US1979697A

US1979697A - Annealing furnace

Info

Publication number: US1979697A
Application number: US572898A
Authority: US
Inventors: Maring Albert
Original assignee: Anaconda Wire and Cable Co
Current assignee: Anaconda Wire and Cable Co
Priority date: 1931-11-04
Filing date: 1931-11-04
Publication date: 1934-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 1951-11-06

Description

Nov. 6, 1934. A. MARING ANNEALING FuRNAcE Filed Nov. 4. 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l llllllllllllllll INVENTOR EETQ/NG.

BY Hts ATTORNEYS A. MARING 1,979,697

ANNEALING FURNACE Filed Nov. 4,1951, s sheets-sheet 2 Nov. 6, 1934.

NOV. 6, 1934. A MARlNG 1,979,697

ANNEALING FURNACE v Filed-NOV. 4, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 BY HIS ATTORNEYS Z Patented Nov., 6, 1934 ANNEMJENG FURNACE Albert Maring, Muskegon, Mich., assigner to Anaconda Wire s; Cable Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application November d, i931, Serial No. 572,898

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j@ and to provide means for continuously passing the same therethrough.

'Another object of the present invention is to improve and to facilitate the annealing of spools of metal wire.

'35 Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the invention is more fully disclosed.

In accordance with the objects of the present invention I have designed a self-loading and a l self-discharging annealing furnace of the mufg@ e or indirectly heated type which is adapted to continuously anneal a plurality of spools or packages of metal wire passing therethrough.

Before further disclosing the scope of the present invention reference should be made to g the accompanying drawings wherein- Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation view of the annealing furnace of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same taken along plane 21 2,'Fig. l;

3@ Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional side elevation View similar to the View in'Fig. 1 with the center, end and top portions broken away;

Fig. l is a cross-sectional view taken along y plane d i, Fig. i;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken along plane 5 5, Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along plane 6 6, Fig. 5 and Fig. 'i is a sectional side elevation view of an 4@ air valve element of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the annealing furnace of the present invention comprises a base or body portion i having the usual bottom, side, end and top walls interiorly lined or faced with i5 refractory insulation such as Silocel, magnesite, fire brick and the like identified by numeral 2. The annealing furnace has the usual combustion chamber 3 into which extends burner 4 adapted to utilize the customary gaseous or f5@ liquefied fuels, the combustion gases passing from the combustion chamber 3 into the annealing furnace and thence out through convenient outlet as indicated in the drawings at 5. In-

l teriorly disposed within the furnace is a welded metal structure 6 spaced from the interior walls of the furnace chamber to permit free circulation of combustion gases thereabout. Each end of the sealed chamber 6 extends downward into a liquid seal pit '7 thereby completely sealing the same from the atmosphere. The liquid seal pit opens to the atmosphere.

I provide gravity means to continually supply metal articles or packages which it is desired to anneal to one of the liquid seal -pits and provide conveyor means to conduct the same from the @5 pit into and through the welded annealing cham-v ber 6 and from thence into the second liquid seal pit 7, the conveyor means serving also to lift the annealed metal article or package from the second liquid seal pit 'l' to a platform from which it is conducted by gravity away from the furnace. For the purpose of convenience I have illustrated in the drawings the application of the present invention to the annealing of spools of Wire, but I do not wish to be limited thereby as it is apparent I5 that other metal articles may be similarly annealed by merely attaching them to frames adapted to rotate in a manner similar to spools or they may be directly placed upon suitable conveyor means and passed through the annealing furnace 8@ in substantially the same manner as is herein illustrated with respect to spools of Wire.

In the drawings numeral 8 indicates the wire spools. In Fig. l the progression of the spool is from right to left and as illustrated the spool is placed upon an inclined platform 9 comprising a part of the furnace base l from which by gravity it rolls toward liquid seal pit '7. At the edge of the pit it becomes engaged by a bar i7 of a belt conveyor organization which may be comprised of 9@ any convenient or desirable ktype of conveyor belt suitable for the purpose of the present invention. The spool 8 rolls down the incline platform il to the bottom of the pit 7 from which it is lifted by means of the conveyor belt along incline plat- @d form 12 into chamber 6 along which it is rolled until it reaches the end thereof. From thence the roll 8 is discharged along incline platform i3 into the second pit '7 and the conveyor belt then picks it up and moves it along the incline platform lull 1i to the discharging platform l5 which is inclined away from the furnace so that the spool rolls by force of gravity to a desired receiving point.

