US2043048A

US2043048A - Ladle

Info

Publication number: US2043048A
Application number: US757600A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles E Lehr
Original assignee: Bethlehem Steel Corp
Current assignee: Bethlehem Steel Corp
Priority date: 1934-12-15
Filing date: 1934-12-15
Publication date: 1936-06-02
Anticipated expiration: 1953-06-02

Description

c. E. LEHR 2,043,048

LADLE June 2, 1936.

Filed Dec. l5, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 2, 1936. C, E. LEHR 2,043,048

LADLE Filed Dec. 15, 1954 s sheets-sheet 2 /Ir 'f T 5 s ff A "flw- =9\ f i I L?? 40 F y, L; E ff 4 I' v 3i To-c, ff

June 2, 1936. c. E. LEHR 2,043,048

LADLE Filed Dec. l5, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Il 5f Patented June 2 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE LADLE Pennsylvania Application December 15, 1934, Serial No. '157,600

7Claims.

This invention relates to hot metal ladles and. more particularly to a rolled steel all-welded construction which reduces the weight over previous cast designs.

I construct my ladle shell of three rolled plates. Two plates form the side shell, and another plate forms the bottom. The bottom plate is flat and reinforced with bars to prevent distortion of the plate and to provide a fiat base for the ladle to rest upon if necessary during en emergency, and also to provide a flat surface for the refractory lining. The spacing of the reinforcing bars is made t suit standard brick shapes so as to reduce chipping and facilitate laying. The spaces between the bars are filled with standard lire brick to the tops of the bars, and a protective layer of standard brick is laid over the top of the bars so as to entirely cover the bottom.

Rolled steel trunnion blocks are welded to the ladle shell, and trunnions welded to the bloc-ks and to the shell.

A system of reinforcing ribs radiating from the trunnion blocks distribute the stresses due to lifting the lled ladle.

A fiat bottom is more desirable than a dished bottom because of the disadvantage of the dished bottom when setting the ladle down except cn a ladle stand, due to tipping out of plumb for lining, heating, etc.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a ladle of maximum carrying capacity with the least amount of dead weight in the ladle.

Another object is to constructthe ladle of rolled material in a manner requiring the least amount of welding, and thereby reduce its cost.

A further object is to provide an improved trunnion structure of economical design and to provide reinforcing members welded thereto for distributing the lifting load.

A still further object is to provide a ilat bottom for the ladle, and reinforcing for the bottom so as to prevent distortion due to the weight of the metal carried by the ladle, and to effect a stable base for the ladle when resting on the ground.

The novel features will be more fully understood from the following description and claims taken with the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the ladle with a portion of the top rim plate omitted;

Fig. 2 is a View in end elevation partly in section;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation view;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on lines 4 4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 shows a trunnion pin;

Fig. 6 shows the manner in which the trunnion is welded to the trunnion block;

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken through the top edge of the ladle;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view through the trunnion taken on lines 8 8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional View taken through the bottom corner of the ladle; and,

Fig. 10 shows a modification of Fig. 9.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, there is illustrated a tapering ladle shell of elliptical section comprising two curved side plates I0 and II and a light bottom plate I2. The two side plates being welded together along their longitudinal edges I3 and Il. and the bottom plate is welded to the inside surface of the side plates as shown by welds i5 in Figs. 9 and 10.

On top of the bottom plate, Figs. 1 and 9. is shown reinforcing bars I6 extending across the narrow dimension of the ladle. These bars are welded at their ends to the inside of the shell plates, and at their bottom edges I8 to the bottom plate so as to directly transmit the vertical load on the bottom plate to the side plates and to prevent it from being distorted.

Between the bars I6, I weld short longitudinal members I9 and 20, and around the pouring spout hole 2| I form a box by means of members 22, all welded together to form a unitary network of beams for the suspension of the bottom plate I5, whereby the bottom load is transmitted through the bars to the side plates III and II in a vertical shearing manner and without tendency to contract or expand the bottom of the ladle and thus throw additional stress into the vertical welds of the side plates.

With a light bottom plate reinforced in this manner, distortion thereof and radial contraction is prevented, thereby relieving the shell plates of contracting forces such as occur in an unreinforced bottom whether it be flat or outwardly dished.

Fig. 9 shows the preferred form for constructing the bottom because no hot metal capacity is vsacrificed such as would occur were the reinforcing bars placed under the bottom plate as shown in Fig. 10. Furthermore, with the bottom constructed as shown in Fig. 9, a smooth at bottom is provided which is advantageous when setting the ladle on a ground floor. A bottom constructed in this manner will not cut into the ground and tip as would happen were the reinforcing bars placed underneath. Again, a reinforced :dat bottom will not be distorted when set on ground which is not perfectly flat. Obviously, a ladle having a reinforced fiat bottom has several advantages over the ladle having a flat or dished bottom and constructed in the usual manner.

Fig. 'I shows a top reinforcing plate 23 in overlapping relation to the top perimeter of side plate i I. The top plate is doubly welded at points 24 t0 the side plate at its inside and outside edges. This plate not only reinforces the top of the ladle but also protects the brickwork. The dot and dash lines 25 indicate the brick lining. Plate 23 is reinforced with gussets 26 welded thereto and to the inner surface of the shell plates. This construction provides an unusually strong and laterally stiff reinforcement for the rim and with a saving in weight over ordinary practices having equal physical characteristics.

