GB1563706A - Metal melting furnaces - Google Patents

Metal melting furnaces Download PDF

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Publication number
GB1563706A
GB1563706A GB48334/75A GB4833475A GB1563706A GB 1563706 A GB1563706 A GB 1563706A GB 48334/75 A GB48334/75 A GB 48334/75A GB 4833475 A GB4833475 A GB 4833475A GB 1563706 A GB1563706 A GB 1563706A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
furnace
hearth
metal
housing
furnace housing
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
Application number
GB48334/75A
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
SHARKEY METALS Ltd
Original Assignee
SHARKEY METALS Ltd
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by SHARKEY METALS Ltd filed Critical SHARKEY METALS Ltd
Priority to GB48334/75A priority Critical patent/GB1563706A/en
Publication of GB1563706A publication Critical patent/GB1563706A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
    • C22B7/00—Working up raw materials other than ores, e.g. scrap, to produce non-ferrous metals and compounds thereof; Methods of a general interest or applied to the winning of more than two metals
    • C22B7/001—Dry processes
    • C22B7/004—Dry processes separating two or more metals by melting out (liquation), i.e. heating above the temperature of the lower melting metal component(s); by fractional crystallisation (controlled freezing)
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
    • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS, OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • F27B3/00—Hearth-type furnaces, e.g. of reverberatory type; Tank furnaces
    • F27B3/06—Hearth-type furnaces, e.g. of reverberatory type; Tank furnaces with movable working chambers or hearths, e.g. tiltable, oscillating or describing a composed movement
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P10/00—Technologies related to metal processing
    • Y02P10/20—Recycling

