Method of and tiltable ladle for the treatment of cast iron melt

A method of treating an iron melt with a substance capable of inducing spheroidal graphite formation in cast iron, said method comprising steps of:

• introducing a quantity of said substance into a chamber formed at one end of an elongated cylindrical refractory-lined vessel by swinging said vessel into an upright position about a transverse axis with an opening at the other end of said vessel receiving said substance which is passed downwardly into said chamber which is located at the bottom of the upright vessel;
• introducing into said vessel in a horizontal orientation thereof through said opening at the other end a cast iron melt while maintaining said substance out of contact with said melt with a partition defining said chamber and oriented such that said chamber opens toward said opening;
• swinging said vessel into upright orientation about said transverse axis to permit said melt to react with said substance;
• swinging said vessel into a substantially horizontal orientation about said transverse axis and pouring slag from the melt therein through said opening;
• and
• discharging said melt from said vessel by angularly displacing said vessel about a longitudinal axis perpendicular to said transverse axis.

An apparatus for the treatment of an iron melt with a substance capable of inducing the formation of spheroidal graphite comprising:

• an elongated cylindrical vessel lined with a refractory and formed at opposite ends with cylinder bottoms;
• means enabling the displacement of said vessel within an iron making plant;
• a flange structure mounting at least one of said cylinder bottoms on said vessel;
• means enabling tilting displacement of said vessel between horizontal and upright orientations about a generally transverse axis;
• means for angularly displacing said vessel about a longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to said horizontal axis at least in said horizontal orientation of said vessel;
• means forming a charging opening at one end of said vessel;
• a partition in said vessel adjacent a respective cylinder bottom provided with said flange structure at the other end of said vessel remote from said opening and defining a chamber at said other end opening within said vessel toward said opening and disposed at an upper portion of said vessel in said horizontal orientation thereof, said partition defining a mouth of said chamber turned toward said opening to receive said substance through said opening and said mouth when said vessel is in its upright orientation, said partition maintaining said substance out of contact with a melt of iron introduced to said opening in a horizontal orientation of said vessel;
• a syphon disposed at said one end of said vessel for discharging treated cast iron upon angular displacement of said vessel about said longitudinal axis;
• and
• a weir formed at said one end of said vessel and partly defining said opening above said syphon for enabling slag to be discharged from said vessel over said weir by tilting of said vessel about the transverse axis.