US2356739A - Sinker device for continuous galvanizing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

1944- K. A. ERICSSON r); 2,356,739

APPARATUS SINKER DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS GALVANIZING 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 24, 1942 INVENTORS' ANur" AfQ/CSSON and W L TEA ZMAHLA,

Aug. 29, 1944. K. A. ERICSSON ET AL 'SINKER DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS GALVANIZING APPARATUS Filed June 24. 1942 s Sheets-Shet 2 K. A. ERICSSON ETAL 2,356,739

SINKERDEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS GALVANI ZING APPARATUS- Filed June 24, 1942 s Sheets-Shet :5

INVENTORS A A/ur A E /assa/v aodMu TEE Z'M HL A,

fbe/i ##omey. i

Patented Aug. 29, 1944 SINKER DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS GALVANIZING APPARATUS Knut A. Ericsson, Elyria, Ohio, and Walter T.

Mahla, McKeesport, Pa., assignors to National Tube Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application June 24, 1942, Serial No. 448,308

(Cl. 9l12.'7-)

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary sinkers for continuous galvanizing apparatus of the character illustrated in the patent to Paul C. Ely, No. 2,326,843, issued August 17, 194.3.

In such continuous galvanizing apparatus, the I cient sinker device which may be readily incorporated in continuous apparatus of the character stated, and which may be operated at high speed without the delays occasioned by former devices.

Additional objects and advantages of our invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a continuous galvanizing apparatus showing the application of our invention thereto;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, A designates generally a tank or bath containing the coating solution, such as hot zinc spelter. The preheated and fluXed pipes a are fed from a suitable conveyor lengthwise upon horizontal transverse screw or threaded conveyor rolls 2, said rolls being disposed in downwardly inclined alignment toward the tank or bath A and being driven in synchronism with their threads in alignment in a direction toward the tank, for supporting and conveying the pipes in parallel relation toward and downwardly into said tank or bath. The conveyor feed may be regulated to deliver a pipe to the screw conveyor rolls 2 for each revolution thereof, whereby said pipes are received between and carried by the threads of said rolls in laterally spaced relation.

The action of the threads of the rotating screw conveyor rolls advances the pipes a in a longitudinal forward and downward direction, and at the same time conveys the said pipes laterally in the direction of advance of the threads of said conveyors. Hence, by placing the usual rectangular tank A in skewed position, as shown in Fig. 1, a considerable number of the pipes a may be advanced in parallelism into, through and out of the tank in diagonal relation thereto.

The tank A is provided with similar screw or threaded horizontal conveyor rolls 3, 4 and 5. extending in a direction transversely of the tank and being disposed to receive and support the pipes at in their downward forward inclined travel by the-conveyor rolls 2, the rolls 3, 4 and 5 being submerged in the spelter of the bath.

Conveyor rolls 3, 4 and 5 are driven in synchronism'with the rolls 2 so as to maintain the pipes a in parallel relation, all of said rolls being driven at a proper speed to enter the pipes into the bath without appreciable disturbance of the latter, the pipes entering endfirst in a downward direction, permitting the complete escape of air therefrom through their elevated rear end portions.

The angle of inclination of the pipes and the length of roll conveyor 3 are so designed and related that as each pipe is substantially submerged in the bath, the said pipe passes laterally beyond the roll 3 and is momentarily supported only by the engagement of its forward portion upon roll 5, the said positionof the pipe being indicated at a'.,

As each pipe or article reaches the position a, the rear portion thereof is engaged by and pushed downwardly in the bath by a sinker device B, said pipe pivoting on the roller 5 to thereby reverse the inclination of the pipe, elevating the forward end thereof substantially to the surface of the bath in position to engage and be supported upona conveyor screw or threaded roll 6, as indicated at a" in Fig. 2, the lowered rear end portion of said pipe engagingand being supported by an additional conveyor roll 1 at a lower elevation in the tank. The successive pipes are then conveyed by rolls 5, ,6 and 1 onto similar threaded delivery conveyor rolls, one of which is shown at 8, for final disposition of the pipes.

The series of conveyor screw or threaded rolls employed are driven at the same rate of speed and are synchronized so that the thread and pipe engagement willmaintain the pipes in substantial parallelism during their travel. compound linear motion, i. e., simultaneous forward and lateral travel of the pipes, the pipes are maintained in contact with the coating material or spelter for the proper time interval. Suitable shafts and gears areemployed as shown to drive Due to the roll 3, the cam bein located in a vertical plane adjacent the discharge end of the roll 3 so as to engage the individual pipes a as the same are discharged from the roll.

Suitable worm gearing H may be provided as shown, driven by bevel gears l 2 from the common drive means for the conveyor rolls, including a driven line shaft 3. The speed of the device B is proportioned to that of the conveyor rolls whereby the cam surface b of the sinker device B makes one complete revolution for each revolution of the rolls.

