US1870080A - Slot closure - Google Patents

Description

JAMES o.

Patenta& i Aug. 2, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WOODSON, OF

MANSFIELZQ OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO WESTNGHOUSE ELEGTBIC 86 MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPOBATION OF PENNSYLVANIA SLOT CLOS'URE Application filed February 28, 1931.

My invention relates to horizontal-chamber heat-treating furnaces of the endless overhead-conveyor type and more particularly to means for scaling the top Slots in such furnaces.

An object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple and eflicient slot-closure means for the top slot of a furnace.

In practicing my invention, I provide, in cooperation with an endless conveyor chain having depending material-supporting rods secured thereto and moving in the top slot of a furnace, a plurality of pivotally-mounted plates extending laterally of the slot and moved aside in sequence by the material-supporting rods against a resilient means which returns the plates to their initial slot-closing positions.

In the single sheet of drawing,

Figure 1 is a View, in vertical lateral section, through a horizontal-chamber conveyortype :Eurnace with which is associated the device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of r' the devce embodying my inventon,

Fig. 3 is a view, similar to Fig. 2, of a modified form of device embodying my inveni tion r Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view, in vertical section, of a still further modification of a device embodying my invention,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of two pairs of cooperating plates in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, I have there illustratecl a furnace structure 11,built up on a concrete base 12 and including a floor 13, side walls 14 and 16 and root- wall portions 17 and 18, which may be built up of a plurality of bricks or blocks of a suitable refractory high-temperature resisting material, usually employed for such purposes. The walls enclose a furnace chamber19 and the root- wall portions 17 and 18 are solocated as to leave open a slot 21 therebetween which extends longitudinally of the horizon tal-chamber furnace structure.

A skeleton `metal frame includes vertical of the kind shown' Serial No. 518,930.

structural steel members 22 and 23 and upper cross-bar members 24, it being understood that these members are spaced apart suitable distances along the furnace structure in order to provide a furnace-structurebracing framework, as well as a support for other elements to be hereinafter described.

Heating means for the furnace chamber 19 may include electric heating elements 26 and 27, suitably supported by the side walls 14: and 16.

I desire, however, that it be understood that, while I have illustrated and described a specific embodiment of such furnace elements, my invention is not restricted thereto and that these elements, illustratecl generally only, are shown for illustrative purposes, and that the device embodying my invention is applicable to other urnace structures which may be efiectve for the same general purpose. i

Means :tor moving material through the furnace chamber 19 includes an endless conveyor chain 28 which is movably Suspended from the support by carriages 29 running on track sections 31 and 32 in the shape of angle bars, supported by auxiliary portions of the skeleton frame structure of which a specific embodiment is shown in the shape of vertical members 33 and 34: and short cross braces 36 and 37.

Material-supporting means include a plurality of spaced rods 38 secured to the chain 28, depending therefrom and moving in the slot 21. Cross bars 39 are secured to the respective rods 38 and have hooks 41 to directly support material to be heat-treated.

As it is apparent that the ends of the furnace chamber 19 must be open in order to permit the continuously moving conveyor to move material into, through and out of the furnace chamber, a large amount of hot air may flow upwardly through the slot 21, thereby reducing the eiiiciency of the furnace installations.

In order to prevent this, I provide two sets of opposing plates 42 and 13 which are pivotally mounted above the root- wall portions 17 and 18 and intermediate their ends, as by suitable bolts 44 and 46, one ;tor each plate.

The bolts 44 and 46 may extend through the plates 42 and 43, respectively, and into longitudinally extending metal members 47 and 48 defining a part of the upper side walls enclosing the slot 21, as shown more particularly in F ig. 1 of the drawing.

The inner encls of the plates 42 and 43 are located in abutting or slightly overlapping relation (see Fig. 6), and the plates themselves nay be located either in abutting relation or, preferably, in overlapping relation at each side. Means for yieldingly holding the plates on each side in their normal positions, for permitting a turn'-ng movement en their` respective pivots and for returning them to their normal positions is constituted by an 'open h'elical spring 49 associated with theplates '42 and a similar helical spring 51 associated with the plates 43. Each of the plates is provided with, say, an opening 52 at its edge and a link With the -cooperati-ng helical springs in substan-tially the manner shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

Fig. 2 *of the 'drawing illustrates the movenent of the respective plates 42 and 43 coinci-dent with the movement of 'a depending materi:Ll-supporting rod 38 therebetween, it being noted that one pair 'of plates 42 and 43 has been turned through a relatively large angle and that ;portions 'of the respective springs 49 and 51 have been deformed so tha-t a succeeding pair of plates 42 and 43 which has just been disengaged from the TOCl38 wi l l not be 'permitted to return 'insta''taneo'uslyto the normal position, as shown at the lefthand-end of Fig. 2 of the drawing.

