Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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23343-140
Apparatus for exchan~_n~_a pourin~ tube
The invention relates to an apparatus for exchangi.ng a
pouring tube in communication with the outlet valve of a
metallurgical vessel and is concerned with that type of
such apparatus which has a pivot arm which is mounted to
5. pivot about vertical and horizontal axes and which at one
end carries a mounting for supporting the pouring tube and
whose other end cooperates with force exerting means arranged
to press the pouring tube into contact with the outlet valve.
Such an apparatus is disclosed in British Patent
10. No. 1157818 in which a threaded bolt is secured to the floor
of the metallurgical vessel and serves as a vertical pivotal
axis. The bolt rotatably carries a bifurcated threaded sleeve
which carries the pivot arm on a pivotal shaft about which
the arm may tilt horizontall.y which in turn carries the
15. pouring tube. The pivot arm is also connected to the
vessel floor via a clamping lock on which the tilting
movement Eor moving the pouring tube towards or away from
the vessel outlet is performed which is in no way appropriate
to modern day operational requirements because the handling
20. of a elamping lock, particularly in moments of danger, is
mueh too complicated. Furthermore,tilting of the pouring
tube cannot be avoided when pressing the pouring tube in
contact with the vessel outlet. There is also the danger
that if one over-tightens the clamping lock uncontrolled
25. forces may be exerted which can easily break some part of
the apparatus. Finally, lateral pivoting of the pouring
tube and the pivot arm is not possible without first releas-
ing the clamping lock.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an
30- improved apparatus which may be more simply and rapidly used
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and ensures that the pouring tube may be reliably pressed against
the outlet valve.
According to the present invention there is provided
an apparatus for use in replaceably mounting a pouring tube in
engagement with a discharge nozzle of a vessel, said apparatus
comprising
an arm having a longitudinal axis;
means mounting said arm for pivotal movement about a
vertical axis transverse to said longitudinal axis and for tilting
movement about a horizontal axis transverse to said longitudinal
axis;
a fixture on a first end of said arm for supporting a
pouring tube, and
operating means mounted adjacent a second end of said
arm for tilting said arm about said horizontal axis between a
clamping position, whereat a pouring tube supported by said
fixture is pressed against a discharge nozzle of a vessel, and an
open position, whereat the pouring tube is spaced from the
discharge nozzle, and for enabling said arm when in said open
~0 position thereof to be pivoted about said vertical axis between a
first position, whereat the pouring tube is aligned with the
discharge nozzle, to a second position, whereat the pouring tube
is spaced from the discharge nozzle and may be removed from said
fixture, said operating means comprising a toggle joint movable
between an expanded position and a buckled position, spring means
coaxial with said toggle joint in said expanded position thereof
and operable between said arm and said toggle joint for biasing
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said toggle joint to said buckled position thereof, and actuating
means for moving said toggle join-t between said buckled position,
whereat said arm pivots to said open position thereof, and said
expanded position against the biasing force of said spring means
to thereby pivot said arm to said clamping position thereof. The
use of a toggle lever mechanism to move the pivot arm and to exert
the necessary force on the pouring tube to press it against the
outlet valve, means that a pouring tube can be exchanged both
rapidly and safely and with only a few hand movements and in
practice only two hand movements on the actuating member are
necessary for this purpose. The use of a toggle lever cooperating
with spring means is practicable for use in a crude steel works
due to its simple but nevertheless effective construction, in
particular because contamination does not impair its operation.
The use of spring means enables a uniform, resilient and safe
force to be exerted on the pouring tube, pressing its sealing
surface into contact with the opposing sealing surface of the
outlet valve.
The toggle lever mechanism is conveniently carried by a
mounting block adapted to be connected to the floor of the vessel
and the spring means is carried by the pivot arm. In this event
it is preferred that the actuating member is mounted to pivot on
the mounting block about a fixed axis
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and the toggle lever mechanism preferably includes a
member pivotally connected to the actuating member and to
a pressure peg which is guided by the mourlting block to
slide substantially vertically and which engages the
5. spring means. It is also preferred that the spring means
includes a piston which is guided to move coaxially with
the pressure peg and which is acted on by a spring which is
supported by~an adjustable abutment. This latter feature
enables the characteristics of the spring means to be
10. adjusted precisely to requirements whereby the pouring tube
may be pressed against the outlet valve with precisely the
required pressure.
The preferred embodiment of the invention includes a
vertical shaft which is rotatably carried by the mounting
15. block and whose lower end is bifurcated and pivotally carries
the pivot arm on a horizontal shaft. It is further
preferred that the apparatus includes a releasable locking
mechanism arranged to loc~ the vertical shaft in position
with respect to the mounting block. This results not only
20. in a convenient arrangement of the pivot arm and its pivotal
axes but also ensures that the pouring tube can be secured
in its operational position without difficulty.
