Patent ID: 7662337

Claim:
A hoisting mechanism for raising a ladle filled with liquid steel from a ladle transfer vehicle to immersion pipes of a vacuum treatment tank of an RH degasser, comprising: two lifting arms, wherein a first end of at least one of said lifting arms is associated with a hydraulic cylinder and each of said lifting arms comprises a receiving means located between the first end and a second bearing end of the respective lifting arm, the receiving means being adapted to be brought into engagement with a support device formed on said ladle, wherein the second bearing end of each of said lifting arms is supported in a stationary saddle support, wherein each saddle support comprises a runway, which is disposed on said second, bearing ends of said lifting arms and has the shape of a portion of a circular arc, and a path of rolling contact, which is adapted to axially fixedly guide said runway during a pivoting movement of both first ends of the lifting arms actuated by the hydraulic cylinder, such that due to a shifting of a point of load introduction in said saddle support that occurs during the pivoting movement, horizontal movement of said ladle during the pivoting movement is reduced and compensated.