US2831294A

US2831294A - Device for use in connection with the pouring of fiery molten masses

Info

Publication number: US2831294A
Application number: US329572A
Authority: US
Inventors: Vorwerk Otto Karl; Huttemann Paul Friedrich; Schmucker Eugen Karl
Original assignee: HUTTENWERKE RHEINHAUSEN AG
Current assignee: HUTTENWERKE RHEINHAUSEN AG
Priority date: 1952-01-11
Filing date: 1953-01-05
Publication date: 1958-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 1975-04-22

Description

A nl 22, 1958 0. K. VORWERK ETAL 2,331,294

DEVICE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH THE POURING 0F FIERY MOLTEN MASSES Filed Jan. 5. 195a Inventor's.-

United States DEVICE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH THE POURING OF FIERY MOLTEN MASSES Otto Karl Vorwerk and Paul Friedrich Hiittemann, Rheinhausen, and Eugen Karl Schmiicker, Duisburg-Wedau, Germany, assignors to Huttenwerke Rheinhausen Aktiengesellschaft, Rheinhausen, Germany The present invention relates to the pouring of fiery molten masses, and more particularly, to a ladle for pouring fiery molten masses, e. g., blast furnace slag, onto a foaming bed in which the slag is caused to foam by means of water or air which rises up, for instance, through nozzles, from the bottom of the foaming bed. In order, when carrying out such a process, to obtain a product of high commercial value which at the same time is porous and has the lowest possible weight per volume consistent with adequate pressure stability of the cell walls of the porous solidified slag, care must be taken that the thickness of the slag layer on the whole pouring bed and the amount of water introduced are mutually appropriate. This requirement cannot be met by the heretofore known ladles which pour the slag in a relatively thick narrow stream onto one point of the foaming bed, so that the slag spreads only relatively slowly onto the foaming bed. Thus, a relatively thick layer of slag forms at the pouring point which cannot be caused completely to foam by the water available, so that the material at this position acquires an undesirably high specific gravity. On the other hand, small quantities of water collect at the locations remote from the pouring ladle, since the slag does not reach these points sufiiciently quickly. As a result thereof, the slag when it comes to these locations is granulated by the water instead of being caused to foam, and thus again material of low specific gravity which is desired is not produced with adequate pressure stability of the cell walls of the porous solidified slag.

Furthermore, there is the danger that when the slag is poured out quickly, the solidified slag particles present in the pouring ladle, the so-called slag top, will accompany the slag and partially cover up the nozzles, thereby affecting the foaming operation. Even worse than this, experience has shown that, even though the slag is free from iron, rapid pouring alone leads to the risk of explosion when the slag is delivered as a continuous stream to one and the same zone of the bed. The reason appears to be that steam, produced from the water rising from beneath the zone of application of the slag, is enclosed in pockets in the stream of slag and causes explosive disruption of the slag, whereas in the case of a quiescent layer of slag, the steam can penetrate the slag in such a way as to cause it to foam. Accordingly, it is impracticable to pour the slag directly on the foaming bed from a. heretofore customary ladle into which the slag is poured from the blast furnace. One solution to this problem has been advanced in U. S. Patent No. 2,691,249.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simplified solution which will make it possible to pour the slag in a wide stream into a foaming bed directly from a ladle.

It is another object of this invention so to design a ladle at the discharge side thereof that the outflowing stream of slag will spread and spill over the edge in form of a band or wide, fiat stream.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a ladle of the type set forth in the preceding paragraphs,

which will prevent formation of a slag top or at least prevent any material amount of slag top from leaving the ladle during the pouring operation.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will apppear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: i

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of ladle according to the invention.

Fig. 1a shows a plan view similar to that of Fig. 1 but on a smaller scale with one lid portion in open position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through Fig. 1 taken along the line IIII thereof.

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively sections of the ladle of Fig. 1 in two difierent tipped positions.

General arrangement One of the primary features of the present invention consists in providing the ladle with a collar forming a considerably extended discharge or overflow edge so that the slag being discharged from the ladle will leave the latter in form of a wide, flat stream. Thus, when the slag is being discharged from a ladle according to the invention directly into the foaming bed, it will reach the same in a wide evenly distributed stream which makes a quicker charging of said bed possible with all the advantages inherent thereto. If the available tipping gear does not provide for sufi'iciently rapid tipping, this can be achieved by providing a hook on the bottom of the ladle and attaching to the hook a rope connected to a rapidly acting winding drum. I

As a further feature of the invention the transport ladle is fitted with a lid which can be held closed until the ladle has been tipped and which, when opened, will allow rapid discharge of the slag. The lid also serves to hinder cooling otl of the slag and the formation of a slag top.

According to a particularly advantageous arrangement, the lid of the ladle is divided in a direction parallel to the tipping axis, and the lower part only of the lid is adapted to be opened while the dividing line in the lid is so disposed that the level of the slag in the tipped ladle is above the dividing line in the lid before the lid is opened. In this way, the upper part of the lid holds back any slag top which may have formed so that it cannot immediately fall on to the pouring bed and block the nozzles for the supply of the foaming agent.

Various expedients can be adopted for holding the lid closed and for opening said lid when the ladle has been tipped to the proper angle. Thus, for example, the movable part of the lid may carry a counterweight, which urges the lid to the closed position until the ladle has been tipped intothe desired position and which causes the lid to open, and assists its rapid opening, on further tipping of the ladle.

