US3095870A

US3095870A - Portable furnace for thawing earth and the like

Info

Publication number: US3095870A
Application number: US138029A
Authority: US
Inventors: Chester W Sharkey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-09-14
Filing date: 1961-09-14
Publication date: 1963-07-02
Anticipated expiration: 1980-07-02

Description

July 2, 1963 c. w. SHARKEY 3, 7

PORTABLE FURNACE FOR THAWING EARTH AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 14, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 64- x02. I04- /4 70 110 I u H2 U A Z0 8 72 I18 66 a 58 H K1 /6 l6 56 F I G. l.

INVENTOR. CHESTER 14/. SHA/PAZ'Y BY v July 2, 1963 c. w. SHARKEY PORTABLE FURNACE FOR THAWING EARTH AND THE LIKE I Filed Sept. 14, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 #6 INVENTOR.

PIC-3.7.

ATTU/F/VEYS 3,095,870 PORTABLE FURNACE FOR THAWING EARTH AND THE LIKE Chester W. Sharkey, 2025 Anderson Road, Duluth, Minn. Filed Sept. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 1ss,029 2 Claims. (Cl. 126271.2)

The invention relates broadly to an improvement in heating devices and more particularly to a portable furnace unit for thawing frozen earth which facilitates removal of the same.

-In northern climes where the earth may become frozen to a considerable depth during winter months, it is necessary to first thaw the earth before a. digging operation. Where earth is removed for a grave, a cesspool or a drain field, as examples, the frozen ground must be thawed to allow economical removal of the same. In digging up portions of roadways, as a further example, the frozen earth must first be thawed. Sand and brick may require heating before it is usable.

It is an object of this invention to provide a portable furnace unit which may be easily moved to a desired spot and operated so as to heat and thaw areas of earth, sand, brick and the like. It is a further object to provide a heater which may not only be used to thaw earth and the like but which may be used to warm an interior of an enclosed structure. 7

It is also an object to provide a furnace unit having an enclosed body member forming a heat chamber open at the bottom and within which is mounted a multiplicity of closed heat conduits, the body member confining and directing heat from the conduits to an area of a surface on which the unit rests substantially defined by the periphery of the body member. It is an additional object to provide a portable furnace with which there is no exposed flame directed onto the material to be heated.

It is a further object to provide a furnace unit which will operate without the need for an external electrical source of power.

It will not be here attempted to set forth and indicate all of the various objects and advantages incident to the invention, but other objects and advantages will be referred to in or else will become apparent from that which follows.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing by way of example a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

In the drawings forming part of this application:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the furnace in partially raised position with a portion of the power plant housing being broken away.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional View on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan View of the heater.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the underside of the furnace.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the winch used to raise and lower the body member.

FIGURE 7 is a detailed fragmentary sectional view of the top of the main chamber and the connection of the lift cable with the multiple heat conduit member.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the furnace A includes the main body member 8 which is also the primary heat chamber 10 formed of the insulated

double side walls

12 and 14, the insulated double front and

rear end walls

16 and 18, respectively, and the insulated double top wall 20. Insulation is indicated by the numeral 21.

Patented July 2, 1963 Further provided is the multiple heat conduit member 22 which is mounted within the chamber 10. The multiple conduit member 22 includes the longitudinally disposed outer

heat conduit portions

24 and 26 which are connected at the rear ends thereof to the transverse rear heat conduit portion 28. The rear conduit portion 28 is connected centrally to the rear end of the central longitudinal conduit portion 30. The central conduit portion 30 is closed off at its forward end with the cap 32. The front ends of the longitudinal

outer conduit portions

24 and 26 connect with the transverse front conduit .portion 34.

Mounted within the conduit portion 34 is the transverse fire wall 36, and extending into and forming a part of the transverse conduit portion 34 is the fire box 38.

The multiple heat conduit member 22 is mounted within the primary heat chamber 10 by means of the horizontal transverse support 40 which is secured at one end to the side wall 12 and at the other end to the side wall 14 with the rear transverse conduit portion 28 connected to the support 40 by means of the ears 42 connected to the portion 28 and the support 40 as at 44 and 46. The heat conduit member 22 is further mounted within the chamber 10 by means of the transverse horizontal bracket 48 secured to the front end wall 16 and the outer surface of the front end of the fire box 38.

The front wall 16 has formed therein the opening 50 through which a portion of the casing 52, oil burner 54 extends into the fire box 38. The oil burner 54- is mounted in the housing 56 connected to the front wall 16 at the opening 50. The oil burner '54 receives a supply of oil from the oil line 58 leading from the oil supply tank 60 mounted adjacent the rear end of the top wall 20.

The oil burner 54 may be operated by an external source of electrical power where the same is closely available to the point of operation of the heater A; however where the heater A is used where power is not available there is provided a gasolene driven conventional power generating plant indicated in block outline as 62 which is mounted on the top wall 20 within the housing 64. Power is delivered to the oil burner 54 from the generating plant 62 by means of a conventional power line connection 66.

Leading from the upper front end of the central heat conduit portion 30 is the outlet stack 68.

Further provided is the yoke 70 including the spacd

vertical leg members

72 and 74 connected at the upper ends thereof by the horizontal cross bar 76. The vertical members 72 and '74 of the yoke 70 are positioned alongside the body member 8. The vertical leg member 72 is slidably mounted on the side wall 14 by means of the pair of upper brackets 78 and the pair of lower brackets 80. The remaining leg member 74 of the yoke 70 is slidably mounted on the side wall 12 by means of the upper brackets 82 and the pair of lower brackets 84.

