US2734738A - Cupola tuyere gates with integral downward deflectors - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 14, 1956 N. EVEN CUPOLA TUYERE GATES WITH INTEGRAL DOWNWARD DEF'LECTORS Filed Jan. 5, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet l I N VENTOR McHoLas Eve "-I dhiuM/ k A a ATTORNEYS F b. 14, 1956 N. EVEN 2,734,738

CUPOLA TUYERE GATES WITH INTEGRAL DOWNWARD DEFLECTORS Filed Jan. 5. 1952 3 Sheets-Shget 2 i E2731 2 7 I I 20 ii n E s lb 2! 3 L W ll-Iu \\\\\\\\s 35 1 34 INVENTOR Nacuoms E'vc'm BY M ud ATTORNEYS N. EVEN Feb. 14. 1956 CUPOLA TUYERE GATES WITH INTEGRAL DOWNWARD DEFLECTORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 5, 1952 .IIIII-Illl Illl'llll I.

INVENTOR N cHoms Eve OMQW ATTORNEY United States Patent CUPOLA TUYERE GATES WITH INTEGRAL DOWNWARD DEFLECTORS Nicholas Even, Excelsior, Minn.

Application January 5, 1952, Serial No. 265,177

9 Claims. (Cl. 266-41) This invention relates to improvements in tuyeres for cupolas and similar furnace equipment, used for melting iron and analogous purposes. The invention herein disclosed is similar in some respects to that in my prior application Serial No. 173,780, filed July 14, 1950, now Patent No. 2,602,661, to which attention is invited for comparative purposes. v V

The usual cupola includes inner and outer casing wall-s, between which there is defined a wind belt supplying air for combustion, and within the inner wall there is a refractory lining about the combustion and melting chamber. It is customary to provide tuyeres for supplying and regulating the air for combustion, and it is in connection with these tuyeres that I am here concerned. I have found, as disclosed in my earlier application, that the direction of the air, particularly from upper tuyeres, downward into the combustion chamber will have a very beneficialeflect providing a faster melting rate, efiecting a saving in fuel and delivering the molten metal at a higher temperature. In addition, this downward flow of air from the upper tuyeres prevents the bridging of slag over the lower tuyeres, which is a problem of long standing in the'foundry industry. It is believed that such bridging occurs .dueto the fact that air travels upwardly around the mass ofnnaterial in the combustion chamber and :tends to .cool the material adjacent the lower tuyeres to a degree such that it will harden and close oil these tuyeres, making it necessary all too frequently to obtain entrance into the lower .tuyeres and thrust a tool therethrough to break up the accumulated, hardened material. Actually, of course, it will be understood that the material does not harden in thestrictest sense of the word, but it does assume what maybe called a tatfy-like consistency sufiicient to .give trouble. -I find, however, that the use of my improved upper tuyeres, which tend to direct the air downward, will cause the interruption of this upward air -flow adjacent and around the inside of the cupola lining, so that the material is not cooled and does not bridge across the mouths of the :lower tuyeres, and with the further result that better combustionis provided.

In my earlier application I disclosed a tuyere construction wherein the draft through the tuyere housing or box was controlled by a pair of swinging draft :gates, each provided with an angularly set vane or-fin -in. such manner that as the gates were opened these vanes would be placed in the .path of the air rushing through .the tuyere and would deflectthe air in a downward, inward direction. -My present invention includes the same general arrangement-of the tuyere gates and vanes, but it is the primary object to improve the mounting of these gatesso that they may beoperated more conveniently and-to so arrange the gates that a more complete and definitecontrol overthe .air flow may be accomplished. In fact, with the gatesof my present invention it is possible to completely 'shut off the air flowthrough the tuyere, orto-open theitu-yere box to substantially unimpeded air flow, thus providing .the mecessaryflexibilityof control.

It is another object of my present invention to provide ice . 2 a tuyere construction in which the tuyere housing or box is divided into inner and outer sections positioned respectively inwardly and outwardly'of the inside casing wall of the cupola. The tuyere gates and their controls are'mounted wholly'within the-outer box section so that these parts are isolated as far as possible from the extremely high temperatures existing within the cupola, while the inner box section is an extremely simple casting supported in the refractory lining. and having no direct mechanical connection to the outer parts of the tuyere. It will, of course, be appreciated that this inner section of the tuyere box will in time be burned to the point where it must be replaced, but this improved arrangement will perrnit such replacement very simply and inexpensively.

