US3168299A - Seal for tunnel kilns - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 2, 1965 I c, M LE 3,168,299

SEAL FOR TUNNEL KILNS Filed July 16, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. .BoYb C. M\ LLEE.

imrwmg A Tram/5K5 Feb. 2, 1965 Filed July 16, 1963 B. C. MILLER SEAL. FOR TUNNEL KILNS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. BOYD C. Ml LLE'R United States Patent 3,168,299 SEAL FOR TUNNEL KILNS Boyd C. Miller, 1123 W. Henderson St., Salisbury, N.C. Filed July 16, 1963, Ser. No. 295,460 2 Claims. (Cl. 26328) This invention generally relates to improved sealing means for kilns, as for example of the type described in my prior US. Patent No. 2,928,158, which kilns generally include successive drying, pre-heating, furnace, fast-cooling, annealing, and final cooling sections through which wares of divers types are removed on a train of kiln cars supported on suitable tracks extending through the entire kiln, or of the type known as periodic kilns wherein the complete ware treating operation is carried out in one chamber.

Such kilns are generally adapted to be supported above a longitudinally extending foundation slab, as, for example, on a complex of opposed, longitudinally spaced pillars connected together by transverse floor beams. Such mode of construction results in the lower portion of the kiln being substantially open and thus, necessitates the provision of suitable means within the kiln for sealing the ware treating area thereof to thereby prevent the escape of air or heated gases therefrom or the introduction of outside air therein. In my aforementioned patent, such sealing means primarily include the provision of longitudinally extending, downwardly depending sealing strips mounted on opposite side edges of each kiln car for mating with longitudinally extending sand troughs positioned in the side wall of the kiln.

The instant invention relates specifically to improvements in such sealing means and has for its primary object the provision of improved means for preventing air in the ware treating zone above the beds of the kiln cars from passing into the area therebeneath, and vice versa.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved kiln car construction wherein the necessity for wheels is eliminated.

It is still another object of this invention to replace said sand troughs with more efficient and more simple sealing means.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as' the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which-- FIGURE 1 is a traverse vertical sectional view of the pre-heating section of a tunnel kiln and ware supporting kiln car positioned therein;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view of substantially the area encompassed by the rectangle indicated by dash-dot lines in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 33 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken along lines 33 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view of substantially the area encompassed by the rectangle indicated by dash-dot lines in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional plan view taken substantially along lines 5-5 in FIGURE 1.

Referring now more specifically to the figures, the reference character K broadly designates a tunnel-type kiln similar to that described in my aforementioned patent. Such kiln is basically supported upon a foundation slab or floor 10 which extends the entire length of the kiln. Stepped support pillars 11 and 11' (FIGURE 1) are spaced along foundation slab 10 and form the main sup port for the kiln side walls, broadly indicated at 12, 12 and the kiln roof 13. The stepped pillars 11 and 11 further support the respective ends of spaced, transversely extending floor beams 14 which are additionally supported 3,168,299 C Patented Feb. 2, 1965 in their medial portions by support pillars 15 which rest upon the fundation slab 10.

Longitudinally extending, spaced, preferably steel rails 20a, 20b and 200 are provided in the lower portion of the kiln K and supported by the floor beams 14. Such rails 20, in turn, support a train of ware supporting juxtaposed cars broadly indicated at C, which train is adapted to be pushed through the kiln K at predetermined speed by suitable means, not shown. Preferably, such rails are provided with rail caps 21 (FIGURE 2) on the upper surfaces thereof, which caps are formed of a relatively soft mtaerial, such as, for example, cast iron, brass, bronze, plastics, combinations of plastics and metals, or any suitable self-lubricating materials, to reduce the friction between such rails and kiln cars C which are slidably supported thereon as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

Referring again, and more specifically, to the side walls 12 (FIGURE 1), such side walls are provided with builtup, inwardly extending, continuous shelf portions 30, 30' which extend longitudinally of the kiln and which are themselves provided with downwardly depending, longitudinally extending, continuous curtain walls 31, 31' which cover the inward faces of the upper stepped portions 32, 32 of each stepped support 11 while also spanning the openings intermediate such stepped supports.

Referring again, and more specifically, to the ware supporting cars C, each of such cars is provided with a refractory base 40 forming a platform within the kiln upon which the ware W is placed, such ware being shown in this particular instance as sewer pipe. Each such base 40 is mounted for sliding movement along the rails 20 on a substantially rectangular frame broadly indicated at 41. As shown, each frame 41 comprises a plurality of longitudinally extending, spaced I- beams 42a, 42b, and 42c interconnected at their respective ends with transversely extending channels members 43, 43. Rail engaging runners 44a, 44b, and 440 are mounted on the underside of respective beams 42a, 42b, and 426 and slidably engage the rail caps 21 of each rail 20. Preferably, each runner 44 is provided with a downwardly depending flange 45, 45 on each side thereof to prevent transverse movement of the frames 41 on the rails 20. For maximum strength, such beams 42, members 43 and runners 44 are all preferably constructed of steel. 7

It will be apparent from the construction of the frame 41 that the positioning of the longitudinal support beams 42a and 42c above respective rails 20a and 20c provides longitudinal air seal between the refractory base 40 of each car C and the underlying portions of the rails 20 therebeneath and thus longitudinally seals off the area beneath the base 40 and the area intermediate the rails 20 from the ware treating zone of the kiln.

