US2026737A - Leer - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 7, 1936. L. J. HouzE. SR

LEER

Filed June 2v, 1934 2 sheets-sheet 1 Jan. 7, 1936... J. HoUzE. sR 2,026,737

` l LER Filed June 2, 1934 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented any1, 193s A o UNiTED ,STATES LEER L Leon J. Hunze, Sr., Point Mariomla., assigner to L. J. Houle Convex Glass Company, a corporation ot Pennsylvania Application .nine z, 1934, serial No. 728,'139

" 5 Claims.

k'I'his'invention relates to annealing and consists in furnace structure; The objects of invention are. primarily, emciency; and, incidentally, simplicity in structure and consequent econ- 5 omy in operation and in maintenance. 'Ihe invention has beendeveloped in the annealing of articles o f glassware, and in such development it will be illustrated and described. Its applicability to the general art o! annealing will be manifest. In the accompanying drawings Fi'g. I is a view in side elevation of an annealing furnace for glassware,-in industrial parlance, a leer,in which and in the operation of whichv the invention is` realized. Fig. II is a view to larger scale, showing the leer in cross-section, on the plane indicated in Fig. I by the line II-II. Fig. lII is a fragmentary view in horizontal section, on the plane indicated at III-III, Fig. 1I; and Fig. IV is a fragmentary view to somewhat smaller scale, on the planeindicated at IV-1'V,"F ig'.1. 'I'he leer is a continuous leer of munie type and consists essentially of a double tunnel structure, ordinarily of masonry, having an inner chamber I and enveloping .passageways 2 in the' side-walls and 3 in the roof, these passageways 2 being in communication with the passageway 3. Through the inner chamber I of this double-walled tunnel the material'under treatment advances; and as it advances it is rst heated to the desired relatively high temperature and then allowed to cool again, until at the discharge end of the chamber A-it may safelyemerge into the open air. Accordingly. from its intake end 'throughout portion of its extent th`e chamber is heated; in order that the material under treatment may be brought to the desired high temperature.' Throughout the remainder oiits extent, the chamber is not heated; in order that the material within, giving up its heat, may growl-cool again. .Throughout that 40 portion-of the extent of chamber I within which the materialls to be heated, a succession of metallic tubes 4, formed lconveniently of lengths of cast-iron pipe. is arranged in a common horizon tal plane at the base of the tunnel. 'I'lie pipes extend in parallelism transversely of the tunnel and open in succession, alternately to the passageways l 2, 2 in the opposite sidewalls of the structure. From the passageway 3 in the root fa stack 30 leads to a suitable chimney. 'Means are provided for causing naines to, stream through the tubes 4 and the products of combustion to ilow thence to and through the passageways'l, 2- and 1;" the relatively cool* gases passing atlength through the stack Il to the chimney. 65 '1hepipes4,aswil1 beseenonoomimjingl'lgs..V

(ci. isi- 41) VII and III, exteriorly open ended, lead through the structure, across the m'ule chamber I, and

into the passageways 2. Into these tubes are projected a'mes Irom nozzles- 5, essentially of\ Bunsen-burner type. Y 5 It wiilordinar'ily be found advantageous to close the inner tunnel at the bottom with a horizontaliy extending screen 6 of mas'oriry; and to arrange the succession of tubes 4 above and ad- Jacent to this screen. Conveniently the tubes are lo spaced apart at narrow intervals, as shown in Fig. III. -'llhe screen 6 and the tubes 4 together constitute the floor or the muilie chamber. Beyond tne tubes, in the "cooling portion' of the chamber, the 'screen 6 alone constitutes the oor. 15

An endless conveyor l, formed preferably of woven wire, is arranged in usual assembly with the muiile chamber. It extends iii-continuous horizontal plane longitudinally through the muiiie chamber; itis trained on suitable wheels or drums 8, and its return reach 'il isy disposed beneath the noor of the munie chamber and within the heatinsulating protection vof themasonry. Flexible curtains 9 of asbestos hang in the ends oi the muie chamber, to prevent draft through the tunnel; thev heated condition of the air within sufficing to prevent harmful'penetratien of cold air through smallerapertures. l

The long reaches of conveyor, and particularly. the ware-carrying reach within the chamber l, rest uponrails. These rails conveniently include rolled steel angles IU at the sides, and rolled steel strips Il at intermediate intervals. These rails extend longitudinally through the tunnelrin continuous length, or, as ordinarily will be the case, in sections, and throughout the portion of the tunnel 'in which the tubes 4 are found they may conveniently rest immediately upon thetubes. Elsewhere they rest upon beams I2 provided to sustain them. These beams, as is indicated in 40 Fig. IV, may by means of applied blocks be formed with channels4 for the reception oi' the rails. The rails rest upon the support,.unrestrained by bolt, rivet, or weld, but freely responsive in elongation and contraction to temperature variations incident to heating -the furnace and maintaining it in operation.' Thus the smoothprogress of the l conveyor is insured. y

It has been found advantageous in a furnace built in the manner described to throttle somepassageways 2,*by placing in the tubes split bricks I9; These bricks, becoming incandescent, will be further eilective to prevent accidental'pumng 'out 6b' l what lthe now of flame `from the tubes 4 into the.

