CA1058867A - Plate structure for a liquid metal container closure - Google Patents
Plate structure for a liquid metal container closureInfo
- Publication number
- CA1058867A CA1058867A CA237,579A CA237579A CA1058867A CA 1058867 A CA1058867 A CA 1058867A CA 237579 A CA237579 A CA 237579A CA 1058867 A CA1058867 A CA 1058867A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- bead
- plate
- plate member
- plate members
- aperture
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
- B22D41/00—Casting melt-holding vessels, e.g. ladles, tundishes, cups or the like
- B22D41/14—Closures
- B22D41/22—Closures sliding-gate type, i.e. having a fixed plate and a movable plate in sliding contact with each other for selective registry of their openings
- B22D41/24—Closures sliding-gate type, i.e. having a fixed plate and a movable plate in sliding contact with each other for selective registry of their openings characterised by a rectilinearly movable plate
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Casting Support Devices, Ladles, And Melt Control Thereby (AREA)
- Sliding Valves (AREA)
- Continuous Casting (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The disclosure embraces a structure for plates provided on a sliding closure of an outlet or spout of a container for liquid metal, one side of each plate serving as a sealing surface which cooperates with the other, relatively movable plate of the closure; the plateds have a passage running approximately perpendic-ularly relative to the sealing surface or surfaces with the other sides of the plate facing away from the seal-ing surfaces having annular grooves or keys for cooper-ating with complimentary shaped portions of either an outlet casing or a stone casing of the container.
The disclosure embraces a structure for plates provided on a sliding closure of an outlet or spout of a container for liquid metal, one side of each plate serving as a sealing surface which cooperates with the other, relatively movable plate of the closure; the plateds have a passage running approximately perpendic-ularly relative to the sealing surface or surfaces with the other sides of the plate facing away from the seal-ing surfaces having annular grooves or keys for cooper-ating with complimentary shaped portions of either an outlet casing or a stone casing of the container.
Description
~058867 The present invention relates to a device for opening and closing the outlet bore of a vessel of the type used for containing molten metalic material.
In the field of handling of molten metals, the problem of discharging the molten metals from crucibles or similar containers has necessitated the use of very expensive materials for forming such valved outlets so that the outlets can safely be used and withstand the extremely high temperatures that result from the materials being handled and passed through the outlet. In general, the outlets have been subject to leakages due to rapid expansion upon exposure to the molten liquids and then rapid contraction when the valve closure is shut or the container emptied. It has previously been known to employ a bottom plate which surrounds the outlet channel of the vessel or crucible and a slmilarly shaped valve plate which is movable relative to the bottom plate so that these plates can be inter-changeable thus reducing the costs of replacing one or the other plates when such plates become worn or cracked due to use over a period of time.
Such interchangeable plates are provided with aper-tures through which the molten metal passes when the aper-tures are aligned by moving one plate, the valve plate, rel-ative to the bottom plate of the vessel. It has been the practice to provide on such a plate a key of some form, for example, a projection which would cooperate with a groove on another part of the assembly such as the perforated stone C, ~ S-lOS8867 casinq or the discharge casing. It has been the accepted practice to provide the projection or key so that it ex-tends in the direction of flow of the molten liquid metal~
However, with interchangeable plates, where the key is pro-vided on the casing, then the key must run in a groove formedon the valve plate so that, at least with the valve plate, the key portion will extend counter to the direction of flow which is undesirable. Of course, whenever on the oth-er hand, the key has been provided on the plates, then the key will extend in the wrong direction, that is, counter to the direction of liquid flow, at least on the side of the I bottom plate of the vessel which faces away rom the iden-tically shaped valve plate.
With these previously employed embodiments, whenever a deviation from the accepted practice as mentioned above 1~ must be employed, it has been preferred to use the arrange- `
ment where the key surface or projection has been provided on the casing for the reason that the accepted practice would be followed in a critical area of the sliding closure, namely, at the groove and key connection lying above the sealing surface of the plates. This is important since the highest liquid pressure occurring in the sliding valve closure exists at the sealing surfaces for every position of the valve. In addition to the departure from the ac-cepted practice with regard to the groove and key connection ;
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lying below the sealing plane, this embodiment has twoother severe disadvantages. Firstly, the plate or plates are considerably weakened as a result of the indentation which provides the groove at a critical point of the plate, namely, immediately around the aperture defining a portion of the flow passage, and, secondly, the expansion or butt joints of the groove and key connections on both sides of the sealing surface will be disposed where the 10w turbu-lence is always the greatest in a circumstance where the valve plate is not completely open.
