USRE373E - Improvement in annealing-furnaces - Google Patents

Description

J. J. EAGLETON.

Annealing Wire.

No. 373. I Reissued June 24, 1856.

AM. PHOTO-THO. C0. N. Y. (OSBORN E15 PRO DES S.)

UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

J. JOSEPH EA'G-L ITON, OF NEV YORK, ,N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN ANNEALlNG-FURNACES.

[ pecification lln'ining part of Letters Patent No. 1 1,908, dated Way 30, 185i}; lit-issue No. 373, dated June 524, 1856.

T0 (L11 1071/0127, it in/(my CON/007711.

Be it known that l, J'. .T. EAGLETON, ol' the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces for Annealing Iron Vire and other Similar Iron Articles; and I hereby declare and ascertain the nature and purpose thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the furnace. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof.

Iron wire must be inclosed air-tight during the process of annealing; otherwise it willform a thick scale on its surface, which materially injures it.

The method heretofore pursued in annealing iron wire has been to take an iron cylinder and surround it with brick-work at some distance therefrom, and between said cylinder and the brick-worknnake a fire for heating it. Into the cylinder wire in coils was put loosely, and when filled the open top was closed by a cover shutting air-tight, it being necessary to prevent a current of air from the wire while heating. the cover was removed and the wire lifted out by hooks, a portion at a time, and the furnace again recharged by putting the separate coilsinto the cylinder. This process had many defects. First, the workmen were exposed to great heat, and in throwing in the coils of wire to fill the cylinder they lay in a very irregular manner, and as they soften are bent out of form. Again, in hooking up the highlyheated soft wire it is often injured in its form and surface. Short bends were made in it, often requiring it to be redrawn to make it merchantable. Besides, much time was wasted in filling and discharging a cylinder, and the loss of heat and consequent increased cost of fuel was very great, particularly as it was necessary to lower the temperature before opening the cylinder, in order to allow the workmen to approach it. Myinvention is designed to obviate all these defects, and is constructed as follows: I build a furnace of brick-work or other masonry, leaving an annular chamber for the furnace. This is elevatedaproper height on piers a (1, Figs. 1 and 2. Vithin the annular walls of this chamber there is a space, e, in which an iron cylinder is placed,

'Whcn the wire was properly annealed,

cylinder, and the process continues.

vious that the charge, when annealed and the (lettered c, Fig. 2.) Thisissomewhat smaller than the space, so as to allow for its expan sion and contraction, as clearly shown in the figure. The lower end of the cylinder 0 rests on an annular flange, f, there being a rabbet therein to make the joint, and from the flange f a cylindrical projection is made downward, (lettered of the same interior diameter as the cylinder 0. Above, the cover it is luted on. A disk, i, of cast-iron, is made nearly to lit the interior circumference of the cylinder (2, and at the center of this disk i, I attach asmall cylinder, 7;. The disk i is supported at a certain elevation above the cup-formed casting m 011 standards or, as seen in the'figure, so that when the cup at is brought up and shuts over the projection gthe plate 2' will be within the cylinder, and a double bottom will thus be made thereto. The cup on is supported on a pillar, 0, by which it is raised and lowered avith any known mechanical power or device applicable to the purpose and with which mechanicians are familiar. To operate this device thus constructed fires are made and kept up continuously in the furnaces Z), the cup and its accessories are lowered, and a disk," 2', carefully packed with coils of wire' not exceeding the size of the cylinder 0 till the cup shuts into the flange y, where it can be luted, if necessary. In this state of the apparatus the wire is properly heated and annealed in an air-tight chamber. The inner brick-work of the fire-chamber serves to shield the cylinder from a too forcible interior heat from the fire, and it is thus protected from warping. XVhen the process is completed, without reducing the fire or opening a current of air through the cylinder, the cup at is lowered, and the wire charge with it, onto a truck placed in a position to receive it, by which the charge is taken off on one side to cool, while atthe same time another truck, with the bottom apparatus for the cylinder loaded with cold wire, is brought up and raised into the bottom of the cylinder opened, could be thrown off into water, if desired, or it might, by turning the cylinder horizontal in setting it in the furnace, be opened at the sides; but as this is entirely obvious it needs but to be named. By

It is ob-.

thus charging the furnace the wire is packed smoothly, which is not the case by the old method, and it remains undisturbed till it is cool enough to handle without bending or injury. It is at all times supported in its cylindrical form-a matter of great importance to the trade-and more equally, expeditiously, and economically annealed than by any other process now known, which is the result of a continuous fire and an air-tight annealer combineda device first essayed by me. Thus I fill and discharge my annealer with infinitely less labor and cost than any other iron-wire annealer now known, the filling and discharging in bulk being first essayed by me, as well 7 as the continuous firing up.

It is obvious that the d'iskz' could be used by having the bottom of the cylinder (3 solid and immovable, and opening the top and raising the wire out upon the disk in bulk; but this is not the most perfect method. although it would be better than the present mode in general use, and this would obviously interfere withthat portion of myinventi'on of filling and discharging annealing-furnaces in bulk without reducing the fire, by which I am enabled to anneal a much larger quantity in a given time and Withless labor and cost of fuel than has heretofore been effected with an airtight annealer. I

Having thus fully described my improvements in annealing iron wire, &c., whatI claim therein as new, and for which I desire to secure Letters Patent, is H 1. Charging and discharging an annealingfurnace in bulk, substantially in the manner, and for the purposes set forth.

2. Opening the bottom of the annealer for the purpose of discharging its contents and recharging it, as above set forth, or any mode analogous thereto.

3. The employment of a continuous heat with an air-tight annealer, substantially in the manner and for the purposes described, by which iron wire can be annealed with the same facility as brass and copper where the air is not required to be excluded.

J. JOSEPH EAGLETON.

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