Improvements in Casting Ladles for Steel and Iron.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 17th June, 1897-Accepted, 17th July, 1897
Improvements in Casting Ladles for Steel and Iron.
I, TOUSSAINT LEVOZ, of Stenay, Meuse, France, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The casting ladles ordinarily used present various grave. defects. Being wide
at the top, they present a large surface of molten metal to the air, and this causes
injurious cooling and oxydation; it is impossible to pour the metal therefrom
without carrying slag with it; the scummer gets burnt about the legs when the
metal is cast, and, moreover, the operator who directs the casting is blinded and
burnt about the face by radiation from the molten metal and cannot properly
direct the operation.
It has been sought to remedy these defects by adopting a ladle divided into two
compartments by a vertical sheet metal partition covered with refractory clay.
This partition, which separates the inlet for the metal from the outlet, does not
extend entirely to the bottom of the ladle, so that the two compartments com-
municate at the bottom. The metal flows into the first compartment, passes into
the second by the passage at the bottom, and as the scoriae float on the top in the
first, clean metal can be poured from the outlet. Skimming is also easy and sure;
unfortunately, however, the partition and the flaring sides cause cooling and the
metal frequently sets in the second compartment, and this makes casting
impossible.
The object of the present invention is to remedy all these disadvantages, main-
taining the fluidity of the metal,. permitting the same to be easily skimmed, and,
the ladle being closed at the top, there will be much less contact with the air and
the operator will neither be blinded by the glare nor burnt in the face.
In the accompanying drawings, the Invention is illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3,
respectively elevation, vertical section on line X-X, Fig. 1, and horizontal section
on line Y-Y, Fig. 2.
The ladle consists of two truncated cones, united at their bases and connected
by bolts and keys: this arrangement serves to facilitate the removal of scraps of
cold metal. Above the ladle has a lid A, and a spout B, within which is placed
a movable brick C, made of refractory clay, very hard and of special shape. This
brick skims the metal and allows the metal to flow free from scoriae.
The metal is poured into the ladle to a convenient height and is distributed to
the moulds by the spout B. The bulge in the shape, at the level of the clamping
rim, favours the metal remaining fluid, permitting it readily to flow through the
passage 2, p', between the brick C, and the face of the spout B. The brick is
at least 4 to 5 c/m thick, its thickness varying with the size or capacity of the
ladle. The operator, in casting, has only to see that the passage P, p', is
always full, so that the metal exerts a certain amount of pressure on the
brick C. The scoriae will then always float at the top behind the skimming
brick, allowing very clean and very fluid metal to be cast. On the other
hand, the lid prevents contact of the metal with air and also glare or heat reaching
the operator's face.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said In-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
A casting ladle for steel and iron consisting of two truncated cones connected
at their bases, the mouth being closed by a lid and the casting spout provided
within with a refractory brick which serves to skim the metal, substantially as
herein before described and shown in the accompanying drawings and for the
purpose set forth.
Dated this 17th day of June 1897
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.