US926143A

US926143A - Blast-furnace-charging apparatus.

Info

Publication number: US926143A
Application number: US45122908A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gibbon C Shackleford
Original assignee: THOMAS J BRAY
Current assignee: THOMAS J BRAY
Priority date: 1908-09-01
Filing date: 1908-09-01
Publication date: 1909-06-29
Anticipated expiration: 1926-06-29

Description

G. G. SHAGKLEFORD.

BLAST FURNACE CHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1, 1908.

Patented June 29, 1909.

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G. C. SHAGKLEFORD. BLAST FURNACE OHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1, 1908.

Patented June 29, 1909.

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' gation of the mass occurs if the direction of UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTCE.

GIBBON O. SHAGKLEFORD, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OlllO, ASblGNOlt Ol ONE-HALF TO THOMAS J. BRAY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

BLAST-FURNACE-CHARGIN G APPARATUS.

Application filed September 1 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Serial No. 451,229.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gannon C. SHAOKLE- roRn, residing at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Blast-Furnace-Charging Apparatus, of which improvements the following is a specification.

It is well known that when a mass of material as for example a skip car load of ore composed of dust and large lumps, is discharged from one receptacle to another, as from the skip car to a receiving hopper, and from the latter to the main hopper, a segremovement is inclined or at an angle to direction of pull of gravity on the components of such mass, and if the mass in passing from one receptacle to another strikes against a deflecting surface, the segregation is greatly increased and the mass is considerably spread out in the receiving receptacles. Such a separation of the fine and coarse components is very undesirable in charging blast fur-- naces as it promotes an irregular working of the furnace. It is characteristic of the apparatus generally employed for insuring an even distribution of the charge in the fur nace that the materials in passing from the skip car through the several receptacles to the furnace not only move in an angle to the pull of gravity but strike against thence"- ing surfaces before coming to rest in each receptacle, thus effecting a comparatively thorough segregation of the fine and coarse components, and a considerable spreading of each charge around the bell in the receiving receptacle.

The invention described herein has for its object a construction and combination of parts or elements of a distributing apparatus whereby the materials constituting the charge are caused to move in substantially vertical lines in passing from the distributing hopper into the receiving hopper, from the latter into the main hopper and thence into the furnace.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the upper portion of a blast furnace having my improvement applied thereto, Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views illustrating mechanism for shifting the distributing hopper.

My improvement is designed to be applied to the usual construct-ion of charging top, consisting of a main hopper l andbell 2 and a receiving hopper 3 arranged on top of the main hopper, and provided with a bell 1 closing the lower end of the receiving hopper and also closing the upper end of the main hopper to prevent the escape of gas when the main hell 1 is lowered. Any suitable mechanism can be employed for raising and lowering these bells independently of each other.

The distributing hopper 5, provided with a spout 6 arranged eccentric to the axis of rotation of the hopper, is rotatably supported above the receiving hopper in any suitable manner. A. desirable construction for supporting this hopper consists of a ring '7 secured in any convenient manner to the scaffolding of the furnace as by brackets S. A series of grooved rollers 9 are mounted on pins projecting inwardly from the ring, said rollers forming supports for the flange 10 secured to the hopper as shown in Figs. 1 and lVhile the distributing hopper may be shifted in any desired manner it is preferred to effect the movement thereof through the skip hoisting mechanism. The ropes for hoisting the skips 11 are passed around the grooved pulleys l2 and 15 loosely mounted on the shaft 1st and having the

halves

15 and 16 of a clutch mechanism secured to or formed integral with their hubs. The other halves or

members

17 and 18 of the clutch mechanisms are secured to the shaft 114-. The engaging faces of the clutch members are formed by teeth having faces abrupt and the opposite faces with considerable slope or inclination. \Vhen the skip having its rope passing around the pulley 12 is being hoisted the shaft 1 1- will be rotated and the clutch members 16 and .18 will be out of engagement. lVhen this skip is emptied and lowered the opposite rotation of the pulley 12 will cause the inclined faces of the engaging teeth of the clutch to move along each other, thereby forcing the member 15 away from and out of engagement with the mem ber 17. This movement of the member 15 along the shaft is utilized to shift the member 16 into engagement with the member 18, so that when the pulley 13 is rotated by hoisting the other skip the shaft 1% will be rotated thereby rotating the distributing hopper. The movement of one clutch member can be transmitted to the other by any suitable means as for example by levers 19 having forked ends engaging grooves in the

members

15 and 16 and having their opposite ends connected by a rod 20.

Movement is conveniently transmitted from the shaft 14 by a shaft 21 provided at its upper end with a bevel pinion engaging a corresponding pinion on shaft 14, and at its lower end with a pinion 22 engaging a toothed ring 23 on the distributing hopper. It is preferred that the shaft 21 should be formed in sections which are connected by universal joints 2 1.

