Mobile oven design Buoy...HELP

[P712]

I've got a 48 inch buoy and a tandem axle trailer. What do I do? Anyone have any design ideas? I was thinking I'd lay my brick floor on a steel deck with insulation, then cut the buoy in half and weld half to the steel deck over the brick floor to keep it in place. I would then cover the dome with insulating blanket, and finally 4 inches of cement based insulation layer.

But then what?

[Lburou]

Wiley (one of our members) built a metal oven....You can read about it here. (Steel Dome Oven)

His oven might give you some ideas. A picture of your buoy would stimulate our collective creativity, if you can get it posted here.

[Neil2]

No matter what you do, your pizza oven won't float.

[P712]

Hilarious. I'll try to remember that

[metalmaster]

this might give you some inspiration http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f43/...oven-7739.html (another steel dome oven)

[P712]

Well, here we are. The trailer and dome were dropped off at a friend's shop (he does custom metal work. If you can't see from pictures, they built up 1/2" sides and laid 1/2" plate on top and welded the dome on top. The dome is 57.5" in diameter. I'm a bit stumped on where to go from here. My plan is to use the other half of the buoy to trace out oven deck and cut bricks accordingly so they can be placed in like a puzzle. Do they need to be mortared down? I was planning on using insulating board between steel deck and brick floor to minimize heat loss. Bricks are 3" refractory leftovers from now bankrupt Geneva Steel blast furnace. Also, is it logical to cover dome with foil and cast my own vermicrete in batches like Wiley did? I'm not an engineer and need a little coaching.[IMG][/IMG]

[metalmaster]

where is the door going to be?

[dmun]

Forget the foil. It's completely useless.

I'm worried that with your dome welded to your support structure, that heat will zoom down to the trailer structure with alarming speed. No matter how you insulate inside the dome below the floor, or the exterior of the dome you may end up with something that's too hot to stand next to.

Vermiculite concrete may be too brittle for a mobile oven.

You may want to think about some thermal mass as well, as soon as you get that thermal bridge problem sorted.

[Tman1]

Yes, I think Dmun has a VERY valid point. Perhaps you have a solution you haven't shared.

[Wiley]

Wow!, I'm come late to this party...

First an observation:

When you started this thread you said you had a 48 inch diameter hemisphere and now it is a 57 1/2 inch hemisphere. If you search the archives you will find the posts on a WFO using a bouy. Some exchanges between that builder and myself are on my "Steel Dome Oven" thread. That WFO became "Dented Bouy" and is used commercially.

Dented Bouy used his bouy as the outer shell to his WFO. The interior dome was a 48 inch diameter steel hemisphere (ex propane tank). Outside that interior dome (in the interstitial space between the two shells) lie the refractory heatsink/reservoir and the insulation. The hearth bricks lie upon insulation and that insulation is supported by a steel deck.

Welding the inner dome to the base is IMHO not the way to proceed for the reasons stated by Dmun (and others). I am guessing that you welded the half dome to the plate in order to secure it and the finished WFO against movement during transport of the finished WFO.

I'm at a loss as to suggestions as to how to proceed from this point. Everything that I think of would be usurping your inventiveness and involve in cutting the dome off the trailer.... and I'm thinking such suggestions would not be welcomed.

As for Dmun's comment about foil being useless in this application (making sure there is no bond between the cement/fondu/refractory and the steel dome) I would have to say I hold a contrarian view. Steel and concrete/cement have a particularly good adhesive bond as those who have failed to completely wash a shovel used in placing concrete can attest. When applying the refractory to the exterior of the dome it is simply an extra layer that insures the refractory and steel dome are free to expand and contract independently as they heat and cool. An inexpensive bit of insurance.

Keep us posted as to your progress. I note that there were several months between your initial postings and the most recent with picture. That's unfortunate as perhaps the present circumstance could have been avoided.

Sorry, that I cannot at this point be more helpful,
Wiley