Patents Examined by Scott R Kastler
  • Patent number: 11761047
    Abstract: A converter includes a container and a supporting ring. A suspension device for the converter has a central structure fixed to the container. A first lateral structure is arranged at a first side of the central structure and fixed to a surface of the supporting ring. A second lateral structure is oppositely arranged. First and second sliding blocks are respectively connected with the first and second lateral structure. A first contact body is connected with the central structure by a first threaded bolt which engages a threaded hole in the central structure and a threaded hole in the first contact body. A second contact body is connected with the central structure by a second threaded bolt which engages a threaded hole in the central structure and a threaded hole in the second contact body. A distance element is arranged between the central structure and the first and/or second contact body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Steffen Krausa, Christian Osterloh, William Todd Zeisler
  • Patent number: 11759854
    Abstract: The invention relates to systems for transferring molten metal from one structure to another. Aspects of the invention include a transfer chamber constructed inside of or next to a vessel used to retain molten metal. The transfer chamber is in fluid communication with the vessel so molten metal from the vessel can enter the transfer chamber. A powered device, which may be inside of the transfer chamber, moves molten metal upward and out of the transfer chamber and preferably into a structure outside of the vessel, such as another vessel or a launder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Molten Metal Equipment Innovations, LLC
    Inventors: Paul V. Cooper, Vincent D. Fontana
  • Patent number: 11753692
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus (10) for the thermal treatment of metallic products, which comprises (a) a support and transport plane (24); (b) at least one collector module (12) comprising at least one collector (14, 16), the collector (14) being provided with a perforated plate (22) facing the support and transport plane (24); (b-2) a conduit (20) connected to said at least one collector (14), and (b-3) integrated in said conduit (20), at least one stop valve (18). The stop valve (18) is situated at a distance from the collector (14) which does not exceed 60 cm. The perforated plate (22) is provided with holes which are arranged in rows parallel to each other but not in parallel rows with respect to the sides of said perforated plate. The rows are inclined with respect to two opposite sides of the plate (22) of an acute angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: DANIELI & C. Officine Meccaniche S.p.A.
    Inventors: Umberto Saccoman, Zdzislaw SZablowski, Riccardo Treu
  • Patent number: 11753698
    Abstract: Some variations provide a composition for reducing a metal ore, the composition comprising a carbon-metal ore particulate, wherein the carbon-metal ore particulate comprises at least about 0.1 wt % to at most about 50 wt % fixed carbon on a moisture-free and ash-free basis, and wherein the carbon is at least 50% renewable carbon as determined from a measurement of the 14C/12C isotopic ratio. Some variations provide a process for reducing a metal ore, comprising: providing a biomass feedstock; pyrolyzing the feedstock to generate a biogenic reagent comprising carbon and a pyrolysis off-gas comprising hydrogen or carbon monoxide; obtaining a metal ore comprising a metal oxide; combining the carbon with the metal ore, to generate a carbon-metal ore particulate; optionally pelletizing the carbon-metal ore particulate; and utilizing the pyrolysis off-gas to chemically reduce the metal oxide to elemental metal, such as iron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Carbon Technology Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: James A. Mennell, Daren Daugaard, Dustin Slack
  • Patent number: 11753742
    Abstract: A high-temperature forming device for imperfect single-crystal wafers used for a neutron monochromator includes a heating electric furnace, a temperature control system, a die system, a loading system, a vacuum protection system, and an auxiliary system. Where a furnace mouth of the heating electric furnace faces downwards, the heating electric furnace can be lifted vertically or a hearth of the heating electric furnace can be opened and closed. A vacuum protection cavity is formed by a glass cover and a blocking flange, a through hole is formed in one end of the glass cover, and the other end of the glass cover is closed. An operation opening is formed in the glass cover, the die system includes an upper die, a middle die, and a lower die, the middle die is a composite die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Changsha University of Science & Technology
    Inventors: Wei Xie, Yibing Luo, Yonggang Tong, Xiaofeng Yu, Taishan Cao
  • Patent number: 11745257
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: KROSAKIHARIMA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichi Fukunaga, Kouichi Tachikawa, Toshio Kaku
  • Patent number: 11745237
    Abstract: A cooling group for a laminar cooling device, including at least one cooling unit arranged above and below a strip to be cooled in order to supply the strip with a cooling liquid, including a central inlet via which cooling liquid is supplied, a distributing tube supplied with cooling liquid by the central inlet, and a number of supplying units supplied with cooling liquid from the distributing tube. Each supplying unit has a number of cooling nozzles via which cooling liquid is discharged onto the strip. In order to minimize the influence of the number of supplying units which are switched on or switched off, and thus have as little expenditure as possible, a volumetric flow rate regulating valve is arranged in or in front of the central inlet. The regulating valve is used to conduct a defined volume of cooling liquid through the central inlet per unit of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: SMS GROUP GMBH
    Inventors: Johannes Alken, Henning Berg, Jens Kiessling-Romanus, August Sprock
  • Patent number: 11740023
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a steel component from a blank is provided. Firstly, a blank is placed in a conveyor system. Then, at least a preselected zone of the blank is preheated while the blank is retained at a predetermined preheating location. Finally, the blank is conveyed through a furnace. A preheating system for heating blanks in a production line is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: AUTOTECH ENGINEERING, S.L.