In another known embodiment, where the key surface is provided on the surface of the plate, there will be, of course, no weakening of the structural integrity of the plate and, in addition, the joints of the groove and key connection are also located away from the area of greatest flow turbulence. However, a serious drawback still exists due to the fact that the greatest thickness which consists of the thickness of the plate plus the height of the key which projects from the plate and the area where the greatest temperature elevation is experienced on the plate coincide~
It is well known, of course, that the absolute measure of the degree of expansion results from a consideration of the dimension of the element and the temperature of the element at the place being observed. Assuming the usual case where a sufficient pretension or strengthening as by hardening ,s~, , ' ~i 3 lOS8867 of the sealing surfaces is provided, the expansion of the thickness of the plates can occur only in a direction which extends away from the sealing surfaces. Extensive experiments have been conducted and the results reported S concerning the fact that such expansions, due to the fact that they cannot be freely absorbed in the system of these elements, result in considerable pressure loads on the edges defined by the passage and by the sealing surfacesO
As a result, where relative movement of the plates takes place, cracking or breaking of the plates occurs. More-over, there is the danger that the plate will be broken at the point the key projection is connected to the plate due to internal stresses that exist.
Of course, when the pretensioning forces of the sealing surfaces is less than the force created by the heat expansion in the area of the flow passage, the plates will be able to easily expand in the direction extending toward the sealing surfaces but, in so doing, a critical-; ly undesirable formation of a gap between the sealing sur-faces of the bottom plate and valve plate will result in the areas of the plate remote from the sealing surfaces.
The portions of the plates that are thus exposed as a re-sult of the formations of the gap can easily break away resulting in a dangerous outflow of the liquid metal through any gaps that develop.
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It is an object of the present invention to avoid the foregoing difficulties.
Therefore, in a device for opening and closing the outlet bore of a vessel of the type used for containing molten metallic material the device including a protective casing having a through bore, a first plate member having an aperture there-through aligned with the through bore, valve means including a second plate member having an aperture therethrough, the valve means being mounted fox sliding movement relative to the first plate member for controlling flow of the molten material from the bore and first plate aperture through the second plate aperture, and an outlet casing having a through bore aligned with the aperture of the second plate member, the casings each having butt joint portions disposed adjacent the respective plate members and surrounding said bores, the improvement brought by the present invention comprises each of the plate members having sealing surfaces and surfaces opposite the sealing surfaces, the opposite surfaces having means defining a groove and key connection for the casings; the means on each of the opposite surfaces including a bead projecting from the respective opposite surface, each bead having inner and outer flank surfaces with the bead surrounding the respective apertures in the plates. The inner and outer flank surfaces are inclined toward one another, and the inner flank surfaces of each bead has a base disposed on a diameter which is substantially greater than the diameter of the respective apertures to form about each apertures an annulus having a substantial radial dimension, the thickness of each the annulus being less than the combined thickness of the respective plate and its bead. The butt joint portion of the outlet casing forms with its through bore a recess having a cross-section and sloping surface complementary to the outer end and outer flank surface of ','~
the second plate member bead whereby the butt joint portion of the outlet casing is disposed adjacent the second plate member exteriorly of its bead. The through bore of the outlet casing narrows in the direction of flow and has its upstream end corres-ponding in cross-section substantially to the cross-section of the rim of the recess formed in the second plate member by the inner flank surface of its bead.
With the structure of the present invention, it will be possible to dimension the thickness of the plate immediately adjacent the passage independently of the dimensioning practices relating to the formation of a groove and key connection so that, as a result, the usual condition, on the one hand, relating to the expansion of the elements and, on the other hand, relating to the distance of the butt joints from the sealing surfaces of the plate will be optimally satisfied. Moreover, the two-/'/
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~058867 flan~s of the bead forming the key are situated and æhaped so that it will be possible to use the plate either as a part forming a groove or a key so that the plate can perform both of these functio~s simul-; 5 taneously.
Further, by the use of the present invention, it will be possible, perhaps without deviating from the accepted practice relating to the orientation of the groove with reference to the direction of flow of the liquid metal, to operate with plates of the same shape and dimensions so that the plates can be interchangeably employed. Also, advantageously, the bead will be disposed in an area of lesser temperature differences as a result of its being disposed at a dis-lS tance from the flow passage thus minimizing or entirelyeliminating the danger of cracks due to tension. It will also be noted that the disposition of the bead away from the flow passage will still impart a desired rein-forcement to the plates to prevent or at least minimize bending in the area where the ~ate is supported to a les-ser degree by the surrounding housing structure.
The foregoing and other advantages will become ap-parent as further consideration is given to the following detailed description together with the accompanying draw-ings.
