GB2243647A - An oven - Google Patents

Abstract

An oven for ageing extrusions has an open top and a lid (34) which is movable from a closed position to an open position and from there to a storage position (50) at the side of the oven, the pivot shaft (38) of the lid being supported during movement between the closed and open positions on a member (12) which is held in place by a locking member (10) which is releasable to allow the member (12) to pivot freely so that the lid can be moved to the storage position. <IMAGE>

Description

AN OVEN This invention relates to ovens.

In the manufacture of metal extrusions for example aluminium, it is necessary to age the extrusions, in an oven to impart desired metallurgical properties to them.

It has been found that an efficient method of performing such ageing can be carried out when the extrusions are of long length, for example 50 m.

It will be appreciated that with extrusions of such a length, a large oven is required. One of the features encountered in the manufacture of such ovens is that the door is most conveniently arranged at the top of the oven. Thus, a problem arises as to the storage of the door when the oven is being loaded with extrusions. It has been found that the storage of the door is best accomplished at the side of the oven. However, with such ovens there is limited space and it is necessary to disconnect the door from its hinge.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved oven.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided an oven for ageing extrusions, said oven having an open top and a closure member for said open top, said closure member being movable from a closed position to an open position, and a hinge assembly mounted in fixed relation to the open top whereby the lid can be moved to a storage position at the side of the oven.

Preferably, the hinge assembly comprises a hinge member movable between a first position and a second position, and a locking member movable between a locking position to lock the hinge member in the first position and an unlocked position to allow the hinge member to move between the first and second positions whereby the closure member can be moved to the storage position when the hinge member is in the second position.

Preferably the hinge member is pivotally movable between said first and second positions about a hinge member pivot means.

Preferably the locking member is pivotally movable between the locking position and the unlocked position about a locking member pivot means.

The hinge assembly may comprise co-operating formations on the hinge member and the locking member wherein a first co-operating formation is provided on the hinge member to engage a second co-operating formation on the locking member when the hinge member is locked in the first position by the locking member.

The first co-operating formation on the hinge member may comprise a shoulder and the second co-operating formation on the locking member may comprise an elongate projection.

The locking member may further comprise a stop member against which the projection on the hinge member abuts when the hinge member is in the second position.

The hinge member may comprise a closure member engaging portion whereby a closure member can engage said portion such that said closure member can be hingedly rotated about said portion between a closed position and an open position.

When the locking member is in the unlocked position, the hinge member may be movable to and from a third position wherein the third position is on the opposite side of the first position to the second position.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a closure assembly for a vessel having an open top, said closure assembly comprising a closure member capable of being arranged on the open top of the vessel, and a hinge assembly as described above mounted in fixed relation to the open top about which hinge assembly the closure member is hinged rotatably, the closure member being rotatable about said hinge assembly between a closed position an an open position when the hinge member of said hinge assembly is locked in the first position by the locking member, whereby when the closure member is in the open position the locking member can be moved to the unlocked position to allow the hinge member to move to the second position thereby allowing the closure member to be moved to a storage position adjacent a side of the vessel.

The closure assembly may comprise a channel member against which a channel member engaging means of the closure member can engage when the closure member is being moved to the storage position.

In one embodiment, the closure assembly comprises a hinge assembly engaging member to engage the hinge assembly thereby allowing the closure member to rotate about the hinge assembly wherein said channel member engaging means is provided on said hinge assembly engaging means.

The hinge assembly engaging member may comprise an elongate substantially cylindrical member.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a hinge assembly, with a hinge member in a first position; Figure 2 shows the hinge assembly of Figure 1 with the hinge member in a second position; Figure 3 shows the hinge assembly of Figure 1 with the hinge member in a third position; Figure 4 is a schematic side view of a closure assembly according to one aspect of the invention; and Figure 5 is a view of the area designated V in Figure 4 showing a closure member in a storage position and, in phantom, in an unlocked position.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 to 3 show a hinge assembly 10. The hinge assembly 10 comprises a hinge member 12, rigidly mounted about a hinge member pivot means in the form of an axle 14, and a locking means 16, rigidly mounted about a locking member pivot means in the form of an axle 18. The hinge member pivot axle 14 and the locking member pivot axle 18 can be pivotally mounted on a suitably supporting structure 20.