The body member 8 is raised and lowered relative to the yoke 70 by means of the winch 86 mounted on the cross bar 76 of the yoke 70. The winch 86 includes the drum 88 mounted on the shaft 90 supported by the spaced

upright supports

92 and 94 secured to the base 95. Also mounted on the shaft 90 between the support 94 and the additional vertical support 96 is the gear 98 rotated by the worm gear 100 by means of the crank handle 102. The worm gear .100 is rotatably mounted on the upright support 96. A cable 104 is wound on the drum 88 and extends over the pulley 106 rotatably mounted on the

supports

108 and 110 secured to the top of the cross bar 76 centrally thereof. The cable passes downwardly from the pulley 106 through a hole 112 formed in the top wall 20 with the end of the cable secured to the brackets 114 and 116 of the top wall 118 of the central conduit portion 30. With the conduit unit 22 secured to the i 3 body 8, the two are raised as a unit by means of the cable 104 operated by the crank handle 102.

The top walls of the heat conduit member 22 are spaced from the underside of the top wall 20 of the chamber 10, FIGURE 7, by means of the brackets 11-4 and 116 whereby heat may circulate between the top of the conduit unit 22 and the wall 20.

The numeral 118 designates a vent plate which covers an opening 120 formed in the top wall 20 and which is removable. When it is desired to direct heat upon a surface, for example, the plate 118 is maintained in position upon the top 20 to thereby close oh the opening 120. However, if it is desired to heat the interior of a structure, the furnace A may be placed therein and operated with the plate 118 removed and the body 8 raised off the ground thereby assuring maximum dispersal of heat from the unit into the structure.

Rotatably mounted on the lower end of each of the

leg members

72 and 74 of the yoke 70 is a wheel 122,

and connected to the lower bracket 80 is the half wishbone portion 124. A similar half wishbone portion 126 is connected to the lower bracket 84. The

wishbone portions

124 and 126 are joined at the outer free ends to a trailer hitch member, not shown, whereby the unit A may be towed to a point where it is to be used.

In using the furnace A, the same, for example, may be used to thaw frozen ground for the purpose of digging a grave. The power plant 62 is started, and with power supplied to the oil burner 54 the burner is started. Heat from the burner 54 strikes the fire wall 36 and is dispersed laterally :to

longitudinal conduits

24 and 26 where it travels through both conduits to the rear transverse conduit 28 where it enters the central conduit 30 and is vented from the central conduit out the stack 68. The heat emanating from the

conduits

24, 26, 28 and 34 floods the entire interior of the chamber 10. The body 8 is lowered by means of the cable 104 to the ground so that the entire lower edge of the body is in contact with the ground. As a result, the heat in the chamber is main- T rained therein and subjected in concentration to an area of ground defined by the perimeter of the lower edge of the chamber 10. Actually the ground will be thawed to an extent beyond an area defined by the body 8, but

the concentration of heat is within the body 8 upon the:

ber 10 is effected by the thermocoupie 128 extending into the chamber '10 and connected to a conventional thermostat, not shown, which operates the burner 54. The burner may be of the gas type with a supply of bottled gas.

When the ground is sufficiently thawed,the body 3 is raised by means of the cable 104, and the unit A may then be towed away.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a portable furnace for heating earth and the like, a body member having a top, side walls, end walls and open at the bottom, a pair of spaced longitudinally extending outer heat conduits positioned within said body member, a rear transverse heat conduit connecting the .rear ends of said outer longitudinal heat conduits, a

front transverse heat conduit connecting the front ends of said outer longitudinal heat conduits, a central heat conduit connected to said rear conduit and extending between said pair of longitudinal conduits, a vent pipe extending from said central heat conduit, means for supplying heat to said front transverse heat conduit for travel throughout the remaining heat conduits and out said vent References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 574,653 Barber Ian. 5, 1897 1,062,655 Macleod May 27, 1913 1,585,662 Gardner et a1. May 25, 1926 2,091,980 Hamlink Sept. 17, 1937 2,439,038 Cartier Apr. 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS I 152,350 Sweden. Nov. 15, 1955 626,687 Canada Sept. 5, 1961

Claims

1. IN A PORTABLE FURNACE FOR HEATING EARTH AND THE LIKE, A BODY MEMBER HAVING A TOP, SIDE WALLS, END WALLS AND OPEN AT THE BOTTOM, A PAIR OF SPACED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING OUTER HEAT CONDUITS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID BODY MEMBER, A REAR TRANSVERSE HEAT CONDUIT CONNECTING THE REAR ENDS OF SAID OUTER LONGITUDINAL HEAT CONDUITS, A FRONT TRANSVERSE HEAT CONDUIT CONNECTING THE FRONT ENDS OF SAID OUTER LONGITUDINAL HEAT CONDUITS, A CENTRAL HEAT CONDUIT CONNECTED TO SAID REAR CONDUIT AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL CONDUITS, A VENT PIPE EXTENDING FROM SAID CENTRAL HEAT CONDUIT, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING HEAT TO SAID FRONT TRANSVERSE HEAT CONDUIT FOR TRAVEL THROUGHOUT THE REMAINING HEAT CONDUITS AND OUT SAID VENT