Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 16

FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING TRENDS 29 LADLE PARTS A lot of ladle parts are either named by the foundry or the ladle manufacturer and while most names do follow a logic they don’t always coincide and may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. What follows are the Acetarc names and, again, I’m not claiming that these are the definitive names, just the ones that we use. As many of these parts are safety critical ones it is important that all parties understand what the other is talking about. I’ve listed several on the attached drawing. These are the parts that often seem to cause confusion. Lifting hook (eye) – also referred to as a bail loop or lifting bracket. It is basically what is used to attach the hoist lifting hook to the ladle. Lifting beam (top channels) - also known as beam or yoke. We Contact: STEVEN HARKER steven.harker@acetarc.co.uk usually offer a top channel lifting bail but can change this to a “Vee” bail if required. A “Vee” bail is one where the lifting beam is constructed out of a sold bar bent into a vee shape, (this is something that comes down to a foundry’s personal choice). Side arm assembly – upright or supports. Trunnion shaft – the part on which the ladle pivots. We add to this because all our workhorse ladles have “bolt-on-trunnions.” The trunnion has a large machined spigot on the rear that engages with a machined pad on the ladle shell. This takes the shear load the bolts (hi-tensile) take the torque and fix the trunnion to the pad. Having bolt-on-trunnions means that changing the trunnions is a maintenance task whereas with welded on trunnions it is a full engineering task. Detachable base – usually a detachable base section of the ladle shell. Especially useful with treatment ladles as it allows the reaction chamber lining to be repaired without the need to wreck out the complete lining. Casting ladles can have variations on this to assist with the lining removal. With treatment ladles it can be the bottom quarter or third of the shell. With casting ladles, it is usually just the base plate. With so many terms and issues with language, it is far better to reclarify the style, capacity and function early on in the project, to remove all doubt. You’ll look a bigger idiot if the customer gets the wrong equipment due to a misunderstanding over language.