Cupola Furnace Design and Fabrication

Abstract

The Cupola Furnace Capacity of 450 kilograms per hour was designed and fabricated using locally sourced raw materials which include pig irons, crop ends and foundry shop returns, and ferroalloys for the production of quality cast iron which depends on the customer's demand. Metallurgical coke is the main fuel source employed for the production processes. The design parameters were analyzed and the metallic shells were then fabricated into four sections to allow proper lining. A mild 5 mm thick steel sheet was collected, marked out according to the required specification. slit and formed into cylindrical shapes. The sections were coupled and joined together through a welding process. Sodium silicate was used as a binder to make them bondable to the interior sections; the internal configurations were first lined with asbestos sheets measured 5 mm thick. With a less dense insulating refractory material. Fireclay refractory bricks were used for furnishing as they directly interfaced with the molten metal, while the flame blower was connected, assembled, and erected in the different segments. Financial analysis was performed to give a general overview of the cost of manufacturing and building a cupola furnace produced locally at N1, 467,266.00, which is relatively cheap compared to the imported ones. The technical details were given for the production processes. The raw materials used were sourced locally as they are readily available in quantum and are essential to the government policies on adding values to the production processes by using these materials to promote the addition of these materials for the creation of local content.