Improved Apparatus for Use in Conveying Molten Slag, Cinder, and the like from Furnaces, and Tipping the same after Cooling or Setting.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 4th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 9th Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Use in Conveying Molten Slag, Cinder,
and the like from Furnaces, and Tipping the same after Cooling
or Setting.
I, WILLIAM MOORE, of Springvale Ironworks, Wolverhampton in the County
of Stafford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention has for its object the construction and employment of apparatus,
which shall be simple in character and action, for the purpose of conveying away
molten slag, cinder and the like from furnaces, and tipping the same after cooling
or setting into waggons, or elsewhere as required.
The above object is effected, acording to this invention, by means of specially
constructed carriages or bogies which run outwards from the furnace on an elevated
railway or tramway, and which return to the furnace along an underneath railway
or tramway. The upper railway is curved down quickly at each end, and the
under railway, which is immediately below the upper one, is curved quickly
upwards at each end. Each carriage or bogie is formed with a body to receive the
molten slag, cinder or the like, and is fitted with wheels which project both below
and above the body so that the carriage or bogie will run along a railway when
upside down as readily as when it is the ordinary way up.
The carriages or bogies are coupled together so that the ends of the bodies are
near to one another, and preferably so that the end of one body (formed specially
for such purpose) overlaps the adjacent end of the next body. The molten slag,
cinder or the like runs from the furnace into the bodies of the carriages or bogies
as they are moved slowly along the upper railway, and this railway may incline
upwards to a height from which the contents of the carriages or bogies can be
conveniently tipped into trucks. The tipping is effected by each carriage or bogie
in succession running down over the outer downwardly curved end of the upper
railway, and as each carriage or bogie passes thus over the end of the upper
railway its wheels fall on to or engage with the outer upwardly curved end of the
lower railway, and the carriages or bogies thus pass from the upper railway on to
the lower railway, being turned in doing so completely upside down; and in such
position they return along the lower railway to the inner curved end thereof up
which they rise, and as they rise the wheels come against or engage with the rails
of the inner downwardly curved end of the upper railway, and as the carriages or
bogies move upwards in succession they thus pass again on to the upper railway,
turning completely over again so as to be the ordinary way up when on the upper
railway.
The carriages or bogies are caused to travel along the railways, and to be
transferred from the upper to the lower railway, and from the lower to the upper
railway, by means of an endless chain or rope driven from an engine or other
source of power. As the carriages or bogies are coupled together it is sufficient if
the endless chain or rope is engaged with a portion of them; and this may be
effected by engaging a projection or projections of, or carried by, the chain or rope
with a fork or forks attached to one or more of the carriages or bogies, or a clip
or clips, such as used for connecting coal waggons with endless ropes, may be
employed for connecting one or more of the carriages or bogies with the endless
chain or rope.

page_text: The molten slag, cinder or the like is cooled as the carriages or bogies travel
along the upper railway, but it is preferred to sprinkle them with water on their
passage, so as to expedite the cooling and consequent setting of the slag, cinder or
the like.
Dahi o.1 3...
SM1004
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.
Improved Apparatus for Use in Conveying Molten Slag, Cinder,
and the like from Furnaces, and Tipping the same after Cooling
or Setting.
I, WILLIAM MOORE, of Springvale Ironworks, Wolverhampton in the County
of Stafford, 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 :-
This invention has for its object the construction and employment of improved
apparatus, which shall be simple in character and action, for the purpose of
conveying away molten slag, cinder, and the like from furnaces, and tipping the
same after cooling or setting into waggons, or elsewhere as required.
an
The above object is effected, according to this invention, by means of specially
constructed carriages or bogies which run outwards from the furnace on
elevated railway or tramway, and which return towards the furnace along an
underneath railway or tramway. The upper railway is curved down quickly at
each end, and the under railway which is immediately below the upper one, is
curved quickly upwards at each end. Each carriage or bogie is formed with a
body to receive the molten slag, cinder or the like, and is fitted with wheels which
project both below and above the body so that the carriage or bogie will run along
a railway when upside down as readily as when it is the ordinary way up.
The carriages or bogies are coupled together so that the ends of the bodies are
Dear to one another, and preferably so that the end of one body (formed specially
for such purpose) overlaps the adjacent end of the next body. The molten slag,
cinder, or the like is delivered from the furnace into the bodies of the carriages or
bogies as they are moved slowly along the upper railway, and the contents of the
carriages are tipped into a shoot as the carriages pass in succession over the end of
the upper railway. The slag, cinder or the like runs down the shoot into trucks
by which it is conveyed away and used as ballast, or otherwise dealt with as
required.