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO METAL MELTING FURNACES (71) We, SHARKEY METALS LI MITED, a British company of Trevor Street, Nechells, Birmingham, West Midlands, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to metal melting furnaces and particularly to funaces for extracting aluminium from scrap metal comprising iron and aluminium.
Presently known furnaces for extracting aluminium from scrap metal comprise a furnace housing in which is fixedly mounted a hearth for receiving the scrap metal.
In order to extract alumimium from scrap metal in such a furnace, the scrap metal is loaded into the hearth inside the furnace so as to melt the aluminium which is usually collected as it melts and then, after the aluminium has been extracted the remaining scrap metal is removed from the hearth by raking it out through the furnace door by hand.
Such a furnace thus suffers from the disadvantage that a considerable amount of labour is needed to remove the scrap metal after extraction of the aluminium has taken place.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a new or improved furnace whereby the above mentioned disadvantage is overcome or substantially reduced.
According to the present invention there is provided a metal melting furnace comprising a furnace housing defining a single heating chamber, means for heating said chamber, a track extending rectilinearly from a first position to a second position, two hearths for holding metal to be melted and providing a receptacle for molten metal, means mounting each hearth or the furnace housing on said track for movement therealong, drive means to move said hearths or furnace housing along the track to sequentially position one hearth inside the furnace housing whilst the other hearth is positioned outside the furnace housing and then said other hearth in the furnace housing whilst said one hearth is positioned outside the furnace housing, an outlet for molten metal provided in each hearth, and a holding pot having a pouring spout for receivng molten metal from said outlet when a hearth is positioned within the furnace housing.
The furnace housing may be fixed and each hearth may be provided with means which engage the track, the track extending from said first position outside the furnace housing through the furnace housing and to said second position outside the furnace housing, and the hearth being movable along the track.
The furnace may have associated therewith a track positioned beside the furnace housing and having mounted thereon a carriage containing ingot moulds for receiving the molten metal from the hearth.
The furnace may have associated there with an ingot carriage having a number of pivotally mounted ingot moulds.
The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of a furnace embodying the present invention with part of the roof of the furnace broken away to show the interior thereof, Figure 2 is an elevational view of the furnace of Figure 1, viewed in the direction of the arrow 2, Figure 3 is an end view of the furnace of Figure 1, viewed in the direction of the arrow 3, and Figure 4 is a perspective sketch of the furnace of Figure 1 showing the arrangement of air lines, fuel burners, and a blower.
Referrring now to the drawings, the furnace 9 there shown comprises a furnace housing 10 having ribs 11 and at each end thereof doors 12 mounted pivotally on hinges 13. The doors, may, of course, be mounted in any other desired way, for example, they may slide upwardly or laterally.
The housing 10 is generally hollow and includes a heating means comprising oil burners 14 to provide sufficient heat for melting metal, for example aluminium contained in scrap iron or steel.
The furnace 9 is also provided with two hearths 16. Each hearth 16 has formed on the top thereof a concave portion, approximately of complementary shape to that of an inverted dome, thereby forming a floor to receive the metal to be melted, the floor being formed from a suitable refractory material. A portion 16a of the floor of each hearth 16 slopes downwardly from the centre of the hearth to an outlet 16b so that molten metal may flow out of the hearth 16.
Each of the hearths 16 is provided with slides 17 which engage a track 18 which, as may be seen, extends from a position on one side of the furnace housing 10 through the housing 10 to a position on the other side.
The two hearths 16 are connected to a cable 19 which passes over pulleys 20 to a winch, not shown. The hearths 16 may thus be alternately positioned inside the furnace housing 10 by operation of the winch.
The furnace housing 10 is provided with a holding pot 21 having two hinged lids 21a and a pouring hole, not shown. The holding pot 21 receives molten metal from the outlets 16b of the hearths 16 through a trough 22. The holding pot 21 is provided with an oil burner 23 to maintain the metal therein molten.
Mounted beside the furnace housing 10 is another track 24 having mounted thereon a carriage 25 having wheels 25a. The carriage 25 contains a number of ingot moulds 26.
Each of the ingot moulds 26 is pivotally mounted about an axis extending transversely of the carriage 25 and is normally retained in an upwardly facing position.
However, when required the ingot moulds 26 may be released from their upwardly facing positions to discharge the ingots formed therein.
The carriage 25 has a wire 28 attached at each end which passes over pulleys 29 and is driven by a manually operated winch 30 in order to move the carriage so that during casting of molten metal from the pouring hole of the holding pot 21 each of the ingot moulds 26 may be successivley brought below the pouring hole.
Also associated with the furnace is an electromagnetic crane, not shown, which is used to load scrap metal into the hearths 16 prior to a melting process and, after a melting process, to remove the ferrous metal which remains unmelted in the hearths 16.
The furnace 9 is also provided with a chimney 31 having a damper 32. The furnace 9 may also be provided with an after burner to reduce pollution.
The furnace 9 also has a blower 33 which supplies air to burners 14 and 23 through lines 34 and the burners 14 and 23 are supplied with fuel through lines 35.
The operation of the furnace 9 will now be described as it would be used for extracting aluminium from scrap metal comprising ferrous metals and aluminium.
Initially, the scrap metal is loaded by the electro-magnetic crane into one of the hearths 16, this hearth being at the time positioned outside the furnace housing 10 but with the other hearth 16 positioned inside the furnace housing 10.
The hearth thus loaded with scrap metal is then moved into the furnace housing 10, simultaneously moving the other hearth 16 out of the furnace housing 10, to heat the scrap metal to a sufficiently high temperature for the aluminium to melt but not so high that the iron melts and the molten aluminium is collected by the hearth 16 and delivered to the holding pot 21. During melting of the aluminium, the other hearth 16 is loaded with a fresh batch of scrap metal.
Once the extraction of metal from the initial batch of scrap metal has been completed, the hearth 16 within the furnace is removed from the furnace housing 10, thereby positioning the other hearth 16 in the furnace housing for extraction of aluminium from a fresh batch of scrap metal and the remaining scrap metal from the first hearth 16 is removed by the electromagnetic crane.
When sufficient aluminium has collected in the holding pot 21 the ingot moulds 26 are positioned successively in communication with the pouring hole and the hole is unblocked and the aluminium cast into the ingot moulds.
As may be appreciated, with a furnace according to the present invention the scrap metal may be removed from the hearth after the aluminium has been extracted using a minimum amount of labour as there is no need to rake or shovel the scrap metal out of the hearth through the door of the furnace.
In another embodiment of the invention, not shown, the hearths 16 remain stationary whilst the furnace housing 10 is moved alternately into heating relationship with each hearth so that the hearth not being heated within the furnace may be loaded and unloaded.
WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A metal melting furnace comprising a
