US2923062A - Coke oven gauge - Google Patents

Description

H. S. AUVIL COKE OVEN GAUGE Feb. 2, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 8, 1953 INVENTOR. Hafyey Suar w'/ Feb. 2, 1960 Filed June 8, 1953 H. S. AUVIL COKE OVEN GAUGE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 --lu- O I 5f Ill INVENTOR. Harvey Suar Juv/7 HT'TOE/VEYS Feb. 2, 1960 H. s. AuvlL 2,923,062

l COKE OVEN GAUGE Filed June 8. 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Feb. 2, 1960 H. s. Auvll. 2,923,062

COKE OVEN GAUGE Filed June 8. 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent O COKE OVEN GAUGE Harvey Smart Auvil, Indianapolis, Ind. Application June 8, 1953, Serial No. 360,181

13 Claims. (Cl. 33--148) This invention relates to an apparatus for examining the condition of the walls of coke ovens, more particularly for measuring the width of the coke oven and the variations in its width along its length.

Coke ovens are built in batteries of a plurality of ovens arranged side-by-side and separated by masonry walls which contain the heating ilues. They represent a large capital investment and are normally operated continuously for many years. Their life depends upon the condition ofthe walls, and the walls are liable to damage from various causes. A principal cause is the mechanical movement of the walls, as from excessive expansion of the coal charge during the coking operation, from the poor mechanical condition of the levelling apparatus by which the charge is levelled in the oven, or from the poor mechanical condition or faulty operation of the pusher or ram by which' the coke charge is pushed lengthwise from the oven.

Heretofore, it has been impossible to detect incipient damage to the oven walls. 'Ihe high temperature at which the battery must be maintained throughout its many-year life prevents direct observation of the walls, and heat waves prevent a clear view of the walls from the ends of the ovens. Heretofore, substantially the first indication of wall damage was given by the excess opposition of the coke to movement when it is attempted to push the coke charge from the oven, and since such excess opposition may arise from a variety of causes, both transitory and permanent, a clear indication of wall damage does not appear until it is found that such excess opposition occurs regularly and frequently. By the time damage is evident from these indications, the damage has progressed to a serious point. K

It is the object of the invention to provide apparatus which can be moved through the coke oven while the oven is at operating temperature and which will provide a chart showing the Width and width variations of the coke oven walls through their length, and which by its regular use will indicate incipient damage and permit the cause to be investigated and remedied.

In accordance ywithV theinvention, a gauge is provided which may be movedy lengthwise through the coke oven at one or more desired elevations and which carries a pair offeelers, such as wheels or shoes, which ride along the walls. The gauge is protected from the oven heat by heat shields, and is maintained at moderate and substantially constant temperature by cooling. Preferably, the heat shielding and the cooling is obtained by housing the gauge in a water jacket. The gauge comprises recording equipment operated by the feelers t record the width and width variations of the walls at the level at which the feelers ride. Preferably, the feelers are shoes having wall-engaging spherical faces curved on a diameter equal to the average width of the oven. These are respectively connected to operate oppositely movable members or frames, one of which is provided withl a recording drum and the other of which is provided with a stylus for cooperation with the recording drum. The drum is driven in accordance with the movement of the gauge through the length of the oven, and carries a chart on which the stylus draws a curve representative of the varying distance between the wall-engaging shoes and which thus represents the width and width variations of the coke oven between its side walls.

The gauge may be moved through the coke oven in any desired manner, as on a wheeled cart drawn through the oven by a cable, or preferably by mounting it on the head of the coke ram and moving that ram through the empty oven. Preferably, the two shoes on the gauge are both relatively movable with respect to the gauge mechanism and means is provided for guiding the gauge body for travel substantially midway between the side walls of the oven. The middle path movement of the gauge body is desirably obtained by providing a centering mechanism between the gauge body and the two shoes, and permitting the gauge body to be laterally located by the shoes themselves. To permit this location of the gauge body from the shoes, it is mounted for relatively free movement laterally of the oven with respect to the cart or ram by which it is carried through the oven.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmental horizontal section through a battery of coke ovens, showing a gauge embodying the invention in position in an oven;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of a carrier mounted on the coke ram for supporting the gauge;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the gauge and carrier on the ram;

Fig. 4 is a plan view, partly in section, showing the preferred gauge mechanism, with the feeler shoes in extended position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, with the feeler shoes in retracted position and with the gauge parts correspondingly moved from the positions shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a transverse section taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 6, with the casing or jacket largely omitted;

Fig. 9 is a fragmental end elevation showing the control for locking the' shoes in retracted position; and

Figs. l0 and 11 are reproductions of charts made by the gauge to show the width variations of the ovens in which the gauge was used.

