GB1311485A - Apparatus for stripping moulds from ingots - Google Patents

Abstract

1311485 Ingot strippers WELLMANCRANES Ltd 21 July 1972 [5 Sept 1969] 44122/69 Heading B3F An ingot stripper comprises a mast assembly suspended below a lifting means 14 by first 42 and second 44 rope assemblies, the mast assembly having first and second parts vertically movable relative to one another, the first part having lower first pulley means 15 and upper second pulley means 16 and the second part having third and fourth pulley means 18 and 47 respectively, the arrangement of the pulleys and ropes being such that one rope assembly has an effective number of rope falls which is two greater than the other rope assembly. The ingot stripper shown is a dual-purpose machine and has two movable pulley carriers 17 and 20. In a single purpose machine, i.e. one used for " down-stripping " only or " up-stripping " only, the pulley carrier 20 is omitted and the pulleys 21 thereon are either mounted on the mast frame 11 alongside pulleys 16 or omitted completely. A pair of ingot tongs 22 are pivotally mounted on a carrier 24 which is vertically movable relative to the mast frame 11, and a pair of mould tongs 27 are pivotally mounted at 28 on the mast frame. An ingot ram 33 extends downward from the pulley-carrier 17 and passes through an ingot tong actuator 34. When the ram 33 is raised, a collar 37 thereon abuts shoulders 38 on the actuator 34 thus causing the latter to be raised so that the ramps 35 on the actuator engage shoes 36 on the tongs 22 and thus close the tongs. In operation the mast assembly is moved to the required position by rotating the drums 12 and 13 in the same direction at the same rate so as to raise or lower the mast assembly. For an "up-stripping" operation, the drums 13 are rotated so as to raise the ropes 44 and the drums 12 rotated so as to lower the ropes 42 at exactly the same rate as the ropes 44 are raised. This results in the mast frame 11 remaining stationary whilst the pulley carrier 17 moves upwardly and thus causes the tongs 22 to grip the ingot and pull it from the mould. In this mode of operation a pin 41 on the carrier 17 supports the pulley carrier 20 so that-the pulleys 21 are effectively mounted on the carrier 17 and the rope falls below them are not effective in providing force multiplication. For a " down-stripping " operation the drums 13 are rotated so as to lower the ropes 44 and the drums 12 rotated so as to raise the ropes 42. This causes the mast frame 11 to rise and the carrier 17 and thus ram 33 to remain stationary. The mould is pulled upward by the tongs 27 and the ingot pushed out of the mould by the ram 33. In this mode of operation, the pulley carrier 20 is supported by the mast frame 11 by means of an-enlargement 49 so that the pulleys 21 are effectively mounted on the frame 11 and the rope falls below them are effective in providing force multiplication.