US1778561A - Tile setter - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14, 1930. w. MCCOY 1,778,561

TILE SETTER Filed July .3, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Anne-xv mwzij;

w. M COY TILE SETTER Filed July 3, 1928. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j jxw/ F t n. 1 A w P Patented Oct. 14, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM MCCOY, OF ZANESVILLE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 'IO AMERICAN ENCAUSTIC TILIN COMPANY, LTD., 013 NEW YORK, N. 'Y., A. CORPORATION OIF-NEW YORK TILE sE'rTnn application filed July 3,

This invention is a means for exposing ceramic ware to the heat of a kiln in the heat treatment of the ware, and it is useful, more particularly, in the operations of glazing wall and floor tile, although the principle of the invention is available for the heat treatment of ceramics generally and ceramic products generally.

One object of the'invention is to provide for the assembly of a substantial number of ceramic products after the latter shall have been coated with a glazing substance, and to retain the same in spaced order for exposure to high heat within a kiln or other chamber, with a view to subjecting said coated products to heat treatment whereby the coatings are baked and developed into glazes upon the surfaces of the products.

My. invention is embodied in a one piece carrier in the form of a rack comprising a base, a plurality of columns extending up Wardly from said base, and a top member in the form of a crown functioning as means for protecting the assembled coated products from exposure to foreign materials which have a tendency to drop fromthe ceiling of the kiln chamber. Y

The base and the top member are in one piece with the columns, resulting in a skeletonized rack-like structure all the parts of which are open for the unobstructedflow of heat and gases into the required contact with the coated surfaces of the products. It is usual to employ two columns, extending between the base and the top member, and said columns are perforated to produce openings for the flow of heat andgases Means for supporting theceramic products are provided upon the columns, said means being in the form of narrow shelves positioned for the shelves of one column to lie in the planes of the similar shelves on the companion column, whereby an operator is enabled to load the carrier with tiles by the'mere act of sliding the tiles between the columns and upon the shelves, and in like manner, after the rack and its load shall have been removed. and cooled, the tiles may be discharged byeither removing the tiles individually or by dumping them by a sliding motion out of the rack.

1928. Serial No. 290,231.

vention in connection with a glazing kiln of 4 the character disclosed in Prouty Patent No.

1,613,054, wherein the ware to be treated is loaded on conveyor-slabs composed of heat resisting material. hen so used, a rack is deposited upon each conveyor-slab the movement of which transports the loaded racks within the mufile chamber of a kiln for exposure of the coated tiles to the required hea tr atrnent. Under these conditions, it is desirable to anchor the loaded carriers or racks to the corresponding conveyor-slabs, for which purposes I provide the base of each rack or carrier with an opening, and employ a draft pin or lug on the corresponding conveyor-slab, which pin or lug enters the opening and thus affords temporary anchorage for the rack upon the conveyor-slab, the effect of which is to insure the movement of the loaded rack with theconveyor slab and to preclude the dislodgment of the loaded reel: with respect to said conveyor-slab.

In the service ofconveyor slabs within a muiile kiln it is found that there is a tendency, at certain periods, for debris from the kiln walls or roof to lodge upon the coated surfaces of the tiles, or drops of glazing material accumulating upon the roof of the kiln chamber may become deposited upon the coated tiles, resulting in defective or imperfect prod ucts, degrading them. The employment of my racks overcomesthis objection for the reason that the top member acts as a roof for the tiles loaded in the rack, said roof being im perforate in construction and the area of said roof extending the, area of the individual tiles which are loaded in spaced order upon the shelves of the rack.

It ispreferred to construct the base member of the rackin way for the heat and gases present in the muffle chamber to have access freely to the uiulerf-zurface of the base lncniher, equalizing the effect of the heat and gases upon tae material composing said base meinl'ier, and thus minimizing a tendency of the base member to crack under the eilect of the heat, resulting in prolonged service oi the tile setter.

Qthcr functions and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical cross section through a mullle kiln illustrating my tile setters positioned for movement therein by conveyor slabs, two of said tile setters being shown in diiierent positions within a plurality of mufile chambers.

Figure 2- is a perspective view of one of my tile setters detached from the kiln, showing said setter on a larger scale.

Figure 3 is an elevation of the setter inipcsed upon a conveyor slab, the latter being in section, and the draft pin being shown to afford anchoring means for the tile setter upon the conveyor slab.

Figure lis an inverted, or bottom, plan view of the tile setter, illustrating the formation of the bottom for the flow or" heatand below the setter.

