JP7694538B2 - Refractory construction method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a method for constructing a refractory material. This disclosure relates to a method for constructing a refractory material in a refining vessel such as a converter or a torpedo car used in the steelmaking industry.

Refractories used in molten iron vessels and molten steel vessels can be classified into fixed-type refractories and non-fixed-type refractories. A typical example of fixed-type refractories is firebricks. Traditionally, when constructing a refractory in a vessel, skilled craftsmen (furnace builders) lay the bricks by hand. In the manufacture of firebricks, firebrick aggregate is bound with a binder, and the resulting mixture is filled into a metal frame and press-molded. Unfired bricks are made by volatilizing the organic components in the binder at about 200°C after press molding. Fired bricks are made by firing at high temperatures exceeding 1000°C after press molding. A typical example of unfired bricks is MgO-C bricks, which are used as wear bricks in ladles and converters. A typical example of fired bricks is magnesia bricks or high alumina bricks. When manufacturing these fixed-type bricks, multiple metal frames for press molding are used to manufacture one type of brick, so the size of the firebrick varies depending on the size of the metal frames. Additionally, the size of each brick varies due to springback that occurs after molding or sintering shrinkage during firing. Products that fall within the tolerance range are used during construction (furnace building). Here, tolerance has the meaning shown in "JIS Z 8103:2000 Measurement Terminology."

When constructing containers such as converters, which are constructed by stacking bricks in multiple layers, the tolerances of the stacked bricks can cause the top ends of the bricks to not be aligned vertically. Furnace builders use their experience to stack the bricks so that the top ends are aligned vertically. However, as the bricks are laid by hand, this takes time. There is also lost time when work is stopped for the furnace builders' breaks, etc.

As a method for mechanizing the construction work, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a refractory construction method that includes a process of constructing wear bricks based on the working surface of the constructed wear bricks as a reference, and a process of pouring permanent castable into the gap between the back surface of the constructed wear bricks and the steel shell.

JP 2021-152427 A

The technology described in Patent Document 1 uses a robot arm for construction, which can shorten the construction time. However, as mentioned above, each brick is a different size, so the height of the stacked bricks varies depending on the location as construction progresses.

The objective of this disclosure is to provide a method for constructing refractory materials that can reduce the time required for construction with high precision, for example, like that of a skilled furnace builder.

(1) A method for constructing a refractory material according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,
A method for constructing refractories including standard refractories and non-standard refractories using a robot equipped with a construction means for standard refractories, comprising:
Measure the thickness of the standard refractory in the height direction,
The thickness of the monolithic refractory in the height direction is adjusted.

(2) As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (1),
The robot,
A control means is provided for controlling a motor by synthesizing control target values of position, speed and force for the standard refractory material at an arbitrary ratio,
The stress between the molded refractory and the unmolded refractory is adjusted.

(3) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (1) or (2),
The robot,
A part or all of a master-slave system consisting of a master robot operated by an operator and a slave robot that performs a predetermined task on a work object,
a reaction force command value is output in response to a reaction force sensed by the slave robot when constructing the standardized refractory material, and the master robot generates a reaction force to be sensed by the operator based on the reaction force command value;
The apparatus is configured so that the operator can adjust the stress applied to the monolithic refractory material in response to the reaction force generated by the master robot.

(4) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (1) to (3),
The stress between the standard refractory and an already installed standard refractory is adjusted to a set target value.

(5) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (1) to (4),
The weight of the standard refractory material is 30 kg or more per piece.

(6) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (1) to (5),
The monolithic refractory has two or more different viscosities.

(7) A method for constructing a refractory material according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,
A method for constructing refractories including standard refractories and non-standard refractories in a container using a robot equipped with a construction means for standard refractories, comprising the steps of:
Measuring a three-dimensional shape of the inside of the container and the standard refractory material;
The order of application of the fixed refractories is rearranged so as to facilitate adjustment of the thickness of the fixed refractories in the height direction within the vessel.