The coke oven battery shown in Fig. 1 comprises walls 10 spaced to form coke ovens 12 between them. Various shapes of bricks or wall elements haverbeen used in building cokeoven batteries. In the battery shown, the walls are formed of cross blocks 14, formed at one end with a wedge-shaped protruding neck 16 to lie between the inclined faces 18 of face blocks 20. The opposite end of each cross block 14 inter-engages with the stepped opposite ends of the face blocks 20. The successive cross blocks 14 are laid oppositely, so that the end faces of the cross-block necks 16 are exposed successively on opposite sides of the oven wall. This arrangement of the wall blocks 14 and 20 forms a series of llues 22 at spaced points along the wall, and the battery is heated by burning a mixture of gas and air in these tlues.

The oven 12 formed between the two Walls 10 shown may have a nominal width of about l7 inches, a nominal lengh of about forty feet, and a nominal height of about ten feet, and its widthwill increase from the pusher end (to the left in Fig. l) toward the discarge or coke end (to the right in Fig. l) by about three or four inches in the forty-foot leng.h. The coal is charged to the oven through suitable openings in its top wall, and is suitably levelled by a levelling bar. yThe oven is then closed and heated for a suitable coking period, normally eig..teen hours. then opened or removed, and the pusher 24 is pushed through the oven from its narrowend toward i;s wide end to push the coke from the oven. Y

In the normal operation of a battery of coke ovens, thevseries of ovens is used in a non-consecutive order, so that an oven lwhich is emptied of its coke is normally flanked on bothzsides by ovens which are at an inermediate point vin the coking process. Accordingly, it may be assumed that the oven defined by the upper face or" the wallv shown at the top of Fig. 1 is in operation and containsV a charge in the process of being coked; and i it is Vto be assumed that the lower face ofthe wall 10 shownV at the bottom of Fig. 1 defines another oven in which a charge is being coked. Accordingy, the ilues 22 in the twowalls 10 will contain burning gases, and

the oven 12 shown at :the center of Fig. 1 will beat a high temperature, of the order of 2000i F. or higher.

To gauge the walls of that hot oven, the pusher or ram 24 is retracted to the left in-Fig. 1, and a carriage is mounted on the face of the ram 24 to carry the gauge. Y

As Yshown in Figs. 2 and 3,' the'carriage consists of a pair of supporting plates 26 and 23 mounted at opposite ends of a' triangular frame 30; whose upper rods 32 have down- Y 38 which are screwed against the face of the head 36 tolevel' the frame 30. At its inner end, therframe carries a pivot pin 39, and the gauge 40 is placed on the carriage. and held thereon by engagement with the pivot pin 39. With the shoes 42 of the gauge' in retracted position, theram 24^is advanced through the oven 12 to the coke discharge end of that oven. A cable 44 extending from the gauge is then anchored at the coke end of the oven, the shoes 42 are then released to extended position against the walls of the oven 12, and the ram is retracted to draw the gauge 40 through the o-ven in the direction indicated by the arrow shown in Fig. l. The resulting movement of the gauge 40 is from the wide end of the oven to the narrow end of they oven, and during this movement, the cable 44 is drawn out of the gauge 4h Vto actuate the recording mechanism, Upon 'completion of the gauging movement of the'gauge 40 through the oven, the cable is released and rewound, and the gauge is removed from the ram 24.

While the gauge might be mounted on'the ram at the coke end of the oven, it is usually more convenient to to its normal operating temperature so that substantially no temperatureV changes occur in the gauge during its gauging movement. f

The gauge is housed in a' jacket which shields its mechl anism from the heat of the oven and which is desirably provided with means for cooling the gauge. As shown, the gauge 40 has a double-walled waer jacket, which is lled with water in advance of the gauging operation vand which maintains the gauge at about the boiling temperature of the water during the gauging operation. The water jacket and its construction is more fully described below.

