ISSN 1068-798X, Russian Engineering Research, 2007, Vol. 27, No. 10, pp. 686–688. © Allerton Press, Inc.
, 2007.
Original Russian Text © V.V. Tochilkin, 2007, published in Vestnik Mashinostroeniya, 2007, No. 10, pp. 42–44.
Pneumatic Manipulators for Interrupting Converter-Slag Flow
V. V. Tochilkin
Nosov State Technological University, Magnitogorsk
DOI: 10.3103/S1068798X07100073
Various methods of stopping slag flow are used to
ensure the required metal quality when casting con-
verter steel. One of the most effective is to use manipu-
lators mounted next to the converter that cut off the slag
flow by means of a ball plug [1]. In the oxygen-con-
verter shop at Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Works, the
manipulator used for this purpose takes the form of a
parallelogram-type mechanism, with a hydraulically
driven arm. The mechanism for releasing the ball plug
is mounted at the front of the arm. The plug is released
above the steel-discharge vent, about 30–60 s before the
end of steel discharge from the converter to the ladle.
The arm is in the converter for 7 s; the working cycle
lasts 25 s. This manipulator occupies a considerable
area and requires manual operations when loading the
ball plug in its clamp. The manipulator may only oper-
ate in manual mode, since its positional accuracy
depends on the operator’s skill.
A promising means of cutting off the converter slag
is to use a pneumatic manipulator in the form of a slag
stopper mounted directly ahead of the discharge vent.
This manipulator employs flexible drive elements with
no sealed moving parts (pistons, plungers). The basic
drive element is a flexible steel strip, whose changing
curvature ensures motion of the slag stopper. Com-
pressed air is supplied to an enclosed corrugated cush-
ion between the strip and the base. The manipulator
may operate either manually or automatically. The
stopper is moved manually from the control board. Spe-
cial information systems permit automatic operation.
A manipulator for closing the converter’s discharge
vent is shown in Fig. 1 [2]. It includes gas-supply mech-
anism 1, mounted on shaft 2 with aperture 3, and lever
6, mounted on bearing 4 close to output vent 5 of the
converter. Lever 6, which culminates in nozzle 7, takes
the form of a gas-supply pipe 8. Lever 6 is equipped
with drive 9 and a system for supplying the drive’s
working gas. Aperture 10 in the bearing aligns with the
aperture in shaft 2 when nozzle 7 enters the discharge
vent 5 of the converter. Additional pins 11–14 on lever
6 and bearing 4 permit the attachment of elements 15
and 16 of drive 9. These drive elements consist of flex-
ible links 17 and 18 (hinged at additional pins 11, 12
and 13, 14, respectively) and elastic shells 19 and 20,
which take the form of bellows, for example, and are
connected to the system supplying the drive’s working
gas.
686
The manipulator operates as follows. During oxy-
gen injection into the steel in the converter, lever 6 with
nozzle 7 moves to its initial position A. Converter out-
put vent 5 is open. The converter’s output vent is closed
as follows. After injection ends, the working gas is sup-
plied to elastic shell 19 at some pressure. Shell 19 acts
on flexible link 17, which becomes bowed. As a result,
the longitudinal linear dimension between the addi-
tional pins 11 and 12 is reduced, and so lever 6 with
nozzle 7 moves through a certain angle, to working
position B. When nozzle 7 approaches the converter’s
output vent 5, aperture 3 in shaft 2 and aperture 10 in
bearing 4 begin to overlap, and the shutoff gas (nitro-
gen) passes through pipe 8 and hence through nozzle 7
to vent 5. Nozzle 7 forms a nitrogen jet. The converter
begins to turn to the discharge position, and the shutoff
gas cuts off the primary slag supplied to the discharge
vent on tipping. Lever 6 with nozzle 7 returns to its ini-
tial position A.
As steel discharge continues and slag appears in dis-
charge vent 5, the lever returns to working position B,
and a jet of nitrogen is sent to vent 5. After the slag sup-
ply is cut off, the converter returns to its original verti-
cal position, and lever 6 returns to its original posi-
tion A. The lack of moving parts (coupling rods, pis-
tons, seals) ensures stable operation of the device. The
system is characterized by stable supply of nitrogen at
the instant when the slag supply is cut off, reduced slag
delivery to the casting ladle, and improved quality of
the cast steel.
Possible pneumatic drives of the manipulator are
shown in Fig. 2. In the drive in Fig. 2a, compressed gas
is supplied at some working pressure to one of the drive
elements during manipulator operation. At the same
time, the gas leaves the other drive element through dis-
tributor 1. Controllable chokes 2 are employed. The
drive in Fig. 2b employs pressure valves 1, which are
normally closed, and three-line distributors 2. The drive
in Fig. 2c employs geared pneumatic valves 1 and two-
line distributors. In the drives in Figs. 2b and 2c, some
specified pressure is maintained in one drive element
while compressed gas is supplied to the other.
One of the most important problems in manipulator
operation is gas-jet injection in the melt.
During injection by a gas that cannot be assimilated
(nitrogen or inert gas), the gas–melt interaction changes
 PNEUMATIC MANIPULATORS 687

