US3853308A

US3853308A - Apparatus for ladle additions

Info

Publication number: US3853308A
Application number: US00441290A
Authority: US
Inventors: G Rocher
Original assignee: METALLURG EXOPROD CORP
Current assignee: METALLURG EXOPROD CORP; METALLURGICAL EXOPROD CORP US
Priority date: 1973-12-27
Filing date: 1974-02-11
Publication date: 1974-12-10
Anticipated expiration: 1991-12-10

Abstract

The ladle addition assembly includes a plurality of containers in stacked relationship and a metal disc interleaved with the containers. The metal disc is apertured as are the containers to accommodate a refractory lined rod. The metal disc, which is slit or notched in the area surrounding the aperture, engages the stopper rod to prevent downward movement of the containers on the stopper rod. A second metal disc can be employed adjacent the first disc to assist in maintaining the first disc in locking engagement with the stopper rod. A refractory block forms a shoulder on the refractory lined rod to prevent upward movement of the containers.

Description

O United States Patent 1 [111 3,853,308

Rocher' 1 Dec. 10, 1974 APPARATUS FOR LADLE ADDITIONS Primary Examiner-Gerald A. Dost [75] Inventor George Rocher i Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Webb, Burden, Robinson & [73] Assignee: Metallurgical Exoproducts Webb Corporation, McKees Rocks, Pa. 22 Filed: Feb. 11, 1974 [57] ABSTRACT The ladle addition assembly includes a plurality of [211 App! containers in stacked relationship and a metal disc in- Related U.S. Application Data terleaved with the containers. The metal disc is aper- [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 428,764, Dec. 27, tured as are the containers to accommodate a refrac- 1973, abandgned, tory lined rod. The metal disc, which is slit or notched in the area surrounding the aperture, engages the stop- [52] U.S. Cl. 266/34 T p rod o prev n wnwar movement of the con- [5 1] Int. CL, C2lc 7/00 tainers on he stopper red- A second metal disc can be [58] Field of Search 75/53-58; e p y d jacent the first disc to assist in maintain- 266/34 A, 34 T ing the first disc in locking engagement with the stopper rod. A refractory block forms a shoulder onthe [56] References Cited refractory lined rod to prevent upward movement of UNITED STATES PATENTS l-lurum 266/34 T 13 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures APPARATUS FOR LADLE ADDITIONS CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior copending application Ser. No. 428,764 on Apparatus for Ladle Additions, filed Dec. 27, 1973, and now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION My invention relates to ladle addition apparatus and, more particularly, to an improvement in ladle addition apparatus for retaining the'containers which accommodate the ladle addition agents on a refractory lined rod.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In application Ser. No. 275,184, filed July 26, 1972 and now 'U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,177, and Ser. No. 358,263, filed May 7, 1973 and now US. Pat. No. 3,809,380, of which;I am co-inventor, there are disclosed various ladle addition assemblies for assuring that the ladle addition is made below the molten metal surface. These disclosed ladle additionapparatus include containers positioned in stacked relationship about a refractory lined rod positioned in a ladle of the type used inthe steel industry. These containers are positioned on an enlarged refractorymember positioned at the ,bottom of the rod and are held in place by wedges driven between the top container and .the re- FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a second disc employed with the first disc; and

FIG. 7 isan enlarged section showing part of a two disc assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS My ladle assembly, generally designated 10, is utilized in a refractory lined ladle 12 of the type commonly used in the steel industry for receiving the molten metal from the steelmaking vessel or-furnace, FIG. 1. The ladle addition assembly 10 includes a plurality of containers 14 in stacked relationship. The containers 14 can be made of an alloying addition agent such as aluminum or it can be made from the parent metal, e.g., steel. Each container 14 includes a body portion 16 having a central opening 20 therethrough and an arm 18 extending outwardly from the body portion 16. I

An outer sleeve 24 of cardboard or metal forms the outer periphery for the containers and the arms 18 extend outwardly to the sleeve 24 to accommodate a ladle addition agent 22. The containers 14 are retained in stacked relationship by means of metal strapping 26 wrapped thereabout. This permits shipment of an assembled unit to the consumer so that the consumer need only position the ladle assemblylO on the refractory lined rod as is described hereinafter.

fractory lined rod. The wedges are then covered with grout. I have nowfoundthat I can simplify the procedures followed by the users of such ladle addition apparatus and atthesame time provide additional means to assure that the containers do not float in the molten metal bath.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION direction. A second thin metal disc having a slightly larger central aperturecan be employed adjacent the first disc to assist in preventingmovement in the first direction. An enlarged refractory member positioned atop the-containers prevents movement in the said opposite direction.

- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE' DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a section through a part of a ladle showing I the ladle addition apparatus;

FIG. 2 isa'plan view of one form of metal disc; FIG. 3 .is a planview' of another form of metal disc;

FIG.' 4 is a section taken along section lines IV-IV of FIG. 3; r

disc;

FIG. 5 is part of a plan view of still another form of I strapping 26.