Various mechanisms might be employed in the gauge to make a chart or give some other record of the width variations of the walls of the oven 12. Preferably, however, the gauging mechanism used is asV shown in Figs. 4 to 9 inclusive. ln the preferred construction shown, the

ogram frames whose longitudinal arms pivot about iixed Ycentral pivotsand which frames are connected at'one y The end walls or doors of the coke oven arey end respectively to the wall-engaging shoes 42. At the opposite end, the lower frame carries a drum which is rotatable by the movement of the cable 44; while the upper frame carries a stylus in marking engagement with Va chart on the drum. Relative movement of the two shoes causes vrelative pivotal movement of the two parallelogram frames, and this in turn causes relative translation of the stylus across the rotating drum.

As shown in Fig. 4, the lower shoe is carried by an arm Si) which is pivotally connected by pins Sland 52 to the rear ends of vtwo parallel arms 53 and 54 which pivot on xed pivot posts 55 and S6 and which extend forwardly from those posts. rThe shoe-carrying arm 'lies above the rear ends of the parallelogram arms 53 and 54, and the pivot pins connecting the arm 50 to the arms 53 and 54 extend downwardly therethrough into asupporting bar 49. The forward ends of the arms 53 and 54 lie beneath and are pivotally connected to a cross bar 64.

T he arms 50, 53, 54, and 64 form part of the lower parallelogram frame which carries the drum, and such arms are shaded in, Figs. 4 andS to distinguish them from the upper paralleiog'ram As shown in Fig. 6,- the arm S3 is connected toa sleeve 57 received on thepivot shaft 55 and connected at the bottom to a lower arm 5,9y extending forward below and' parallel with the forward endof fthe arm 53.;v Similarly, the arm 54 is connected by a sleeve 57 to a lower arm 64.3Y extending forward below and paral-v ylel with the torwardend of the arm 54.' f

At their forward'ends, the upper arms 53 and 54, an the lower arms 59 and 60 are Ypivotally connected to `upper and lower cross members on spaced vertical axes`61 and 62, and such members carryadrum-frame 70. Thaty frame 71B is thus carried by thelower parallelogram frame, and is traversed in an arcuate path extending laterally of the gauge, in response to movements ofY the shoe 42 carried by the arm "56.k During such movement, the drumframe 7d ismaintained parallel to itself, and tothe longitudinal centerline of thek gauge as a whole. J

The upper'or stylus-carrying -parallelogramy frame cornprises the arm 72 which carries the shoe 42'shown at the top of Figs. 4 and 5. Such arm 72 is'connected by pivot pins 71 to ar pair of parallelogram arms 73 and 74 which are pivoted on the same pivot posts 55V and 56 as the lower-frame-members. YThe. forward ends on the parallelogram arms 73 and 74 are equal in length to the forward ends of the arms 53 Vand'54 and are inter-con-V nected by a cross arm 75 pivotally connected to them by pins 76. j

AsV shown in Fig. 6, the shoe-carrying arm 721es below the rear ends of the arms 73 and 744 and the pins which connect them extend upward from-,the arm 72 through Y the' arms 73 and 74 into Lasupporting bar 77. The two shoe-carrying arms 50 and 72 are thus in sliding engagement with each other'V to maintain the spacing between lthe parallelogram frames at their rear ends.Y .Correspondingly, the cross arms 64 andA 75 at the forward ends of the frames are in sliding contact with each other. The

, rear ends of the two frames, andthe shoe-carrying arms roller 7S engages the supportingl bar 77 carried at the y rear end yof the' upper .parallelogram frame, whilev the lower roller 79 supports the support bar 49 at the' rear end of the lower parallelograrnV frame.

r{"he drum-frame '7,0 carried by the' lower parallelograrn frame comprises a pair of side plates 81 and `82 connected at intermediate pointsby cross members 83, and at their rear ends by a'cross member'84. A cable reel 'l 86 is mounted o n a transfer 'shaft 87-in the drumo gauge mechanism comprises upper and lower parallelf frame 70 and toward its rear end. At the oppositel end of the frame 70the side plates 81` and 82. are provided with slots 88 to receive the shaft 89 of they chart'drum 90. At one end, the drumA shaft 89 carries a worm Y position as shown in Fig.

gear 92 which meshes with an underlying worm 94 carried by a shaft 95 and driven by beveled gearing 96 from the shaft 87 of the cable reel 86.

The upper or stylus-carrying parallelogram frame is provided with a bracket 97 having a pivot shaft 99 which carries a stylus arm 100. A spring 101 urges the stylus arm counter-clockwise in Fig. 6, to press the stylus against a chart carried by the drum 90.

