U.S. patent number 3,646,722 [Application Number 04/854,634] was granted by the patent office on 1972-03-07 for preassembly of refractory brick and lining furnaces therewith.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Refractories Company. Invention is credited to Victor John Salmi, III.
United States Patent |
3,646,722 |
Salmi, III |
March 7, 1972 |
PREASSEMBLY OF REFRACTORY BRICK AND LINING FURNACES THEREWITH
Abstract
Refractory brick are preassembled into configuration matching a
furnace to be lined and are retained together for transporting into
place in the furnace. The resulting assembly is releasably secured
mechanically or magnetically to suitable transporting means.
Inventors: |
Salmi, III; Victor John
(Langhorne, PA) |
Assignee: |
General Refractories Company
(Philadelphia, PA)
|
Family
ID: |
25319209 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/854,634 |
Filed: |
September 2, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/745.08;
110/336; 52/747.13; 52/749.15; 52/DIG.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04G
21/147 (20130101); E04G 21/16 (20130101); Y10S
52/04 (20130101); E04C 2002/002 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04G
21/16 (20060101); E04g 021/14 (); E04g
023/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;52/745,741,747,749,750,249,122,DIG.4,227,598,591 ;110/99 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Faw, Jr.; Price C.
Claims
I claim:
1. The method of lining an enclosure with refractory material
comprising preassembling into an assembly having a desired
configuration, a plurality of refractory brick each provided with
at least one magnetically permeable end face, magnetically gripping
the assembled permeable end faces to a carrier means for
transporting, and transporting the assembly of bricks so gripped as
a unit into place in the enclosure.
2. Method according to claim 1, wherein an expendable magnetically
permeable membrane is bonded to an end face of the assembly.
3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the assembly has the
configuration of a sector and is transported into place at a part
of the enclosure having a correspondingly arcuate shape.
4. Method according to claim 3, wherein the sector subtends an
angle of from about 30.degree. to about 45.degree..
5. Apparatus comprising, in combination, refractory brick
preassembled into a configuration having an end face matching the
shape of a furnace into which the resulting assembly is to be
installed and having retaining means to retain the assembly
together in such configuration, transporting means having an end
plate configured to abut the end face of the assembly, and means
for securing the assembly to the end plate of the transporting
means, the securing means being magnetically permeable, and the
transporting means comprising means for setting up a magnetic field
to grip the magnetically permeable securing means to the end plate
for transporting of the assembly.
6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the securing means
comprises a metallic coating on the end face of the component
brick.
7. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the securing means
comprises a metallic membranous plate affixed to the assembly.
8. The method of lining an enclosure with brick-shaped elements
comprising erecting outside said enclosure an assembly of said
brick-shaped elements having end faces configured to conform to a
portion of said enclosure, juxtaposing to said assembly a
supporting surface also conforming to said enclosure portion, and
transporting said assembly into said enclosure while juxtaposed to
said supporting surface, said assembly being retained magnetically
against said juxtaposed supporting surface during
transportation.
9. The method of claim 8 characterized that said end faces and
supporting surface are all curved.
Description
This invention relates to the lining of furnaces or similar
enclosures with refractory brick or the like and concerns
especially techniques for reducing the time required for
relining.
Current practice in relining the sidewalls of an electric arc
furnace, for example, from the slag line to the top involves
stocking pallets of brick in the furnace interior and then laying
the brick in place to make up the desired refractory wall. This
requires considerable manpower within the furnace, assistance from
bricklayer helpers to load pallets with brick outside the furnace,
and crane service to transport loaded pallets into the interior and
to remove the empty pallets. Furthermore, time often is lost
because of lack of coordination between the respective craftsmen.
Residual heat in the furnace renders working conditions unpleasant
or even hazardous and is conducive to hurried work and resulting
misplacement, discarding or other waste of new brick.
A primary object of the present invention is reduction in the time
required to line or reline a furnace with refractory brick.
Another object is reduction in the number of times that an
individual brick is handled in the relining of a furnace.
A further object is improvement in techniques for transporting
brick into a furnace to be relined.
Other objects of this invention, together with means and methods
for attaining the various objects, will be apparent from the
following description and the accompanying diagrams, in which the
parts are designated by corresponding reference numerals throughout
(sometimes with primes added to indicate modified forms).
FIG. 1 is a plan of apparatus according to this invention shown in
use in a cylindrical furnace shown fragmentarily;
FIG. 2 is a sectional plan through part of the apparatus of the
preceding view; shown on an enlarged scale;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an assembly of refractory brick for
use according to this invention;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of an embodiment of brick
assembly according to the invention;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, of
another embodiment of brick assembly useful according to the
invention;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view, partially schematic, of a
further embodiment of brick assembly according to the invention;
and
FIG. 7 is yet another fragmentary side elevation of a brick
assembly according to this invention.