As illustrated in Fig. 2 in section a plurality of 105 spools 8 may be fed through the furnace, if desired, it only being necessary to adapt the broad idea to provide means for accomplishing the same. In the adaptation of the annealing of a plurality of spools at the same time the interior 'l1-o of the welded structure 6 is provided with a plu--L rality of track sections 16 between which the spools are adapted to roll. Conveyor means l0 may be comprised of a bar member l'l extending across the chamber from side to side and attached at each end to the conveyor belt or chain 18 running along the under side of the extension 19 in the manner indicated. Other means may be provided to accomplish the same result than by the endless conveyor belt means herein disclosed and, accordingly, I do not wish to be limited specifically thereto.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a sectional view taken along plane 5 5, Fig. l, in which pyrometer means 20 and 21 areindicated which are employed in controlling temperatures in the furnace chamber and the annealing chamber respectively. The method of anchoring the overhead portion of the conveyor apparatus 10 to the furnace roof is also illustrated in Fig. 5 and in enlarged detail in Fig. 6.

In Fig. '7 I have illustrated an air vent device 22 which I utilize for the purpose of equalizing the pressure in the annealing chamber 6 with that of the atmosphere. The air vent device 22 comprises essentially a hollow tubular member 23 extending from the interior of the chamber 6 to the atmosphere and closed at the end opening into the atmosphere by spherical member 24 adapted to be seated therein. Spherical member 24 is or may be weighted to retain any desired pressure within the chamber 6 and is probably provided with means 25 to retain the same in the seat substantially'in the manner illustrated. This permits accumulated pressures to be released, vbut prevents the spherical member 24 from being displaced sufflciently to fail to return to its end clos\` ing position.

It is apparent from the above description taken in conjunction with the drawings thatthe present invention is adapted to many modifications and. departures from the specific. embodiment thereof herein disclosed and all such modifications and departures are anticipated as may fall within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an annealing furnace, an annealing chamber, liquid seals at each end of said furnace, a plurality of runways traversing the length of said furnace and into and out of said seals, a platform adjacent one of said sealsl inclined towards said seal, a platform adjacent the other seal inclined away from said seal and conveyor means to receive a plurality of spools carrying materials to be annealed from the rst 'platform` and to roll said spools through the first seal into and through said chamber and into and out of said second seal onto said second platform along said plurality of runways, said conveyor means comprising endless belt elements extending through the saidfchamber into and out of said seals on opposite sides of said runways and a plurality of spaced bar elements interconnecting said belt elements, the spacings between said bar elements providing openings to receive the said spools and to permit the spool to engage the said runways, the advance motion of the said belt elements serving to roll the spools along the said Let/aser runways from one seal into and through the chamber and other seal.

2. An annealing furnace adapted to continuously anneal a plurality of spools of wire comprising a heating chamber, liquid seals at each end of said chamber, a plurality of runways traversing the length of said furnace and into and out of said seals, a platform adjacent one liquid seal inclined to feed spools of wire to the said seal and onto said runways, a second platform adjacent the other liquid seal inclined to feed spools away from said seal and conveyor means .to propel said spools along said runways through the first seal, into and through the saidchamber and into and out of said second seal onto said second platform said conveyor means comprising a pair of endless belt elements disposed on opposite sides of said runways and passing through the said seals and said chamber, and a plurality of spaced bar elements connecting the endless belt elements together, the said bar elements being adapted to ride over the said runways a spaced distance therefrom, the spacing between the said bar elements providing openings adapted to receive the said spools with the spool edges engaging the said runways, the forward motion of the endless belt elements then adapting the bar elements to engage the said spool and to propel the said spool along the said runways through the said chamber and secondseal to the said second platform.

3. In an annealing furnace comprising an annealing chamber, means to exteriorly heat said chamber to the desired temperature, liquid seal means to seal the chamber from the atmosphere, means to thermostatically control the tem erature in said chamber and pressure re ating means connecting the interior of said chamber with the atmosphere, means to conduct articles into and out of said chamber through the liquid seal means, said means comprising a plurality vof tracks extending from one liquid seal through the chamber tothe other liquid seal, endless belt elements disposed on -opposite sides of said tracks and passing through the said seals and chamber, spaced bar elements connecting said endless belt elements providing openings therebetween to receive articles to be passed through the said chamber and gravity means to feed articles to the said endless belt element at one 'seal and to remove articles therefrom at the other seal. 125

4. A continuous annealing furnace comprising) i a heating chamber, liquid seals for both ends of said heating chamber, a 'platform adjacent one liquid seal inclined to feed articles to be annealed to the said seal, a platform adjacent the other liquid seal inclined to feed articles away from said seal, a plurality of tracks extending from one liquid seal through the chamber into the other liquid seal, and endless belt elements disposed on opposite sides of said tracks, spaced bar elements connecting said endless belt elements to provide openings therebetween to receive articles as they are fed into one seal from one platform and to propel said articles along the said tracks through the said chamber and other sealto the other4 plat- 140 form. a,

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