US1797931A - Sintering machine - Google Patents

Description

March 24, 1931. G E, STORER 1,797,931

SINTERING MACHINE Filed Nov. 13, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 23 I ma March 24, 1931. G. E. STORER 1,797,931

SINTERING MACHINE Filed Nov 13, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 24, I931 UNI s'rssi OATNT OFFICE ERIC STORER, vOIE.AVOlZlIlVJIOUTH, ENGLAND: ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL PROCESSES LIMITED, 01? LONDON, ENGLAND, A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, OF ENGLAND v SINTERING MACHINE Application filed November 13, 1 928, Serial No. 319,049, and in Great Britainlanuary 25; 1928.

This invention relates to ore-roasting or sintering machines of the rotary roundtable type in which an ore or'other material is fedonto a grate travelling in a circular path, theore or mixture being then ignited and kept burning by acurre'nt of air drawn down through said ore or mixture into a subjacent gas box from which the evolved gases are withdrawn.

j Hitherto in machines of this type the discharge of the roasted or sintered material has been effected by a fixed scraper plate or knife arranged with its lower edge just above the surface of the grate bars, so that as the latter travel past, the material isscraped off into the appropriate receptacles. This type of discharging device has the disadvantage, especially in the sintering'of zincores, that the gratelbars become clogged with aggregations of broken or powdered sinter which instead of being removed. by the scraper plate become jammed down between the bars and consolidated, interfering seriously with the draughtof air. The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of machine in which this defect is eliminated.

According to the present invention in a rotaryore-roasting or sintering machine of the typereferred to the travelling grate is subdivided into a pluralityof smaller separate grates or pallets each'provided'with its own integrally constructed gas-oft'take or gas box, and eachunit comprisingpallet and gas box is arranged to be independently tilted or overturnedcfor the discharge of the product. y o With this construction there is no device such as the scraper plate above mentioned to jam the material between the grate bars, and such aggregations as may form naturallybetween the bars .tendto be shaken loose and to drop-away when the pallet is overturned ior"tilted,'thus leaving the grate bars clear. The tilting'or overturning of thefindivid ual pallets may take place about eitherradial or tangential axes. Where it takes place about axes radial to the centre of the table, the pipes connecting the gas boxes tov the central gas ofitake from the machine may be made in two partsone of which is fixed to the gas box and pallet while the other com municates with the central gas oiftake, the oint between the two parts being provided with a suitable gland such that the outer part of the pipe may revolve freely'with its gas box without admission of air or loss of sinter gas; I I V Various forms of mechanism may be'em ployed to carry out the tilting or overturning motion for instance each pallet and gas box may be provided with a rigidly mounted pinion centered on the axis about which the pallet and gas box unit is to turn. This pinion is disposed so as to engage a fixed rackap propriately placed near the point of discharge. The rack is preferably made in two parts-slightly spaced so that after-thefirst part engaged'by the pinion has tilted'or overturned the pallet there is an interval during whichthe pallet remains in the tilted or reversed position until the pinion engages the second part of the rack which thereupon restores the'pallet to normal position.

An arrangement of stops or other devices. maybe provided to cause the pallet to be jolted whilst in the tilted or reversed position, to assist in shaking loose'any of the more solid aggregations of material.

In an alternative form of construction in which the palletsare arranged to tip about axes which are tangential to the round table a water seal connection is made between the portionfof gas pipeconnected to the gas box and that part communicating with the central gas ofltake. The tipping mechanism may-comprise fixed cam surfaces which are engagediby a part of the pallet or a wheel carried thereby as the pallet approaches the discharge point'where it is tipped outwardly,

other cam surfaces being provided to restore the pallet to normal position.

In place of the cam surfaces, worm and pinion or other suitable gear may be used.