It is desirable that the total movement of the shoes 42 with respect to eachother shall be equally divided between the two shoes, and that both shall move equally with respect to the gauge as a whole. Such equalization has two purposes. One purpose is to center the gauge between the walls of the oven during the gauging movement of the gauge. The second purpose is to cause the stylus to move relative to the chart in a direction parallel to the axis of the chart drum so that the stylus moves in straight lines with respect to the chart on the drum. In considering this second purpose, it has been noted that the drum and drum frame are carried by pivotally moving arms so that in the transverse movement of the drums with respect to the gauge as a whole, the drum movement has a certain component of movement longitudinally of the gauge, resulting from the arcuate movement of the ends of the pivoted arms. The stylus is also carried by pivotally-movable arms and hence has a similar longitudinal component of movement. length with the drum-supporting arms, and controlling the movements of the respective parallelogram frames to equal and opposite movements with respect to the longitudinal center line of the assembly, the longitudinal components of the stylus and drum movements are made equal and in the same direction. As the result, the relative movement between the stylus and the drum is straight line movement of the stylus on the surface of the drum, and the chart which receives the stylus markings can carry straight-line reference lines.

For the purpose of equalizing the movements of the shoes 42, the arm 54 of the drum-carrying parallelogram and the arm 73 of the stylus-carrying parallelogram are respectively connected by links 104 to a common pin 106 which rides n a longitudinally extending slot 108 in a centrally disposed frame member 110. A rod 112 connected to the pin 106 is urged by a compression spring 114 in a forward direction to pull the pin 186 toward the forward end of the slot 108.

The two parallelogram frames are biased in directions to extend the shoes to their outermost positions as shown in Fig. 4. While the compression spring 114 acts in this direction, the main biasing forces are preferably applied directly to the drum-frame 70 and the stylus-carrying arm 75, to take up all lost motion in the linkage. As shown, a tension spring 111 is connected between the drumframe 70 and a fixed point to urge the drum-frame toward the top of Figs. 4 and 5; and a tension spring 68 is connected from a bracket 69 on the stylus-carryingl arm 75 to a fixed point at the opposite side of the gauge, to urge that arm 75 toward the bottom of Figs. 4 and 5.

v Means is provided to lock the shoes 42 in full retracted 5. Mechanism for this purpose is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The lequalizing pin 186 is provided with a lower end projecting below the upper parallelogram assembly. A longitudinally slidable frame comprising a pair of rods 116 and an end member 118 is supported by a pair of fixed uprights 120 beneath the equalizing mechanism. Such slidable frame 116-118 carries a plate 122 movable in a path to engage the lower projecting end of the equalizing pin 106. When the slidable frame is in its retracted position as shown in full lines in Fig. 6, the plate 122 lies forwardly beyond the normal range of movement of the equalizing pin 106 and permits the equalizing mechanism to function normally. 1f the slidable frame is pulled by its operating By making the stylus-supporting arms of equal v6 link 124 in a rearward direction, to the position shown n dotted lines of Fig. 6, the plate 122 forces the equalizing pin 106 rearward to the position shown in Fig. 5, and this spreads the links 104 to cause the shoes 42 to be drawn inwardly to their full retracted positions.

As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the rearward and outer end of the operating link 124 is formed as an elongated eye, and the end wall of the water jacket is provided with a narrow slot 126 through which the eye 125 extends. In the normal and inoperative position of the retracting slide 116-118, the eye 125 lies vertical within the vertical slot 126, as shown in Fig. 6, and in full lines in Fig. 9. To retract the shoes, the eye is pulled out and turned through 90 so that it lies horizontally as shown in Fig. 8 and in dotted lines in Fig. 9, and in this position it is held in outward position by engagement with the water jacket surrounding the slot 126, to hold the slide in shoeretracting position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. The chart drum 90 is rotated during the gauging operation at a rate proportional to the rate of movement of the gauge through the oven.4 As noted above, it is driven by a suitable driving train from the cable reel 86. The reel 86 is driven bythe cable 44 which is wound on the reel 86 and extends therefrom between a pair of guide rollers 128 and over a roller 130, rearward through a suitable opening 132 in the water jacket housing. Conveniently, the cable opening 132 is off-set on the opposite side of the center line from the shoe retracting control link 125. With the free end of the cable anchored at one end of the oven, the movement of the gauge through the oven will cause the cable to be pulled from the gauge and to rotate the reel 86 by amounts corresponding to the distance travelled by the gauge as it moves through the oven. The driving train between the cablereel 86 and the chart drum 90 will x the ratio of chart movement to gauge movement through the oven. I have found it convenient to provide a driving train which causes a quarter inch of chart rotation for each foot of gauge movement through the oven.

