US2238791A - Glassware lehr and annealing method - Google Patents

Description

April 15, 1941.

F. DoRsl-:Y

GLASSWAR LEHR AND ANNEALING METHOD Filed June 3, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet l F. E. DORSEY GLASSWARE LEHR AND ANNEALING METHOD April 15, 1941.

Filed lJune 5, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i April 15, 1941. F. E. DORSEY Y GLASSWARE LEHR AND ANNEALING METHOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 3, 1938 nwg: Wg? f f- IIIIIIIIIIIIIII fl, f

Patented Apr. 15, 1941 GLASSWARE LEHR AND )METHOD Francis E. Dorsey, Hartford, Conn., assignor to Hartford-Empire Company, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application June 3, 1938, Serial No. 211,571

-16 Claims.

rl'his invention relates to improvements in glassware lehrs and to annealing methods performed thereby, more particularly to such lehrs and methods as provide and make use of circulatory movement of the tunnel atmosphere in at least a portion of the lehr tunnel through which the ware is transported during the annealing thereof.`

An object of the invention is to provide a lehr of the character described having improved iacilities-for producing and controlling circulatory movements of gaseous media inthe lehr tunnel.

A further object of the invention is the provision in a lehr of the character described of novel means both for causing generally transverse circulatory movements of the gaseous meda in successive portions of the lehr tunnel, and for conducting gases removed from the circulating media at a selected place or places in the lehr tunnel longitudinally of the tunnel to another place or places nearerl to the front or ware-entering end of the tunnel and there re-introducing such gases into other circulating media in the tunnel.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lehr of the character described having improved means for producing and controlling longitudinal drift or movement of the circulating or moving gaseous media in the lehr tunnel.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for making use of both vertically moving convection currents and currents of gaseous media produced by the introduction into the tunnel of moving jets or streams of air to control the distribution of temperature both longitudinally and transversely of the lehr tunnel.

provision in a. lehr of the character described of improved means for and method of controlling the temperatures in successive portions or zones of the lehr tunnel from its front or ware-entering end to its rearward end, involving the u'se of air jets at closely spaced places along the length of the lehr tunnel to produce generally transverse circulatory movements of gaseous media in the provision inra lehr of the character described of a tunnel having la main longitudinal `space or chamber through which the ware being annealed A more specific object of the'invention is the lehr tunnel, the application to the circulating istransported and in which gaseous media is being circulated in directions generally transverse of the tunnel and a pair of longitudinal spaces or chambers at the sides of the main space in which gaseous media may move longitudinally of the tunnel toward the Ware-entering end thereof and portions of such longitudinally moving gaseous media may be injected into the circulating gaseous media in the main space of the tunnel at intervals along the length of the latter.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter be pointed out or will becomel apparent from the following description of a practical embodiment of the inventionas shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a portion of the lehr, beginning at'the :front or ware-entering end of the lehr tunnel,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of another portion of the lehr which may comprise the remainder of the lehr tunnel, i

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through the lehr along the line 3 3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a similar View taken along the line 4--4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is another transverse vertical section through the lehr along the line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a portion of Fig. 5 on a larger scale, Y Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary View, showing in horizontal section a portion of the lehr at approximately the place indicated by the sec tion line 1--1 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section in en larged form through approximately half of the lehr at the place indicated by the line 8-8 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a fragmentary portio of the top of the lehr, showing operating mechanism for a pair of drift controlling vanes which are located within the lehr tunnel.

The lehrA illustrated in the drawings comprises an elongate tunnel IB which may comprise the portions shown in longitudinal vertical section in Figs. 1 and 2. This tunnel may be constructed in any suitable manner of suitable materials. As shown, it comprises an outer metallic shell or case l-I, on legs Ila. Suitable insulation, such as indicated at l2, Figs. 1 and 2, may be provided within the metallic shell or case lIl at thr places at which it is desired to insulate the Wallsof the tunnel. Withinl this insulation may be an inner metallic `lining I3. Also, refractory material, as at I4, Fig. 1, may be employed to line the tunnel at the place or places at which the temperature will be relatively high or service conditionssuch as to make the use of refractory material advantageous.

The details of construction of the tunnel walls may vary according to particular service requirements or preference, and do not per se form part of the present invention. v

. An endless conveyor belt l5 of openwork structure, such as woven wire fabric, has an 4upper active or Ware-bearing reach or portion |5a passing longitudinally through the tunnel, and an inactive or return reach or portion |5b supported beneath the tunnel, as is usual in modern glassware lehrs.

