US2582238A - Coke oven buckstay structure - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 15, 1952 F. w. DOBSON COKE OVEN BUCKSTAY STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 4, 1947 INVENTOR. FREDERICK wuuam 0 05:0.

HTTDQ/VEX F. 'w. DOBSON 2,582,238

COKE OVEN BUCKSTAY STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 15, 1952 Filed March 4, 1947 a w a 4 INVENTOR. FREDEAJCK WIL L 119/7 M850N.

A 7 TO NE 7.

Jan. 15, 1952 F. w. DOBSON 2,582,238

coma OVEN BUCKSTAY STRUCTURE Filed March 4, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet 5 o ,5 o O 62 FIG 4.

Patented Jan. 15, 1952 coins OVEN BUCKSTAY- smncruaa Fred r ck W l i m lo London, En and si ner brm sn a men s vto The ende Duckham Vertical Retort and ()ven Construction C p n 920) L m d, London. E gland, a British company Application Ma ch 4, 19417, gSerialiNo. 732,233 In firit it .1 46

12'Claims.

This invention concerns improvements in or relating to coke oven structures and has particular reference to cross-regenerative batteries Qf coke ovens. More especially, the invention is concerned with improvements in the construction and arrangement of the external bracing means of cross-regenerative batteries of coke ovens and which bracing means comprise essentially a series of buckstays by which the oven end fittings, e. g. door frames or sectional flash plates, are held in position in the mouths or ends of the .pvens and by which the masonry of the-battery structure is also braced .exteriorly to maintain air-appropriate pressure thereon, with the object of retaining the masonry in a condition of alignment and thereby reducing the danger of the joints of the brickwork structure being opened orcracked with consequential detrimental effects upon the efiiciency of the oven battery and the stability of the structure.

In batteries .of cross-regenerative ovens constructed hitherto the 'buckstays, which were extended the full height of the latter. At their lower ends, the buckstays were individually anchored below the regenerators'by tiebolts secured i the conc ete fo d t on .Q theb ry o which the regenerators rest, and the upper ends of the buckstays on the ,one side of the battery were tied to the ,upperendsof the corresponding ,buckstays on the opposite side of the "battery by tie .rods extending between thebuckstays. With such an ,arrangementit has 'been customary -to Iunnish adjustable resilient means (e g. springs orspring washers .or wood packs) on the -tie=bolts and tie rods whereby the 'buckstays are rendered capable of limited yielding movement unison ,with the masonry of the 'batttery when "this exv ,pands.

With cross-regenerative ovens, the buckstays cannot ,be anchoredto the oven fbattery at the level below, but adjacent, to the oven soles, because the brickwork there is insuflicient'to afford therequired anchorage, and theheat of the tops ,of the ,regenerators is "too great for the an- ,choring .tie rods to pass therethrough. -'Ihe an- ,choragemust be in the concrete ioundation,;below rthe e e e ator o securi y.

Durin .theoperationof a hattery of ovenssuch s a o e d s i ed the bucrsta s sub cte t d fl pti i mhe r norma vertica o tion d e to pressur -e e te b the mason upon the buckstays as aresultof theexpansion of the masonry. Thebuckstayedeiiection isinost marked in the region of the centre of the height of the battery (i. e. in the vicinity of the oven soles, below the coking chambers and heating walls, but at the tops of the regenerators) where h s t n e nd r t an at the t p an bottomof a cross regenerative oven. 'Ilhus, the buckstays of cross-regenerative ovens, which are anchored at the upper and lower ends as egplained above, become longitudinally bowed, and no longer efiiciently support the masonry of the battery and the oven door frames (or flash plates).

When the vbuckstays become bowed, as above explained, th on c a it the en $1 0 r m h at a u e an 'lowe mm of the latter and consequently the outwardiorces exerted between these positions by the ,masonry of he ter a e ta en b he 09 frames (or flash plates) instead of by the :buckstays. Consequently the door frames (or flash plates) are frequently distorted or rupturedand (particularly in the case of flash plates) forwardly displaced, all of which further aggravates the difficulties encountered as a result of the bowing or distortion of the buckstays, for not only are repairsor replacements of the door frames (or flash plates) rendered necessary, but air leakages to the ovens are permitted and the buckstays are, as a result, subjected to extraordinary heating conditions which results in their further deterioration.

