US2819056A - Apparatus for heat-treating steel - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 7, 1958 J. E. AYRES 2,819,055

APPARATUS FOR HEAT-TREATING STEEL Filed June 13.11955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ell INOUCT/QN (IN/7' l/VOUCT/OA/ UNIT INVENTOR.

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J. E. AYRES APPARATUS FOR HEAT-TREATING STEEL Filed June 15, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 :EEE

Am All! L W INVENTOR. JAM 155 5. HY/PA-S .J. E. AYRES APPARATUS FOR HEAT-TREATING STEEL Jan. 7, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 15, 1955 Jan. 7, 1958 J. E, YR s 2,819,055 APPARATUS FOR HEAT-TREATING STEEL Filed June 13, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORQ Jams: '5. Areas Jan. 7, 1958 J. E. AYRES 2,819,055

APPARATUS FOR HEAT-TREATING STEEL 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 13, 1955 HI IIHW IIHIIHHAZZ INVENTOR; JA/VMIS z. areas" Unitd States Patent- APPARATUS iron HEAT-TREATING STEEL James E. Ayres, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Induction Heating, Inc., Fostoria, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 13, 1955, Serial No. 515,093

7 Claims. (Cl. 266-4) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for heat-treating steel.

Particularly, the apparatus to be disclosed relates to a device for heat-treating the throws, that is, the bearings of a crank shaft. T-hese crank shafts, being of peculiar shape, are rather difiicult to handle; and it is desirable that they be not heat-treated in their entirety but only at the bearing portions thereof, including the throws and the stationary bearing surfaces.

Basically, the two steps that must be performed are heating to a predetermined temperature and a subsequent quenching operation. In the present method and apparatus it is accomplished by first moving a heating ring around the area to be treated and then removing said ring and moving a quenching ring immediately in said area and releasing a quenching liquid.

It is an object to provide a relatively inexpensive construction which is novel to the industry and which etfectively heat-treats the exposed areas in a predetermined cycle.

Other objects and features of the invention relating to i the details of construction and operation will be apparent in the following description and claims.

Drawings accompany the disclosure, and the various views thereof may be briefly described as:

Figure 1 a side elevation of the machine showing the general relationship of the parts.

Figure 2 an end elevation of the machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 a vertical section of the top portion of the machine on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 a detailed section on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 a partial vertical section and elevation of the operating mechanism for the cooling jaws.

Figure 6 a horizontal section on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 a horizontal section on line 7-7 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 an elevation of a portion of the operating mechanism taken on line 88 of Figure 6.

Figure 9 a small view of a portion of the operating rack taken from the rear of the device as viewed in Figure 5.

Figure 10 a diagrammatic view showing the system as it may be set up in a double machine operation with a single source of coolant and a transverse switch for power.

Referring to the drawings, the entire machine is positioned in and over a tank 20 or 22 (see Figures 1 and 10). In the tank a suitable frame is positioned having a base member 24 with reinforced uprights 26 at the ends which support horizontal slide bars 28. On these bars are mounted cross heads 30 which have V notches 32 at the top to support a crank shaft C as shown in Figure 1. Small slide rods 36 are also mounted on one end 26 and two support plates 38 (Figure 3) to support a sliding cover hood 40 which may be positioned over the operating station during the quenching operation.

The operation station is located at the central portion of the machine as shown in Figure 1. This station comprises two main parts, first a pair of horizontal slides 50 on opposite sides of the machine (see Figure 3) supported by upright members 52 which also serve to support the slide bars 28, and secondly a central cam panel 60 which is vertically disposed between and below the slides 50 to serve as a mount and actuator for quenching shoes.

On the slides 50 are transfer platforms 62 which are actuated by hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders 64 mounted below the slide 50. A piston rod 66 connects to a depending arm 68 associated with the platforms 62. On the platforms 62 are blocks 70, at each end of which is mounted a heating coil ring 72 of semi-circular shape which is slidably mounted on block 70 and urged to a forward position by a rod 74 and spring 76. Suitable induction coils 78 are located in the ring '72 connected to induction transformers through leads 80. Thus, when the slides 62 are projected forward by cylinders 64, they may engage resiliently at the center of the machine around a bearing to be heated.

The cam panel 60 shown in Figures 4, 5 and 8 is shown in section in Figure 6 and consists of a main panel plate 82 shown in Figure 8 having cam grooves 84 which terminate at the top in inwardly projected runs 86. Rollers 88 and 90 move in these slots and are held in place by a cover plate 92, which also has slots 94 through which pins 96 project. On pins 96 are mounted two slide brackets 98 which support it and upper ends quench shoes 100, these shoes being disposed at an angle to the brackets 98 as shown best in Figure 3. The shoes are hollow and opened to the center, and the mounting chambers 102 and the tubes 104 are also hollow so that the interior of the quenching rings can be connected to a source of cooling liquid at 106.

