Method for inductively heating steel ingots on a transport shoe and device for carrying out the method

A method for inductively heating steel ingots for producing seamless tubes by an extrusion process, comprising the following steps:

• a) extracting a shell from a shell magazine,
• wherein the shell is made of a non-magnetizable or non-inductive sheet, and
• wherein the shell is formed such that it partially reaches around a contour of the steel ingot to be heated, and
• wherein the shell is provided at one end leading in a transporting direction with a shoulder, which extends at an angle to the transporting direction, against which the steel ingot rests in such a way that the steel ingot being pushed-through takes the shell along with it;
• b) placing the shell on an insertion device, such that the shoulder comes to rest at the end leading in the transporting direction and points upwards against the force of gravity;
• c) placing the steel ingot on the shell to form an assembly;
• d) sliding the assembly of the shell with the steel ingot located thereon into an induction furnace, wherein the assembly of the shell and the steel ingot thereby pushes forward a further steel ingot, if any, already located in the induction furnace on a further shell,
• e) pulling out the heated steel ingot on the shell and with the shell from the induction furnace;
• f) separating the heated steel ingot from the shell;
• and
• g) repeating the method steps a) to f),
• wherein the method steps a) to f) are carried out in the order in which they are listed,
• wherein separating the heated steel ingot from the shell according to method step f) takes place during a horizontal transport movement of the assembly consisting of the heated steel ingot and the shell on a horizontal transport means,
• wherein the horizontal transport movement of the steel ingot is stopped by a stop or at a stop,
• wherein the stop acts directly against an end face of the steel ingot leading in the transporting direction of the steel ingot, and
• wherein the stop is arranged in such a way that it acts as a stripper when the steel ingot is lifted off the shell, and
• wherein a height of the stop is selected such that lifting the heated steel ingot with an ingot lifting device causes the shell to be stripped from the steel ingot, in case the shell sticks to the steel ingot.