US2654587A

US2654587A - Roll seal

Info

Publication number: US2654587A
Application number: US162760A
Authority: US
Inventors: Skivesen Kristian
Original assignee: Selas Corp of America
Current assignee: Selas Corp of America
Priority date: 1950-05-18
Filing date: 1950-05-18
Publication date: 1953-10-06
Anticipated expiration: 1970-10-06

Description

K. SKIVESEN Oct. 6, 1953 ROLL SEAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 18, 1950 INVENTOR. KRISTIAN SKIVESEN ATTORNEY.

K. SKIVESEN ROLL SEAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18, 1950 FIG.

T S M m Wm K ATTORNEY.

Oct. 6, 1953 K. SKIVESEN 2,654,587

ROLL SEAL Filed May 18, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 F G. 3 4 s INVENTOR.

KRISTIAN SKIVESEN tgg wkm ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 6, 1953 ROLL SEAL,

Kristian Skivescn, Flourtown, Pa., assignor to Selas Corporation of America, Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 18, 1950, Serial No. 162,760

13 Claims.

The present invention relates to the heat treatment of sheet metal, and more particularly to a roll seal that can be used at the entrance or exit of a treating chamber to keep the chamber closed so that a desired atmosphere can be maintained therein. I

In the treatment of strip material such as the continuous annealing of strip steel, for example, the strip is moved through a furnace chamber where it is heated, often under a special atmosphere. From the furnace chamber the strip is passed through a cooling chamber that is usually supplied with a neutral atmosphere, and from there to a point of use or storage. In both the furnace and the cooling chamber it is necessary to providea seal at the exit and entrance to maintain the atmosphere in the treating space. It is also necessary that this seal be so designed that the strip can move into or out of the treating chamber without any retarding efiect thereon and without marring its surface, even though the thickness of the strip'may vary from time to time.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a roll seal to be used in the treatment of strip materials to, seal the entrance or exit of a treating chamber. It is a further object of the invention to providea seal of the type described in which the rolls and the seals cooperating therewithare mounted for movement in such a way that irregularities in the thickness of. the

strip may be compensated for without changing the path of the strip. I I V In the seal of the present invention there are provided a pair of rolls between which the strip passes. These rolls are mounted for simultane- ,ous movement toward and from each other, but

are biased normally in a directionto grasp the strip between them. Between the rolls and the treating chamber with which they are used are a series of sealing members to close the space between the chamber and the rolls in a substantially gas-tight manner.

The various features of novelty whichcharacterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the. claims annexed to and forming Figure 1 is aside view of a portion of the apparatus showing the sealing arrangement;

Figure 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 with a portion of the furnace shown in section;

Figure 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1 with certain parts shown in section;

Figure 4 is a view, partly in section, of a modified form of the invention; and

Figure 5 is a view, partly in section, taken from the right of Figure 4.

The roll seal of the present invention may be used between any two chambers or at the entrance or exit of a chamber through which a strip passes which chambers are to be sealed from each other or the atmosphere. 'In this application the seal is disclosed by way of example as being used between aholding furnace zone and a cooling chamber in a strip annealing apparatus of the type generally shown and described in' the application of Frederic O. Hess,

Serial No. 48.203, filed September 8, 1948.

Referring to the drawings and Figures 1 and 2, in particular, there is shown the holding furnace section 1, the lower end of which is closed by the seal 2 through which the strip passes between the furnace and a closed cooling chamber or duct 3.' The furnace, shown herein, comprises the holding zone of a continuous annealing line, and is so designed that it will maintain the temperature of a strips at the annealing temperature prior to the time it is being passed into a cooling zone Where controlled cooling can take place. The furnace is of the radiantpanel type and includes two panels 4 and 5 which are mounted for movement toward and from each other. To this end there are provided tracks it upon which wheels, shown diagrammatically at I, ride asthe furnace sections are moved toward and from each other. The details of the furnace construction and the 'manner of moving these panels form nopart of the present inventionso I that it is not necessary to describe the construction therefor. The lower portion of each of the furnace panels consists of a casting 8 or 9, re-

