Sliding closure for the nozzle of a metallurgical vessel

Abstract

A sliding closure (10) on a pouring gate of a metallurgical vessel is provided with a housing (12), at least one closure plate (13) arranged in the housing, a longitudinally movable closure plate (14) and a cover (15) which can be fixed to the housing (12) by means of a clamping mechanism (20). The closure plates (13, 14, 16) can be pressed against one another by the clamping mechanism (20) via the cover (15). The clamping mechanism (20) with at least one spring mechanism (33) is provided at the housing (12) on both sides with pivotably supported clamping levers (21, 22) and abutments (23, 24) which cooperate with the clamping levers, so that the cover (15) can be fastened to or released from the housing by deflection of the clamping levers (21, 22). As a result, the closure plates which are often to be replaced can always be clamped against one another uniformly and optimally even after several operating cycles.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a sliding closure for a pouring opening of a metallurgical vessel, having a housing, closure plates arranged in the housing, at least one longitudinally movable closure plate and a cover which can be fastened to the housing by means of a clamping mechanism, wherein the closure plates can be pressed against one another by the clamping mechanism via the cover. BACKGROUND

[0002] The known sliding closure according to the publication EP-A-0 891 829 has a housing which can be fastened to the vessel, in which housing upper and lower stationary refractory closure plates and a refractory sliding plate which can be moved back and forth between the closure plates by means of a drive are accommodated. The stationary closure plates are fixed in a cover or in the housing, while the sliding plate is fixed in a metal frame which is coupled to the drive. The cover is releasably fastened to the housing by means of clamping screws and is locked along the movement direction of the back and forth movable sliding plate by means of locking means, during which adjustment of the cover perpendicular to the movement direction is permitted.

[0003] In another embodiment, for a sliding closure with a pouring opening changing device, the cover arranged on the upper side of the housing is pivotably supported on this housing and on the housing there are arranged pivotable clamping screws for pressing the closure plates against one another. However, these clamping screws must be fastened or released individually and it must be observed that they are tightened with a certain torque in the fault-free operating state. SUMMARY

[0004] The task of the invention is to improve a sliding closure according to the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that for the purpose of being able to easily close or open the cover on or from the housing for changing the closure plates, and in this the optimum clamping of the closure plates is ensured and furthermore the sealed surrounding of the closure plates by the housing and the cover in the operating state is ensured.

[0005] According to the invention, this task is solved according to a sliding closure for a pouring opening of a metallurgical vessel, having a housing, closure plates arranged in the housing, longitudinally movable closure plates and a cover which can be fastened to the housing by means of a clamping mechanism, wherein the closure plates can be pressed against one another by the clamping mechanism via the cover, the clamping mechanism having at least one spring mechanism, which is preferably provided with pivotably supported clamping levers at both sides at the housing and abutments which cooperate with the clamping levers, so that the cover can be fastened on or released from the housing by deflection of the clamping levers.

[0006] According to the application, the cover can be clamped to the housing by means of a clamping mechanism, which has on both sides of the housing pivotably supported clamping levers and, cooperating therewith, abutments with contact surfaces, which are either assigned to the housing or to the cover.

[0007] By means of this clamping mechanism according to the application, the closure plates can always be clamped to one another uniformly and optimally even after multiple operating uses.

[0008] It is very advantageous if on both sides two clamping levers are pivotably supported on the housing or on the cover, wherein the clamping levers are arranged on both sides in such a way that they can be pivoted towards one another or away from one another in pairs. This enables a uniform clamping of the closure plates.