It is, of course, usual to replace or repair unduly buckled or inefficient buckstays, and also to repair or renew the damaged door frames (or flash plates), but this does not undo the harm that may have been done to the setting as a result of the previous-ineihciency or faultiness of the renewed or repaired buckstays.

The invention is also concerned withthe construction and support of the operating or side benches which are located at either side of a battery of coke ovens just below the oven soles and longitudinally along the battery faces, these benches serving, inter alia, to provide a 'plate form for the battery operators and to support the trackage along which the oven operating equipment such as :the :door -machines and the ooke guides are arranged to operate; theseside benches are usuallyhorizontal and form the top or roof of a passage or alley extending-the full length Of'thebattery.

Hitherto "it has been customary to support the side benches upon a series of horizontal beams each secured at one end to a buck-stay ,55 and extending perpendicularly away from the adjacent longitudinal side face of the oven battery and supported at its outer end by a longitudinal member supported on vertical stanchions which are fewer in number than the buckstays, these vertical stanchions rising about as high as the regenerators and being fixed at their lower ends to the concrete foundations of the battery on which the regenerators rest.

Rigidly associating the operating benchsupporting structure with the buckstays in this Way has a detrimental effect upon the buckstays and lessens their effective life particularly as the benches, especially that on the coke side of the battery, are subjected to considerable live loading and vibration which is transmitted to the buckstays; furthermore the buckstays communicate the said vibration to the masonry with which they are in contact and this contributes to the deterioration of the masonry.

The aforementioned disadvantages resulting from the support of the benches upon the buckstays have been considered previously and, in the specification of United States Patent No. 2,338,618, it has been proposed that they should be eliminated or reduced by the use of benches which are constructed independently of the buckstays, such benches being supported by longitudinally spaced gantries disposed in planes perpendicular to the longitudinal side faces of the battery and out of contact with the masonry thereof, the legs of the gantries being secured to the battery foundation at their lower ends.

However, even when using independent benches as described in the said patent specification, the aforementioned deterioration of the 'buckstays due to the expansion of the battery setting is still encountered and, whether inde- .pendently supported benches or benches supported by the buckstays are employed, the lower ends of the buckstays and their anchorages are,

in the said prior constructions, inaccessibly disposed in the alleys below the benches where the floor space of the alleys is in the region of the regenerator sole-channels and is very congested due to' the presence of the reversing valves and other fittings and accessories that are mounted upon the floors of the alleys so as to be in proximity to the regenerator sole-channel inlets, and consequently it is not only difficult to adjust the pressure of the resilient means acting on the lower ends of the buckstays, but it is also extremely diificult to disconnect, remove and replace the buckstays when they require to be renewed or when renewal or repair of the oven door frames (or flash plates) or masonry is called for.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved construction of external bracing for the masonry of a battery of cross-regenerative coke ovens whereby the aforementioned disadvantages of the known arrangements of buckstays will be eliminated or reduced and, in particular, whereby the oven door frames (or flash plates) and the masonry of the battery setting will be more efficiently supported, and the adjustment of the pressure of the buckstays, or the renewal of the buckstays and/ or oven door frames (or flash plates), may be effected when necessary more readily than has hitherto been possible.

According to the invention, there is provided external bracing means for the opposite longitudinal sides (1. e. pusher and coke sides) of a battery of cross-regenerative coke ovens (hereinafter referred to as a cross-regenerative coke oven battery), such means comprising buckstays which terminate at their lower ends alongside the ends of the upper parts or the regenera tors at positions below, but adjacent to, the oven chamber soles and which buckstays are, at or adjacent the said positions, each urged into contact with the sides of the battery through the medium of one or more pressure members, and a rigid structure for eaclr buckstay, such rigid structure being rigidly associated at its lower part with the battery foundations below the regenerators and extending upwardly therefrom to the level of the oven-chamber soles, and being adapted to take the thrust of the pressure member or members of the associated buckstay at the level of the oven-chamber soles.

As shown on the drawings, and as described herein, each buckstay is otherwise free from anchorage to the oven battery at levels at and below the level of the base for the oven-chamber soles, and each of the rigid bracing structures is likewise otherwise free from anchorage to the oven battery above the battery foundation.

Each buckstay preferably has its lower part so anchored to its associated rigid bracing structure at the level of the base of the oven-chamber soles that it is free to make a limited movement only in a vertical plane perpendicular to the adjacent longitudinal side of the battery: thus the lower part of each buckstay is free to move, under the pressure of the .battery masonry, to a limited extent more or less horizontally in a vertical plane perpendicular to the adjacent longitudinal side of the battery but is not free to move in the direction of the length of the battery.

