Anti-dripping device for pressure pouring furnace

Abstract

This dripping prevention device for pressurized pouring furnace is a device 10 for preventing dripping of hot water from the hot water outlet of a pressurized pouring furnace. Said dripping prevention device 10 is provided with: a stopper 20, the bottom end of which contacts the outlet to close said outlet, and which is provided so as to be capable of rising and lowering above the outlet and so as to be capable rotating about the center axis 20C of said stopper without restriction on the rotation angle; a rotation motor 30 which rotates said stopper 20; a dripping detection device 60 which detects dripping when hot water drips from the outlet; and a control device 70 which, in the case that a dripping detection signal has been received from the dripping detection device 60, drives the rotation motor 30 and causes the stopper 20 to perform a prescribed rotation action.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drip prevention device for a pressure pouring furnace. [Background technology]

[0002] A pressurized pouring furnace is a furnace used to automatically pour molten metal into a molding line, etc., and is structured so that the flow of molten metal can be started and stopped by opening and closing the pouring nozzle at the outlet with a stopper pin.

[0003] When casting is performed continuously using such a pressure pouring furnace, over time, inclusions, including oxides of alloy components contained in the molten metal, refractories constituting the furnace, or foreign matter mixed in the material, may become caught between the pouring nozzle and the stopper pin of the pressure pouring furnace, causing the molten metal to leak from the gap (so-called dripping). Methods for detecting dripping that may occur in this way and dealing with the situation have been proposed in the past (see Patent Documents 1 to 3, for example). In addition, in practice, an operator or the like (collectively referred to as "worker" in this specification) inserts an iron rod (guide pin) 525 for operation into the guide pipe 522 on the side of the stopper pin 520A and manually operates it to rotate the stopper pin (see FIG. 7). In such a case, as the stopper pin 520A is rotated, the foreign matter caught between the stopper pin 520A and the pouring nozzle 510 is worn away, the gap disappears, and the dripping stops. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-172044 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-166554 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2017-159334 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, as mentioned above, it is extremely cumbersome for a worker who notices dripping to insert the iron rod and manually turn the stopper pin repeatedly, and it is inefficient and uncertain for a worker to perform various other tasks while monitoring for dripping. Furthermore, it cannot be said that the task of manually turning the stopper pin in a high-temperature pressurized pouring furnace is necessarily safe.

[0006] Furthermore, when a worker actually grasps the iron bar and manually turns the stopper pin, the iron bar may hit part of the pouring equipment while turning it, or even if it does not, the worker will stop and move the iron bar left and right to turn the stopper pin only within a certain angle range, rather than grasping the iron bar and going around the stopper pin in circles; in reality, the stopper pin is not actually rotated 360 degrees or more.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a drip prevention device for a pressure pouring furnace which eliminates the need for a person to monitor dripping in the pressure pouring furnace, thereby enabling safe and reliable labor saving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a device for preventing dripping from the molten metal outlet of a pressure pouring furnace, comprising: a stopper that has a lower end portion in contact with the outlet to close the outlet, the stopper being rotatable around a central axis of the stopper without any restriction on the rotation angle and being movable up and down above the outlet; A rotation motor that rotates the stopper; A dripping detection device that detects dripping when dripping occurs from the outlet; A control device that drives a rotation motor when a dripping detection signal is received from the dripping detection device, and causes the stopper to perform a predetermined rotation operation; This is a drip prevention device for a pressurized pouring furnace.

[0009] In this type of drip prevention device, no supervisor is required for the drip detection device to detect dripping. Also, when dripping is detected, the control device drives the rotation motor and rotates the stopper in a specified manner, so that the drip prevention operation is carried out automatically and autonomously, so labor saving is ensured. Furthermore, since there is no need for an operator to manually rotate the stopper in a high-temperature pressurized pouring furnace, it can be said to be safer than that case.

[0010] In the drip prevention device of the above aspect, the stopper may be supported by a support device so as to be rotatable and movable up and down.

[0011] The stopper of the drip prevention device as described above may include a splined shaft portion that is slidable relative to the support device.

[0012] The dripping prevention device having the above-mentioned aspect may further include a transmission member that transmits the rotational force of the rotation motor to the stopper.

[0013] The transmission member may be a metal drive chain.

[0014] As the water leakage detection device of the drip prevention device as described above, an imaging device that captures an image of the vicinity of the outlet may be used.

[0015] The drip prevention device as described above may be configured to fully evacuate the pressure pouring furnace if, after rotating the stopper for a predetermined period of time, an amount of dripping exceeding a threshold is still detected.