Cam surface I) is of spiral configuration increasing in radial dimension, the loops of which are extended axially-to function as follows. The hub M of the sinker device is the initial point of the spiral and is disposed adjacent the plane of discharge of the individual pipes from the roll 3, whereby the free rear portion of each pipe engages beneath said hub upon discharge from said roll. From the hub I4, the cam surface b, in the form of a flange or band welded to one face of a disk l5, has increasing radii to form a spiral circumferential surface progressively extending axially of the device and finally attaining a maximum as the rear portion of the pipe engaged thereby is displaced downwardly into engage- 'ment with the roll 1, as shown at a" in Fig. 2.

Since the pipes a are also moving laterally, the cam surface I) is flat and extended axially ofsubstantial width to enable the circumferential contour thereof to follow and 'maintain contact with the pipe during such lateral movement. Finally, the device B has a cylindrical skirt or flange I6 secured to the other face of the disk l5, and with said disk provides a surface portion of constant radius equal to the maximum submerging travel of the pipes, whereby the latter are maintained in proper reversed inclination until conveyed forwardly from beneath the sinker device. As the said disengagement occurs, the pipes will have engaged and become supported by rolls 6 and 8.

Hence, upon properly synchronizing the travel of the sinker device B with the conveyor rolls, the cam surface I) will engage each pipe at the position indicated at a as the same is discharged from roll 3 and submerge the rear portion of the pipe to reverse its inclination, and thence retain the thereby assisting in continuously feeding said pipes through the tank. Also, the sinker device may be of a ize to accommodate several pipe sizes without change. For example, one size of sinker device may be provided for one-half, threefourths and one inch pipe, a second for one and one-fourth, one and one-half and two inch pipe, and so on, thereby enabling the production of several sizes of pipe without changing sinker devices.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In apparatus for continuously galvanizing pipes and the like, the combination with threaded conveyor rolls disposed to convey the pipes in laterally spaced relation forwardly and downwardly endwise combined with a lateral movement thereof, of a rotary sinker device disposed adjacent the terminal of one of said rolls supporting the elevated rear portions of the pipes and being rotatable in a plane parallel to that of the individual pipes supported and conveyed by said rolls, the sinker device having a cam surface engaging the individual pipes as the same are discharged from said roll terminal, said surface comprising a spiral for depressing the rear end of the engaged pipe and progressively extending axially of the sinker device for continued contact with the pipe during its said lateral travel, and means for driving the sinker device in synchronism with the conveyor rolls through one complete revolution during the time interval between the discharge of the individual pipes from-said roll. 2. A rotary sinker device of the character described comprising a cam having a spiral circumferential surface Whose radial dimension increases to a maximum corresponding to the total submergence of the work engaged thereby, said surface being progressively extended axially of the device for maintaining contact with the work during a travel of the latter laterally with respect to the direction of submergence thereof.

3. A rotary sinker device of the character described comprising a cam having a spiral circum-" the device for maintaining contact with the work pipe in said relation until engaged upon the roll 6.

The sinker returns to its initial position through the continued rotation thereof to engage another pipe discharged from the roll 3.

The sinker device of our invention has materially increased the speed and efficiency of condriven in the direction of travel of the pipes,

during a travel of the latterlaterally with respect to the direction of submergence thereof, said device also having a cylindrical skirt comprising a continuation of the cam surface and having a radius equal to the maximum radius of said spiral for maintaining the work in submerged position during a continued lateral travel thereof.

4. A rotary sinker device of the character described comprising a cam having a spiral circumferential flat surface disposed parallel to its axis of rotation throughout, the radial dimension of said surface increasing to a maximum cor- I'eSpOIldll'lg to the total submergence of the work engaged thereby, said surface being progressively extended axially of the device and ofsubstantial width for maintaining contact with the work during a travel of the latter laterally with respect to the direction of submergence thereof.

5. In apparatus for continuously galvanizing pipes and the like including a tank, the combination with conveyor means for conveying the pipes forwardly and downwardly endwise into said tank combined with a lateral movement of said pipes, of a rotary sinker device rotatable about a horizontal axis and positioned in the path of travel of the elevated rear portions of the individual pipes, said device having a circumferential spiral cam surface whose radial dimension increases to a maximum corresponding to the total submergence travel of said pipe portions, said cam being rotatable in a direction providing the surface travel thereof in the direction of forward travel of the pipes, said cam surface also being progressively extended in the direction of lateral travel of the pipes for continued contact of the latter and said surface during such depression and combined movement of said pipes.

KNUT A. ERICSSON.

WALTER T. MAI-ILA.

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