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~05886'7 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
, FIGURE 1 is a sectional view perpendicular to theflow passage of the elements of the present invention showing a groove and key connection of a two plate closure;
' and, 1 5 FIGURE 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 but showing a groove and key connection of a three plate slid-ing valve.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
R~ferring to the drawing, wherein like numerals designate corresponding parts, in Figure 1 there is showm a fixed bottom plate 10, a perforated stone casing 11 which is situated in the bottom o~ a vessel partially shown in dotted lines at 11', a longitudinally movable valve plate 12 and an outlet casing 13. The apparatus for moving plate 12 is conventional and is thus not shown. Both plates 10 and 12 have a bead 17, 17' dis-posed concentrically in relation to the apertures 16 and 16' formed therein, respectively, with the beads 17 and 17' being formed on the sides 15 and 15', respec-tively, which ace away from the abutting sealing surfaces 14 and 14'. The cross sections of the beads 17 and 17' which are in the form of projections extending away from the uniform thickness indicated 18 and 18', are in the form of identical trapezoidal cross sections each with two flanks, the inner one 19 and the outer one 20. The flanks are inclined at an angle of about 10 to 15 in - the form of concentric, annular surfaces. The inner flank 19 has its base disposed at a diameter which is larger than the diameter of the apertures 16 and 16l.
Both the bottom plate 10 and the valve plate 12 thus form a groove and key connection in the area o the flow pas-sages 16 and 16' either in relation to the stone casing 11 or the outlet casing 13, respectively. In particular, the flank 19 of the beads 17 and 17' define the groove forming portion. The edges of the adjacent parts of the vessel and support structure are indicated in dot-ted lines at 23, 23' and 21 and 21' which are not il-lustrated in more detail as these are standard elementswhich together with the casing surface of the stone casing 11 and the adjacent surfaces of the bottom plate 10 and the jacket surface of the outlet casing 13 re-spectively, form a joint. Also, the'outside diameter of the bead defined by the flank 20 functions as a key ~orming portion of the connection relative to the parts or surfaces lying directly adjacent to it.
As a matter of practice, the groove and key con-; nection are sealed by means of mortar placed in the gap that exists between them. ~he butt joints 22 and 22', in the past, have been particularly susceptible to the danger of being washed out, particularly, whenever the joints lie near the"sealing surfaces 14 and 14' where, as previously noted, the greatest turbulences occur.
The possibility of having the mortar washed out between the butt joints 20 and 22 is minimized by having a flush surface'contact or gapless joint provided between these parts of the plates and the casings.
According to the present invention, by way of example, the beads 17 and 17' of the bottom plate 10 :
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105886~7 : and the valve plate 12, respectively, are of the same shape and of the same dimensions so that the plates and the beads can be used with a complimentarily shaped cas-ing either to form a groove or a key forming portion as will be described more fully in connection with Figure
In the field of handling of molten metals, the problem of discharging the molten metals from crucibles or similar containers has necessitated the use of very expensive materials for forming such valved outlets so that the outlets can safely be used and withstand the extremely high temperatures that result from the materials being handled and passed through the outlet. In general, the outlets have been subject to leakages due to rapid expansion upon exposure to the molten liquids and then rapid contraction when the valve closure is shut or the container emptied. It has previously been known to employ a bottom plate which surrounds the outlet channel of the vessel or crucible and a slmilarly shaped valve plate which is movable relative to the bottom plate so that these plates can be inter-changeable thus reducing the costs of replacing one or the other plates when such plates become worn or cracked due to use over a period of time.
Such interchangeable plates are provided with aper-tures through which the molten metal passes when the aper-tures are aligned by moving one plate, the valve plate, rel-ative to the bottom plate of the vessel. It has been the practice to provide on such a plate a key of some form, for example, a projection which would cooperate with a groove on another part of the assembly such as the perforated stone C, ~ S-lOS8867 casinq or the discharge casing. It has been the accepted practice to provide the projection or key so that it ex-tends in the direction of flow of the molten liquid metal~
However, with interchangeable plates, where the key is pro-vided on the casing, then the key must run in a groove formedon the valve plate so that, at least with the valve plate, the key portion will extend counter to the direction of flow which is undesirable. Of course, whenever on the oth-er hand, the key has been provided on the plates, then the key will extend in the wrong direction, that is, counter to the direction of liquid flow, at least on the side of the I bottom plate of the vessel which faces away rom the iden-tically shaped valve plate.
With these previously employed embodiments, whenever a deviation from the accepted practice as mentioned above 1~ must be employed, it has been preferred to use the arrange- `
ment where the key surface or projection has been provided on the casing for the reason that the accepted practice would be followed in a critical area of the sliding closure, namely, at the groove and key connection lying above the sealing surface of the plates. This is important since the highest liquid pressure occurring in the sliding valve closure exists at the sealing surfaces for every position of the valve. In addition to the departure from the ac-cepted practice with regard to the groove and key connection ;
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lying below the sealing plane, this embodiment has twoother severe disadvantages. Firstly, the plate or plates are considerably weakened as a result of the indentation which provides the groove at a critical point of the plate, namely, immediately around the aperture defining a portion of the flow passage, and, secondly, the expansion or butt joints of the groove and key connections on both sides of the sealing surface will be disposed where the 10w turbu-lence is always the greatest in a circumstance where the valve plate is not completely open.
