US276384A - Metallurgical plant - Google Patents

Description

. L .b e e h S s t e e h s 4 H m... Y S R 0 nr. R. a d o M 0 /N\ MBTALLURGIGAL PLANT.`

No. 276,384.l

Patented @1224,1883.

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(No Model.) muetssheen 8.

R. FORSYTH.

METALLURGIGAL PLANT. No. 278,884. Patented Ap1-.24,1888.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

" R. FORSYTH.

METALLURGIGAL PLANT.

180,278,884. Patented A181824, 1888.

V7171 P/EESEE N. PETERsAPweo mug h (im Model.) 4 sheetssheen r1.1.. R. FORSYTH.

METALLURGIGAL PLANT.

Patented Apr. 24, 1883.

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mfp/.15555 E w n( Q91@ NrTED STATES- Y PATENT @tirreno ROBERT FORSYTH, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

M ETALLURGICAL PLANT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,384, dated April 24, 1883i Application filed February 10, 1883.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, ROBERT FoasYrH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, vin the county of Cook and State ot' Illinois,

haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallurgical Plants, of which the followingis a full, elearfand exact description. In carrying out the Bessemer or pneumatic andalsotheopen-hearthsteel-makingprocesses ro the usual arrangement of the plant is a casting-pit having a ladle-crane in its center, and on one side a pair ot converters or a meltingfurnace. This arrangement necessarily sorestrcts the available room in the pit for casting ingots that less than half the circumference steel by the Bessemer or open-hearth process,

have lcd to various dispositions of plants, especially Bessemer plants, for securing more room :in the vcasting-pit and for removing the casting-pit farther from the converters. In-

creasing the diameter ot' the casting-pit gives room in the pit for ingots; but as the length of the crane-jib must-be increased with the diameter of the pit great strains are thrown upon the crane, and the apparatusbecomes unwieldy and unsafe. Moreover, this increase in size of pit does not remove the objectionyof the proximity of the converters or furnaces to themen at work.

My invention, which obviates' all the abovementioned difficulties, consists in placing between the receiving and casting cranes or their equivalent mechanism a track, upon which the carriage carryingthe castin g-ladle maybe run. This track may beof any convenient length, and its length will determine the distance to which the casting-pit is removed from the converters or furnaces. i

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention as used in connection with Bessemer plants; but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that it may be readily applied without material change to plants wherein open-hearth furnaces are employed.

Figure I represents a plan view ot' a twovessel plant, and Fig. Il is a plan view of a (No model.)

three-vessel plant, embodying my invention. Fig. III is a view in side elevation upon line mx of Fig. I. Fig. IV is an enlarged detail view in side elevation ot the transfer-track and 5 5 portion of the crane-jibs. Fig.Vis aplan "iew of the transfer-track and ends ot' the crane-jibs. Fig. 6 is a view partly in end elevation and partly in section on line y y ot' Fig. V.

Referring to the arrangement shown in Figs. 6c

I and III, A designates two Bessemer converters, which are of ordinaryconstruction, and are provided with the usual operating mechanism. Intermediate these converters, and equidistant therefrom, is placed the hydraulic receivingcrane B, of well-known form, thejib B of which is furnished with rails, upon which travels the casting-ladle C. At a distance from the crane B, determined by the length of its jib B', is

placed what I designate the transt`er-track,7 7o

consistingoi' the railsD, resting upon. the blocks d, supported on` the` masonry piers D', which extend to the casting-pit E and form the channel D2, for the passage of the casting-ladle, as

clearly shown in Fig. V. The blocks d, which support the track-rails and jib ends, are provided with the inclined planes d2, the purpose of which is to guide the crane-jibs, furnished at their ends with the rollers r, into ready alignment with the transfer-track. Centrally 8o of the casting-pit is placed the hydraulic casting-crane F, thcjib F ot' which extends to the transfer-track. The cranes B and F are pret'- erably furnished, as shown, with the usual hydraulic pistons for moving `the ladle-carriage, although for this purpose other suitable mechanism may be employed.

