High yield ladle bottoms

A refractory bottom lining for lining a bottom of a metallurgical vessel having a side wall, said bottom lining being a three-dimensional structure formed of a refractory material and having:

• a bottom surface that is dimensioned to overlay said bottom of said metallurgical vessel;
• an outer peripheral edge dimensioned to be spaced from said side wall of said metallurgical vessel;
• a stepped portion formed of a first refractory material, said stepped portion having:
• an upper surface comprising a plurality of discrete surface sections including an uppermost surface section, at least two intermediate surface sections and a lowermost surface section,
• each surface section of said upper surface being disposed at a different elevation wherein said uppermost surface section has a highest elevation, said lowermost surface section has a lowest elevation, and said intermediate surface sections each have an intermediate elevation that is different from each other and disposed between said highest elevation and said lowest elevation, all of said discrete surface sections forming said upper surface of said stepped portion being arranged in elevation-descending order from said uppermost surface section to said lowermost surface section to define a continuously downward stepped path from said uppermost surface section to said lowermost surface section, wherein each successive surface section along said continuously downward stepped path is lower than a preceding surface section in said continuously downward stepped path;
• an opening extending through said lowermost surface section of said stepped portion to allow a molten metal to drain from said metallurgical vessel;
• and
• a raised curb disposed on said lowermost surface section of said stepped portion, said raised curb extending from said opening to a location on said lowermost surface section, said location spaced from an adjacent intermediate surface section, said raised curb having a first side spaced from said outer peripheral edge of said bottom lining and a second side spaced from said impact portion.

A refractory bottom lining for lining a bottom of a metallurgical vessel, said bottom lining being a three-dimensional structure formed of a refractory material and having:

• a bottom surface that is dimensioned to overlay said bottom of said metallurgical vessel;
• a stepped portion formed of a first refractory material, said stepped portion having
• an upper surface comprised of an uppermost surface section, at least two intermediate surface sections and a lowermost surface section,
• said surface sections of said upper surface being arranged in elevation-descending order from said uppermost surface section to said lowermost surface section to define two continuously downward stepped paths from said uppermost surface section to said lowermost surface section, wherein each successive surface section along each of said two continuously downward stepped paths is lower than a preceding surface section in said continuously downward stepped path and wherein said surface sections are disposed such that a first of said two continuously downward stepped paths is arcuate in a counterclockwise direction about a first vertical axis extending through a central portion of said bottom lining and a second of said two continuously downward stepped paths is arcuate in a clockwise direction about a second vertical axis extending through a central portion of said bottom lining;
• and
• an opening extending through said lowermost surface section of said stepped portion to allow a molten metal to drain from said metallurgical vessel.