' spectively, upon which the remainder of the'furnace is built. The furnaces are built in accordance with usual furnace construction of refractory brick that is backed up by sheet metal work H. Each of the panels also includes a number of radianttype burners formed of refractory material, which are directed toward the strip as it is moved through the furnace chamber. These is disposed adistributor member I 4. A combustible fuel mixture is supplied through pipe I to the distributor from which it is discharged as a plurality of small jets which burn along the surface of the cup I3 to heat the same to incandesence and thereby direct radiant heat against the strip. The supply of fuel to each of the burners is controlled in any suitable manner as by a valve indicated herein at 16.

Below the furnace and the seal is the cooling chamber shown as a duct 3 into which the strip is fed after it has been heated. This duct may be insulated or not, depending upon the cooling requirements of the particular installation with which it is used. In any event, the upper end of the duct is fastened in pressure-tight relation to a rectangular casting I! that surrounds the strip as it is moving downwardly, as shown in the drawings. 'Ilhis casting, as indicated best in Figure 3, is hollow so that a cooling fluid, such as water,ma'y be circulated through it.

heat resisting alloy rolls i8 and 19 which are mounted respectively upon shafts 2| and 22 that are journaled in

bearings

23 and 24. The bearings are mounted for movement toward and from each other so that the rolls can move toward and from each other to allow for inequalities in the thickness of the strip. The arrangement is such, however, that the rolls are at all times biased toward each other into engagement with the strip. It is noted that the mounting of each roll and the seal members between eachroll and the furnace and casting ll respectively, are duplicates. Therefore-the same reference. numerals will be used for the duplicate parts. Each of the bearings23 and 24 has a plate 25 attached to it, which plate is in turn securely bolted to a plate 26 formed on the upper part of a sleeve 21. Each sleeve has an .arm 28 projecting downwardly therefrom. Each of the sleeves 2'! is journaled for oscillating movement around a shaft 29 that is in turn-journ'aled for rotation in rigidly mounted bearings 3 l. The bearings are attached to the framework 32 of the apparatus. It will be seen from an inspection of the drawing that the bearings for supporting the roll shafts and the extensions 28 on the lower ends of .the sleeves 21 in effect form levers which pivot around the shafts 29. The lower ends of the arms 28 are connected by a pair of links 33 of such a length that they extend upwardly at an angle to the horizontal. The inner ends of these links are pivoted together and pivoted to a slider 34 that is guided for vertical movement in guides 35 attached to the frame. It will be seen that a downward movement of the slider will cause the links 33 to act similar to a toggle jointto move the lower ends of arms 28 away from each other, to in turn move the surfaces of the roll 18 and I9 into engagement with each other or with a strip that is passing between them. The slider 34 is biased downwardly at all times by means of weights 3'! that are attached to the slider by a rod 35. Only one end of the rolls and the mounting therefor have been shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, since the other 4 end of the rolls and the mounting means therefor is exactly the same.

In some cases the rolls can be driven by the strip. In most cases, however, it is desirable to drive the rolls so that they will help to move the strip through its path of travel. The mounting arrangement of the rolls disclosed herein is admirably suited for a positive driving arrangement and provision may be made therefor at either end of the rolls. As disclosed herein, the rolls are positively driven by a motor 38 that is mounted on the framework 32 of the apparatus. This motor is connected through a coupling 39 with a shaft 29, the right one in Figure 2 for example, to drive the same. This shaft 29, which rotates around a fixed axis, has a gear 4| on it that meshes with a gear 42 on shaft 22 to which roll 19 attached. Therefore, when the motor is driven, roll l9 will also be driven. A similar gear is provided for rotating roll 58. For this purpose there is provided a gear on the left shaft 29 in Figure 2 which meshes with the gear 4 I, and there is provided a gear on. the shaft 21 that is driven by the. gear on the left shaft 29. It will be "clear that the two driving gears on the shafts 29 can mesh with the gears on shafts 2i and 22 even though said shafts are oscillated around shafts 29. This arrangement permits a positive drive to each of the roll shafts at any position of the latter even though they may be moved toward and from each other. It is noted that shafts 2| and 22 are hollow and they may be water-cooled if desired by supplying water to each through a supply pipe 44. These pipes should be flexible enough to compensate for the movement of the shafts.