The hinge member 12 and the locking member 16 are provided with co-operating formations 22 in the form of a shoulder 24 on the hinge member 12 and an elongate projection 26 on the locking member 16. As shown in Figure 1, the hinge member 12 is in a first position and the locking member 16 is in a locking position. When the hinge member 12 and the locking member 16 are in the first position and the locking position respectively, the elongate projection 26 abuts against the shoulder 24 and prevents the hinge member 12 rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow A.

The locking member pivot axle 18 is connected to a suitable rotary means (not shown) capable of rotating the axle 18. The suitable rotary means can be any suitable motor. The motor is used to rotate the axle 18 and thereby the locking member 16 from the locked position (as shown in Figure 1) to an unlocked position (as shown in Figures 2 and 3).

The hinge member pivot axle 14 is freely rotatable in the supporting structure 20. Thus, when the locking member 16 is in the unlocked position, the hinge member 12 can be pivoted to a second position (see Figure 2) or to a third position (see Figure 3). The significance of being able to pivot the hinge member 12 to its second and third positions is explained below. (In Figures 2 and 3 the hinge member 12 and the locking means 16 are shown in phantom in the first position and the locking position respectively).

In the position as shown in Figure 1, the hinge member 12 acts as a support to enable a closure member, such as a lid for an oven to be hingedly rotated about the hinge member 12 from a closed position to an open position as will be explained in detail later.

The hinge member 12 comprises a closure member engaging portion 28 in the form of a recess 30 and a protrusion 32.

Referring now to Figure 4 the hinge assembly 10 is shown in engagement with a closure member 34 such as a door or lid of a closure assembly for a vessel, which vessel is in the form of an oven 35 for ageing metal extrusions of up to 50 m in length. In Figure 4 the closure member is in the form of a lid 34 for the oven 35. As shown, the lid 34 comprises a hinge engaging means 36 in the form of an elongate cylindrical hinge engaging shaft 38 connected to a main portion 40 of the lid 34 by suitable connection means 42. A plurality of guide members 44 are provided around the cylindrical shaft 38.

It will be appreciated that Figure 4 shows only a side view of the closure member 34 and so only one guide member 44 is shown; the other guide members being disposed directly behind the guide member in view.

As shown in Figure 4, when the lid 34 is in the closed position, the shaft 38 rests on the protrusion 32.

When it is desired to move the lid 34 to the open position (as shown in phantom in Figure 5), a suitable lifting means is used, for example a hoist having a suitable hook 46 which can be hooked around a shaft 48 at the opposite end of the closure member 34 to the means 36. When the lid 34 is moved from the closed position to the open position, the cylindrical shaft 38 will move from the position shown in Figures 4 and 5 to seat in the recess 30. With the projection 26 on the locking member 16 in abutment with the shoulder 24 on the hinge member 12, the hinge member 12 cannot move in the direction of the arrow A. Thus, the hinge member 12 provides suitable support for the closure member 36 as it moves from the closed position to the open position.

When the lid 34 is in the open position it is lifted slightly to allow the axle 18 to be rotated by the motor to move the locking member 16 to the unlocked position.

When the locking means 16 is in the unlocked position as shown in Figure 1, the hinge member 12 is free to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow A to the second position (see Figure 2) by the weight of the closure member 34 on the hinge member 12. Thus, the closure member 34 can be lowered into a storage position indicated at 50 in Figure 4. Guide means in the form of a plurality of guide channels 52 is provided to guide the guide members 44. It will be appreciated that a plurality of guide channels 52 are provided.

