Patent Publication Number: US-4320794-A

Title: Kupiec&#39;s mobile ingot extractor

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Technical Field 
     This invention relates to the problem and technology involved in removing ingots of special or exotic metals from there molds. 
     Before the molten special or exotic metal for use in the aerospace industry is poured into a mold to form an ingot, the mold is coated with a solution to help prevent such molten metal from eating into the mold&#39;s inside wall. Nevertheless, the molten ingot burns into the mold wall sometimes despite the prior application of such preventive solution or coating. This presents a problem in the subsequent removal of the ingot, compounded by the fact that the mold is of uniform internal diameter because of subsequent operations that must be performed upon such ingot, such as rolling, etc. With the price of such metal ranging to $25.00 per pound, a 10-ton ingot is worth $500,000. The discussed problems of the ingot sticking in its mold has presented a factor of around 1 in 8 to 10 ingots sticking in their molds, and such that same could not be removed from their molds under any application of prior-art technology. In such instances of ingots that could not be removed from their molds, the only prior-art solution to removing such stuck ingots has been to physically destroy the molds to recover the ingots. Physically destroying such molds to remove their stuck ingots is expensive, as well as time consuming, because the molds for such special or exotic metals can be in the price range of $10,000 depending upon size. 
     Accordingly, the object of the invention is to contribute to the solution of the discussed problems of the art by providing a self-contained, non-polluting, mobile ingot extractor, that can be hauled or towed into a steel plant when the need arises, to remove stuck ingots of special or exotic metals from their molds. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the invention, there is provided a mobile ingot extractor comprising a wheeled trailer and its power unit. The mold is disposed in mounting position relative to the extractor&#39;s longitudinal frame members and coaxial with the power unit&#39;s reciprocating ram and ram head. The ram is appropriately operated for its ram head to engage and effect the removal of the stuck ingot from its mold that has been prepared prior thereto for such operation. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     This object and other objects of the invention should be discerned and appreciated by reference to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the invention taken in one direction; 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the invention taken in another direction; 
     FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a mold having a stuck ingot therein; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a top view of the invention; and 
     FIG. 6 is an isometric view showing the ram mounted on a fixed cross-bracket. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In FIG. 1 of the drawings, reference numeral 1 generally refers to the invention of the self-contained, non-polluting, mobile ingot extractor comprising at one end a wheeled undercarriage, generally referred to be reference numeral 3, whose frame 5 carries and mounts the power unit, generally referred to by reference numeral 7; and longitudinal frame members 9 and 11 fixed to frame 5 at one end and fixed at their other ends to a drawbar frame 13, with a coupler or hitch 15 for operative connection to a suitable vehicle or prime mover for towing same. 
     The power unit 7 includes a propane tank 17 providing propane to thereby non-pollutingly operate and run the engine 19 which drives either the high volume-low pressure hydraulic pump to effect, optionally and valve controllably, fast-forward travel of the ram head 21 or fast return of the ram head 21, or drives the low volume-high pressure hydraulic pump to exert force through such ram head 21 upon the ingot 23 in the magnitude of 500 tons. 
     A cross-bracket 25, fixed to frame members 9 and 11, mounts the reciprocating, hydraulic ram 27 operatively connected to the hydraulic pumps. Another cross-bracket 29, adjustable along the longitudinal axes of frame members 9 and 11, carries stops 31 laterally movable on such cross-bracket 29. As shown, cross-bracket 29 is suitably bolted to frame members 9 and 11; and additional bolt holes are provided in frame members 9 and 11 to permit cross-brackets 29 to be adjusted to another position along the longitudinal axes of frame members 9 and 11, and be rebolted in such new position. A pintle 33, fixed to and vertically upstanding from cross-bracket 25, is pivotally received within a female boom 35 along whose track 37 an electric hoist 39 is movable with electrical power supplied to hoist 39 by an alternator driven by engine 19. 
     In operative use of the extractor 1, same is hauled or towed into the steel plant, unhitched and its front wheel 41 appropriately positioned to level the extractor 1. Cross-bracket 29 is appropriately positioned on frame members 9 and 11 to spatially accommodate the length of the molds 43 whose stuck ingots 23 are to be removed. A one-inch, or otherwise suitable, cross cut is made off the a bottom of the mold 43 leaving the remaining mold and ingot thereat flush. Mold 43 is so disposed by the steel-plant crane 45 such that the longitudinal axis of the mold 43 will be coaxial with the axis of the ram 27. Mold 43 is appropriately blocked into such position by cross blocks 47 for engagement of the ram head 21 with the ingot end 49 through the open or poured end 51 of mold 43 adjacent its trunnions 53. The bottom end 57 of mold 43 remaining after such described cross cut has been performed, is appropriately positioned so that its transversely projecting ears 59 will engage and abut the stops 31, and with such stops 31 having been laterally adjusted on cross-bracket 29 for non-interfering clearance of the ingot 23 removed therefrom and therebetween. 
     The high volume-low pressure, hydraulic pump is driven to effect fast-forward travel of the ram head 21 to engage the ingot end 49 followed by drive of the low volume-high pressure, hydraulic pump to exert force through such ram head 21 upon such ingot end 49 to the extent of such ram head&#39;s forward travel to thereby push such ingot 23 forward towards cross-bracket 29. Next the high volume-low pressure hydraulic pump is driven in return phase to effect fast retraction of the ram head 21 to its inoperative or starting position. The female boom 35 and electric hoist 39 are appropriately manipulated and operated to pick up and dispose a spacer plug 61 within the open end 51 of mold 43 and in abutting relationship against the ingot end 49. 
     The high volume-low pressure, hydraulic pump is driven to effect fast-forward travel of the ram head 21 to engage such spacer plug 61, followed by drive of the low volume-high pressure, hydraulic pump to exert force through such ram head 21 upon such spacer plug 61 and hence upon such ingot end 49 to the extent of such ram head&#39;s forward travel to thereby push such ingot 23 forward in the direction of cross-bracket 29. The high volume-low pressure, hydraulic pump is driven in its return phase to effect fast retraction of the ram head 21 to its inoperative or starting position. 
     This described procedure is repeated as many times with as many spacer plugs 61 as may be necessary to extract and remove ingot 23 from mold 43. 
     The extractor 1 of this invention is over 40 feet in length. The procedure in removing a stuck ingot from its mold involves disposing the stuck ingot horizontally. If such procedure involved disposition of the stuck ingot vertically to effect its removal, a building 5 or more stories in height would be necessary and the extractor would be costly, cumbersome and would occupy permanent floor space in the steel plant for the reasons that substantial safety features would have to be incorporated to protect personnel from physical harm and injury once the stuck ingot has been freed from its mold, substantial framing support structure would have to be incorporated to dispose the extractor some 40 feet in the air, and, for all intents and purposes, such additional safety features and support structure would militate against the extractor&#39;s being mobile.