US361653A

US361653A - steobel

Info

Publication number: US361653A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1887-04-19
Anticipated expiration: 1904-04-19

Description

(No Model.)

V. 0. STROBEL.

STEEL PLANT.

No. 361,653. PatentedApnlQ, 1887.

Fig. 1.

Attorney Witnesses N PETERS. Pmumlho n nar. Washington, D, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- VICTOR O. STROBEL, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, A SSIGNOR TO GORDON, STROBEL 8s LAUREAU, OF SAME PLACE.

STE EL- PLANT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,653, dated April 19, 1887.

Application filed February 15 1886. Serial No. 191,917. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, VICTOR 0. STRoBE'L, of Philadelphia, Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steel-Plants, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to improvements in plants for the manufacture of steel by'the pnuematic process; and it relates to devices of construction and arrangement, as hereinafter distinctly described, and pointed out in the following description,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a convertershop, illustrating my improvements, the casting-ladle, ingot-molds, and the roof and floor of the shop being shown in vertical section; Fig. 2, a plan of the same with sundry parts shown in horizontal section upon lines a of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a vertical section of the con verter, shown, however, as being supported upon a direct-acting lift; Fig. 4:, a side ,elevation, partly in section, of a converter, exhibiting a modified form of wind-box and a modified form of converter juncture; and Fig. 5, a side elevation of the end of the crane-arm bearing the convei-terbowl, and also bearing the casting-ladle.

In the drawings, A indicates the roof or ceiling of the converter-.shopjora platform disposed substantially as a ceiling; B, the floor of the converter-shop; O, a cup ola of ordinary construction, shown as having its charging-door arranged to be served from the platform A; D, the post of an ordinary hydraulic crane; E, the arm of the crane, the same being arranged to be raised and lowered by the hydraulic mechanism of the crane-post; F, a converter-bowl supported at the extremity of the crane-arm, the crane being so proportioned and disposed that the converter may be p roperly brought below the tapping-spout of the cupola; G, trunnions upon the converter-bowl supported in bearings attached to the cranearm, the trunnions serving to permit the converter-bowl to be tipped by the action of the usual worm-gearing, the axis of the trunnions being disposed at right angles to the cranearm; H, in Fig. 3, a direct-acting lift, to be operated hydraulically or otherwise, serving to illustrate a modification herein further referred to; J, the converter-top provided with a contracting tapping-aperture for the escape of the gases, &c., the converter-top appearing in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 as being arranged to telescope over the converter-bowl, while in Fig. 4 a butt-joint is employed. There are two of the converter-tops disposed within the'sweep of the converter-bowl, as seen in Figs. 1. and 2. K is a bustle-pipe or wind-box arranged around the upperportion of the converter-top, the wind-box being formed, as clearly shown, by means of a super-roof over a portion of the converter, a portion of the shell of the con-' verter-top forming the floor of the wind-box; L, awind-pipe, reaching from the ceiling above downward to thewind-boxofthe converter-top, this pipe serving to convey blasts to the converter-top,andals0insuspendingtheconverter top over the ceiling, each converter-top being similarly provided and suspended; M, dipping tuyeres, removably secured in the con verter-top, the upper ends of the tuyeres being in communication with the wind-box, while the lower ends are arranged to dip into the molten metal in the converter-bowl; N, a door arranged at the upper end of each tuyere to serve in permitting the tuyeres to be inspected, removed, replaced, &c.; O, a chimney or stack arranged over each converter-top, to serve in carrying off the products of combustion during the blow; P a seriesof ingotmolds arranged in a line in a pit Within appropriate reach of the crane-arm; Q, a railway along this row of ingot-molds; R, a ladle-car fitted to travel upon this track; S, a castingladle mounted upon this car, and provided with a bottomoutlet-aperture; T, a plug fitted with lever mechanism for its operation, and adapted for the opening and closing of the outlet-aperture in the casting-ladle; U, a series of ingot-molds arranged in a pit in a circle within appropriate reach of the crane-arm; V, in Fig. 5, a castingladle, similar to the casting-ladle S, and to be similarly provided with tapping mechanism and rigidly mounted upon the end of the crane-arm beyond the tipping converterbowl; and \V, a railway leading to within the sweep of the crane-arm and serving for use in handling converter-bowls, &c., when the same are to be removed for relining or other repair.