(8) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (7),
The three-dimensional shape inside the container is measured after a target value in the height direction is set.

(9) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (7) or (8),
The weight of the standard refractory material is 30 kg or more per piece.

(10) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (7) to (9),
The monolithic refractory has two or more different viscosities.

This disclosure provides a method for constructing standard refractory materials with high accuracy and reducing the time required for construction.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of a standard refractory material applied to a refining vessel. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a wear brick. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining construction by a refractory construction method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for a refractory construction method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

A method for constructing a refractory material according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, identical or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, the description of identical or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of a standard refractory 101 applied to a refining vessel 1. The refining vessel 1 is composed of an iron shell 11 and a standard refractory 101. The standard refractory 101 is applied inside the refining vessel 1 with respect to the iron shell 11, stacked in multiple tiers in the height direction. The standard refractory 101 includes permanent bricks 12 and wear bricks 13. The permanent bricks 12 and wear bricks 13 may each be of one type or of multiple types. The permanent bricks 12 and wear bricks 13 are bonded by an amorphous refractory 14. Here, the direction perpendicular to the height direction from the inside to the outside of the refining vessel 1 may be referred to as the depth direction. For example, mortar is used as the amorphous refractory 14, but the amorphous refractory 14 is not limited to this and may be a stamp material, dry powder, etc. In addition, as long as the standard refractory 101 is stacked vertically in multiple tiers with the non-standard refractory 14, the construction is not limited to the case where the standard refractory 101 is installed inside the refining vessel 1.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a wear brick 13. The values (unit: mm) shown are examples and are not limited to these values. The left side of Figure 2 shows the side of the wear brick 13. The right side of Figure 2 shows the top surface of the wear brick 13. The wider side (162.5 mm in the right side of Figure 2) is arranged closer to the steel shell 11 in the depth direction. In other words, the wear brick is tapered so that the side closer to the steel shell 11 is larger and the side inside the furnace is smaller. Here, the inside of the furnace means the inside of a vessel such as a converter, i.e., the inside of the refining vessel 1. Wear bricks 13 generally have a tolerance of about -1% to +1%. In other words, wear bricks 13 are generally allowed to differ from the design value by about -1% to +1%, and when uniformly stacked in multiple layers, the height varies depending on the location.

Referring again to FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the standard refractory material 101 is applied using a robot 17. Also, as in this embodiment, a measuring instrument 16 may be further used.

The robot 17 is equipped with a means for applying the standard refractory 101, and can adjust the thickness of the non-standard refractory 14 in the vertical direction inside the furnace. The robot 17 is, for example, a robot arm, but is not limited to a robot arm. The application means is not particularly limited, and may be any means capable of grasping the standard refractory 101, stacking the standard refractory 101, applying the non-standard refractory 14 to the standard refractory 101, and applying stress to the standard refractory 101.

The robot 17 may be, for example, a six-axis vertical articulated robot. A two-pronged gripping hand or a six-point suction hand may be used as the robot hand (an example of an application means). When gripping the standard refractory 101, a rubber gasket or the like may be used on the fingers to prevent the standard refractory 101 from being damaged. The size of the robot 17 may be selected according to the size of the refining vessel 1 and the weight of the standard refractory 101 to be gripped.

