US2756617A - Ventilating system for forging presses - Google Patents

Description

July 31, 1956 B. KAPLAN ETAL VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR FORGING PRESSES Filed July 27, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 31, 1956 B. KAPLAN ETAL 2,756,617

VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR FORGING PRESSEIS Filed July 27, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.3 /7

y 1956 B. KAPLAN ETAL 2,756,617

VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR FORGING PRESSES Filed July 2'7, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent VENTILATIN G SYSTEM FOR FORGING PRESSES Bernard Kaplan, Franklin Square, N. Y., and Thomas U. Chace, Worcester, Mass, assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to Wyman-Gordon Company, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts, and Baldwin- Lima-Hamilton Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 27, 1953, Serial No. 370,584

7 Claims. CI. 7813) This invention relates to an improvement in ventilating systems for large forging presses and the like, particularly presses of the hydraulic type wherein great pressures are developed between dies and the material to be forged. In the operation of such presses, the temperature of the dies may range up to approximately 800 F. and the temperature of the workpiece may be considerably higher, depending on the item being forged. In such presses, the dies and the workpiece are lubricated, and because of the high temperatures, a part of the lubricant is rapidly vaporized and burned. smoke, fumes and flame, and unless these by-products are removed, they present an industrial hazard to the press workers which will reduce the efficiency of the workers and adversely aifect the press output.

It is therefore one of the principal objects of this invention to provide an improved ventilating system for presses of this type which will remove smoke and fumes as quickly as they are generated, snub out any flames arising from ignited lubricant, and maintain an air supply at a temperature suited to the needs of the press workers.

This results in objectionable It is another object of this invention to concentrate the ventilating means in the desired region by causing the major portion of the ventilating system to be carried by the press components.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an enclosure for the region adjacent the dies-,- in which region the fumes are formed, so that the maximum concentration of ventilating activity will occur in this enclosure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide enclosing means for the region adjacent the dies, which means may be varied as desired in accordance with opcrating procedure.

It is still another object of this invention to accomplish the desired ventilation with the aid of a relatively small, effectively used volume of fresh air, which will not only result in savings in required power, but will also assist in keeping the die temperature at the desired high level.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description thereof.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. l is a side elevation, partly sectioned vertically, of one type of forging press embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a, vertical section through a detail of the Fig. 1 mechanism showing an expansion joint.

Fig. 3 is an enlargement of a portion of the Fig. 1 device.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of certain ventilating and exhausting equipment with parts of the press omitted.

Fig. 5 is an isometric projection showing details of curtain raising connections.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing another type of forging press embodying a modified form of the invention.

The invention is illustrated and described herein as applied to a large capacity hydraulic forging press, but it will be readily apparent that it has general applicability 2,756,617 Patented July 31, 1956 wherever there are employed la'r'ge dies and workpieces which develop high temperatures and cause the formation of smoke and fumes.

As illustrated, the invention is applied to a forging press which comprises a fixed lower platen 10 having a die support 11 for supporting a die 12, and a movable upper platen 14 having a die support 15 supporting a die 16. The fixed platen 10 is mounted on a bed structure indicated generally at 22 which rests through bed 23 on a suitable foundation below floor level 21, while the movable platen 14 is connected tothe movable upper cross-head indicated generally at 17. The workpiece to be forged is placed upon die 12, and the forging is accomplished by lowering the upper platen to compress the workpiece between the dies 12 and 16.

The upper platen is normally maintained in elevated position by causing pistons 25 which are fixed to said platen to be lifted within cylinders 26 fixed to the lower platen 10. The elevation is achieved by introducing fluid under pressure from a suitable source (not shown) into the cylinders. 26.

To move the upper cross-head and platen downwardly toward the lower platen, there are provided a plurality of columns or tie-bars indicated generally at 30 which are connected at their upper ends to the cross-head 17 at 27 and connected at their other ends to a movable lower cross-head'indi'c'ated generally at 31. The latter, in turn, is connected to ramsor pistons operating in cylinders 33 fixed on the'bedt'2-3; When fluid under pressure is admittedto cylinders 33, the rains operating therein are forced downwardly, carrying therewith the columns and the upper cross-head, thus applying a force to the workpiece.