Sealing means are provided between the rolls and the furnace panels to prevent the inflow of excess air to the furnace chamber and also to prevent the loss of heat. As seen in the left portion of Figure 3, the casting 8 is curved downwardly with a relatively great clearance between the bottom part of this casting and the surface of roll 18. The casting 9 is madein a similar manner. There is provided sealing means which extends between the lower portion of the casting and axially along the surface of the roll. This sealing means takes the form of a metal strip and is shown at 46 in the drawing. A gasket 41 is placed between the casting and the strip itself. The mounting means for this. sealing strip includes a vertically disposed piece 48 on the casting to which is bolted an angle iron 49 upon which the sealing strip rests and slides. The strip is biased at all times into engagement with the surface of the roll by a rod 5| whose inner end engages the back of the strip and whose outer end is engaged by the vertically extending portion of a bell crank lever 52 that is pivoted at 53. A weight 54 biases lever 52 in a counter-clockwise direction to force the sealing strip against the surface of the roll.

As was mentioned above, the furnace panels may be moved toward and from each other. As the furnace panel 4, for example, is moved to the left away from the roll, the weight 54 will continue to bias the sealing strip toward the roll. This movement toward the roll, however, is limited by a pin 50 extending through the angle 49, which pin will engage a portion of the sealing strip to limit its outward movement. Therefore, the sealing strip will not be dislodged from its supporting means as the panel upon which it is mounted is moved away from the roll. Each of the sealing strips 46 extending axially along the rolls is formed of a number of individual sections assets? These sections: engage each: other with atongue and groove joint- 55 as is: indicated in: Figure: 1 off the: drawing. the furnace is heatedv up all of the parts in contact therewith will also be heated. The tongue and groove jointsbetween the sections of theasealing. strips permit expansion of the sealing; strips to. take place withoutv forcing. them beyond: the edges of the furnace.

There is. also provided a substantially triangular sealing member 56 whichv extends into the crevice or nip between the rolls: I 8 and I-Sv to close off the gap that is formed between. the sides of the: furnace at this point. As best seen in. Figure .2: of the drawing.,. this piece extends on both. sides of the center of: the furnace to overlap the central portion of. both of the furnace sections 4- and 5. The sealing member 56 is pivotedv at 51- on the furnace panel 5: and. is provided with a downwardly extending arm 58. As the furnace panels are moved away from. each other panel 5 will be moved to the right in Figure 2' of the drawing. During. this movement sealing member 55 will. ride up along the surface of; roll l9 causing. the arm 58' to move clockwise downwardly; Just. as-the sealing member .is riding off the surface of the roll the lower end of arm 58- will be engaged by a pin 59 that projects outwardly into the path thereof from some stationary member suchas the track 6. This pin will hold the sea-ling member 56 in its clock-wise position until such time as the panels are-moved toward each other again. Because of. the cooperation between arm 58 and pin 59 the sealing member will be held in its clockwise position and will be ready to return to the position between the rolls when the panels are moved together. Referring to Figure 1, it. will be seen that the rolls l8 and [9 are longer than the width of the furnace. This means that the sealing member 56' can bear against. the surface of the rolls rather than. against-the ends thereof. By having thismember bear against the surface of the rolls a very accurate seal can be obtained between the rolls and the end of the furnace.

The spaces which extend circumferentially of the rolls between the sides of member 56 and the tops of sealing strips 46 are closed by arcuate members 45. Each of these members, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, is attached to the end of one of the strips 46 so that it will move back and forth with the strip as the rolls move.