The gauge mechanism as described above is supported by a suitable frame, including the base members 136 and 137, and is removably received in a protecting casing. 'Ihe casing shown is a double-walled water jacket having a lower main portion 140 and an upper or cover portion 150. The bottom jacket 140 comprises spaced inner and outer walls 141-142 closed at the top by a top wall 143 and provided around its upper inner edge with an inner llange 144 to receive and locate the lower edge of the cover 150. As shown in Figs.'6 and 9, the rear end wall of the bottom water packet is provided with a control opening 126, and with the cable opening shown in Figs. 4 and 5. In one side wall, it is provided with a rewind opening 145 for the reception of a crank for rewinding the cable on the reel 86. As shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 7, the upper rearward portions of the sidewalls of the bottom water jacket 140 are formed to provide housings 146 into which the shoes 42 may be drawn in retracted position. Desirably, such housings 146 extend forward along the sides of the water jacket to a point about midway of the length of the assembly, to receive fender members 148 pivotally connected to the front edges of the shoes 42, and which act to guide such shoes over abrupt projections of the walls of the oven. Conveniently, the outer wall 142 is extended to overlie the front portions of the housings 146, to form pockets 147 which loosely receive and retain the front ends of the fender members 148. The lower water jacket 140 is provided at its front end with an upstanding till pipe 149 which is desirably closed by a weighted cover so that the lower water jacket is maintained under a slight pressure during the gauging operation.

The upper or cover portion 150 of the water jacket is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. It is of double-walled construction to provide a water receiving chamber between the two Walls. The lower rearward portions of its side walls in the plate 28 of thev carriage.

is desirably formed to provide a high point above the shoes 42, and a vent pipe 154 extends from that high point downward through the upper wall ofthe housing 156 at each side of the cover. The cover has a fill pipe 158, closed by weighted cover 159. AIn operation, steam generated in the cover water jacket will be discharged from the high point'of that jacket through the vent pipes'154 onto the shoes and onto the arms 5t) and 72 by which those shoes are carried. The discharge of steam into the housings 146 and 156 and onto the shoes and their supporting parts helps to protect the gaugel and those shoe parts from the high temperature of the oven.

The operation of the device is as follows:

With the coke pusher or Vram 24 in retracted position, a gauge-supporting frame is mounted on the head ofthe -arm `and the gauge is mounted on that carrier. The controleye 125V is pulled out` and turned 90 to retractand lock in retracted position the shoes 42. With the water jackets 140 and 150 filled withwater and with the cable wound ron its reel, the pusher is advanced through the Voven to the coke discharge endV thereof; During this movement, the gauge assembly may be held against pivotal movement about the pin 39 by engaging aneye bolt on the end of the cable 44 through a bracket 41` at the rear end of the gauge and into an aligned hole During this idling movement of the gauge through the oven,'it is brought to its operating temperature, for thewater in thewater jacket willy be brought to the boiling point, and` the parts of the gauge will be heated to substantially the maximum point-about the boiling point water-permitted by the shielding and cooling eect of the protective water jacket.

At the coke end of the oven, theV eye bolt will be removed from the bracket 41, to free the rear end ofthe gauge for positioning by the shoes, and the free end of the cable will be anchored. The eye 125 of the shoeretracting control will be turned into alignment with the slot 126 and allowed to retract, thus permitting the shoes to move outward into engagement with thewalls of the e oven at the coke end thereto. The ram 24 is then re- Y drum 90. Simultaneously, the chart-carrying drum will be rotated by amountsk proportional to the movement of the. gauge through the oven.

, During the movements of the gauge through the hot routerwalls of the jacket'can reach the interior of the gauge lsubstantially only by transmission through the water. Heattransfer to the water occurs at a limited rate,` and the .water boils and heat is used uprin convert- Y ing the water to steam. The jacket thus produces a shielding and insulating and cooling etect which maintains the interior of the gauge substantially at the boiling point of the water, and ordinary paper charts do not char during passage of the gauge through the oven. The steam, is discharged onto `the shoes or feelers and their supporting arms which are exposed outside the jacket, and'vhelps to maintain them below any excessive temperature'. Whilerwater is consumed in this process, the initial filling ofthe jacket provides an adequate amount of'water for a complete gauging operation of an oven, and the jacket is refilled for each such operation.