The said individual rigid structures may each comprise a rigid closed frame disposed in a vertical plane at right angles to the adjacent longitudinal side of the battery. These frames may be, and preferably are, of rectangular form and may be built up from a series of members secured rigidly together, or they may be formed of reinforced concrete or in any other suitable manner. When formed wholly of metal, the frames may each consist of four members secured rigidly together at their ends so as to constitute a rigid box girder frame, and these four members may be of I- or channelor other suitable shape in cross section, and may be formed by rolled or built-up metal structural sections.

According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a coke oven battery having external bracing means comprising a series of pairs of buckstays, the buckstays of each pair being arranged on opposite longitudinal sides of the battery in alignment with one another so as to support the battery masonry and oven end fittings of the battery, such buckstays having their upper parts tied together whilst their lower ends terminate at positions adjacent, but below, the

. soles of the ovens of the battery, each such buckstay being yieldingly or resiliently anchored at this lower part to the upper part of a vertical rigid frame disposed in a plane perpendicular to the adjacent longitudinal side of the battery and rigidly associated at its lower part with the foundations of the battery and extending upwardly therefrom to the level of the base of the oven-chamber soles, such frame being adapted to receive from the buckstay anchored thereto at the level of the oven-chamber soles, and to transmit to the said foundations below the intervening regenerators, stresses applied to the buckstay by the battery masonry at the level of the base of the oven-chamber soles due, for example, to the greater expansion of the masonry and/ or the discharging of the ovens.

aseasas a Thus, according to this invention, thebuckstays are considerably shorter than-those hitherto used in coke *oven batteries of the cross-regenerative type and terminate at a substantial distance above the base of thebattery due to the intervening-cross- -regenerators. Moreover, the buckstays are yieldingly or resiliently supported against the said rigid structures or frames to which the buckstays are 'y ieldingly or resiliently anchored and jwhich are rigidly carried by the foundation f the battery.

"The said rigid structures 'or frames oneach side of the battery are preferably also employed as "the supporting structure for the operating or side bench at the same side of the battery. ihus,

according to a still further aspect, the invention comprises *the provision of a coke oven battery provided with preheating means (regenerators) between the oven-chamber soles and the battery "foundation having, on each longitudinal side, a rigid sidebenc'h supporting structure constructed independently of the buckstays of the batteryand. *compris'ingaseries of rigidvertical frames rigidly secured at their lower parts to the'battery foam dations "and disposed in planes perpendicular to the said longitudinal sides of the "battery, said frames extending upwardly from the foundation so "as to have their upperparts disposed adjacent, but below-the level of the soles of the ovens of the battery, and the corresponding buckstays on -opposite sides "of the battery being tied together at their upper 'ends and each having its lower end disposed adjacent the upper part of one of "the said frames and being, at this position, yield-ingly or resiliently associated with such frame.

"Theportion'ofthemasonry o'f the'battery settingabove the foundation and below the lower parts of the buckstays is preferably braced or 'shored onea'ch longitudinal si'cle'of the battery by a "lower bracing or shoring structure :or mattress independent of the buckstays and arranged wholly or mainly 'below the latter, such-bracing or shoring structure or mattress being engaged with the masonry-and supported by .the "said zrigid structures for :frames on the :same :side :of the battery.

:according to a further aspect of this invention there is provided a coke oven battery with such preheating means :having those parts of each longitudinal side of the oven masonry (i. e. the ,pusher and coke sides) that are respectively situiate dabove and belowaflevel adjacent, but lower than, the oven soles individually externally 'bracedlby separate upper andlower bracing systems each of which is independent of the other, and is at least in part, supported 'yieldingly or resiliently by a rigi'dstructure outside the oven 7 masonry.

The invention is thus especially useful in coke loven "gbaitter'ies provided with preheating means,

asintheiorm 'o'I cross-regenerators, which the regenerators extend transversely of the length of the battery at a level below the making :chambers and heating walls, and also in batteries where the upper heating walls are formed of silica and the lower regenerators are formed of fireclay or the like so that a marked expansionedif- :ferential arises.

