Method of constructing refractory

Abstract

To provide a building method of refractory capable of shortening a time required for building with high precision.SOLUTION: A building method of refractory is for building refractory including shaped refractory (101) and monolithic refractory (14) using a robot (17) including installation means of the shaped refractory, the building method including measuring a thickness of the shaped refractory in a height direction and adjusting a thickness of the monolithic refractory in the height direction. In the building method of refractory, the robot may include control means that synthesizes control target values of the position, velocity, and force regarding the shaped refractory at any given ratio and controls a motor, thereby adjusting stress between the shaped refractory and the monolithic refractory.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for constructing refractory materials. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a method for constructing refractory materials for constructing refractory materials in refining vessels such as converters and torpedo cars used in the iron and steel industry.

Background Art

[0002] Refractory materials used in hot metal vessels and molten steel vessels can be classified into shaped refractory materials and unshaped refractory materials. A typical example of shaped refractory materials is refractory bricks. Conventionally, when constructing refractory materials in a vessel, a skilled worker (bricklayer) manually constructs the bricks. In the production of refractory bricks, refractory aggregates are bonded with a binder, and the mixed clay is filled into a metal mold and press-molded. Unfired bricks are made by volatilizing the organic components in the binder at about 200°C after press-molding. Also, fired bricks are made by firing at a high temperature exceeding 1000°C after press-molding. A typical example of unfired bricks is MgO-C bricks used as wear bricks in ladles and converters. Also, typical examples of fired bricks are magnesia bricks or high alumina bricks. Since these shaped bricks use a plurality of metal molds for press-molding when manufacturing one type of brick, the size of the refractory bricks varies depending on the size of the metal mold. Also, the size of each brick varies due to springback occurring after molding or sintering shrinkage due to firing. During construction (lining), products within the tolerance range are used. Here, the tolerance has the meaning shown in "JIS Z 8103:2000 Terms of Measurement".

[0003] In the case of vessels such as converters where bricks are stacked and constructed in multiple stages, the upper ends in the height direction may not be aligned due to the influence of the tolerance of the stacked bricks. The bricklayer stacks the bricks based on experience so that the upper ends in the height direction are aligned. However, since the bricks are constructed manually, it takes time. Also, loss time occurs when the work stops due to the break of the bricklayer or the like.

[0004] As a method of mechanizing construction work, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a refractory construction method including a step of constructing refractory bricks based on the operating surface of the refractory bricks after construction, and a step of pouring a permacastable into the gap between the back surface of the constructed refractory bricks and the iron sheet.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In the technique described in Patent Document 1, since construction is performed using a robot arm, the construction time can be shortened. However, as described above, since the size of each brick is different, the height of the stacked bricks varies depending on the location as construction progresses.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a refractory construction method that can shorten the time required for construction with high accuracy, such as that of a skilled furnace builder.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] (1) A refractory construction method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a refractory construction method for constructing a refractory including a shaped refractory and an unshaped refractory using a robot equipped with a construction means for the shaped refractory, measuring the thickness of the shaped refractory in the height direction, and adjusting the thickness of the unshaped refractory in the height direction.

[0009] (2) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (1), the robot is equipped with control means for controlling a motor by synthesizing control target values of position, speed, and force for the shaped refractory at an arbitrary ratio, Adjust the stress between the shaped refractory and the unshaped refractory.

[0010] (3) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (1) or (2), the robot is part or all of a master-slave system including a master robot operated by an operator and a slave robot that performs a predetermined operation on a work object, when the slave robot constructs the shaped refractory, a reaction force command value is output according to the reaction force sensed, and the master robot generates a reaction force that is sensed by the operator based on the reaction force command value, configured such that the operator can adjust the stress applied to the unshaped refractory according to the reaction force generated by the master robot.

[0011] (4) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (1) to (3), adjust the stress between the shaped refractory and the already constructed shaped refractory to match a set target value.

[0012] (5) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (1) to (4), the weight of the shaped refractory is 30 kg or more per piece.

