Abstract: Provided are a plate holding device, a plate detaching apparatus, a plate attaching apparatus and a plate attaching-detaching apparatus which are capable of reliably attaching and/or detaching a plate with respect to a plate-receiving metal frame. The plate holding device comprises: a plurality of holding members for holding a plate for a sliding nozzle device; widening and narrowing mechanisms to selectively widen and narrow a distance between the holding members; a pressing unit for pressing a central region of the plate when the plate is held by the holding members; and a force sensor for detecting a force received by the holding members and/or the pressing unit from the held plate. The plate holding device is configured to be mounted to a distal end of a robot arm.

Abstract: A mounting device capable of smoothly mounting a drive unit being in a hanging state to a sliding nozzle device, using a manipulator. The mounting device is mounted to a distal end of a manipulator to mount a drive unit whose upper end is connected to a suspending device, to a holder of a sliding nozzle device. The mounting device includes: a holding part for holding an upper portion or central portion (to-be-held plate) of the drive unit; and a contact part which is contactable with a lower portion (to-be-contacted part) of the drive unit when mounting the drive unit to the holder.

Abstract: A sliding nozzle device capable of allowing a maintenance robot to reliably and accurately recognize the position thereof. The sliding nozzle device includes: a fixed metal frame; and a sliding metal frame slidably provided to the fixed metal frame. The fixed metal frame is provided with a mark block for allowing a maintenance robot to recognize the position thereof. More specifically, the mark block is provided to protrude from a side surface or bottom surface of the fixed metal frame toward the sliding metal frame, at a position free from interference with the sliding metal frame during sliding.

Abstract: An opening-closing apparatus capable of, when using a robot arm to selectively open and close a component of a sliding nozzle device, reliably opening and closing the component to respective given positions. The apparatus comprises: a hand-like distal module engageable with an openable-closable component of a sliding nozzle device; a force sensor to detect a force received by the module; and a robot arm to which the module and the sensor are mounted. The robot arm is controllably operated to: move the module toward the component of the sliding nozzle device and engage the module with the component of the sliding nozzle device; then move the module to move the component, if the absolute value of the force detected by the sensor is equal to or less than a given threshold; and stop the movement of the module, when the absolute value of the force detected by the sensor reaches the threshold.

Abstract: It is intended to suppress flaming and smoking due to combustion of combustible substances in a certain-shaped joint material, while maintaining hot sealability of the certain-shaped joint material. A certain-shaped joint material for hot installation is obtained by: adding organic additives to a blend in a combined amount of 26 mass % to 50 mass %, with respect to and in addition to 100 mass % of the blend, wherein the blend comprises 50 mass % to 90 mass % of gibbsite type aluminum hydroxide raw material, 1 mass % to 9 mass % of clay, and 9 mass % to 23 mass % of graphite, with the remainder mainly composed of an additional refractory raw material; and subjecting the resulting mixture to kneading, forming and drying.

Abstract: To improve the stability of spray application of a monolithic refractory in which a water injector is disposed in a material carrier pipe extending from a material supply device to a distal spray nozzle, and application water is injected from the water injector into a spray material that is being carried through the material carrier pipe, a ratio of a flow volume of an application water carrier gas for carrying the application water to be introduced into the water injector to a flow volume of a spray material carrier gas for carrying the spray material is set to 0.07 to 2, and a compressibility index of the spray material is set to 32% or less. Alternatively, a ratio of a flow volume of an application water carrier gas for carrying the application water to be introduced into the water injector to an application water volume is set to 100 to 1,000.