The device, called a setter for convenient designation, embodies in its construction a bottom member or base A, a top member or root B, and a plurality of columns C, l), extending between the bottom and the top, all of the parts constituting a unitary struc ture convenience in handling. Accord ing to my invention, the setter is a one-piece device, being cast in appropriate molds and composed of a susstance or a composition which suitalfle tor molding and which is tired in an -ppi'opi'iate kiln tar producinga vitrified pr .ict capable of withstanding the high been employed in kilns for iirine' the coating applied to ceramic products wherel'r a glaze is produced on Sill'n. products.

lhe base 1%. a part of generally flat rectangular form the under surface of which is l ne ed to provide for the free flow of heat A convenient form of such channeling shown in Figure -1, wherein the channe s a, a", eivtend lengthwise and cross face. Said channels 0, intersect with cl'iannel. at, and the channels o n through the edges of the base member, resulting in webs a whereby the base is adapted to rest upon a coi'iveyor-slab H in a way to slightly raise the body portion of the base and thus allow the heat and to have free access to the channels a, the result which is that all parts of the base are exposed to heat and said base becomes heated.

The columns C, D, are parallel with each other and at right angles to the base and the top. To reduce a tendency to fracture under heating and cooling operations, each col unni is 01" channeled formation, reducing the cross section of heat-resisting material or composition employed in the production ot the setter. As shown, each column has a. longitudinal channel 0 with one or more cross webs c.

For supporting the ware, the columns (J, D, are provided with shelves on the inner laces which are in opposing relation, the shelves of column C being indicated at E in the drawings, whereas the shelves of column I) are shown at E. The shelves are integral with the columns, and they extend horizontally from said columns, with the shelves E of column C in the same horizontal planes as the shelves E of column D. The shelves are long enough to support the tiles loaded on the setter, but said shelves are relatively narrow, being of a width to receive the marginal portions of the tiles, as shown in Figure 1. Each shelf E or E is bounded on one side with a ledge or shoulder 6, parallel to the shelf and integral with the column, said ledge functioning as means for directing the tile when sliding it into place on the companion shelves of the two columns.

The tiles are thus supported on the shelves in positions between the columns, and the shelves support the tiles in spaced relation and in a manner to expose the surfaces at the top and bottom to the heat and gases which are free to flow between the components of the setter and between the tiles in a manner to have free and unobstructed acc ss to the coatings applied to the tiles beiore firing them in the muffle kiln.

In order that there may be no hindrance to the accessibility 01" heat and gases to the tiles, and particularly the marginal portions thereof, the columns C, D, are pro'vided with vent openings l, the l tter occupying such relation to the shelves 11,131, as to alternate therewith, whereby heat may flow through openings l* in the columns and circulate above the marginal portions of the tiles on the upper glaze coated surfaces-i of such tiles.

The top nicnibcrll is in the form oil a flat late t-Plftilltliiij over the space hounded by t io columns C, D. said top member being in one pi ce with the columns. 'll c plate 13 and base A join the columns at the ends thcr-co't,

they span the Spaces intervening the res E. E. the entire middle part or the being open and unobstructed and the open space being interrupted to a slight tent only by the formation of the shelves, two series of narrow shelves being provided, one series on each column at the inner side portion thereof. it

v The setter when out of the kiln is adapted to be loaded with tiles, such as G in Figure 1, said tiles being introduced usually by hand and by sliding the individual tiles into place upon the shelves E, E, each tile resting at the respective side portions thereof upon two of the shelves. When loaded, the setter and its load are deposited upon a slab H of a conveyor of the kind disclosed in the Prouty patent hereinbefore identified. The loaded setter may be placed upon the conveyor slab crosswise of the latter, as shown at the left in Figure 1; or said loaded setter may be placed with the base thereof lengthwise of the conveyor slab, as shown at the right in Figure 1; but in either position upon the conveyor slab, the loaded setter is anchored relatively to the slab by appropriate separable retaining means operable to hold the setter in a determined relation to the conveyor slab. Various forms of retaining means may be employed, but as shown in Figure 3 it is preferred to provide the conveyor slab H with an upstaiiiding stud or pin it and to provide an opening 71. in the base A of the setter, said stud and the opening producing a simple and effcient separable retaining means.