[0013] (6) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (1) to (5), the unshaped refractory has two or more different viscosities.

[0014] (7) A method for constructing a refractory according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a method for constructing a refractory including a shaped refractory and an unshaped refractory in a container using a robot equipped with a means for constructing the shaped refractory, measure the three-dimensional shape of the inside of the container and the shaped refractory, rearrange the construction order of the shaped refractory so as to easily adjust the thickness of the unshaped refractory in the height direction inside the container.

[0015] (8) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (7), The three-dimensional shape inside the container is measured after setting a target value in the height direction.

[0016] (9) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (7) or (8), The weight of the shaped refractory is 30 kg / unit or more.

[0017] (10) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (7) to (9), The unshaped refractory has two or more different viscosities.

Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a method for constructing a shaped refractory that can shorten the time required for construction with high accuracy.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, a method for constructing a refractory according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of the regular refractory 101 installed in the refining vessel 1. The refining vessel 1 is composed of an iron skin 11 and a regular refractory 101. The regular refractory 101 is installed inside the refining vessel 1 with respect to the iron skin 11 in multiple stages in the height direction. The regular refractory 101 includes a permanent brick 12 and a wear brick 13. Each of the permanent brick 12 and the wear brick 13 may be of one type or a plurality of types. The permanent brick 12 and the wear brick 13 are adhered by the unshaped refractory 14. Here, the direction perpendicular to the height direction and from the inside to the outside of the refining vessel 1 may be referred to as the depth direction. For example, mortar is used as the unshaped refractory 14, but the unshaped refractory 14 is not limited to this and may be a stamp material, dry powder, etc. Also, if the regular refractory 101 is installed in multiple stages in the height direction by the unshaped refractory 14, it is not limited to the case where the regular refractory 101 is installed inside the refining vessel 1.

[0022] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the wear brick 13. The described numerical values (unit: mm) are examples and are not limited to these values. The left figure of FIG. 2 shows the side surface of the wear brick 13. The right figure of FIG. 2 shows the upper surface of the wear brick 13. The wider side (162.5 mm in the right figure of FIG. 2) is arranged so as to be closer to the iron skin 11 in the depth direction. That is, a taper is provided such that the side of the iron skin 11 is large and the side inside the furnace is small. Here, the inside of the furnace means the inside of a container such as a converter, that is, inside the refining vessel 1. The wear brick 13 generally has a tolerance of about -1% to +1%. That is, a difference of about -1% to +1% from the design value is generally allowed for the wear brick 13, and when stacked in multiple stages uniformly, the height varies depending on the location.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 1 again, in this embodiment, the regular refractory 101 is installed using a robot 17. Also, as in this embodiment, a measuring instrument 16 may be further used.

[0024] The robot 17 is equipped with a means for installing the shaped refractory 101 and can adjust the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 in the height direction inside the furnace. The robot 17 is, for example, a robot arm, but is not limited to a robot arm. Further, the installation means is not particularly limited as long as it can grip the shaped refractory 101, stack the shaped refractory 101, apply the unshaped refractory 14 to the shaped refractory 101, and apply stress to the shaped refractory 101.

[0025] The robot 17 may be, for example, a six-axis vertical articulated robot. As the robot hand (an example of the installation means), a two-finger gripping hand or a six-point suction hand may be used. When gripping the shaped refractory 101, a rubber packing or the like may be used for the finger portion so that the shaped refractory 101 is not damaged. The size of the robot 17 may be selected according to the size of the refining vessel 1 and the weight of the shaped refractory 101 to be gripped.

[0026] The robot 17 may be operated by a controller by an operator on the machine side, or may be part or all of a remote operation system. For example, the robot 17 may be part or all of a master-slave system consisting of a master robot operated by an operator and a slave robot that performs a predetermined operation on a work object. Further, the slave robot may have a function of perceiving a reaction force generated when constructing the shaped refractory 101. A reaction force command value may be output according to the reaction force perceived by the slave robot, and the master robot may generate a reaction force that allows the operator to perceive based on the reaction force command value. The robot 17 may be configured such that the operator can adjust the stress applied to the unshaped refractory 14 according to the reaction force generated by the master robot. Adjustment of the stress applied to the unshaped refractory 14 may include, for example, adjustment of the stress between the shaped refractory 101 and the unshaped refractory 14. Here, the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 changes due to the stress. This is mainly because when the stress is applied, the unshaped refractory 14 between the shaped refractory 101 to be constructed and the already constructed shaped refractory 101 is pushed out from the joint. Generally, when constructing the shaped refractory 101, an "attachment work" of applying the unshaped refractory 14 to the shaped refractory 101 to be constructed in advance is performed. However, it is not limited to this, and an "overlay work" of applying the unshaped refractory 14 to the already constructed shaped refractory 101 in advance may be performed. Adjustment of the stress applied to the unshaped refractory 14 may include, for example, adjusting the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 applied to the shaped refractory 101. Also, adjustment of the stress applied to the unshaped refractory 14 may include adjusting the force applied to the already constructed shaped refractory 101 or the iron sheet 11. By adjusting the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 and then constructing it, it can be built without a step. Here, the thickness is a length, particularly the length in the height direction. Hereinafter, regarding the lengths of the shaped refractory 101, the unshaped refractory 14, etc. in the height direction, the indication of the height direction may be omitted and simply described as the thickness.

[0027] The robot 17 may be provided with control means for controlling the motor by synthesizing the control target values of the position, speed, and force of the standard refractory 101 at an arbitrary ratio. The control means may be realized by an arithmetic device such as a processor. By controlling the motor in this way, it is possible to prevent the bricks from being damaged when constructing the bricks. In addition, it is possible to reproduce delicate movements like those of a skilled bricklayer. For example, the robot 17 may be provided with a hammer as part of the construction means. The robot 17 may have a function of being able to finely correct the position of the brick by hitting the upper surface and the side surface of the brick with the hammer.

[0028] Here, the weight of one of the standard refractories 101 is often less than 30 kg so that it is easy for the bricklayer to construct. However, in the refractory construction method according to the present embodiment, since the robot 17 performs the construction, there is no weight limitation. That is, the weight of the standard refractory 101 may be 30 kg / unit or more. Here, the size of the standard refractory 101 may be determined according to the damage factor of the container. For example, in a container where chemical damage is the main factor and cracks caused by thermal stress do not occur, by using a large standard refractory 101, it is possible to reduce the wear due to the melting loss of the joint part.

[0029] The measuring instrument 16 measures the thickness in the height direction inside the furnace and inside the shaped refractory 101. Further, the measuring instrument 16 measures whether the installed shaped refractory 101 is horizontal. The measuring instrument 16 may be a laser-type or white light interference-type measuring instrument. Also, when the operator remotely operates the robot 17, the operation may be performed with reference to the visual information (e.g., image) from the measuring instrument 16. For example, in order to set the height of the shaped refractory 101 to a set target value, the operator may adjust the stress between the shaped refractory 101 to be stacked using the robot 17 and the installed shaped refractory 101. In the present embodiment, the measuring instrument 16 is configured to include a camera. The camera may be a 3D camera capable of obtaining depth information. The measuring method of the measuring instrument 16 can be selected from a stereo method of taking pictures using a plurality of cameras, a ToF method of calculating the time when the reflected light returns using pulsed light, a method using structured illumination utilizing light interference, etc. Also, the measuring instrument 16 may use a three-dimensional measuring instrument or a 2D camera.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the construction by the method of building refractory materials including the regular refractory 101 and the monolithic refractory 14 according to the present embodiment. In the prior art such as Patent Document 1, for example, the wear bricks 13 (a specific example of the regular refractory 101) are stacked with a uniform thickness of the monolithic refractory 14. Therefore, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 3, when the wear bricks 13 are stacked in multiple stages, the height varies depending on the location. Although details will be described later, in the method of building refractory materials including the regular refractory 101 and the monolithic refractory 14 according to the present embodiment, a process of measuring whether it is horizontal by the measuring instrument 16 is executed as described above. Further, in the method of building refractory materials including the regular refractory 101 and the monolithic refractory 14 according to the present embodiment, a process of adjusting the stress between the regular refractory 101 and the already constructed regular refractory 101 is executed so as to match the target value. By such a process, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 3, the height of the wear bricks 13 can be made uniform. Here, in the method of building refractory materials including the regular refractory 101 and the monolithic refractory 14 according to the present embodiment, the height of the regular refractory 101 is made uniform at least in the uppermost stage. Further, it is more preferable that the height of the regular refractory 101 is made uniform at each stage of the stacked regular refractory 101.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of the method of building refractory materials including the regular refractory 101 and the monolithic refractory 14 according to the present embodiment.

