A metal casting installation is provided that includes a robot configured for carrying out the operations of handing a new ladle shroud to a manipulator of the ladle located at the loading station, and coupling a driving device to the ladle slide gate each manipulator is fixed relative to the corresponding first or second ladle such as to move together with the corresponding first or second ladle between the loading station and the casting station.

A metal casting installation is provided that includes a robot configured for carrying out the operations of handing a new ladle shroud to a manipulator of the ladle located at the loading station, and coupling a driving device to the ladle slide gate each manipulator is fixed relative to the corresponding first or second ladle such as to move together with the corresponding first or second ladle between the loading station and the casting station.

Slide closure for a vessel that operatively contains molten metal, comprising: a slide housing including a recess receiving a first refractory closure plate; a slide unit including an opening receiving a second refractory closure plate; wherein at least one clamping mechanism is arranged to start the clamping of the corresponding refractory closure plate via an actuation of the at least one clamping mechanism when the slide unit is displaced relative to the slide housing and the first and the second refractory closure plates are distant apart from each other, essentially before the first and the second faces of the respective first and the second refractory closure plates are in contact under pressure.

System for tracking and assessing the condition of replaceable refractory elements in a metallurgic facility comprising: a) a plurality of identifiable metallurgical vessels, such as ladles, wherein each one of said identifiable metallurgical vessels comprises removable refractory elements, such as slide gate valve plates; b) a plurality of replacement refractory elements, wherein each replacement refractory element comprises a machine-readable identification tag comprising refractory element identification data; c) a reading station, such as an RFID workbench, for reading the machine-readable identification tags of a replacement refractory element positioned in a reading zone of the reading station; d) a refractory condition tool for assessing the condition of refractory elements coupled to anyone of said metallurgical vessels; e) a monitoring unit connectable to the reading station and the refractory condition tool.

System for tracking and assessing the condition of replaceable refractory elements in a metallurgic facility comprising: a) a plurality of identifiable metallurgical vessels, such as ladles, wherein each one of said identifiable metallurgical vessels comprises removable refractory elements, such as slide gate valve plates; b) a plurality of replacement refractory elements, wherein each replacement refractory element comprises a machine-readable identification tag comprising refractory element identification data; c) a reading station, such as an RFID workbench, for reading the machine-readable identification tags of a replacement refractory element positioned in a reading zone of the reading station; d) a refractory condition tool for assessing the condition of refractory elements coupled to anyone of said metallurgical vessels; e) a monitoring unit connectable to the reading station and the refractory condition tool.

Plate condition tool for the measurement of condition data of slide gate valve plates coupled to the slide gate valve of a metallurgic vessel, said slide gate valve comprising a collector nozzle, said plate condition tool comprising: a) a main body comprising an obturator for obturating at least partially the collector nozzle; b) a gas injecting device comprising a pressure regulator for injecting a gas in the collector nozzle through the obturator; c) a gas flow measuring device for measuring the flow of the gas injected by the gas injecting device d) a controller being communicatively connected to the gas flow measuring device and being configured to receive input data relating to the relative position of the slide gate valve plates; and wherein the obturator comprises a seal holder for holding a collector nozzle seal.

A control method and apparatus for inhibiting slag entrapment in ladle (1) during continuous casting production. An optimal control model calculating unit (11) receives related signals and data sent by a ladle weight detector (4), a molten steel flow field detector (5), a slag detector (7), a sliding gate opening detector (9), and a process signal interface unit (10), performs calculation and analysis according to an optimal control model to obtain a corresponding optimal control strategy, and outputs the strategy to an electromagnetic brake (6) and a sliding gate controller (8) for slag entrapment inhibition control. Regarding the two processes where a vortex may be formed, by means of different optimal control strategies, which respectively inhibit or destroy the formation of a vortex, slag generation is postponed, and molten steel may flow out without bringing slag out, thereby reducing residual ladle steel and improving molten steel yield.

A plate, a plate-holding apparatus, and a holding method for the plate for facilitating work to attach the plate to a plate-receiving metal frame of a sliding nozzle device. A gap is ensured between a to-be-held portion of the plate and an inner wall surface of an engagement groove such that, when the plate is held by engaging the to-be-held portion of the plate with the engagement groove of a holding portion of the plate-holding apparatus, the plate is movable in the longitudinal direction, the width direction, and the thickness direction of the plate.

A sliding nozzle apparatus includes a pair of sliding metal frame retaining sections provided on respective sides of opposed long edges of a fixed metal frame in an openable and closable manner. The sliding nozzle apparatus also includes: a pair of shafts each integrated with one of the retaining sections and each rotatably supported on a corresponding one of the sides of the opposed long edges of the metal frame; first and second link members provided, respectively, at one end of the shafts of the sliding metal frame retaining sections; and a link element coupling the first and second link members together, such that, when one of the retaining sections is manually opened or closed, the shaft of the other retaining section is reversely rotated to cause the other retaining section to be simultaneously opened or closed.

A sliding gate for a vessel containing molten metal is provided with a slide housing (1), a slide unit guided longitudinally therein and having a push rod (2), a mounting (5) and a linear drive (6), which is removably fastened in the latter and has a drive rod (4). This drive rod (4) can be connected to the push rod (2) of the slide unit by a coupling (3). The coupling (3) is designed in such a way that, when the linear drive (6) has been pushed into the mounting (5), it automatically couples by a movement of the drive rod (4) towards the slide unit, while it uncouples when the linear drive (6) is removed from the mounting (5), transversely in relation to the direction of movement of the drive rod (4). A locking device (7), which can be actuated by the linear drive (6) and interacts with the mounting (5) is provided here, by means of which the linear drive (6) after being pushed into the mounting (5) can be fixed in the latter and can be unlocked again before it is removed.