In another known embodiment, where the key surface is provided on the surface of the plate, there will be, of course, no weakening of the structural integrity of the plate and, in addition, the joints of the groove and key connection are also located away from the area of greatest flow turbulence. However, a serious drawback still exists due to the fact that the greatest thickness which consists of the thickness of the plate plus the height of the key which projects from the plate and the area where the greatest temperature elevation is experienced on the plate coincide~
It is well known, of course, that the absolute measure of the degree of expansion results from a consideration of the dimension of the element and the temperature of the element at the place being observed. Assuming the usual case where a sufficient pretension or strengthening as by hardening ,s~, , ' ~i 3 lOS8867 of the sealing surfaces is provided, the expansion of the thickness of the plates can occur only in a direction which extends away from the sealing surfaces. Extensive experiments have been conducted and the results reported S concerning the fact that such expansions, due to the fact that they cannot be freely absorbed in the system of these elements, result in considerable pressure loads on the edges defined by the passage and by the sealing surfacesO
As a result, where relative movement of the plates takes place, cracking or breaking of the plates occurs. More-over, there is the danger that the plate will be broken at the point the key projection is connected to the plate due to internal stresses that exist.
Of course, when the pretensioning forces of the sealing surfaces is less than the force created by the heat expansion in the area of the flow passage, the plates will be able to easily expand in the direction extending toward the sealing surfaces but, in so doing, a critical-; ly undesirable formation of a gap between the sealing sur-faces of the bottom plate and valve plate will result in the areas of the plate remote from the sealing surfaces.
The portions of the plates that are thus exposed as a re-sult of the formations of the gap can easily break away resulting in a dangerous outflow of the liquid metal through any gaps that develop.
.~' ~f 105886~
It is an object of the present invention to avoid the foregoing difficulties.
Therefore, in a device for opening and closing the outlet bore of a vessel of the type used for containing molten metallic material the device including a protective casing having a through bore, a first plate member having an aperture there-through aligned with the through bore, valve means including a second plate member having an aperture therethrough, the valve means being mounted fox sliding movement relative to the first plate member for controlling flow of the molten material from the bore and first plate aperture through the second plate aperture, and an outlet casing having a through bore aligned with the aperture of the second plate member, the casings each having butt joint portions disposed adjacent the respective plate members and surrounding said bores, the improvement brought by the present invention comprises each of the plate members having sealing surfaces and surfaces opposite the sealing surfaces, the opposite surfaces having means defining a groove and key connection for the casings; the means on each of the opposite surfaces including a bead projecting from the respective opposite surface, each bead having inner and outer flank surfaces with the bead surrounding the respective apertures in the plates. The inner and outer flank surfaces are inclined toward one another, and the inner flank surfaces of each bead has a base disposed on a diameter which is substantially greater than the diameter of the respective apertures to form about each apertures an annulus having a substantial radial dimension, the thickness of each the annulus being less than the combined thickness of the respective plate and its bead. The butt joint portion of the outlet casing forms with its through bore a recess having a cross-section and sloping surface complementary to the outer end and outer flank surface of ','~
the second plate member bead whereby the butt joint portion of the outlet casing is disposed adjacent the second plate member exteriorly of its bead. The through bore of the outlet casing narrows in the direction of flow and has its upstream end corres-ponding in cross-section substantially to the cross-section of the rim of the recess formed in the second plate member by the inner flank surface of its bead.
With the structure of the present invention, it will be possible to dimension the thickness of the plate immediately adjacent the passage independently of the dimensioning practices relating to the formation of a groove and key connection so that, as a result, the usual condition, on the one hand, relating to the expansion of the elements and, on the other hand, relating to the distance of the butt joints from the sealing surfaces of the plate will be optimally satisfied. Moreover, the two-/'/
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~058867 flan~s of the bead forming the key are situated and æhaped so that it will be possible to use the plate either as a part forming a groove or a key so that the plate can perform both of these functio~s simul-; 5 taneously.
Further, by the use of the present invention, it will be possible, perhaps without deviating from the accepted practice relating to the orientation of the groove with reference to the direction of flow of the liquid metal, to operate with plates of the same shape and dimensions so that the plates can be interchangeably employed. Also, advantageously, the bead will be disposed in an area of lesser temperature differences as a result of its being disposed at a dis-lS tance from the flow passage thus minimizing or entirelyeliminating the danger of cracks due to tension. It will also be noted that the disposition of the bead away from the flow passage will still impart a desired rein-forcement to the plates to prevent or at least minimize bending in the area where the ~ate is supported to a les-ser degree by the surrounding housing structure.
The foregoing and other advantages will become ap-parent as further consideration is given to the following detailed description together with the accompanying draw-ings.