Two forms of construction in accordance with the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1 and 1 are vertical longitudinal sections each of half of a complete machine in which the individual pallets and gas boxes are arranged to overturn'about axes radial to the'centre ofthe machine. Figs. 1 and l placed side by side show the complete machine. F a

"Fig.2 is a detail'viewin side'eleva'tion' at the discharge point.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation, at the discharge point showing a preferred'disposition of the overturning mechanism. Y Fig. 4 is an elevation of a separate pallet and gas box-arranged to overturn outwardly about a tangentialaxis.

=Referr'ing'to Figs. 1, 1 2 and 3: The machine is constructedon the usualor any convenient framework, in'this case comprisinganumber of uprights'A arranged in a' circle and surmounted'by a; series of, rollers B on. which ,a rotative platform C is supported by'means of'a circular rail (1 a centralfootstepbearing D beingprovided. E denotes av plurality of separate grates or palletsarranged around the 'whole machine and provided each with a separate gas box E having anoiftake pipe;F jointed by means of agas-tightf gland G toa further; section of pipeF communicating at its lower end with an'annular trunk]? rotating with-the'platform C. The rotating trunk F opens freely into afixed annular chamber 5H forming; the main gas oift-ake from the machine, aliquid seal I beingprovided between the trunk, F and chamber'Hjto ensure gas-tightness.

:Eachpall'et E with itsintegralzgas box IE is maderevolvable aboutfan axis radial to thecentre of the' machine by: means of bearings J and J in which turn respectively the pipe]? and a shaftwK c'arrying'apinion'K disposed so asto engage a fixed rack: L. on approaching the point of discharge-(see more particularly Figs. 2. and; 3). .The: pinion K being rigid with the gas bo'xrE revolves the latter-together withthe pallet E, thereby discharging the roasted or. sintered material onto a chute; M which=conductsiit from the machine. A

vOn completely overturningthe pallet and ,gasbox'a stop N (seeFig- 2) comes smartly into-contact with the 'girder supporting the bearings :J and J and, by so doing:;-dislodges any .ore or sinter which may =have become wedged between the bars ofthe pallets On further travel the pinion K engages a second: rack L which revolves the. pallet andzgas box back through 180 to'norinal position,- immediately xafter. which; the pallet passes under the feed chute O and receives a fresh charge of ore. A small gap'is preferably left between the end of the rack L and the beginning of the rack L so that the pallet may remain reversed for a moment or TA seal S isprovided around both sides of'the pan Q to prevent escape of dust.

-In the form of construction illustrated in Fig/ the pallet T and gas box T are mounted-in trunnions U -one'of which carries a worm wheel V meshing with a worm V on a shaft- Wwhich'at "its outer "end'carries a pinionX adapted to engage the racksLand L above referred to. Inthis'case the pallet and gas boxare swungs'o'as to discharge outwards, the gas-ofi'take pipe ,-Y being lifted atsuchtime out of-a water seal-Z through which :said pipe Y :normally communicates withla pipe Y leading to-the centralgas-ofitake from the machine.

-Various alternative means'for overturning the pallet outwardly in the manner last mentioned: will occur to persons skilled inthe' art. Such means may for instancecomprise-suitable-cam surfaces arranged in thecircular path of travel at the discharge point. Although it has been found preferable to overturn the pallets completely soas to'derivethe full advantage from. theshock or jar consequent'upon .the pallet coming to rest in the reversed position, it'is not essential that the reversal-should be complete, and in some cases merely tilting the pallets through about 90 may prove sufficient.

The improvements constituting the'present invention entirelyobviate the disadvantages appertaining to .methods of. scraping the sinter from the surface of the grate and ensure substantially complete dislodgement of any material which may have becomewcdged between thegrate bars, thus providing for 'a free and even draught through the bed of materialiundergoingtreatment.

:Althoughv he improved'machine has been described as applied-more particularly to'the roasting jor sintering of ores; said machine may be'used for-any operationsto which it may be applicable and in which a material has to be continuously subjected to combustionwithwithdrawal of evolved gases.

:What I claimis r A rotary ore-roastingoresintering-Inachine comprising inicombination a circular travelling grate sub-divided into xa plurality of separatezgrates or pallets, an integral gas box fort-each: grate, means for separately;=.over-

Images