Abstract: Provided is a nozzle or a stopper having a gas blowing function, which is capable of preventing irregular breaking to be triggered by a gas outlet or a gas passage path communicated with the gas outlet, or, even in the event of breaking, preventing expansion of the breaking, and a combination of the nozzle and the stopper. The nozzle comprises: a fitting engagement region refractory material layer composed of a fitting engagement region refractory material; a nozzle body composed of a different refractory material from the fitting engagement region refractory material (main body refractory material); and a gas outlet provided in at least one boundary area between the fitting engagement region refractory material layer and the main body refractory material in a surface of the nozzle contactable with molten steel.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a method for forming a brick lining to construct a sidewall of a kiln/furnace, while improving efficiency of brick lining forming work without causing any increase in manufacturing cost of bricks to be used. The brick lining forming method comprises stacking a plurality of tiers of bricks, respectively, on a plurality of tier regions of an inner surface of a hollow approximately cylindrical-shaped peripheral portion of a kiln/furnace to construct a side wall of the kiln/furnace, wherein two or more of the plurality of tier regions are different in terms of pre-lining radius, wherein only bricks identical in terms of taper angle and height dimension are used, except for an adjustment brick, in each of the two or more tier regions different in terms of the pre-lining radius, wherein bricks identical in terms of the taper angle, the height dimension and length dimension, and different in terms of back face width, are used in at least a part of each of the two or more tier regions.

Abstract: Provided is a dielectric for an electrostatic chuck, which is capable of ensuring sufficient hardness, while ensuring basic properties, such as intrinsic volume resistivity, required for a dielectric for a Johnson-Rahbek type electrostatic chuck. The dielectric has a main crystal phase consisting of corundum, wherein the dielectric includes Al5BO9 as another crystal phase, and wherein a ratio IA/IB, where IA denotes a (021) peak intensity of Al5BO9 as measured by powder X-ray diffraction, and IB denotes a (012) peak intensity of corundum as measured by powder X-ray diffraction, is in the range of 0.04 to 0.4.

Abstract: Provided is a seating block installation structure capable of preventing the occurrence of a gap between a nozzle or plug installed in a bottom portion of a molten metal vessel and a plate or the like located on the lower side of the nozzle or plug, and a gap between the nozzle or plug and a seating block located on the upper side of or on the outer peripheral side of the nozzle or plug. In the seating block installation structure, a seating block disposed to surround a nozzle for discharging therethrough molten metal downwardly from the bottom portion of the molten metal vessel or a plug is fixed to a shell of the bottom portion of the molten metal vessel by a connecting member.

Abstract: A bubbling plate for a sliding nozzle includes a plate body defining an inner hole therein and a gas-permeable ring installed inside the plate body to define part of the inner hole. The ring has a lower end surface formed with a stepped part, a convex part or a concave part; and the plate body has an upper surface in contact with the lower end surface with the upper surface formed with a stepped part, a concave part or a convex part capable of being opposed to and fittingly engaged with a corresponding part of the ring. The area in which the part of the ring is fittingly engaged with the corresponding part of the plate body has a length of 2 mm or more along a direction of a central axis of the inner hole, and mortar is interveningly provided in at least a longitudinally-extending joint part in the fitting engagement area.

Abstract: Provided is a refractory product which is not impregnated with pitch or the like, wherein it has higher corrosion-erosion resistance and thermal shock resistance as compared to a refractory product subjected to pitch or the like-impregnation treatment. The refractory product which is not impregnated with tar or pitch is characterized in that, in terms of values of physical properties of a sample of the refractory product as measured after heat-treating the sample in a non-oxidizing atmosphere at 1200° C.: an apparent porosity is 7% or less; a total void volume of pores having a pore diameter of 1 ?m or less is 80% or more of an integrated void volume of pores of the entire sample of the refractory product; and a gas permeability is 50×10?17 m2 or less.

Abstract: Provided is a ZrO2—CaO—C based refractory material which is capable of maintaining high adhesion resistance over a long period of time, while exhibiting significant slaking resistance, and suppressing self-fluxing, i.e., exhibiting corrosion-erosion resistance. The refractory material comprises a CaO—ZrO2 composition containing a CaO component in an amount of 40% by mass to 60% by mass, wherein a mass ratio of the CaO component to a ZrO2 component is 0.67 to 1.5, and wherein the CaO—ZrO2 composition includes a eutectic microstructure of CaO crystals and CaZrO3 crystals, wherein a width of each of the CaO crystals observable in a cross-sectional microstructure is 50 ?m or less.

