Wear resistant composite material, its application in cooling elements for a metallurgical furnace, and method of manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10527352-B2
Application number	US-201816058543-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2018
Priority date	Feb 18, 2016
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

An abrasion-resistant material for the working face of a metallurgical furnace cooling element such as a stave cooler or a tuyere cooler having a body comprised of a first metal. The abrasion-resistant material comprises a macro-composite material including abrasion-resistant particles which are arranged in a substantially repeating, engineered configuration infiltrated with a matrix of a second metal, the particles having a hardness greater than that of the second metal. A cooling element for a metallurgical furnace has a body comprised of the first metal, the body having a facing layer comprising the abrasion-resistant material. A method comprises: positioning the engineered configuration of abrasion-resistant particles in a mold cavity, the engineered configuration located in an area of the mold cavity to define the facing layer; and introducing molten metal into the cavity, the molten metal comprising the first metal of the cooling element body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling element for a metallurgical furnace,
the cooling element comprising a body comprised of a first metal and
a facing layer, the facing layer providing a working face for the cooling element,
the facing layer comprised of a composite material, the composite material comprising
abrasion-resistant particles arranged in a repeating pattern to define spaces therebetween, and
tendrils within the spaces, the tendrils having a consistent thickness along their lengths and formed by infiltrating the spaces with a second metal.

2. The cooling element of claim 1 , wherein all of the abrasion-resistant particles are substantially the same size and shape.

3. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the abrasion-resistant particles have a hardness of at least about 6.5 Mohs.

4. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the second metal is the same type of metal as the first metal.

5. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the second metal is a high copper alloy having a copper content of at least about 96 weight percent.

6. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the composite material has an abrasive wear rate, of no more than 0.6 times that of grey cast iron under identical conditions.

7. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the facing layer has a thickness from about 3 mm to about 50 mm.

8. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the spaces between the abrasion-resistant particles define at least a portion of the tendrils of the second metal.

9. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the abrasion-resistant particles have a size from about 3 mm to about 10 mm.

10. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein all of the spaces between the abrasion-resistant particles are substantially the same.

11. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the tendrils extend toward the working face.

12. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein any of said abrasion-resistant particles located at a working face extend into the composite material by at least 0.25 of their length or diameter.

13. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the tendrils surround the abrasion-resistant particles and extend toward the working face.

14. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the abrasion-resistant particles are cylindrical, with each of the abrasion-resistant particles having a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the working face.

15. The cooling element according to claim 14 , wherein each of the cylindrical abrasion-resistant particles has a hollow interior which is infiltrated by the second metal to form a tendril.

16. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the abrasion-resistant particles comprise particles of foam or mesh.

17. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the abrasion-resistant particles are cylindrical, with each of the abrasion-resistant particles having a longitudinal axis that is perpendicular to the working face.

18. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the spaces between the abrasion-resistant particles are completely infiltrated with the second metal.

19. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the abrasion-resistant particles of the facing layer are comprised of one or more of ceramics, including carbides, nitrides, borides, and oxides.

20. The cooling element according to claim 18 , wherein:
the carbides comprise one or more of tungsten carbide, niobium carbide, chromium carbide and silicon carbide;
the nitrides comprise one or more of aluminum nitride and silicon nitride;
the oxides comprise one or more of aluminum oxide and titanium oxide; and
the borides comprise silicon boride.

21. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the second metal comprises: cast iron; steel, including stainless steel; copper; and alloys of copper, including copper-nickel alloys.

22. The cooling element according to claim 1 wherein the tendrils form part of the working face.

23. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the abrasion-resistant particles are independent of one another.

24. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the facing layer comprises a single layer of the abrasion-resistant particles packed in a hexagonal area packing arrangement.

25. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the abrasion resistant particles comprises plate-shaped abrasion resistant particles, and wherein a face of each of the plate-shaped abrasion-resistant particles forms part of the working face.

26. The cooling element according to claim 25 , wherein the spaces between each of the faces of the plate-shaped particles forming the working face define the tendrils of the second metal.

27. The cooling element according to claim 26 , wherein one or more of the plate-shaped particles is surrounded by the tendrils.

28. The cooling element according to claim 1 , wherein the body is provided with one or more internal cavities defining one or more coolant flow passages.

Assignees

• Hatch Ltd

Inventors

• Vickress Dustin Alexander
• Cameron Ian Archibald
• Rudge David Henry
• Ponomar Andriy
• Ponomar Volodymyr
• Jastrzebski Maciej Urban
• Shaw John Andrew Ferguson

Classifications

• F27B1/16

  Arrangements of tuyeres · CPC title

• F27D9/00

  Cooling of furnaces or of charges therein (casings, linings, walls or roofs incorporating cooling arrangements F27D1/12) · CPC title

• F27D1/16

  Making or repairing linings {; Increasing the durability of linings; Breaking away linings} · CPC title

• F27D1/04

  characterised by the form {, e.g. shape} of the bricks or blocks used · CPC title

• F27B1/22

  Arrangements of heat-exchange apparatus · CPC title