A metal disc 28, normally of low carbon steel, is interleaved between two adjacent containers.14.-Normally. the metal disc 28 is interleaved between the upper two'containers 14 of the ladle assembly 10,-al-

though such positioning is not 'criticaland the disc 28 may even be positioned adjacent the top container 14 provided it is retained in securement therewith by the 'The metal disc 28 has a central aperture 30 which is aligned with the openings 20 of the containers 14. Extending radially outward from the aperture 30 is a plurality of elongated openings such as slots 34, FIG. 2, or

notches 36, FIG. 3. The slots 34 can actually be slits 48 formed by a cutting surface in which metal is not even removed, FIG. 5. The aperture 30 has a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the refractory lined rod 42 on which it is inserted. The slots 34, slits 48 or notches 36 permit the metal disc 28 in the area of the aperture 30 to bend downwardly when the refractory lined rod 42 is inserted through the aperture 30. The metal disc can be made to work without such elongated openings but such a construction is not preferred.

The outer periphery of the .metaldisc 2a is bentdownwardly toform aalip 32 which engages the body portion 16 of the containers 14 to assure the proper registry of aperture 30 with openings 20 in the containers 14, FIGS. 1 and 4. This same alignment can be obtained by utilizing a plurality of short metal pins 38 extending perpendicular to the metaldisc 28 and these pins 38 engage the body portion 16 of the containers 14 to assure the proper alignment of the respective aperture and openings in the same manner as lip 40, FIG. 2

prises a metal rod 42 protected from the molten metal by a plurality of sleeves 44 which are of a refractory material and which are positioned thereabout. An enlarged refractory sleeve46 is positioned along the rod 42 to prevent the ladle assembly from floating upward The rod used to support the ladle assembly 10 com-- along the refractory lined rod. The refractory lined rod 42 is normally suspended in the ladle by a gooseneck arrangement, not shown. The actual stopper rod can also be employed to support the ladle assembly.

The operation of my ladle assembly is as follows. The assembly 10 is received by the consumer in assembled condition. The consumer merely inserts the refractory lined rod 42 through the aligned openings and aperture of the containers 14 and metal disc 28, respectively. Because the diameter of the aperture 30 of the metal disc 28 is slightly less than the outer diameter of the sleeves 44, the metal disc 28 is caused to bend downwardly and into locking engagement with the refractory sleeves 44..The refractory lined rod 42 can be pushed through the assembly 10 until the enlarged sleeve 46 engages the top surface of the upper container 14,.In this position, the containers 14 cannot fall off of the refractory lined rod since the containers 14 are retained in assembled condition by the strapping 26 and movement in that direction is prohibited by the metal disc 28. After molten metal is teemed in the ladle the strapping 26 dissolves but the buoyancy of the containers keeps them from falling off the rod 42. The containers 14 cannot be moved upward along the refractory lined rod 42 through this buoyancy since enlarged sleeve 46 prevents such movement. The ladle assembly 10 is, therefore, retained below the surface of the molten metal and dissolution of the components of the ladle assembly takes place to assure a high and predictable recoveryrate for the alloying additions being made. 4

As a practical matter, a small gap A often exists between the containers 14 and the refractory sleeves 44, FIG. 7. This gap A can result by design as a built in safetyfactor to assure a proper fit or can occur through normal tolerance variation of the respective components employed. If gap A becomes too large, the bent portion of the metal disc may tend to reverse bend into the gap resulting in slippage of the ladle assembly 10. This slippage can be eliminated by using a second disc 50 positioned atop of the locking'disc 52, FIGS. 6 and 7.

Disc 50 has a central aperture 54 slightly larger in diameter'than the central aperture 56 of the locking disc 52. The aperture l 54 is also preferably dimensioned with respect to the elongated openings58 so that the aperture 54 is intermediate of the axial extent of the elongated openings 58 in the assembled position. The reason for this is that thedisc 52 starts to bend downwardlythroughout the axial extent of the portion between the slots 58 and the disc 50 assists in limiting the bending to the portion immediately adjacent the refractory sleeves 44.

Discs

50 and 52 include depending

lips

60 and 62, respectively which engage adjacent containers 14 to assume proper positioning and alignment of the respective apertures 54. and 56. In operation, disc 50fills a substantial portion of the gap A to preventthe locking disc 50 from reverse bending, thereby eliminating any slippage of the assembly. 10.

I claim:

l. A ladle addition assembly suitable for installation on a'refra'ctoryline d rod extending substantially vertically in a ladle comprising:

A. a plurality of stacked container means each having an aligned central opening forpositioning on the rod;

B. apertured locking plate means positioned adjacent at least one container means, said aperture in registry with the aligned central opening, said plate means slidably accommodating relative movement with the refractory lined rod in a first direction and lockably engaging the rod to prevent relative movement in an opposite direction; and

C. securement means cooperating with the container means and plate means to maintain the container means and plate means in assembled relationship.

2. The assembly of claim 1 including a stop means positioned on the lined rod above the stacked container means to prevent movement of the stacked container means in said first direction.

