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

A device, comprising:

• a tubular induction furnace (1);
• a shell magazine (17A, 17B) with a plurality of shells (10),
• each of the shells (10) being made of a non-magnetizable or non-inductive sheet to serve as transport shoe for a steel ingot (2),
• wherein the shells (10) are respectively formed such that they partially reach around a contour of the steel ingot (2) to be heated, and
• wherein the shells (10) are provided at one end leading in a transporting direction with a shoulder (12), which extends at an angle to the transporting direction, against which the steel ingot (2) rests in such a way that the steel ingot (2) being pushed-through takes the shell (10) along with it;
• a first transport means for providing shells (10) at a loading station (15);
• a second transport means for feeding cold steel ingots (2) to the loading station (15), at which in each case a cold steel ingot (2) is placed on a shell (10);
• a device for sliding in steel ingots (2) placed on the shells (10);
• means for extracting heated steel ingots (2) from the tubular induction furnace (1);
• a third transport means for outfeeding the heated steel ingots (1);
• and
• means for separating the heated steel ingots (2) from the shells (10),
• wherein the third transport means, as the means for separating the heated steel ingots (2) from the shells (10), comprises at least one stop (25), which acts directly against an end face of the steel ingot (2) leading in the transporting direction of the heated steel ingot (2), and which is arranged in such a way that it acts as a stripper for the shell (10) when the shell (10) is lifted from the steel ingot (2), and
• wherein a height of the stop (25) is selected such that a lifting the heated steel ingot (2) with an ingot lifting device (24) causes the shell (10) to be stripped from the steel ingot (2), in case that the shell (10) sticks to the steel ingot (2).