In order that the nature .of the invention shall be more readily understood and the invention carried into practice it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawingsas applied to a WoOdaII-Duckham horizontal cokeoven battery of the cross regenerative type in which the preheating means comprises regenerators which extend transversely of the length of the battery, from one side to the other at a level -below the coking chambers and heating walls.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a .part sectional .front elevation taken-on line 1-1, Figure 2, and shows an :exter- -nal bracing for a horizontal cross-regenerative coke oven battery constructed in accordance "with this invention;

Figure 2 is a section on line II-II, Figure .1;

Figure 3 is a section on line III-JI'I, Figure .1; and

Figure 4 is a section on line IV-IV, Figure :1.

In the drawings the coke oven battery ;I islindicated diagrammatically, the battery ibeing .iurnished in its upper masonry (brickwork) mass with a series of ovens 2 extending .from its longitudinal side -3 to the correspondingopposite.longitudinal side of the'battery, whichovensd! alternate with intermediate 'heating'walls 62 compni;s ing combustion fiues. The battery is built upon suitable concrete foundations t .and along .each longitudinal side of the battery, 1. .e. along .the pusher machine side and the coke side, is {arranged a horizontal side bench -5 extending .the full'length of the battery and disposed :atzaxleuel slightly lower than that of the soles B ofthe ovens.

In the lower masonry (brickwork) mass of :the battery, between the bottoms of :the vheating'walls 62 and the ovenchambers 2, on "the :one hand, and the concrete foundation 4,, .on the .iotherihand, are arranged the cross-regenerator chambers 163, separated by the regenerator pillar walls 454, and curtain walls-65. The pillar'wallsifi iare disposed beneath the heating "walls 32. $51 iindicatesthe regenerator sole-flue channels to whichgassinlet ,and outlet boxes are communicably connected in the alley 60, but which are not shown for zclearness of illustration of other :parts. 'The itops ifit of the pillar walls 64 constitute the base for :the soles of the heating dues in the heating 52, and the base for'the soles o'fthe oven chambersl.

Only aportion of the cokesideof thebattery is shown in the drawings, but it will be understood that arrangements are similar .on both the pusher and the-coke sides of the battery.

The side benches, -e. g. the-coke side ibenches 5, of the battery may, as usual, be provided with suitable trackways, such as that marked 11, dor the appropriate door-operating machines, poke guide and the like, none of which .is shown ;in the drawing.

The -bench 5 is carried bya supportlngstruc- 'ture 'which comprises a number of longitudinally spaced similar closed rigid bracing framesllirwhich are preferably of rectangular shape as shown. These frames are all arranged in planes perpendicular "to the adjacent longitudinal side -face 3 of the oven battery and, although they :may be 7 as shown in the drawings, by four straight members each comprising a length of I-section metal girder, the several members being mitred and welded or otherwise rigidly secured together at the corners of the frame. An internal brace 9 may be provided at the upper outer corner of each frame, and the other corners of the frame may each be reinforced by internal and external corner plates respectively marked it and I The frames 8 shown in the drawings are of oblong perimetrically closed form but are of open internal form, i. e. they have no cross members or similar obstructions. These frames have their longer sides i2 and I3 disposed vertically and their shorter sides l4 and i5 disposed horizontally. The longer side I2 of each frame is horizontally spaced from the adjacent longitudinal side 3 of the oven battery so as to leave a vertical gap l6 between the battery and the nearest surface of the side member |2 of the frame 8.

Each of the rigid frames 8 is rigidly secured. as for example by bolts ll, to the foundation 4 of the battery and the inner lower corners of the frames may be set in a longitudinal recess IS in the battery foundation and secured in position in this recess by substantial bolts l9 passing through metal tubes 25 welded in position between the flanges of the vertical I-section members I2 of the frames 8, the tubes 25 having their axes disposed in the planes of the webs of these members and being reinforced on either side by stiffening webs 24. The frames 8 are thus rigidly secured to the foundation 4 of the battery independently of the brick masonry of the battery itself.

The lower frames 8 are each disposed so as to lie below, but centrally between, a pair of adjacent ovens 2, the frames being in vertical alignment with the masonry of the heating walls 32 containing the vertical heating flues between the pair of ovens 2. The upper surface of the upper horizontal member l4 of each frame 8 is disposed a short distance, e. g. one to three feet, below the level of the soles 6 of the ovens 2.

At each side of the battery a series of upper longitudinally spaced vertical buckstays i arranged in contact with the longitudinal side wall of the battery and with the oven door frames, these buckstays being straight and being disposed one between each pair of successive ovens 2 and therefore one at one end of a heating wall 62 in vertical alignment with each of the hereinbefore-mentioned frames 8. Although the buckstays may be of any suitable shape in crosssection and be formed either of rolled section structural members or of built-up members, they are preferably, as shown in the drawings, each formed of a pair of back-to-back channelshaped girders 2| and 22, it being the inner flanges of these girders that engage the longitudinal side, e. g. side 3, of the battery.