[0016] The drip prevention device as described above may be provided with a lifting device for lifting and lowering the stopper. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, there is no need for a person to monitor dripping in a pressure pouring furnace, making it possible to safely and reliably reduce the number of personnel required. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a stopper pin for blocking the molten metal outlet of a pressure pouring furnace in one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a drip prevention device for a pressure pouring furnace, part of which is shown in cross section. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the dripping prevention device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged view of the periphery of a rotating up-down mechanism in the dripping prevention device shown in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 3 is an enlarged view showing the periphery of a rotating up-down mechanism in the dripping prevention device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating examples of operation patterns when the stopper is caused to perform a rotational operation. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a reference diagram for explaining an example of a conventional method for preventing dripping. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described in detail based on an example of an embodiment shown in the drawings (see FIGS. 1 to 6).

[0020] The pressurized pouring furnace (in the figure, the main body of the pressurized pouring furnace is omitted, and only the vicinity of the outlet of the molten metal from the pressurized pouring furnace is shown) is a furnace used when automatically pouring molten metal into a production line, such as a molding line. In this embodiment, the pouring nozzle 110, which is the outlet of the molten metal, is opened and closed by the stopper 20, so that the molten metal can be poured or stopped. When the stopper is raised, a gap is formed between the lower end 20B of the stopper pin 20A constituting the stopper 20 and the pouring nozzle 110, and the molten metal pours out from there. Also, when the stopper 20 is lowered and the lower end 20B abuts against the pouring nozzle 110, the molten metal stops flowing when the gap disappears (see FIG. 1). The molten metal poured out of the pouring nozzle 110 is stored in, for example, a pot 120 arranged below the pouring nozzle 110. If the pot 120 is weighed and the stopper 20 is controlled to lower when the stored weight reaches a set value, a predetermined amount of molten metal can be automatically poured.

[0021] When the stopper 20 is lowered as described above, if a foreign object (such as slag) gets caught between the lower end 20B of the stopper pin 20A and the pouring nozzle 110, they will not be able to fit together tightly, and molten metal may leak from the gap. The dripping prevention device 10 for a pressurized pouring furnace according to the present invention is a device for preventing dripping from the pouring nozzle 110, and for example, the dripping prevention device 10 of this embodiment includes a stopper 20, a rotation motor 30, a drive chain 40, a rotation up / down mechanism 50, an imaging device 60, a control device 70, etc. (see Figures 2, 3, etc.).

[0022] The stopper 20 is a member that blocks the pouring nozzle 110 of the pressure pouring furnace by contacting the lower end 20B of the stopper pin 20A with the pouring nozzle 110 of the pressure pouring furnace. The specific shape of the stopper 20 is not particularly limited. As an example, in this embodiment, a long member having a hexagonal shaft portion 20R with a hexagonal cross-sectional shape in part and a spline shaft portion (not shown) is connected to the upper part of the stopper pin 20A and used as the stopper 20 (see Figures 2 and 3, etc.). The stopper 20 is disposed above the pouring nozzle 110 of the pressure pouring furnace so that its central axis 20C is vertical, and is supported by a rotating and vertical mechanism 50 provided on the support base 80, for example, in a state in which it can be raised and lowered at that position and can rotate around the central axis 20C without any restriction on the rotation angle (see Figures 2 and 3). Note that the above-mentioned example of the arrangement of the stopper 20 is merely a preferred example, and is not limited to such a position. Further, the stopper 20 may be provided with a guide pipe 22 for inserting an iron bar (guide pin) used by an operator for manual operation (see Figs. 2 and 3).

[0023] The rotation and elevation mechanism 50 is composed of, for example, a sprocket 52, a collar 53, and a bearing portion 55. The sprocket 52 rotates around the central axis 20C of the stopper 20 while transmitting the rotational force of the rotation motor 30 to the bearing portion 55. The bearing portion 55 is composed of, for example, a collar 53, a collar 54, a bush 56, a collar 59, etc., and is a bearing attached to a support base 80, and supports the stopper 20 in a state in which it cannot rotate relatively by six pressing bolts 53p and / or hexagonal support holes 58 that abut against each surface of the hexagonal shaft portion 20R of the stopper 20 (see Figs. 4 and 5). The bearing portion 55 supports the stopper 20 in a state in which it can slide (i.e., can rise and fall) along the longitudinal direction (vertical direction in this embodiment) along the central axis 20C (see Figs. 2, 3, etc.). The hexagonal shaft portion 20R is caught in the hexagonal hole of the bearing portion 55 to transmit the rotation.