Another object .of my invention is to provide an improved inspection door and frame for cooperative'use with the tuyere, with provision for extending the tuyere gate control to the outside of the cupola for convenient operation. This structure includes an inspection door, which maybe very easily opened and swung aside to clear an opening inwardly into the cupola in line with the tuyere for adjustment or inspection, as well as to remove bridging if such should occur.v .All present corresponding doors for this purpose are simply bolted in place on the outer casing wall of the cupola, and it is found that they have a pronounced. tendency to warp, permitting air loss from the wind belt and, in addition, they are very difiicult to open for tuyere inspection. This problem is, of .course,.complicated by the fact that the parts become quite hot in operation and also by the fact that the doors stand at a substantial elevation above the base of the cupola, making it necessary for the operator to climb a ladder and remove the door and in each case make another :tn'p down the ladder in .orderzto place the door aside while work is beingudone through the opening. According to my invention. the inspection doors are hinged so that they .may be swunguasideout of the-way and in addition the doors are slidably mounted, with a wedge fit to their frames, in such fashion that they will not warp and :buckle,.as;is thetcase with present constructions.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed in :the course of the following specification, reference being-had :to .the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. .1 is a plan view of a tuyere and inspection door according to my invention, showing fragments of the cupola casing walls and refractory lining. The tuyere .gatesareahere shown as fully closed.

Fig. 2 is .avertical sectional 'view taken along the line 22 in Fig. 1 but withthe :tuyere gates in the open position and illustrating the action of the vanes on the gates in directing the air inward and downward into the cupola.

Fig. 3 :is a horizontal sectional view along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2 but with the .gates in a partially open po- 'sition.

Fig. 4 is an :outside elevational view of the inspection .door and frame :takenalong the line 4-4in Fig. '1 and illustrating in Ybroken lines the manner 'in which the door :is opened and swung-aside.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view along the line 5-5 in Fig.4.

Fig. '6 "is an end or edge view along the line 6-45 in Fig. 4.

Referring now more particularly and by reference characters to the drawing, A and Bdesignaterespectively thelinnerand ,outer casing vwallsof a .conventional cupola and which are .of any :conventional construction, being here. for conveniencesake .shown simply as. of sheetmetal. Ihese walls are spaced apart to provide an intervening wind belt .or jacket .C, from which-air is admitted to the interior of the cupola for combustion purposes, and the interior of the inner wall A is provided with the usual refractory lining D.

My improved tuyere is designated generally at E and the same comprises a housing made up of inner and outer sections or boxes and 11 which may be conveniently cast, each in a separate piece, from any suitable material. The inner housing section 10 has upper and lower walls 12 and 13 connected by side walls 14 forming a boxlike construction open from inner to outer ends, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This section 10 of the tuyere box, in accordance with my invention, is seated against the interior of the inner cupola wall A over an opening F in said wall, so that air from the wind jacket C will, of necessity, pass through the box in entering the interior of the cupola. The walls 14 diverge in an inward direction and the top wall 12 has its under surface 15 angled inward and downward, as seen in Fig. 2, to assist in the downward direction of the combustion air, as will be presently described. It will be noted that this housing section 10 is not actually secured to the wall A and it is sufiicient that the section be held in place by the refractory lining D, so that as this part of the tuyere needs replace ment it will be a convenient matter to do so during one of the periodic relinings necessary on all cupolas. Inwardly of the tuyere section 10 the lining D has a lower, downwardly angled surface G, the purpose of which is to clear the downwardly rushing air directed through the tuyere, as clearly indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2.

The outer section 11 of the tuyere housing has upper and lower walls 16 and 17, connected by side walls 18, and forming an intervening opening of substantially the size of the opening through the inner section 10, and, of course, substantially the same size as the opening F in the cupola wall A. In this case, however, the respective walls of the housing section 11 are marginally flanged, as designated at 19, to fit over the wall A about the opening F and these flanges are provided with openings for cap screws 20, or other suitable means, for firmly mounting this section of the tuyere upon the cupola. Thus it will be appreciated that only the housing section 11 is actually mechanically secured in place in the cupola and since this portion on the assembly is disposed in the relatively cool area of the wind jacket C it is so protected from the high temperatures within the cupola that it will not be damaged. As will next be described the moving parts of the tuyere are all contained within this permanently mounted housing section 11 and thus the periodic replacement of the inner housing section 10 will have no bearing upon the mounting or operation of such parts.

