Steel ladle lip closure apparatus

A lip closure apparatus for a metallurgical vessel having a bottom, a side wall and an open, top end opposite from the bottom, an inner lining of refractory brick covering the side wall of the vessel, the lip closure apparatus comprising:

• a flange mounted on the vessel adjacent the top end and extending angularly inward from the side wall of the vessel;
• a plurality of arcuate lip closure segments, each having an inclined outer face complimentary to the angle of the flange, the plurality of arcuate segments interfitted into a continuous ring interiorly of the flange and overlying the inner lining of the refractory bricks to retain the inner lining of refractory bricks in position in the vessel;
• two, spaced, planar metallic reinforcement grids disposed in each lip closure segment substantially perpendicular to the fracture planes of each lip closure segment, each grid comprising a plurality of thin, metal strips interconnected into an open mesh, the mesh having a planar, arcuate shape complimentary to the shape of the associated lip closure segment;
• and
• a quantity of crushable material disposed between the outer face of each lip closure segment and the flange to allow for expansion of the inner lining of refractory bricks with respect to the flange.

A lip closure apparatus for a metallurgical vessel having a bottom, a side wall and an open, top end opposite from the bottom, an inner lining of refractory brick covering the side wall of the vessel, the lip closure apparatus comprising:

• a flange mounted on the vessel adjacent the top end and extending angularly inward from the side wall of the vessel;
• a plurality of arcuate lip closure segments, each having an inclined outer face complimentary to the angle of the flange, the plurality of arcuate segments interfitted into a continuous ring interiorly of the flange and overlying the inner lining of the refractory bricks to retain the inner lining of refractory bricks in position in the vessel;
• and
• a quantity of crushable material disposed between the outer face of each lip closure segment and the flange to allow for expansion of the inner lining of refractory bricks with respect to the flange.