The robot 17 may be operated by a controller by an operator on the machine side, or may be part or all of a remote operation system. For example, the robot 17 may be part or all of a master-slave system consisting of a master robot operated by an operator and a slave robot that performs a predetermined task on a work object. The slave robot may have a function of perceiving a reaction force generated when constructing the standard refractory 101. The slave robot may output a reaction force command value according to the reaction force perceived by the slave robot, and the master robot may generate a reaction force that is perceived by the operator based on the reaction force command value. The robot 17 may be configured so that the operator can adjust the stress applied to the amorphous refractory 14 according to the reaction force generated by the master robot. The adjustment of the stress applied to the amorphous refractory 14 may include, for example, adjustment of the stress between the standard refractory 101 and the amorphous refractory 14. Here, the thickness of the amorphous refractory 14 changes due to the stress. This is mainly because the unconventional refractory 14 between the standard refractory 101 to be installed and the already installed standard refractory 101 is pushed out of the joint due to the application of stress. In general, when installing the standard refractory 101, a "spraying operation" is performed in which the unconventional refractory 14 is applied to the standard refractory 101 to be installed in advance. However, this is not limited to this, and a "laying operation" may be performed in which the unconventional refractory 14 is applied to the already installed standard refractory 101 in advance. The adjustment of the stress applied to the unconventional refractory 14 may include, for example, adjusting the thickness of the unconventional refractory 14 applied to the standard refractory 101. The adjustment of the stress applied to the unconventional refractory 14 may also include adjusting the force pressing against the already installed standard refractory 101 or the steel shell 11. By adjusting the thickness of the unconventional refractory 14 when installing it, it is possible to build it without any steps. Here, thickness refers to length, particularly the length in the height direction. Hereinafter, the length of the fixed refractory 101, the non-fixed refractory 14, etc. in the height direction may be referred to simply as thickness, without specifying the height direction.

The robot 17 may be equipped with a control means for controlling the motor by synthesizing the control target values of the position, speed, and force for the standard refractory material 101 in any ratio. The control means may be realized by a calculation device such as a processor. By controlling the motor in this manner, damage to bricks during construction can be prevented. In addition, the delicate movements of a skilled furnace builder can be reproduced. For example, the robot 17 may be equipped with a hammer as part of the construction means. The robot 17 may have a function for finely adjusting the position of a brick by hitting the top and sides of the brick with the hammer.

Here, the weight of each standard refractory 101 is often less than 30 kg so that the furnace builder can easily install it. However, in the refractory construction method according to this embodiment, since the robot 17 installs it, there is no limit to the weight. In other words, the weight of each standard refractory 101 may be 30 kg or more. Here, the size of the standard refractory 101 may be determined according to the cause of damage to the container. For example, in a container where chemical damage is the main cause and cracks due to thermal stress do not occur, wear due to melting of the joints can be reduced by using a large standard refractory 101.

The measuring instrument 16 measures the thickness of the furnace and the standard refractory 101 in the height direction. The measuring instrument 16 also measures whether the applied standard refractory 101 is horizontal. The measuring instrument 16 may be a laser type or a white light interference type measuring device. In addition, when the operator operates the robot 17 remotely, the operation may be performed with reference to visual information (e.g., an image) from the measuring instrument 16. For example, in order to adjust the height of the standard refractory 101 to a set target value, the operator may adjust the stress between the standard refractory 101 to be piled up using the robot 17 and the applied standard refractory 101. In this embodiment, the measuring instrument 16 is configured to include a camera. The camera may be a 3D camera that can obtain depth information. The measuring method of the measuring instrument 16 can be selected from a stereo method that uses multiple cameras to take pictures, a ToF method that uses pulsed light to calculate the time it takes for reflected light to return, a method using structured lighting that uses light interference, and the like. In addition, the measuring instrument 16 may use a three-dimensional measuring instrument or a 2D camera.

3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the construction of a refractory including the standard refractory 101 and the amorphous refractory 14 according to the present embodiment. In the conventional technology such as Patent Document 1, the wear bricks 13 (one specific example of the standard refractory 101) are stacked with a uniform thickness of the amorphous refractory 14. Therefore, as shown in the left figure of FIG. 3, when the wear bricks 13 are stacked in multiple layers, the height varies depending on the location. Although details will be described later, in the construction method of a refractory including the standard refractory 101 and the amorphous refractory 14 according to the present embodiment, a process is performed to measure whether the refractory is horizontal using the measuring device 16 as described above. In addition, in the construction method of a refractory including the standard refractory 101 and the amorphous refractory 14 according to the present embodiment, a process is performed to adjust the stress between the standard refractory 101 and the constructed standard refractory 101 so as to match the target value. By such a process, the height of the wear bricks 13 can be made uniform as shown in the right figure of FIG. 3. Here, in the method for constructing a refractory including the standard refractory 101 and the non-standard refractory 14 according to this embodiment, the height of the standard refractory 101 is uniform at least in the topmost tier. It is further preferable that the height of the standard refractory 101 is uniform in each tier of the stacked standard refractory 101.