    Inventors: Manuel López Lage, Jordi Castilla Moreno, Daniel Merino Fernández
  • Patent number: 11740024
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for moving molten material within a container are provided. The method comprising: providing apparatus including an electromagnetic mover adjacent a part of the container, wherein the electromagnetic mover has a primary motion axis, the primary motion axis being aligned along the direction of the maximum linear force generated by the electromagnetic stirrer; applying a current to the electromagnetic mover such that changes in magnetic field configuration cause movement of the molten metal within the container; wherein the primary motion axis is inclined relative to the vertical in two different planes; or wherein the longitudinal axis is inclined relative to the vertical in two different planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: ALTEK EUROPE LIMITED
    Inventors: Stephen Makepeace, Isaac Sewell
  • Patent number: 11739424
    Abstract: A graphene reinforced aluminum matrix composite with high electrical conductivity and a preparation method thereof. The method includes: obtaining aluminum coated graphene powder by plating aluminum on a graphene surface, melting aluminum block into aluminum liquid, heating a mold to be lower than an aluminum melting point, alternately pouring the aluminum liquid and the aluminum coated graphene powder into the mold for layered casting to obtain a sandwich structure; extruding the sandwich structure into a rectangular test block and then heating to 500˜600° C., performing heat preservation for a preset time and performing forging treatment, and performing longitudinal cold deformation under inert gas to obtain the graphene reinforced aluminum matrix composite. The method can solve a problem that poor wettability of graphene and aluminum matrix, the graphene is evenly dispersed in the aluminum matrix, which can improve strength of the aluminum matrix and keep its high electrical conductivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: WUHAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF MATERIALS PROTECTION
    Inventors: Haitao Duan, Yinhua Li, Jiesong Tu, Jian Li, Xingeng Li, Zhibin Fan, Dan Jia, Shengpeng Zhan, Tian Yang, Yunhu Ding, Lixin Ma
  • Patent number: 11731179
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a steel strip coiling temperature control method, a steel strip coiling temperature control device and a steel strip processing system, which relate to the technical field of steel strip production. The method comprises: seeking a corresponding speed compensation coefficient according to a target thickness of the steel strip and a target temperature parameter; seeking a corresponding speed gain coefficient from a second correspondence table according to a steel strip speed; correcting the steel strip speed based on the speed compensation coefficient and the speed gain coefficient to obtain a corrected steel strip speed; and adjusting a cooling efficiency of a laminar flow cooling apparatus according to the corrected steel strip speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: SHOUGANG JINGTANG IRON & STEEL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Fang Xu, Hongbo Qin, Jinfang Shi, Shuang Huang, Dongning Li, Kai Li, Liang Hu, Tong Chen, Wei Zheng, Junyin Wang, Lingfeng Chen, Haiwei Xu, Shengguo Cui, Jinhua Wang, Changqing Cao, Zhijun Wei
  • Patent number: 11724296
    Abstract: A side spray method for cooling a steel strip after hot rolling includes providing side spray devices behind multiple cooling sections on two sides in a width direction of a run out roller table of the steel strip after hot rolling. The side spray devices are staggered along the two sides of the run out roller table of the steel strip, the side spray devices include at least two spray units, each spray unit includes a spray tube and nozzles on the spray tube, the spray tubes being in parallel and vertically arranged along a running direction of the steel strip, and being movable along the running direction of the steel strip, covering ranges of the nozzles on the side spray devices are partially overlapped with each other, and a total spray coverage covering of nozzles covers a width of the run out roller table of the steel strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: BAOSHAN IRON & STEEL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jianfeng Wu, Xiaobo Wang, Zhaohui Hu, Yong Zhang, Wendong Liu, Qingfeng Zhang, Ye Liu, Guohua Xu
  • Patent number: 11724308
    Abstract: A unitary refractory ring having a sidewall surrounding and spaced from a center axis, and one or more lifting lugs distributed around the center axis. The lifting lugs extend from an inner face of the sidewall towards the center axis, and are located between lower and upper axial faces of the sidewall. Each lifting lug has a lower lug face extending radially towards the center axis from the inner face of the sidewall, and a backing structure extending upwards along an axial direction from the lower lug face towards the upper axial face of the sidewall. An assembly of refractory rings, and methods for making and assembling refractory rings are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Inventors: G. Michael Friebel, Pavan Shivaram
  • Patent number: 11717884
    Abstract: In a molten metal pump, which includes a pump chamber portion and a drive unit and drives molten metal in a pump chamber of the pump chamber portion by the drive unit for discharging and sucking, the pump chamber portion has an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder detachably housed in the outer cylinder, the outer cylinder is configured as a bottomed cylindrical body having an outer cylinder bottom wall and an outer cylinder side wall, the inner cylinder is configured as a bottomed cylindrical body having an inner cylinder bottom wall and an inner cylinder side wall, a ring-shaped spacer, which is interposed between an inner surface of the outer cylinder bottom wall and an outer surface of the inner cylinder bottom wall in a sealed state and in a detachable manner, is further provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Inventor: Kenzo Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11708617
