ACTUATION DEVICE FOR A PLUG CLOSURE IN A METALLURGICAL CONTAINER

Abstract

The invention relates to an actuating device for closing a stopper in a metallurgical container, comprising a housing (12) fixed in the container (40), an adjustment means (15) mounted in the housing so as to be height-displaceable and having an actuator (14) that can be coupled to the housing, and an upper connecting element (13) for a support arm that carries the fireproof stopper. These stop adjustment means (15) are mounted in a height-displaceable manner on at least one bearing shaft (11) fixed in the housing (12). This design of the adjustment means (15) allows for increased rigidity of the actuating device and, consequently, of the fireproof stopper suspended by the actuating device on the support arm during pouring.

Description

DRIVE DEVICE FOR A PLUG CLOSURE IN A Did I read it? Lnn / zznz / E / YiAi BOWL METALLURGICAL Field of Invention The invention relates to an actuating device for a plug closure in a metallurgical container according to the preamble of claim 1. Background of the Invention A drive device according to printed publication EP 1 426 126, with a control unit for controlling a stop to regulate the flow of molten steel from a spout of a vessel in a continuous foundry, comprising a guide assembly, a drive shaft for actuating the stop, a motor, and suitable means for converting the rotational motion of the motor into a translational motion of the drive shaft. In this arrangement, the motor is detachably arranged at the bottom of the drive shaft, and at the top, this drive shaft protrudes from a cylindrical housing of the guide assembly, and a support arm for holding the stop can be attached to it. The disadvantage of this arrangement of the drive device is that its drive shaft protrudes upwards from the housing, and, due to the bending movements caused by the stop and Ref.330660 the support arm connected to it, inaccuracies may occur in relation to the position of the plug and, therefore, deviations in the control of the amount of molten mass during casting. Brief Description of the Invention Based on this, the invention aims to develop an actuating device for a plug closure that provides greater stability and rigidity, thus enabling more precise dosing during casting. Furthermore, it seeks to improve ease of use with regard to plug installation and handling. This objective is achieved according to the invention because these adjustment means for the stop are mounted in a height-displaceable manner on at least one bearing shaft fixed in the housing. With this configuration of the adjustment means according to the invention, an increase in the rigidity of the drive device can be achieved, and therefore of the fireproof or metallic plug suspended on the support arm during casting. To maximize this, the adjustment means are expected to comprise at least an upper bearing, and, separated at a distance from this, a lower bearing, each guided on the bearing axis, as well as a sleeve element. Did I read? Lnn / zznz / E / YiAi that connects them. Brief Description of the Figures The invention and its additional advantages are explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the figures. The figures show: Figure 1 shows a longitudinal perspective section of the drive device according to the invention, without a support arm and without the base plate that can be attached to the container; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the drive device according to Figure 1 with support arm and base plate; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the drive device mounted in a container according to Figure 1 with a support arm and a stop on the arm. Detailed Description of the Invention Figure 1 shows an actuating device for a plug closure in a metallurgical container, which is explained in more detail below. This actuating device 10 comprises a housing 12 that can be mounted on the container, an adjustment means 15 mounted on the container so as to be height-adjustable, with an actuator 14 coupled thereto, and an upper connection element 13 for a support arm for clamping the plug. Did I read? Lnn / zznz / E / YiAi fireproof or metallic. Both the A-axis of the drive device 10 adjustment device and the stop are normally vertically aligned. According to the invention, the adjustment means 15 are mounted in a height-displaceable manner on at least one bearing shaft 11, fixed in the housing 12. This makes it possible for these height-displaceable means 15 to be located in any operative position within the housing 12, and thus allows for extremely rigid clamping of the plug held by the support arm. The measure of assigning to the adjusting means 15, an upper bearing and a lower bearing 16, 17, separated from each other and with the lower bearing guided in each case on the axis of the bearing 11, as well as a sleeve element 18 connecting them, provides additional support for the increased robustness of the drive device 10 that is being sought. The distance interval between the upper and lower bearings 16, 17 is adjusted to the possible length of the housing 12 based on the dimensions of the height of the vessel, or is maximized accordingly. The bearings 16, 17 are advantageously configured as linear ball bearings, plain bearings, and / or similar. The upper bearing 16 is surrounded by the sleeve element 18, which in turn is surrounded by a head piece 19 of the adjusting means 15. This head piece moves inside the tubular housing 12. The housing 12 has a sealable lateral opening 12' at its top, through which the connecting element 13 protrudes. This connecting element is connected to the head piece 19 and is located outside the housing. The travel of the adjusting means 15, and consequently the height of the lateral opening 12', is dimensioned slightly longer than the predetermined maximum travel of the plug closure. The opening 12' is also closed by a folding gasket 21 to protect the interior of the housing 12, containing the bearings 16 and 17, from dirt particles such as dust. These bearings 16 and 17 are further protected by dirt scrapers, which are not shown in detail. Within the scope of the invention, the bearing shaft 11 is secured at its ends to the tubular housing 12 by a cover 22, 23, and in this configuration extends coaxially to the housing 12 at its upper and lower ends, respectively. This shaft, along with the upper bearing 16 and the support arm attached to the connecting element 13, is rotatably mounted around the axis of shaft A. Consequently, before being put into operation, the