US1396374A - electric furnace - Google Patents

Description

- W. LOHREY.

ELECTRIC FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED MY21.192|.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A M :D E 2/ 2 '2/ 43 Y 4/ l 3 J5 1/ W3 u n L1 u i 75:55h. [E

INVEN'TQ A TTORNE Y.

w. LOHREY. ELEcrmc rumvAcE. APPLICATIDN FiLED MAY 2l. |921- Pawma Nv. s, '1921.

I N VENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Bloomfield, cou" D, NEW JERSEY, Az'?) Tt) MAG-N. METAL COR- 1, hl. Y., A.l GDRPOBATIN F NEW JERSEY .e mi@ IF'IRNACE.

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To @ZZ einem t? may Vrames/.fn:

I signed primarilyT 'for the alloying oi metals.

In alloying magnesium and certain other metals, special precautions must be taken to prevent oxidation and.lnirnintra of the metal. is to this -teature my invention is particularly directed. ene of the principal objects of the ion being to protect the metal both in the subsequent ailoyii destructive eiiects 1 a df-. rite and metals which are to be all-o; admixture and metals. y

These chieste l' have attained by means cf a furnace ci construction, one example of a panying di gs. l Wish it' understood, however, that the furnace shown is primarily of an illustrative character and that., therefore, the structure may be modiiied in various respect vit-hout departure frein the true spirit and scope or" the invention as hereinafterl defined and laimed :Figure l in referred to is a. vertical sectie f e the furnace.r on substantially 'the plane oi line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view as taken on substantially the plane c line 2N2 oi Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation., and

Fig. l is a tcp plan view of furnace structure. l

Fig. 5 is a. vertical sectional view taken on transverse plane on substantially the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a brolren rear view-ofthe coverlifting mechanism showing pe. ticularly 'the method et conmerhalancim;P t sarna.

The particular furnace shown is designed for the allovingf or" tivo metals such as eine and aluminiimiv. th ak third l lnetal such as magnesium.

lcoivn i: crucibles Y Specification orLetters Patent.

resented Nev. s, 1921.

. iiicl Hay 21, i921. Y Serial No. 471,368.

zinc and aluminum, arranged at opposite sides of the magnesium-melting and alloy- Inixing Crucible 12. l

The main crucible is supported in acharnber 13 and is heated by electrical heating units 14 applied to or forming the walls of lsuch chamber and similarly, ,the smaller crucibles and 11 are mounted in chambers 15I and 16 containing electrical heating units 17.

The smaller crucibles 10 and 11 are Supported at higher levels than the main crucible and are connected with the main crucible by suitable piping 18 controlled by valves 19. These valves have handles 2O provided at the tops of the crucibles so as to be Within reach for easy operation when the cover of the furnace is removed.

The furnace cover is of special construc- ,tion in that it may be lifted either bodily to uncover the entire furnace top, or it may be operated in sections to uncover only the desired crucible chambers.

F or lifting the cover as a unit, I have shown links 21 each connected with the body voi? the cover at one end at 22 and centrallyV connected' at 28 with the end of a forwardly arched slide 24 guided in brackets 25 on the back of the-furnace structure and counterbalanced by a Weight 26 having a chain or cable connection 2T running over a sheave 2S and connected with the slide at 29.v With this construction it is possible to effect the raising and lowering of theentire 'covefwith comparative ease and when thev cover is raised. it will be apparent that full access is to be had to all .three ofthe Crucible chambers. A

Access to the individual Crucible .chambers is had by Way of openings provided in the cover over the respective chambers and normally closed by the removable cover sections 30, 31 and 82, these cover sections or slabs having suitable handles 33.

The spaces beneath the smaller Crucible chambers 15 and 16 are utilized in the present disclosure to provide annealing or coredrying chambers rlhe metals may be mixed in the main Crucible mechanieallyA` as by means of a propeller or other mixing device 35 carried by shaft 36 having; a bearing at 3T on the top of the Crucible and prcvided at its upper end with a coupling element 38 detachably engaged by a corresponding coupllng element 39 on the loyver end of a shaft section l0 journaled in the Cover. This upper shaft section is shown provided with a bevel gear 4l in mesh ivith a bevel pinion -lQ on the horizontal shaft lxivhich is suitably journaled on the Covei and provided with 'a hand -vvheel or other operating member -l-l.

After the admixtuie of metals'is effected, the product is discharged from the main Crucible as by yvay of a discharge spout '-15 extending from the bottom of this Crucible and controlled by a valve indicated generally 4at 46 in Fig. Q.