A burner 2B may be provided to play upon the conveyor and raise its temperature (that has decreased in its return travel) just before -it receives the ware and advances again with its burden into chamber I.

Certain renements of structure and of operation may be noted. Gas is supplied to the burners from a supply pipe I 3 through aheader or manifold I4. Communication from the supply pipe to the manifold is through connections I to the two ends of the manifold, such two lines of connection being severally controlled by valves I6. The supply of gas to the burners is subject to several control, by means of valves Il. The

stack exit is multiple, leading from the passageway 3 at a point intermediate the heating portion of thetunnel and at a second point beyond the heating portion of the tunnel, and the two exits are severally-subject to dampers I8. By such means, manifestly, the temperature conditions within chamber I may be controlled and varied, and the gradient of rise of temperature of the articles under treatment may be minutely varied and brought to optimum value.

In the structure and operation of this furnace recognition is given to the truth, commonly disregarded, that articles to be annealed usually are of greater mass at the base than at the upper edges. And, whereas in many annealing furnaces the articles under treatment receivegreater accessions of heat in4 their superior portions, in this f urnace the-articles receive the greater ac'- cessions of heat in their bases.

Considering the chamber I and an article such as a `milk bottle B resting upon the conveyor within it, the facts will be perceived,-(1) that the bottle is isolated within a' chamber through the stream of llame and hot gas from the point of spring at nozzle 5 to the point .of .exit Ato -stack 30,. it will be manifest thatthe genera- Y tion of heat-is at a maximum in the tubes pre- 'cisely where penetrability tothe ware is maximum, and that in the side-walls and roof of the chamber, where penetrability is less, there is less heat to penetrate. It will be remarked that, the

' maximum heat generation being within the tubes,

the structure elsewhere, subject to less intense heat, may be constructed in simple manner.

Speciiically, the arches that constitute the floor and roof of the muiile chamber may be and conveniently are flat arches. And indeed it is entirely practicable to build the masonry-portions of ordinary red brick, rather than of the more costly nre brick.l

In other respects, construction andoperation are familiar. The conveyor as it approaches the intake end of'the tunnel is disposed in horizontal plane, and as the conveyor continues in endless travel, the ware to be annealed is there placed `upon it. At the delivery end the conveyor continues in the same horizontal plane for a suiiicient distance to allow the ware to grow cooler in the air, until it comes toa temperature proper for its removal.

I claim as my inventionl 1. A muilie leer in which the bottom wall of the muiile chamber is of a'material of relatively highr heat .penetrability and the side-walls and roof are 'of other material of relatively low heat pene- 5 trability, with means for causing'ame to impinge upon the bottom wall and the products of combustion, flowing thence, to envelopthe muiiie chamber externally.

2. A inutile leer of continuous type including an inner chamber with side-walls and roof of re fractory material, passageways for hot gases externally arranged and enclosing such side-Walls and roof, a iioor for said inner chamber including a succession of transversely extending metallic tubes leading to the side-wall-enclosing passageways and opening in alternation to the passageway on one lside and the other, means for projecting flames into such tubes, and means for causing the articles to be annealed to advance through said chamber above said transversely extending tubes.

3. A leer structure of continuous type comprising a double tunnel` of refractory material having an inner chamber and enveloping .passageways in side-walls in communication with a passageway in the roof, a succession of metallic tubes arranged in a common plane at the base o the tunnel, extending in parallelism transverselyoi the tunnel constituting part of the iioor of the inner chamber and opening in succession alternately to the passageways in the side-walls. means for causingA flames to stream through the said tubes and the products of 'combustion to ilow thence through the passageways in the lside-walls, and the passageway in the roof, and means for causing articles to be annealed to advance through the inner chamber above the succession of tubes. 4. A leer structure of continuous type comprisau ingv a doubletunnel of masonry having an inner chamber and enveloping passageways in sidewalls in communication with a passagewayin the roof, a horizontal screen oi masonry closing the innerchamber at the) bottom, a succession of A5 metallic .tubes arranged above the screen of the inner chamber, extending in parallelism transversely of the tunnel and with said horizontal screen constituting the iioor of the inner chamber, said tubes opening in succession alternately to the 150 passageways in the side-walls, a stack leading from the passageway in the roof, means for pro'- jecting iiame into said tubes, and a conveyor advancing through the inner chamber in a plane above the succession of tubes. A

5. A mume leer of continuous type including an innerchamber with heat-insulating side-walls and roof, passageways for hot gases externally arranged and inclosing such side-walls and roof, a oor for said inner chamber including a succession of`transversely extending tubes of heatconducting material, a plurality of gasburners arranged in the said tubes, an elongate gas header, connections from said header at successive points in its longitudinal extent to the -said burners severally, and two valve-controlled gas conduits leading to the said header at the ends thereof. whereby the succession oinames springing from the burners and within the tubes may be adjusted inv relative intensity. 7

. o 'LEON J. Hoozm, sa.

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