Abstract: A tundish upper nozzle structure and a continuous casting method make it possible to cause inclusions to float within a tundish. A flange-shaped member having an outside dimension greater than that of an upper end of a tundish upper nozzle is provided along a part or the entirety of the circumference of the upper end of the tundish upper nozzle, and one or more gas discharge holes are provided in one or more of the following surfaces: a lower surface, an outer peripheral surface and a top surface of the flange-shaped member, and a region of an outer peripheral surface of the tundish upper nozzle below the flange-shaped member. A length in the tundish upper nozzle structure is adjusted to cause almost all gas to float upwardly, or to adjust the flow rate of gas flowing downwardly toward the inner bore of the tundish upper nozzle, and the flow rate of gas floating upwardly.

Abstract: A sliding nozzle apparatus, configured to allow a drive unit to be attached to and detached from a slide metal frame, efficiently transmits a driving force of the drive unit to the slide metal frame. The sliding nozzle apparatus comprises a connection component attached to a slide metal frame and configured for connection with a drive unit. The connection component is provided with an opening with respect to which the drive unit can be attached and detached. The connection component is configured to allow the opening to be switched between a first position where the opening faces in the same direction as an opening-closing direction of the slide metal frame, and a second position where the opening faces in the same direction as an attaching-detaching direction of the drive unit.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a flat immersion nozzle capable of stabilizing a molten steel discharge flow to stabilize an in-mold bath surface, i.e., reduce the fluctuation of the in-mold bath surface. Provided is an immersion nozzle having a flat portion whose inner bore has a thickness and a width greater than the thickness, wherein two lateral protrusions each protruding in a thickness direction are provided on each of opposed walls of the flat portion extending in a width direction. The lateral protrusions are arranged at axial symmetrical positions with respect to a longitudinal central axis of the width-directionally extending walls, in pairs, such that each of them extends obliquely downwardly in the width direction, wherein two pairs of the lateral protrusions are arranged, respectively, on the opposed width-directionally extending walls, in opposed relation.

Abstract: Provided is a nozzle or a stopper having a gas blowing function, which is capable of preventing irregular breaking to be triggered by a gas outlet or a gas passage path communicated with the gas outlet, or, even in the event of breaking, preventing expansion of the breaking, and a combination of the nozzle and the stopper. The nozzle comprises: a fitting engagement region refractory material layer composed of a fitting engagement region refractory material; a nozzle body composed of a different refractory material from the fitting engagement region refractory material (main body refractory material); and a gas outlet provided in at least one boundary area between the fitting engagement region refractory material layer and the main body refractory material in a surface of the nozzle contactable with molten steel.

Abstract: Provided is a thermal spray material capable of, when used in a thermal spray operation for repairing a furnace wall of an industrial furnace or for other purposes, maintaining good post-repetition bondability with respect to a target surface to thereby prevent peel-off of a resulting thermally sprayed deposit, and improving initial ignitability while suppressing dust-generating property. The thermal spray material comprised a basic compound comprising at least one of a Ca component and an Mg component, a metal Si powder, and a silica-based or alumina-silica based powder. A content rate of a fraction constituting the basic compound and having a particle size of 0.15 mm or less is 30 mass % or more with respect to 100 mass % of the basic compound, and a content rate of a fraction constituting the metal Si powder and having a particle size of 20 ?m or less is from 10 mass % to 25 mass % with respect to 100 mass % of the thermal spray material.

Abstract: Provided are a plate holding device, a plate detaching apparatus, a plate attaching apparatus and a plate attaching-detaching apparatus which are capable of reliably attaching and/or detaching a plate with respect to a plate-receiving metal frame. The plate holding device comprises: a plurality of holding members for holding a plate for a sliding nozzle device; widening and narrowing mechanisms to selectively widen and narrow a distance between the holding members; a pressing unit for pressing a central region of the plate when the plate is held by the holding members; and a force sensor for detecting a force received by the holding members and/or the pressing unit from the held plate. The plate holding device is configured to be mounted to a distal end of a robot arm.

Abstract: The precision of grasping or controlling backpressure around a gas discharge portion in a stopper for continuous casting can be improved with a stopper for continuous casting which includes a cavity for conveying gas in a vertical direction center of the stopper, one or a plurality of gas discharge holes passing through from the cavity to the outside in a distal center or a side surface of a reduced-diameter region including a fitted portion to a lower nozzle, and a pressure control component in a part of an area above the gas discharge hole within the cavity.