US2172378A

US2172378A - Roller rail

Info

Publication number: US2172378A
Application number: US174777A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry H Harris
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1937-11-16
Filing date: 1937-11-16
Publication date: 1939-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 1956-09-12
Also published as: FR846126A

Description

H. H. HARRIS ROLLER RAIL Filed N0v 16. 1957 ..5 E i m u HJ.. www m sept. 12, 1939.

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Patented Sept. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

My invention relates generally to industrial heat treating furnaces, such as carbonizing fur- Lnaces and the like, and specifically is concerned with the means employed Within the furnace on .5 which to move articles therethrough.

Articles to be heat treated are usually loaded .onto at bottomed supports, such as trays, boxes .or the like. These supports are disposed on top 'of skid rails or tracks, or on various types of roller rails/and are then usually pushed through the heat treating furnace in tandem. The flat :skid .rails have been found to be unsatisfactory, `aboth because of the destructive effects of the fricition generated by the flat-bottomed supports, and because of the injurious effects of the heat conditions within the furnace which, with the load bearing stresses, cause warping, buckling :and bending 0f the rails.

Qrdinarily, roller rails, that is, rails on which rollers are mounted, while not subject to the destructive effects of travelling friction to the same extent as are ,flat skid rails, are nevertheless subject to the injurious effects of furnace heat and work support and travel thereover, and are so formed that usually the entire roller rail must be replaced if any part thereof becomes worn or damaged through use. This is an expensive operation, and among the objects of my invention, therefore, is the provision of a roller rail unit which is made up of a number of easily connected and replaceable parts.

Most of the wear in a roller rail is taken up and absorbed by the roller bearings due to the friction of the revolving journals against the bearing. These bearings are the most common cause of roller rail destruction and it is,

therefore, another object of my invention to provide a roller rail unit with independent bearings of simple construction which are easy to install, take out and replace.

Another object of my invention is to provide a roller rail unit with lighter and stronger bearing and roller supports.

Other and related objects of my invention will in part be pointed out specifically, and in part be plain from the following description of an illustrative embodiment.

In the drawing annexed hereto and made a part hereof,

r. Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of one form of roller rail unit constructed according to and embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3--3 I of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1.

Reference numeral Ill indicates my new form of roller rail unit which comprises generally a pair of longitudinally aligned and spaced apart 5 support members I2, I2, having secured therewithin apertured bearing members I4, I4, each pair of bearing members receiving the tapered journals I6, I3, of roller I8, the upper portion of which roller I8 projects upwardly of the supports l0 I2, I2 permitting work to be moved through the furnace upon the rollers.

Each support I2 comprises an elongated flattened, tubular member, which is preferably formed as a one-piece casting of heat and corrol5 sion resisting alloy, of nickel, chromium and iron composition. The flattened tubular members comprising supports I2, I2, are disposed on edge and secured in parallel and spaced-apart relationship, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, by 20 means of aps I3, I3, which are preferably formed integrally with each of supports I2, I2, and are welded to the other of said supports. A number of flaps I3 are formed on both the top and bottom of each of the supports and extend 25 inwardly from the respective supports I2 in staggered relationship, and the supports I2 are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the length of flaps I3, the welded connections, as I5, being made at the points of contact between supports 30 I2 and flaps I3. The fiaps I3 are preferably formed fairly close together to prevent spreading of the supports during use within the furnace, under the influence of the heat conditions and load bearing stresses which ordinarily would 35 cause spreading of the rail supports, but not too close to interfere with the free action of the rollers I8 projecting upwardly therebetween. The lower flaps are preferably wider than the flaps at the top. 40

The outer wall of each of supports I2, I2, is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart openings 20, which are generally elliptical in shape and have their longest dimension extending lengthwise of the supports. The inner Wall of 45 each of the supports I2, I2, is provided with a similar number of circular openings 22, which round openings 22 are aligned with the elliptical openings 2D. 'I'hese

openingsA

20 and 22 are formed in the side walls of supports I2 midway 50 between the flap connections.

A number of circular bearing members I4, having tapered apertures 25 therethrough, are inserted in each support I2 through opening 20, and are welded therewithin as indicated at 50. 55

Each bearing member I4 is provided with ears 26 on opposite side thereof, which ears 26 extend outwardly from the body of the bearing member. The bearing member I4 is inserted through the elliptical opening 20 with ears 26 in alignment with the longer dimension of said openings 20, and into circular openings 22, until ears 26 are inside the interior hollow part ofthe support I2 between the support walls, and is then given a quarter turn so that Iears 26, 26, are aligned with the shorter dimension of openings 20 to form a bayonet joint connection between the bearing member I4 and the inner and outer walls of the support member I2, and lock the bearing I4 Within the support. Ears 2,6 also serve to take up any transverse thrust developed by travel of Weighted supports over rollers I8.

A plurality of cored openings 60 are formed in the inner Walls of supports `I2 so that the rail as a whole is self-cleaning, and scale and other foreign matter will ,fall to the furnace floor.

My improved roller rail has numerous features of advantage. For one thing, th-e parts are simple and can be cast at very low expense. For another thing, maintenance cost is low and the parts, particularly the roller bearings, can be Itaken down and replaced easily and inexpensive- 1y. lFor instance, 4if any particular bearing b-ecornes worn through long use, or cracks as a result of the load and heat stresses to which it is subjected, it is a relatively easy matter to reduce the welded connections 5U, give the bearing I4 ra quarter turn to bring

ears

26, 26 in alignment with the longer dimension of opening 20,

',nals are shielded against scale or droppings and -will function perfectly under all normal furnace conditions. Another advantage is the increased load bearing capacity achievedbecause of the tubular construction of the support members.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A roller rail comprising a pair of aligned and spaced apart support members, each of which comprises a hollow, attened tube, aligned openings in the side Walls of each of said tubes, and the openings of each of the supports being aligned with the opening of the other support, the openings in the outermost of the side walls being elliptical and the openings in the' innermost of the side walls being circular, circular bearing members disposed within said supports and received Within the circular openings, and means on and a part of the bearings to secure the bearings within the supports.

2. A roller rail assembly as in claim 1 in which the securing means on the bearings comprise a pair of ears cooperating with the walls of the tubular members to keep the bearings therewithin.

3. A roller rail vassembly for use in heat treating furnaces comprising a plurality of longitudinally aligned rollers, each Vof which has journals integral therewith, a pair of hollow, elongated attened tubular supporting members set Von edge and permanently locked in spaced apart and parallel relationship to dene a roller channel therebetween in which the rollers rotate, each of said supporting members having a plurality of pairs of' aligned op-enings through the sides thereof through which openings the roller journals extend, and a similar plurality of pairs of roller bearings disposed within the hollow' tubular supports about the integral roller journals.

4. AA roller rail assembly as in claim 3, inwhich the opening in the outer side of each of the tubular vsupports is of such shape as to permit 4the introduction of the roller bearing members