The upper reach of the conveyor belt is supported within the tunnel by a supporting frame structure which comprises longitudinal Z-bars I6 and spaced transverse members |1 which may vary somewhat in specic shape and structure in different portions of the lehr. This conveyor supporting frame structure may be supported at a substantial distance above the bottom or floor of the tunnel from the front or ware-entering end of the tunnel for the major part of the length thereof, as by suitable columns or pedestals indicated at I8, Figs. 1 and 2, and the top of a combustion chamber I9 which may constitute the lower front end portion of the tunnel, beneath the conveyor supporting frame, as best seen in Figs. 1, 3 and 8.

The cooler portion of the tunnel may have its bottom or floor raised or oiset upwardly as from the place indicated at 20, Fig. 2, to the exit end of the tunnel and the supporting frame structure for the upper reach of the4 conveyor may be supported directly on the raised floor or bottom of this portion of the lehr tunnel. The arrangement is such that spa/ce is 'provided beneath theI supporting frame structure for the upper reach of the conveyor from the' front or ware-entering end of the tunnel for a substantial, preferably a major, partl of the length of the tunnel for thel circulation of gaseous media. In the heated portion of the lehr, heat may beapplied to the gaseous media in this space from a suitable source of heat.

Such heatmay be supplied by apparatus of any suitable type, such as electrical or combustion heating apparatus. Preferably, such heating apparatus should apply heat with decreasing eil'ect from the front or ware-entering end portion of the tunnel longitudinally of the tunnel for the distance required. The particular heating apparatus shown is of the combustion type, and includes a burner or burners, such as that indicated at 2| in Fig. 1, for discharging a combustible fuel into the combustion chamber or firebox |9. The top of this rebox may be made in part of any usual type of refractory, indicated at 22, and in part of tile, indicated at 23, having relatively high heat conductivity. This tile portion 23 of the rebox top may be corrugated transversely to ailord increased strength and for efficient transmission of heat to the overhead tunnel space and also to provide transverse channels lbeneathvthe conveyor supporting frame for circulating heated gaseous media.

The ilrebox is closed at its rear, that is, at the end/farthest from the ware-entering end of the tunnel, except for the open ends of heater pipes 24, Figs. 3 and 8. 'I'he heater pipes 24 extend in the lowerV corner portions of the tunnel from the erboxffor a substantial. preferably themajor,

. municate with stacks or outlet pipes 25 (see Figs.

part of the length of the tunnel, where they com- 2 and 4), which project above the top of the tunnel. products of combustion from the rebox rearwardly in the lower corner portions of the tunnel for the distance required to effect adequate heatl ing of the circulating media which pass in contact referred to by vthe series of shutters which then therewith as hereinafter will be more fully ex- ,place in any suitable way. The arrangement is such as to divide the tunnelabove the plane of the ware supporting frame structure into the longitudinally extending main space or annealing chamber |09 through which the ware is transported by the conveyor and a pair of longitudinally extending relatively narrow spaces or chambers 30 at the sides of this ware-receiving space or chamber.

The side spaces 30 communicate at their upper portions with the main middle space |00 by means of inwardly projecting tapering nipples 3| which may be provided 'at closely spaced places along the length of such side spaces. As shown, these side spaces 3|| extend substantially the full length of the tunnel (see Figs. 1 and 2). These nipples 3|, being relatively narrow or constricted at their inner ends, serve as Venturi ports when air under pressure is blown therethrough into the tunnel proper, as may be accomplished by lateral nozzles 32 on pressure air pipes 33 which extend longi tudinally of the passages 30 in the upper portions thereof. 'Ihe ynozzles 32 on the pipes 33 are located in register with the corresponding nipples 3|. The pipes 33 may be supplied with air under pressure from the blower pipe 28 through suitable connections, such as indicated at 34, Figs. 1 and 2. These connections may be dampered so as to permit regulable control of the volume of air passing therethrough to the pipes 33. The pipe 23 may be connected with the air delivery side of a blower fan 35, which may be located on the rear end portion of the tunnel, as shown in Fig. 2.

structure. Slightly above this plane, each false side wall 29 is provided with a series of long, com-4 paratively narrow openings or ports 36. 'I'hese openings or ports establish lateral communica- `tion between the lower portions of the spaces 30 and the main ware containing tunnel space |0.