[0024] The rotation motor 30 is a power source for rotating the stopper 20 around its central axis 20C without limiting the rotation angle. In this embodiment, the rotation motor 30 is provided on the support base 80 (see Figs. 2 and 3), but this is only an example and the motor may be provided in other locations. The rotation motor 30 may be provided in close proximity to the stopper 20 to directly rotate the stopper 20 via gears or the like, or the rotation motor 30 may be provided at a position away from the stopper 20 as in this embodiment and the motor 30 may be rotated by transmitting power via a transmission member (see Figs. 2 and 3). By providing the rotation motor 30 at a position away from the stopper 20 as in this embodiment, the distance from the pressure pouring furnace to the rotation motor 30 can be increased, and the influence of heat generated from the pressure pouring furnace on the rotation motor 30 and the like can be reduced. Considering the influence of heat in this way, it is preferable to use a metal member as the transmission member. The rotation motor 30 of this embodiment is provided with a sprocket 32 ​​for transmitting a rotational force to the transmission member (see Fig. 3, etc.).

[0025] The drive chain 40 functions as a member that transmits the rotational force of the rotation motor 30 to the stopper 20. In consideration of the above-mentioned thermal effects, a metal drive chain 40 is used in this embodiment. The drive chain 40 is wound around both the sprocket 32 ​​on the rotation motor 30 side and the sprocket 52 on the stopper 20 side (see FIG. 3, etc.). When the sprocket 52 rotates, the stopper 20 rotates the same amount.

[0026] The imaging device 60 is installed so as to capture an image of the vicinity of the pouring nozzle 110 of the pressurized pouring furnace, obtains an image for determining whether or not dripping is occurring from the pouring nozzle 110, and transmits a signal of the image to the control device 70 (see Figs. 1 and 2). The imaging device 60 itself may be a known device, as long as it can obtain data sufficient to determine whether or not dripping is occurring. Note that the imaging device 60 described in this embodiment is merely a suitable example of a device that detects dripping when it occurs, and it is of course possible to use a device that detects other amounts of change associated with dripping (such as the weight of hot water stored in a pot, which will not be described in detail in this specification) instead.

[0027] The control device 70 is a device including an arithmetic processing device that processes information received from the outside and outputs a control signal according to the processing result, and an information storage device that stores necessary data. When the control device 70 of this embodiment receives a dripping detection signal from the imaging device 60 (or the control device 70 may process image data and determine whether dripping is occurring), it drives the rotation motor 30 and causes the stopper 20 to perform a predetermined rotation operation (see FIG. 2, etc.).

[0028] The lifting device 90 is a device used when lifting and lowering the stopper 20. In this embodiment, a vertically movable shaft (lever) 91 is provided at a position above the stopper pin 20A and below the rotating and vertical mechanism 50, and the stopper 20 can be lifted and lowered by raising and lowering the vertically movable shaft 91 (see FIG. 2). The vertically movable shaft 91 may be manually raised and lowered by an operator, or may be automatically raised and lowered using a cylinder 92. In addition, the vertically movable shaft 91 may be loosely fitted in the stopper 20, and the stopper 20 may be biased in the axial direction to apply a surplus force.

[0029] The drip prevention device 10 may be provided with a device, such as a control panel 72, for receiving input of the operation pattern and time when rotating the stopper 20 (see FIG. 2). By using the control panel 72, an operator can input an appropriate signal to operate the stopper 20 each time the stopper 20 is rotated.

[0030] Next, an example of an operation pattern when the rotation motor 30 is driven to rotate the stopper 20 in a predetermined manner will be described (see FIG. 6).

[0031] [Pattern 1] For time T1, the stopper 20 is rotated in the forward direction (clockwise or counterclockwise in FIG. 4) at a constant speed (see FIG. 6(A)). Time T1 may be a time set in a program according to a preset pattern and stored in the control device 70, or it may be the time until the dripping actually stops. As an example, in this embodiment, the stopper is rotated in the forward direction until the dripping stops. Whether or not the dripping has stopped is determined by, for example, analyzing and discerning the image data captured by the imaging device 60 using the control device 70. When it is determined that the dripping has stopped, the control device 70 stops the rotation motor 30, and the rotation of the stopper 20 is stopped.

[0032] [Pattern 2] For time T2, the stopper 20 is rotated in reverse (rotating in the opposite direction to pattern 1) at a constant speed (see FIG. 6(B)). Time T2 may be a time set in the program according to a preset pattern and stored in the control device 70, or it may be the time until the dripping actually stops. In this embodiment, as an example, the rotation is reversed until the dripping stops. Whether or not the dripping has stopped is determined by, for example, analyzing and discerning the image data captured by the imaging device 60 using the control device 70. When it is determined that the dripping has stopped, the control device 70 stops the rotation motor 30, and the rotation of the stopper 20 is stopped.

[0033] [Pattern 3] The stopper 20 is rotated forward at a constant speed for time T3, and then rotated in the reverse direction for time T3. This alternating forward and reverse rotation is repeated until the dripping stops (see FIG. 6(C)). Time T3 may be set by the operator using the control panel 72, for example.

[0034] [Pattern 4] The stopper 20 is rotated forward at a constant speed for a time T4 (see FIG. 6(D)). The time T4 may be set by an operator using the control panel 72, for example.

