US1961512A - Apparatus for annealing glassware - Google Patents

Description

June 5, 1934. H WADMAN 1,961,512

APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING GLASSWARE Filed March 16, 1932 in 0 en i or: 9 wwzawmzdmm A Horn 63 43.

Patented J une 5, 1934 UNIT-ED 7 STATES H 1,961,512 APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING GLASSWARE' Harold A. Wadman, West Hartford, Court, as-

signor to Hartford-Empire Company, Hartford,

Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application March 16, 1932, Serial No. 599,097

'4 Claims.

- This invention relates to apparatus for anneal ing glassware, and more particularly to a tunnel type glass annealing leer having a peculiar and novel arrangement of temperature gradient con- 5 trol along the leer and also being provided with self cleaning arrangements by which any cullet or other foreign matter which may be deposited in the lower portion of the leer by sifting through the conveyor, or otherwise, will be automatically removed therefrom into a suitable receptacle from which it may be easily and quickly disposed of.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a means usable in connection with the return strand of an endless conveyor, such as is commonly used in glass annealing leers, for deflecting from the upper surface of this return strand any large pieces of cullet or'any foreign matter which may be thereon into a suitable receptacle from which this cullet or otherforeign matter may be easily removed, thus preventing damage to the leer conveyor by reason of cullet becoming jammed between the belt and the roll or rolls about which the conveyor passes between its returning course and its ware-bearing course.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a leer of the character above described, and particularly one in which the ware-bearing strand of the conveyor and the supports therefor are of open work structure and are spaced from the bottom of the tunnel, a means for carrying any fine'cullet or other foreign matter which might otherwise accumulate on the tunnel bottom to a suitable place from which it may be quickly and easily removed, thus preventing clogging of the leer tunnel at regions difficult of access.

Other and more specific objects of the invention will become apparent from the reading of the following specification and sub-joined claims when taken in connection with the accompanying 40 drawing, in which: Figures 1 and 2 together comprise a diagrammatic central vertical section longitudinally of a glass annealing leer embodying my invention, the structure of Fig. 2 being a continuation of that of Fig. 1 at the right thereof, as seen in the drawing; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, with parts broken away and in section, showing certain structure at the front or ware-receiving end of the leer and particularly the arrangement and construction of the cullet deflector and receptacle, the view being on an enlarged scale as compared with Figs. 1 and 2, and certain of the leer parts being shown in dot and dash lines;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of the lee-r as seen from the right in Fig. 3.

Referring first to' Figs. 1 and 2, I have chosen to show my invention as applied to a leer comprising an elongate tunnel 1 which may be built to up of a plurality of substantially interchangeable sections 2, the sections being constructed in a suitable and desired manner and being supported preferably with provision for expansion, as in the Mulholland Patent 1,560,481, granted Nov. 3, 1925, the supports for the tunnel not being shown in the accompanying drawing. Surrounding the sections 2 of the tunnel 1 is an insulating layer 3, part of which is shown, and which may also surround the sides and/or the bottom of the. tunnel as in the usual practice. Ware is conveyed through the tunnel 1 by an endless belt 4 driven in any suitable manner, as that shown in the Mulholland patent above referred to, (the driving means not being shown in the present drawing). As shown the ware-bearing strand of the conveyor 4 is supported in its course through the tunnel 1 upon a suitable open work supporting structure here illustrated as including transverse I-beams 5 in the hotter portions of the tunnel and rollers 6 in the cooler portions thereof, the conveyor support including both the I-beams and the rollers being spaced from the bottom of the tunnel. The return strand of the conveyor 4, as shown, passes to the forward or ware-receiving 5 end of the tunnel beneath the wareebearing strand, but inside the tunnel and, as shown, in sliding contact with the floor or bottom thereof. At the forward end of the tunnel the conveyor 4 passes about a roller 7 suitably journaled in brackets 8 rigid with the tunnel structure.

Means are provided for controlling the temperature gradient within the tunnel and consequently that of the ware in its passage there- 1 through, comprising a longitudinally extending flue 9 disposed beneath the tunnel and having a common wall with the floor thereof, the flue 9 being divided into a plurality of parallel fiues by suitable longitudinally extending partitions, as in the Mulholland patent above referred to, if desired. Heated gases are supplied to the flue 9 by a fire box 10, as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1, these gases being generated by combustion of fluid fuel injected into the fire box by the burner 11 and also being preferably diluted with desired controllable amounts of air for controlling the temperature of gases supplied to the flue 9, all as illustrated in the aforesaid Mulholland patent.

