US315424A - loyell - Google Patents

Description

(N0 ModL) M. N.. LovBLL.

PROCESS OP TEMP-BRING WIRE SPRINGSyxizbc.-`

Patented Apr. 7, 1885.

ida/bn),

MMA'Qfm/Y.

not.

hung.

UNITED STATES MELvIN NEWTON LOvELL, OF ERIE,

PATENT f OFFICE.

PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNOE 'ro `THE. LOvELL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, (LrMrrEu) OF SAME PLAGE.

PROCESS OF TEMPERING -w|RE SRRlNeS, sw.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,424,1dated April 7, 1885.

Appncflmi fixed Apfiriv, 1884. (No modell) To all whom t may concern: i

Be it known that I, 'MELVINN' LOVELL, a` citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsyl. vania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Process Vof Tempering Wire Springs and other Small Articles;` and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich. it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention consists in improvements in the process of tempering wire springs-Euch, for example, as furniture-springs-and also other small objects, whether made of wire orl I shall in the following 'description iirst describe an apparatus by means of which my process is carried out, and then clearly point out the essential features of the process.

My apparatus consistsof an oven, which is so constructed that the plates on `one side of it are much hotter than on the other side, and a revolving wheel within said oven conveys the article to be tempered in front ofthe said plates from the coolest to the hottest points, thus exposing the article to' a gradually-increasing temperature until it has become sufficiently heated. This apparatus is shown in the accompanying drawings, as follows:

Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section through the oven and its furnace. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical 'section' through the same parts.

A is the masonry forming theoven and furnace. A is the combustion-chamber or reboX. A2 is a diving-nue which passes around the under side of the oven. A3 is the chimneyiiue. Bis the oven-chamber, which is formed on top by an arch in the masonry and on the bottom and sides of iron plates C C Gwhich rest on a ledge in the masonry. D is the conveyer-wheel, which is rotated in the oven in the direction indicated by an arrow thereon. d d d, Snc., are holes in the side of said wheel. d d d', are rods which are set into said holes, and on which the articles to be tempered are n S S represent bed-springs nested together and hung on said rods. E E (shown only in dotted lines in Fig. l, as they are in the wall which is removed by the section) are l theopenings through which the articles enter and are removed from theoven. F is an opening with adoor, by which access maybe had tothe bottom of the oven, if required. This,

-too, is in the'wall removed, and is shown by dotted lines. D is .theshaft of the wheel D,

and DZ D3 is the gearing by which the Wheel -is rotated.

This device was designed and so far has only but it is obvious thatit heed not be limited to that use, but may be employed for tempering almost any article that is made of light metal which will become thoroughly heated by the exposurehere obtained. AIf the articles are not of such a form as to hang on the rodsdf, l they can be providedwit-h'means for hanging In the drawings I have shown fur-` them on. niture-springs as the articles being operated upon, andas theoperation would be the same with any other article I shall hereinafter speak only of springs. Y Y

'The re as it is applied to the plates heats the plate C, which is 'next to and forms the back of the irebox, the hottest. The plate 'C' will not beso hot as C, and the plate C2 will A There will be several hundred be still cooler.

degrees difference between the temperature of the plates C and C2; hence, of course, the oven will be cooler on the side, next the plate C2,

and its hottest point will be directly opposite the fire-box. Y

The springs are nested together,

tongs and inserts -it into the oven endwise about a` dozen in each nest, and are strung onto a rod, .dwhich the attendant grasps with a pair of through vthe door E, on the right of Fig. l,

and sticks the end of the rod into one of the holes d in the wheel D. As will be seen by the arrow, the wheel rotates from the door E rate I have named it takes about thirteen minutes for the springs to pass from the door Thewheel oo vbeen used Vfor tempering furniture-springs;

E down and up to the door E, when they are removed by the attendant grasping the rod d with his tongs and drawing it out. The wheel moves so slowly that holes d can be placed quite near together, and the attendant who puts in will be able to place a rod in each hole, and the attendant who takes out will have no difficulty in removing all the rods as they come opposite door E. rIhus it will be seen the work goes on continuously. The springs enter at the coolest point and are removed in a few minutes at the hottest point.

For furniture-springs I have found that I obtained the best results by keeping the re so that the plate C is kept at a cherry-red heat. This gives about 1,200o Fahrenheit at the hottest point in the furnace, so that the springs are heated to nearly that temperature when they are removed.

It should be observed, for it is an essential feature, that the springs are so held by the wheel and the rods that each nest of springs obtains precisely the same exposure to the heat as the others do.

I am aware that springs have been heated before in an oven by being lconveyed by a conveyer-wheel, or, rather, an upright shaft with arms; but the furnace was below the oven, and the springs which were placed on the lowest arms of the conveyer were heated more than those placed on the upper arms, and the springs when put in were exposed at once to the same degree of heat th at they were exposed to during all their stay in the oven.

It is not necessary to obtain the result I do that the wheel and ues have the same position I show. The wheel might be made so as to revolve horizontally, and the flues made so as to pass around one side of the oven; but such a change would gain nothing in effeet, but would lose in convenience. The form I show is exceedingly convenient to operate, and the fines are so disposed as to get the best application of the fire to the plates.

When the springs are removed from the oven, they are plunged at once into cold water or other cooling-bath. My process, therefore7 is as follows: Placing the springs in an oven from which the products of combustion are excluded at a point having a less degree of 5o heat than other parts of the oven, progressing them gradually through points having greater heat than where they entered, and when they have reached the highest degree of heat remove them and plunge them at once into a cooling-bath.

It is obvious that various other means could be used for carrying out my improved process; for example, a horizontal chamber having a traveling car or endless carrier might be substituted for the means shown; but for coiled springs I prefer the means herein shown, as I have 'found in practice the best results are thereby obtained. Y

I do not claim in this application the apparatus for tempering springs and other articles as herein described, as that forms the subjectmatter of an application filed March 16, 1885, Serial No. 159,071.

I am aware that it is old to subject articles to be tempered to a graduallyincreasing heat in a flue or chamber through which the products of combustion are passed; but articles so subjected absorb sulphur and other impurities from the products of combustion, and thus depreciate their value. By my process these defects are obviated, as the articles are treated in a chamber from which the products of combustion are excluded.

Vhat I claim as new is- The process herein described for tempering springs and other light articles-viz., inserting lsaid articles in an oven-from which the products of combustionare excluded-at a part ofthe oven where the heat is considerably below the final heat required, advancing them gradually by a conveyer to that part of the oven where the heat is brought to the degree specified, and then immediately withdrawing and plunging them into a cooling-bath, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature XVitnesses:

FRANK Gunnison, ROBERT H. PORTER.

Images