Further, in order to provide a transverse seal at the juncture of adjacent cars C and thereby substantially completely seal said area below the cars C and intermediate the rails 20, the front and rear edges of each frame 41 are provided with respective mating or sealing members 50, 51 (FIGURE 4) which extend along the length of respective transverse beams 43, 43' (FIGURE 5). The rear sealing member 50 is shaped in the form of an angle iron or substantially V-shaped member with its sharp edge extending forwardly, and the front sealing member 51 is shaped in the form of a channel bar so that the V-shaped member 50 positioned on the leading edge of each successive car C fits between the flanges of the channel-shaped member 51 of a preceding car.

Obviously, tremendous forces are exerted upon the mating members 50, 51 by the respective cars C. Thus, to prevent damage to such members, I preferably position steel blocks 52, 52 in juxtaposed relation below such members 50, 51, respectively, on the faces of the 3 channel members 43, 43 ,tovabsorb the majorportion of pressure exerted by the cars C upon each other.

As previously stated, the above-described construction of the kiln c -ars C provides a longitudinal seal intermediate the rails 20 and a transverseseal atthe juncture of each of such cars C. ,With theprovision of these seals, the onlynnsealed area r'emaining between the areas above and-below the rails20 are those 'spac'es between the, side walls; 1 1, 11 and their adjacent rails ,2021 and 1206. Thus, ino'rde r to seal these spaces, and thereby complete the seal between the areas above and below the rails 20, I provide longitudinally extending, elongate, continuous plates f60, 50f (FIGURE for sealably connecting side walls 11, 1'1 torai lsifl'a and.zoarespecayely. ,Assho'w'n I URE 2), o e edge or the'plates 66; is. embedded in acorrespondirf'g curtain wall 3'1, while the other edge'is sealably anchored by suitable, means to the-lower portion of, a rail 20, and as; such, seals "the remaining open areas betweenea'ch side wall 11 and rail 2%) adjacent said wall.

, In the drawings and ,specificaftion there has been set :forth a-pre'fer'r'ed embodiment the invention and, although specific terms are mpieyea-ihe are used in a .ge'ne'ric and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in .the claims.

.1 In a kilnhaving opposed side walls, a floor, longitndirially extending, spaced, parallel rails positioned in the lower portion thereof, one or more ware supporting platform s guida-bly sup orted for ldiigitudinalfmover'rient abav'e 's'aidn om; 'tae'ccmbi aaondr I a (a) a plurality of substantially rectangular frames, each mounting one of said platforms for sliding movement 'on said rails and for sealing the area intermediate. the rails from the area thereabove, each offs'aid frames "comprising interconnected longitudi- 'nal and tra'nsver se beams extending substantially be- .ft'ween said rails and the 'undersiirface 'of'eaeh corres'ponding plattor'm, each of said longitudinal beams "being positioned above one of said rails an having alongitndinal rail engaging runner mounted. on the underside thereof-for slidably engaging a corresponding rail, each iof said .riinnershaving downwardly ideperiding flafngesdn eachside thereof for preventing lateral movement of saidframe by engagement with said 'rail's, said transverse beams gpositioned on the leading and trailing edges "or each frame and being provided with sealing means for sealably abutting mating sealing means on immediately adjacent transverse beams to form a transverse sealing means between each frame, and a (b) an elongate, substantially horizontal, continuous partition mounted between each side wall and rail adjacent thereto for sealing the area intermediate thereof from the area thereabove, whereby said interconnected longitudinal and transverse beams, said sealing means, and said partitions cooperate to prevent the exchange of air between the areas above said platforms and below said rails.

2. In a vkiln having opposed side walls, afloor, longit'udinallyex'tendin'g, spaced, parallel rails positioned in the lower portion thereof, on'e or mor'e' ware supporting platform's gnid'ably supported for longitudinal movement above said floorsuhe combination of v a '(a) means supporting said platforms for sliding movement on said rails and for sealing the area intermediate the rails from the area thereabove, said platform supporting meanscomp'rising I (l) jrail caps of friction reducing material mounted on the 'uppersurface of each of said rails, '(2) longitudinal beams extending downwardly from the undersurfac'e of each corresponding ,platform and in alinerne'nt with said rails, and (3) a longitudinal runner mounted on the ur'id ersurface of each 'of said longitudinal beams "for "slidably engaging said rail caps, said longitudina'l runners each having flanges depending down- ,wardly on each side 'Ofsaid. rail for limiting lateral movement of said runner'on said rail, and

('b) an elongate, substantially horizontal, continuous partition mounted between each side wall and rail adjacent thereto whereby'a seal is formed by engagernent of said platform supporting means and by 'said partition to 'prevent the exchange of air between 'the areas abovesaidplat form and below said rails.

References Cited by the'Examiner UNITED 'sTATEs P AT'ENTS 2,853,289 9/58 Schofield -26328 X 2,982,530 5/ 6'1 Dr-akengr'en 263-28 CHARLES SUKALO, Primary Examiner. "JOHN J." CAMBY, Examiner,

Claims (1)

1. 2. IN A KILN HAVING OPPOSED SIDE WALLS, A FLOOR, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SPACED, PARALLEL RAILS POSITIONED IN THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF, ONE OR MORE WARE SUPPORTING PLATFORMS GUIDABLY SUPPORTED FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT ABOVE SAID FLOORS; THE COMBINATION OF (A) MEANS SUPPORTING SAID PLATFORMS FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT ON SAID RAILS AND FOR SEALING THE AREA INTERMEDIATE THE RAILS FROM THE AREA THEREABOVE, SAID PLATFORM SUPPORTING MEANS COMPRISING (1) RAIL CAPS FOR FRICTION REDUCING MATERIAL MOUNTED ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF EACH OF SAID RAILS, (2) LONGITUDINAL BEAMS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE UNDERSURFACE OF EACH CORRESPONDING PLATFORM AND IN ALINEMENT WITH SAID RAILS, AND

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