However, only one such guide channel 52 is shown; the others are hidden behind the guide channel 52 in view. A suitable stop member 54 can be provided on the lid 34 which can engage the top of the guide channel 52 when the lid 34 is in the storage position (see Figure 5).

When it is desired to move the closure member 34 out of the storage position, it can be lifted by the hoist.

As the closure member 34 is lifted, the hinge engaging shaft 38 will engage the hinge member 12. The hinge member 12 will be moved by the hinge engaging shaft to the third position shown in Figure 3 to allow the shaft 38 to ride over the protrusion 32 so that the closure member 34 can be lifted completely clear of the hinge assembly 10.

The hinge member 12 can be suitably weighted so that when no external forces are being applied to it by, for example, the closure member the hinge member 12 always returns to the first position as shown in Figure 1.

Thus, when the lid 34 has been lifted clear of the hinge assembly 10, and the hinge member 12 has returned to the first position, the locking member can be moved to the locking position so that the projection 26 abuts against the shoulder 24. The lid 34 can then be lowered until the hinge engaging shaft 38 engages the protrusion 32 and is supported thereby in the open position.

The lid 34 can then be moved to the closed position and as this occurs, the shaft 38 moves into engagement with the recess 30.

It is an advantage of this invention that the embodiment described is particularly suitable for use with ovens for ageing extrusions of a length of about 5060 m. In which case the door for the oven will be of a similar such length and thus very massive.

The oven comprises six heating zones linked together to define an ageing zone which is 60 m in length. The oven is arranged to receive two stanchion assemblies defining a racking system to carry the extrusions onto which extrusions for ageing are loaded. The stanchion assembly is 56 m in length and is lifted into the oven by a suitable crane. When the stanchion assemblies are in the oven the door is closed and the oven is heated to age the extrusions for about 6 to 8 hours, after which the stanchion assemblies can be lifted from the oven and moved to a storage zone prior to unloading of the extrusions.

The stanchion assemblies comprise nine individual sections each of 6 m in length which are linked together.

This invention is particularly suitable for use with the plant described in our co-pending UK patent application claiming priority from UK patent application No 8906293.9.

Also, the oven of this invention is suitable for ageing extrusions supported on stanchions as disclosed in our co-pending UK patent application entitled "Stanchion".

Claims (10)

1. An oven for ageing extrusions, said oven having an open top and lid for said open top, said lid being movable from a closed position to an open position, and a hinge assembly mounted in fixed relation to the open top whereby the lid can be moved to a storage position at the side of the oven.

2. An oven according to Claim 1 wherein the hinge assembly comprises a hinge member movable between a first position and a second position, and a locking member movable between a locking position to lock the hinge member in the first position and an unlocked position to allow the hinge member to move between the first and second positions whereby the lid can be moved to the storage position when the hinge member is in the second position.

3. An oven according to Claim 2 in which the hinge member is pivotally movable between said first and second positions about a hinge member pivot means.

4. An oven according to Claim 2 or 3 in which the locking member is pivotally movable between the locking position and the unlocked position about a locking member pivot means.

5. An oven according to Claim 2, 3 or 4 comprising cooperating formations on the hinge member and the locking member wherein a first co-operating formation is provided on the hinge member to engage a second co-operating formation on the locking member when the hinge member is locked in the first position by the locking member.

6. An oven according to Claim 5 in which the first cooperating formation on the hinge member comprises a shoulder and the second co-operating formation on the locking member comprises an elongate projection.

7. An oven according to Claim 6 wherein the locking member further comprises a stop member against which the projection on the hinge member abuts when the hinge member is in the second position.

8. An oven according to any of Claims 2 to 7 in which the hinge member comprises a closure member engaging portion whereby a closure member can engage said portion such that said closure member can be hingedly rotated about said portion between a closed position and an open position.

9. An oven according to any of Claims 2 to 8 in which when the locking member is in the unlocked position, the hinge member is movable to and from a third position wherein the third position is on the opposite side of the first position to the second position.

10. An oven substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.