Metallurgical oven and a material basket for a metallurgical oven

A self-supporting material basket suitable for receiving scrap metal comprising:

• a plurality of side walls defining an internal space having a cross-section that is substantially rectangular or convexly polygonal in a horizontal direction, the side walls being arranged and constructed to removably couple to a furnace vessel, and
• a first plurality of fingers pivotably coupled via a first shaft to a lower portion of a first one of the side walls,
• a second plurality of fingers pivotably coupled via a second shaft to a lower portion of a second one of the side walls that opposes the first one of the side walls,
• wherein each of the first and second plurality of fingers has a length approximately half the length of the internal space in the horizontal direction, intervening spaces are defined between the first and second plurality of fingers for permitting gas to pass therethrough, the fingers are arranged and constructed to be disposed in a closed position of an underside of the internal space in a plane substantially perpendicular to the side walls and ends of the fingers are adapted to be supported in the closed position by a support disposed on a carriage, and
• an actuating member coupled to the plurality of fingers and being arranged and constructed to pivot the fingers so as to open and close the underside of the internal space.

A metallurgical furnace comprising:

• a furnace vessel,
• a cover covering at least a portion of an upper side of the furnace vessel,
• a vertically-oriented projection mounted on one of the cover and the upper side of the furnace vessel, wherein the projection extends above an upper edge of the furnace vessel and includes an upwardly-facing opening for receiving material to be smelted in the furnace vessel,
• means for injecting at least one of fuel and oxygen into the projection,
• at least first and second material baskets arranged and constructed to hold and charge the material to be smelted into the vessel via the upwardly-facing opening of the projection, each basket having a pivotable material retaining means arranged and constructed to close an underside of the basket, at least one space being defined in the pivotable retaining means for permitting passage of hot gases emanating from the furnace vessel via the projection into an interior of the material basket, and wherein the pivotable retaining means and the projection are dimensioned such that ends of the pivotable retaining means are pivotable into an interior of the projection when the material to be smelted is being charged into the vessel, but the ends of the pivotable retaining means are not pivotable below a maximum filling height of the furnace, and
• means for moving the first and second materials basket to as to alternately position the first and second material baskets above the projection for charging the furnace vessel with the material to be smelted via the projection.