[0009] The clamping mechanism has for the corresponding manipulation of the clamping levers an adjustment mechanism, which is arranged in such a way that it can be moved along the longitudinal direction on the side of the housing transversely to the clamping direction of the closure plates, wherein the adjustment mechanism is articulated at one end with one of the clamping levers and at the other end with a preferably manually rotatable shaft for its manipulation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] The application and its further advantages are described in detail below by means of embodiments with reference to the drawings. In which:

[0011] Figure 1 A side view of the slide closure with the clamping mechanism according to the application in the open state is shown in partial section;

[0012] Figure 2 A side view of the slide closure according to Figure 1 with the clamping mechanism in the closed state is shown in partial section;

[0013] Figure 3 A longitudinal section of the slide closure according to Figure 1 with an upper or lower fixed closure plate and an intermediate movable closure plate is shown; and

[0014] Figure 4 A view from below of the cover of the slide closure according to Figure 1 is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Figures 1 to 3A sliding closure 10 is shown, which can be installed on the gate of a metallurgical vessel, particularly a distribution tank or similar container in a continuous casting apparatus for producing steel bars, which is not shown in detail. The sliding closure can also, in principle, be used in other applications, such as for the controlled pouring of copper in a non-ferrous region of a furnace.

[0016] according to Figure 3 The sliding closure 10 has a housing 12 and a cover 15 hinged to the housing by a hinge 11. An upper refractory closure plate 13 and a lower refractory closure plate 16, and a closure plate 14 that can move longitudinally between them are arranged therein. The latter is clamped in a plate frame 17 and can be moved to an open or closed position by a drive device 18 (not shown in detail), for which corresponding flow openings are provided in the closure plates 13, 14, and 16. Typically, a refractory sleeve (not shown) embedded inside the container is connected to the upper closure plate 13. The lower closure plate 16 is extended by a sleeve-shaped attachment 16'. Refractory casting pipes or stendropipes (Schattenrohr), etc., can be pressed onto the attachment to achieve closed casting.

[0017] The closing plates 13, 14, and 16 are clamped or centered in the housing 12 or cover 15 in a common manner, as explained in detail, for example, in patent document EP 2670546 B1.

[0018] The cover 15 is detachably fastened to the housing 12 by means of the clamping mechanism 20, and the closing plates 13, 14, 16 are pressed against each other by the cover 15 to ensure a seal between them.

[0019] According to the present invention, the clamping mechanism 20 has two clamping rods 21 and 22 on each side of the housing 12, which are pivotally supported toward each other, and supports 23 and 24 that interact with the clamping rods. The clamping rods 21 and 22 are supported on the rotation shafts 26 and 27 on the side of the housing 12 in their middle region, while the supports 23 and 24 are mounted on the side of the cover 15.

[0020] The clamping rods 21 and 22 are hinged at one end to an adjusting mechanism 30 that can be operated by a shaft 34 via shafts 28 and 29, respectively, and are equipped at the other end with sliding elements 21' and 22' that can act on supports 23 and 24, such that the clamping rods surround the supports when clamping and can pivot away from the supports when releasing.

[0021] It is very advantageous if the two clamping levers 21, 22 on each side of the housing 12 are arranged symmetrically to each other together with the adjustment mechanism 30. This shaft 34 extends approximately over the width of the housing 12 and is coupled to the adjustment mechanism 30 not only on one side of the housing 12 but also on the other side of the housing 12, so that when this shaft 34 is twisted, for example by means of a removable hexagonal wrench, the clamping levers 21, 22 on both sides of the housing 12 are moved simultaneously in the same direction and are inserted in the holders 23, 24 or released therefrom.

[0022] It is advantageous if the adjustment mechanism 30 and the clamping levers 21, 22 are arranged on two opposite sides of the box-shaped housing 12, which sides extend parallel to the movement direction of the longitudinally movable closure panel 14, while the hinges 11 and the drive 18 are arranged on the narrow lateral sides. Furthermore, the clamping levers 21, 22 in the clamped state are oriented with their longitudinal extension in the clamping direction of the sliding closure 10, as can be seen in Figure 2 , so that only a small bending moment acts on the clamping levers.

[0023] It is suitable if in the holders 23, 24 inclined contact surfaces 23', 24' are arranged respectively, so that the clamping levers 21, 22 in the clamped state act approximately in the middle thereof respectively, so that the clamping levers in the operating state can be adjusted in one direction or the other on this contact surface 23', 24' depending on the extension and tolerances of the closure panels 13, 14, 16 and the mechanical device.