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~05886'7 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
, FIGURE 1 is a sectional view perpendicular to theflow passage of the elements of the present invention showing a groove and key connection of a two plate closure;
' and, 1 5 FIGURE 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 but showing a groove and key connection of a three plate slid-ing valve.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
R~ferring to the drawing, wherein like numerals designate corresponding parts, in Figure 1 there is showm a fixed bottom plate 10, a perforated stone casing 11 which is situated in the bottom o~ a vessel partially shown in dotted lines at 11', a longitudinally movable valve plate 12 and an outlet casing 13. The apparatus for moving plate 12 is conventional and is thus not shown. Both plates 10 and 12 have a bead 17, 17' dis-posed concentrically in relation to the apertures 16 and 16' formed therein, respectively, with the beads 17 and 17' being formed on the sides 15 and 15', respec-tively, which ace away from the abutting sealing surfaces 14 and 14'. The cross sections of the beads 17 and 17' which are in the form of projections extending away from the uniform thickness indicated 18 and 18', are in the form of identical trapezoidal cross sections each with two flanks, the inner one 19 and the outer one 20. The flanks are inclined at an angle of about 10 to 15 in - the form of concentric, annular surfaces. The inner flank 19 has its base disposed at a diameter which is larger than the diameter of the apertures 16 and 16l.
Both the bottom plate 10 and the valve plate 12 thus form a groove and key connection in the area o the flow pas-sages 16 and 16' either in relation to the stone casing 11 or the outlet casing 13, respectively. In particular, the flank 19 of the beads 17 and 17' define the groove forming portion. The edges of the adjacent parts of the vessel and support structure are indicated in dot-ted lines at 23, 23' and 21 and 21' which are not il-lustrated in more detail as these are standard elementswhich together with the casing surface of the stone casing 11 and the adjacent surfaces of the bottom plate 10 and the jacket surface of the outlet casing 13 re-spectively, form a joint. Also, the'outside diameter of the bead defined by the flank 20 functions as a key ~orming portion of the connection relative to the parts or surfaces lying directly adjacent to it.
As a matter of practice, the groove and key con-; nection are sealed by means of mortar placed in the gap that exists between them. ~he butt joints 22 and 22', in the past, have been particularly susceptible to the danger of being washed out, particularly, whenever the joints lie near the"sealing surfaces 14 and 14' where, as previously noted, the greatest turbulences occur.
The possibility of having the mortar washed out between the butt joints 20 and 22 is minimized by having a flush surface'contact or gapless joint provided between these parts of the plates and the casings.
According to the present invention, by way of example, the beads 17 and 17' of the bottom plate 10 :
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105886~7 : and the valve plate 12, respectively, are of the same shape and of the same dimensions so that the plates and the beads can be used with a complimentarily shaped cas-ing either to form a groove or a key forming portion as will be described more fully in connection with Figure
2. Of course, other portions of the plates 10 and 12 may be of different dimensions and shape depending on con-siderations which need not be taken into account here.
Clearly, however, the advantages of the present inven-tion reside in the fact that the shape and dimensions of the molds of the plate required for the formation of the groove and key connection is independent of the thick-ness of the plate in the vicinity of the flow apertures.
As a result, the positioning of the butt joints 22 and 22' and the problem of manufacturing the plates with the proper thickness in the vicinity of the flow aperture 16 and 16' can be effected in the conventionally simple manner. Also, it should be noted that the beads 17 and 17' are located at a distance from the zone of highest temperature and of the greatest temperature gradient which is the location where chahges in the thickness of the plate usually occur, the danger of cracks or fissures occurring which lead to failure of the sealing functions of these elements is greatly minimized if not entirely eliminated.
~O
In Figure 2, another embodiment of the present in-vention is illustrated which is substantially similar to that of Figure 1 so that only the essential dif~erences will be described below.
Figure 2 illustrates a three plate sliding closure which is used, for example, on intermediate crucibles or containers in continuous casting installations. Such ar-rangements use, in general, a base plate 30, a perforated stone casing 31, an outlet plate 32, an outlet casing 33 as well as the usual valve plate 34 which is disposed to be longitudinally movable between the base ~ate 30 and the outlet plate 32.
In the field of liquid metal handling, three plate sliding closures have the advantage that the emerging jet , or stream of liquid metal does not move about relative to the axis of the flow passages and thus spattering is mini-mized when the valve plate 34 is moved between its open and closed position. According to the present invention, the base plate 30 and the outlet plate 32 have basically the same shape and dimensions. The thickness 39 and 39' of these plates in the area of flow apertures 35 and 35' and the inside flanks 36 and 36' of the beads 37 and 37' respectively, are larger than the basic thickness indicated at 38 and 38' of the plates 30 and 32. With this arrange-ment, the location of the butt joint 41 will be spaced at a greater distance from the sealing surface 40 without the width of the thick portion 39, 39' reaching a dimen-sion which would be critical as a result of the above mentioned consequences of heat expansion. The dimensions S of the thicknesses 39 and 39' and of the base thicknesses 38 and 38' can, of course, be adapted to the requirements of specific situations so that only a minimum of material expenditure will be needed compared to the conventional thicknesses of such plates thus resulting in a saving of material costs.
The embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 demonstrates clearly the advantage stemming from the fact that the beads 37 and 37' can be used both as a groove as well as a key forming portion. Specifically, relative to the perforated stone casing 31, the bead or key portion 37, on its interior, defines a groove for the complimentarily formed part of the casing 31 whereas the bead 37' functions as a key relative to the complimentarily shaped portion of the outlet casing 33. Thus, according to the accepted practice in which the key cooperating with the groove should be disposed in the direction of flow of the liquid metal, this feature is ad-vantageously retained together with the additional advantage that the two plates 30 and 32 are interchangeable as they can be shaped identically.
The use of the bead 37 as a key functioning portion of the connection with the outlet casing 33 is of par-ticular advantage whenever the outlet casing serves as an immersion outlet, that is to say, whenever the casing has a pipe shaped extension which extends below the sur-face of the bath leve~ as in a continuous casting process.Such immersion outlets must be capable of being quickly installed and disassembled and, as is conventional, they are attached without mortar on the outlet plate 32 or on its housing indicated in broken lines about the plate 32.
With this arrangement, the funnel portion 42 could be constructed with a key forming portion without difficulty which would prevent leakages due to the absence of mortar in the vicinity of the connection.
While the foregoing has been a description of the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that varia-. tions of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the inven-tion as defined in thc app nded claiDs.
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Clearly, however, the advantages of the present inven-tion reside in the fact that the shape and dimensions of the molds of the plate required for the formation of the groove and key connection is independent of the thick-ness of the plate in the vicinity of the flow apertures.
As a result, the positioning of the butt joints 22 and 22' and the problem of manufacturing the plates with the proper thickness in the vicinity of the flow aperture 16 and 16' can be effected in the conventionally simple manner. Also, it should be noted that the beads 17 and 17' are located at a distance from the zone of highest temperature and of the greatest temperature gradient which is the location where chahges in the thickness of the plate usually occur, the danger of cracks or fissures occurring which lead to failure of the sealing functions of these elements is greatly minimized if not entirely eliminated.
~O
In Figure 2, another embodiment of the present in-vention is illustrated which is substantially similar to that of Figure 1 so that only the essential dif~erences will be described below.
Figure 2 illustrates a three plate sliding closure which is used, for example, on intermediate crucibles or containers in continuous casting installations. Such ar-rangements use, in general, a base plate 30, a perforated stone casing 31, an outlet plate 32, an outlet casing 33 as well as the usual valve plate 34 which is disposed to be longitudinally movable between the base ~ate 30 and the outlet plate 32.
In the field of liquid metal handling, three plate sliding closures have the advantage that the emerging jet , or stream of liquid metal does not move about relative to the axis of the flow passages and thus spattering is mini-mized when the valve plate 34 is moved between its open and closed position. According to the present invention, the base plate 30 and the outlet plate 32 have basically the same shape and dimensions. The thickness 39 and 39' of these plates in the area of flow apertures 35 and 35' and the inside flanks 36 and 36' of the beads 37 and 37' respectively, are larger than the basic thickness indicated at 38 and 38' of the plates 30 and 32. With this arrange-ment, the location of the butt joint 41 will be spaced at a greater distance from the sealing surface 40 without the width of the thick portion 39, 39' reaching a dimen-sion which would be critical as a result of the above mentioned consequences of heat expansion. The dimensions S of the thicknesses 39 and 39' and of the base thicknesses 38 and 38' can, of course, be adapted to the requirements of specific situations so that only a minimum of material expenditure will be needed compared to the conventional thicknesses of such plates thus resulting in a saving of material costs.
The embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 demonstrates clearly the advantage stemming from the fact that the beads 37 and 37' can be used both as a groove as well as a key forming portion. Specifically, relative to the perforated stone casing 31, the bead or key portion 37, on its interior, defines a groove for the complimentarily formed part of the casing 31 whereas the bead 37' functions as a key relative to the complimentarily shaped portion of the outlet casing 33. Thus, according to the accepted practice in which the key cooperating with the groove should be disposed in the direction of flow of the liquid metal, this feature is ad-vantageously retained together with the additional advantage that the two plates 30 and 32 are interchangeable as they can be shaped identically.
