Material or article handling – Chamber of a type utilized for a heating function and... – Charging of chamber
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-17
2001-07-17
Bratlie, Steven A. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Chamber of a type utilized for a heating function and...
Charging of chamber
C414S160000, C414S199000, C294S068220, C294S068240, C335S294000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06261043
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for moving material from one location to another, and more particularly, to such systems used for moving scrap metal from a scrap metal bin to an electric arc furnace.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In typical manufacturing plants, such as in steel foundries, scrap metal is brought into the plant by rail or by truck, and the scrap metal is then typically placed in a storage device such as a storage bin. A schematic plan view of a part of a representative steel foundry is illustrated in
FIG. 1
, where a set of rail tracks is designated
10
, and scrap metal bins are shown at
12
-
16
. Downstream of the scrap metal bins
12
-
16
are located one or more furnaces, commonly electric arc furnaces, designated
20
-
24
in FIG.
1
.
To move material from the bins
12
-
16
to the furnaces
20
-
24
, systems for moving material from one location to another have been used. In the illustrated foundry, the material to be moved is scrap metal.
A representative material-moving system is illustrated in
FIGS. 1-2
, and is generally designated
26
. The material-moving system
26
includes an overhead gantry
28
comprising a pair of spaced rails
30
. A two-piece bridge
32
spans the rails
30
, and includes wheels
34
at the ends of each piece of the bridge. The wheels travel along the rails
30
so that the bridge
32
may be moved along the gantry
28
in opposite directions. The two pieces of the bridge
32
are connected by a trolley
36
. The trolley
36
is movable along the bridge
32
in opposite directions. The motion of the bridge
32
and the motion of the trolley
36
are both substantially horizontal. The motion of the trolley
36
on the bridge
32
is substantially at right angles to the motion of the bridge
32
on the gantry
28
. Thus, the trolley
36
may be moved in both the X and Y directions through controlled movement of the bridge
32
and trolley
36
.
The material-moving system
26
includes a container
37
for material to be moved, a vertically-movable main hook
38
and a vertically-movable auxiliary hook
40
. The movements of the hooks
38
,
40
, bridge
32
and trolley
36
are controlled by an operator in a cab, typically positioned along the bridge
32
, as shown at
39
in
FIGS. 1-2
. Thus, the operator is generally positioned above the factory floor
41
. Both hooks
38
,
40
are suspended from the trolley
36
. Thus, the hooks
38
,
40
move in unison with the trolley
36
in the X and Y directions, and move independently in the Z or vertical direction.
As shown in
FIGS. 3-4
, the container
37
for material to be moved has a hollow main body
42
with an exterior surface
44
, an open interior
46
and top and bottom openings
48
,
50
leading into the open interior
46
of the main body
42
. There is at least one movable structure
54
,
56
for covering and uncovering one of the openings
50
into the open interior
46
of the main body
42
. There is at least one actuator
58
,
60
connected to each movable structure
54
,
56
.
As shown in
FIGS. 3-4
, a two-piece saddle
62
extends outwardly from the exterior surface
44
of the main body
42
of the container
37
. A target member or ring
64
is supported on the saddle
62
and connected to the actuator
58
,
60
so that the opening
50
to the container
37
can be uncovered by pulling on the target member
64
.
In the illustrated steel foundry, the container
37
comprises a scrap charge bucket for scrap metal. There are two movable structures
54
,
56
for covering and uncovering the bottom opening
50
into the open interior
46
of the main body
42
; these two movable structures
54
,
56
are pivotable, and open in a general clam shell manner, as shown in FIG.
4
. There are two actuator cables
58
,
60
: one actuator cable
58
,
60
is attached to each pivotable clam shell structure
54
,
56
, and both actuator cables
58
,
60
are attached to the target member
64
. The target member
64
defines a ring that is supported on the saddle
62
.
The saddle
62
comprises two saddle plates
66
,
68
fixed to the exterior surface
44
of the scrap charge bucket main body
42
. One saddle plate
68
is shown in
FIG. 4A
; each saddle plate
68
has a support surface
70
and an upstanding retention member
72
that meet in a nook
74
. The target ring
64
straddles the two saddle plates
66
,
68
, and rests on the support surfaces
70
in the nooks
74
. To open the pivotable clam shell structures
54
,
56
, the target ring
64
is lifted off the saddle
62
and pulled upwards, as shown in FIG.
4
.
To carry the scrap charge bucket
37
and to open the pivotable clam shell structures
54
,
56
, the main and auxiliary hooks
38
,
40
are used. Both the main and auxiliary hooks
38
,
40
are suspended from the trolley
36
, and both hooks
38
,
40
are movable substantially vertically on the trolley
36
. In one production stage in a steel foundry, the main hook
38
is used to pick up the empty scrap charge bucket
37
, to move the empty scrap charge bucket near to the scrap bins
12
-
16
for filling with scrap metal, and to move the filled scrap charge bucket to one of the furnaces
20
-
24
for unloading the scrap metal into the furnace. At another stage of production, the main hook
38
is used to move an empty ladle to one of the electric arc furnaces for filling with molten metal, and to move the filled ladle. Depending on the type of production employed at the plant, the ladle may be moved to molds so that the molds may be filled with molten metal, or the ladle may be moved to another area of the plant for use in bottom pressure casting, for example.
In plants having only two hooks, the auxiliary hook
40
is used for different purposes at different times of production. Commonly, the auxiliary hook
40
is used to capture and lift the target ring
64
off of the saddle on the scrap charge bucket, pulling the target ring
64
until the pivotable clam shell bottom members
54
,
56
are opened so that the scrap metal may be dropped into the furnace. The auxiliary hook
40
is also used to replace the target ring
64
on the saddle
62
of the scrap charge bucket
37
. At other stages of production, the auxiliary hook
40
is used to lift and move a large electromagnet
76
, shown at in
FIG. 3
, to move scrap metal from the rail car or scrap bins
12
-
16
or to load the scrap charge bucket
37
with scrap metal. This electromagnet
76
is sometimes also used inside the electric arc furnace
20
-
24
to remove excess scrap metal, to unload additional scrap into the furnace, or to level the scrap metal in the furnace. The auxiliary hook
40
may be used to carry tools other than a magnet, such as other general and special tools supplied by overhead crane suppliers, for example.
In plants with only one auxiliary hook
40
, the performance of its various functions has required that the auxiliary hook
40
sometimes carry the magnet
76
and sometimes operate without the magnet
76
. This leads to downtime as the magnet
76
is removed and replaced. In some other typical plants, three hooks are provided so that the magnet can remain on one of the hooks while the third hook is used to operate the mechanism that opens the scrap charge bucket
37
. This solution saves time but adds to the cost and complexity of the systems at the plant.
In any event, use of the hooks requires some skill and visual acuity on the part of the crane operator, who must be able to see the target ring
64
, for example, and be able to manipulate the hooks into their proper positions from the operator's position in the cab
39
, typically at some distance from the hook.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to improving the efficiency of plant operation without substantially increasing the cost or complexity of plant systems.
In one aspect, the present invention affords these advantages by providing a system for moving material from one location to another location that uses
Jaskari Douglas K.
Peters Craig L.
Shirley Mark S.
Weems Casey A.
Amsted Industries Incorporated
Bratlie Steven A.
Brosius Edward J.
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