Methods and apparatus for constructing glass furnace refractory structures

An apparatus to assist in construction of a refractory structure formed of refractory components having vertically oriented side wall and end wall buck stays externally supporting opposed pairs of side and end walls, respectively, defining an interior space of the refractory structure, wherein the apparatus comprises:

• a header support beam assembly extending at a non-perpendicular angle between respective pairs of side wall buckstays;
• and
• a moveable hoist supporting assembly supported by the header support beam assembly and moveable between the opposed pairs of side and end walls,
• a pair of laterally spaced-apart parallel elongate rail assemblies extending over the interior space of the refractory structure, and
• a bridge support dependently connected to the rail assemblies for movement in a longitudinal direction of the rail assemblies, wherein
• the header support beam assembly comprises:
• (a) a pair of opposed header support beam members that are spaced apart parallel to one another so as to define a space therebetween, each of the support beam members having a proximal terminal end attached to a respective one of the side wall buckstays and an opposite distal terminal end attached to a respective one of the end wall buckstays so as to form an outwardly angulated header support structure relative to the interior space of the refractory structure,
• (b) a pair of hanger assemblies for dependently supporting the rail assemblies to the header support beam members, wherein each of the hanger assemblies includes:
• (b1) a pair of hanger rods extending through the space defined between the header support beam members,
• (b2) an upper header plate bearing against upper flange surfaces of the header support beam members, and
• (b3) a sole support plate for supporting a respective one of the rail assemblies, wherein
• the hanger rods extend through the space defined between the header support beam members so as to compressively couple the upper header support plate and the sole support plate of each of the hanger assemblies.