As will be readily understood the distributing hopper is shifted after one skip is discharged thereinto, the distance of such movement being dependent upon the relative dimensions of the gearing connecting the shaft 14 with the distributing hopper.

It will be observed that the spout 6 has straight walls vertically arranged and of such length that materials after passing therethrough will move in substantially vertical lines into the receiving hopper 8. the lines of movement of the components of each mass are vertical and parallel it follows that there will be very slight segregation, which will be due to the tendency of the larger components to roll down the sides of the pile of the material formed in the receiving receptacle. But as the mass moves in a straight line, each mass will form a small compact pile. On account of the necessary construction of the hopper 3 and bell l the first portions of each skip load will be slightly deflected, but in order to reduce such slight deflection to a minimum, the spout is given such an eccentricity that the axis of the spout, when the hopper is turned, will describe an arc of a radius approxi mately equal to the radius of the line of contact of the bell 4: and hopper 3. By theshifting of the distributing hopper, such movement being dependent upon the amount of material in each charge, the successive charges are deposited in compact piles in the receiving hopper. The extent of movement of the distributing hopper between successive discharges may be so adjusted that the successive piles will overlap the preceding piles somewhat at their base. \Vhen the bell of the receiving hopper is lowered, each pile will move down with slight spreading onto the bell and sides of the main hopper. If the piles have been so arranged in the receiving hopper that adjacent piles are close together or overlap somewhat, as stated, a tendency of the components of any one pile to spread While dropping into the main hopper, will be to a great extent overcome by the components of adjacent piles, the falling materials in each pile preventing the materials in adjacent piles from moving laterally in dropping. Each charge deposited in the receiving hopper will be distributed with substantial uniformity around a vertical line passing through the axis of the spout 6, and this pile when deposited in the main hopper will also be distributed uniformly around the same line. And further, when the main bell is lowered, the materials in each pile will, when spread out in the furnace, preserve the same uniformity of distribution around the same line or axis.

1f the distributing hopper should be moved between successive discharges a distance which is an exact fraction or one-sixth of the periphery of the circle described by the spout 5, the material would be arranged in piles in the furnace, each successive charge being deposited at the same points on preceding piles. This objectionable feature can be overcome by shifting the distributing hopper a distance slightly greater or less than a given exact fractional part of the periphery of the circle described by the spout. As, for example, if six piles are to be deposited in the receiving hopper, the distributing hopper would be shifted between successive discharges a distance a little greater or less than one-sixth of the periphery of the circle described by the spout 6. The irregularity of the spacing would not be material, and a practical uniformity in the distribution of the material in the furnace would be attained, said parts being so constructed and arranged that the material of each charge, in passing from the distributing hopper to the furnace, will maintain its uniformity of distribution around a vertical line passing through the axis of the spout of the discharge hopper at the time said charge passes through said spout.

I claim herein as my invention:

1. A blast furnace charging apparatus having a main hopper and bell, a receiving hopper and bell in combination with means for charging successive loads of material in substantially vertical lines at different points in the receiving hopper to form compact iles of material therein.

2. A blast furnace charging apparatus having in combination a main hopper and bell, a receiving hopper and bell, and a rotatable hopper having a discharge spout eccentric to its axis of rotation, and having vertical walls whereby the material is caused to move in substantially vertical lines into the receiving hopper.

3. A blast furnace charging apparatus having in combination a main hopper anc bell, a receiving hopper and bell, a distributing hopper having an eccentric discharge spout, said spout having vertical guiding walls whereby the material is caused to move in substantially vertical lines into the receiving hopper and means operated by the skips for shifting the distributing hopper.

4:. A blast furnace charging apparatus having in combination a main hopper and bell, and receiving hopper and bell, a distributing hopper provided with a discharge spout, said parts being so constructed and arranged that the material of each charge in passing from the distributing hopper to the furnace will maintain its uniformity of distribution around a vertical line passing through the axis of the spout of the distributing hopper at the time the said charge passes through said spout.

5. A blast furnace charging apparatus having in combination a main hopper and bell, a receiving hopper and bell of sub- 'stantially the same dimensions as the main hopper and bell, a distributing hopper provided with an eccentric discharge spout having vertical walls, the distance of the axis of the spout from the axis of the receiving bell being approximately equal to the radius of the circle of contact of the receiving hopper and bell, and means for rotating the distributing hopper.

6. A blast furnace charging apparatus having in combination means for charging materials in piles in a furnace, and means for shifting the charging means in intervals between successive discharges a uniform distance varying from that which would effect a symmetrical distribution of the material in the course of a single revolution.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

GIBBON C. SHACKLEFORD.

Witnesses STANLEY H. MoKnn, J. S. .lVIOBRTDE.