There is alsoprovided a seal between the rolls l8 and I9 and the casting I! at the entrance of the cooling duct 3. These seals serve the purpose of keeping the upper end of the cooling duct 3 closed with respect to the air so that any particular atmosphere in this duct will be maintained. As best shown in Figures 1 and 3, the seal includes sealing strips BI extending axially of the rolls and each of which is pressed against both one of the. rolls and a side of the casting l1. Each sealing strip. is biased upwardly against the roll by a rod 62 that-is guided for movement by guidesv 63 on the outside of the casting. The lower end of rod. 52 is engaged by the inner end of a lever 64 that is pivoted at 65. This lever is biased. in 'a direction to move the rod upwardly by a weight 65 attached to the outer end thereof. The sealing strip BI is biased inwardly against the side of th casting by a lever 61 that is pivoted at 68. This lever in turn is biased in a clockwise direction as shown in Figure 3 by a lever 69- that has a push plate H on the end thereof. The lever 69' is moved around its pivot 12 by a weight 13" 6 on the. outer end thereof. This; sealing strip BI is also made in sections as was the sealing striplfii. These sections from end to end. engage eaclr other with a tongue and groove connection. as is shownat inthe. drawing. Sealing" means; 61 are used: both between the. left side of: the. casting; l1 and roll l8 as well as betweenthe right side of the casting and roll. IS.

A sealing member is also used. to close the gap. between. the cavity or nip of the rolls and the end of the casting li'l. This member takes the: form. of a substantially triangular shaped piece: 14. that is forced upwardly into the nip of therolls by the. upper end of a rod 15. The lower end: of rod. has force applied to. it by the: inner end. of a. lever 16 that is pivoted at 1'1", and whose: outer end has a weight 1-8 attached to it. The sealing member M is biased against the end of casting I! by a lever; 19 that is pivoted at 8|. This lever in turn is. moved ma, clockwise direction. inFigure 1 by a second lever 82 that ispivoted atv 83 and whichv is; biased in a counter-clockwise direction. by a weight 84. From the above; description it will be. seen that sealingstrips extend all the. way around the casting I11 between this casting and the rolls to completely closev off any opening through which the atmosphere in the cooling duct 3 could readily escape- Casting IT: to which the upper end of duct 3 is attached is shorter than the rolls. This casting may be held in position by any suitable means. As shown herein, however, there are provided supporting structural members 86 extending between the frame 32 and each corner of the casting to. hold. this casting in position. Similar structural members extend between the frame on. the. other side of the apparatus and the other end. of this casting.

The sealing means. that has. been described above is used between. the furnace and the entrance of the cooling duct. At this location there. is a good deal. of heat inv the strip and the furnace thatwill be transferred to the sealing means. For this reason weights are necessary in order" to keep the various sealing strips against the rollers. In other locations such as the exit of the cooling tower where the strip is at a relatively low temperature springs can be used in place of' weights to keep the sealing meansv against the rolls and the duct in order to maintain the atmosphere in the duct. Such a sealing means is shown in Figures 4 and 5.

As disclosed in these figures, there are rolls 18a. and 1911 that are mounted on shafts 21a and 2212 respectively. These rolls are supported by structure similar to that described above for supportingrolls l8 and IS. A driving means may also be used for these rolls if it is so desired. Referring to the figures it will be seen that the duct 3 has fastened to it a rectangular frame. 81, the lower edge of which terminates close to the rolls. As shown in this figure, there are provided .sealing strips 88 extending axially of the rolls. and abutting the sides of the frame 81. These strips are pressed into engagement with the rolls by means of springs 89, the upper ends of. which are received in cups 9|. The cups are mounted on adjustable supports 92 that are inturn fastened to a flange 93 extending perpendicularly to. the frame andv around the same. The sealing. strips 88 are forced against the side of the frame by springs 94. The outer ends of these springs are received in cups 95 that are N mum of trouble.

attached to supports 96, also fastened to the flange 93.