Extending vertically through the upper and lower walls 16 and 17, at their centers and near their outer edges,

- is a gate pivot pin 21 upon which are pivoted gates 22 which have intervening hinge lugs 23 to mount upon the pin. These gates 22 are rectangular in shape, of a size vertically to nicely fit between the upper and lower walls 16 and 17 and of a width such that when swung apart to the position shown in Fig. 1 these gates will substantially completely close the passage to the housing section 11. It will be noted, however, in Fig. 2 that a washer 24, or other suitable means, is provided upon the pin 21 below the hinged edges of the gates so that they will not drag upon the lower wall 17 as they are swung from one position to another. In their closed positions the gates 22 do not move into edge to edge alignment but flare widely apart in an inward direction. The outer edges 25 of the walls 16 and 17 have a corresponding shape and as a result of this arrangement the free edges 26 of the gates will strike the inner surfaces of the side walls 18 as the gates assume their closed positions and stop the movement in this direction. Preferably these edges 26 of the gates are slightly beveled as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3, in order to tightly close against the inside of the walls 18. The hinge lugs 23 on the gates are so formed that the gates may be swung inward together at the center of the housing section 11 in order to provide the maximum opening therethrough in the full open position of the tuyere. In a manner similar to that disclosed in my earlier application each gate 22 is here also provided with an air deflecting vane or fin 27 which may be conveniently cast in place during the manufacture of the gates. As viewed from the side and as seen in Fig. 2, the vanes 27 angle inwardly and downwardly from the upper edges of the gates, near the hinge lugs 23, in order that air passing through the tuyere will, of necessity, strike the vanes and be deflected in a downward direction. In this case, however, the vanes 27 extend up to and flush with the upper edges of the gates 22 so that, practically speaking, all of the air entering the tuyere will be so deflected, and in comparison with my previous disclosure in which the vanes are positioned a distance below the upper edges of the gates the maximum control of the air direction is thus achieved. The vanes 27 here also have arcuate outer edges 28 so that they will clear the adjacent walls of the housing section 11 as the gates swing and the upper edges of the vanes are faced off horizontally at 29, parallel with the underside of the wall 16, in order to fit closely thereto. Also as will be noted, the outer corner portions of the vanes are beveled ofi angularly at 30 to stand flush with the edges 25 in the full open position of the gates.

It will now be understood that in their full open posi tions the gates will admit a maximum flow of air into the cupola and in such positions the vanes 27 will direct this air downward, as evidenced by the arrows in Fig. 2. It is this downward deflection of the air which I find improves combustion and overcomes the bridging tendency of the lower tuyeres, all as mentioned hereinbefore and as pointed out in my earlier application. It is to be noted that the vanes 27 will have a maximum downward deflecting action in the full open position of the tuyere gates, but that the vanes will, at all times, have a degree of such deflecting action except, of course, when the gates reach their fully closed position of Fig. 1. In the latter position the close fitting, permitted by the construction and arrangement described, will substantially completely close off the flow of air through the tuyere, thus enabling me to obtain etfective air control from full open to full closed positions, as is necessary for efiicient operation of the cupola under all conditions.

It is, of course, necessary that the tuyere gates be adjustable from the exterior of the cupola and for this purpose I provide an actuating rod 31 slidably mounted out through the outer wall B and provided at its extremity with a hand knob 32. This rod 31 is aligned with the center of the tuyere, as viewed from above, but is located a short distance below the level thereof, as seen in Fig. 2. The inner extremity of the rod, within the wind belt C, is flattened at 33 and is pivotally attached by a pin or bolt 34 to the outer converging extremities of a pair of actuating links 35. These links are made from strip material and from their point of attachment to the actuating rod they extend angularly inward and upward in diverging relation to a point a short distance outwardly of the tuyere, where the links are twisted a quarter-turn at 36 and then extended into the outer section of the tuyere adjacent the lower hinged corners of the gates 22. These gates on their outer surfaces are formed with apertured lugs 37 and the inner extremities of the links 35 are pivotally attached to these lugs at 38. These pivot mountings are completed by short lengths of strip material 39, spot welded to the links and fitted across the upper sides of the lugs 37, so that the inner extremities of the links are bifurcated where they are attached to the gates. It will now be readily under stood that an outward pull upon the knob 32, when the gates are in any open position, will cause the links 35 to pull the gates to their closed positions of Fig. 1, whereas the gates may, of course, be opened by pushing inward on the knob. The diverging angles of the links 35 and the formation of the lugs 37 in spaced relation to the hinged pin 2 1 provides the necessary levcrage ;for :swinging -=the gates to andbetween all positions. Herewalso itwill-be -noted that'these actuating parts are all located Within the wind jacket C so that they will not be subjected to temperatures high enough to result in damage.