[0032] First, in-furnace measurement is performed by the measuring instrument 16 (step S1). The measuring instrument 16 measures the thickness in the height direction inside the furnace and inside the regular refractory 101. For the transportation of the regular refractory 101 into the furnace, various methods such as a hoist crane, an overhead crane, a manual crane, and handover can be used. Further, as another example, the regular refractory 101 may be carried into the furnace from outside the furnace using the robot 17 and the construction may be executed as it is.

[0033] Also, the three-dimensional shapes of the furnace interior and the shaped refractory 101 may be measured by the measuring instrument 16. For example, the shaped refractories 101 having variations in size within the tolerance range may be grouped by size, and the order of the shaped refractories 101 may be rearranged so that the adjustment in the height direction is easy during construction. That is, based on the measurement results of the three-dimensional shape, the construction order of the shaped refractories 101 may be changed so that it is easy to adjust the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 in the height direction in the furnace.

[0034] Here, a height guidance may be created (step S2). The height guidance is a guidance of the target value in the height direction. For example, a laser alignment device may be provided inside the refining vessel 1. The laser alignment device may visualize the horizontal position that is the height guidance. Here, the laser alignment device is attached to the robot 17, and the control means of the robot 17 may create a height guidance based on the measurement data from the measuring instrument 16 and display the height guidance on the laser alignment device. If the height guidance is not created, step S2 may not be executed.

[0035] The robot 17 grips the shaped refractory 101 by an operator or automatically (step S3).

[0036] The robot 17 applies the unshaped refractory 14 to the gripped shaped refractory 101 (step S4).

[0037] The robot 17 installs the shaped refractory 101 to which the unshaped refractory 14 has been applied (step S5). That is, the robot 17 stacks the gripped shaped refractory 101 on the already constructed shaped refractories 101.

[0038] Then, the three-dimensional shapes of the furnace interior and the shaped refractory 101 are measured by the measuring instrument 16. In the present embodiment, after setting a target value in the height direction as height guidance, the three-dimensional shapes of the furnace interior and the shaped refractory 101 are measured. Based on the measurement data from the measuring instrument 16, the height difference between the height guidance and the shaped refractory 101 is calculated, and it is determined whether the height is within the allowable range (step S6). The determination is executed, for example, by the control means of the robot 17. As another example, based on the measurement data from the measuring instrument 16, an operator may make a determination, and a signal indicating the determination of the operator may be output to the robot 17 or the like by the input means (for example, a keyboard or a mouse).

[0039] When the height of the shaped refractory 101 is not within the allowable range (No in step S6), the process returns to the process of step S4. When the height of the shaped refractory 101 is within the allowable range (Yes in step S6), the process proceeds to the process of step S7. Here, regardless of the determination result, based on the difference between the horizontal position, which is the visualized height guidance, and the height of the shaped refractory 101, the target value of the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 may be calculated and transmitted to the operator. By the function of transmitting the target value of the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14, improvement in the skills of an operator who is not a skilled furnace builder and an effect of shortening the construction time can be expected.

[0040] When the height of the shaped refractory 101 is within the allowable range, the robot 17 makes fine adjustments to the position of the shaped refractory 101 manually by the operator or automatically (step S7). The robot 17 applies a force to the shaped refractory 101 installed in step S5 and adjusts the stress between the shaped refractory 101 and the unshaped refractory 14, thereby making fine adjustments to match the visualized height guidance. Here, the allowable range in step S6 may be determined based on the thickness that can be adjusted by the fine adjustment in step S7.