The use of the bead 37 as a key functioning portion of the connection with the outlet casing 33 is of par-ticular advantage whenever the outlet casing serves as an immersion outlet, that is to say, whenever the casing has a pipe shaped extension which extends below the sur-face of the bath leve~ as in a continuous casting process.Such immersion outlets must be capable of being quickly installed and disassembled and, as is conventional, they are attached without mortar on the outlet plate 32 or on its housing indicated in broken lines about the plate 32.
With this arrangement, the funnel portion 42 could be constructed with a key forming portion without difficulty which would prevent leakages due to the absence of mortar in the vicinity of the connection.
While the foregoing has been a description of the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that varia-. tions of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the inven-tion as defined in thc app nded claiDs.
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Claims (5)
1. In a device for opening and closing the outlet bore of a vessel of the type used for containing molten metallic material where the device includes:
- a protective casing having a through bore, - a first plate member having an aperture therethrough aligned with said through bore, - valve means including a second plate member having an aperture therethrough, said valve means being mounted for sliding movement relative to said first plate member for controlling flow of said molten material from said bore and first plate aperture through said second plate aperture, - an outlet casing having a through bore aligned with said aperture of said second plate member, said casings each having butt joint portions disposed adjacent said respective plate members and surrounding said bores, the improvement comprising:
- each of said plate members having sealing surfaces and surfaces opposite said sealing surfaces, - said opposite surfaces having means defining a groove and key connection for said casings, - said means on each of said opposite surfaces including a bead projecting from said respective opposite surfaces, each bead having inner and outer flank surfaces with said bead surrounding said respective apertures in said plates, - said inner and outer flank surfaces being inclined toward one another, and - said inner flank surfaces of each bead having a base disposed on a diameter which is substantially greater than the diameter of said respective apertures to form about each said aperture an annulus having a substantial radial dimension, the thickness of each said annulus being less than the combined thickess of the respective plate and its bead, - said butt joint portion of said outlet casing forming with its said through bore a recess having a cross-section and sloping surface complementary to the outer end and outer flank surface of said second plate member bead whereby said butt joint portion of the outlet casing is disposed adjacent said second plate member exteriorly of its bead, and - the through bore of said outlet casing narrowing in the direction of flow and having its upstream end corresponding in cross-section substantially to the cross-section of the rim of the recess formed in said second plate member by the inner flank surface of its said bead.
- a protective casing having a through bore, - a first plate member having an aperture therethrough aligned with said through bore, - valve means including a second plate member having an aperture therethrough, said valve means being mounted for sliding movement relative to said first plate member for controlling flow of said molten material from said bore and first plate aperture through said second plate aperture, - an outlet casing having a through bore aligned with said aperture of said second plate member, said casings each having butt joint portions disposed adjacent said respective plate members and surrounding said bores, the improvement comprising:
- each of said plate members having sealing surfaces and surfaces opposite said sealing surfaces, - said opposite surfaces having means defining a groove and key connection for said casings, - said means on each of said opposite surfaces including a bead projecting from said respective opposite surfaces, each bead having inner and outer flank surfaces with said bead surrounding said respective apertures in said plates, - said inner and outer flank surfaces being inclined toward one another, and - said inner flank surfaces of each bead having a base disposed on a diameter which is substantially greater than the diameter of said respective apertures to form about each said aperture an annulus having a substantial radial dimension, the thickness of each said annulus being less than the combined thickess of the respective plate and its bead, - said butt joint portion of said outlet casing forming with its said through bore a recess having a cross-section and sloping surface complementary to the outer end and outer flank surface of said second plate member bead whereby said butt joint portion of the outlet casing is disposed adjacent said second plate member exteriorly of its bead, and - the through bore of said outlet casing narrowing in the direction of flow and having its upstream end corresponding in cross-section substantially to the cross-section of the rim of the recess formed in said second plate member by the inner flank surface of its said bead.
2. A device as in claim 1 wherein said valve means includes a third plate member having an aperture therethrough and being disposed between said first and second plate members, said third plate member having opposite sides which are sealing surfaces that respectively engage the said sealing surfaces of said first and second plate members.
3. A device as in claim 1 wherein the thickness of the plate members between a said aperture and a said bead is greater than the thickness of the plate members between the said bead and an edge of said plate members.
4. A device as in claim 1 wherein said first and second plate members are substantially identically constructed for interchangeability, the butt joint portion of the outlet casing being usable with said first plate member and its bead and the butt joint portion of said protective casing being usable with said second plate member and its bead.
5. A device as in claim 1 wherein:
- said means includes a third plate member having an aperture therethrough and being disposed between said first and second plate members, said third plate member having opposite sides which are sealing surfaces that respectively engage the said sealing surface of said first and second plate members, - the thickness of the plate members between a said aperture and a said bead is greater than the thickness of the plate members between the said bead and an edge of said plate members, and - said first and second plate members are substantially identically constructed for interchangeability, the butt joint portion of the outlet casing being usable with said first plate member and its bead and the butt joint portion of said protective casing being usable with said second plate member and its bead.