Pivoted shutters or dampers 31 are provided .T in the lower portions of the side spaces 30 for 1 stantially as shown for the shutter 31 in' Fig. 6,

all the ports 36 Aadjacent to such shutters are fully open and that side space 30 is closed at the level constitute a bottom wall'for the portion of the space 30 above such shutters. -In other words,

These heater pipes conduct the heated when the shutters are raised, each side space or chamber is in eifect a longitudinal duct at one side of the main or ware-containingtunnel space with which such duct then communicates only through the nipples 3|.

At this time, the portion of thetunnel at that side of the conveyor supporting frame and in the lower portion of the side space communicate with the main tunnel space |00 through the ports 36 and the closed shutters 31 may be inclined downwardly toward their outer side edges to facilitatedeilection of rising gaseous media fromthe lower portion of such side space through the ports 36 into the transversely circulating gaseous media in the main, ware-containing space |00.

When, however, all the shutters 31 in a side space 30 are lowered, as for example to the p0- `sition indicated by the dotted `lines in Figs. 6 and 8, then al1 the ports 36 controlled by such shutters will be closed andthe side passage 30 will communicate with the main tunnel space |00 through'the nipples 3| near-the top of such space and also through the space-beneath the open work conveyor supporting frame.

Each of these shutters 31 may be raisedor lowered and maintained in adjusted position by a suitableoperating mechanism which may comprise a crank 36 journaled in a bearing in the adjacent side wall of the lehr tunnel and connected with the shutter by linkage 39. 'Y

The side spaces 30 may be open at their ends, adjacent. to the front and rear ends of 4the lehr tunnel. The upper portion of such space, i. e., the portion that forms a. continuous longitudinal duct when all the shutters 31 therein are closed, may be divided transversely at will into a plurality of successive longitudinal zones by horizontally swingable pivoted dampers or division members 200. (See Fig. '7 which shows a plurality of these members 200 as viewed fromv above and Fig. 8 which includes a face view of one of them.) Each member 200 is pivotally supported at its outer side edge on a vertical shaft (Fig. 8) which extends through the topof the lehr tunnel and is provided at :its upper end with a laterally bent portion or handle 202 which may be manipulated to swing the member 200 from a fully closed position, shown in Fig. 8 and in full lines in Fig. 7, across the space at right angles with its direction of length, to a fully open position at which the member 200 will be disposed atwise against the outer side wall of the space 30 or to any intermediate position, such as the positions shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 8, each member- 200 may be partially cut away or notched at 203 to clear the pipe 32 when the member is in any of its possible adjusted positions.

The lehr tunnel is provided with longitudinally extending deflectors 40 (Figs. l, 2, 'I and v9) which are inclined downwardly and toward the longitudinal median line of the tunnel (Figs, 3, 4, and 8) for defiecting the jets or streams of air from the Venturi ports 3| downwardly toward the underlying conveyor and promoting desirable transverse circulations of gaseous media at opposite sides of the vertical plane passing longitudinally of the tunnel midway between the sides thereof.

The deectors 40 extend in the lehr tunnel from near the. front end thereof 'to the foremost of a series of hollow defiectors 4| (Figs. 2, 5 and 6) in the cooling section of the lehr. Each deilector 4| comprises a hollow body having irlclined side walls 42 provided with hinged sections 43 at their tops, which can be opened as indicated by the dotted line position of one of these sections in Fig. 6 to allow egress of more or less of thetunnel atmosphere. These hollow deilectors 4| communicate with stacks 44. The hinged sections 43 may be controlled by suitable operating mechanism 45. The rearmost deilectors in the cooling section of the lehr, one of which is indicated at 40-a in Fig. 2, may be similar to the deectors 40, hereinbefore described. In general, the deilectors in the cooling section of the lehr are similar to those which are described in greater detail in the copending application of Donald G. Merrill, for Method of and apparatus for annealing glassware, Serial No. 66,611 illed March 2, 1936, and do not per se form part of the present invention.