[0041] Also, when the robot 17 is operated by an operator, in the steps of stacking and adjusting the standardized refractory 101 to be installed on the already installed standardized refractory 101 (steps S5 and S7), guidance on the pressing force may be shown. The guidance on the pressing force may be calculated using a learned model generated by machine learning, for example, using data obtained by recording the pressing force, pressing direction, and pressing time of a skilled furnace builder as learning data. The process of showing the guidance on the pressing force may be executed by the control means of the robot 17.

[0042] Also, in the step of applying the unshaped refractory 14 to the standardized refractory 101 to be installed (step S4), one or more types of unshaped refractory 14 having two or more different viscosities may be used according to the thickness of the joint. For example, there are methods such as preparing an unshaped refractory 14 with a high water content and low viscosity and an unshaped refractory 14 with a low water content and high viscosity by changing the water addition amount with one type of unshaped refractory 14, and a method of preparing a plurality of types of unshaped refractory 14 with different designed viscosities. When the thickness of the joint is large, by using an unshaped refractory 14 with a high viscosity, the unshaped refractory 14 can be made to stay in place without flowing.

[0043] Hereinafter, the effects of the present disclosure will be specifically described based on examples, but the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.

[0044] In the example, for a refining vessel 1 (ladle) with a diameter of 5 m, a height of 4.5 m, and an inner surface shape that is generally axisymmetric, standard refractory bricks 101 (bricks) weighing 15 kg each were built by a robot 17. To measure the building time and check the construction status, after stacking the bricks in 8 layers, it was measured whether there were steps. As the construction accuracy (error), based on the average height of the standard refractory bricks 101 in the 8th layer, the average value of the absolute value of the difference from the reference in the height direction of each standard refractory brick 101 was obtained. When the building is carried out as targeted, the error becomes 0 mm. As it deviates from the target, the positive error becomes larger. Here, the operator is a qualified first-class furnace builder or second-class furnace builder or an assistant worker assisting in the building work (furnace building work). When arranged in descending order of proficiency in building (furnace building), they are first-class furnace builder, second-class furnace builder, and assistant worker.

[0045] Table 1 shows the test conditions and results of the example.

[0046]

Table 1

[0047] Reference Example In case 1, a first-class furnace builder operates the robot 17 with a controller on the machine side of the robot 17 installed in the furnace. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is visually monitored. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling the position, grips the standard refractory bricks 101, applies the unshaped refractory 14, and constructs at a predetermined position. The construction time took 6 h. The construction accuracy (height error) was 2 mm. Since it is not necessary to lift the heavy standard refractory bricks 101, the fatigue of physical strength can be significantly reduced. When the crane passes through the upper part, there was 1 h of lost time when the work could not be carried out because the work was interrupted and the workers evacuated to prevent injury due to the load falling.

[0048] Reference ExampleIn 2, a first-class furnace builder operates the robot 17 installed in the furnace on the machine side with a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is visually monitored. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, grips the shaped refractory 101, applies the unshaped refractory 14, and constructs it at a predetermined position. At that time, the first-class furnace builder who is the operator perceives the reaction force during construction. By perceiving the reaction force, for example, when applying the unshaped refractory 14 to the shaped refractory 101, it can be applied more and the height can be adjusted by discharging the unshaped refractory 14 from the horizontal joint. The construction time took 3.5 h. The construction accuracy is 0.5 mm. In order to prevent injury caused by the load falling when the crane passes through the upper part, the work was interrupted and the workers evacuated, so there was 0.5 h of lost time when the work could not be done.

