Guide and support structure for furnace taphole plugging or drilling device

In apparatus for positioning and supporting a clay gun relative to a taphole of a shaft furnace, the furnace having a generally vertically oriented axis, the positioning and supporting apparatus including support arm means mounted for pivoting about a first axis inclined with respect to the furnace axis, the clay gun having a longitudinal axis and being pivotally mounted from the support arm means so that the clay gun is rotatable about a second axis which is not parallel to said first axis, the improvement comprising:

• pivot means for connecting the clay gun to the support arm means, said pivot means defining said second axis, said second axis when the drill is in its operative position being inclined with respect to said first axis, said first and second axes lying in planes which intersect at an oblique angle.

In apparatus for positioning and supporting a tool relative to a taphole of a shaft furnace, the furnace having a generally vertically oriented axis and the axis of the taphole being inclined with respect to the horizontal, the positioning and supporting apparatus including support arm means mounted for pivoting about the first axis inclined with respect to the furnace axis, the tool having a longitudinal axis and being pivotally mounted from the support arm means so that the tool axis is rotatable about a second axis which is not parallel to said first axis, the improvement comprising:

• pivot means for connecting the tool to the support arm means, said pivot means defining said second axis, said second axis being inclined with respect to said first axis when the tool is in its operative position, the sum of the angles of inclination of the first axis with respect to the furnace axis and the second axis with respect to the first axis being approximately equal to the angle of inclination of the taphole axis with respect to the horizontal, said first and second axes lying in planes which intersect at an oblique angle.

In apparatus for positioning and supporting a tool relative to a taphole of a shaft furnace, the furnace having a generally vertically oriented axis, the positioning and supporting apparatus including support arm means mounted for pivoting about the first axis inclined with respect to the furnace axis, the tool having a longitudinal axis and being pivotally mounted for the support arm means so that the tool axis is rotatable about a second axis which is not parallel to said first axis, the improvement comprising:

• pivot means for connecting the tool to the support arm means, said pivot means defining said second axis, said second axis being inclined with respect to said first axis and lying in a vertical plane when the tool is in its operative position relative to the furnace taphole, the axis of the taphole also lying in said vertical plane, said first and second axes lying in planes which intersect at an oblique angle.

An apparatus for positioning and supporting a tool relative to a taphole of a shaft furnace, the furnace having a generally vertically oriented axis, the positioning and supporting apparatus including support arm means mounted for pivoting about a first axis inclined with respect to the furnace axis, the tool having a longitudinal axis and being pivotally mounted from the support arm means so that the tool axis is rotatable about a second axis which is not parallel to said first axis, the improvement comprising:

• pivot means for connecting the tool to the support arm means, said pivot means defining said second axis, said second axis being inclined in a first direction so as to intersect a first vertical plane which includes the tool axis when the tool is in its operative position relative to the taphole, said second axis further being inclined in a second direction so as to intersect a second vertical plane which is orthogonal to said first plane when said tool is in the said operative position, the second direction of inclination being inclined with respect to the first axis.