- said means includes a third plate member having an aperture therethrough and being disposed between said first and second plate members, said third plate member having opposite sides which are sealing surfaces that respectively engage the said sealing surface of said first and second plate members, - the thickness of the plate members between a said aperture and a said bead is greater than the thickness of the plate members between the said bead and an edge of said plate members, and - said first and second plate members are substantially identically constructed for interchangeability, the butt joint portion of the outlet casing being usable with said first plate member and its bead and the butt joint portion of said protective casing being usable with said second plate member and its bead.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CH1423174A CH572176A5 (en) | 1974-10-24 | 1974-10-24 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1058867A true CA1058867A (en) | 1979-07-24 |
Family
ID=4399073
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA237,579A Expired CA1058867A (en) | 1974-10-24 | 1975-10-08 | Plate structure for a liquid metal container closure |
Country Status (13)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (2) | JPS5165030A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1058867A (en) |
| CH (1) | CH572176A5 (en) |
| CS (1) | CS213301B2 (en) |
| DD (1) | DD122039A5 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2540790A1 (en) |
| ES (1) | ES441632A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2288922A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1520310A (en) |
| IN (1) | IN145267B (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1048081B (en) |
| SE (1) | SE7511688L (en) |
| ZA (1) | ZA756354B (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CH675976A5 (en) * | 1988-01-15 | 1990-11-30 | Stopinc Ag | |
| US5139237A (en) * | 1988-01-15 | 1992-08-18 | Stopinc Ag | Metal member with annular centering surface |
| US5052598A (en) * | 1989-03-03 | 1991-10-01 | Flo-Con Systems, Inc. | Sliding gate valve method and replaceable retractories |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE1783173A1 (en) * | 1964-11-25 | 1974-04-04 | Benteler Geb Paderwerk | ADJUSTABLE BOTTOM SEAL FOR STEEL CASTING PANS WITH AN INLET STONE WITH A FUNNEL-SHAPED RECESSED RECESSION AND A FUNNEL NECK |
| BE757219A (en) * | 1969-10-13 | 1971-03-16 | Interstop Ag | DISCHARGE DRAWER CLOSURE FOR METAL CASTING TANKS |
| CA961638A (en) * | 1970-09-11 | 1975-01-28 | Frank Campbell (Jr.) | Molten metal transfer apparatus |
| DE2058786A1 (en) * | 1970-09-25 | 1972-03-30 | Interstop Ag | Ladle slide closure - for bottom pouring steel |
| JPS5127409B2 (en) * | 1973-02-12 | 1976-08-12 | ||
| JPS49104837A (en) * | 1973-02-12 | 1974-10-03 | ||
| JPS5141974B2 (en) * | 1973-02-12 | 1976-11-12 |
-
1974
- 1974-10-24 CH CH1423174A patent/CH572176A5/xx not_active IP Right Cessation
-
1975
- 1975-09-12 DE DE19752540790 patent/DE2540790A1/en active Granted
- 1975-09-25 FR FR7529372A patent/FR2288922A1/en active Granted
- 1975-10-06 CS CS756755A patent/CS213301B2/en unknown
- 1975-10-07 ZA ZA00756354A patent/ZA756354B/en unknown
- 1975-10-08 CA CA237,579A patent/CA1058867A/en not_active Expired
- 1975-10-09 ES ES441632A patent/ES441632A1/en not_active Expired
- 1975-10-10 IN IN1970/CAL/75A patent/IN145267B/en unknown
- 1975-10-17 SE SE7511688A patent/SE7511688L/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1975-10-17 GB GB42800/75A patent/GB1520310A/en not_active Expired
- 1975-10-20 JP JP50126248A patent/JPS5165030A/ja active Pending
- 1975-10-22 IT IT7551875A patent/IT1048081B/en active
- 1975-10-22 DD DD188992A patent/DD122039A5/xx unknown
-
1984
- 1984-05-14 JP JP1984070249U patent/JPS6020349U/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2288922B1 (en) | 1978-04-07 |
| SE7511688L (en) | 1976-04-26 |
| FR2288922A1 (en) | 1976-05-21 |
| CH572176A5 (en) | 1976-01-30 |
| DD122039A5 (en) | 1976-09-12 |
| CS213301B2 (en) | 1982-04-09 |
| GB1520310A (en) | 1978-08-09 |
| DE2540790C2 (en) | 1987-05-14 |
| ES441632A1 (en) | 1977-04-01 |
| JPS6020349U (en) | 1985-02-12 |
| IT1048081B (en) | 1980-11-20 |
| DE2540790A1 (en) | 1976-04-29 |
| IN145267B (en) | 1978-09-16 |
| ZA756354B (en) | 1976-09-29 |
| JPS5165030A (en) | 1976-06-05 |
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