According to another feature of the invention, the movable part of the lid is fitted to a collar at the discharge side of the ladle and is arranged so that when said movable part of the lid is being opened, it will assume a position in which it extends the collar and will cause a spreading of the stream of slag flowing past it.

Structural arrangement Referring now to the drawings in detail and Figs. 1 to 4 thereof in particular, the structure shown therein comprises a ladle 1 having a lid 2, 3 divided along a line parallel to the tipping axis :of the ladle. The larger portion 2 of the lid is at the side remote from the discharge side and remains attached to the ladle during the pouring operation. To facilitate filling of the ladle, the portion 2 is, however, hinged at 4 to the ladle and retained in position by hooks or similar devices 14, hinged to the ladle, which grip its edges. The smaller portion 3 of the lid is of trapezoidal form and projects beyond the edge of the ladle at both sides of the point of discharge. The projecting portions of the lid portion 3 are connected by hinges S to a collar 12 fitted to the edge of the ladle and disposed beneath the lid. The pivot pin or rod 6 of the lid portion 3 carries at each end a lever 7 fitted with a counterweight 8 which latter may be adjustable on the lever 7. If desired, also the levers 7 may be angularly adjustable on pin or rod 6.

After filling the ladle 1, the lid 2, 3 is closed (Fig. 2) and the ladle is transported to the foaming bed. During the first portion of the tipping of the ladle for the purpose of emptying it, the stationary lid portion 2 remains closed, and the lid portion 3 also remains closed (Fig. 3). Thereafter, at a position of the ladle determined by the position of the weights 8 on the arms 7, and the angle be tween the arms 7 and the lid portion 3, the force exerted by the weights 8 on the lid portion 3 is overcome by the increasing counterforce exerted thereon by the slag in the ladle so that lid portion 3 opens. As soon as the lid portion 3 is opened by this counterforce (Fig. 4) the contents of the ladle are discharged rapidly onto the foaming bed. The lid portion 3 is then held, e. g. by an abutment 15 on the ladle or on the lid portion 3 in a position, as

shown in Fig. 4, in which the outflowing slag can spread over it and so flow in a broad stream onto the foaming bed. It is advantageous so to relate the size of the lid portion 2 to the size of the lid portion 3 and so to determine the pressure exerted externally on the lid portion 3 that the lid portion 3 is kept closed until the level of the slag in the tilted ladle is above the lid portion 3 so that during the first part of the pouring operation solid con stituents which may have formed on the surface of the slag are held back as long as possible by the lid portion 2.

It is of course understood that the present invention is, by no means limited to the particular constructions shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A device for use in connection with the pouring of fiery molten masses onto a foaming bed, which comprises in combination: a ladle in form of a bucket with substantially circular cross section, plate means connected to the upper portion of said ladle along an arcuate wall section thereof, said plate means forming a discharge surface projecting outwardly from said ladle and having a relatively long overflow edge, and a lid having a first lid portion stationarily held on said ladle and also having a second lid portion movable relative to said first lid portion and hinged to said plate means, said second lid portion being tiltable to form an extension of said plate means.

2. A device for use in connection with the pouring of fiery molten masses onto a foaming bed, which comprises in combination: a ladle in form of a bucket with substantially circular cross section, plate means connected to the upper portion of said ladle along an arcuate wall 4 section thereof, said plate means forming a discharge surface projecting outwardly from said ladle and having a relatively long overflow edge, and a lid having a first lid portion stationarily held on said ladle, and also having a second lid portion movable relative to said first lid portion and hinged to said plate means, and counterweight means operatively connected with said second lid portion.

3. A device according to claim 2, in which said counterweight means is adjustable.

4-. A device adapted to receive fiery molten masses, especially for use in connection with the pouring of fiery molten masses onto a foaming bed, which comprises in combination: a ladle in form of a bucket with substantially circular cross section, plate means connected to the upper portion of said ladle along an arcuate wall section thereof, said plate means forming a discharge surface extending outwardly from said ladle and being arranged to discharge fiery molten masses from said ladle in form of a flat relatively wide stream, and a lid having a first lid portion stationarily held on said ladle and also having a second lid portion movable relative to said first lid portion and hinged to said plate means whereby said second lid portion is tiltable into a position in which it forms an extension of said plate means remote from said ladle.

5. A device for use in connection with the pouring of fiery molten masses onto a foaming bed, which comprises in combination: a ladle in form of a bucket with substantially circular cross section, plate means connected to the upper portion of said ladle along an arcuate wall section thereof, said plate means forming a discharge surface ex tending outwardly from said ladle and having a relatively long overflow edge, and a lid having a first lid portion stationarily held on said ladle and also having a second'lid portion movable relative to said first lid portion and hinged to said plate means, said second lid portion being arranged in response to a predetermined tilting angle of said ladle to open automatically and to move into a position in which it forms an extension of said plate means thereby releasing fiery molten masses from said ladle over said plate means and said second lid portion.

6. A device according to claim 5, in which at said predetermined tilting angle and with a certain filling ofsaid ladle the dividing line of said lid portions lies below the uppermost level of the liquid mass in said ladle,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSv 135,265 Connolly Jan; 28, 1873' 697,769 Acklin Apr; 15,1902 1,633,876 Swigert June 28, 1927 1,755,411 Peirce Apr. 22, 1930 1,857,806 Cone May 10, 1932 2,042,037 Camerota May 26', 1936 2,494,270 Todd Jan. 10, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 833,146 France July 11, 1938