The metal, being properly melted down in the cupola, is tapped into the converter-bowl, which is swung around to the cupola. The converter bowl, with its charge of molten metal, is then swung around to a point directly beneath one of the converter-tops J, and the hydraulic crane is then operated to elevate the converter-bowl upward, until a joint is formed with the converter-top, with the tuyeres dipping down into the molten metal. The charge in the converter-bowl is then blown for U the proper length of time, the blast having been put on, preferably, just before the tuyeres reached the'molten metal during the elevation of the converter-bowl. When the blow is completed, the crane is operated to lower the bowl from the converter-top, and the converterbowl is then swung around and tipped to deliver its charge into the casting-ladle S. The converter-bowl is then swung around to receive a new charge from the cupola, and the ingot-molds P are filled from the casting-ladle S, which is moved over the proper mold, and the mold filled by lifting the plug which opens the discharge-aperture.

There being two converter-tops Within the sweep of the crane-arm,one may be used while another is being repairedas, for instance, when it is to be relined or provided with new tuyeres. When the converter-bowl needs relining or repair, it is carried away to the repair-shop by means of a truck upon track W, and a duplicate converter-bowl may be immediately placed upon the crane-arm, so that operations may be practically continuous.

' The, converter bowl may close upward against the converter-top, so as to form a buttjoint, as illustrated in Fig. 4; but I prefer that the converter-bowl shall telescope upwardly within the converter-top, as illustrated in the other figures. By thus telescoping the con verter-bowl into the converter top provided with fixed tuyeres, I am enabled, by proper vertical adjustment of the bowl, to always maintain, the desired distance between the mouths of the tuyeres and the bottom of the bowl-a distanceliable toincrease by reason of the burning away of the points of the tuyeres and of the bottom lining of the converterbowl.

In Fig. 3 I illustrate the telescopic converter independent of a swinging-crane mechanism, the converter-bowl being mounted upon a direct-acting lift. The bowl so mounted may be suspended in trunnions, so as to be poured by tipping; or it may be arranged by an upward extension of the metallic shell of the converter-top, the doors N being formed upon the roof of the wind-box, while in Fig. 4: the wind-box is arranged in bustle form around the top of the converter-top, the blast being carried from the wind-box to the tuyeres through branch pipes leading downward to disk-like boxes at the upper ends of the tuyeres, the doors Nin such case being arranged upon these boxes. i

Where the casti ug-pit is arranged in a c1rcle in range of the crane, as at U, Fig. .2, the crane-arm may be utilized as the carrier for the casting-ladle, or the casting-ladle may be supported upon a second crane-arm fitted to swing upon the crane-post D. Fig. 5 illustrates the casting-ladle as attached to the end of the same crane-arm which bears the con verter-bowl.

Converters have been proposed with an upper section having a downwardly-projecting shell, upwardly within which the bottom section might be inserted; but in such proposed construction the tuyeres'were formed in the lower section and the downwardly-projecting upper shell referred to was a mere expedient for getting the wind connections to these tuyeres. The proposed construction referred to is broadly distinguishable from my device, in which thelower section of the converter is inserted bodily within the lining-wall of the upper section, which upper section is provided with one or more downwardly-projecting tuyeres.

A converter has been proposed in' which there was a removable bowl-section without tuyeres and a fixed top section with tuyeres, the two parts being united by a butt-joint. This proposed construction is readily distinguishable from my device, where I cause the bowl-section to enter telescopically within the upper section, so that the two parts can be adj usted in relation to each other, in order that the tuyere-points may bear the desired relation to the bowl-bottom.