In the three-vessel plant (illustrated in Fig. II) the converters A are arranged in line,and

two receiving-cranes, B, are placed interme- 9c diate the central and outer vessels, two transfer-tracks being in this case employed. The rails of these tracks are supported similarly-to those shown in Figs. I and Il, but the tracks are placed obliquely to each other and in sucli 'g5 position that cach shall be in alignment with the jib of its receiving-crane when the latter is brought opposite'to the casting-crane F, commou to both.

The centers l, 2, 3, and 4 indicate the poroo sitions ofthe usual cranes employed for the purpose ot' lifting out the ingots and transferring the ingot-molds w to and from the casting-pit.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: Theladle, having been placed upon the receiving-crane, isilled with steel from the converter or furnace, (when thelatter is used,) and thereceiving-crane is then swung around until the rails of its jib are inline with the transfer-track and the jib-rails ofthe casting-crane. The receiving crane-jib is then lowered,its ends being guided by the inclined planes of the blocks d2 until it comes to rest, and is irmly supported by the piers in line with the transfer-track. The ladle is then transferred from the receiving-crane jib to the track, and from the track to the jib of the casting-crane, which carries the ladle successively over the ingot-molds.

The advantages resulting from the forego ing construction are, first, the casting-pit may be placed at any desired distance or in any desired direction from the converters or furnaces 5 second, nearly the whole circumference of the casting-pit may be used for casting ingots, thus considerably increasing the number of ingots that can be handled in a given pit without lengthening the crane-jib to a danger ous extent; and, third, a smooth and even passage ot' the casting-ladle from crane to track and from track to crane is secured.

Although in the accompanying drawings I have illustrated hydraulic receiving and casting cranes which are the most approved construction ot` apparatus for handling the casting-ladle, Ido not wish to be understood as restricting the scope of my invention thereto, since it is obvious that any other suitable mechanism may be employed for this purpose .in connection with my intermediate track.

Thus, if desired, the well-known hydraulic ladle-lift may be used for presenting the castingladl'e to receive its charge of metal, and the ingot-molds, instead of being placed in a pit having a central casting-crane, may be carried 'upon a turn-table, which will be separated from the hydraulic lift by my intermediate track.

` It will also be obvious to those skilled in the art that the details of construction above described may be further varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus, for example, other means than those here shown may be employed for guiding the ends ot' the crane-jibs into place. So, also, the transfer-track used in connection with the cranes,instead ot' being fixed, may be mounted on a turn-table, so that theladlemay,when desired,beswitched upon a side track, or when run upon a track on each side of which is a row of ingot-molds may have its position reversed, so as to bring its tap hole above each row of molds. In some instances the intermediatetrack may be made portable, so that it can be removed and put in position for use as desired. Again, it

will be apparent that Without material change the track may be placed above, below, or upon the Working level to correspond to the par ticular construction of plant in connection with which it is employed.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a metallurgical plant, the combination, with the receiving and casting cranes or their equivalents, ot an intermediate track, substantially as described.

2. In a metallurgical plant, the combination, with the two receiving-cranes and a casting-crane or their equivalents, of two intermediate transt'er-tracks, substantially as described.

3. In a metallurgical plant, the combination, with the receiving and casting cranes, ot an intermediate transfer-track and means, substantially as described, for sustaining the ends of the crane-jbs, substantially as set forth.

4. 4In a metallurgical plant, the combina-A tion, with the receiving and casting cranes or their equivalents, ot' an intermediate transfertrack and means, substantially as described, for guiding the ends of the crane-jibs into alignment with the track, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto s et my hand this 6th day of February, 1883.

ROBERT FORSYTH. Witnesses:

GEORGE P. FISHER, Jr., JAMES H. PEIRCE. 1

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