US3120668A - Apparatus for cleaning coke-oven doors and jambs - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 11, 1964 A. L. c'ooK ETAL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING COKE-OVEN DOORS AND JAMES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 10, 1962 Feb. 11, 1964 Filed Odt. 10, 1962 A. 1.. COOK ETAL 3,120,668 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING COKE-OVEN DOORS AND JAMES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 30 3a 29 a5 a/ 117 so as 3/ i 1F 49 f :Z

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AARON L. coo/r, I JAMES R. 04 v/s and m4 0. SHOCKLEY A Har /ray United States Patent 3,120,668 AFPARATUS FOR CLEANING COKE-OVEN DOORS AND JAMES Aaron L. (Cook, Huntsville, James R. Davis, I-Iueytown, and Ira D. Shockley, Bessemer, Ala, assignors to glnited States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New ersey Filed Oct. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 229,588 9 Claims. (Cl. 21)

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for cleaning the sealing surfaces at the edges of coke oven doors and door jambs.

A conventional coke oven battery includes a series of ovens which have removable doors on opposite sides. A pusher machine runs along a track at one side and a coke guide along a track at the other side. Both the pusher machine and the guide carry mechanically operated door extractors for removing and replacing the doors on the respective sides. When a charge of finished coke is taken from an oven, the extractors remove the doors from the oven at both sides of the battery. The pusher is inserted through the opening on the pusher side to push the coke out the opening on the coke side. One problem with self-sealing doors currently in use is that the sealing surfaces at the edges of both the door and door jamb must be cleaned of tarry deposits each time a door is removed. It is known to equip a pusher machine with mechanical cleaning devices which scrape off such deposits, but previous arrangements with which we are familiar have disadvantages. They require entirely distinct mechanisms for cleaning the door and the jamb and also a separate scraper for each individual surface. Thus they are unduly complicated, and involve an excessive number of parts.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved cleaning apparatus which enables a single mechanism to clean the sealing surfaces at the edges of both the door and door j amb of a coke oven.

A further object is to provide an improved cleaning apparatus which is mounted on a coke oven door-handling mechanism for cleaning both the door and door jamb while the door is removed.

A further object is to provide a cleaning apparatus of the foregoing type which can be installed on existing equipment without otherwise altering its structure.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, we have provided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic top plan view partly in section of a portion of a coke oven battery and a doorhandling mechanism equipped with or improved cleaning apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section on a larger scale on line III of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view, With parts broken away, of the brush operating mechanism embodied in our apparatus; and

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal section on line IVIV of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 1 shows a portion of a coke oven battery which includes a plurality of ovens 10. Each oven has a respective removable door 12 which seats against a jamb 13. A conventional door handling mechanism, which includes an extractor 14 and a chassis 15, operates along tracks 16 alongside the battery. The same chassis carries the pusher machine on the pusher side or the coke guide on the coke side, neither of which is shown since they are not involved in our invention. The extractor is of a type which can turn the door 90 about a vertical axis after it is removed to facilitate cleaning, as known in the art.

3,120,668 Patented Feb. 11, 1964 Our cleaning apparatus includes an auxiliary platform 17 which is fixed to one end of the chassis 15 and carries a fixed truss support 18. A first vertical shaft 19, is pivoted in aligned upper and lower bearings 20 and 21 carried by truss support 18 and platform 17 respectively. Shaft 19 carries a first pivoted truss, section 22. A second vertical shaft 23 is pivoted in aligned collars 24 carried by truss section 22. at its free end, and carries a second pivoted truss section 25. A third vertical shaft 26 is pivoted in aligned collars 27 carried by truss section 25 at its free end. A plurality of vertically spaced radially extending arms 28 are keyed to, shaft 26. These arms are u-shaped in plan and carry a vertically extending housing 29 which has an open vertical face at the free ends of the arms.

The interior of housing 29 carries a pair of fixed outwardly facing vertically extending gear racks 30 at opposite sides of its closed face and a similar pair of inwardly facing gear racks 31 at opposite sides of its open face. We mount a vertically movable brush body 32 within housing 29. A pair of inner spur gears 33 are journaled to pins 34 on opposite sides of the brush body 32 and mesh with gear racks 30. Similarly a pair of outer spur gears 35 are journaled to pins 36 on opposite sides of the brush body and mesh with gear racks 31 and with the inner spur gears 33. We connect a drive chain 37 to lugs 38 at the top of the brush body and lugs 39 at the bottom. The uppermost arm 28a has an extension 40 which supports a reversible drive motor 41 and reduction gearing 42. The drive chain 37 extends around a series of idler sprockets 43 journaled at the top of the housing 29, a drive sprocket 44 connected to the reduction gearing 42, and a series of idler sprockets 45 journaled at the bottom of the housing. Thus the drive motor 41 can propel the brush body 32 up or down, while the spur and rack gears constrain its relative movement to a vertical path. A rotary brush 46 extends from brush body through the open face of housing 29 and is driven by a motor housed within the body. The angle of the brush can be varied by changing the position of the pins 34 and 36. An operating lever 47 is fixed to one of the arms 28 and carries handles 48 an a control panel 49. i

In operation, the door extractor 14 removes the door 12 from an oven 10 to enable the coke charge to be pushed from the oven in the usual manner. The extractor then turns the door on a vertical axis. An operator stands on platform 17 and manipulates handles 48 to force the brush 46 against the sealing surfaces at the edges of the door where the door contacts the jamb 13. He moves the brush horizontally along the sealing surfaces at the top and bottom by manually swinging the truss sections 22 and 25 and housing 29 about their respective pivots. He moves the brush vertically along the sealing surfaces at the sides by operating electric switches on the control panel 49. These switches control operation of motor 41 which furnishes the force for moving the brush vertically. Preferably the operator cleans the door in this manner while the coke charge is being pushed from the oven. Next the chassis 15 is moved to a position in which platform 17 is in front of the open oven, as shown in FIG- URE l. The operator again manipulates the handles and switches in like manner to move the brush around sealing surfaces at the edges of the jamb. The operator has full control of the cleaning device. If there is an unusually heavy deposit at one spot, the operator can run the brush over it several times. He can also vary the horizontal angle between the brush and sealing surfaces.