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. furnace 9 there shown comprises a furnace housing 10 having ribs 11 and at each end thereof doors 12 mounted pivotally on hinges 13. The doors, may, of course, be mounted in any other desired way, for example, they may slide upwardly or laterally. The housing 10 is generally hollow and includes a heating means comprising oil burners 14 to provide sufficient heat for melting metal, for example aluminium contained in scrap iron or steel. The furnace 9 is also provided with two hearths 16. Each hearth 16 has formed on the top thereof a concave portion, approximately of complementary shape to that of an inverted dome, thereby forming a floor to receive the metal to be melted, the floor being formed from a suitable refractory material. A portion 16a of the floor of each hearth 16 slopes downwardly from the centre of the hearth to an outlet 16b so that molten metal may flow out of the hearth 16. Each of the hearths 16 is provided with slides 17 which engage a track 18 which, as may be seen, extends from a position on one side of the furnace housing 10 through the housing 10 to a position on the other side. The two hearths 16 are connected to a cable 19 which passes over pulleys 20 to a winch, not shown. The hearths 16 may thus be alternately positioned inside the furnace housing 10 by operation of the winch. The furnace housing 10 is provided with a holding pot 21 having two hinged lids 21a and a pouring hole, not shown. The holding pot 21 receives molten metal from the outlets 16b of the hearths 16 through a trough 22. The holding pot 21 is provided with an oil burner 23 to maintain the metal therein molten. Mounted beside the furnace housing 10 is another track 24 having mounted thereon a carriage 25 having wheels 25a. The carriage 25 contains a number of ingot moulds 26. Each of the ingot moulds 26 is pivotally mounted about an axis extending transversely of the carriage 25 and is normally retained in an upwardly facing position. However, when required the ingot moulds 26 may be released from their upwardly facing positions to discharge the ingots formed therein. The carriage 25 has a wire 28 attached at each end which passes over pulleys 29 and is driven by a manually operated winch 30 in order to move the carriage so that during casting of molten metal from the pouring hole of the holding pot 21 each of the ingot moulds 26 may be successivley brought below the pouring hole. Also associated with the furnace is an electromagnetic crane, not shown, which is used to load scrap metal into the hearths 16 prior to a melting process and, after a melting process, to remove the ferrous metal which remains unmelted in the hearths 16. The furnace 9 is also provided with a chimney 31 having a damper 32. The furnace 9 may also be provided with an after burner to reduce pollution. The furnace 9 also has a blower 33 which supplies air to burners 14 and 23 through lines 34 and the burners 14 and 23 are supplied with fuel through lines 35. The operation of the furnace 9 will now be described as it would be used for extracting aluminium from scrap metal comprising ferrous metals and aluminium. Initially, the scrap metal is loaded by the electro-magnetic crane into one of the hearths 16, this hearth being at the time positioned outside the furnace housing 10 but with the other hearth 16 positioned inside the furnace housing 10. The hearth thus loaded with scrap metal is then moved into the furnace housing 10, simultaneously moving the other hearth 16 out of the furnace housing 10, to heat the scrap metal to a sufficiently high temperature for the aluminium to melt but not so high that the iron melts and the molten aluminium is collected by the hearth 16 and delivered to the holding pot 21. During melting of the aluminium, the other hearth 16 is loaded with a fresh batch of scrap metal. Once the extraction of metal from the initial batch of scrap metal has been completed, the hearth 16 within the furnace is removed from the furnace housing 10, thereby positioning the other hearth 16 in the furnace housing for extraction of aluminium from a fresh batch of scrap metal and the remaining scrap metal from the first hearth 16 is removed by the electromagnetic crane. When sufficient aluminium has collected in the holding pot 21 the ingot moulds 26 are positioned successively in communication with the pouring hole and the hole is unblocked and the aluminium cast into the ingot moulds. As may be appreciated, with a furnace according to the present invention the scrap metal may be removed from the hearth after the aluminium has been extracted using a minimum amount of labour as there is no need to rake or shovel the scrap metal out of the hearth through the door of the furnace. In another embodiment of the invention, not shown, the hearths 16 remain stationary whilst the furnace housing 10 is moved alternately into heating relationship with each hearth so that the hearth not being heated within the furnace may be loaded and unloaded. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:
1. A metal melting furnace comprising a
furnace housing defining a single heating chamber, means for heating said chamber, a track extending rectilinearly from a first position to a second position, two hearths for holding metal to be melted and providing a receptacle for molten metal, means mounting each hearth or the furnace housing on said track for movement there along, drive means to move said hearths or furnace housing along the track to sequentially position one hearth inside the furnace housing whilst the other hearth to positioned outside the furnace housing and then said other heart in the furnace housing whilst said one hearth is positioned outside the furnace housing, an outlet for molten metal provided in each hearth, and a holding pot having a pouring spout for receiving molten metal from said outlet when a hearth is positioned within the furnace housing.
2. A furnace according to Claim 1 wherein the furnace housing is fixed and each hearth is provided with means which engage the track, the track extending from said first position outside the furnace housing through the furnace housing and to said second position outside the furnace housing, and the hearth being movable along the track.
3. A furnace according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the furnace has associated therewith a track positioned beside the furnace housing and having mounted thereon a carriage containing ingot moulds for receiving the molten metal from the hearth.
4. A furnace according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the furnace has in association therewith an ingot carriage having a number of pivotally mounted ingot moulds.
5. A furnace according to Claim 2 wherein the furnace has in association therewith a second track positioned outside the furnace housing extending parallel to the said first track and having mounted thereon a carriage containing a plurality of pivotally mounted ingot moulds for receiving molten metal from said holding pot and means to move said carriage past the pouring spout of said holding pot to permit each mould to be filled sequentially.
6. A metal melting furnace substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
GB48334/75A 1976-11-25 1976-11-25 Metal melting furnaces Expired GB1563706A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB48334/75A GB1563706A (en) 1976-11-25 1976-11-25 Metal melting furnaces

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB48334/75A GB1563706A (en) 1976-11-25 1976-11-25 Metal melting furnaces

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB1563706A true GB1563706A (en) 1980-03-26

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ID=10448231

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB48334/75A Expired GB1563706A (en) 1976-11-25 1976-11-25 Metal melting furnaces

Country Status (1)

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GB (1) GB1563706A (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0869192A2 (en) * 1997-04-03 1998-10-07 Wolfgang Jansen Extraction of non-ferrous metal from metal scrap parts by liquation and tunnel furnace installation therefor

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0869192A2 (en) * 1997-04-03 1998-10-07 Wolfgang Jansen Extraction of non-ferrous metal from metal scrap parts by liquation and tunnel furnace installation therefor
EP0869192A3 (en) * 1997-04-03 1998-10-21 Wolfgang Jansen Extraction of non-ferrous metal from metal scrap parts by liquation and tunnel furnace installation therefor

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PS Patent sealed
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee