TW202302246A - Method, in particular for maintaining a slide gate on a vessel containing a metal melt, and a slide gate - Google Patents

Abstract

A method is provided, in particular for maintaining a slide gate (10) of a vessel containing metal melts. The slide gate (10) comprises a housing (11), a slide unit guided longitudinally in this, a holding element (15), a linear drive (12) which can be located in this for adjusting the slide unit, at least one electrical line and/or a connection line (16, 17, 18) for a medium, such as gas or air. The connecting of the at least one electrical line and/or the connection line (16, 17, 18) for the medium takes place in this situation by means of a plugging action. This plugging action of the at least one connection line (16, 17, 18) takes place automatically with the moving of the linear drive (12) into the holding element (15), and, respectively, the detachment takes place automatically when it is moved out of the holding element (15). As a result, handling is more easily achieved in particular at the maintaining of the slide gate by means of a robot, and, at the same time, the process stability and the operational safety are increased during the casting.

Description

Method and sliding gate especially for maintaining a sliding gate on a vessel containing molten metal

The present invention relates to a method and a sliding gate, in particular for maintaining a sliding gate on a vessel containing a molten metal, according to the preamble of claim 1 and claim 5 respectively.

According to one of the known publications EP-A-3 424 618, a sliding gate has: a sliding gate housing; a sliding unit, which is longitudinally guided in the sliding gate housing and has a thrust rod; a holding element ; and a removable linear drive, which is fixed in the holding element and has a drive rod. The driving rod can be connected to the thrust rod of the sliding unit by a coupling, which is to implement the coupling action by the displacement of the driving rod relative to the sliding unit when the linear drive moves into the holding element, and when The drive rod is decoupled transversely to the sliding direction of the drive rod when the linear drive is removed from the holding element.

When the sliding gate is maintained, for example cast from a ladle on a casting field in a continuous casting plant and before coupling the hydraulic cylinder as a linear drive to at least one electrical line and/or a medium such as gas or air, it is necessary to first Next to the casting site, the transmission connection line and the supply source are connected. This is usually accomplished by the manual plugging action of the sliding gates of the connecting wire pairs on the foundry.

The invention is based on the object of providing a method for maintaining a sliding gate, whereby better handling can be achieved in a structurally simple manner for mounting the linear drive and connecting it for at least one electrical connection and/or for supplying e.g. gas or The plug connection of the air-wire connection, wherein this is preferably designed so that it can be carried out preferably by a robot or a manipulator.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claim 1 and claim 5 respectively.

The plugging of the at least one connection line by moving the linear drive into the holding element and the separation of the at least one connection line take place automatically when the linear drive is removed from the holding element.

Thus, a substantially easier handling is achieved and at the same time increased process stability and operational safety during casting, in particular by maintaining the sliding gate with a robot.

Very advantageously, at least one electrical plug assembly and/or at least one valve plug assembly for the medium of the at least one connecting line are assigned in pairs to the linear drive and the holding element, respectively, by means of a sliding gate. Thus, when the linear drive is moved into the holding element, it is automatically inserted and thus establishes the connection of the respective connection lines and when the linear drive is removed from the holding element, it is automatically detached.

Purposefully, the linear drive moves in and out of the holding element, preferably transversely to its direction of adjustment, and the plug-in connection and disconnection of the connecting wires take place synchronously in the same direction. By means of this cross movement, better accessibility can be obtained on the foundry for processing due to the spatial circumstances on the foundry.

1 and 2 show a holding element 15 of the sliding gate 10 and a linear drive 12 that can be moved into the holding element, and the sliding gate has a sliding housing 11 and a longitudinally guided one in the sliding housing. The sliding element, wherein only the thrust rod 13 protruding into the holding element 15 can be seen.

The sliding gate 10 is known per se in terms of its structure and mode of operation and is therefore not described in more detail. It is preferably suitable for use in a ladle for casting steel melts as a container in a continuous casting plant. In general, however, it can also be used for casting from other vessels, for example with a reformer, a funnel or also with a furnace in the non-ferrous metal section.

Especially when the container is provided in the form of a ladle, the linear drive 12 is usually first moved into the holding element 15 and coupled, and then the ladle filled with molten metal is placed on a rotating tower on a casting field of the continuous casting plant . This is preferably carried out by a robot arranged on the foundry, which first detects the precise position of the holding element 15 of the sliding gate 10 in an automatic manner by means of a detection system mounted on the robot. position and then take out the linear drive 12 assembled into a hydraulic piston/cylinder unit from a holding position by means of a corresponding holding tool, guide it to the sliding gate 10 and move it into the holding element 15. This order is reversed when removing it.

After the linear drive 12 is moved in, its driving rod 12' is coupled with the thrust rod 13 of the sliding unit. Because a coupling head 14 in the form of a clamp moves in front of the drive rod 12' relative to the coaxially arranged thrust bar 13 of the slide unit and is turned over by pivoting the clamping jaw 14' over the thrust bar. The coupling flange 13' at the end side of the rod 13 surrounds this coupling flange with a positive and/or non-positive fit, so that the coupling suitably takes place automatically. A sliding gate with this coupling is disclosed in publication EP 0 875 320 B1 and therefore no further details will be described in this respect.

Usually, as mentioned before, at least one electric wire and/or connecting wires for eg gas or air etc. are required in order to operate during casting. Via the at least one electrical connection 16 a power supply is provided for at least one consumable component, for example a measuring and evaluation device for incipient slag identification or for an induction heating unit or the like. By means of the connection lines 17, 18 for the medium, a gas seal is generally provided for the cooling of the flowing metal melts or mechanical components or refractory parts in the sliding gate. These connection lines 16, 17, 18 are connected to an external power supply, gas source or compressed air source and associated control devices and are coupled to the sliding gate 10 for maintenance by plugging steps on the foundry.

With the method according to the invention for servicing the sliding gate 10 for subsequent casting of the melt from the ladle, the plugging action of the connecting wires 16, 17, 18 is moved into the holding element by the linear drive 12 15 automatically or separately, when it is detached from the retaining element 15 and then automatically.

Therefore, especially when servicing the sliding gate 10 , the substantially easier handling is achieved by a robot and at the same time the process stability for automated casting is also increased by this method.

In this case, the linear drive 12 is moved in or out of the holding element transversely to the adjustment direction A of the drive rod 12', and the plug connection or disconnection of the connecting lines 16, 17, 18 is happen in the same direction. Advantageously, during the plugging action of the connecting wires, a centering movement first takes place and is followed by a transfer into the plugged position.

Suitably, the linear drive 12 and the holding element 15 each have guide means arranged so that the linear drive 12 can be moved transversely into and out of the holding element 15 . The guides and the linear drive 12 are arranged on the front side where their drive rod 12' is provided, and at the holding element 15 are arranged on the rear side by means of separate ends.

Preferably, these guide means are formed at the linear drive 12 as a substantially rectangular flange 22 and at the holding element 15 as corresponding guide grooves 25 ′ in a C-shaped housing 25 . In this case, the flange 22 can be moved in and out of the guide grooves 25' of the receiving part 25 arranged parallel to each other up and down, and is held in position by positive fit during the casting process. For this purpose, the guide grooves 25' are arranged at an angle inclined inwards of several degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. The effect of this is that the linear drive is positively snapped into the holding element without the need for an actuatable locking device. Furthermore, the flange 22 of the linear drive 12 also includes a holding element 20 which can extend laterally and which can be picked up by the gripping tool of the robot. However, this linear actuator 12 may also be conveyed manually.

The connecting lines 16 , 17 , 18 are led transversely to the sliding gate 10 at the front of the holding element 15 and along the rear side of the linear drive 12 which is combined into a pressure cylinder 19 . The holding element 15 is configured to have on one longitudinal side a wall 15' guiding the connecting lines and to be open on the other longitudinal side so that the drive rod 12' with the coupling head 14 can be moved into it. holding element. From the linear drive 12 the connection lines run in bundles through a sleeve 21 , projecting away on the rear side of the cylinder 19 and through at least one hose not shown in more detail to the external supply sources. This results in a tight and sure guiding configuration of one of the connection lines 16, 17, 18 which is another benefit.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, according to the present invention, an electrical plug assembly 26, 36 is allocated in pairs to the linear drive 12 and the holding element 15, respectively, and to the media of the connecting lines 16, 17, 18, respectively. Assign two valve plug assemblies 27, 28, 37, 38 so that when the linear drives 12 are moved into the holding element 15, the connection of the connecting lines 16, 17, 18 is automatically inserted and thus established respectively, when the When the holding elements are taken out of the linear drive 12, they are automatically separated.

An electric plug assembly 26 is disposed above the pressure cylinder 19 and the corresponding plug assembly 36 is arranged laterally and independently above the receiving portion 25 at the holding element 15, while the valve plug assemblies 27, 28 for the medium are fixed in a Protruding on the face side of the flange 22 and the two corresponding valve plug assemblies 37, 38 are fixed inside the receiving portion 25, so that when the flange 22 moves into the guide grooves 25′ of the receiving portion 25, The plug assemblies 26, 36 and the valve plug assemblies 27, 28, 37, 38 are plugged into each other, respectively.

Preferably, a centering device for centering in the plugging steps of the paired corresponding valve plug assemblies 27, 28, 37, 38 is respectively arranged between these valve plug assemblies 27, 28, on the flange 22 and on the inner side of the receiving portion 25 . Arranged on the flange 22 on the one hand as the centering means is a protruding centering pin 29 and on the other hand arranged in the receptacle 25 is a receiving sleeve 29 ′. The size of the pre-middle pin 29 shaped to be substantially a point is made longer than the valve plug assemblies 27, 28 so that when the flange 22 is moved into the receiving sleeve 29', it is in the position of the valve plug assemblies. 27, 28, 37, 38 pass through the receiving sleeve 29' before moving in. The valve plug assembly 37, 38 with the receiving sleeve 29' is advantageously held in a plate-like device 34 mounted on floating bearings transverse to the holding element 15 and transverse to its longitudinal extension. In order to compensate for misalignment in the valve plug assemblies 27, 28 at the flange 22. This thus ensures that this plugging step can be carried out without problems and in accordance with steelworks tolerances.

According to FIG. 3 , the flange 22 , which is similarly arranged on the front side and has an inclined element 22 ′ as a centering aid, slides into a guide groove 25 ′ of the receptacle 25 . First, the centering pin 29 is moved into the receiving sleeve 29' so that when the valve plug assemblies 27, 28, 37, 38 are moved further, they are relatively pre-centered. These valve plug assemblies consist of a conventional sleeve with sealing and a closure element, which will not be described in more detail.

FIG. 4 shows the end position of the flange 22 then in the receiving portion 25 , wherein the valve plug assemblies and the centering device are plugged into position.

Also shown is a ratchet lever 24 of a ratchet mechanism 23, whereby it is ensured that it is automatically secured during transport. Furthermore, a pluggable ascending delimitation bolt 33 is shown, which engages in a longitudinal slot of the thrust rod 13 in order to act as a stop for the ascending movement of the rod.

Shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are the two positions of the electrical plug assemblies 26 , 36 when the flange 22 is moved inwardly and in the terminal position in the receiving portion 25 . One electrical plug assembly 26 includes a receptacle 31 and the other electrical plug assembly 36 includes the corresponding pins 37 protruding. Centering of the electrical plug assemblies 26 , 36 also takes place when centering occurs by the centering pins 29 entering the receiving sleeve 29 . Advantageously, however, the electrical plug assembly 26 is mounted on the cylinder 12' and is constrained in engagement movement by a device 39 shown or mounted in a floating manner so that during the mating step, any misalignment can be corrected. precision. Additionally, preferably provided at the electrical plug assembly 36 is a hinged cover 32 whereby the opening is closed to prevent any contamination when the plug assembly is in the unmated state.

As a further benefit, the connecting lines 17, 18 are arranged transversely at the flange 22 laterally adjacent to the cylinder 19, and the valve plug assemblies 27, 28 are placed on The flange 22 is on the face side.

Furthermore, the electrical plug assemblies 26, 36 and the valve plug assemblies 27, 28, 37, 38 are formed in pairs with each other so that they have respectively reached the plugged-in state before the flange 22 reaches the end position in the holding element 15, And they are in the plugged state beyond the remaining plug-in path. This has the advantage that if the flange cannot be introduced to the end position due to contamination or the like, the electrical or media connection can still be over a certain distance, for example 10 to 15 mm before the end position.

The present invention has been properly explained by the foregoing exemplary embodiments. But it can be further illustrated by a variation example.

Depending on requirements, only one connecting line can be provided, as such for electrical connection or for one medium or even more than three mediums. Plug assemblies 26, 36 for electrical connection lines and the valve plug assemblies can be arranged transversely at the flange or inside the housing, wherein the lines and at least one valve plug assembly can be similarly arranged. Instead, the valve plug assemblies and the plug assemblies can be disposed above the cylinder 19 .

The guide means at the linear drive 12 as a flange 22 and at the holding element 15 as corresponding guide grooves 25' in a C-shaped receptacle 25 can also be formed in the protrusion, for example by means of the guide grooves. The edge 22 is configured differently, and the receiving portion 25 can then be integrated in them. As mentioned above, the linear drive 12 is usually a hydraulic piston/cylinder unit, but it could also be an electric drive.

Theoretically, the insertion direction of the guides and thus the linear drive 12 and the plugging action can be, for example, towards the adjustment direction rather than transversely to the adjustment direction A of the drive rod 12 ′ or from bottom to top instead of by Side access to the retaining element for insertion or removal. The guides and the plug assemblies and valve plug assemblies must therefore be respectively correspondingly configured so that according to the invention the plugging action of the at least one connection line can take place automatically by the insertion of the linear drive into the holding element and respectively Accordingly, decoupling can occur automatically when the linear drive is removed by the holding element.

10: sliding gate 11: sliding housing 12: Linear drive 12': drive rod 13: Thrust rod 13': Coupling flange 14: Coupling head 14': clamping chuck 15,20: holding element 15': wall 16: Electrical connection; connecting wire 17,18: Connecting line 19: Press cylinder 21: Sleeve 22: Flange 22': tilting element 23: ratchet mechanism 24: Ratchet Lever 25: storage department 25': guide groove 26,36: Electric plug assembly 27,28,37,38: valve plug assembly 29: center pin 29': storage sleeve 31: socket 32:Hinged cover 33: Insertable rising delimitation bolts 34: Plate device 37: Latch 39: Device A: Adjust the direction

The present invention and other advantages are described below according to exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. The diagrams show: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a retaining element and a removable linear drive disposed therein before maintaining said sliding gate; Fig. 2 is a reverse perspective view of the holding element and the linear drive according to Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the linear drive as it moves into the holding element and, respectively, a part of the guiding medium; FIG. 4 is a perspective view according to FIG. 3 and respectively, the part of the guide medium, with the linear drive moved into the holding element; Figure 5 is a view with a portion of the electrical plug assembly as the linear drive moves into the retaining element; and FIG. 6 is a view of the part according to FIG. 5 of the electrical plug assemblies with the linear drive moved into the holding element.

10: sliding gate

11: sliding housing

12: Linear drive

14': clamping chuck

15: Holding element

15': wall

16: Electrical connection; connecting wire

17,18: Connecting line

19: Press cylinder

21: Sleeve

25: storage department

25': guide groove

26,36: Electric plug assembly

27,28: Valve plug assembly

29: center pin

Claims (12)

A method, in particular for maintaining a sliding gate (10) of a vessel containing molten metal, the sliding gate comprising a housing (11); a sliding unit guided longitudinally in the housing; a holding element (15); a linear drive (12), which can be inserted into the holding element for adjusting the sliding unit; at least one electric wire and/or a connection line (16, 17, 18) for a medium such as a gas or air ), wherein the linear drive (12) can preferably be moved in or out by a robot, and the connection of the at least one electric line and/or the connecting line (16, 17, 18) for the medium is by a plug The connection action takes place, the method is characterized by: The plugging action of the at least one connecting wire (16, 17, 18) occurs automatically as the linear drive (12) moves into the holding element (15) and respectively, when removed from the holding element (15) The linear drive occurs automatically when its separation occurs. The method of claim 1, characterized in that: the linear drive (12) can preferably be inserted into the holding element (15) transversely to its adjustment direction and removed separately, and the connecting lines (16, 17, 18) The mating and disconnection occur in the same direction. As the method of claim 1 or 2, it is characterized in that: during the insertion action of the at least one electric wire and/or the connection line (16, 17, 18) used for the medium, a centering action occurs first, And then the plugging action takes place until entering the end position. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: the at least one electrical connection line (16) for the power supply of at least one consumable component, such as for incipient slag identification or induction A measuring and evaluating device for heating; and the at least one connecting line (17, 18) for the medium such as gas or air as a gas seal or for cooling or similar purposes, wherein each connecting line (16 , 17, 18) are connected to an external power source, a gas source or a compressed air source. A sliding gate for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: At least one electrical plug assembly (26, 36) is assigned in pairs to the linear drive (12) and the holding element (15), respectively, and/or to the medium of the at least one electrical connection line (16, 17, 18) respectively assigning the at least one valve plug assembly (27, 28, 37, 38) such that when the linear drive (12) moves into the holding element (15), the respective connecting lines (16, 17, 18) and respectively, is automatically disconnected when the linear drive (12) is removed from the holding element (15). As for the sliding gate of claim 5, it is characterized in that: the linear drive (12) and the holding element (15) have at least one guide device respectively, and the at least one guide device interacts in the following way: the linear drive (12) can be compared preferably transversely into and removed from the holding element (15) respectively, wherein the guides are configured to protrude at the front side of the linear drive (12), at its drive rod ( 12'), and is arranged on the rear side of the holding element (15) by its independent end. The sliding gate according to claim 6, characterized in that: the guiding devices are assembled as a flange (22) at the linear drive (12) and used for the at least one valve plug assembly (27, 28) of the medium ) extends transversely toward the insertion direction at the flange (22), while the guide devices at the holding element (15) are assembled into a plurality of guide grooves (25') and the at least one valve plug assembly (27, 28) extend between them so that when the flange (22) moves into the guide grooves (25'), the corresponding pairs of the valve plug assemblies (27, 28) are inserted into each other. As the sliding gate of claim 7, it is characterized in that: two valve plug assemblies (27, 28, 37, 38) are assigned to the flange (22) and two valve plug assemblies are assigned to the holding element (15), the The valve plug assemblies extend parallel to each other and are respectively pluggable in pairs, wherein a centering device is preferably arranged between these valve plug assemblies (27, 28, 37, 38) for connecting the valve during the plugging action. Wait until the valve plug assembly is centered. The sliding gate of claim 7 or 8 is characterized in that: the guide grooves (25') are formed in a C-shaped receiving part (25) of the holding element (15), and the valve plug assemblies (37, 38 ) and the centering device are fixed on the inner side of the C-shaped receiving portion. The sliding gate according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: the at least one electrical plug assembly (26) is arranged above the linear drive (12) and the corresponding plug assembly (36) is arranged laterally above the receiving portion (25) at the holding element (15), so that when the linear drive (12) moves into the holding element (15), the two plug assemblies (26, 36) are plugged together. The sliding gate according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that: the at least one valve plug assembly (37, 38) and/or the one electric plug assembly (26) are respectively held in a device (34, 39 ), the device is mounted floating or on an engaging bearing in the retaining element (15) or transversely to the longitudinal extension at the linear drive (12) so as to compensate in the corresponding valve plug assemblies ( 27, 28) and/or deviations in the plug assembly (36). Sliding gate according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that the connection lines (16, 17, 18) are guided laterally towards the sliding gate (10) at the holding element (15), and is guided along the rear side of the linear drive (12), wherein the connecting wires (16, 17, 18) pass in bundles through at least one sleeve (21) protruding away from the rear side of the linear drive (12) and At least one hose reaches the external power source, the gas source or the compressed air source.

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