It should here be noted that the press operators begin to lubricate the dies while they are in their separated positions, after which the workpiece'or billet ismoved into position. on the lower die.v It is during this operation that thepres's workers are subjected to the excessive heat of the dies'and to the smoke, fumes and flame caused by the lubrication process. There is therefore provided by the following arrangement improved means whereby the region of the dies will be adequately ventilated to increase the comfort and working efliciency of the press operators.

One of the features'of the improved ventil'ating'system for aforging press" of the type described is an ample supply of fresh air capabl'e'of replacing smoke and fumes as fast as they are generated, and carrying off an adequate quantity of the generated heat to make the region of the dies suitable for the press workers. One source of fresh air supply is provided by a perforated pipe 41 arranged around the lower die and connected to a source of compressed air (not shown) toproduce an air blast directed towards the upper die. Further, a plurality of floor fans (see Fig. 4) are preferably arranged along one or two sides of the press, for reasons to be described more fully hereinafter. The battery of fans 40, in conjunction with the air blast header 41, are capable of delivering a quantity of fresh air to the region of the dies substantially sufficient to accomplish the hereinbefore mentioned objectives, and give cooling comfort to the operators, provided adequate circulation of this air is effected.

Anotherfeatureof the improved ventilating system is therefore suitable means for effecting rapid removal of smoke fromthe die-region and rapid passage of fresh air continuously through'this region. The corresponding part of the ventilating s'ystem issupported on, and is movable with, the upper platen. Essentially: it comprises an exhaust hood 45 extending substantially around the periphery of the upper die 16 and supported on the upper platen 14in any suitable manner. The exhaust hood is provided with a plurality of openings 46through which smoke and fumes may be sucked into the hood by means of a plu- 3 rality of suction fans 50- mounted on the upper platen and connected by conduits 51 to the hood. The smoke and fumes thus sucked into the hood by the exhaust fans 50 are discharged into discharge conduits 60 (Fig. 4) which are connected to theexterior at some remote point.

Preferably, the exhaust fans 50 are provided with water spray arrangements built into the fan inlets to snub out and extinguish any flames formed. The water supply pipes are shown at 52.

Since the exhaust hood 45, the exhaust fans 50, connecting conduits 51, and discharge conduits 60 are all carried by the upper platen and will move therewith as the platen moves to its upper and lower positions, it is necessary to provide an expansion joint 70 between the discharge conduits 60 and the fixed discharge standpipe 71 leading to the exterior. Such a flexible coupling is shown in Fig. 2 and may be of the liquid or water seal type wherein the lower vertically extending end of discharge conduit 71 extends into a water trough 72 between an outer wall 73 and the vertical end of discharge standpipe 60. The trough 72 is made of such vertical dimension that the liquid seal will remain effective as the end of conduit 60 moves with the upper platen to its upper and lower limiting positions.

In order that the above described ventilating system shall be of maximum efliciency to ventilate the desired region adjacent the dies, it is desirable to enclose this region to a predetermined extent. In effecting such enclosure, however, it must be borne in mind that access to the dies must be available to the operators, and that the enclosed region varies in volume between the time when the dies are in their separated positions and the time when the dies engage the billet. The enclosure therefore must be flexible as to degree of encirclement of the die region. For this purpose, there is employed a plurality of curtains supported by the upper platen, in a manner to be described herein, and capable of being selectively raised and lowered. Referring to Figs. 1, 4, and 5, it will be seen that there is illustrated the use of three curtains 80, 81 and 82, cooperating with three sides of the die, while the fourth side is open to the blower fans 40 (Fig. 4). It will be apparent from the following description that four curtains may be employed, one on each of the four sides of the die, or two curtains may be employed, such as curtains 80 and 81, or 81 and 82, which form a closed corner in which the air may be blown, Suitable means for raising and lowering each of the curtains selectively and individually are provided, as will be described below. 1