The carriages or bogies are caused to travel along the railways, and to be
transferred from the upper to the lower railway and from the lower to the upper
railway, by means of an endless chain or rope driven from an engine or other
source of power. As the carriages or bogies are coupled together, it is sufficient if
the endless chain or rope is engaged with a portion of them.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, I will proceed to describe
the same with reference to the drawings herewith, of which
Figure 1 is partly a longitudinal section through the outer end, and partly a side
elevation of the inner end, of a whole system of carriages or bogies and railways by
means of which slag is conveyed from a blast furnace (or it may be cinder or the
like from other furnace) and delivered into railway trucks; the central portion of
the apparatus is shewn as if broken away, for convenience of illustration.
Figure 2 is a plan of the outer end of the apparatus.
Figures 3 and 4 are transverse sections through the apparatus taken, respectively,
on lines 2 x and y y of Figure 1, but in Figure 4 the trucks are omitted.
°

page_text: Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through one of the carriages or bogies, and
through a portion of the carriage or bogie adjacent thereto at one end.
Figures 3 and 4 are drawn to a scale which is twice the size, and Figure 5 to a
scale which is four times the size, of that to which Figures 1 and 2 are drawn.
The main length of the rails a of the upper railway may conveniently consist
of T or angle iron fixed, as clearly shewn by Figure 3, against the inside of vertical
uprights which are joined together at the top and bottom by transomes cas
shewn, the lower part of each frame formed by such uprights and transomes being
built into the foundation A; and the curved ends d of such rails may be formed as
flanges cast on the inner faces of cast iron plates B. Similarly, the main portion
of the rails e of the lower railway may conveniently consist of T or angle iron fixed
inside the uprights b, and the curved ends be formed as flanges cast on the inner
faces of the plates B. The plates B of each pair of such plates are bolted at their
upper ends to a transverse plate C, and at their lower ends to a foundation plate D.
The curved ends of each railway may conveniently extend, as shewn, so as to
return again to the edges of the plates from which they start. In Figure 1 the
wheels only of the trucks or bogies are shewn, as the scale of the view is too small
to shew the trucks distinctly; and in Figure 2 only two of the trucks E are shewn,
for convenience of illustration. The axles g of each truck E are carried conveniently
in blocks (see Figure 3) cast on the sides of the bodies, such axles being
conveniently fixed by casting the metal of the lags around them. Each carriage
has four wheels, and the carriages are coupled together by means of links j, each
pair of links coupling together the axles which are at the adjacent ends of a pair of
trucks. The whole series of carriages or bogies are thus coupled into an endless
train. An endless chain F passes around chain wheels G, one at each end
of the apparatus and carried upon a spindle which is concentric with the
curves of the rails at cach. end. This endless chain is driven by means of an
engine or other prime mover through suitable mechanism, as will be readily
understood, and being suitably connected with the train of carriages or bogies
moves them along the upper and lower railways in the directions, respectively,
indicated by the arrows. The uprights b are formed bent outwards as shewn
to clear the ends of the axles, and clearance channels are formed in the
inner faces of the plates B for the same purpose. The rails are shewn to incline
upwards towards the outer end, and the carriages or bogies as. they pass
over the curved ends of the upper rails tip their contents into a shoot H from
which the slag can run down into the railway truck J, of which a portion
of the side only is shewn by Figure 2. The level of the top of the truck
is indicated by broken lines, Figure 1, the rails on which the trucks
being consequently some distance below the level of the line a. The molten
slag from a blast furnace may flow from the end of a runner or channel K into the
carriages E at or near the inner end of the carrier system, as they pass con-
tinuously thereunder. As the carriages or bogies are connected with one another,
it is not necessary that each one should be also connected with the chain F. It is
sufficient for some of them to be connected by means of chains such as 7 with the
endless chain F. The carriages are traversed slowly, say at the rate of about ten
to twenty feet per minute, along the upper and lower railways; and the rate of
travel may be varied as required to suit the quantity of slag which may at any
time be running. As the carriages are moved along the upper railway, streams of
water are allowed to flow upon the material therein from perforated tubes m, to
expedite the cooling and consequent setting of the slag. As each carriage or bogie
passes over the outer curved ends of the upper railway, its contents are discharged
into the shoot H before described, and the wheels of the carriage or bogie fall on
to or engage with the outer upwardly curved ends f of the lower railway, and the
carriages or bogies thus pass from the upper railway on to the lower railway, being
turned in doing so completely upside down; and in such position they return along
the lower railway to the inner curved ends thereof up which they rise, and as they
rise the wheels come against and engage with the downwardly curved ends d of the
run

page_text: upper railway, and as the carriages or bogies move upwards in succession they thus
pass on to the upper railway, turning completely over again so as to be the
ordinary way up when on the upper railway. The wheels of the carriages or
bogies project both above and below the bodies thereof as shewn, and thus there
is no projection of the carriages below the wheels whichever way up the carriages
are running.