The Ainvention also provides pivoted vanes, designated 46, Figs. 4, '1, 8 and 9, for aiding in controlling driftof the circulating gaseous media in the main or ware-containing space |00 of the tunnel.' The vanes 46 are supported in the upper part of the main tunnel space |00 between the deflectors 40 and the false side walls 29 and are` adjustable around vertical axes to various angular positions with respect to the longitudinal axis of the lehr tunnel. Thus, the vanes 46 may be suspended by shafts 41 which are journaled in suitable bearings in the top structure of the tunnel and may be rocked about their axes to swing the vanes 46 to the angularly adjusted positions desired. Usually, the vanes will be turned so as to'aid forward drift or movement oi the transversely circulating gaseous media in the tunnel although other angularly adjusted positionslof such vanes are possible. The shafts 41 of each pair' of transverselyaligned vanes 46 may be connected for simultaneous adjustment, as by linkage 40, connecting arms 40 lon the upper ends of the shafts 41, and an operating handle 50 which may be attached to .one of the arms 49 or to the linkage 48. The handle 50 may be provided with notches 5| engageable with a keeper 52 to maintain the connected vanes in adjusted positions, or any other suitable means may be employed for this purpose.

From the foregoing description of a practical embodiment of the invention, the operation and advantages thereof will be readily understood.

The heating apparatus may be controlled to supply the required amount of heat to the rebox and to the heater pipes 24 for any particular annealing operation. Primary streams of air will flow under pressure longitudinally of the lehr tunnel in the pipes33 from which air will be discharged into the ware-containing space of the tunnel in the form of jets through the Venturi ports 3|. These jets, either alone or in conjunction with the convection currents, produce generally transverse circulatory movements of the tunnel atmosphere throughout substantially the entire length of the tunnel. The vanes 46 preferably are set to aid forward drift of the circulating tunnel atmosphere in the main or ware-containing space |00 in the tunnel.

The vertically swingable shutters 31 and the horizontally swingable dampers or division members 200 in the side passages 30 may be adjusted. in view of the convection circulations caused by the' heating of the gaseous media in the lower portion of the tunnel and the pressure and inductive actions ofthe jets of air from the nozzles 32 in the upper corner portions of the tunnel, to produce the desired movements of the tunnel atmosphere and temperature distributing and controlling functions required for particular requirements and conditions at dilerent times. In general, raising of all the shutters 31 and openingl of all the members 200 would convert the upper portions' of the side passages 30 into longitudinal ducts in which secondary streams of air or gaseous media of increasing temperature would be conducted forwardly of the tunnel in the side portions thereof and would be tapped off at intervals into the transversely circulating gaseous media in the main space of the tunnel through the Venturi ports 3l. In the meantime, the circulating gaseous'media in such main space would be augmented and inuenced somewhat, particularly in the heated portion of the lehr, by the gaseous media passing through the ports` 36 into such main tunnel space. The forward movement of the secondary streams of air or gaseous media may beY interrupted or retarded at the place or places desired by swinging one or more of the members 200 to fully closed or-intermediate positions. Opening, i. e., lowering, of a shutter or shutters 31 permits gaseous media to pass upwardly from the lower portion of the tunnel in the portion or portions of a side space or side spaces 30 controlled 'by such shutter or shutters produce specifically different results as required to meet various service requirements and conditions at diiferent times.

The invention is not to be limited beyond the terms of the appended claims-when such claims are construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.

I claim:

1. A glassware lehr comprising a tunnel, means for transporting glassware to be annealed through an annealing chamber which extends longitudinally of said tunnel, a second chamber extending longitudinally of the tunnel adjacent to said` annealing chamber, said second chamber having a plurality of ports spaced along the length thereof and communicating with the upper portion of said annealing chamber, and an air conduit extending longitudinally of the lehr tunnel and having spaced nozzles discharging jets of air through said ports into said annealing chamber in such manner as -to have inductive action on gases in said second chamber.

2. A lehr comprising a tunnel having an annealing chamber extending longitudinally thereof and alsoV having a relatively narrow chamber containing gaseous media extending longitudinally `o'f the tunnel'at one side of the annealing chamber and communicating with the upper portion of the annealing chamber through spaced ports located at intervals along the length of the annealing chamber, means for transporting glassware through the annealing chamber, and a conduit located in said side chamber for'conducting air longitudinally of the tunnel in the direction opposite the direction of movement of glassware through the annealing chamber and having spaced nozzles for directing jets of air through` said spaced ports into said annealing chamber.