[0049] Reference Example In 3, a first-class furnace builder operates the robot 17 installed in the furnace remotely from an operating room located at a distance, with a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image taken by a camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, grips the shaped refractory 101, applies the unshaped refractory 14, and constructs it at a predetermined position. At that time, the first-class furnace builder who is the operator perceives the reaction force during construction. Since there is a possibility of misjudging the position with the two-dimensional information of the camera, the construction time took 3.5 h. The construction accuracy is 1 mm. By operating remotely from an operating room without dust, the burden associated with the construction work can be reduced.

[0050] Reference ExampleIn [Case] 4, a first-class furnace builder operates the robot 17 with a master arm remotely from an operating room located at a position away from the robot 17 installed in the furnace. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image captured by a camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, grips the shaped refractory 101, applies the unshaped refractory 14, and constructs it at a predetermined position. At that time, the first-class furnace builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force during construction. A guidance function is provided that measures the construction status in the furnace in advance, calculates the height, and also calculates the height of the shaped refractory 101, and then conveys the design value of the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 determined by the difference to the operator. The construction time took 3 hours. The construction accuracy is 1 mm. The construction time can be shortened by the guidance function.

[0051] Reference Example In [Case] 5, a first-class furnace builder operates the robot 17 with a master arm remotely from an operating room located at a position away from the robot 17 installed in the furnace. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image captured by a 3D camera using the ToF method. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, grips the shaped refractory 101, applies the unshaped refractory 14, and constructs it at a predetermined position. At that time, the first-class furnace builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force during construction. The construction time took 2.5 hours. The construction accuracy is 0.5 mm. With the three-dimensional image obtained by the 3D camera, it is possible to obtain an environment equivalent to the actual construction environment even from a remote location.

[0052] Reference ExampleIn [Case] 6, a second-class furnace builder operates the robot 17 from an operating room located at a distance from the robot 17 installed inside the furnace, using a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image captured by a ToF-based 3D camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, grips the shaped refractory 101, applies the unshaped refractory 14, and installs it at a predetermined position. At that time, the second-class furnace builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force during installation. A guidance function is provided that measures the construction status inside the furnace in advance to calculate the height, calculates the height of the shaped refractory 101, and conveys the designed value of the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 determined by the difference to the operator. The construction time required was 2.5 h. The construction accuracy was 0.5 mm. Even a second-class furnace builder with little experience can achieve the same construction time and accuracy as a first-class furnace builder with the help of the guidance function.

[0053] Reference Example In [Case] 7, an assistant builder operates the robot 17 from an operating room located at a distance from the robot 17 installed inside the furnace, using a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image captured by a ToF-based 3D camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, grips the shaped refractory 101, applies the unshaped refractory 14, and installs it at a predetermined position. At that time, the assistant builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force during installation. A guidance function is provided that measures the construction status inside the furnace in advance to calculate the height, calculates the height of the shaped refractory 101, and conveys the designed value of the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 determined by the difference to the operator. Also, a guidance function for the pressing force (pressing force), position, and time when installing the shaped refractory 101 is provided. The construction time required was 2.5 h. The construction accuracy was 0.5 mm. Even an assistant builder with no experience can achieve the same construction time and accuracy as a first-class furnace builder with the help of the guidance function.

[0054] In Example 8, a first-class furnace builder operates the robot 17 remotely from an operation room located at a position away from the robot 17 installed in the furnace using a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image captured by a ToF-based 3D camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, grips the shaped refractory 101, applies the unshaped refractory 14, and constructs it at a predetermined position. At that time, the first-class furnace builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force during construction. A guidance function is provided that measures the construction status in the furnace in advance to calculate the height, calculates the height of the shaped refractory 101, and conveys the designed value of the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 determined by the difference to the operator. In addition, a guidance function for the pressing force, position, and time when constructing the shaped refractory 101 is provided. Also, when the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 should be increased, a guidance function indicating the viscosity of the unshaped refractory 14 is provided so that two types of pre-prepared unshaped refractories 14 can be properly used according to the thickness. The construction time required was 2 h. The construction accuracy is 0.5 mm.

