Nozzle exchanger

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6213357
  • Patent Number
    6,213,357
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, September 14, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 10, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
The invention concerns a valve assembly, an admission path for a pouring nozzle adjacent to the outlet of the valve, and spring thrusters for maintaining this nozzle in operating position on the admission path and for receiving another nozzle in ready position. The device also comprises a traverser with offset jack, provided with an arm for driving the nozzles, while being supported by the cam track. The invention is characterized in that the jack body is provided at the top with a sensor co-operating with this cam track, and also supports the driving arm, while the jack rod is fixed to the frame, thereby reducing the space requirement of the device.
Description




The invention relates to continuous hot casting installations which serve in particular for making raw steel products.




An essential element of such an installation is the casting member which is known as an immersed nozzle. Mounted on a metallurgical or casting container, it ensures good distribution of the flow of liquid metal, which must ultimately abut against a continuous casting channel, where a cooling and progressive solidification of the liquid metal take place. All the components in contact with the metal at a high temperature are naturally made of refractory material. They are likewise subject to wear or blockage, in particular the nozzle, which has to be changed periodically in order to prolong the casting cycle.




Furthermore the close presence of the hot metal creates a very difficult environment for all the systems which are provided. All handling is delicate in this region. The zones in question are also congested and often tight. The metallurgical containers and the distributors of the continuous casting in particular are often provided with feet or reinforcements on their bases.




In European patent EP-B-0 441 927, the applicants have proposed a device for plugging and controlling continuous hot casting designed to be mounted on a metallurgical or casting container of the type comprising, on a framework, a plugging assembly, a channel providing a casting tube known as an immersed nozzle, adjacent to the outlet of the plug, spring thrusters to maintain this nozzle in an operative position in line with the plug assembly, on the feed channel, which is designed to receive another nozzle in a position of readiness, and an offset ram traverser provided with an arm for engaging the nozzles, all supported on a cam track.




It would seem difficult to improve on it, in particular to make it more compact. However the present invention aims to improve these items still further.




According to one important aspect of the invention the body of the ram is provided with a sensor designed to co-operate with the cam track and it also supports the driving arm, whereas the rod of the ram is fixed to the structure. This allows a reduction in the dimensional bulk of the device.




Preferably the ram is retracted while a nozzle is in operation, whereas it is extended for displacing the nozzles by pushing on them.











Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the detailed description which follows, together with the accompanying drawings, in which:




BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a simplified plan view of a nozzle device according to the invention,





FIG. 2

is a vertical section on the line II—II in

FIG. 1

, and





FIG. 3

is a vertical section on the line III—III in FIG.


1


.











The accompanying drawings disclose elements of a certain character. They can thus serve not only to provide a better understanding of the description, but also to contribute to defining the invention.




The framework of the device is defined by longitudinal beams


102


and


103


, joined together on the right by a transverse beam


101


(

FIG. 1

) and lying over lower parallel beams


104


and


105


(FIG.


3


). On the left (in

FIG. 3

) the location of the beams is ensured by an assembly comprising guide elements of a ram body


504


and a frame


106


.




Above the structure there is provided a cover


200


enclosing a refractory member


201


(FIGS.


2


and


3


). This member


201


ensures a connection with the refractory of the container under which the device is mounted, in a known manner. Underneath there are provided two other superposed refractory plates


202


and


203


. Forming an assembly of three refractory plates with the central plate


202


, the plates


201


and


203


are fixed whereas the plate


202


can slide between the plates


201


and


203


. The central plate


202


moves on the command for the nozzle to deliver with the aid of a ram control mechanism, not illustrated here (see EP-B-0 441 927). The plate


202


is located within a moving frame capable of sliding between the elements


104


and


105


of the framework (FIG.


3


). The covers


301


and


302


, provided with resilient sealing means, serve to ensure the sealing between the refractory plates


201


to


203


.




The feed track of the nozzles is visible in end view at


310


in FIG.


2


. In

FIG. 3

can be seen one of the guiding profiles designed to co-operate with one of the straight edges of the nozzle flange: at


320


and


321


slightly rising profiles, then the thrusters


323


to


325


(elastic returns for example at


330


and


340


in FIG.


2


), and finally an exit profile


326


which falls once again.




