GB2261423A - Refractory component handling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The refractory component handling apparatus comprises an overhead track 1 to enable longitudinal and transverse movement of a support unit mounted 3 thereon, an articulated arm 4 mounted on the support unit 3. A gripper assembly 5 is mounted on the articulated arm such that it can be pivoted through 90 DEG from a position where the gripping tool 6 is substantially horizontally disposed to a position where the gripping tool 6 is substantially vertically disposed. The mounting of the gripper assembly 5 on the articulated arm 4 is such that the gripper assembly can be rotated through 360 DEG . The gripping tool 6 mounted on the gripper assembly 5 comprises two fingers 6 which are driven by a hydraulic ram to grip the inside surface of a refractory component (7 fig. 3 not shown). <IMAGE>

Description

HANDLING EQUIPMENT This invention relates to handling equipment, and is particularly, but not necessarily exclusively, concerned with equipment for handling refractory components.

In steelmaking there is the considerable usage of external slide valves on ladles, and the correct assembly and fitting of sliding gate refractories is a critical operation, currently effected manually under difficult hot working conditions.

Automating the removal of worn refractories and assembling and fitting new refractories, by the employment of robots, introduces noticeable difficulties and has unacceptable cost factors. Robots cannot interface with personnel for safety reasons, and require caged-off areas that cannot be present in the vicinity of steelmaking furnaces and moulds, and robots cannot readily provide a blend of the delicate and the robust, both of which are required when replacing sliding gate refractories. It is also the case that the position of a ladle valve can vary from ladle to ladle due to ladle tolerances and positioning requirements that would require robots to have a datum seeking ability, possible, but unacceptably expensive.Equally unacceptable would be the maintenance costs of automated application of jointing compounds and where regular purging and cleaning down of such equipment would be necessary.

Of notable importance in the assembly and fitting of sliding gate refractories is the presence of an operative to provide inspection and manual intervention to correct faults, a crucial aspect of assembly and fitting given the severe consequences of ladle valve failure from both safety and financial considerations.

It is the object of the present invention to provide handling equipment for the assistance of an operative.

According to the present invention, handling equipment comprises an overhead track means to enable longitudinal and transverse movement, a support unit located on said track means for movement thereon, an adjustable member located on and dependent from said unit, and a gripping tool means attached to said adjustable member, said attachment being such as to enable said gripping tool means to be turned through at least 900 and whereby a component held by said gripping tool means can be disposed in the horizontal or the vertical plane or at any required angular disposition therebetween.

Preferably, and in addition to its ability to be turned through at least 90 , the gripping tool means may be rotatable about its own axis.

According to a further feature of the invention, a gripping tool comprises a pair of gripping fingers mounted for relative movement with respect to each other and a drive means for moving at least one of said gripping fingers towards and away from the other. Preferably, both gripping fingers are subjected to relative movement, either from a common drive means or by separate drive means, one for each finger.

Thus, each finger may be attached by a connecting arm to the spindle of an appropriate motor such as an air or hydraulic motor. For robustness, each finger may extend through an arcuate slot in a plate member, to which the appropriate motors are attached. Preferably, a second plate member is provided attached to said plate member by appropriate distance pieces, the appropriate motors being attached to the second plate member, the spindles of which pass through holes in the second plate member, the respective connecting members between the fingers and the spindles lying within the spaced said plate member and second plate member.

Alternatively, and preferably, each finger is pivotally mounted to opposite sides of a support member, and each finger is provided with a recess, and there being a force applying or thrust member engaging in the recesses and attached to a suitable linear drive means such as, for example, a hydraulic ram. Thus, on activation of the ram, the fingers are caused to pivot about their pivotal connection to the support member either to drive the outermost free ends of the fingers away from each other, or to draw the outermost free ends of the fingers towards each other.

The linear drive means is preferably located on a multi-directional proportionate controlled valve means to which the support member for the fingers is attached. Thus, the situation here is that the multi-directional proportionate controlled valve is the means whereby the fingers can be turned through at least 900 in one (vertical) direction, and supports the means whereby the fingers can be rotated through 3600. The location of the multi-directional proportionate controlled valve such as an articulated arm extending to the support unit on the overhead track provides the additional facility of enabling the fingers to be turned through at least 1800 in the other (transverse) direction.The combined movements provided by the articulated arm, the multi-direction proportionate controlled valve and the means to rotate the fingers through 3600 affords complete directional adjustability for the correct presentation of a refractory component being handled by the equipment.