3. A lehr comprising a tunnel having an annealing chamber extending longitudinally thereof and also having a relatively narrow chamber containing gaseous media extending longitudinally of the tunnel at one side of the annealing chamber and communicating with the upper portion of the annealing chamber through spaced ports located at intervals along the length of the annealing chamber, means for transporting glassware through the annealing cham-ber, a' conduit located in said side chamber for conducting air longitudinally of the tunnel in the direction opposite the: direction of movement of glassware through the annealing chamber `and having spaced nozzles for directing jets of air through said spaced ports into said annealingchamber, and means for applying heat to gaseous media in the lower portion ofY said tunnel in a zone extending from the front end of said tunnel vfor part of the length thereof.

4. A lehr comprising a tunnel having an annealing chamber extendingV longitudinally thereof and also having a relatively narrow chamber containing gaseousv mediaextending longitudinally of the tunnel at one side ofthe annealing chamber `and communicating 'with the upper portion ofthe annealing chamberthrough spaced ports located atv intervals along the length of the annealing chamber, means for transporting glassware through the annealing chamber, a conduit located in said sidelclhamber for'conducting air longitudinally of the tunnel in the direction opposite the direction of movement of glassware through the annealing chamber and having; spaced nozzles for directing jets of air through".

said spaced ports into said annealing chamber to set up therein generally transverse circulation of gaseous media, and horizontally swingable vanes located in the annealing chamber at places spaced longitudinally thereof for controlling the longitudinal drift of gaseous media in said annealing chamber. l

' 5. A lehr comprising a tunnel having an annealing chamber extending longitudinally thereof and having at the side of said annealing chamber a relatively narrow chamber containing gaseous media and communicating with the upper portion of said annealing chamber through ports located at intervals along the length of said annealing chamber, said side chamber having open communication at its bottom with the lower portion of the annealing chamber, means for heating gaseous media in the, lower portion of said side chamber in a zone extending longitudinally of the tunnel from the front end thereof for a substantial part of the length thereof, means controlling in zones longitudinally of said side chamber upward movement of gaseous media in said side chamber, and a conduit located in the upper portion of said side chamber for congaseous media and communicating with the upper portion of said annealing chamber through ports located at intervals along the length of said n annealing chamber, said side chamber having open communication at itsbottom with the lower portion of the annealing chamber, means for heating gaseous media in the lower portion of said side chamber in a zone extending longitudinally of the tunnel from the front end thereof for a substantial part of the length thereof, means controlling in zones longitudinally of said side chamber upward movement of gaseous media in said side chamber, a conduit located in the upped-portion of said side chamber for conducting air under pressure longitudinally thereof and for discharging jets of air through said ports into the upper portion of said annealing chamber, and other means located at intervals longitudinally of said side chamber for controlling movement of gaseous media therein longitudinally of the side chamber.

4 7. A lehr comprising a tunnel having an annealing chamber extending longitudinally thereof and having a relatively narrow chamber at one side vand communicating with the upper portion of the annealing chamber at intervals longitudinally thereof through spaced tapering ports, said side chamber communicating at its bottom with the lower portion of the annealingchamber, a-

conduit in the upper portion of said side chamber for conducting air under pressure longitudinally thereof and for discharging jets of air at intervals through said tapering ports into the upper'portion of said annealing chamber, and a longitudinal deector in thev upper portion of said annealing chamber in the path of said jets of air for cooperating with the latter to set up generally transverse circulatory movements of the gaseous media in said. annealing chamber.

8. A lehr comprising a tunnel having an annealing chamber extending longitudinally thereof and having a relatively narrow chamber at one side and communicating with the upper portion of the annealing chamber at intervals longitudinally thereof through spaced tapering ports, said side chamber communicating at its bottom with the lower portion of the annealing chamber, a conduit in the upper portion of said front front of the tunnel for a substantial partA of the length thereof.

9. A lehr comprising a tunnel having an annealing chamber extending longitudinally thereof and having a relativelynarrow chamber at one side and communicating with theupper portionv length thereof, and a longitudinal series of shutters located in said side chamber intermediate the height thereof for regularly controlling communication between upper and lower portions of said side chamber in zones longitudinally threof.