The channel members 2| and 22 forming the buckstays 2|] may be stiffened at appropriate positions by stiffening webs 23 welded between their flanges, and, similarly, the frames 8 may be stiffened by stiffening Webs 24 welded at appropriate positions between the flanges of the I-section members from which the frames are built up.

At its upper end each buckstay 20 on the one side of the battery is tied to the upper end of the corresponding buckstay on the other side of the battery by a pair of tie rods 23 extending through the battery or across the top thereof and carrying, at their ends, bridge pieces ,2!

bearing on the outer flanges of the buckstays 20 and pressed resiliently into contact therewith by means of volute springs 28 or other suitable and equivalent means carried by the tie rod ends, the latter ends being furnished with means, e. g. screw threaded ends and nuts, whereby the inward pressure exerted by the springs 23 upon the upper ends of the buckstays may be adjusted.

The buckstays 20 at each side of the battery do not extend the full depth of the setting but terminate at only a short distance below the level of the side bench 5 at their side of the battery. At their lower parts the buckstays are forked as shown at 29 to constitute a bridle 30, the two horns or arms 3| and 32 of which are formed by appropriately cranking the two members 2| and 22, of which the buckstay is formed, outwardly from one another and then again cranking them into parallelism.

The bridle 30 of each buckstay embraces or straddles the upper horizontal member "I4 of a frame 8 of the bench supporting structure, and the two arms 3| and 32 of the bridle extend downwardly one on each side of the battery side member I2 of the same frame.

A cross piece 33 extends horizontally across the bridle 30 of each buckstay and seats at i'ts opposite ends respectively upon the lower parts of the arms 3| and 32 of the bridle, and a horizontal bolt 34 passes centrally through the cross piece 33. The bolt 32 is anchored in a'tube 35 welded in the web of the vertical member l2 of the adjoining frame 8, the tube 35 being secured in position in a similar manner to the tube 25 previously described] The bolt 34 is thus disposed in the medial plane of the frame 8 and has a head or nut 36 at its battery end to prevent its being drawn away from the battery out of the tube 35, and at its opposite end the bolt carries a strong volute or other suitable spring 31 or other suitable resilient or yieldable pressure member (e. g. a wood pack) bearing at one end against the cross piece 33 and at the other end against a washer 38 adjustable on the bolt 34 by a nut 39.

Thus the lower end of each buckstay. 20 is urged resiliently or yieldingly into contact with the oven battery, the pressure of the buckstay on the battery being adjustable by means of the nut 39. I I

The lower end of each buckstay is constrained to move only in the plane of the associated frame 8, i. e. to move more or less horizontally and at right angles to the adjacent longitudinal side of the battery, by the horns 3| and 32' of the buckstay which are respectively arrangedon opposite sides of the frame, whilst each buckstay is prevented from riding upwardly with the masonry of the battery, as this expands vertically, by'means of a horizontally disposed web or plate 40, welded between the horns 3| and 32 of the buckstay, and studs or bolts 42 passing through slots 4| in the web or plate and secured at their lower ends to the upper member Id of the corresponding frame 8. Thus the studs or bolts '42 prevent the buckstay riding upwards from its frame 8 but leave the lower endof the buckstay free to move relatively to the frame more or less horizontally in a vertical plane at right angles to the longitudinal side 3 of the battery.

The bench 5 may be formed of concrete or reinforced concrete or of other suitable material and be disposed between parallel angle irons 43 9. and 44: supported in parallel spaced relationship on the frames 8'.

To-bridge the; gap (left. to. allow for expansion of the battery masonry) between. the rear edge of-rthe; bench 5. and the oven soles. 6, plates 45 may be provided between successive buckstays 20, and these plates may carry, at their outer edges, an inverted channel-shaped member 46 carried by the buckstaysand overlapping the battery edge of the bench They plates 55 may be fixed at their ends to the buckstays, as shown.

The portion of the masonry of the battery belowthe lower ends of the buokstays includes the transversely arranged regenerators 63 of the battery-and is braced or shored independently otcthe upper part; of the masonry by abracin or; shoring structure conveniently in. the. form otamattress; or grid formed in a. plurality of sections each. yieldingly or resiliently held against the face of the masonry, one section of the mattress: or grid being arranged between each'successive pair-of. frames 8..