When the gauge has passed` out the pusher end of the oven, the cable is released from its anchoring point, and.

the gauge' as a' wholeI may be movedv to a suitable locationgfor removing of theV chart. l

Desirably, before removing the chart, the shoes are engaged'. betweenftixed abutneents on a clamp (not shown.) which holds them in a predetermined spacing, and whilethey are so held and before ythe chart is removed from the drumt, the `cable 4e is rewound on the .reel do by means of a crank inserted through the rewind hole 145. This operation causes the stylus to draw a straight reference line on the chart corresponding to they ApredeterrninedV distance or spacing between the abutments. Upon the completion of the rewindingoperatio-n, the chart isremoved-for examination. Since the shaft 89 vofthe drum l9er-lies in upwardly open slots SS, and .since the worm gear 9Zengages downward with the worm Svi, theentire drum 90 may be Vlifted out of the drum-frame 7G to facilitate removal and replacement of thechart. l .v Y Y ,l Y r`he-charts reproduced in Figs. lil andr ll were made in actual oven-gauging operations with a gauge of the type show-n. vThey were mounted on the drum 9i? and moved fromvleft to right, Yso thatvthe stylus progressed from right to left. Since the gauge Vwas moved from the coke end of the oven, i.e., the widest endfof the oven, toward the pusher end of the oven, ie., the'nar- `row end of the oven, the right-hand side of'each chart represents the coke end of the oven `and the left-hand side represents the pusher end. The, horizontal width ofthe chart represents the lengthof the oven, and the scaleV is one square per foot of oven length.. The vertical distances on 4the actual chart were to true scale, and the squares shown represent quarter inches of width of the oven.v The nominal or design width of the oven is represented b-y thestraight sloping line shown. The reference line, shown as the horizontal line passing vthrough n lthe 18% inch scale mark was drawn by the stylus with the gauge shoes held between arms spaced exactly 18%. inches apart. The irregular curve represents the gauged or actual width of the oven at theA various points along its width. A

The chart reproducedin Fig. l0 was made in an oven which was about five. years old. The actual width` curve indicates that the oven walls are generally in good condition, with a substantially uniform taper throughoutV y. the length of the oven, with no substantial wall movement, and with no substantial defects in the vwall surface. The somewhat regular dips in lthe curve, spaced about a foot anda half apart along Vthe length of the oven are believed to lie at ther ends of the crossblocks of the walls and to indicate that there is some slight wear or chipping awayof the face blocks adjacent the ends of those cross blocks, so that the cross blocks protrude slightly from the faces of the wall. The rather large dips atthe extreme ends of the actual width curve are-believed to indicate displacement of the end blocks of the walls. Y

The chartreproduced in Fig. 1l was made in an oven about eighteen years old. 'Itrindicates that one orV bothV walls of the oven had been physically moved, as by excessive expansion of coal in this .or Van adjacent oven. Thelarge dip in the curve between the .Zero Aand'Z-foot Y marks results from the fact that the pusher end of the oven had been repaired by spraying cement onto the faces of the walls at their pusher end. The curve indicates that from the 7-foot mark to the 22-foot mark, the wall-s are substantially parallel and have lost the taper which was originally present; that from the 22foot mark to the 35-foot mark the walls diverge excessively, and that beyond the 35-foot point the walls converge more than one inch over a distance of about 3 feet. The chart indicates that the oven has reached a point of serious damage, and that difliculty should be expected in pushing the coke from the (oven, especially in view of the convergence of the oven walls at the coke discharge end of the oven. A review of the records of the operation of Vthis oven showed that dicult pushes had been encounprising a recording gauge mechanism, oppositely extending feelers operatively connected thereto and relatively movable to follow the contour of the oven walls, a heat shielding jacket substantially enclosing the gauge mechanism and including evaporative cooling means to form a heat barrier about the gauge mechanism and to maintain such mechanism at a relatively constant temperature substantially below the oven temperature as the gauge is passed through a hot oven, said jacket and cooling means comprising a double-wall casing which substantially encloscs the gauge mechanism and which in operation contains between its walls a vaporizing liquid having a boiling point substantially below the oven temperature, said water jacket being provided with steam outlets directed to discharge adjacent the feelers.