Also forming part-of my present --invention-=is an improved inspection or service door assemblysfor-the :cupola and used in association with tuyere'E, thisassembly being designated generally at H. The outer cupola wall :13 is'provided with an opening I, aligned with the openingF in:the inner'wall A, so that access canbe'had frOm-"thvoutsitle of the cupola to the tuyere for inspection and service thereof. At present such opening is :customarily'closed byra plate which is bolted in place and-this requires "that the plate be unbolted and placed asi'dewhile work:isbeing done, as described above. According :to my invention 1 provide a door frame or casing 4'0tsubstantially'larger than the opening I and provided around'its mar'gin with suitable openings 41 for the reception of cap screws 42, or-

provided with an apertured boss 50, and itis through this boss that the aforesaid actuating rod 31 for the tuyere projects.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 4 through 6, it will be noted that the door 46 is not bolted or otherwise stationan'ly securedto the 'frame40. In'stead thefra'me is provided at the oppositeends of the door with integrally cast door retainers 51 and the adjacent edges of the door have wedge-shaped lugs 52 adapted to drop behind the correspondingly angled, upwardly projecting fingers 53 on these retainers 51. The arrangement is such that the door will, of its own weight, tend to hold itself tightly against the face 45 of the flange 44, by the wedging etfect of the lugs 52 and fingers 53, in order to seal off the opening 43, but as the parts expand, due to the effect of the heat in the cupola, the door may work itself up, if necessary, in order to free itself without warping or buckling, as will be readily understood. In addition, the door is provided at one side with a projecting apertured hinge lug 54 and the same is slidably and pivotally mounted upon a vertical hinge pin 55 carried by spaced upper and lower ears 56 and 57 cast upon the frame 40. In the closed position of the door, seen in Fig. 4, there is sufiicient space between the lug 54 and the upper car 56 so that the door may be bodily lifted until the lugs 52 clear the retainers 51, whereupon the door may be swung about the axis of the pin 55 to the open position indicated by the dot-dash lines in both Figs. 1 and 4. The door may be provided with any convenient form of handle, such as that illustrated at 58 in Fig. 4, to lift and swing it about as necessary in this operation.

When the door is opened and swung back toward the adjacent wall of the cupola it is desirable that the door be retained in its lifted position and for this purpose I provide the frame 4%, at the hinge side, with an end projection 59, from which there outwardly extends a horizontal rest 6% and a shorter stop boss 61. The rest 60 is located at an elevation such that the lower edge of the lug 52 on that side will come to rest as the door is fully opened in order to support the door in its elevated position. The boss 61 will, of course, engage the face of the door, as seen in Fig. 1, to limit the open position so that the door will stand at substantially 180 degrees from its closed position.

It will thus be noted that I have provided an inspection door which is very convenient to operate and which will, at all times, maintain a tightly closed condition to prevent :6 airt-leakage fromthewind belt. Inorderto fit the assent .Ibly to-cupolaszof 'klitferent t-ypes and sizes it may be met:- essarytoadjust the-length of the links 35 to accommo- :date the-assembly to wind beltsof different widths. As seen in Fig. 2 this may be conveniently provided for by forming the outer extremitiesof the links with a plurality of openings 62- for the accommodation of the pivot conneetion 34. Thus Jirilrsmay be provided of a maximum length-;and -during the installation any excess length may be readilyicut away.

-.It ris understoodthat suitable modifications may be made in-.the structure :as disclosed, provided 'such modifications 'come within'the spirit-and scope-of the appended claims. Having lnow-therefore fully described and illustrated my invention, what I claim to 'be new and desire to protect by lsetters Patent-is:

1. Ina cupola tuyere of the character described, a -tuyerebox having an air passage for directing air from a cupola windbelt into the combustion chamber, said box having upper and lowerw-alls and connectingside walls, apair of tuyeregates-hingedon a common vertical axis at the center of the box and swingable on the hinge from abuttingopenzpositions to wide spaced closed positions, vanes-angularly positioned on the gates and spanning the spaces-between the open doors and opposite side walls q-of-the box to deflect'theair downward as it passes inward 'throughthe box, .pivot lugs on the gates adjacent their hinged ends, links pivoted to-the lugs and extending outward,and-.an actuating rod'pivoted to the outer ends of -the 'links and operative from the-exterior of the cupola -for swinging the gates-to and between their opened and closedtpositions.

