Work facilitating apparatus for conveying building material from a higher to a lower level

An apparatus for conveying material from a higher level to a lower level through an upper opening in a metallurgical container, such as a converter, a metallurgical furnace or a holding furnace, particularly material in the form of bricks for providing the metallurgical container with a refractory lining, said apparatus comprising:

• a vertically suspended structure formed of plural relatively vertically telescopically movable sections;
• a working platform supported by said structure at a lower said section thereof;
• an upper frame including means for supporting said upper frame to the upper end of the metallurgical container and means for supporting said structure and said platform in a manner to depend from said upper frame downwardly into the metallurgical container;
• an outer support means extending from a position outside of said upper frame to said upper frame, said outer support means including an elongated guide means;
• a movable supporting device supported by said outer support means for adjustable movement along said elongated guide means, said movable supporting device being adjustably positionable at plural fixed locations relative to said elongated guide means;
• an endless chain conveyor having plural material entrainment means;
• first chain conveyor guide means supported by said movable supporting device;
• second chain conveyor guide means supported by said upper frame;
• third chain conveyor guide means supported by said structure at a level above said platform;
• said endless chain conveyor being guided by said first, second and third chain conveyor guide means in an endless path extending between said movable supporting device and said upper frame and therefrom vertically into and through said structure to said level above said platform, the vertical portion of the conveyor loop of said endless chain conveyor between said second and third chain conveyor guide means being elongatable and shortenable by movement of said movable supporting device and said first chain conveyor guide means along said elongated guide means;
• and
• means for transferring material from outwardly of the metallurgical container to said endless chain conveyor at a position located above the metallurgical container and above said vertical portion of said endless chain conveyor, said transferring means including a transportation path extending from a first location positioned outwardly of and adjacent a first part of said vertical portion of said endless chain conveyor which during operation moves vertically upwardly between said third chain conveyor guide means and said second chain conveyor guide means to a second location at a level for transferring material over said second chain conveyor guide means to a second part of said vertical portion of said endless chain conveyor which during operation moves vertically downwardly between said second chain conveyor guide means and said third chain conveyor guide means.