The space between theends of the frame 81 and the rolls is closed by a sealing member 91 which is substantially triangular in shape and which extends downwardly into the crevice or nip of the rolls. This member is biased downwardly into engagement with the rolls by a spring 98 whose upper end is received in a cup 99. The cup is attached to the flange 93 by an adjustable support Edi. The sealing member 91 is forced inwardly against the end of the frame 8'! by springs 62. The outer end of these springs are received in a cup 33 which is fastened to a support we this in turn is mounted on the flange 93. It will, therefore, be seen that the space between the entire lower end of the frame 8'! and the rolls Eda and tile is closed by sealing members which are biased against both the frame and the rolls.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a roll seal between two chambers through which a strip to be treated is travelling. This seal is so made that there is substantially no leakage between the chambers or between the chambers and the atmosphere. The rolls are so mounted that they will move equal amounts from a predetermined central position as irregularities in the strip pass between them.

Therefore, the strip will always be guided in a straight path as it is passing from one chamber to the other regardless of any irregularities in the thickness thereof. This construction is particularly advantageous where a lap joint occurs between the end of one strip and the beginning of a second strip that is attached thereto. The mounting means for the rollers also permits a positive drive to be applied thereto with a mini- Because both of the rolls move around stationary axes it is easy to drive the rolls through gearing that is fixed relative to the said axes.

The sealing means that is provided between the rolls and the ends of the chambers through which the strip travels is such that practically no leakage can occur either axially of the rolls or at the point where the rolls meet. The sealing strips used between the rolls and the ends of the chambers are biased at all times into engagement with both the rolls and the chamber v so that any expansion thereof will occur as a result of heating of the strip or the apparatus can readily be taken up without in anyway affecting the ability of the apparatus to close the space between the chamber and the rolls. Furthermore, the sealing means disclosed between the rolls and the sides of furnace panels is such that it will automatically assume its sealing position after the furnace panels have been moved from their inoperative position to the operative position shown in the drawings. It is particularly advantageous to have the rolls longer than the chambers since a better seal can be obtained between the chambers and the surface of the rolls than can possibly be obtained between the chambers and the end of the rollers where any expansion of either part will take place due to heating and cooling of the apparatus.

While in accordance with the provisions of the Statutes, I have illustrated and described the best form of embodiment of my invention now known to me it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention, as

set forth in the appended claims, and that in some cases certain features of my invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of structure forming a first treating chamber, structure forming a second treating chamber, the entrance of the second chamber adjoining the exit of the first, and means to seal one of said chambers from the other'comprising a pair of rolls, means to mount said rolls for rotation between said chambers in the exit of the first and the entrance of the second, said mounting means including a pivotal support located adjacent to said structures for each of said rolls whereby said rolls can move bodily toward and from each other, sealing means between said first mentioned structure and each of said rolls, and sealing means between said second. mentioned structure and each of said rolls.

2. The combination of claim 1 including means to bias each of said sealing means against the structure with which it is associated and the rolls whereby the sealing means will engage both the said structures andthe rolls at all times.

3. In annealing apparatus for strip material, the combination of structure forming a heating chamber having an opening through which the strip leaves the chamber, structure forming a cooling chamber having an opening through which strip enters said chamber, the openings in said chambers being aligned with each other in the direction of movement of the strip, a pair of rolls, means to mount said rolls for rotation between the openings of said two chambers so that the strip passing from said heating chamber will go between said rolls and into said cooling chamber, a heat seal engaging said first mentioned structure around its opening and said rolls to close the combination of structure forming a treating chamber for strip material and having an opening therein through which the strip passes, a pair of rolls, means to mount said rolls adjacent to said opening and across the same and for bodily movement toward and away from each other, the surfaces of said rolls forming a crevice between them, sealing means on said structure and extending axially of said rolls, means to bias said sealing means into engagement with said rolls, sealing means extending transversely of said rolls and into the crevice between them, and means to mount said last-mentioned means on said structure for movement into engagement with said rolls, said first-mentioned and secondmentioned sealing means serving to close the the space between the surfaces of said rolls forming a crevice, a plurality of sealing elements, means to mount said elements to said structure extending in a direction parallel to the axes of said rollers, means to bias said elements into engagement with the surfaces of said rollers to close the space between said structure and the surface of said rolls, sealing means to extend into the crevice between said rolls, means to mount said sealing means on said structure for movement towards and away from said rolls, and means to bias said last mentioned sealing means into engagement with said rolls to close the space between said structure and the crevice between the rolls.

