Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Plugging Cupola or Blast Furnace Tap-holes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 7th Jan.,
1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Plugging Cupola or
Blast Furnace Tap-holes.
I, JAMES WILLIARD MILLER, of 831, Carnegie Buildings, Pittsburg, in the
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Manufacturers Agent, 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 follow-
ing statement:—
This invention relates to apparatus for plugging cupola or blast furnace tap-
holes with clay or other suitable plastic material, and has for its object to per-
form this operation effectually under all conditions with a minimum expenditure
of time and labour. Heretofore furnace tap-holes have usually been plugged by
hand, but according to the present invention the clay or other like substance is
forced into the hole to be plugged by means of an apparatus which may be
termed a magazine gun operated by fluid pressure, which will enable the
operator to force a plurality of charges when necessary in quick succession into
the tap-hole.
"
دو
In the accompanying drawing :—
Figure 1 represents a vertical section of the apparatus, as I prefer to construct
it;
Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1.
A is a cylinder or magazine provided with a sheet or hopper A¹. The magazine A.
communicates with another cylinder or discharging-tube B through a connecting
piece C.
The cylinder A is connected to a steam cylinder D by a flanged connecting
tube A2 with part of its wall removed. These two cylinders are arranged prefer-
ably end to end with their longitudinal axes coincident. The cylinder D) may
be of the ordinary steam engine type, fitted with a piston D¹, piston rod D³,
stuffing box D3 and valve D. The piston rod 12 is connected to a piston or
plunger A³ fitting the magazine cylinder A
The cylinder B is attached to another steam ar air cylinder E by a connecting
tube B in a similar manner to that employed for connecting the cylinders A
and D together. The cylinder E is provided with a piston El and valve E² and
attached to the piston is a preferably hollow plunger E3 closed at its ends and
fitting the cylinder B, which is rather smaller in diameter than the cylinder E.
The connecting tube A2 for convenience of construction carries two pins or
trunnions A to which is attached a link or shackle F by means of which the
apparatus is suspended in any suitable manner. Brace-rods G are also attached
to the connecting-tube A² their other ends being fastened to the cylinder E. The
valves 1 and E2 are preferably operated by hand and suitable handles or
mechanism may be provided for this purpose.
Fluid pressure, such as compressed air or steam, is conveyed to the cylinders D
and E through pipes H.
When a tap hole is to be plugged by this "gun" the "magazine" is charged

page_text: Steam or compressed
piston A' down the
The whole apparatus
by placing the requisite quantity of clay in the shoot A¹.
air is now admitted behind the piston D¹ thus forcing the
cylinder A and delivering a charge of clay into the tube B.
is now swung into position with the nozzle B2 in close proximity to, or actually
inside, the hole to be plugged.
The valve E is now so manipulated as to admit steam or compressed air
behind the piston E¹ so that the plunger E³ forces the charge out of the tube B,
through the nozzle B2, into the tap-hole.
A single charge thus forced into the tap-hole may in many cases be sufficient
to effectually close it, but it frequently happens that a plurality of such charges
is necessary for the purpose. The discharge-tube B may in practice hold plastic-
material sufficient only for a single charge, and the magazine A may hold two
or more such charges. Thus if the first charge expelled from the cylinder or
discharge-tube, as described, is not sufficient to effectually close the tap-hole, the
plunger E3 is returned to the position shown, the plunger A3 forced further
downward to refill the cylinder B, and the plunger E3 again actuated to foree
another charge into the tap-hole. The operation may be repeated until the
magazine and discharge-tube are both exhausted of clay, or the like, the plurality
of charges thus driven into the tap-hole being always sufficient to close the same.
It is to be understood that in the foregoing specification and in the following
claims the term "plunger" is intended to include a piston or the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
0
1. A magazine apparatus operated by fluid pressure for inserting plugs in
furnace tap-holes.
2. In a magazine apparatus for plugging tap-holes the combination with a
discharging tube of a plunger within operated by fluid pressure.
3. In a magazine apparatus for plugging furnace tap-holes the combination
of a magazine and a discharging-tube both provided with plungers operated by
fluid pressure substantially as described.
4. In a magazine apparatus for plugging furnace tap-holes the combination
with a discharging tube containing a plunger operated by fluid pressure of a
magazine leading into the discharging tube at an angle to the latter and pro-
vided with a charging orifice and a fluid pressure operated plunger substanțially
as described.
5. The complete apparatus for plugging furnace tap-holes substantially as
described or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of November 1898.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.