This invention relates to continuous casting apparatus, and more particularly to means for handling the ladles of molten metal.
In the continuous casting of molten metal a ladle is carried to a position where metal poured from it can be deliv-ered to a castLng mold, Shortly after the ladle is emptied a full ladle takes its place, and this can go on as long as desired. To reduce the time lost between ladles, it has been proposed that they be lowered into cars that shuttle back and forth above the mold so that as soon as the ladle on one car is emptied the car can be moved to one side and the other car carrying a full ladle moved into pouring position, While the second ladle is pouring, the empty ladle is removed from its car and replaced by a full ladle ready to be moved back into pouring position. This system is satisfactory when there is enough head room above the cars for a crane to lift ladles from them and carry them away or to carry full ladles into positions above the cars and then lower ladles. However in some buildings where it is desired to install continuous casting apparatus, there is not enough head room for such an arrangement.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide continuous casting apparatus in which ladles can easily be moved into pouring position and replaced even though there ~s only enough head room to lift the ladles a few inches in the framework that supports them during pouring. Another object is to provide such apparatus that is simpler and less expensive than ~nown heretofore. ~

10367~
The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary end view of the upper part of the apparatus;
Fig. 2 is a more complete vertical section taken on the line Il-ll of Fig. l;
F~g. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line III-III of Fig. l;
Fig 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 ic an enlarged vertical section taken on the line V-V of Fig. 3.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a structural steel framework is formed from vertical columns 1 arranged in two rows, with the rows spaced apart a considerable distance Near the top of each column a bracket 2 is rigidly mounted on its inner side. Seated on these brackets at each side of the framework is a horizontal ladle-supporting member 3, preferably in the form of a box beam. That is, the beam is formed from upper and lower plates 4 and vertical side plates 5 connected inside the beam by vertical cross plates 6 (Fig. 3) At a lower level, the columns at each side of the framework support a horizontal girder 7 that in turn supports a rail 8 along which a car 9 can be moved in any suitable manner. Suspended from this car is a tundish 10. The car permits the bottom outlet of the tundish to be centered over the top of a continu-ous casting mold 11.

~0 ~ 7~Y7 In order to pour metal into the tundish, the outlet or nozzle of a ladle 13 full of molten metal is suspended above the tundish at a pouring station, as shown in Fig. 2. The ladle trunnions 14 are seated in hooks 15, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected to the cross beam 16. Extending up-wardly from the top of the beam is a plate 17 provided with a vertical slot 18 for receiving the hook 19 of an overhead cran,e so that the ladle carrier formed by ehe plate and cross beam and hooks can be carried. The opposite ends of the cross beam rest on the two box beams 3 while the ladle is pouring.
It is a feature of this invention that before the ladle 13 ~ust mentioned is emptied, a second ladle 21 full of molten metal is moved into a stand-by position beside the first ladle.
The ladle carrier for the second ladle is like the one first described and includes a cross beam 22, hooks 23 suspended from it to support ladle 21, and a plate 24 on top adapted to receive a crane hook for lifting the carrier. The opposite ends of cross beam 22 likewise extend across the two box beams, but unlike the first cross beam they do not rest directly on those beams. Instead, they are supported by two carriages 26, one mounted on each box beam. When the first ladle 13 has been emp-tied and carried away by the crane, the two carriages are moved forward together to the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 2 to shift the second ladle from its stand-by position into pouring position so thst a very short time elapses between cessation of pouring from the first ladle and the start of pouring from the second ladle.

~103H67&Y7 Each of the carriages preferably is formed from a long solid metal body 27 that extends down into the underlying box beam through a longitudinal slot 28 in the top of that beam a~
shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, The cross plates 6 of the beam are provided with downwardly extending notches 29 for accom-modating the carriage, Wheels 30 at opposite sides of the carriage body run on top of the beam and support the carriage.
Each wheel can be rotatably mounted on the outer end of a stub shaft 31 extending through the carriage body and rLgidly mounted in it, such as by a nut 32 screwed onto the threaded inner end of the stub shaft. To prevent the opposite sides of the carriage from scraping along the sides of the beam slot, the sides of the carriage body can be provided with recesses 33, in which hori ontal rollers 34 are mounted that engage the side walls of the beam slot. The front end of the carriage body has a downward extension, to which a clevis 35 is attached by a pin 36. The clevis is secured to the outer end of a piston rod 37 extending back into along fluid pressure cylinder 38, the rear end of which is connected by a pin 39 between vereical plates 4Q inside the box beam. When fluid pressure is delivered to the rear ends of the two cylinders, the pistons on the inner ends of the piston rods will move the carriages forward to the pouring position. When the rear ends of the cylinders are connected with exhaust and fluid is delivered under pressure to their front ends, the carriages will be retracted to the ladle stand-by position.

1 03U67~Y7 The top of each carriage ~ody is provided with a down-wardly extending notch 42, in which the adjoining end of the ladlé carrier cross beam 22 rests. The bottoms of these notches are only a slight distance above the tops of the box beams;
for exampLe, about an inch. Consequently, when the carriages are in the pouring position the outlet of the nozzle of the ladle supported by them will be only slightly higher than the position occupied by the outlet of the nozzle of the first ladle while it was pouring.
Another feature of this invention is that the carriages 26 extend only a ew inches above the box beams so that the ladle carrier needs to be raised only a few inches in order to remove it from the carriages. Likewise, the cross beam 22 needs to be lifted only a short distance above the box beams in order to move it into a position above the carriage where it can be lowered into their notches. This means that ladles can be moved into and out of pouring position in spite of very limited head room above the framework.
As explained above, after the first ladle 13 has been emptied and carried away the two cylinders 38 are energized to move carriages 26 forward in order to carry the second ladle into the pouring positionO If a casting operation doos not require metal from more than two ladles, the carriages can remain in the pouring position during pouring from ladle 21.
On the other hand, if a third ladle is to be used, which, of course, may be the first ladle refilled with molten metal while ladle 21 is pouring, the crane lifts the second ladle at the pouring station high enough to permit the carriages to be moved out from under cross beam 22 and retracted to their original position shown in Fig. 2. The cross beam then can be set down on the box beams as pouring continues, while another ladle carrier with its ladle can be carried into position by a crane and lo~ered into the notches in the two carriages ready to replace the other ladle as soon as it is empty.
It will be seen that with this apparatus the ladles and ladle carriers need not be lifted from the pouring position more than a few inches in order to be replaced. They also can be mounted in the carriages or removed from them with only slight vertical movements. The result is that this apparatus is especially suitable where there is restricted head room.
The carriages are of simple and relatively inexpensive con-struction and are moved back and forth in a s:lmple manner, The tops of the ladle never need to be lifted above the top of the framework. The crane can carry the ladles into and out of the open ends of the frameworkO
Although the parallel members on which cross beam 16 rests have been described herein as box beams 3 on which the carriages travel, each of those members could consist of two beams disposed side by side, in which case the carriages would run on one pair of beams and the cross beam 16 would rest on the other pair of beams.

~03678~7 In some situations where space permits, it may be desir-able to not rest the ends of cross beam 16 of the first ladle carrier directly on beams 3, but instead support the cross beam on a second pair of carriages like carriages ~6. By connecting the two pairs of carriages together, those at the pouring station will be moved forward away from that station when ladle 13 is emptied and ladle 21 is moved into its place.
This will result in an extremely short lapse of time in changing ladles.