From the foregoing description it is seen that our invention affords a simple apparatus for cleaning both the door and jamb of a coke oven. The apparatus enables both to be cleaned with a minimum of delay during the pushing operation, and requires the services of only a single operator. The platform and parts mounted thereon are easily attached to existing door extractors.

While we have shown and described only a single embodiment of the invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, we do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The combination, with a door extractor adapted to remove a coke oven door from its jamb and a chassis on which said extractor is mounted, of a cleaning apparatus comprising a platform attached to said chassis, a first support pivoted on a vertical axis to said platform, a second support pivoted on a vertical axis to said first support, a cleaning element, means mounting said cleaning element on said second support for vertical movement and pivotal movement on a vertical axis with respect thereto, said cleaning element being positioned for cleaning the sealing surfaces at the edges of both the door and jamb, and drive means operatively connected with said cleaning element for raising and lowering it.

2. The combination, with a door extractor adapted to remove a coke oven door from its jamb and a chassis on which said extractor is mounted, of a cleaning apparatus comprising a platform attached to said chassis, a first support pivoted on a vertical axis to said platform, a second support pivoted on a vertical axis to said first support, a housing pivoted on a vertical axis to said second support, a cleaning element mounted in said housing for vertical movement with respect thereto and positioned for cleaning the sealing surfaces at the edges of both the door and jamb, and drive means operatively connected with said cleaning element for raising and lowering it.

3. The combination with a door extractor adapted to remove a coke oven door from its jamb and a chassis on which said extractor is mounted, of a cleaning apparatus comprising a platform attached to said chassis, a first support pivoted on a vertical axis to said platform, a second support pivoted on a vertical axis to said first support, a housing pivoted on a vertical axis to said second support and having an open vertical face, a body mounted in said housing for vertical movement and extending through said open face, a cleaning element carried by said body and positioned for cleaning the sealing surfaces at the edges of both the door and jamb, and drive means operatively connected with said body for raising and lowering said cleaning element.

4. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which said cleaning element is a brush.

5. The combination, with a door extractor adapted to remove a coke oven door from its jamb and a chassis on which said extractor is mounted, of a cleaning apparatus comprising a platform attached to said chassis, a first support pivoted on a vertical axis to said platform, a second support pivoted on a vertical axis to said first support, a plurality of vertically spaced arms pivoted on a vertical axis to said second support, a housing fixed to said arms and having an open vertical face, a brush body mounted in said housing for vertical movement and extending through said open face, a brush carried by said brush body and positioned for cleaning the sealing surfaces at the edges of both the door and jamb, drive means mounted on one of said arms and operatively connected with said brush body for raising and lowering said brush, and cooperating means on said brush body and housing constraining relative movement of the brush body to a vertical path.

6. A combination as defined in claim 5 in which said drive means includes a drive motor mounted on one of said arms, and chains and sprockets operatively connecting said motor and said brush body.

7. A combination as defined in claim 5 in which said drive means includes a drive motor mounted on one of said arms, a drive sprocket operatively connected to said motor, idler sprockets journaled adjacent the top and bottom of said housing, and a drive chain connected to the top and bottom of said brush body and extending around said sprockets.

'8. A combination as defined in claim 5 in which the means constraining relative movement of said brush body includes gear racks at opposite vertical edges of said housing and spur gears journaled to said brush body and meshing with each other and with the respective racks.

9. A combination as defined in claim 5 including a lever fixed to said housing, operating handles fixed to said lever for manually moving said brush horizontally along the sealing surfaces at the top and bottom of the door and jamb, and a control panel carrying electric switches for operating said drive means for moving said brush vertically along the sealing surfaces at the sides of the door and jamb.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,876,472 Rousseau Mar. 10, 1959 2,986,758 Randell et al June 6, 1961 3,037,227 Randell et al. June 5, 1962

Claims (1)

1. THE COMBINATION, WITH A DOOR EXTRACTOR ADAPTED TO REMOVE A COKE OVEN DOOR FROM ITS JAMB AND A CHASSIS ON WHICH SAID EXTRACTOR IS MOUNTED, OF A CLEANING APPARATUS COMPRISING A PLATFORM ATTACHED TO SAID CHASSIS, A FIRST SUPPORT PIVOTED ON A VERTICAL AXIS TO SAID PLATFORM, A SECOND SUPPORT PIVOTED ON A VERTICAL AXIS TO SAID FIRST SUPPORT, A CLEANING ELEMENT, MEANS MOUNTING SAID CLEANING ELEMENT ON SAID SECOND SUPPORT FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT AND PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ON A VERTICAL AXIS WITH RESPECT THERETO, SAID CLEANING ELEMENT BEING POSITIONED FOR CLEANING THE SEALING SURFACES AT THE EDGES OF BOTH THE DOOR AND JAMB, AND DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID CLEANING ELEMENT FOR RAISING AND LOWERING IT.

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