2. A gauge movable through a hot coke oven or the like to gauge the condition of the walls thereof, comprising a recording gauge mechanism, oppositely extending feelers operatively connected thereto and relatively movable to follow the contour of the oven walls, a heat shielding jacket substantially enclosing the gauge mechanism and including evaporative cooling means to form a heat barrier about the gauge mechanism and to maintain such mechanism at a relatively constant temperature substantially below the oven temperature as the gauge is passed through a hot oven, said temperature- .'controlling means including means to'discharge Steam adjacent the feelers.

3. A gauge for coke-ovens andthe like, comprising a pair of pivotally supported arms, a chart carrier carried thereby and movable Vparallel to itself in an arcuate path, a stylus-Supporting arm pivotally supported to carry its stylus in a laterally opposite arc of equal radius, feelers for operating the pivoted arms, and means to equalize the opposite carrier and stylus-arm movements whereby relative movements of the stylus over the chart carrier are straight-line movements.

4. A gauge for coke ovens and the like, comprising a gauge frame, a laterally movable chart carrier and a laterally oppositely movable stylus carried by said frame, a pair of relatively movable feelers operatively connected respectively to said carrier and stylus, means to lequalize the feeler movement with respect to the frame, said chart carrier being progressively movable across the path of the stylus movements, a cable reel operatively connected to progress the chart carrier, and a cable wound on the reel, said cable, when its free end is anchored and the gauge moved through an oven, being adapted to rotate the reel and progress the chart carrier by amounts proportional to the movements of the gauge from the cable anchor point.

5. A gauge for coke-ovens and the like, comprising a relatively movable chart carrier and stylus, feelers operatively connected to cause relative movement of the stylus over the chart carrier, means to progress the chart carrier with respect to the path of stylus movement, said means including a cable reel and a cable wound thereon and adapted to have its free end anchored at one end of the oven, movement of the gauge through the oven causing said cable to be drawn from and rotate the reel to progress the chart carrier.

`6. A gauge for coke-ovens and the like, comprising a gauge frame, two pairs of parallelogram arms pivotally mounted on common spaced pivot axes, a chart carrier carried by one parallel pair of arms, a stylus carrier carried by the other parallel pair of arms for relative movement over the chart carrier, feelers respectively 'carred by the pairsl of arms and disposed to engage opposite oven walls, and means to bias the feelers to wall-engaging positions.

7. A gauge for coke-ovens and the like, comprising a gauge frame, two pairs of parallelogram arms pivotally mounted on common spaced pivot axes, a chart carrier carried by one parallel pair of arms, a stylus carrier carried by the other parallel pair of arms for relative movement over the chart carrier, feelers respectively carried by the pairs of arms and disposed to engage opposite oven walls, and means to equalize the movement of the two pairs of arms.

8. A gauge for coke-ovens and the like, comprising a gauge frame, two pairs of parallelogram arms pivotally mounted on common spaced pivot axes, a chart carrier carried by one parallel pair of arms, a stylus carrier carried by the other parallel pair of arms for relative movement over the chart carrier, feelers respectively carried by the pairs of arms and disposed to engage opposite oven walls, means to bias the feelers to wall-engaging positions, and means to lock the feelers in retracted positions.

9. A coke oven gauge for gauging the walls of a coke oven while such oven is at a temperature of the order of 2000 F., comprising a substantially self-contained unit to be passed bodily into a coke oven and from endto-end substantially through the same, said unit including a recording mechanism having a relatively movable progressive chart and a stylus, a pair of oppositely extending feelers carried by and projecting outward from said unit to ride the surfaces of the oven walls, said feelers being operatively connected within said unit to relatively move the chart and stylus to record the spacing of said walls, a double walled water jacket casing substantially enclosing said unit and forming a self-contained heat shield thereabout to protect the same from the oven temperature during its passage through the oven, said water jacket casing having suicient selfcontained water capacity to protect the unit during a complete gauging operation, said water jacket heat shield and the Vaporization of water therein being operative to maintain said recording mechanism at an operating temperature not substantially above the boiling point of water while said unit is passed entirely into and from end-to-end substantially through a coke oven at a temperature of the order aforesaid, and means for progressing said chart with respect to the path of stylus movement as said gaugel unit is moved through the oven.