*Referring more particularly to Fig. -3 of thedrawing, I have there illustratedcooperating- plates 56 and 57 located 'inside-by-si'de abu'tt-ing or overlapping re lation, each plate being pivotally mounted tor -turning movement in its own plane on a bolt 58. Helical spri'ngs 59'and-6l are located adjacent' to the outer 'end portions of the plates `56 and -57, links 62 connecting the respective springs` to the individual p'la'tes 56 and '57, insubstantial-ly the same manner as hereina-fter set forth in :connection with the elements shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawing. It is obvious that the plates 56 and 57, the lengths of which extend angularly over the slot, 'instead of directly at right angles laterally thereto, Will not be moved through such large angles 'on the respective :pivots 58.

Referring now to Figs. -4 and 5 'of 'the drawing, I have there illustrated root-wall portions 63'and64 in lateral sectiomthe 'roofwall portion 63 extending slightly higher than does the portion 64 and havinganover hanging lip "66 to provide a shoulder portion having 'an angle-bar member 67 'adjacent to itsipper surface.

A rail 68 is suitabl-y -secured at the :top of root-'wall portion 64, and relatively narrow 53 connects the platesplates 69 are pivotally mounted in side-by'- side relation on the rail 68, as by means of bolts 71. The respective plates 69 extend angularly across the slot 21 and have their inner ends spring-pressed against the angle bar 67 by helical springs 72, the individual spaced portions of which are connected, by links 73., to the outer ends of the plates 69. Normally, the plates 69 will be located in side-by-side or in parallel-extending overlapping relation, as shown in a portion of Fig. 5, .and when a material-supporting rod 38 moves along the lip 66, which may be faced by a metal plate 74, the respective plates 69 will be moved forwardly and given a turning movement, the spring '7 2 permitting this and efl'ecting return of the plates to their normal paralle l-extending positions in which the inner ends 'extend over the lip :66 to substantially close the slot and thereby prevent outfiow of heated air therethrough.

The device embodying any invention thus provides a relatively simple and etficient seazlc losure means for the horizontal-ehamber heat-treatng furnace havinga slot in its roof wall.

V arious modifications may be made ;my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon -as are imposed by the prior .art &rare set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my inventi on:

l. In a hori-zontal chamber heat-treating furnace having a 'longitudinal slot in its 'rootwa ll,-an endless conveyor chain moving above said slot, and spaced material-supporting rods depending from 'the chain and moving in the slot, a slot-closure means including pivotally-mounted overlapping plates above the's'lot to be moved aside by a depending rod, and resilient means for yieldingly holding the plates in normal operative positions and for returning them thereto .after movement thereof by a depending rod.

2. In a horizontal-chamber heattreat'ing fu-rnace having a longitudinal slot in 'it-s root-wall, an endless conveyor chain moving above saidslot, and spaced material-supporting =rods depending from .the chainiand moving in the slot, a slot-closure means including relatively narrow pivotally-mounted plates extending laterally over the slot and ;having their sides overlapping each other to be moved aside by the depending :rods in passing through the slot, and resilient means :on the plates for yieldingly holdingthem in normal operative positions and for returning them thereto after movement thereof by a depending rod.

Ina horizontal-chamber heat treating furnace having a longitudinal slot in its ronf- Wall, an endless conveyor chain moving above said slot, and :spaced material-supporting rods depending from the chain and moving in the slot, a slot-closure means including relatively narrow plates overlapping at their sides 'and eXtending laterally over the slot,` means for pivotally mountng each plate in-- termediate its ends at one side of the slot on the root-Wall, and resilient means on the plates for yieldingly holding them in their normal operative positions and for returning them thereto after movement thereof by a depending rod.

4. In a horizontal-chamber heat-treating furnace having a longitudinal slot in its roofwall, an endless conveyor chain moving above said slot, and spaced material-supporting rods depending from the chain and movng in the slot, a slot-closure means including relatively narrow plates overlapping at their sides and extending laterally over the slot, means for pivotally mounting` each plate intermediate its ends at one side of the slot and on the root-Wall, whereby a depending rod engages the plates adjacent to one end thereof in succession to turn them aside, and resili-ent means engaging the other end of each plate to yieldingly hold them in normal operative positions and to return them thereto after movement thereof by a depending rod.

5. In a horizontal-chamber heat-treating furnace having a. longitudnal slot in its root- Wall, an endless conveyor chain movng above said slot, and spaced material-supporting rods depending from the chain and moving in the slot, a slot-closure means including overlapping narrow plates eXtending substantially laterally over the slot and engaged adj acent to one end thereof bya depending moving rod, means for pivotally mounting each plate intermediate its ends on the roof- Wall, and a h-elical spring loosely securecl to the other end 'of each 'plate to yieldingly hold it in normal operative position and to return it thereto after pivotal movement thereof by a moving depending rocl.

6. In a horizontal-chamber heat-treating furnace having a longitudinal slot in its roof- Wall, an endless conveyor chain moving above said slot, and spaced material-supporting rods depending from the chain and moving in the slot, a slot-closure means including two sets of relatively narrow plates extending laterally over the slot in opposite directions with their adj acent inner ends in substantially abutting relation, means for pivotally mounting each plate intermediate its ends on the roofwvall, the pivotal mountings for each set being on opposite sides of the slot, and a helical spring Secured to the plates of each set at the outer ends thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my'name this 14 day of February,

JAMES C. WOODSON.

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