Alternatively, and where a separate drive means such as appropriate motors, are provided for the fingers, to enable the gripping tool to turn through at least 900, a further separate drive means may be provided, that can again be an appropriate motor. Thus, bracket means may extend from said plate member or said second plate member to a bearing housing to which the further air motor is attached, the spindle extending into the bearing housing for attachment to the bracket means. A still further drive means1 again an appropriate motor, may be provided to rotate the gripping tool about its axis, and through 3600.

The control means to operate the movement of the equipment on the track support, and to turn or rotate the gripping tool means (fingers) may be located on the equipment such as on the gripping tool, or on the multi-directional proportionate controlled valve, or may be on a remote control unit tethered to the equipment. Failsafe means are desirably present in the control means, and to ensure that the gripping tool means maintains engagement with a component in the event of power failure.

Thus, the gripping tool means (fingers) can be turned and/or rotated for correct presentation to, e.g. a component laid on a pallet, with the fingers positioned towards or away from each other to allow the fingers to enter a hole or a slot in the component, or to allow the fingers to be positioned to either side of a component.The fingers can then be driven towards or away from each other, as the case may be, and into positive engagement with the outer periphery of the hole or slot, or the outer periphery of the component, and when the component can be lifted, oriented, rotated and positioned, to facilitate the application of any required jointing or cementing compound, and to enable the accurate presentation of the component, with the two-fold advantage that the operation is under the direct control of an operative and who is present to effect a visual inspection of the component being located in its required position. With paticularly small components, it would be possible to position the fingers away from each other, present the fingers to either side of the component and drive the fingers against the outer periphery of the component to enable it to be lifted and positioned.

To facilitate adequate gripping of the fingers on the product, each finger may be provided with a gripping pad, and further preferably, each gripping pad is pivotally mounted towards the end of its respective finger. It will therefore be appreciated that when gripping the periphery of a hole in the component, the gripping pads can be rotated to face away from each other and when gripping the external periphery of a component, the pads can be rotated to face towards each other.

The pivotal mounting of the pads has the further advantage that reasonable angularity of the periphery of a hole or the outer periphery of a component, can be accommodated.

By its nature, the equipment can be made sufficiently robust to deal with the replacement of such as the refractory components of ladle slide valves, sufficiently robust to allow the fitting of bottom collector nozzles, and at the same time have a sufficient precision of movement to allow the fitting of ladle slide valve plates. With a greater than 900 movement permitted of the gripping tool means, there is provided the possibility of compensating for a ladle being positioned other than with its valve mechanism in a horizontal position.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation of the equipment of the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of a multi-directional proportionate controlled valve; and Figure 3 is a side elevation of gripping fingers located on the multi-directional proportionate controlled valve of Figure 2.

In the drawings, handling equipment for refractory components has an overhead track means 1 located on supports 2 with a support unit 3 located for movement on the track means.

Dependent from the support unit 3 is an adjustable arm member 4 at the end of which is located a multi-directional proportionate controlled valve 5 on which are mounted adjustable fingers 6.

As will be understood from Figures 2 and 3, the provision of a multi-directional proportionate controlled valve 5 facilitates a pivotal movement of the fingers through at least 900 to position the fingers such that they can be correctly presented to a refactory component 7 standing on a pallet (Figure 3) and following gripping and lifting of the component to pivot the fingers to bring the component to a required e.g. generally horizontal, disposition for the correct presentation of the refractory component to equipment (furnace, ladle or the like) (Figure 2) and to which the component is to be fitted. In addition to the provision of a pivotal movement through at least 900, the fingers are mounted on the multi-directional proportionate controlled valve, such that they can be rotated about their own axis and through 3600, as will be discussed below.Thus, with the operative standing in a position of reasonable safety such as by having control mechanism (switches and the like) on a remote control unit 8 tethered to the equipment of the invention, it can be subjected to a wide combination of movements resulting from movement of the equipment on the overhead track, the manipulation and articulation of the arm, and the movement and orientation of the fingers to enable the equipment to reach and pick up components from a pallet and carry them and correctly present them to the equipment to which the component is to be fitted.