In Fig. 9 the bottom lining comprises brick 21 set on edge between the ribs I6. The spacing between the ribs is sufficient to allow the use of standard bricks with a minimum amount of chipping. A top layer of bricks 28 covers the tops of bars i6. These bricks are laid at.

The construction of the bottom lining as shown in Fig. 10 is generally similar to that shown in Fig. 9, the only practical difference between these two constructions resides in the positioning of the ribs i6.

With reference to Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8, the trunnion housing comprises a at trunnion block 29, preferably square, welded to the outside of the ladle shell as indicated at 30. The block is bored for receiving the trunnion 3|, and around the inner edge of the bore is cut a welding chamfer 32 so that the block may be welded to the shell plates not only at its outside edges but also at its inner edge, thus providing a double security between the block and the plates.

After the trunnion is inserted into the block it is welded around the chamfered flange 33 to the block as shown in Fig. 6, and its inner edge is welded to the inside of the plating as indicated at 34 in Fig. 8. It will be noted that the trunnion block is chamfered and counterbored for the reception of the trunnion ange 33. This provides an enlarged bearing surface for the trunnion where it enters the block, thereby reducing the tendency of edge cracks to develop around the outside edge of the hole in the block. The chamfer on the outside edge of the trunnion flange combined with the chamfer of the block forms a groove for the reception of welding material as shown in Fig. 6.

Surrounding the trunnion block are frame-like members comprising a top member 35, a bottom member 36, and two side members 3-1 and 38. Radiating from the block are similar diagonal members 39, horizontal member 40, and vertical members 4i, all welded together and to the shell so as to form a unitary trunnion support free of distorting casting stresses. The bottom members 3B are provided with seating faces 42 for supporting the ladle on a ladle stand.

Circumferential reinforcing rings

43 and 44 merge with

frame members

35 and 36 respectively. These rings are welded to the trunnion frame members and to the shell plates so as to help distribute the stresses due to lifting the ladle when lled with metal. At spaced intervals gussets 45 are welded to

rings

43 and 44 and to the side plates for the purpose of reinforcement.

The ladle is made elliptical not only to increase its capacity without increasing its height, but also to render unnecessary the difficulty experienced in bending thick plates to a circle at or near their edges and to provide flat surfaces for the application of the trlmnion blocks, thus obviating form'- 5 ing and fitting the blocks to tapering curved surfaces.

A three part ladle constructed after this manner allows the longitudinal welds for the side plates to be overlapped by the trunnion housings, thereby providing additional ties between the edges of the plates.

Various modifications obviously may be made in the details of the foregoing construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as 16 embodied in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new-and desire to secure byA Letters Patent, is:

1. In a ladle having sides, and a bottom portion reinforced by spaced supporting members secured to the upper side of said bottom and to said sides, the spaces between and the height of said members being substantially equal to the respective length and width of a refractory brick, 25 bricks for filling said spaces, and an additional course of brick laid over said members and said space filling bricks.

2. In an elliptically shaped ladle, a body portion formed of two curved plates having their end portions in abutting relation and welded together, a bottom for the4 ladle, and trunnion housings mounted over said joints and Welded to said plates so as to reinforce said joints.

3. In an elliptically shaped ladle, a body portion formed of two curved plates having flat end portions in abutting relation and welded together to form the body, a' bottom for the ladle, a at trunnion block mounted upon the flat surface of the plates formed by said end portions, said block 40 and plates being provided with an opening for the reception of a trunnion. said block being l welded around its outside and around the inside edge of said opening to the side plates.

4. In a ladle for molten metal having a metallic 'shell provided with an opening for receiving a trunnion, a trimnion block having a trunnion orifice aligned with said opening, the corner defining the edge of said orifice being chamfered adjacent the opening in said shell, welding material placed in said chamfer for securing said block to said shell, welding material applied around the outside of said block for securing the block to said shell, a trunnion mounted in the orifice of said block and projecting through the opening in said shell, and means for holding the trunnion in place.

5. In a ladle for molten metal having a metallic shell provided with an opening for receiving a trunnion, a trunnion block having a trunl nion orifice aligned with said opening, the corners defining both edges of said orifice being chamfered with the outside chamfer being further counterbored, welding material applied to lthe chamfer of the block adjacent the shell and welding material applied around the outside of the block for doubly securing the block to the shell, a trunnion pin having an end portion adapted to enter said orifice and said opening and a flange adapted to fit said counterbore, said flange being chamfered so as to form a groove between the outside chamfer in the block and the flange, welding material applied to said groove and around the edge of the pin adjacent the opening in the shell for securing the pin to the block and to the shell.

6. In a ladle for molten metal, a body portion formed of two curved plates having nat end portions in abutting relation and joined together to form the body, a bottom for the ladle, trunnion supports mounted over said joints and welded to said plates so as to reinforce said joints; one of said supports comprising a trunnion block mounted upon the fiat surface of the plates formed by said end portions, frame-like members surrounding said block, strut members radiating from said block to the inside surfaces of said frame member; said block, frame and struts being made of separate pieces and welded together to form a unitary support for the trunnion free of shrinkage stresses;' and body reinforcing rings extending from said frame around the outside of the body, said rings being welded to the frame and to the body for distributing lifting stresses.v

7. In a ladle having a side portion formed of plates, means for reinforcing the top perimeter of said side plates comprising a top plate in overlapping relation to the inside and outside top edges of said plates, said top plate being welded to the side plates at the inside and outside top` edges of said plates, and gussets welded to the inner surface of the side plates and to the under side of said top plate.

CHARLES E. LEER.