The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description, but may be sumn'iarized briefly as follows IVVith the setters out of the kiln, the tiles G are loaded on the setters by sliding each tile horizontally upon companion shelves E, E, of a pair of shelves. The tiles are held by the shelves in spaced order, one above the other, and they occupy the open space of the setter between the columns C, D, and between base A and top B. The loaded setter is deposited upon a slab H of the conveyor, being retained thereon by the draft pin it of the separable retaining means, which pin occupies the opening h in base A. The loaded setters are carried by the conveyor slabs II into the chambers I of a muffle oven J, Figure 1, said conveyor slabs sliding upon the sole 2' of the muffle chamber I. With the loaded setters at rest upon the conveyor slabs, the latter are pushed by ap propriate means into the muffle chambers wherein they proceed slowly in order to expose the tiles to the heat flowing within the chambers I. By spacing the tiles within the setters and by the skeleton formation of the setters, the heat circulates freely through all parts of the setter and into the required contact with the coated surfaces of the tiles. lVhen the tiles are thus exposed to the heat within the muffle chambers, the tops B of the setters protect the coated tiles from deposits of foreign matter, such as mortar dropping from the kiln walls and the roof of the muflle chambers, as well as affording protection to the coated tiles from drops of glazing substances which exhibit a tendency to accumulate on the roof of chamber I and to drop, more or less regularly, upon the coated tiles when unprotected by the'top member B of the setter. It should be stated that the top member is in overhanging relation to the tier of tiles loaded upon the setter, the area of said top member B exceeding the sizes of tiles adapted to be loaded on the setter. Further, the til-es areyprior to loading on the setter, prepared by producing a bisque which is fired and then the fired bisque is provided with a coating of appropriate glaze composition, whereupon the coated tiles are loaded on the setters and are moved within the mul'lle chambers for exposing the coatings to heat in order to fire the glaze. After passing within the muffle chamber the loaded setters are cooled and then the tiles are discharged by removing them from the setter or by dumping the setter for the tiles to slide off the shelves.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1 A ceramic support embodying a plurality of columns, and a plurality of series of shelves on said columns, said shelves extending inwardly from the columns and said shelves of one column being separated and disconnected from the shelves of the other column, each column being provided with perforations for the free flow of heat across said shelves.

2. A ceramic support comprising a base, a plurality of columns, a top member, shelves integral with the columns and extending inwardly therefrom, said columns being con nected at their respective ends by the base and the top member and the support intermediate the shelves being open and unobstructed.

3. A ceramic support comprising a base, a top member, a plurality of columns connected by the base and the top member, and shelves integral with the columns and extending inwardly therefrom, said top member overhanging the shelves and affording protection against the lodgment of foreign material upon ceramic products loaded on said shelves.

4. A ceramic support embodying a base, a top member, a plurality of columns connected by said base and top membeig and shelves integral with the columns and extending inwardly therefrom, said base being channeled on the undersurface thereof for the free flow of heat below the support.

5. A support for ceramic ware embodying a base, a top member, a plurality of columns, and shelves extending inwardly from said columns, said base being provided with an opening adapted for the reception of a draft pin on a conveyor slot.

6. The combination with a conveyor slab, of a support upward thereon for carrying a load of ceramic products to be fired, and a separable connection between said conveyor slab and the support whereby the support travels with the conveyor slab and displacement of the support relatively to the conveyor slab is arrested.

7. The combination of a conveyor slab provided with a draft lug or pin, and a prefired skeletonized support provided in the bottom thereof with a draft aperture, said support being imposed upon the conveyor slab the stud or pin of which is engaged with said d aft aperture to form therewith a separable connection.

8. A support for ceramic ware comprising a. bare having channels in the underside thereof, a plurality of columns, a top member overhanging the columns and the base, shelves integral with the columns and e'ltending inwardly from the same, said shelves of one column being disaonnected from the shelves of the other column, and openings in said columns, said openings off one column alternating wi rh the shelves of the same column.

9. A device of the character described comp isingg' a plurality of columns, and a series of integral shelves on each column, said shelves extending inwardly tor a short distanee from the columns, one of said columns being slotted to permit the "free flow of heat across said shelves.

10. A device ot the character described comprising a plurality of columns, shelves 'l'ormcd integrally with each column, said shelves of one column being spaced and disconnected from the shelves of the other column and a ledge formed on each shelf to provide a positioning means for the ceramic articles to be fired.

11. A ceramic support embodying a base, a top member, plurality of columns connected by said base and top member, and shelves integral with the columns and extend ing inwardly therefrom raid base having a plurality of channels on the under surface thereof which communicate with the edges of the support and allow a tree llow of heat below the support.

A support tor ceramic ware comprising a one piece ujiolded structure having a base, a top member, a plurality of columns connecting said base and top member, a series of shelves integral with each column, said shelves of one column being spaced and disconnected from the shelves of the other column.

In testimony whereof I have hereto signed my name this 30th day of June, 1928.

lVILLIAM MCCOY.

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