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the process of the method for constructing a refractory material including a standard refractory material 101 and an unstandard refractory material 14 according to this embodiment.

First, the measuring device 16 performs measurements inside the furnace (step S1). The measuring device 16 measures the thickness inside the furnace and the standard refractory material 101 in the height direction inside the furnace. The standard refractory material 101 can be transported into the furnace using various methods, such as a hoist crane, an overhead crane, a manual crane, or by hand. As another example, the standard refractory material 101 can be transported from outside the furnace into the furnace using a robot 17, and construction can be performed as is.

The measuring device 16 may also measure the three-dimensional shape of the furnace interior and the standard refractories 101. For example, standard refractories 101 that vary in size within a tolerance range may be divided into groups according to size, and the order of the standard refractories 101 may be rearranged so that the height direction can be easily adjusted during construction. In other words, based on the measurement results of the three-dimensional shape, the construction order of the standard refractories 101 may be rearranged so that the thickness of the non-standard refractories 14 in the height direction inside the furnace can be easily adjusted.

Here, height guidance may be created (step S2). Height guidance is guidance for a target value in the height direction. For example, a laser marker may be provided inside the refining vessel 1. The laser marker may visualize the horizontal position, which is the height guidance. Here, the laser marker is attached to the robot 17, and the control means of the robot 17 may create height guidance based on the measurement data from the measuring device 16 and cause the laser marker to display the height guidance. If height guidance is not created, step S2 does not need to be executed.

The robot 17 grasps the standard refractory material 101, either manually or automatically (step S3).

The robot 17 applies the amorphous refractory 14 to the held amorphous refractory 101 (step S4).

The robot 17 places the fixed refractory 101 coated with the non-fixed refractory 14 (step S5). In other words, the robot 17 stacks the fixed refractory 101 it grasps on top of the fixed refractory 101 that has already been applied.

Then, the three-dimensional shape of the inside of the furnace and the standard refractory 101 is measured by the measuring device 16. In this embodiment, a target value in the height direction is set as the height guidance, and then the three-dimensional shape of the inside of the furnace and the standard refractory 101 is measured. Based on the measurement data from the measuring device 16, the difference in height between the height guidance and the standard refractory 101 is calculated, and it is determined whether the height is within the allowable range (step S6). The determination is performed, for example, by the control means of the robot 17. As another example, an operator may make a determination based on the measurement data from the measuring device 16, and a signal indicating the operator's determination may be output to the robot 17, etc., by an input means (for example, a keyboard or mouse).

If the height of the standard refractory 101 is not within the acceptable range (No in step S6), the process returns to step S4. If the height of the standard refractory 101 is within the acceptable range (Yes in step S6), the process proceeds to step S7. Here, regardless of the judgment result, a target value for the thickness of the amorphous refractory 14 may be calculated and transmitted to the operator based on the difference between the horizontal position, which is the visualized height guidance, and the height of the standard refractory 101. The function of transmitting the target value for the thickness of the amorphous refractory 14 is expected to improve the skills of operators who are not experienced furnace builders and reduce construction time.

When the height of the standard refractory 101 is within the allowable range, the robot 17 fine-tunes the position of the standard refractory 101, either manually or automatically (step S7). The robot 17 applies force to the standard refractory 101 installed in step S5 to adjust the stress between the standard refractory 101 and the non-standard refractory 14, thereby fine-tuning the height to match the visualized height guidance. Here, the allowable range in step S6 may be determined based on the thickness that can be adjusted by the fine adjustment in step S7.

