GB1158082A - Quench press - Google Patents

Abstract

1,158,082. Quenching device. LEE WILSON ENG. CO. Inc. Sept. 19, 1967 [Sept. 19, 1966], No.42527/67. Heading C7N. A quenching fixture (12), for use in a quench press (11, Fig. 1) to rigidly hold a structural shape 20 e.g. an I- or H- beam from deforming during quenching and guided on a fixed frame 13 for vertical movements into and out of a quench pit 15, comprises a frame, preferably a single rigid girder 18, carrying: a first set of groups of upwardly extending contact fingers (26, Fig. 4), e.g. at upper ends of vertical plates 25, aligned to define a first reference surface; a second set of groups of downwardly extending contact fingers (34, Fig. 4), e.g. at lower ends of vertical plates 33, which are moved away from and toward the first set e.g. by hydraulic piston and cylinder means (29, Fig. 4) to contact upper and lower surfaces of the structural shape 20 to be quenched; third and fourth sets of groups of side contact fingers 45, 46, e.g. carried on side plates 43, 44, and each vertically disposed, one set e.g. fingers 46 aligned to define a second reference surface perpendicular to the first, the other e.g. fingers 45 moving horizontally away from and toward the second reference surface e.g. by means of a horizontal fluid cylinder 47, to contact opposite side surfaces of the structural shape to be quenched. Preferably the fingers 46 forming the second reference surface are also moved horizontally by a similar fluid cylinder. A force is applied equally on each of the groups of movable contact fingers, each force preferably being independently regulated. A row of adaptors (60, Figs. 2 and 3) may be mounted along the longitudinal central axis 19 of the upwardly extending contact fingers (26), the axis being transverse to the direction of motion of each of the set of movable fingers (34), 45, to allow the frame to accommodate two structural shapes. The clamping fingers are preferably forced to move during cooling to allow for shrinkage. The second reference surface may be curved or angled, besides planar, to permit quenching of shapes which are non- uniform in cross-section. The quenching fixture may also be used for normalizing.