Burning Lance Holder With Toggle Lever Clamping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for opening blocked outflow openings in metallurgical vessels, such as manual burning lances and automated systems, face challenges including operator safety, low burning power, and inefficiency, with existing robotic solutions lacking concrete implementation details.
Innovation Solution
A compact, robust burning lance holder for industrial robots featuring an automatic coupling device, clamping mechanism, and oxygen inlet, allowing secure holding and high-firing capacity fuel lances, with a pneumatic actuator and toggle lever mechanism for enhanced clamping force and oxygen supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If manual burning with a thin lance is used, then operator safety is improved, but burning power is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical handling of burning lances with an automated robotic system. The robot arm holds and positions the lance while oxygen is supplied through a controlled delivery system, eliminating operator exposure to harmful heat and molten metal while enabling the use of more powerful lances that would be too heavy or dangerous for manual handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary robotic system between the operator and the dangerous outflow opening. The robot acts as a mediator that can safely handle high-power burning lances and position them precisely at the blocked opening without exposing human operators to thermal radiation, molten metal splashes, or potential lance failures.
2Power
If multiple burning lances are used in succession, then burning power is sufficient, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous burning action by allowing multiple lances to be sequentially loaded and fired without interrupting the heating process. The robotic system maintains continuous oxygen supply and lance positioning throughout the operation, eliminating the cooling-down and repositioning delays that occur with manual lance changes. The system can sustain high temperatures continuously as new lances are fed into the combustion zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent prepares multiple burning lances in advance in a magazine or holding position, ready for immediate insertion. The robotic system pre-positions the next lance while the current one is still burning, allowing seamless transition between lances without interrupting the heating process or requiring operator intervention to prepare replacement lances.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If automated bolt system is used, then operator safety is improved, but reliability is reduced due to bolt getting stuck
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the automated bolt mechanism with a thermal cutting system. Instead of mechanically forcing open the blocked outflow opening with a bolt, the system uses a burning lance to melt through the blockage thermally. This substitution eliminates the reliability issues of mechanical bolts getting stuck while maintaining operator safety through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses phase transition (melting) of the blocking material as the opening mechanism. The burning lance heats the solidified metal or frozen material blocking the outflow opening until it melts and flows away, creating an open channel. This thermal approach is more reliable than mechanical forcing, as it directly addresses the nature of the blockage without risking mechanical failure or getting stuck.
4Power
If heavy burning lance is used, then burning power is increased, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical handling of heavy burning lances with a robotic gripper system. The robot arm provides the mechanical strength to hold and position heavy, high-power lances that would be too cumbersome for manual operation. The automated positioning system maintains precise control of the lance tip position despite the lance's weight, eliminating the operator fatigue and difficulty associated with manual handling.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables safe, efficient, and automated opening of blocked outflow openings with reduced operator risk, increased burning power, and reduced time required, ensuring continuous operation of metallurgical processes.
Implementation Method 1
the oxygen burns the lance tube and provides the necessary heat to melt or burn the materials blocking the outflow channel
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The fuel lance holder (1) comprises a dome device for automatic coupling of the holder to a handling device, a tensioning arrangement (5) for automatic coupling of the holder with a fuel lance, where the tensioning arrangement is displaceable into a clamping position for clamping an internal nozzle and into a release position to release the fuel lance by an actuator (6), and an oxygen introducing device (7) for the insertion of oxygen into the fuel lance. The dome device is formed as a clamping cone with a locking device, and comprises feed throughs for compressed air. The fuel lance holder (1) comprises a dome device for automatic coupling of the holder to a handling device, a tensioning arrangement (5) for automatic coupling of the holder with a fuel lance, where the tensioning arrangement is displaceable into a clamping position for clamping an internal nozzle and into a release position to release the fuel lance by an actuator (6), and an oxygen introducing device (7) for the insertion of oxygen into the fuel lance. The dome device is formed as a clamping cone with a locking device, and comprises feed throughs for compressed air or fluids hydraulics and for an electric line. The feed throughs exhibit same distance from the axis of symmetry of the dome device. The tensioning arrangement comprises a clamping head (11) having a rotational axis, and a toggle lever, where the toggle lever is pivotally formed about the rotational axis. The toggle levers are connected together by a driver, where the fuel lance is braced against the clamping head by the driver. The driver is formed as a case with a groove-shaped indent. The clamping head comprises an introduction judge for centering the fuel lance. The actuator is designed as a pneumatic actuator. The dome device is connected with an equipment frame via a support flange, where the equipment frame is supported on the support flange on the dome device. The equipment frame is partially enclosed by a housing. The support flange comprises a measuring device for measuring the pressing force of the fuel lance at a metallurgical vessel. The holder further comprises a measuring amplifier for amplifying a signal of the measuring device, and a longitudinally oriented reinforcing element so that the deflection of the internal nozzle is reduced when pressing the metallurgical vessel.