2
14
3
1
4
10
11 5
20
9

15

19
17
16 12
7
18
13

B
A
6 8

Fig. 1. Manipulator for interrupting slag supply.

1 1
2

2 1

Fig. 2. Pneumatic drive for manipulator.

RUSSIAN ENGINEERING RESEARCH Vol. 27 No. 10 2007

688
(a) (b)
Zone B
Zone A
Zone A
Fig. 3. Interaction of gas jet from manipulator nozzle with
melt.
with increase in gas supply from the manipulator’s noz-
zle. Two stages are observed: turbulent mixing of the gas
and melt (Fig. 3a); and breakup of the bath (Fig. 3b).
The primary parameter determining the course of
injection with constant parameters of the manipulator
nozzle is assumed to be the gas flow rate, reduced to
normal conditions [3]. The presence of interfaces of
two types is assumed: gas–melt (zone A) and melt–gas
(zone B). In zone A, the high-speed gas jet breaks up the
melt into small droplets, forming an emulsion with a
predominance of gas.
In manipulator operation, it is important to analyze
the instant of transition from turbulent flow to breakup
in the melt bath. The critical bath depth at which
breakup is observed may be analyzed on the basis of
[3]. In modeling, the expansion angle of the jet at
breakup is assumed to be 22°–25°. Further increase in
jet intensity has practically no influence on this angle.
Breakup of the bath is observed if the calculated
breakup depth exceeds the specified bath depth. The
interaction is shown in Fig. 3b. On account of its con-
siderable momentum, the jet crosses the entire bath. In
this case, there is little mixing of the bath, and little
gas–melt emulsion is observed.
Effective use of the elastic drive element is deter-
mined by the number of flexible links (strips)
employed. With more links, the possible force exerted
by the drive element is greater. This is very important
when using the given manipulator, especially if buildup
appears.
When using two or more strips in a flexible drive
element, ensuring the same strip length may be a prob-
RUSSIAN ENGINEERING RESEARCH
TOCHILKIN
5
2
3
1
4
Fig. 4. Flexible drive element of manipulator.
lem. The drive element (Fig. 4) contains opposing flex-
ible strips 1 and 2, separated by working cushion 3 [4].
The flexible links (strips) are attached to rotary anchors
4 and 5. The use of rotary anchors with opposing strips
ensures self-stabilization of the strips.
CONCLUSIONS
In view of the current requirements on metal quality
and the rigorous operating conditions in steel casting,
automatic manipulators must be developed for auxil-
iary operations. Such manipulators reduce the quantity
of slag entering the ladle, with corresponding savings in
the aluminum, silicon, and manganese required for
reduction and with increase in steel purity and decrease
in the content of nonmetallic inclusions.
REFERENCES
1. Tochilkin, V.V. and Kol’ga, A.D., Automatic Manipula-
tor for Cutting Off Converter-Slag Supply, Izv. Vyssh.
Uchebn. Zaved., Chern. Metall., 1995, no. 10, pp. 68, 69.
2. Russian Patent 41017.
3. Gulyaev, A.V., Kominov, S.V., Okorokov, B.N., and
Bakuma, S.S., Mathematical Model of the Interaction of
Gas Jets with Liquid-Metal Bath, Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn.
Zaved., Chern. Metall., 2000, no. 7, pp. 20–23.
4. Russian Patent 2005063.
Vol. 27 No. 10 2007