[0024] The contact surfaces 23', 24' of the holders 23, 24 are each provided with an angle of rise a of 0 to 40°, for example 20°, so that the sliding elements 21', 22', for example rollers or hooks, are moved in the clamping direction of the closure panels during closing. Depending on the angle of rise a, the friction between the sliding elements 21', 22' and the holders 23, 24 changes. It has been shown in practice that the best force ratio or friction ratio is produced when the angle of rise a is greater than 0°, preferably 10 to 45°.

[0025] The corresponding arrangement of the clamping mechanism 20 is used for the manipulation of the adjustment mechanism 30 of the two clamping levers 21, 22, which extends laterally to the clamping direction on the side of the housing 12 or along the closure plate. It consists of a somewhat elongated guide element 32, which has an integrated spring mechanism 33 and a rocker lever 31 guided longitudinally by the spring mechanism. The guide element 32 is rotatably connected at one end by this shaft 28 with one of the clamping levers 21 and at the other end outside the housing 12 with a preferably manually rotatable shaft 34. The guide element comprises on the one hand a lever with a hinged section of the clamping lever 21 and on the other hand a track 32' with a receiving section for the shaft 34 and a guide slot 39 for the shaft 29 of the rocker lever 31 in the clamping lever 22. The spring mechanism 33, which is constructed as a compression spring, for example a coil spring, is sheathed onto the lever, is supported against a stop 36 in the lever and in contrast is supported on a piston element 37 which is limitedly movable on the lever. In addition, this lever and with it the spring mechanism 33 are supported in a protective channel 38 in the housing 12.

[0026] In addition, the shaft 34, which is supported at the end side in the track 32', is rotatably connected by means of an elbow joint 35 with the rocker lever 31. A lever 35' is supported on the one hand by means of the elbow joint 35 on the shaft 34 and on the other hand at the end side in the rocker lever 31 on a peg 31'. The rocker lever is curved in the U-shape, so that it rotates about the shaft 34, as is shown in Figure 2 This is arranged in such a way that the elbow joint 35 pivots beyond the dead point and in the fastened state of the cover 15 carries out an automatic locking.

[0027] For the closing or opening of the cover 15, the shaft 34 and with it the adjustment mechanism 30 together with the clamping levers 21, 22 is moved or pivoted from the position according to Figure 1 into the position according to Figure 2 or vice versa. In the clamping, the rocker lever 31 is pivoted about the shaft 34 by means of the elbow joint 35 and at the same time the connected clamping lever 22 is pressed about the shaft 27 onto this support 24 of the closed cover 15. Here, the rocker lever 31 has its shaft 29 longitudinally guided in this guide slot 39 of the track 32'.

[0028] In the pivoting, the guide elements 32 are likewise pushed into the housing 12 at the same time and the shaft 34 is likewise moved in the same direction together with the guide elements. The other opposing clamping lever 21 is correspondingly pressed around the shaft 26 onto the other bearing 23 of the closed lid 15. In this collision of the levers, the spring mechanism 33 is likewise pressed by the piston element 37 against the stop 36 and causes a spring pressure to the clamping levers 21, 22 and thus a clamping force to the lid and the closure plate. On the opposing side of the adjustment mechanism 30, the toggle joint 35 and with it the rocker 31 causes a locking state by a deflection beyond the dead point, in which the peg 31' is behind the longitudinal axis of the guide elements 32 in the clamping direction.

[0029] According to Figure 4 The lid 15 consists of a lid frame 19 which is hinged to the housing 12 by means of the hinge 11 and a closure lid 15' which can be placed on the lid frame. The bearings 23, 24 of the plate 42 which cooperate with the clamping levers 21, 22 are fastened on the outer side of the closure lid 15'. Between this closure lid 15' and the lid frame 19 preferably invisible spring and guide means 41 are arranged which enable a limited movement of the closure lid 15' relative to the lid frame 19 and the housing 12 in the pressing direction of the closure plate.