stop can be precisely centered on its corresponding output sleeve. To increase stability, the connecting element 13 for the support arm is positioned at least close to the upper bearing 16. Inside the cover 22, at the upper end of the housing 12, is a manually operated brake 25. This brake allows the pivot of the bearing shaft 11, and therefore of the support arm, on the axis of shaft A, to be released or locked. The connection between the adjusting means 15 and the connecting element 13 to the support arm 43 remains engaged in this position. This ensures operational safety and ease of use. A rotating disc 27, which can rotate within the cover 22, is rotatably connected to the bearing shaft 11. This disc has a raceway 27' shaped around its outer periphery and interacts with a rotating lever 26. This lever 26, located on the upper side of the housing 12, provides optimal access for operating personnel. The sleeve element 18 is located at a radial distance from the bearing axis 11, between the upper and lower bearings 16, 17, and forms an annular chamber 31, contained within which, one above the other, are a spring element 24 and a separating ring 29. As this spring element 24, a pressure spring is preferably used which, in a downward movement of the adjusting means 15, is compressed by the upper bearing 16, and thus makes possible a weight compensation, by means of which the stop, in the operating state, can be moved upwards with little force. According to Figure 2, at the lower end of the housing 12, an actuator 14 is provided for raising and lowering the adjusting means 15, in particular for both automatic and manual operation of the plug closure during casting. This actuator 14 can be coupled to a coupling element 32 with an operable locking lever 32' on an associated mounting plate 30 and is therefore easily accessible to operating personnel during casting. This actuator 14 advantageously operates electromechanically as a linear drive, but could also be configured as a hydraulic piston / cylinder unit. The corresponding switching buttons 14' for operation are located on the actuator 14. Assigned to the lower end of the sleeve element 18 of the adjusting means 15 are the connecting elements 18', which protrude through the lower cover 23 of the housing 12, comprising a coupling element 33, located below the housing 12, for a detachable connection to a lifting bar of the drive 14. In addition, connected by a hinged joint to this coupling element 33 is a lifting joint 20, indicated in outline, for the Did I read? Lnn / zznz / E / YiAi manual lifting and lowering of the adjustment means 15, and therefore of the stop. This mounting plate 30, arranged laterally on the housing 12 along its longitudinal extension, can be self-centered and suspended on a base plate 35, which can be attached to the vessel. For this purpose, two sliding blocks 37, spaced apart and projecting obliquely upwards, are arranged on the base plate 35. The mounting plate 30, with its lateral centering surfaces 34, is placed between these blocks and can rest on the contact surfaces 36, allowing the drive unit 10 and housing 12 to be easily mounted on and removed from the vessel. Furthermore, lateral cutouts 38 are arranged in the mounting plate 30 below the sliding blocks 37, and bolts 38' protrude through these cutouts into the base plate 35 and the vessel, enabling further positioning of the assembly on the base plate. Figure 3 shows the drive device 10 in a partially represented vessel 40, which is used as what is known as a trough in a continuous foundry, and with which the molten masses with which it has been filled are conveyed in a known manner through a refractory or partially metallic dip tube 41 from a change device 42, to a mold, not Did I read? Lnn / zznz / E / YiAi represented in greater detail. The vessel can equally be a ladle, or a container or furnace, holding any desired form of molten metal. The trough will not be described in further detail below, as, as mentioned, this is inherently known. In relation to Figure 2, the support arm 43, secured to the connecting element 13 of the drive device 10, and the refractory plug 44, held at the front of this by clamping means 46, are also shown. In addition, this lever joint 20 for the manual raising and lowering of the adjusting means 15, and therefore of the stop 44, is also shown. This consists of reversing levers 47, which are joined together with the coupling element 33 of the adjusting means 15, and which are rotatably connected to a longer hand lever 45, which can be removed during casting in an automatically controlled manner by means of actuation 14. These reversing levers 47 are also operatively connected to a locking brake 48, to hold the adjusting means (15) in a desired position. This manually operated lever 45 on the underside of the vessel 40 provides the advantage that the operator has visual contact with the mold. Also arranged below the housing 12 is a removable cover sleeve 52. Did I read it? Lnn / zznz / E / YiAi Furthermore, on the upper side of the housing 12, there is provided a fixed or removable adjustment device 50, with a clamping element 51 and at least one manually operated lever 49, which can be connected to the connecting element 13 or to the support arm 43 of the adjustment means 15, and by means of which the operator, standing on the top or side of the container 40, can raise or lower the support arm 43, and therefore the stop 44, along the vertical axis A. Furthermore, preferably on the upper side of the housing 12 there is a fixed or removable fastening element, such as a flap or connecting plate, which can be used for transporting the drive device 10. This means that no bending forces or torques are incurred on the bearings or adjusting means during transport. Of course, the invention could also be explained by other exemplary embodiments. For example, instead of a single bearing shaft, it would also be possible to arrange two or more shafts side by side and provide correspondingly configured bearings. The bearing shaft could also have a different cross-section than circular, such as square, rectangular, polygonal, or similar. Furthermore, the sleeve element could be configured as a box, struts, and / or the like, and the connecting element could be configured in two or several parts, or in a form other than that shown. It is hereby stated that, as of this date, the best method known to the applicant for putting the aforementioned invention into practice is the one that is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims

1. Actuating device for a plug closure in a metallurgical container, with a removable housing disposed in the container, a height-displaceable adjustment means mounted thereon, with an actuator coupled thereto, and an upper connection element for a support arm that holds the fireproof plug, characterized in that this stop adjustment means is mounted in a height-displaceable manner on at least one bearing shaft secured in the housing.

2. Actuating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment means comprises at least an upper bearing and a lower bearing separated from each other and guided in each case on the bearing shaft, and a sleeve element connecting them.

3. Actuating device according to claim 2, characterized in that the upper bearing of the adjusting means is configured with or surrounded by a tension piece, which is further guided inside the housing, wherein, in order to increase stability, the connecting element for the support arm is arranged at least close to the upper bearing. (Read? Lnn / zznz / E / YiAi) 4. Actuating device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that this housing is configured in the form of a tube and is provided with a sealable side opening, through which the connecting element protrudes, connected to the upper bearing and located on the outside of the housing.

5. Drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the bearing shaft is secured at its ends in the housing respectively by a cover, and in this situation extends in coaxial alignment to the upper end of the housing.

6. Actuating device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that this sleeve element joining the upper bearing to the lower bearing is radially separated from the bearing shaft, and therein forms a ring-shaped chamber, in which there is a spring element for weight compensation, by means of which the stop, in the operating state, can be moved upwards with little force.

7. Actuating device according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the actuating mechanism for raising and lowering the adjusting means, and therefore the stop that is coupled thereto by means of the support arm, can be attached to the lower end of the housing and is therefore easily accessible to operating personnel.

8. Actuating device according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the adjustment means comprise a coupling element, which protrudes from the housing, for a separable connection with the actuator, and is jointly attached to a lever joint for manual actuation.

9. Actuating device according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the bearing shaft, and with it the upper bearing and therefore the support arm, fixed to the connecting element, can rotate about shaft A, wherein a brake is provided at the upper end of the housing, by means of which a pivot of the bearing shaft, and therefore of the support arm about shaft A of the housing can be released or locked.

10. Actuating device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it includes a base plate that can be fixed to the container and a mounting plate in the housing that runs laterally along its longitudinal extension, which is configured such that the mounting plate, with the housing, can be self-centered suspended on this base plate, which in turn can be fixed to the container.

11. Actuating device according to claim 10, characterized in that the base plate preferably has two sliding blocks, separated from each other and projecting obliquely upwards, on or between which the mounting plate can be supported on the housing by its support or centering surfaces, so that the housing can be mounted on or removed from the container.

12. Actuating device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that a fixed or removable adjustment device is provided on the upper side of the housing with a clamping element and at least one manually operated lever that can be connected to the connecting element or to the support arm of the adjustment means, and by means of which an operator can raise and lower the support arm and thus the stop along axis A.

13. Drive device according to any of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that preferably a fixed or removable fastening element can be used on the upper side of the housing for transporting the drive device.

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