[0035] [Pattern 5] The stopper 20 is rotated in the reverse direction at a constant speed for a time T5 (see FIG. 6(E)). The time T5 may be set by an operator using the control panel 72, for example.

[0036] [Pattern 6] If dripping exceeding the threshold is still detected after the stopper 20 has been rotated for a specified time, the pressurized pouring furnace may be fully evacuated (not shown in the figure). In such a case, the dripping may not be eliminated even if the stopper 20 continues to rotate, so after fully evacuating the furnace, measures such as inspecting the pouring nozzle 110 and its surroundings and cleaning them if necessary can be taken. Note that the molten metal dripping from the pouring nozzle 110 should not be used in principle.

[0037] Various operating patterns, including the examples described above, may be stored in advance in the information storage device of the control device 70 so that the operator can select an appropriate one depending on the situation, or the operator may be able to set various parameters each time via an input receiving means such as the control panel 72 described above.

[0038] As described above, according to the dripping prevention device 10 of this embodiment, the imaging device (drip detection device) 60 is configured to detect dripping, so no supervisor is required. Furthermore, when dripping is detected, the control device 70 drives the rotation motor 30 to rotate the stopper 20 in a predetermined manner without limiting the rotation angle, so that the device automatically and autonomously performs operations to prevent dripping, thereby reliably reducing manpower. Furthermore, since the conventional work of manually rotating the stopper 20 by the worker in the high-temperature pressurized pouring furnace is no longer necessary, it is possible to provide a safer working environment for the worker.

[0039] The above-mentioned embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited thereto and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, only the mode of simply rotating the stopper 20 has been described, but when rotating in this manner, the stopper 20 may be rotated while applying an external force along the central axis 20C, for example, by using a biasing spring (not shown). If the stopper 20 is simply rotated, the force acting on the lower end 20B of the stopper pin 20A, the pouring nozzle 110, and any foreign object caught between them is basically the force due to the weight of the stopper 20, but by doing as described above, it is possible to rotate the stopper 20 while applying a larger force. In addition, in order to respond to various operating situations, such as proceeding with the pouring operation with priority given to pouring even if there is dripping, the stopper 20 may be moved up and down as appropriate while the pouring operation is proceeded. [Industrial Applicability]

[0040] The present invention is suitable for use in a device for preventing dripping from the molten metal outlet of a pressure pouring furnace. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10…Dripping prevention device 20…Stopper 20A…Stopper pin 20B…Lower end 20C…Central axis 20R…Hexagonal shaft section 22...Guide pipe 30...Rotation motor 32…Sprocket 40...Drive chain (transmission device) 50...Rotating up / down mechanism 52…Sprocket 53...Color 53p…Bolt 54…Color 55...Bearing part 56…Bush 58...Support hole 59…Color 60...Imaging device (water drip detection device) 70...Control device 72…Control panel 80...Support stand (support device) 90…Lifting device 91...Up-down axis 92…Cylinder 110…Pouring nozzle (hot water outlet) 120…Pot 510…Pouring nozzle 520A…Stopper pin 522…Guide pipe 525... Iron bar (guide pin)

Claims

1. A device for preventing dripping from the molten metal outlet of a pressure pouring furnace, a stopper that has a lower end portion in contact with the outlet to close the outlet, the stopper being rotatable around a central axis of the stopper without any restriction on a rotation angle and being movable up and down above the outlet; A rotation motor that rotates the stopper; A dripping detection device that detects dripping when dripping occurs from the outlet; A control device that drives the rotation motor when a dripping detection signal is received from the dripping detection device, and causes the stopper to perform a predetermined rotation operation; a control panel for receiving input of a rotation direction and a rotation time when the stopper is rotated in either or both of a forward rotation and a reverse rotation; Equipped with An imaging device that images the vicinity of the outlet is used as the dripping detection device, The control device processes image data from the imaging device, and if it determines that dripping is occurring, it drives the rotation motor and causes the stopper to perform a predetermined rotational movement, in a drip prevention device for a pressurized pouring furnace.

2. 2. The drip prevention device for a pressure pouring furnace according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is supported by a support device so as to be rotatable and movable up and down.

3. 3. The drip prevention device for a pressure pouring furnace according to claim 2, wherein the stopper includes a spline shaft portion that is slidable relative to the support device.

4. 4. The drip prevention device for a pressure pouring furnace according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission member for transmitting a rotational force of the rotation motor to the stopper.

5. 5. The drip prevention device for a pressure pouring furnace according to claim 4, wherein the transmission member is a metal drive chain.

6. A drip prevention device for a pressure pouring furnace as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, which fully evacuates the pressure pouring furnace if an amount of dripping exceeding a threshold is still detected after rotating the stopper for a predetermined time.

7. The drip prevention device for a pressure pouring furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a lifting device for lifting and lowering the stopper.

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