[0030] Thus, the thermal expansion or contraction of the refractory closure plate and / or the housing or the mechanical device and tolerances can be compensated overall so that always approximately the same pressing force is acting. In addition, the lid frame 19 is ensured at all times by the spring to press with approximately uniform force onto the sealing cord 43 which is integrated in the housing 12 and seals around the housing 12 and the lid frame 19. Thus, this sealing cord 43 is constantly loaded independently of the installation or relative lid position and thus also not excessively distorted. Furthermore, a sealing cord 46 is advantageously also placed around the lid frame 19 and the closure lid 15.

[0031] The plate 42 with the bearings 23, 24 on the respective outer side of the closure lid 15 is additionally provided with a centering element 44 which is inserted without play into a recess 45 on the side of the housing 12 so that the lid 15 connected with the plate 42 is fixed in the movement direction of the central closure plate 14.

[0032] The application is sufficiently explained by the above described embodiments. However, the application can of course also be explained by other variants.

[0033] Thus, as with the usual ladle slide closure, only two closure plates can be included. The movable closure plate is advantageously integrated in a slide unit which can be moved back and forth on the inner side of the lid by means of a drive.

[0034] In the clamping mechanism, in principle, only one pivotably supported clamping lever can be provided on each side of the housing, which must be aligned with one another.

[0035] Such a clamping mechanism can also be arranged on the side of the slide closure in a rotated through 180° manner, that is to say, the adjustment mechanism is then arranged on the lid in a similar manner and the bearing is arranged on the housing. As an alternative, the clamping levers can be pivotably supported on the lid instead of on the housing, wherein the clamping levers are pivotable relative to one another by means of the sliding elements on the respective end side and simultaneously act oppositely on the housing in the contact surfaces of the bearings, respectively.

[0036] The contact surfaces 23', 24' which respectively extend obliquely on the bearings 23, 24 can also be configured as rollers or the like. Preferably, the sliding elements of the clamping levers are then provided with a planar support as a hook. This angle of rise (a) can also be 0° in theory, so that the sliding elements extend transversely to the clamping direction of the closure panel during closure.

[0037] In principle, it is also possible to provide such a clamping mechanism with an adjustment mechanism 30 and two clamping levers only on one side of the housing, while on the other side a hinge for pivoting the lid on the housing is provided.

Claims

1. A sliding closure on the gate of a metallurgical vessel, said sliding closure having Shell (12), A closed plate (13) fixed in position within the housing (12), A longitudinally movable closed plate (14), Cover (15), and The clamping mechanism (20) secures the cover (15) to the housing (12). The clamping mechanism (20) is configured to press the closing plate (13), which is fixed in position in the housing (12), and the longitudinally movable closing plate (14) together through the cover (15). The clamping mechanism (20) has at least one spring mechanism (33) extending along the direction of movement of the longitudinally movable closing plate (14) on each side of the housing (12), a pivotable clamping rod (21, 22), and a support (23, 24) cooperating with the clamping rod (21, 22), such that the cover (15) can be fastened to or released from the housing (12) by deflection of the clamping rod (21, 22).

2. The sliding closure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping rods (21, 22), which are supported in their respective middle regions, are hinged at one end to an operable adjustment mechanism (30) of the clamping mechanism (20) and at the other end are sliding elements (21', 22') that can act on the corresponding supports (23, 24), such that the clamping rods surround the supports (23, 24) when clamping and can pivot away from the supports when releasing.

3. The sliding closure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Two clamping rods (21, 22) on each side of the housing (12) or the cover (15) are pivotally supported, wherein the clamping rods on each side are pivotable in pairs toward or away from each other and simultaneously act on either the cover (15) or the housing (12) in one contact surface (23', 24') of each of the supports (23, 24), thereby causing the cover to be tightened or loosened on the housing.

4. The sliding closure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The corresponding adjustment mechanism (30) for manipulating the clamping rods (21, 22) is arranged transversely to the clamping mechanism of the closing plate (13) fixed in position in the housing (12) and the longitudinally movable closing plate (14) on the side of the housing (12) along the longitudinal direction, wherein the adjustment mechanism is hinged at one end to one of the clamping rods (21) and at the other end to a rotatable shaft (34) for the manipulation.