In addition, when the robot 17 is operated by an operator, guidance on the pressing force may be displayed in the process of stacking the standard refractory 101 to be installed on the already constructed standard refractory 101 and the process of adjusting it (steps S5 and S7). The guidance on the pressing force may be calculated using a trained model generated by machine learning, for example, using data recording the pressing force, pressing direction, and pressing time of a skilled furnace builder as learning data. The process of displaying the guidance on the pressing force may be executed by the control means of the robot 17.

In addition, in the process (step S4) of applying amorphous refractory 14 to the amorphous refractory 101 to be installed, one or more types of amorphous refractory 14 having two or more different viscosities may be used depending on the thickness of the joint. For example, by changing the amount of water added to one type of amorphous refractory 14, a method is available in which an amorphous refractory 14 with a high water content and low viscosity and an amorphous refractory 14 with a low water content and high viscosity are prepared, or multiple types of amorphous refractory 14 with different design viscosities are prepared. When the thickness of the joint is thick, the amorphous refractory 14 with a high viscosity is used so that the amorphous refractory 14 does not flow and remains in place.

The effects of this disclosure will be specifically explained below based on examples, but this disclosure is not limited to these examples.

In the embodiment, the robot 17 constructed 15 kg of standard refractories 101 (bricks) on a refining vessel 1 (ladle) having a diameter of 5 m, a height of 4.5 m, and an inner shape that is approximately axially symmetrical. The construction time was measured, and the presence of steps was measured after stacking eight layers of bricks to check the construction status. As the construction accuracy (error), the average absolute value of the difference between the average height of the standard refractories 101 in the eighth layer and the standard in the height direction of each standard refractory 101 was calculated using the average height of the standard refractories 101 in the eighth layer as the standard. When construction is performed as intended, the error is 0 mm. As the deviation from the target increases, the positive error value increases. Here, the operator is a qualified first-class or second-class furnace builder, or a hand worker who assists in construction work (furnace construction work). In order of construction (furnace construction) proficiency, the order is first-class furnace builder, second-class furnace builder, and hand worker.

Table 1 shows the test conditions and results for the examples.

In Reference Example 1, a first-class furnace builder operates the robot 17 with a controller at the side of the robot 17 installed in the furnace. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is visually monitored. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling the position, grasps the fixed refractory 101, applies the non-fixed refractory 14, and installs it in a specified position. The installation took 6 hours. The installation accuracy (height error) was 2 mm. Since there is no need to lift the heavy fixed refractory 101, muscle fatigue can be greatly reduced. When the crane passed over the top, the work was interrupted and evacuated to prevent injury due to falling loads, resulting in a loss of 1 hour of work.

In Reference Example 2, a first-class furnace builder operates the robot 17 with a master arm at the side of the robot 17 installed in the furnace. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is visually monitored. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling the position, speed, and force, and grasps the fixed refractory 101, applies the amorphous refractory 14, and installs it in a predetermined position. At this time, the first-class furnace builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force when installing. By perceiving the reaction force, for example, when applying the amorphous refractory 14 to the fixed refractory 101, it is possible to adjust the height by applying more and discharging the amorphous refractory 14 from the horizontal joint. The installation time was 3.5 hours. The installation accuracy was 0.5 mm. When the crane passed over the top, the work was interrupted and evacuated to prevent injury due to the falling of the load, so there was a loss of 0.5 hours of work.

In Reference Example 3, a first-class furnace builder remotely operates the robot 17 installed in the furnace from a remote control room using a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored using images captured by a camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, and grasps the fixed refractory 101, applies the non-fixed refractory 14, and installs it in a specified position. At that time, the first-class furnace builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force when installing. Since the position was sometimes misjudged using the two-dimensional information from the camera, the installation time took 3.5 hours. The installation accuracy is 1 mm. By remotely operating the robot from a dust-free operation room, the burden associated with the installation work can be reduced.

