US3420513A - Molten metal spout - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 7, 1969 R MULLER MOLTEN METAL SPOUT Filed Jan. l0, 1967 ru. w N/ n M ,NN n E u R y (la wm fm .v

1mm \om United States Patent Oiice 3,420,513 Patented Jan. 7, 1969 3,420,513 MOLTEN METAL SPOUT Reuben Miller, Chicago, Ill., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 608,408 U.S. Cl. 266-38 1 Claim Int. Cl. C21b 7/14; F27d 3/ 00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A spout for introducing molten metal into a furnace, such as an open hearth furnace. The spout is mounted in the charging opening of the furnace by means of hanger arms which are attached to the sides of the spout and hook on to structural members of the furnace adjacent the charging opening.

This invention relates to spouts for `charging molten metal into furnaces, such as open hearth furnaces. More particularly, the invention relates to the means by which the spout is supported in the charging opening of the furnace.

In the past, the most common means of supporting these hot metal spouts has been a floor stand. The spout is simply placed on top of its stand with its front pouring end inserted inside the furnace, while molten metal is poured into the raised rear end of the spout from a hot metal ladle.

One problem with placing the spout on a fioor stand is that the stand must cover part of the charging buggy trackway in front of the furnace, This trackway is used by cars filled with scrap and other charging materials for a row of open hearth furnaces. Thus, when one furnace is being charged with molten iron using a spout mounted on a floor stand, it obstructs the travel of the cars of scrap and other :charging materials for adjacent furnaces. Also, when the train of charging buggies is on the trackway in front of one furnace for the purpose of charging scrap, the train is so long that it prevents placing a spout and stand at an immediately adjacent furnace for the purpose of charging that furnace with molten metal. These problems have become more acute in many open hearth facilities, where the furnaces have been extended and deepened to increase their capacity and are requiring longer charging times for each heat. The time wasted by the delays resulting from the stands for molten metal spouts being in the way of the charging buggies is becoming more and more costly.

Another disadvantage of the present stands for supporting molten metaal spouts is that they tend to be top-heavy when the spout is placed upon them. This is particularly true of the tall stands for charging furnace openings that are relatively high above the level of the charging oor. Such stands present a safety hazard to the men working around them, and they also can damage the furnace when they topple over.

An object of my invention is to solve the foregoing problem with conventional molten metal spouts and their stands, by providing a spout for charging open hearth furnances and the like that can be mounted on the fur nace rather than on the charging floor.

Another object Of my invention is to provide a spout for pouring molten metal into a furnace that can be positioned so as not to interfere with the operations of other charging equipment or of the furnace charging door.

These and other objects will appear more readily from the following detailed description of rny invention and the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side sectional view of my improved spout and the portion of an open hearth furnace on which the spout is mounted, taken along line I-I of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 2 is a rear view of the spout of FIGURE 1, showing also the front of the furnace on which it is mounted.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a spout 2 is supported in a charging opening 3 of an open hearth furnace 4. A door 5 hangs above the spout 2 in the opening 3 of the furnace, and is raised and lowered by a cable 6. The spout 2 is designed to funnel molten metal M from ladle L into the surfaie 4 over a front bank 7.

The spout 2 has a body 8 lined with refractory material 9. The body 8 hangs with its front or nose portion 10 tilted slightly downward and inside the furnace 4. Rear portion 12 of the yspout body 8 is outside the furnace 4 and receives the molten metal M from ladle L.

The spout body 8 is supported in the position shown in FIGURE 1 by a pair of arms 14 (FIGURE 2) extending laterally from both sides of the rear portion 12 of the spout body. The arms 14 are welded to plates 16, which are in turn welded to the sides of the spout body 8. Mounted on the outward ends of the arms 14 are a pair of hook members 18, which have hooks 19 extending over upwardly facing edge surfaces 20 of horizontal beams 22. The beams 22 form part of front wall 23 of furnace 4.

The arms 14 rest against vertical buckstays 24, which are also part of the furnace wall 23. The arms 14 thus prevent the spout body 8 from swinging too` far forward into the furnace. The angle at which the arms 14 are welded to the spout body 8 will determine the pitch of the spout and the speed at which the molten metal M is funnelled into the furnace 4. The pitch of the spout should be slightly downward to cause as gentle owing of the metal as possible.

A splash guard 26 (FIGURE 1) is provided on the spout body 8 directly beneath the furnace door 5. This guard protects the door 5 and arch portion 29 of the furnace opening 3 from splashings of molten metal that occur during the pouring operation.

On the rear end of the spout body 8 is welded a chuck 30 of the type that is used' on charging boxes to enable them to be hooked onto the peel of a charging machine. The head of the peel is inserted in slot 32 of the chuck 30. A Wedge-shaped plate 34 Ibetween the chuck 30 and the back of the spout body 8 fixes the desired angle of the chuck 30 for easy insertion of the peel head in slot 32.

To place the spout 2 on the furnace wall 23, Itihe spout may `be brought to the furnace on a charging =box car C or any other suitable transport lmeans. The peel heard of the charging machine is then inserted in the slot 32, and the charging machine operator lifts the spout olf the car and places it in the position shown in the drawings, Iwith its hook members 18 hung on beams 22 of the furnace 4. If desired, the spout 2 may be provided with projecting rings or other means for engaging a crane hook, so that the spout may be placed on the furnace -by a crane as well as iby a charging machine.

When the spout 2 has been thus placed, itis held above the top of Iclharging box B on car C (FIGURE 1), so that the box B can be moved underneath the spout to carry its contents to another furnace. The spout is held securely on the furnace at the proper pitch angle for pouring molten metal, and neither the spout body 8 nor the hook members 18 interfere with the operation of furnace door 5.

I claim:

1. In combination, an open hearth furnace having a stationary furnace wall with an opening therethrough and existing structure including upwardly facing edge surfaces on either side of said opening and a spout adapted to be supported on said existing struc- V'ture of said furnace wall, said spout comprising a spout body having a front portion extending through said furnace opening and a rear portion outside of said furnace,

a pair of arms extending laterally from both sides of said rear portion of said spout body `and engaging the outside of said furnace wall -at points adjacent said furnaoe opening and below said upwardly facing edge surfaces of said furnace wall structure,

hanger members mounted on said arms which extend upwardly from said arms and engage said upwardly facing edge surfaces of said furnace wall structure,

wherelby said spout is supported by said engagement of said hanger 'members 'with said upwardly facing edge surfaces and is positioned at a proper pouring angle by the engagement of said arms with said furnace wall.

References Cited 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,147,884 7/1915 Ormsby 193-2 X 1,262,876 4/1918 Turnbull 193-2 X 2,807,456 9/1957 Ott 214--35v X' 10 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

M. L. AIEMAN, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

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