5. The sliding closure according to claim 4, characterized in that, The adjustment mechanism is hinged at one end to one of the clamping rods (21) and at the other end to a manually rotatable shaft (34) for the operation.

6. The sliding closure according to claim 4, characterized in that, The adjustment mechanism (30) consists of an elongated guide element (32) with an integrated spring mechanism (33) and a pivot rod (31) with an elbow joint (35) longitudinally guided by the spring mechanism. The guide element (32) is rotatably connected at one end to one of the clamping rods (21) and at the other end to the shaft (34), while the pivot rod (31) is rotatably connected at one end to another clamping rod (22) and at the other end to the shaft (34) via the elbow joint (35).

7. The sliding closure according to claim 6, characterized in that, The elbow joint (35), which moves about the axis (34) on the end side and stops on the axis, can pivot beyond its dead point and thus automatically lock in the tightened state of the cover (15).

8. The sliding closure according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The corresponding spring mechanism (33) is supported in the guide element (32) such that the spring mechanism generates pressure on the clamping rods (21, 22) in the closing direction when the cover (15) is clamped on the housing (12).

9. The sliding closure according to claim 8, characterized in that, The spring mechanism (33), which is configured as a pressure spring, is fitted onto the rod of the guide element (32), which is supported on a stop (36) on the rod and relative to a piston element (37) that can move in a limited manner on the rod.

10. The sliding closure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The contact surfaces (23', 24') of the supports (23, 24) are respectively provided with an upward angle (α) of 0 to 40°, so that the sliding elements (21', 22') of the clamping rods (21, 22) extend toward the clamping direction of the closing plate (13) fixed in the housing (12) and the longitudinally movable closing plate (14) during the closing process.

11. The sliding closure according to claim 10, characterized in that, The sliding elements (21', 22') of the clamping rods (21, 22) are constructed as rollers or hooks.

12. The sliding closure according to claim 10, characterized in that, The contact surfaces (23', 24') of the supports (23, 24) are respectively provided with an upward angle (α) of 0 to 40°, so that the sliding elements (21', 22') of the clamping rods (21, 22) extend obliquely toward the clamping direction of the closing plate (13) fixed in the housing (12) and the longitudinally movable closing plate (14) during the closing process.

13. The sliding closure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, A fixed sealing plate (16) is also provided in the cover (15).

14. The sliding closure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The longitudinally movable closed plate (14) can be moved longitudinally within the frame by a drive device.

15. The sliding closure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The cover (15) consists of a cover frame (19) hinged to the housing (12) and a closed cover (15') that can be placed on the cover frame, wherein supports (23, 24) that cooperate with the clamping rods (21, 22) are fastened to the outer side of the closed cover (15').

16. The sliding closure according to claim 15, characterized in that, A spring and guide device (41) are arranged between the closing cover (15') and the cover frame (19). The spring and guide device are capable of moving the closing cover (15') in a limited manner relative to the cover frame (19) and the housing (12) along the pressing direction of the closing plate (13) fixed in the housing (12) and the longitudinally movable closing plate (14). The thermal expansion, contraction, and tolerances of the closing plate (13) fixed in the housing (12), the longitudinally movable closing plate (14), and / or the housing (12) are compensated, so that the pressing force is always nearly the same.

17. The sliding closure according to claim 16, characterized in that, A plurality of springs and guide devices (41) are arranged between the closing cover (15') and the cover frame (19).

18. The sliding closure according to claim 15, characterized in that, The supports (23, 24) are respectively placed on the plate (42) on the outer side of the closed cover (15'), wherein the plate (42) is additionally provided with a centering element (44) which is embedded almost without gap into the recess (45) on the side of the housing (12) so that the cover (15) connected to the plate (42) is fixed along the moving direction of the central longitudinally movable closed plate (14).

19. The sliding closure according to claim 15, characterized in that, Sealing ropes (43, 46) are integrated in the housing (12) and the cover (15), respectively, which seal the housing (12) and the cover frame (19) or the cover frame and the cover (15) around the perimeter.

Images