Linearly movable gate mechanism

Claim 1

In a gate mechanism for use on a bottom-pour vessel to control flow of material through an outlet in the vessel bottom, said mechanism comprising: a mounting plate adapted to be fixed to the vessel bottom and having an orifice to be aligned with the vessel outlet; a frame hinged to said mounting plate and depending therefrom; means for releasably holding said frame in a fixed position beneath said mounting plate; a pair of spaced-apart elongated spring housings carried by the inside of said frame at opposite sides of said orifice, each of which housings has a plurality of bores; respective springs housed within said bores; said frame having passages for introducing cooling air to said bores; a carrier supported above said housings; a gate mounted within said carrier; a top plate fixed within said frame beneath said mounting plate and against which said gate bears; and motive means connected with said carrier for linearly moving said carrier and said gate with respect to said housings and said top plate; the combination therewith of improved means supporting said carrier on said housings, said supporting means comprising: respective vertically movable plugs housed within said bores and urged upwardly by said springs; respective opposed pairs of high-temperature spherical roller bearings carried by each of said plugs; and respective hardened steel rollers journaled in each pair of said bearings, said rollers protruding above said housings, said carrier riding on said rollers.