3. The assembly of claim 2, the stop means being a shoulder formed by the refractory lining on the rod to abut a top surface of the stacked container means.

4. The assembly of claim 1, the plate means comprising a metal disc having a central aperture and a plurality of spaced slots extending radially outward from the aperture for a short distance into the metal disc, said aperture having a diameter slightly less than a diameter of the refractory lined rod. 7

5. The assembly of claim 1, the plate means comprising a metal disc having a central aperture, and a plurality of spaced notches extending radially outward from the aperture for a short distance into the metal disc, said aperture having a diameter slightly less than a diameter of the refractory lined rod.

6. The assembly of claim 1, the plate means comprising a metal disc having a central aperture and a plurality of. spaced slits extending radially outward from the aperture for a short distance into the metal disc, said aperture having a diameter slightly less than a diameter of the refractory lined rod.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the plate means is interleaved between adjacent container means.

8. The assembly of claim 1, said plate means including alignment means depending perpendicularly from the, plate means periphery to engage the container means and assure the registry of the container means opening and the plate means aperture. i

9. The ladle addition assembly of claim 1 wherein the locking plate means includes a plurality of elongated openings extending radially outward from the aperture into the metal plate, said assembly including asecond j apertured plate means positioned'adjacent the locking plate means to assist in maintaining the lockableengagement with the rod.

10. The ladle addition assembly of claim 9 wherein the aperture of the second plate means is located intermediate opposing ends of the elongated openings in the assembled position. I

11. The assembly of claim 8, said alignment means comprising a lip.

12. The assembly of claim 8, said alignment means comprising a plurality of pins positioned in spaced apart relationship about the plate means.

13. A ladleaddition assembly suitable for installation on a refractory lined rod extending substantially vertically in a ladle comprising: r

A. a plurality of stacked containers each having an aligned central openingfor positioning on the rod to form a gap therebetween;

B. a first apertured metal disc interleaved between adjacent containers, said aperture having a diameter slightly less than that of the rod, and a plurality ers and discs to maintain an assembled relationof elongated openings extending radially outward ship; and from the aperture into the metal disc; E. stop means positioned on the rod above the con- C. a second apertured metal disc positioned adjacent tainers to prevent movement thereof in a first dithe first disc, the aperture of the second disc direction,

rnensioned so as to be intermediate opposing ends whereby said ladle addition assembly slidably engages of the elongated openings and to extend within the the rod so that the discs prevent movement of the asgap; sembly in a direction opposite of the first direction. D. securement means cooperating with the contain-

Claims

1. A ladle addition assembly suitable for installation on a refractory lined rod extending substantially vertically in a ladle comprising: A. a plurality of stacked container means each having an aligned central opening for positioning on the rod; B. apertured locking plate means positioned adjacent at least one container means, said aperture in registry with the aligned central opening, said plate means slidably accommodating relative movement with the refractory lined rod in a first direction and lockably engaging the rod to prevent relative movement in an opposite direction; and C. securement means cooperating with the container means and plate means to maintain the container means and plate means in assembled relationship.

4. The assembly of claim 1, the plate means comprising a metal disc having a central aperture and a plurality of spaced slots extending radially outward from the aperture for a short distance into the metal disc, said aperture having a diameter slightly less than a diameter of the refractory lined rod.

6. The assembly of claim 1, the plate means comprising a metal disc having a central aperture and a plurality of spaced slits extending radially outward from the aperture for a short distance into the metal disc, said aperture having a diameter slightly less than a diameter of the refractory lined rod.

8. The assembly of claim 1, said plate means including alignment means depending perpendicularly from the plate means periphery to engage the container means and assure the registry of the container means opening and the plate means aperture.

9. The ladle addition assembly of claim 1 wherein the locking plate means includes a plurality of elongated openings extending radially outward from the aperture into the metal plate, said assembly including a second apertured plate means positioned adjacent the locking plate means to assist in maintaining the lockable engagement with the rod.

10. The ladle addition assembly of claim 9 wherein the aperture of the second plate means is located intermediate opposing ends of the elongated openings in the assembled position.

11. The assembly of claim 8, said alignment means comprising a lip.

13. A ladle addition assembly suitable for installation on a refractory lined rod extending substantially vertically in a ladle comprising: A. a plurality of stacked containers each having an aligned central opening for positioning on the rod to form a gap therebetween; B. a first apertured metal disc interleaved between adjacent containers, said aperture having a diameter slightly less than that of the rod, and a plurality of elongated openings extending radially outward from the aperture into the metal disc; C. a second apertured metal disc positioned adjacent the first disc, the aperture of the second disc dimensioned so as to be intermediate opposing ends of the elongated openings and to extend within the gap; D. securement means cooperating with the containers and discs to maintain an assembled relationship; and E. stop means positioned on the rod above the containers to prevent movement thereof in a first direction, whereby said ladle addition assembly slidably engages the rod so that the discs prevent movement of the assembly in a direction opposite of the first direction.