10. A coke oven gauge for gauging the walls of a coke oven while such oven is at a temperature of the order of 2000 F., comprising a substantially self-contained unit to be passed bodily into a coke oven and from end-to-end substantially through the same, said unit including a recording mechanism having a chart removably mounted therein and a stylus relatively movable with respect to the chart, a pair of oppositely extending feelers carried by and projecting outward from said unit to ride the surfaces of the oven walls, said feelers being operatively connected to relatively move the chart and stylus to record the spacing of said walls, a double walled water jacket casing substantially enclosing said unit and forming a heat shield thereabout to protect the same from the oven temperature during its passage through the oven, said casing comprising an open-top box-like bottom part in which said mechanism is mounted, said bottom part having spaced bottom and side walls forming a water container about the sides and bottom of the said mechanism, an open-bottom box-like cover member fitting over said bottom part to close the same and having spaced walls forming a water container over the top of said mechanism, said water containers each being a self-contained Water storage receptacle of suicient water capacity to last through a complete gauging operation, the heat shielding and vaporization action thereof maintaining Ysaid mechanism at Voperating temperature throughout said operation, said cover member being removable to expose said recording mechanism for removal and insertion of the removable chart thereof.

11. A coke oven gauge, comprising a `substantially self-contained unit to be transported bodily into and from end-to-end substantially through a coke oven, a carriage for transporting the unit through an oven independently of the walls being gaugedand supporting the gauge unit for horizontal angular movement substantially about a vertical pivot axis adjacent the leading end of the gauge unit, said -unit including a gauge mechanism, a pair ofv oppositely extending feelers adjacent the trailing end of the gauge unit, said vfeelers -beingfrelatively movable with respect to each -otherand to the gauge mechanismV andjbiased to contact kthe opposite walls of the oven during operation of the gauge, said gauge mechanism'being responsive to the position of said feelers with respect to each other, and means to l equalize the movements of the feelers with respect to the unit, whereby the feelers are operative to center the trailing end of the unit between the walls `substantially cause angular movement of said unit relative tothe walls of 'the oven, said' feelers being provided with arcuate wall-engaging shoes curved on radii approximating halfV the normal distance between the wall-engaging faces of the shoes, whereby said angular movement will produce no substantial error in the gauging operation.

1,2. A coke oven gauge, comprising a gauge unit Vto be moved bodily into and substantially from end-Vto-end through a coke oven between the walls thereof, a` gauge frame, a laterally movable chart carrier carried by said frame, an oppositely laterally movable stylus carried by said frame in operativev recording relation with said chart carrier, a pair of relatively movable feelers opera tively connected respectively to said carrier and stylus and projecting outwardly from said unit to engage and follow the contours of the oven walls as the gauge unit is moved through the oven, means to equalize the 'feeler movements relative to the frame, and means to advance the chart carrier with respect to the stylus as the unit is `moved through the oven, whereby -to record the spac-V thereof, means for mounting said unit on saidrcarriage for'horizontal angular movement about an axisladjacent one end of the gauging unit, said unit including a gauge mechanism and a pair of feelers voperatively connected to drive the gauge mechanism and extending outward to ride the opposite walls of the coke oven as the gauge unit is moved through the oven, said feelers being adjacent the opposite end of said Vunit from said axis and acting to control the position of vsuchend of the unit relative to the walls being gauged, whereby lateral movement of said carriage and axis `will cause angularcmovef ment of said unit relative to the walls being gauged, said feelers comprising wall engaging shoes of arcuate contguration, longitudinally curved on radii approximating half the normal widthV between the ywalls, to minimize error from angular movement of the gauge unit.

6,841 Van Ness Oct. 30,1849 1,363,654 Johansson Dec. 28, 1920 1,431,613 Wittner Oct. 10, 1922 1,440,798 Revega A v Jan.V 2, 1923 1,958,989 Fischer May 15, 1934 2,030,244 Cox Feb. 1l, 1936 2,177,009 Terry et al. 1 Oct. 24, 1939 Y 2,430,009 Garrison et al. Nov. 4, 1947 2,439,595 Cooke Apr. 13, 1948 2,518,663 Chaney et Val Aug. 15, 1950 2,519,221 Bogen etal Aug. 15, 1950 2,544,609 McMahan 1 V f Mar. v6, v1951 2,550,933 McEvoy MayV 1, 1951 2,683,823 Cunningham et al, Iulyy13, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 93,514 Austria Iuly `10, 1,923 Y 214,425 Switzerland July 16, 1941

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