In annealing certain types of ware it is desirabox, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

ble that the ware be carried through the tunnel in a path spaced above the bottom thereof rather than immediately adjacent thereto,: as in the Mulholland patent above referred to. For this reason the bottom of the tunnel and hence the path of the flue 9 to the right of the point 12 (Fig. 1) is shown as spaced a material distance beneath the path of the ware upon the warebearing strand of the conveyor 4. Also in order to supply gases evenly to the flue 9 transversely thereof and for purposes of convenience, it is desired that the fire box 10 be positioned beneath the ware-receiving end of the leer. Thus, the portion of the flue 9 between the point 12 and the fire box 10 is inclined upwardly toward the fire The inclination of this portion has, however, the'further function in that it provides for a decreasing temperature gradient in the corresponding portions of the tunnel, due to the difference in the lengths of the paths'for heat radiation and convection between the flue 9 and the ware upon the ware-bearing strand of the conveyor 4.

Means are provided in connection with the portion of the flue 9 to the right of the point 12 (as seen in Figs. 1 and 2) for controlling the temperature gradient in this portion of the flue, such means comprising a plurality of air inlet openings 13 each controlled by a damper 14. The gases are withdrawn from the flue 9 through an inclined passage 15 and saddle pipes 16, one on each side of the leer, to a wind box 17, from which they are exhausted by a fan 18 driven from any suitable source of power, as the motor 19. Thus it will be seen that the flue 9 is continuously under subatmospheric pressure, so that air may be drawn into the flue 9 through any of the passages 13 under control of the dampers 14, and the temperature gradient of the gases in the flue and consequently that of the ware in corresponding zones of the tunnel may be controlled. The portion of the flue 9 to the right of the outlet passage 15, as seen in Fig. 2, may communicate with the atmosphere through a passage20 controlled by a damper 21, this passage being located immediately adjacent to the exit end of the leer, thus providing a section of the flue 9 through which atmospheric air may be drawn countercurrent to the movement of the ware for the purpose of cooling it. The total flow of temperature con-' trolling media through the flue 9 may be controlled by a damper 22 in the passage 15.

In order to assist in the abstraction of heat from the ware, there is provided above the tunnel and extending from the exit end thereof a material distance toward the entrance end, a flue 23, similar to the flue 9, and having a common wall with the roof of the tunnel. This flue is open to the atmosphere at the exit end of the tunnel as indicated at 24. Means are provided for withdrawing controllable amounts of cooling air from the flue 23 at intervals therealong, comprising passages 25, controlled respectively by dampers 26, which communicatewith a take-off conduit 27, which in turn communicates with the wind box 17 and thence with the fan 18.

The general arrangements for temperature control of the flues 9 and 23, with the exception of the position and specific arrangement of. the flue 9 with respect to the ware path, are disclosed in the Mulholland patent above referred to, and hence, perse, form no part of the present invention.

In some instances it may be desirable to control the flow of currents of air within the tunnel, particularly between the ware-bearing and return strands of the conveyor 4. For this purpose I have shown a plurality of adjustable dampers 28 which are adapted to control longitudinal fiow of such currents. As shown these dampers are pivoted at their lower ends, but it will be understood that this is not essential in practice,'it being desired merely'that there be dampers located substantially as shown and that they be adjustable.

Some difliculty has previously been experienced with the clogging of the leers, particularly where open work conveyor belts such as the woven wire belts now in common use were employedin con-,

junction with relatively open. belt supporting means, due to small pieces of cullet sifting down through the openings of the ware-bearing strand of the belt and between the openings of the belt support and becoming lodged upon the floor of the tunnel thus hindering to some extent the desired heat transfer, and in some instances hindering the operation of the conveyors. It is my purpose to provide against such an occurrence and in'effeet to provide a self cleaning leer. To this end I preferably pass the return strandof the conveyor 4 through the tunnel beneath the warebearing strand and in sliding contact with the floor thereof, so that any fine cullet or any other f oreign, material which may sift through the warebearing strand of the conveyor and fall onto the floor of the'tunnel will be moved forwardly by. the return strand of the conveyor to a point where it may be collected and permanently removed from the leer. Thus in the construction shown, the return strand of the conveyor 4 is'in sliding contact with the floor of the tunnel throughout substantially its entire length. Adjacent to the forward end of the leer and beneath the return strand of the conveyor is a cullet or refuse receptacle generally indicated at 29, which is formed as a-compartment in the forwardend of the leer structure, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4, and which is provided with an inclined rear wall 30 which may be welded or otherwise suitably secured to the leer structure. This receptacle is provided with one or more clean-out doors 31, preferably one at each end thereof normally secured in closed position by a suitable latch or other securing device 32. Thus cullet or any other waste material which accumulates in the receptacle 29 may be removed from time to time through the openings closed by doors 31.

Another difficulty which has arisen and which has at times caused considerable damage to leer conveyors is that relatively large pieces of cullet or other large rigid material finds its way onto the upper surface of the return strand of the conveyor and becomes jammed between it and the roll or, rolls about which the conveyor ,must pass before embarking upon its active or ware-bearing course.