Each of the sections 41 of the said mattress or grid may' comprise, as shown in the drawings, three vertical girders 48, 49. and 50 spaced equally from one another in the longitudinal direction of the battery and connected and secured" together by transverse angle section stretchers or girders 5i and, 52 bolted, rivetted. or otherwise suitably fixed to the vertical girders 48, 49. and 50. The-horizontal stretchers or. girders may be employed in any convenient number, but conveniently" two are used as shown, these stretchers or gfrders being spaced apart fromone another and from the top and bottom ends of the verti cal girders 483, 49 and 5.0. I '{Thestretchers or girders: 5| and 52 are also preferably horizontallyaligned with the stretchrs or girders. of the adjacent sections 4;! of the mattress.

- The vertical girders 48 311C115" are of L-shape in cross-section, being arranged-in opposition with the: flanges thereof engaging the battery side 3andextending in opposite directions; these girders 48 and 50 are secured to the horizontal girders or stretchers- 5| and 52 by brackets or plates: 53 (Fig. 4). The central vertical girder 49- is of I-shape. and is secured to the horizontal stretchers or girders 5| or 52 by brackets 54.

The battery engaging flanges of the vertical girders 4B and 50 support the masonry more or less directly below the buckstays zit-(at one end of the regenerator' pillar walls 54:). whereas the vertical girders 49: support the masonry substantially-midway between the buckstays: (at one end of the; regenerator curtain walls 65).

- The adjacent ends; of the aligned stretchers or girders; 5|- and 52 of. adjacent sections 41 of the mattress or-grid areconnec-ted by U-bolts 55 arrangedhorizontally with their cross pieces engaging the battery-side face of the adjoining yertical member I2 of a frame 8, the. two arms O-feach U-bolt 55 extending perpendicularly away from the battery masonry i through the ends of "the horizontal girders 5| and 52 of adjacent sections 41 of the mattress or grid and each .u-bolt arm is furnished. with a yieldingwooden packing piece. 55 or a spring. or springs and a bearing, plate 51, an adjusting nut 58 being mounted'on the end of. the arm which is appropriatelyscrew threaded. By adjusting the nuts 58 on thearms of the U-bolt's the pressure that the mattress sections 4! exert upon the face of the battery masonry may be appropriately adiu'sted. and it will be seen that the load applied 10 to the mattress sections is transmitted by the U-boltsv to the frames 8 of the bench supporting. structure and by these. frames to the battery foundation.

The horizontal girders of the mattresses which are coupled by the U-bolts should, of course, be arranged with respect to the vertical members 48, 49 and so that the pressure exerted by the resilient means or wooden blocks on the U-bolts v is more or less uniformly applied throughout the whole of the mattress section.

Stops 59 are provided on the rear vertical members l2 of the frames 8 for engagement with the cross pieces of the U-bolts 55 to support the mattress sections l! inthe proper position with respect to the masonry of the battery. Furthermore each, of the cross pieces of the U-bolts; 55 is preferably provided on its upper and lower sides with a flat bar 6| welded thereto to increase the bearing surface of the U-bolts upon the vertical members l2 of the frames 8.

If. it is desired to omit the yielding or resilient devices for urging the mattress sections 41 towards the masonry of the setting, then provision should be. made for the ample adjustment of. the mattress sections with respect t the masonry of the setting.

It will be seen that the pressure applied by the mattress sections 41 to the lower part of the masonry of the battery setting is independent of the pressure applied by the buckstays 20 to the upper part of the setting and that there is no interconnection between the buckstays 20 and the mattresses 41 such that the one affects the other, the mattresses being entirely independent of the buckstays.

By constructing the external bracing of the battery as above described, the upper portion of the battery setting (which most needs support). is braced by the buckstays 20 whilst the lower portion of the battery is independently supported by the mattress sections 4! and, at the same time, the spans of the buckstays are reduced and their strength is thereby correspondingly increased and their liability to distortion reduced.