Referring to Fig. 3, there is shown the curtain 81. fastened at its upper end 83 to the exhaust hood 45 and wrapped around a floating bar 84 at its lower end. A plurality of cords or cables 85 are provided, each cable 85 being fixed at one end 86 on the exhaust hood 45 in back of curtain 81 and extending along the back of curtain 81, around the rolled lower end 84, over a plurality of pulleys 87, 88 to a piston in a hydraulic cylinder 91 mounted on the column 30. Thus it will be seen that when the piston in cylinder 91 is raised or lowered, the cables 85 will be raised or lowered, to roll up or unroll curtain 81 around roller 84. The curtain 81 must be raised when the platen descends and must be lowered when the platen rises, because it is when the dies are separated that the curtains must be lowered to permit operators to effect the lubrication of the dies and to provide the maximum forced ventilation at such time. The rate of movement of the piston in cylinder 91 is preferably greater than the rate of movement of the upper platen so that the curtain will be raised faster than the platen is lowered.

By referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that a separate cable and pulley system is provided for each of the ourtains 88, 81 and 82, the cables of curtain being actuated by the piston in cylinder 90, the cables of curtain 81 being actuated by the piston in cylinder 91, and the cables of curtain 82 being actuated by the piston in cylinder 92, each of said cylinders being supported on one of the columns 30. The admission and discharge of fluid pressure into and out of the cylinders 90, 91, 92 may beremotely controlled by an operator at floor level by utilizing well-known means such as solenoid valves 95, 96, 97 whose circuits are controlled by switches at floor level.

In Fig. 6 there is disclosed a modified form of the invention particularly adapted to be applied to a press of the type in which the upper platen moves relative to a fixed upper cross-head or crown, the curtains being rolled up and unrolled by the movement of the upper platen. The upper platen 14 is connected to the lower ends of rams 100 adapted to operate in cylinders 1111 supported by the fixed upper cross-head or crown 102. The upper platen again carries an exhaust hood 45 therewith, and the upper ends of each curtain are attached to the exhaust hood. Cables have their ends 111 and 112 fixed to the moving platen structure and pass over pulleys 113 and 114 mounted on the fixed cross-head 102, and over floating roller 115 attached to the lower end of the respective curtain (see 81 in Fig. 6). Since both ends of the cable are attached to the moving platen structure, the cable is in effect an endless band of fixed length and, therefore, the distance between rollers 114 and 115 remains fixed. Thus, the curtain will roll up as the platen 14 descends and will unroll as platen 14 rises. If it is desired to raise the curtain in any position of the upper platen, a piston 121) connected to the cable at 121 may be drawn into a cylinder 122 by supplying fluid pressure to the cylinder from a suitable source (not shown). However, it will be clear that this cylinder need not be operated for rolling up and unrolling the curtain in accordance with reciproeating movements of the upper platen and, therefore, the arrangement shown in Fig. 6 will result in a saving in consumption of compressed air.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a vertical forging press comprising a movable upper platen, a fixed lower platen, and dies carried by said platens, means for ventilating the region of the press adjacent the dies and including the space occupied by an operator, said ventilating means comprising a plurality of curtains supported by the upper platen and adapted to enclose to a predetermined extent the space occupied by said dies and by said operator, means for raising the curtains during the downward movement of the upper platen and for lowering the curtains during the upward movement of the upper platen, exhaust means including exhaust fans carried by the upper platen and movable therewith for exhausting fumes within the enclosed space, and means including a plurality of fans on said fixed base for supplying fresh air to said enclosed space.

2. A device as specified in claim 1, in which the exhaust means include means for continually extinguishing flames generated in the heated air and vapor passing therethrough.

3. A device as specified in claim 2, in which the means for continually extinguishing flames comprise a water spray arrangement.

4. A device as specified in claim 1, in which the means for raising and lowering the curtains moves the curtains at a faster rate than the rate of movement of the upper platen.

5. A device as specified in claim 4, including means for selectively operating said curtains.

6. A device as specified in claim 5, in which each of 5 6 said curtains is provided with means for raising and References Citedinthe file of this patent lowering the respective curtain. U T STATES PATENTS 7. A device as specified in claim 1, including means for rolling up and unrolling the curtains, said means being 2415471 P 1947 actuated by the motion of the press through a system 6 2565933 schneble 1951 of pulleys and cables. 1 FOREIGN PATENTS 516,625 Great Britain Ian. 8, 1940

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