Patent ID: 6857872

Claim:
A loading device for a shaft furnace, comprising: a housing to be mounted on the head of the shaft furnace; a suspension rotor rotationally suspended within said housing; a loading chute suspended in said suspension rotor; at least one cooling circuit supported by said suspension rotor; an annular rotating joint mounted inside said housing to supply said cooling circuit with a liquid coolant, said annular rotating joint being located in an annular leak collecting tank formed by said suspension rotor, and said annular rotating joint comprising: a fixed ring, supported by said housing, a rotating ring which rotates with said suspension rotor, and bearing means arranged between said fixed ring and said rotating ring, wherein said fixed ring and said rotating ring interact to form a cylindrical interface in which at least one annular groove serves to transfer a pressurised liquid coolant between said fixed ring and said rotating ring, and wherein said rotating ring is supported exclusively by said fixed ring by way of said bearing means; and selective coupling means coupling said rotating ring to said suspension rotor in such a way as to selectively transmit the rotary motion of said suspension rotor to said rotating ring, while at the same time preventing the transmission of other forces from said suspension rotor to said rotating ring; and connecting means connected between said rotating ring and said suspension rotor to transfer a liquid coolant from said rotating ring to said suspension rotor, said connecting means comprising at least one deformable tubular component, such that said connecting means forms a non-rigid connection between said rotating ring and said suspension rotor.