The angle of mounting of the shoes 100 as shown in Figure 4 is such that when the supporting brackets 98 are moved upwardly to the position shown in Figure 5, the shoes will come together centrally of the unit in proper alignment to form a quenching ring. The means for moving these brackets 98 upwardly consist of a triangular plate (Figure 5) which over-lies plate 92 and is transfixed by pins 96 of the lower rollers 88.

This plate 110 is bolted to a toothed rack bar 112 by bolts 114, which rack bar 112 is mounted for vertical sliding movement in a vertical slot 116 in the cam panel 82. Plate 110 is also slotted at 118 to permit movement of the bolts 114 which pass from the rack bar 112 to the triangular plate 110. In fact, plate 92 can be made of two plates separated at the center if desired. Cam plate 82 is also recessed circularly at 120 to receive an actuating gear 122, which is mounted on a pin 124 which passes to the back of the plate 82. Mounted on the back of plate 82 is a rack block in which is rotatably recessed a spur gear 132 mounted on the pin 124. A second rack bar 134 disposed at an angle (see Figure 5) projects to a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 138 and is actuated thereby, the rack bar being guided in the block 130.

Thus, in the operation of the quenching shoes actuation of the cylinder 138 moves the rack bar 134 which rotates spur gear 132 and drive gear 122, shifting the rack bar 112 upwardly or downwardly. When the rack bar is shifted up as shown in Figure 5, the brackets 98 move upwardly and the cam grooves 86 move the top end of the brackets together to a closed ring position. As the operation is reversed, the rings separate and move downwardly to a position shown in Figure 3. Thus, by a synchronizing of the operation of cylinders 64 and 138, it is possible to have the heating ring actuated for any predetermined length of time around a portion of the crank shaft C; and immediately upon removal of the heating ring the quenching shoes can be moved upwardly to the same position and the metal to be hardened can be quenched to the desired degree. When two units are mounted in tandem, as shown in Figure 10, the induction transformers-can be switched by a transfer switch 140 so that while one unit is heating the other unit may be quenching and vice versa, a single pump 142 being sufficient to furnish liquid under pressure to either one of the quenching shoes. I claim:

l. A machine for heat-treating circular portions of elongate steel articles which comprises, a supporting device for said articles, a double pair of slides on said machine,,eac h pair operating in adirection transversely to the other, one pair of slides supporting a means to form. a closed heating ring when in operating position and adapted to be moved away from operating positionJand the other of said slides movably supporting a means to form a closed quench ring when moved to the same operating position, said slides being operable in such sequence that an article may be heated and immediately thereafter quenched.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, in which one pair of. slides comprises oppositely disposed horizontal slide members on which are mounted supporting platforms for induction ring blocks which meet on opposite sides of a heating station and the other pair of slides comprises a cam plate formed with vertical cam slots therein, a pair of brackets for supporting semi-circular quench ring members, each of said brackets being mounted at two points in a cam slot, and said slots being formed to move said semi-circular quench rings from a lower spaced apart position to an upper closed position at the heating station.

3. An apparatus for heating and quenching for the purpose of heat-treating a piece of steel, such as a crank shaft hearing, which comprises, means for supporting said bearing, oppositely disposed horizontal slide mem bers lt'orsupporting individually shiftable heating rings which meet at a heating station to form a closed heating ring around said article to be heat-treated and which are separable to clear the area at said heating station, and means positioned adjacent said heating station to support a plurality of members which are shaped to form a closed quenching ring, said means when shifted being adapted to shift said members vertically toward said heating station and horizontally toward each other, whereby 4 as they reach said heating station they join to form a closed quenching ring.

4. A device as defined in claim 3, in which the last means comprises a cam plate having vertical runs which converge at the upper end, a pair of brackets, each mounted in one of said runs on spaced rollers, and means for shifting said brackets simultaneously in a vertical direction wherein on the upward motion the top end of said brackets will move toward each other and fluid conducting means adapted to mount said quenching members at the top of said brackets, whereby when said brackets are shifted upwardly said quenching rings will be positioned for transferring a quenching liquid from a suitable source to an article at the heating station.

5. A machine for heat-treating work pieces comprising, a frame, means on said frame adapted to hold a work piece, first movable means on said frame with means thereon forming a heating element, second mov-.

able means on said frame with means thereon forming a quenching element, means operable to furnish quenching fluid to said quenching element, said first and second movable means being alternatively movable to one position wherein said elements are in operative relation to a portion of a work piece to be heat-treated and to a retracted position, whereby successively to heat and quench such portion for tempering the same, said first and second movable means being movable in substantially the same plane, the paths of movement of said first and second movable means being transverse to each other.

6. The machine defined in claim 5, wherein one of said movable members moves in a generally rectilinear path and the other of said movable members moves in a curvilinear path.

7. The machine defined in claim 5, wherein said means on said frame is adapted to hold a work piece so that a portion thereof to be heat-treated is fixed generally in the same plane as the plane of movement of said movable members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,089,829 Terree Aug. 10, 1937 2,255,103 Denneen et al Sept. 9, 1941 2,282,322 Denneen et a1 May 12, 1942 2,517,607 Strickland Aug. 8, 1950 2,589,495 Hess et al. Mar. 18, 1952

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