The bottom anchorage of each buckstay 20 is adjacent the position of maximum expansion of the setting and therefore the buckstay can be maintained throughout its whole length, or substantially its whole length, in contact with the oven end. fittings (door frames or flash plates) and the masonry of the setting without being cambered or, at any rate, without being. cambered to any detrimental extent. Furthermoreby arranging the bottom anchorages of the buckstays near the top of the alley 80, so as to be clear of the floor of the alleys 5!} below the side benches 5, these buckstay anchorages are more readily accessible than has been the case in batteries hitherto constructed; also the adjustment of the buckstay anchorages for the variation of the pressure of the buckstays upon the masonry is very considerably facilitated. At the same time the floor of the alley is rendered less congested and consequently a better grouping of the reversing valves and fittings of the battery can be achieved than has been attained hitherto in battery constructions, and this has the effect of facilitating the maintenance and cleaning. of the valves and fittings. Moreover, with a construction according to this invention the shortened buckstays themselves are more easily removable than hitherto should they need replacement or should the oven end fittings or brickwork require repair or adjustment. Also the culvert type of rigid frame 8 employed for supporting the side benches furnishes a very strong structure with which to support the side benches and superimposed live loads whilst leaving a clear alley 60.

What I claim is:

1; The combination with a horizontal coke oven battery comprising an upper masonry mass having horizontal coking chambers alternating in position side-by-side with heating walls, extending between the opposite longitudinal sides of the battery, and a lower masonry mass having gaseous combustion media preheating means below the oven chambers and heating walls and mounted on a battery foundation, of external bracing means for the opposite longitudinal sides of the battery, such means comprising buckstays which extend only down from the top of the battery at the sides thereof against the ends of the heating walls to the level of, and terminate at their lower ends at, a position below and adjacent the oven soles of the battery, and a rigid structure "for each buckstay, said rigid structures each being rigidly secured to the battery foundation in fixed relation thereto, and to the battery, and being constructed independently of the buckstays, and spaced from the vertical side face of the battery, and said buckstays being each anchored to the battery at their upper ends and being each anchored at their lower ends to the upper parts of the rigid structures which are fixed relative to the oven battery and its foundation, by pressure members for yieldably urging the buckstays into contact with the side of the battery for limited relative movement between the lower ends of said buckstays and the upper parts of said rigid structures.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and which includes a bracing a shoring structure for bracing or shoring thelower portion of the masonry mass of the battery setting that is below the lower terminal ends of the buckstays and constitutes the side faces of the battery in the region of the preheating means, and in which said bracing or shoring structure is mounted on said rigid structures for the buckstays and supported thereby independently of said buckstays and of the battery masonry.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, and in which said shoring structure is resiliently mounted on said rigid'structures and so as to exert a yielding pressure on the masonry mass of the battery in the region of the preheating means therein.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, and in which the bracing or shoring structure for the lower part of the masonry is formed in a plurality of sections, each section comprising interconnected girders which extend upwardly and longitudinally of the battery, there being one section between each adjacent pair of said rigid structures, each section extending over the area of the side face of the preheating means part of the battery side wall, from the vertical plane of one buckstay to the vertical plane of a next adjacent buckstay.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and in which the buckstays are resiliently anchored as aforesaid at their upper ends.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which guiding means are provided between the lower end of said buckstays and the upper part of said rigid structures to constrain the lower end of each buckstay to move in a plane perpendicular to the adjacent side of the battery.

'7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and in which said rigid structures each comprises a four sided internally clear box girder frame disposed in a vertical plane perpendicular to the adjacent side of the battery and in alignment with its buckstay.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and in which said rigid structures each comprise a rigid four-sided internally clear box girder frame disposed in a vertical plane perpendicular to the adjacent side of the battery and in alignment with its buckstay, and in which the lower part of each said buckstay is anchoredto the upper part of its said rigid structure for limited movement relative thereto and is provided with means for constrained guided movement of the lower end of the buckstay to constrain the lower end to move outward in the plane of its rigid structure perpendicular to the adjacent longitudinal side of the battery.