Converters of the kind last referred to have,

able wind-connections; but in no case, so far as I k now, have such converters been provided with windboxes formed upon the convertertop by means of a super-roof and a portion of the converter-top, the shell of the convertertop forming the floor of the wind-box.

Steel-plants have been proposed with portable converters mounted upon trucks, so as to be adapted to be transported from the receiving-point at the cupola to the pouringpoint'at the casting-pit; but, so far as I know, a steel-plant has never been proposed in which a fixed converter-top and a cupola were arranged at equal radial distances from the center of a postcraue whose radial arm supported the bowl portion of the converter and served in maintaining and adjusting the bowl as proposed by me; nor am I aware that it has even been proposedto support the bowl portion of a converter ona crane-arm and employ it in conjunction with the converter-top suspended from the roof or ceiling, so as to leave a clear space below the converter-top for the manipulation of the bowl; nor am I aware that it has ever been proposed to support a converterbowl on a crane-arm arranged in combination with a pair of converter-tops and a castingp1t disposed at equal radial distances from the center of rotation of the crane, as proposed by me. i

I claim as my invention 1. In a steel-plant, the combination of a fixed converter-top, one or more tuyeres projecting downward therefrom, a wind-box and blastpipe in connection with the tuyeres, a converter-bowl fitted to adjoin said converter-top, and a crane-post and radial arm supporting the converter-bowl and serving to adjust the same into conjunction with the fixed convertertop, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a steel-plant, the combination of a fixed converter-top, one or more tuyeres projecting downward therefrom, a wind-box and b1astpipe in connection wit-h the tuyeres, a converter-bo'wl fitted to enter and move telescopically upward within the lining of said converter-top, and a crane or lift to serve in supporting and adjusting the converter-bowl into conjunction with the converter-top, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a steel-plant, the combination of a con verter top, one or more tuyeres projecting downwardly therefrom, a wind-box and blastpipe in connection with the tuyeres, a converter-bowl fitted to enter and move telescopically within the converter-top, and mechanism, substantially as described, for adjusting the distance between the bottom lining of the converter and the mouth of the tuyere or tuyeres, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4, In a steel-plant, the combination of a converter-top, tuyeres projecting downwardly through the wall thereof, a wind-box encircling the converter-top over the upper end of and in communication with the tuyeres and formed by a portion of the shell ofthe converter-top and a super-roof, a blast-pipe connected to the wind-box, and a converterbowl disposed below the converter-top, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A steel-plant comprising a cupola or other furnace adapted for preparing a charge of metal for a converter, a rotary post-and-arm crane, a converter-bowl mounted at the end of the cranearmand adapted to be swept into position to receive a charge from the cupola, a fixed converter-top disposed in the path swept by the converter bowl and provided with tuyeres and blast-connections, a casting-ladle having a discharge-aperture, a pit for the reception of a series of ingot-molds, and a carrier for said casting-ladle adapted to support said casting-ladle in a position to receive a charge from said converter-bowl and to bring said discharge-aperture over the molds in said pit,

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. A steel-plant comprising a roof or ceiling, a converter suspended therefrom and provided with tuyeres and blast-connections, a cupola or other furnaces adapted for preparing metal for conversion, a casting-pit, a cranepost, a crane arm fitted to move vertically upon such crane-post, and a converter-bowl supported by such crane arm and adapted to swing to said cupola, to said converter-top, or to said casting-pit, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. Asteelplant comprising a rotary cranepost, a crane-arm fitted to adjust vertically thereon, a converter-bowl supported by said arm, a cupola, two converter-tops provided with tuyeres, and a casting-pit disposed in circular series in the path of the converter-bowl, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

VICTOR O. STROBEL. Ni tn esses:

ARNOLD KATZ, A. A. BROOKMY.