The pull of the endless chain F has a slight tendency to raise the carriages from
the lower railway. As a precaution against any mischief resulting from this, guard
rails n may be fixed above the lower railway in position to be about a quarter of
an inch or so from the tops of the carriage wheels when the same are running along
the lower railway, and such guard rails may coincide at their ends, as shewn, with
the lower ends of the curved portions d of the upper railway. In any case,
wherever the lower ends of the curved portions of the upper railway terminate,
it is desirable to run the ends of the guard rails up to them, as will be
obvious.
Any slackness of the chain F may be taken up from time to time by means of
any suitable chain-tightening device, such for instance as that shewn by Figures
and 2, in which the axle of the chain wheel G is carried in bearing blocks p
capable of sliding on their supports; 7 are rods connected at their inner ends with
the blocks and screwed at their outer ends where they pass through fixed guides »;
and s is a transverse shaft capable of turning in bearings formed in the guides r
and carrying worms which gear with worm wheels t screwed upon the screwed ends
of the rods.
The bodies of the carriages or bogies may be of any convenient construction, but
for the sake of convenience in manufacture and of minimising the risk of fracture
through unequal contraction and expansion, each body is made in two parts which
are joined together by means of bolts passing through flanges v. The bottoms of
the bodies are, preferably, made of a corrugated form both as seen in transverse
section Figure 3, and as seen in longitudinal section Figure 5, to further allow for
contraction and expansion of the metal and to give the blocks of slag moulded
therein such shape that they will readily break up as they fall into the railway
truck. It is preferred that one end of each carriage E shall be formed with a lip v
(see Figure 5) which projects over the adjacent end of the next carriage to prevent
molten slag falling down between the carriages.
The railway trucks into which the slag falls from the shoot H may each be cooled
by water which drops from perforated pipes so as to fall just inside the truck at the
sides and at the ends, and by water sprayed down from a central perforated
distributor on to the hot material lying within the truck.
In practice I find it convenient to make the carrier system about sixty feet in
length from the centre of the curves of the rails at one end to the corresponding
centre at the other, but the apparatus may of course be varied considerably in
length as may be required.
In order to prevent any molten slag which may drop through the joints of the
carriages from falling onto the carriages below, metal plates slanting out sideways
to direct such droppings clear of the apparatus may be placed below the upper
railway as far along as may be found necessary.
It is not absolutely essential, though very much preferred, to couple the carriages
or bogies together into a continuous train, as they may be separate from one
another. In such case each carriage may be connected with the endless chain, or
any which are not so connected will be pushed along by the others.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for use in conveying molten slag, cinder or the like from furnaces,
and tipping the same after cooling or setting, which comprises a number of carriages
or bogies, preferably coupled together, which are moved in a direction from the

page_text: point where the slag, cinder or the like, is supplied to them along an upper railway
from which they pass at the outer end on to a lower railway along which they are
returned and from which they rise again on to the upper railway, the said carriages
being successively turned over as they pass from the upper to the lower railway aud
turned back again as they pass from the lower to the upper railway, substantially
as described.
2. In apparatus for use in conveying molten slag, cinder or the like from furnaces,
and tipping the same after cooling or setting, an upper railway having downwardly
curved ends and a lower railway having upwardly curved ends, in combination with
carriages or bogies which are moved along such railways, and the wheels of which
as they pass from the upper to the lower railway engage with the upwardly curved
ends of the lower railway and as they pass from the lower to the upper railway
engage with the downwardly curved ends of the upper railway, substantially as
described.
3. In apparatus for use in conveying molten slag, cinder or the like from furnaces,
and tipping the same after cooling or setting which comprises carriages or bogies
which pass from an upper to a lower railway and from a lower to an upper railway
being turned completely over as they pass from either railway to the other, such
trucks or bogies provided with wheels of such diameter and mounted in such manner
that they project both above and below the bodies of the carriages, substantially as
described.
4. Apparatus for use in conveying molten slag, cinder or the like from furnaces,
and tipping the same after cooling or setting, constructed and operating substantially
as described and shewn by the drawings herewith.
wwww
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.