[0055] In Example 9, a junior furnace builder operates the robot 17 remotely from an operation room located at a position away from the robot 17 installed in the furnace using a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image captured by a ToF-based 3D camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, grips the shaped refractory 101, applies the unshaped refractory 14, and constructs it at a predetermined position. At that time, the junior furnace builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force during construction. A guidance function is provided that measures the construction status in the furnace in advance to calculate the height, calculates the height of the shaped refractory 101, and conveys the designed value of the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 determined by the difference to the operator. In addition, a guidance function for the pressing force, position, and time when constructing the shaped refractory 101 is provided. Also, when the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 should be increased, a guidance function indicating the viscosity of the unshaped refractory 14 is provided so that two types of pre-prepared unshaped refractories 14 can be properly used according to the thickness. The construction time required was 2 h. The construction accuracy is 0.5 mm. Even a junior furnace builder without experience can obtain the same construction time and construction accuracy as a first-class furnace builder due to the guidance function.

[0056] In Example 10, instead of an operator, a method of automatically operating by AI using learned data is adopted. The learning data was created based on the performance data of a first-class furnace builder operating the robot 17 with a master arm remotely from an operation room located at a position away from the robot 17 installed in the furnace. The position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image captured by a 3D camera of the ToF method. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, grips the shaped refractory 101, applies the unshaped refractory 14, and constructs it at a predetermined position. Also, the reaction force at the time of construction is transmitted to the AI. Two types of unshaped refractories 14 are prepared in advance so that they can be adjusted when the thickness of the unshaped refractory 14 should be increased. The construction time took 2 hours. The construction accuracy is 0.5 mm. The AI can also obtain the same construction time and construction accuracy as those of a first-class furnace builder.

[0057] Table 2 shows the test conditions and results of the comparative examples.

[0058]

Table 2

[0059] In Comparative Example 1, four first-class furnace builders constructed the shaped refractory 101. The construction time was 12 hours. The construction accuracy was 0.5 mm. In Comparative Example 2, four second-class furnace builders constructed the shaped refractory 101. The construction time was 15 hours. The construction accuracy was 2 mm. In Comparative Example 3, four handymen constructed the shaped refractory 101. The construction time was 24 hours. The construction accuracy was 5 mm.

[0060] Since Comparative Examples 1 to 3 are all human construction, there is a limit to the continuous working time due to heavy physical work, and a break is taken every 3 hours. Also, in the factory where the construction work is carried out, when a crane passes above, there is a concern that a load may fall from the crane and a person may be injured, so there may be a loss where the work is interrupted for evacuation. The total loss time is as shown in Table 2.

[0061] As is clear from the comparison with the comparative example above, the method for constructing a refractory according to the present embodiment can shorten the time required for construction with high accuracy.

[0062] Although the embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications or corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or corrections are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0063] 1 Refining vessel 11 Iron skin 12 Permanent brick 13 Wear brick 14 Unshaped refractory 16 Measuring instrument 17 Robot 101 Shaped refractory

Claims

1. A method for constructing refractories including shaped refractories and unshaped refractories using a robot equipped with a means for constructing shaped refractories, comprising: measuring the thickness of the shaped refractory in the height direction; adjusting the thickness of the unshaped refractory in the height direction; the robot being part or all of a master-slave system consisting of a master robot operated by an operator and a slave robot that performs predetermined work on a work object, when the slave robot constructs the shaped refractory, outputting a reaction force command value according to the reaction force sensed, and the master robot generating a reaction force that is sensed by the operator based on the reaction force command value; configured such that the operator can adjust the stress applied to the unshaped refractory according to the reaction force generated by the master robot; adjusting the stress between the shaped refractory and the already constructed shaped refractory to match a set target value; A method for constructing refractories, wherein the unshaped refractory has two or more different viscosities.

2. The robot is provided with control means for controlling a motor by synthesizing control target values of position, speed, and force for the shaped refractory at an arbitrary ratio; The method for constructing refractories according to claim 1, wherein the stress between the shaped refractory and the unshaped refractory is adjusted.

3. The method for constructing refractories according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the weight of the shaped refractory is 30 kg / piece or more.

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