10. A'lehr .comprising a tunnel having an annealing chamber extending longitudinally thereof and a relatively narrow chamber at one side of the annealing chamber and communicating with the upper portion of the latter at intervals along the length thereof through spaced ports, said side chamber communicating at its bottom with the lower portion of the annealing chamber, an openwork conveyor for transporting glassware through the annealing chamber,an open-work supporting frame for supporting said conveyor in a plane above the bottom of the annealing chamber for at least the major portion of the length of the latter\beginning at the front of said annealing chamber, means for applying heat to the gaseous media in the lower portions of said annealing chamber and said side chamber in the front end portion of thetunnel and to the gaseous media in said side chamber for a further part of the lengthY of the tunnel, a conduit extending in the upper part of said side chamber for conducting air under pressure longitudinally thereof in the direction opposite the direction in which said conveyor transports glassware through the annealing chamber, said conduit having spaced nozzles for discharging jets of air through said spaced ports into the upper portion of the annealing chamber, and means for controlling upward and longitudinal movements of gaseous media in said side chamber at places spaced along the length thereof.

11. A lehr comprising a tunnel having a pair of longitudinally extending relatively narrow side chambers containing gaseous media. and an interposed longitudinally extending main or annealing chamber, said side chambers communicating with the upper portion of said annealing chamber at intervals along the length thereof through spaced ports, an open-work conveyor for transporting glassware through the annealing chamber at a. plane spaced above the floor thereof for at least a substantial part of its length beginning at the front end, said side chambers communicating at their bottoms with the lower portion of said annealing vchamber below the plane of said open-work conveyor and having other ports spaced longitudinally thereof establishing communication between said side chambers and the annealing chamber at a level slightly above that of said open-work conveyor, and vertically swingable shutters adapted when raised to constitute longitudinally extending parof the annealing chamber at intervals longitudinally thereof through spaced tapering ports, said side chamber communicating at its bottom with the lower portion of the annealing chamber, a conduit in the upper portion of said side lchamber for conducting air under pressure longitudinally thereof and for discharging jets of air through said tapering ports into the upper portion of said annealing chamber, a longitudinal *deilector in the upper portion of said annealing chamber in the path of said jets of air for cooperating with the latter to set up generally transverse circulatory movements of the gaseous media in said annealing chamber, means for applying heat to the gaseous media in the lower portion of said side chamber in a zone extending from the front of the tunnel for a substantial part of the titions between upper and lower portions of successive zones longitudinally of each of said side chambers and adapted when lowered to close the second named ports between said side chambers and said annealing chamber.

12, The method of annealing articles of glassware which comprises passing such articles through a lehr tunnel, applying heat to gaseous media at the bottom of said tunnel to cause generally transverse circulating convection currents therein to envelop the articles in moving gaseous media during their passage through the tunnel, discharging jets of air into the circulating currents of gaseous media to aid the circulatory movements thereof, and supplying gaseous media to said circulating currents by the inductive action of said jets of air. v

13. The method of annealing articles of glassment of the articles of glassware through said chamber and discharging jets of such air transyersely into the annealing chamber at intervals along the length thereof, and causing a secondarysupply of j gaseous media to envelop the stream of air in such manner that portions there- 'of will be injected into the annealing chamber by the inductive action of said jets of air.

i4. The method of annealing glassware which comprises passing articles of glassware through an annealing chamber extending longitudinally l of a lehr, causing generally transverse circulatory movements of gaseous media in successive zones of said chamber by introducing jets of air horizontally into the upperportion of the annealing chamber directed toward the longitudinal median line thereof and applying heat to gaseous media at thevbottom of the annealing chamber, and augmenting the circulating gaseous media in said annealing chamber by introducing gaseous media thereinto in addition to said jets'of air at intervals along the length of the annealing chamber.

15. The method of annealing articles of glassware which comprises passing the articles to be annealed through an annealing chamber extendupper part of annealing chamber at intervalsv along the length thereof to vary the circulating currents, and further varying such circulating currents by injecting thereinto at intervals along the length of the annealing chamber streams of gaseous media obtained from an-adjacent supply by the inductive action of said jets of air.

16 .-The method of annealing articles of glassware which comprises causing the articles to advance along a. pathway in an annealing chamber located between a pairl of adjacent' longitudinally extending bodies of gaseous media, causing circulatory convection currents of gaseous media in said annealing chamber to envelop the advancing articles in a Zone extending from the intake end of the annealing chamber for part of the length thereof, and injecting gaseous media from said longitudinally extending bodies of gaseous material into said annealing chamber together with jets of air under pressure by causing such jets of air to pass transversely through portions of said longitudinally extending bodies of gaseous media into said annealing chamber toward the longitudinal median portion of the latter.

FRANCIS E. DORSEY;

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