Further features and details of the invention will be
apparent from the following description of one exemplary
25- embodiment which is given with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an intermediate
vessel whose outlet is controlled by a sliding gate valve
with the pouring tube changing apparatus adjacent to it;
30. Figure 2 is a view in the direction of the arrow A in
Figure l;
Figure 3 is a side view onto the toggle lever joint
of the apparatus on the line B-B in Figure l; and
3~
Figure 4 is a side~view of the apparatus of Figure l.
Figure l shows an inter~ediate vessel 3 which is not
shown in detail with a ~sheet metal floor l and a refractory
lining 2 for use in a co~tinuous casting installation. Steel
5. melt can be discharged ~r'om the vessel via flow opening 4
in an outlet brick 5 through a sliding gate valve 6(which
is only schematically il-lustrated) into a pouring tube 8
connected to the outlet'-7'of the valve 6 and thence into an
ingot mould (not shown) si~ftuated therebelow. The valve 6
lO. serves to permit, to con~rol and to stop the flow of molten
metal through the inlet sleeve 9 in the outlet brick 5.
The pouring tube 8, which is subject to wear and is thus
an exchangeable refractory'i~component, is sealingly connected
to and held against the'~o~wer planar surface of the outlet
15- 7 with the aid-of a changinig apparatus. This apparatus
includes a pivot arm ll càrrying a support sleeve lO adapted
to support the pouring tu~el8, which arm is arranged to be
horizontally rotatable about a vertical pin and vertically
tiltable about a horizontal'shaft 13 which is carried by
20- the bifurcated end l4 of the pin 12. The pin 12 is mounted
in a mounting block 16 secured to a mounting plate 18 of
the vessel floor l by means of screws 15. The support
sleeve lO is supported on gimbals on the pivot arm ll
and one axis l9 of the two'Cardan axes l9 and 20 is also
25. the axis of the connection with the pivo-t arm ll.
- The reaction force to the weight of the pivot arm
ll on the pouring tube side acting about the shaft 13 and
to the force with which the-~pouring tube 8 is pressed against
the outlet is exerted by a ~oggle lever joint 21 which
is carried by the mounting block 16 and acts on a spring
buffer 22 carried within the pivot arm ll on the other side
.
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of the shaft 13. The joint 21, as may be seen in Figure 3,
has an actuating member 24 which is pivoted at one end
about a pi.n 23 carried by the bearing block 16 and has reces-
ses 25 in its flanks which receive a member 27 comprising
5- two clips or fish plates held in position by means of a peg
26. The clip member 27 is for its part coupled by means of a
coupling peg 29 to a pressure peg 30 which extends through a
guide bore 31 in the mounting block 16. The spring buffer
is a preassembled unit including a housing 33 which accommod-
10. ates olate springs 34 supported by an adjustable threadedstop 35 and acting on a piston 32 which is engaged by the
pressure pin 30.
In the position illustrated in Figure l,the toggle
lever mechanism 21 is in the extended configuration and
15- locked in position by virtue of the fact that the actuating
lever 24 has been rotated into the stressing position by means
of a hand grip 36 in the form of a tube which has been slid
over the lever 24~ In this position the pressure peg 30 exerts
a force on the spring buffer 22 and thus also on the pivot arm
20. 11 about the shaft 13 and thus presses the pouring tube 8 against
the outlet 7 of the valve 6. In the stressing position the
pivot arm 11 is lat.erally locked by a locking rod 37 which is
arranged in the mounting block 16 and which extends into a
locking hole 38 in a flanqe 39 on the pin 12 and is located bv
25- an engagement member 40 on it in a locking recess 41 in the
mounting block 16. A further such recess 42 is also provided
in order to secure the locking rod 37 in the unlocked
position in which the arm 11 carrying the pouring tube 8 may
be pivoted laterally. By moving the hand grip 36 in the
30- direction of the arrow 44 the joint peg 26 is moved about
the axis 23 and the togg]e lever mechanism is thereby unlocked
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and the pressure peg 30 moved away from the spring buffer 22.
The pouring tube 8 is thus moved away from the outlet 7 and
the pivot arm 11 moves downwardly and comes into engagement
with an abutment 43 on the mounting block 16 and adopts the
5. position shown in Figure 1 in chain-dotted lines. This is
effected with the valve 6 closed for the purpose of exchanging
the pouring tube 8 subsequent to raising the intermediate
vessel 3 to remove the pouring tube 8 from the ingot mould.
When the locking rod 37 is unlocked and the engagement member
10. 40 moved into the recess 42 the pivot arm 11 can be pivoted
outwardly without difficulty about the pin 12 and the worn
pouring tube 8 in the support sleeve 10 can be replaced.
Thereafter the pivot arm 11 is moved in again, laterally
locked, pivoted about the axis 13 and clamped in position.
15. The mounting and demounting of the changing apparatus on the
floor 1 of the vessel may be easily effected since the mounting
block 16 with the toggle lever mechanism 21, pivot pin 12 and
locking mechanism 37,38 and the pivot arm 11 with spring
bufEer 22 and pouring tube mounting 10,19,20 form -two units
20. which may be simply handled and which may he used in confined
spaces.