6. In combination, structure forming a treating chamber for strip material having an opening at one end, a pair of rolls between which said strip passes, means to mount said rolls across and adjacent to the opening of said chamber to close the same, said mounting means comprising a pair of levers, means to mount said levers substantially parallel to each other with each lever pivoted for movement around a point intermediate its ends, means to journal a roll on one end of each lever, means to bias the opposite ends of the levers apart to thereby move the rolls together, and means to seal the space between the rolls and said structure.

7. The combination of claim 6 in which said sealing means includes members extending parallel to the axis of each roll outside of said structure, and means to bias said members against the surface of said rolls and against the outside of said structure.

8. In structure of the class described, the combination of a rectangular casting through which strip material is to pass, means to close the top of said casting comprising a pair of rolls adjacent thereto between which the strip passes, each roll being longer than said casting, means to mount said rolls for bodily movement toward and from each other including levers upon which each roll is mounted, means to bias the levers supporting each roll in a direction normally to maintain said rollers in engagement with each other, the surfaces of said rolls forming a crevice between them, sealing strips extending lengthwise of said casting and each roll, means to bias each of said sealing strips against a side of said casting, means to bias each of said strips against the surface of a roll, a sealing means at each end of said casting and extending into the crevice between the rolls, means to bias each sealing means into engagement with an end of said casting, and means to bias each sealing means into engagement with said roll.

9. In apparatus of the class described adapted to close the end of a treating chamber, the combination of a pair of elongated rolls mounted across the end of said chamber and between which a strip of material is passed, a plurality of levers, means to journal an end of each roll upon one end of each lever, means to support each lever intermediate its ends for pivoted movement and with the rolls adjacent to and parallel to each other, means to bias said levers in a direction to force said rolls together and means to rotate said rolls in unison in opposite directions including first gears coaxial with and attached to each roll, second gears meshing with said first gears and with each other, said second gears being mounted for rotation coaxially with the pivots of a lever supporting one end of each roll, and motor means to drive positively one of said second gears.

10. The combination of claim 9 including structure forming a treating chamber for the strip above the rolls, structure forming a second treating chamber for the strip below said rolls, the strip passing from one chamber between the rolls to the other chamber, and sealing means to close the space between the rolls and each chamber,

11. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of structure forming a chamber through which a strip to be treated is passed, said structure terminating in a portion substantially rectangular in shape and having elongated side walls and joining end walls, a pair of rolls longer than said side walls, means to mount said rolls parallel to each other and parallel to said side walls adjacent to the end of said chamber, sealing means extending parallel to each side wall and between each side wall and the surface of the roll nearest the same, means to bias said sealing means into engagement with said side walls, means to bias said sealing means into engagement with said rolls, sealing members parallel to said end walls and shaped to engage the adjacent surfaces of said rolls, means to bias one of said sealing members into engagement with each of said end walls, and means to bias said members toward said rolls, said sealing means and sealing members serving to close the space between the structure and the rolls to form a substantially gas tight seal between them.

12. The combination of claim 11 in which said mounting means includes means to support each roll for rotation and for bodily movement toward and from the other, and means to bias said rolls toward each other at all times, the biasing means for said sealing strips giving as said rolls move bodily relative to each other.

13. In combination, structure forming a chamber having an opening at the end thereof through which a strip of material to be treated passes, a pair of rollers extending lengthwise in front of said opening substantially to close the same and between which the strip passes, means to support said rollers including a plurality of levers, means to journal one end of each roller for rotation upon one end of each lever, means to pivot each of said levers at a point between its ends for movement around an axis parallel to the axes of said rolls, linkage means connecting the levers at each end of the rolls for simultaneous movement in opposite directions, means to bias said levers in a direction to move said rolls toward each other, and sealing means extending between all sides of the opening of said structure and the surfaces of said rolls.

KRISTIAN SKIVESEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,367,174 Renkin Jan. 9, 1945 2,387,200 Walter Oct. 16, 1945 2,409,431 Hess Oct. 15, 1946 2,521,044 Cooper et al. Sept. 5, 1950