9. A horizontal coke oven battery structure comprising an upper-masonry mass having hori zontal coking chambers alternating in position side-by-side with heating walls with the chambers and walls extending between the opposite sides of the battery, and a lower masonry mass having gaseous combustion media preheating means below the oven chambers and heating walls and mounted on a battery foundation, external bracing means for the opposite longitudinal sides of the battery comprising, buckstays which extend down from the top of the battery at the sides thereof against the ends of the heating walls and terminate at their lower ends at positions below and adjacent the level of the'oven soles; pressure members for urging said buckstays, at the position below and adjacent the oven soles, into contact with the battery at the said position; and means for anchoring-said buckstays on to the oven battery; and in which said means for anchoring is restricted to confine all anchoring of said buckstays to anchoring of the same at and above the level of said position below and adjacent the oven soles, leaving said buckstays otherwise free from anchorage below the level of the said position below and adjacent the oven soles; said restricted anchoring means comprising upper means for anchoring the upper ends of said buckstays to the upper part of the battery; and for each said buckstay a lower rigid structure constructed independently of the buckstays of the battery, and horizontally spaced from the vertical side face of the battery and rigidly secured to the battery foundation, said lower rigid structure extending upwardly from the battery foundation to the said position at the level below and adjacent the oven soles, and anchoring its said buckstay at said position through the coaction of the pressure member of its associated buckstay with the upper part of said rigid structure.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, and in which said rigid structures each comprise a foursided internally clear box girder frame arranged in planes perpendicular to the side face of the battery and in alignment with their said buckstays, said frames forming an accessible alleyway alongside the battery wall with the tops of the frames providing a support in the region of the level of the oven soles for the top of a side bench for the battery, and with the bases of the frames forming a region for the floor of the alleyway below the top of the side bench for grouping of reversing valves and fittings on the fioor, whereby the lower terminal ends of said 13 buckstays, being anchored to the upper parts of said frames, are clear of the lower interior of the frames as an alleyway and also clear any fittings on the floor of the alleyway provided by the base of the frames.

11. A horizontal coke oven battery structure comprising an upper masonry mass having horizontal coking chambers alternating in position side-by-side with heating walls with the chambers and walls extending between the opposite sides of the battery, and a lower masonry mass having gaseous combustion media preheating means below the oven chambers and heating walls and mounted on a battery foundation; external bracing means for the opposite longitudinal sides of the battery comprising, buckstays which extend down from the top of the battery at the sides thereof against the ends of the heating walls and terminate at their lower ends at positions at least below and adjacent the level of the oven soles; pressure members for urging said buckstays, at the position below and adjacent the oven soles, into contact with the battery at the said position; and means for anchoring said buckstays on to the oven battery; and in which said means for anchoring is restricted to confine all anchoring of said buckstays to anchoring of the same at and above the level of said position below and adjacent the oven soles. leaving said buckstays otherwise free from anchorage below the level of the said position below and adjacent the oven soles; said restricted anchoring means comprising upper means for anchoring the upper ends of said buckstays to the upper part of the battery, and for each said buckstay a lower rigid structure constructed independently of the buckstays of the battery, and horizontally spaced from the vertical side wall of the battery, and secured to the battery foundation, said lower rigid structure extending upwardly from the battery foundation to the said position at a level below and adjacent the oven soles, and anchoring its said buckstay at said position through the coaction of the pressure member of its associated buckstay with the upper part of said rigid structure.

12. The combination in a horizontal coke oven battery structure comprising an upper masonry mass having coking chambers alternating in position side-by-side with heating walls, said cham- 14 bers and walls extending between the opposite sides of the battery, and a lower masonry mass having gaseous combustion media preheating means below the oven chambers and heating walls and mounted on a battery foundation, of external bracing means for the opposite longitudinal sides of the battery, such means comprising buckstays which are anchored at, and extend down from, the top of the battery at the sides thereof against the ends of the heating walls and terminate at their lower ends at positions adjacent to but below the level of the oven soles, and which buckstays are, at the position adjacent to but below the oven soles, each urged into contact with the battery at the said positions through the medium of one or more pressure members; and a rigid bracing structure for each buckstay, such rigid structure being rigidly associated by anchorage at the level of the foundation with the battery foundations and extending upwardly therefrom to the said positions at the level below but adjacent the oven soles, and being adapted to take at said positions the thrust of the pressure members of the associated buckstay; said buckstays being otherwise free from anchorage below the level of the said positions below but adjacent the oven soles, and the rigid bracing structures likewise being otherwise free of anchorage to the battery at levels above the battery foundation, and in which the lower ends of the buckstays are forked, and the forked ends of the buckstays straddle the upper parts of their associated rigid frames; and compression springs, carried by said rigid frames, and arranged to urge the forked ends of the buckstays towards the battery.

FREDERICK WILLIAM DOBSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,193,068 Roberts Aug. 1, 1916 2,147,681 Van Ackeren Feb. 21, 1939 2,193,000 Gilles Mar. 12, 1940 2,199,510 Otto May 7, 1940 2,235,970 Willputte Mar. 25, 1941 2,338,618 Becker Jan. 4, 1944

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