In Reference Example 4, a first-class furnace builder remotely operates the robot 17 installed in the furnace from a remote operation room using a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image taken by a camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling the position, speed, and force, and grasps the fixed refractory 101, applies the non-fixed refractory 14, and installs it in a predetermined position. At that time, the first-class furnace builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force when installing. A guidance function is provided that measures the construction status in the furnace in advance, calculates the height, and also calculates the height of the fixed refractory 101, and informs the operator of the design value of the thickness of the non-fixed refractory 14, which is determined by the difference. The construction time took 3 hours. The construction accuracy was 1 mm. The guidance function shortens the construction time.

In Reference Example 5, a first-class furnace builder remotely operates the robot 17 installed in the furnace from a remote operation room using a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image taken by a ToF 3D camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling the position, speed, and force, grasps the fixed refractory 101, applies the non-fixed refractory 14, and installs it in a specified position. At that time, the first-class furnace builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force when installing. The installation time was 2.5 hours. The installation accuracy was 0.5 mm. The stereoscopic image taken by the 3D camera allows an environment equivalent to the actual installation environment to be obtained even from a remote location.

In Reference Example 6, a second-class furnace builder remotely operates the robot 17 installed in the furnace from a remote operation room with a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image taken by a ToF 3D camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling the position, speed, and force, and grasps the fixed refractory 101, applies the non-fixed refractory 14, and installs it in a predetermined position. At that time, the second-class furnace builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force when installing. A guidance function is provided that measures the construction status in the furnace in advance, calculates the height, and calculates the height of the fixed refractory 101, and informs the operator of the design value of the thickness of the non-fixed refractory 14, which is determined by the difference. The construction time took 2.5 hours. The construction accuracy was 0.5 mm. Even an inexperienced second-class furnace builder can obtain the same construction time and construction accuracy as a first-class furnace builder by the guidance function.

In Reference Example 7, the handwork operates the robot 17 installed in the furnace from a remote operation room located at a distant location, using a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored by an image taken by a ToF 3D camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, and grasps the fixed refractory 101, applies the non-fixed refractory 14, and installs it at a predetermined position. At that time, the handwork, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force when installing. A guidance function is provided that measures the construction situation in the furnace in advance, calculates the height, and also calculates the height of the fixed refractory 101, and informs the operator of the design value of the thickness of the non-fixed refractory 14, which is determined by the difference. In addition, a guidance function is provided that informs the operator of the force (pushing force), position, and time to be applied when installing the fixed refractory 101. The installation time was 2.5 hours. The installation accuracy was 0.5 mm. Thanks to the guidance function, even inexperienced hand-construction workers can achieve the same construction time and precision as a first-class furnace construction worker.

In Example 8, a first-class furnace builder remotely operates the robot 17 installed in the furnace from a remote operation room using a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored using images captured by a ToF 3D camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, and grasps the standard refractory 101, applies the non-standard refractory 14, and installs it in a specified position. At that time, the first-class furnace builder, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force when installing. A guidance function is provided that measures the construction status in the furnace in advance, calculates the height, and also calculates the height of the standard refractory 101, and informs the operator of the design value of the thickness of the non-standard refractory 14, which is determined by the difference. In addition, a guidance function is provided that informs the operator of the force, position, and time to be pressed when installing the standard refractory 101. In addition, a guidance function was provided to indicate the viscosity of the amorphous refractory 14 when the thickness of the amorphous refractory 14 should be increased, allowing two types of amorphous refractory 14 prepared in advance to be used depending on the thickness. Construction took 2 hours. Construction accuracy was 0.5 mm.