2. In :a cupola tuyere of the character described, a tuyere box having an airpassage for directing air from a cupola wind belt into the combustion chamber, said box having upper and lower walls and connecting side walls, a pair of tuyere gates and means hinging the gate in the center of the box to swing from abutting open positions to wide spaced closed positions, vanes angularly positioned on the gates and operative to deflect the air downward as it passes inward through the box, pivot lugs on the gates adjacent their hinged ends, links pivoted to the lugs and extending outward, an actuating rod pivoted to the outer ends of the links and operative from the exterior of the cupola for swinging the gates to and between their opened and closed positions, the said links diverging to pass on opposite sides of the hinged ends of the gates.

3. A cupola tuyere for installation in a cupola having spaced inner and outer casing walls defining an intervening wind belt, a lining within the inner wall, and said inner wall having a tuyere opening; said tuyere comprising a two section tuyere box having an outer section secured to the inner casing outside of the opening and disposed wholly within the wind belt, air controlling gates movably mounted in said outer section, and an inner box section disposed wholly within said inner casing wall in the lining and inside of the said opening in the wall.

4. A cupola tuyere for installation in a cupola having spaced inner and outer casing walls defining an intervening wind belt, a lining within the inner wall, and said inner wall having a tuyere opening; said tuyere comprising a two section tuyere box having an outer section secured to the inner casing about the opening and disposed wholly within the wind belt, air controlling gates movably mounted in said outer section, and an inner box section supported in the lining about the opening in the inner wall and supported wholly by said lining for easy replacement when burned.

5. A cupola tuyere for installation in a cupola having spaced inner and outer casing walls defining an intervening wind belt, a lining within the inner wall, and said inner wall having a tuyere opening; said tuyere comprising a two section tuyere box having an outer section secured to the inner casing about the opening and disposed wholly within the wind belt, air controlling gates movably mounted in said outer section, vanes on the gates for deflecting the air downward and inward, an inner box section supported by the lining about the opening in the casing wall, and said lining having an inwardly and downwardly angled surface below the inner box section to clear the downwardly deflected air from the tuyere.

6. In a tuyere assembly for a cupola having inner and outer walls defining an intervening wind belt and said walls having aligned openings, 2 tuyere positioned about the opening in the inner wall and having swingable air controlling gates, an inspection door frame fitted about the opening in the outer wall and having an opening registering with the opening therein, door retainers on the frame at opposite sides of the opening and having upwardly projecting fingers, and a door fitted over the opening and having oppositely projecting beveled lugs fitting within said fingers with a downwardly wedging fit.

7. In a tuyere assembly for a cupola having inner and outer walls defining an intervening wind belt and said Walls having aligned openings, a tuyere positioned about the opening in the inner wall and having swingable air controlling gates, an inspection door frame fitted about the opening in the outer wall and having an opening registering with the opening therein, a door fitted over the opening in the frame, actuating means for the tuyere gates including an outwardly extending reciprocating rod located below the level of the openings in the walls, and the door frame having an opening to slidably support the rod for actuation from the exterior of the cupola.

8. In a tuyere assembly for a cupola having inner and outer walls defining an intervening wind belt and said Walls having aligned openings, a tuyere positioned about the opening in the inner wall and having swingable air controlling gates with vanes for deflecting air inward and downward from the wind belt, an inspection door frame fitted about the opening in the outer wall and having an opening registering with the opening therein, a doorfitted over the opening in the frame and retainer means for holding the door tightly over the opening, a hinge rod supported on the frame at one side of the door, and the door having a hinge lug both slidably and pivotally mounted on the rod so that the door may be lifted clear of the retainer means and swung aside clear of the opening.

9. In a tuyere assembly for a cupola having inner and outer Walls defining an intervening wind belt and said walls having aligned openings, a tuyere positioned about the opening in the inner wall and having swingable air controlling gates with vanes for deflecting air inward and downward from the wind belt, an inspection door frame fitted about the opening in the outer wall and having an opening registering with the opening therein, door retainers on the frame at opposite sides of the opening and having upwardly projecting fingers, a door fitted over the opening and having oppositely projecting beveled lugs fitting within said fingers with a downwardly wedging fit, a vertical hinge rod supported on the frame at one side of the door, the door having a hinge lug both slidably and pivotally mounted on the rod so that the door may be lifted clear of the retainer fingers and swung aside clear of the opening, and a rest on the frame for engaging and holding the door in an elevated position as it is swung aside from the opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 757,949 Mylin et al. Apr. 19, 1904 1,668,133 Weichel et a1 May 1, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS 300,405 Great Britain Nov. 15, 1928 384,042 Great Britain Dec. 1, 1932

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