relative to the volume of
-material which is to be forced therethrough, which volume
generally ranges from about 30-50 liters. Thus, it is seen
that a laborious,
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tedious and time consuming effort is involved, particularly
in view of the necessity to manually operate the piston
many times in order to fill the tube. There is also an
inherent operator risk in this procedure as demonstrated
by the frequency with which individuals actually sustain
injuries to their hands during the course thereo.
In the typical arrangement hereinabove described,
there is yet another drawback which has, again, occasioned
time consuming, laborious and'tedious effort. As will
be appreciated readily, clean7ng of such apparatus has
been troublesome. In fact, in ~'any instances attempts
at cleaning have not been altogether successful, there
remaining a residual of hardened'or compacted-paste ~hich '
' serves to degrade performance of the apparat~us during the
course of subsequent tapping or pl~gglng operations.
A further design characteristic of known apparatus
has been the relatively elaborate means for securing the
typical tapered portion of such apparatus through which
portion the plug paste is propelled. In that such portion,
characteristically referred to as a mouthpiece or portion
and generally fashioned in conical configuration, has
been considered heretofore-as permanently fixed to the
remainder of the gun, there has typically b'een provided
an arrangement of at least four heavy nut a~d bolt
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assemblies. Permanent, in this sense, is a relative term
since the mouthpiece or portion is subject to wear and
occasional damage during the ordinary course of operation
of the gun. Occasionally the mouthpiece is partially
destroyed by liquid metal.
A.ccordingly, it is a general object of the present
invention Uo provide an improved apparatus for plugging
tapping holes in a furnace having design features which
facilitate safe loading, efficient cleaning, maintenance
and repair and further, giving rise to improved operating .
characteristics. ;.-
With this object in view, there is provided apparatus
for plugging holes in an electric smelting furnace or
the like comprising a Eirst tubular member having accessible
openings at the longitudihal extremes thereof, a piston
operatively associated therewith being sized and adapted
to be inserted therein and.displaced along the longi-
tudinal axis thereof, a hatch formed in the tubular member
the hatch being appropriately dimensioned to at least
permit visual inspection of the contents of the tubular
member, a second, generally tubular member having accessible
openings at the longitudinal extremes thereof, a first
accessible opening being dimensioned to be urged into
intimate contact with the periphery of one of the accessible
openings of the first tubular member and a second accessible
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opening being dimensioned accord:ing as the requirements
as pred.efined.by the size of a hole to be plugged., and
means having a first and. a second portion for securing
the second tubular'member to the first tubular member
the means being adapted. to permit the second. tubular
member to be released at a first portion of the securing
means and. pivoted about a second. portion of the securing
means.
,
It is preferred that the second. tubular member or
' 10 mouth portion be of generally conical configuration.
' Preferably, the securing means are constituted.by
- ' substantially id.entical assemblies each of which may
comprise, for example, a hinge and a bolt adapted. to be
releasabLy inserted. therein.
The hatch may serve the dual purposes of permitting
visu~l inspection of the contents of the'main body or
first tubular member of the apparatus, and., if appropriately
sized.,'serving as an alternative entry port for the plugging
paste. The latter is a particularly d.esirable feature in
the event that it should.be the practice to replenish the.
supply of material incrementally rather than infrequently
in larger amounts.
Desirably, a cannister~ e reservoir or container
is provid.ed. appropriately sized. to be load.ed. into the
main body and extracted upon exhaustion of the supply of
,
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plugging paste or other material contained therein. In
this arrangen-ent, the piston head is modified to be
appropriately dimensioned for travel through a tubular
chamber having a smaller diameter bore.
These and other aspects of the present invention
will now be more fully described with reference to the
single drawing figure presented by way of example only,
and in whic~
is shown a somewhat schema-tic cross sectional
view of an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring now to the Fig.,there is shown a main
body ~r first tubular member 1, the chamber or bore of
which is adapted to receive- a-piston 2 and permit its
travel substantially the longitudinal extent thereof.
The piston 2, shown in its retracted or seated position,
may be correspondingly adapted at its outer diameter to ~ _
sealingly engage-the inner diameter of the bore along the
extent of its travel therethrough. A mouthpiece or
portion 3 shown as having a generally conical configuration
is positioned such that the periphery of its larger -
diameter opening sealingly engages the periphery of an
opening at the opposite longitudinal extreme of the main
body or tubular member 1 from that into which is received
the piston 2. The mouthpiece 3 is provided at its
opposite longitudinal extreme with an opening preferably
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sized to correspond to the diameter o~ a hole 10 of an
electric smelting furnace pot 12 to be plu~ged.
- Securing of the generally conical tubular member
: 3 into the position shown is accomplished by means
of assemblies 4, 5 shown as substantially identical
hinge and bolt arrangements. The bolts 5 are preferably
and advantageously tapered.
From an'examination of the drawing figure it will
be apparent that the assemblies 4, 5 additionally serve
the purpose of allowing the mouthpiece 3 to be pivotally
disen2aged from the tubular member l. A given tapered
bolt 5 may be readily removed while its counterpart is
maintained in its associated hinge 4. `
A hatch 6 may be provided in tubular member 1.
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Provision thereof isnot essential to proper operation
of the apparatus. Rather, opening of the hatch 6 may
facilitate visual inspection of the inter or of the
tubular member 1. Accordingly, the port beneath the
hatch 6 may be sized correspondingly small. If it is
desired that the hatch 6 additionally serve as an
alternative entry port for a material to be used in
a plugging operation, the port may be somewhat larger
in diameter.
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In the preferred embodiment a prepacked cylinder
or cartridge 7, preferably of a material such as plastic
cardboard or the like may be praced into the tubular
member or main body 1. The out~er diameter of the cart-
lidge 7 should be somewhat smaller than the inner diameter
of the tubular member 1 as will be apparent. The diameter
of the head of the piston 2 is.sized according as the
requirement to pass freely through the tubular member 1,
or alternatively, the cylinder 7.
In plugging operations the apparatus is connected
to a source of compressed air or hydraulic cylinder (not
shown) or other appropriate actuating means by means of
a piston rod 8. The piston 2 is caused to be propelled
forward through the tubular member 1 to propel the
plugging m2terial through the opening in mouth portion
3 whereby a plugging operation is completed.
In the preferred filling operation, the mouthpiece
- 3 is partially released from one of the hinges 4 by re-
moval of an associated bolt 5. The mouthpiece 3 may
then be pivoted about the opposing assembly 4, 5 to
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allow complete or partial Eilling of the tubular member
1 or, alternatively, the insertion of a canister 7
therein.
In a cleaning operation, the mouthpiece 3 is
partially released and. pivoted.in precisely the same
manner as that required for fi~ling operation. Resid.ual
material may then be pushed backward.by insertion of
an appropriate rod through the smaller d.iameter
accessible opening in the mouthpiece 3. It will be
apparent that another technique for cleaning might be
employed in that there are two accessible openings.
Cleaning of the tubular member-l is accomplished. in a
well known manner.
' Rep].acement or repair of the mouthpiece 3 is
accomplished by removing both bolts 5 from their
associated hinges 4 and. completely removing the mouth-
piece 3.
- It will be und.erstood that the claims are intend.ed
to cover all changes and. modifications of the preferred
20 embodiment of the invention, herein chosen for the pur- .
pose of illustration, which d.o not constitute departures
from the spirit and. scbpe of the, invention.
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