To hold back the Slag and impurities during the pouring operation. I have shown the main Crucible as having a partition yvall -lT extending doyvnvvard from the top thereof ing point. such as copper. higher temperato. near the bottom. The forward half ofv -tures and possibly longer melting periods would be' necessary, but in each instance, the heat in the several chambers yvould preferably beV governed to bring all 'the metals to the proper -alloying temperatures and conditions at appioxiniately the same time. .Thus in the example given, when the inagnesium. aluminum and Zinc are in proper molten Condition and at the right temperature for alloyinfr. Jthe valves 19 are manipulated toadmit the subsidiary metals to the base metal and .he stirrer may he operated to effect a complete combination -of the metals. l l

As the air is excluded during these operations. oxidation is reduced to a minimum,

so that loss of metal by oxidation and the y formation of slag is therefore reduced to a minimum.

Also. vvliat slag is formedl is skimmetV' or heldback by the partition vv ll 4T in the main Crucible. The several crucibles arevreadily charged throryh the charging openings provided in the cover andif itv becomes necessary to remove or -iepair the Crucibles. this Can be easily accomplished vvhen the cover is lifted as at Suchl times the chambers are/Wholly exposed and also, it will be noted, that in this coverlifting operation. the mixing shaft vvill be automatically uncoupled.

What I claim is:

1. A .furnace of the character set forth having separate independently Controlled .heating chambers,v a mixing Crucible and alloy metal cruoibles in said chambers and vconnections for enabling flovv of metal from Valloy metal crucibles in said chambers and Connections for enabling {iovv ofmetal from said alloy metal crucibles to the mixing crucible. a substantiallyv airtight removable cover over said chambers. said cover having charging openings therein over the respecti` e crucibles and independently removable, Closures for said charging openings.

3. A furnace of the character set fort-h having separate independently controlled heating Chambers. a mixing Crucible and alloy metal Ciucibles in said chambers and connectionsfor enabling flo of metal from said alloy metal crucibles tothe mixing crucible. a substantially airtight removable cover over said chambers. said cove'r having charging openings therein over the respective crucibles. independently removable closures for said charging openings, a Astirrer in the mixing Crucible and driving means on vthe Cover haviig a connection ivitli the stirrer.

et. A furnace of the character set forth having separate independently controlled heating' chambers` a mixing Crucible and alloyv metal crucibles in said Chambers and Connections for enabling fiovv of'metal from said alloy metal crucibles to the mixing Crucible. a substantially airtight removable cover over said chambers. said Cover having charging openings therein -over the respective crucibles, independently removable Closuresl for said Charging openings a stirrer in the mixing Ciucible and driving means on the cover having a Connection with the stirrer. said mixing Crucible having an outlet spout and provided with a partition yvall extending dovvn to near the bottomof the Crucible for holding back the slag.

5. A furnace of the character set forth having a main heating Chamber and auxiliary heating chambers at different sides of the same. a mixing Crucible in said main chamber and alloy nieta] Crucibles in the side chambers. flow connections from the lastmentioned crucibles to the mixing Crucible, means for independently Controlling flow from the melting crucibles to the mixing Crucible. means for effecting an alloying of the metals ,in the mixing Crucible and means for discharging the alloyed metal from the mixing Crucible.

6. A furnace of the character set forth .having a main heating chamber and auxiliary heating Chambersl at differentl sides of the same, a mixing Crucible in said main chamber and alloy metal crucibles in the side chambers, flow Connections from the last-mentioned crucibles to the mixing., cru; fcible, meansv for. independently 'controlling flow from the meltingcrucibles to the' mixing crucible, means'for effecting an alloying of the metals in 'the mixing Crucible ardl means 'for 'discharging the alloyed metal from themixing cruciblea the melting-crucibles standinor at higher levels 'than the mixingfc'ruciblejand the furnace rstruct-,ure havingannealing and core-drying. chambers jbeneath said melting crucibles. l

7. In a furnace of the character set forth,-

af furnace body having separa e chambers and independently controlled Vheating means the-refor, connected crucibles insaidchambers, a cover over the top of the furnace chambers having openings 1n hue-with the crucibles,y independently movable closures 'for said openings,"v a slide at the back of the furnace structure guided for vertical lInove- .ment, connections'from said slide to the fury nace'cover and means lfor counterbalancing '.s'aid xslide 'and the cover connected thereto.

.contents .into said alloying Crucible, means for controlling said connections, a controllable discharge for the alloying crucible and controllable'heating means for the vseveral crucibles. v l,

. 9. In a. metal alloying furnace, alloy metal crucibles connected to independently discharge their contents into an alloying cru. cible, means for independently7 heating the contents-of the several crucibles to the -required alloying temperatures and means for maintaining said crucibles and their connections insubstantially air-excluding relation v during alloying operations.

y l0. 'In a metal alloying-'furnace, a mixing Crucible having `a partition wall 'extending down toward the bottom 'o'f the Crucible, said lcru'cible having a discharge outlet at one side of said partition wall and alloy metal crucibles connected to discharge into the mixing Crucible at the opposite. side of said partition Wall. y y

1n witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of May, 1921.'y

WALTER nomini.

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