In general, the objects of the present invention are accomplished,
in the lining of furnaces or similar enclosures with refractory
material, by preassembling a plurality of refractory brick in
configuration matching a certain part of the enclosure, and
retaining the resulting assembly together while transporting the
assembly into place in that part of the enclosure. The assembly of
brick is retained together by mechanical means along an end face or
on lateral faces. It also is secured mechanically or magnetically
along an end face of the assembly to transporting means for
transport into the furnace enclosure. The invention is applicable
to refractory brick generally and to furnaces generally without
regard to composition, shape, size, etc.
FIG. 1 shows from the top, by way of example rather than
limitation, furnace shell 11 enclosing a partial wall of brick,
together with other elements useful in putting the wall in place.
The partial wall is made up of arcuate assembly 21 of individual
refractory brick 22 and has a convex rear or "cold" face juxtaposed
to the concave interior wall of the shell. Sling 15, adjusted for
proper balance, carries generally trapezoidal transporting frame
16, which has convex end plate 17 bounding the longer of its two
ends and juxtaposed to the concave or "hot" face of the brick
assembly. The sides of the frame flare outward from the short to
the long end at an indicated angle of 45.degree.. Pair of legs 19,
19' of the transporting frame extend forward from the plate and can
be seen in broken lines as underlying the brick assembly. Pair of
jacks 18, 18' shown fragmentarily at the sides of the frame
facilitate placement of the assembly at the desired location in the
shell.
FIG. 2 represents a section taken through transporting frame 16,
apart from the brick assembly and sectioned above the legs. The
narrow end and most of the sidewall portions are cut away to
conserve space of illustration.
FIG. 3 shows in perspective the "hot" face of assembly 21 of brick
22. Visible in the lowest course are openings 29, 29' to receive
legs 19, 19' of the transporting frame. If desired, recesses could
be left in the next lower course (not shown) for a like purpose. As
shown the two lowest courses are shaped or laid (or both) somewhat
differently than the overlying courses and preferably are bonded
together, as by epoxy cement or by spot-welding of metal cladding,
to assure that the lifting force applied by the transporting frame
through the legs is transmitted to the entire assembly. The rest of
the brick may be retained together likewise or in other suitable
manner, interconnected either laterally or along an end face.
It will be understood that the brick are preassembled outside the
furnace in a configuration to match the inside of the furnace shell
(or part of it if the furnace should be asymmetrical). The
transporting frame is juxtaposed to the assembly and is lifted, as
by the illustrated sling and a suitable crane (not shown) to
transport the assembly, as through the open top of the furnace, to
the interior where it is deposited to make up the desired part of
the refractory wall, whereupon the frame is removed to the outside
to repeat the process. One or two men inside the furnace will
suffice to guide the placement of the assembly and the
disengagement of the transporting frame.
The assembly of refractory brick may be secured to transporting
frame 16 mechanically, as in FIG. 4 by one or more clamps 31
fitting snugly about the opposite or convex face of the assembly
and along the sides thereof and of plate 17 of the transporting
frame; or as in FIG. 5 by an interlocking modification (designated
by priming of the reference numerals) wherein projections 32
outward and downward from bricks 22' of assembly 21' engage with
projections 37 upward and outward from modified end plate 17' of
the transporting frame.
Alternatively, the assembly may be secured magnetically to
transporting frame 16 as shown in FIG. 6. Plurality of
electromagnets 33 embedded in further modified end plate 17',
preferably with their pole pieces flush with the convex surface
thereof, are suitably energized by a source of electrical energy
(not shown) to secure assembly 21" of modified brick 22" with the
"hot" face thereof juxtaposed to the face of end plate 17". Coating
36 of magnetically permeable metal (e.g., steel) on that "hot" face
provides a flux path for magnetic gripping of the assembly. The
showing of electromagnets 33 is largely schematic, and it will be
understood that armatures, pole pieces, and suitable winding, may
be incorporated into the structure of plate 17" rather than being
embedded therein as suggested in FIG. 6. The plate structure may be
modified variously by exercise of ordinary skill so that in effect
it constitutes one big electromagnet for optimum gripping of the
brick assembly, as this invention is not limited to any specific
structure thereof.
If desired, expendable membranous plate 38 made of magnetically
permeable metal or the like may be bonded by any suitable means
(epoxy cement, spot welding, etc.) to the end face of some or all
of bricks 22 in assembly 21, thereby both retaining the assembly
together and facilitating securing it for transporting. Then the
actual transporting may be accomplished as previously indicated.
Use of this expendable membrane is especially suitable for magnetic
securing of the assembly. However, with installation of appropriate
projections thereon, or with provision of suitable apertures
therein, it may be adapted to securing the assembly mechanically
also as by cooperation with projections from modified end plate 17'
or equivalent of the transporting frame.
By practice of this invention the time required to reline a furnace
may be cut to a minor fraction of the time required by conventional
techniques, such as from 5 or 6 hours to 1 or 2 hours for a
cylindrical electric arc furnace. Advantages and benefits of doing
so have been mentioned above and are apparent.
Various embodiments of the methods and means for practicing this
invention have been illustrated or described herein. Other
modifications may be made, as by adding, combining, or subdividing
parts or steps, while retaining at least some of the advantages and
benefits of the present invention. The invention itself is defined
in the following claims.
* * * * *