To overcome this difficulty, I have provided a'de-- flector adjacent to the ware-entering end o the leer and cooperating with the retumstrand of the conveyor just before it passes about the first of the rollers (if there be several), in the present instance about the roller'7. While this deflector could be inclined from one side of the belt all the way to the other side, I have chosen to illustrate it as a V-shaped deflector, shown at 33, having its apex 34 directed toward the exit end of the leer and positioned above and closely adjacent to the upper surface of the return strand of the conveyor 4. Thus, any relatively large pieces of cullet will be moved laterally by. the conjoint action of the conveyor 4 and the deflector 33 and will be deposited in the receptacle v29 at the lateral edges suitably and preferably rigidly secured to the lower side of a rigid box-like structure 36, including a plate 37 over which the ware-bearing strand of the conveyor 4 passes, the structure 36 being suitably secured at its lateral edges to the leer structure in any desired manner. Thus, the deflector 33 will be held rigidly in position to deflect large pieces of cullet into the receptacle 29.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious that certain changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit thereof, and certain minor features may be of utility of themselves apart from the entire combination. I do not wish to be limited, therefore, except by the scope of the appended claims, which are to be construed as broadly as the state of the prior art permits.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for annealing glassware, comprising an elongate tunnel, an endless open work conveyor for moving articles of glassware therethrough, means for supporting the ware-bearing strand of said conveyor above the bottom of said tunnel and for returning the idle strand thereof to the entrance end of the leer inside said tunnel and along and in sliding contact with the bottom thereof, and a cullet receptacle positioned beneath the return or idle strand of said conveyor adjacent to the ware-entering end of said tunnel for the receipt of fine cullet or foreign material from within the tunnel which has fallen to the bottom thereof and has been moved forwardly by the idle strand of said conveyor.

2. Apparatus for annealing glassware, comprising an elongate tunnel, an open work conveyor support intermediate the top and bottom of said tunnel, an endless conveyor having its ware-bearing strand movable across said support and its idle strand returning to the entrance end of said tunnel along and at all places in contact with the floor thereof, the bottom of said tunnel being free from abrupt changes in level, and a waste receptacle located beneath the idle strand of said conveyor adjacent to the forward or ware-receiving end of said tunnel for the receipt of any fine cullet or other foreign matter sifting down from the ware carrying strand of said tunnel and through said open work support onto the floor thereof and moved forwardlyalong the floor of the tunnel by the idle strand of said conveyor.

3. Apparatus for annealing glassware, comprising an elongate tunnel, an open work conveyor supporting means in the tunnel spaced above the floor thereof, an endless conveyor of open work material for moving articles of glassware through said tunnel having its ware-bearing strand carried by said supporting means and its idle strand in sliding contact with the floor of said tunnel substantially throughout its course therethrough, re ceptacle means positioned beneath and partially also at one side of the return strand of said con.- veyor adjacent to the ware-entering end of said tunnel, at least one roller about which said conveyor passes intermediate its return course and its ware-bearing course, and a cullet deflector positioned above and closely adjacent to the upper surface of the return strand of said conveyor in front of said roller and adjacent thereto. whereby fine cullet or other foreign material which sifts through the ware bearing strand of said conveyor through said supporting means will be carried along'the floor of said tunnel by the return strand of said conveyor-and deposited in said receptacle means, and whereby any larger pieces of cullet or other foreign material which are carried forwardly of said tunnel upon the upper surface of the return strand of said conveyor will be deflected laterally by said deflector and pass into said recep tacle means, thus keeping said tunnel free of cullet and preventing damage to said conveyor by large pieces of cullet being jammed between the return strand of the conveyor and said roller.

4. Apparatus for annealing glassware, comprising an elongate tunnel, open work conveyor supporting means spaced from the floor thereof, an endless open work conveyor "having its ware-bearing strand carried by said supporting means and its idle strand returning to the ware-entering end of said tunnel in sliding contact with'the floor thereof throughout its length, at least one roller about which said conveyor passes at the entrance end of said tunnel between its return course and its ware-bearing course, a V-shape deflector positioned above but closely adjacent to the upper surface of the return strand of said conveyor immediately prior to its passage about said roller, and a cullet receptacle positioned transversely of said tunnel adjacent to the ware-entering end thereof and adapted to-receive fine cullet and other foreign material moved forwardly along the floor of said tunnel by said conveyor and also adapted to receive larger cullet or other foreign material deflected from the upper surface of said conveyor by said deflector, whereby saidtunnel is maintained free of cullet and whereby damage to said conveyor by large pieces of. foreign material becoming lodged between said conveyor and said roller is prevented. I

HAROLD A. WADMAN.

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