As is shown more particularly by Figure 3, the fingers 6 are pivotally mounted on a support member 9, each finger and to one side of the line of action of the pivot having a recess 10 in which is located a correspondingly shaped thrust member 11 located on a hydraulic ram 12 mounted on the multidirectional proportionate controlled valve. The support member 9 is located on a rotatable member 13 attached to the muti-directional proportionate controlled valve and which under the control of that valve enables the rotation of the fingers about their own axis and through 360O. To the opposite side of the pivot, the projecting portions of the fingers terminate with pivotally mounted gripping members 14. As illustrated, the component to be gripped has a central hole and consequently the gripping pads are rotated to face outwardly.Thus, with the hydraulic ram 12 withdrawn to its maximum extent to bring the projecting fingers into close proximity, they along with the gripping pads can be inserted into the hole of the component, following which the ram is operated to provide a drive force on the thrust member to cause the fingers to rock about their pivotal connection and to force the gripping pads into contact with the periphery of the hole. The component can then be lifted, re-orientated, rotated, and relocated by the combination of movements provided by the support on the overhead track, the articulated arm, and the multi-directional proportionate controlled valve, to bring the component and orient the component for its correct presentation to such as a ladle or a furnace, to which the component is to be fitted.

It will be readily understood from Figure 3 in particular, that a refractory component can be gripped on its external periphery. Thus, the ram would be extended to open the fingers to a required degree, and the gripping pads rotated to face inwardly, and the fingers and gripping pads positioned to either side of the component. The ram would then be withdrawn to cause the fingers to close towards each other and apply a gripping force between the gripping pads and the outer periphery of the component.

Claims (16)

1. Handling equipment comprising an overhead track means to enable longitudinal and transverse movement, a support unit located on said track means for movement thereon, an adjustable member located on and dependent from said unit, and a gripping tool means attached to said adjustable member, said attachment being such as to enable said gripping tool means to be turned through at least 900 and whereby a component held by said gripping tool means can be disposed in the horizontal or the vertical plane or at any required angular disposition therebetween.

2. Handling equipment as in Claim 1, wherein the gripping tool means is rotatable about its own axis.

3. Handling equipment as in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein each finger is attached by a connecting arm to the spindle of an appropriate motor.

4. Handling equipment as in Claim 3, wherein each finger extends through an arcuate slot in a plate member to which the appropriate motors are attached.

5. Handling equipment as in Claim 4, wherein a second plate member is provided attached to said plate member by appropriate distance pieces, the appropriate motors being attached to the second plate member with the spindles passing through holes in the second plate member, respective connecting members between the fingers and the spindles lying between the spaced said plate member and second plate member.

6. Handling equipment as in any of Claims 3 to 5, wherein a further separate drive means is provided to enable the gripping tool to turn through at least 900.

7. Handling equipment as in any of Claims 3 to 6, wherein a still further separate drive means is provided to rotate the gripping tool about its axis.

8. Handling equipment as in Claim 2, wherein each finger is pivotally mounted to opposite sides of a support member, each finger being provided with a corresponding recess and there being a force applying or thrust member engaging in the recesses and attached to a suitable linear drive means to cause the fingers to pivot about their pivotal connection to the support member, either to drive the outermost free ends of the fingers away from each other or to draw the outermost free ends of the fingers towards each other.

9. Handling equipment as in Claim 8, wherein the support member for the fingers is attached to a multidirectional proportionate controlled valve means whereby the support member and the fingers can be turned through at least 900 in one (vertical) direction.

10. Handling equipment as in Claim 8 or Claim 9, wherein the suitable linear drive means is located on the multi-directional proportionate controlled valve means.

11. Handling equipment as in Claims 1 to 10, wherein the gripping tool means is suspended from the support unit by an adjustable, articulated arm means.

12. Handling equipment as in Claims 1 to 11, wherein control means to operate the support unit, the adjustable, articulated arm means, and the gripping tool means, are located directly on the gripping tool means.

13. Handling equipment as in Claims 1 to 11, wherein control means to operate the support unit, the adjustable, articulated arm means, and the gripping tool means, are provided on a remote control unit tethered to the equipment.

14. Handling equipment as in any of Claims 2 to 13, wherein each finger is provided with a gripping pad to engage the refractory component.

15. Handling equipment as in Claim 14, wherein each gripping pad is pivotally mounted towards the end of its respective finger.

16. Handling equipment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.