Wide-range round-bottom hearth-brick compression system

A furnace refractory brick compression system, comprising:

• a plurality of thrust blocks for arrangement in a circular ring around a bottom refractory layer of bricks;
• a plurality of studs for fastening along an outside circular ribbon at intervals to a single-piece vertical cylindrical containment shell in the bottom of which are disposed said bottom refractory layer of bricks;
• a plurality of push rods for penetrating said single-piece vertical cylindrical containment shell along said outside circular ribbon at intervals corresponding to said individual ones of the plurality of studs;
• and
• a plurality of springs for applying an inwardly radial compressive force on respective ones of the plurality of thrust blocks via the plurality of push rods, and that work against the plurality of studs for leverage;
• wherein, said bottom refractory layer of bricks can thereby be held tightly together during their campaign life as they swell.

A method of extending the campaign life of hearth brick in a furnace refractory, comprising:

• placing a plurality of thrust brocks with an inner face in contact with an outer perimeter of a bedding of hearth brick disposed in the bottom of a vertical cylindrical pyrometallergical furnace, and inside a non-segmented steel containment shell;
• using a plurality of thrust rods to penetrate said containment shell and to provide for the transmission of an inwardly radial compression force to matching outer faces of corresponding ones of the plurality of thrust brocks;
• installing at least one of a plurality of load beams and a plurality of rocker arms in contact with corresponding ones of the plurality of thrust rods outside said containment shell;
• and
• arranging a plurality of springs outside said containment shell with each having a compressive contact with corresponding ones of the plurality of load beams and plurality of rocker arms such that individual spring pressures are combined and directed as an inwardly radial compression force to matching outer faces of corresponding ones of the plurality of thrust brocks;
• wherein, the whole is arranged in a horizontal ring around the bottom of said containment shell adjacent to the outside perimeter of said bedding of hearth brick.