In Example 9, the handwork operator remotely operates the robot 17 installed in the furnace from an operation room located at a distant location using a master arm. At this time, the position of the robot 17 is monitored using images captured by a ToF 3D camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling position, speed, and force, and grasps the standard refractory 101, applies the non-standard refractory 14, and installs it in a specified position. At that time, the handwork operator, who is the operator, perceives the reaction force when installing. A guidance function is provided that measures the construction status inside the furnace in advance, calculates the height, and also calculates the height of the standard refractory 101, and informs the operator of the design value of the thickness of the non-standard refractory 14, which is determined by the difference. In addition, a guidance function is provided that informs the operator of the force, position, and time to be pressed when installing the standard refractory 101. In addition, a guidance function was provided that indicates the viscosity of the amorphous refractory 14 when the thickness of the amorphous refractory 14 should be increased, allowing two types of amorphous refractory 14 prepared in advance to be used depending on the thickness. Construction time took 2 hours. Construction accuracy was 0.5 mm. Thanks to the guidance function, even inexperienced hand construction workers can achieve construction time and accuracy equivalent to that of first-class furnace construction workers.

In Example 10, the learned data is used instead of the operator, and the system is operated automatically by AI. The learned data was created based on the actual data of a first-class furnace builder remotely operating the robot 17 installed in the furnace with a master arm from a remote operation room. The position of the robot 17 is monitored by images taken with a ToF 3D camera. The robot 17 has a mechanism for controlling the position, speed, and force, and grasps the standard refractory 101, applies the amorphous refractory 14, and installs it in the specified position. In addition, the reaction force during installation is transmitted to the AI. Two types of amorphous refractory 14 are prepared in advance so that the thickness of the amorphous refractory 14 can be adjusted if it needs to be thicker. The installation time took 2 hours. The installation accuracy was 0.5 mm. The AI can achieve the same installation time and accuracy as a first-class furnace builder.

Table 2 shows the test conditions and results for the comparative examples.

In Comparative Example 1, four first-class furnace builders installed the standard refractory material 101. The installation time was 12 hours. The installation precision was 0.5 mm. In Comparative Example 2, four second-class furnace builders installed the standard refractory material 101. The installation time was 15 hours. The installation precision was 2 mm. In Comparative Example 3, four handworkers installed the standard refractory material 101. The installation time was 24 hours. The installation precision was 5 mm.

Comparative examples 1 to 3 are all constructed by humans, so there is a limit to the amount of time that can be worked continuously due to heavy lifting, and breaks are taken every 3 hours. Also, in the factory where the construction work is carried out, there is a concern that when a crane passes overhead, cargo may fall from the crane and injure people, so there may be times when work is interrupted to evacuate, resulting in lost time. The total lost time is as shown in Table 2.

As is clear from the comparison with the comparative example, the refractory construction method according to this embodiment can reduce the time required for construction with high accuracy.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that a person skilled in the art would easily be able to make various modifications or corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or corrections are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

1 Smelting vessel 11 Iron shell 12 Permanent brick
13. Wear brick
14 Unformed refractory 16 Measuring instrument 17 Robot 101 Formed refractory

Claims (3)

A method for constructing refractories including standard refractories and non-standard refractories using a robot equipped with a construction means for standard refractories, comprising:
Measure the thickness of the standard refractory in the height direction,
Adjusting the thickness of the monolithic refractory in the height direction ,
The robot,
A part or all of a master-slave system consisting of a master robot operated by an operator and a slave robot that performs a predetermined task on a work object,
a reaction force command value is output in response to a reaction force sensed by the slave robot when constructing the standardized refractory material, and the master robot generates a reaction force to be sensed by the operator based on the reaction force command value;
The operator is configured to adjust the stress applied to the monolithic refractory material in response to the reaction force generated by the master robot,
Adjusting the stress between the standard refractory and an already installed standard refractory to a set target value;
A method for constructing a refractory material , wherein the monolithic refractory material has two or more different viscosities . The robot,
A control means is provided for controlling a motor by synthesizing control target values of position, speed and force for the standard refractory material at an arbitrary ratio,
The method for constructing a refractory according to claim 1, further comprising adjusting a stress between the molded refractory and the unmolded refractory. 3. The method for constructing a refractory according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the weight of the standard shaped refractory is 30 kg or more per piece.

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