Mounted at the edge of the device are bevels such as


400


(

FIG. 3

) which support and guide the mechanism for displacing the nozzles.




The latter comprises a ram body


501


(

FIG. 2

) mounted to slide on bronze pads


502


and


503


in a U-shaped location identified as


504


. The head of this ram body has a claw


510


(

FIG. 3

) provided with a lateral spur-sensor


511


which follows a horizontal cam track


520


. In addition there is pivotally connected to the claw


510


, preferably co-axially with the spur


511


, a block


530


articulated around the spur sensor


511


which can furthermore co-operate with a complementary oblique portion of the cam track. And, at the free end of this articulated rod there is mounted a driving arm


540


, seen in section in

FIG. 3

but visible in

FIG. 2

in the nozzle supply path (not shown).




The end of the rod of the ram is visible at


550


in

FIG. 3

, where it is surmounted by the hydraulic feed system


560


. This system communicates with the rod to provide hydraulic supply to the ram. The rod is mounted fixed or pivoted on the structure with freedom for at least partial angular deflection (about a horizontal axis).




When a nozzle (not shown) is in operation the ram is retracted and is present in the position A (FIGS.


1


and


3


). The driving arm is situated above the cam track


521


, and permits introduction of a fresh nozzle without necessarily raising the distributor. On the side where the head of the ram is present, the fresh nozzle waits on the feed track in contact with the operative nozzle. After this, at the moment when one wishes to exchange the nozzles, the ram is caused to extend, it pushes the two nozzles together in such a way that the new one comes into the operative position whereas the previous one leaves to the left (

FIG. 3

) and can then be withdrawn from the steel bath in a known manner. After this the ram can return to its retracted position.




The arrangement described above is particularly compact. In particular the operation of the ram contributes to its compactness since an important part of the path of the body of the ram takes place within the dimensions of the remainder of the device. Moreover it allows very rapid changing of the nozzle, which is essential. Furthermore this changing takes place when the ram is extended, such as to allow an operator to provide reduced pressure forces. Finally the disposition of the ram within the arrangement ensures better protection, in particular of the rod of the ram, in relation to the heat given off by the molten metal.



Claims
  • 1. A nozzle changing mechanism for continuously casting steel from a distributor into a mold, the mechanism having dimensions and comprising:an operative position capable of accepting a first nozzle so that the first nozzle is fluidly connected to an outlet of the distributor; a ready position adjacent to the operative position and capable of accepting a second nozzle; a driving arm mounted on a cam track and capable of traversing the cam track; and a ram connected to the driving arm and having a principal dimension, a rod, and a spur sensor cooperating with and following the cam track and leading the driving arm, the ram capable of moving the driving arm along the cam track so that the driving arm moves the second nozzle from the ready position to the operative position while simultaneously moving the first nozzle from the operative position, the ram further being fixed to the mechanism to reduce the dimensions of the mechanism.
  • 2. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the ram is extended in the principal dimension to move the second nozzle from the ready position to the operative position.
  • 3. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the driving arm is rigidly connected to the sensor, and the sensor is mounted on an articulated rod portion that permits the driving arm to move so that the driving arm does not obstruct loading of the second nozzle into the ready position.
  • 4. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the ram is slideably mounted in the mechanism and the rod of the ram is capable of at least partial angular deflection.
  • 5. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the mechanism includes a slide gate device interposed between the distributor and the operative position, the slide gate device comprising at least two plates in compressive relationship, including a first plate having an orifice capable of fluidly connecting with the outlet of the distributor, and a second plate having an orifice capable of fluidly connecting with the orifice of the first plate, at least one plate capable of translating in a direction perpendicular to the principal dimension of the ram, whereby the orifices of the plates can align, thereby forming a casting channel fluidly connected with the operative position.
Priority Claims (2)
Number Date Country Kind
97 03137 Mar 1997 FR
PCT/IB98/00387 Mar 1998 WO
US Referenced Citations (4)
Number Name Date Kind
4669528 Szadkowski Jun 1987
4854488 Trenkle et al. Aug 1989
5170915 Szadkowski Dec 1992
5351865 Szadkowski et al. Oct 1994
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
0441927 B1 Aug 1990 EP