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: KROSAKIHARIMA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Takeuchi, Satoshi Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 11708621
    Abstract: A strip flotation furnace for controlling the temperature of a metal strip has a flotation nozzle bar extending through the furnace transversely to a strip running direction of the strip. The flotation nozzle bar has two opposing first flotation nozzle rows spaced apart by a central region of the flotation nozzle bar. The rows are set up so that corresponding flotation nozzle jets, with a directional component toward the central region, can be generated to provide pressure cushioning for metal strip guiding. A temperature-control nozzle bar extends transversely to and is spaced apart from the flotation nozzle bar along the strip running direction. The temperature-control nozzle bar has two additional opposing temperature-control nozzle rows spaced apart by an additional temperature-control nozzle bar central region. These rows are set up so that corresponding temperature-control nozzle jets, with a directional component opposite to the additional central region, can be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: EBNER Industrieofenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Robert Ebner, Ulrich Pschebezin, Igor Grujic, Alexander Pocherdorfer
  • Patent number: 11708302
    Abstract: A method of continuous manufacturing of solidified steelmaking slag including the steps of solidifying molten steelmaking slag comprising at least 2% in weight of free lime so as to produce solidified slag particles having a diameter below 1 mm, the molten steelmaking slag being put in contact with at least a first carbonation gas during such solidification, cooling the solidified slag particles down to a temperature below or equal to 300° C., in a closed chamber, the solidified slag particles being put in contact with at least one second carbonation gas during such cooling. The invention is also related to an associated device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: ArcelorMittal
    Inventors: Eric De Coninck, Ivonne Infante, Rafael Mattos Dos Santos, Ghania Ounoughene, Thomas Van Gerven
  • Patent number: 11701697
    Abstract: The present cooling device includes: when cooling regions obtained by dividing an entire cooling region into a plurality of portions in a steel sheet conveyance direction and three or more portions in a width direction are set as divided cooling surfaces, a cooling water nozzle 23 and a switching device that switches between collision and non-collision of cooling water jetted from the cooling water nozzle 23 with the divided cooling surface, the cooling water nozzle 23 and the switching device provided for each of the divided cooling surfaces; and a control device that controls operation of the switching device based on a width-direction temperature distribution. The cooling water nozzle 23 has a jet axis P inclined with respect to a vertical line to the entire cooling region when viewed in the steel sheet conveyance direction, and the cooling water goes to the side opposite to the cooling water nozzle 23 in the width direction after colliding with the divided cooling surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Niitani, Nobumasa Hayashi, Rumi Matsumoto, Yoshihiro Serizawa, Tomofumi Hosho, Takumu Ushizawa, Naoko Katou
  • Patent number: 11702713
    Abstract: A process and a plant for preheating a metal charge fed in continuous to an electric melting furnace through a preheating tunnel provided with a horizontal conveyor, wherein the metal charge is hit, in countercurrent, by the exhaust fumes or gas leaving the electric melting furnace and by jets of gas ejected through a plurality of nozzles positioned on the hood of the tunnel. The nozzles are arranged in groups interspaced from each other in a longitudinal direction with respect to the tunnel, and generate a small-scale turbulence or inject small fast gas jets that can penetrate the main gas stream passing through the preheating tunnel, and simultaneously generate a “horseshoe vortex” structure composed of a descending central gas flow (“downwash”), and ascending flows (“upwash”) close to the side walls of the preheating tunnel, which enable a desired circulation of the gases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Inventors: Silvio Maria Reali, Cesare Giavani
  • Patent number: 11697860
    Abstract: A screening apparatus comprises superposed screening decks with an upper one of the screening decks having a pellet input, and each screening deck ends with an oversize pellet output, the screening decks have screens to screen the green ore pellets from top to bottom, the oversize pellet outputs feeding the travelling grate through pellet chutes with the oversize green ore pellets of one of the upper and the lower one of the screening decks being superposed to oversize green ore pellets of the other one of the lower and the upper one of the screening decks, the pellet chutes defining a curved delivery path with an input slope at the chute pellet input greater than an output slope of the chute pellet output to reduce a delivery speed of the green ore pellets from the oversize pellet output to the travelling grate. There is also provided a method for screening and delivering green ore pellets onto a travelling grate of an induration furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: MÉTAL 7 INC.
    Inventors: Steve Beaudin, François Cloutier-Poirier, Éric Dorval