US3559966A

US3559966A - Skid support

Info

Publication number: US3559966A
Application number: US797479A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard L Croiter
Original assignee: Anaconda Wire and Cable Co
Current assignee: Atlantic Richfield Co
Priority date: 1969-02-07
Filing date: 1969-02-07
Publication date: 1971-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 1988-02-02

Abstract

To support billets that are being pushed through the furnace of a rolling mill a support is formed from skid bars that extend from the charging end to a point a few feet from the discharge end where they rest on a crosstie. This crosstie is welded to another set of skid bars that extend through the discharge end of the furnace.

Description

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [72] Inventor Richard L. Croiter Yonkers,N.Y. 797,479

2,563,883 8/195l Strickland, lr........... 3,342,468 9/1967 Sidwell.........................

[2| Appl. No. [22] Filed Feb. 7, 1969 {45] Patented Feb. '2, X971 FOREIGN PATENTS 2/ 1962 Great Britain...

Anaconda Wire and Cable Company a corporation of Delaware [73] Assignee Primary Examiner-John J. Cam Attorney-Victor F. Volk h :6 mmem u i 0 .mnm tk%mu d cm emwsm hoe-l mfi mmd am e .l mmo d o mh m nmm t am om mp flb su e sgrm hamyk. fl msm blm m fl he m W c n mwf D. 6 U mWf so em r. d o mn T me md edm m cnao A eh t ummy m d meaedm mmmwd 648 NH 69 2 73 26 F2 F m m m m mm m m m m W 8 Sm LM m W d. m um M H N 5 555 l .lll.

PATENTED FEB 21971 Fig.

INVIiN'lUA.

R. L. CROITER SKID SUPPORT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In furnaces of rolling mills. and other furnaces where there is a continuing passage of heavy articles. it is customary to accomplish the passage of the article through the furnace by applying a pushing force to the last introduced article on the charging end of the furnace so that each of the articles will push the one ahead of it one step forward through the furnace. Means must be provided on which the articles can be slidably supported when they are pushed. and in furnaces for copper wire rolling mills it has been known to use a pair of steel skid bars or rails, the lower portion of which were hollow and kept relatively cool by a continuous water flow. This apparatus had the objection that it was subject to leaks and wasteful of the heat that was removed in the cooling water. In addition, cold spots remained in those areas of the copper billets directly supported by the cooled bars. A further objection to this known skid system, and, indeed, any supporting system comprising a pair of rails or bars extending through the furnace, resides in the likelihood of uneven expansion of the two rails with the result that, on the discharge end, where the rails slope downward to deliver the hot billets to the rolls, the sloping rails will not be parallel and the billet will tip.

SUMMARY I have invented a skid support for articles within a furnace, where the furnace has a charging end and a discharge end, that overcomes the above named defects of known supports and incorporates other advantages to be described. My improved support comprises a relatively short discharge member with a correspondingly low-temperature-induced change in dimensions. This discharge member comprises a plurality of short parallel metal bars, such as stainless steel bars, and a like metal crosstie fixedly supporting each of these bars, such as by being welded to them. At least two of the bars project outside of the discharge end of the furnace and have sloping extensions that provide skid surfaces for the discharge of the articles. My support also comprises a long internal member with a plurality of long parallel metal bars substantially longer than the short bars and displaced laterally from them so that the long bars can expand without dislodging the short bars. The long bars are fixedly supported at a point outside the charging end of the furnace and extend to a point where they are slidably supported on the crosstie to which the short bars are fixed. Lateral outward movement of the long bars is prevented by having them placed within the area of the crosstie defined by the short bars.

By means of my invention I propose greatly to simplify the support apparatus of a furnace so that it may be quickly and inexpensively replaced when it has worn.

By means of my invention I propose further to provide a support within a furnace that will discharge articles such as billets uniformly.

By means of my invention I propose further to provide a support within a furnace that will will minimize cold spots on billets and other articles being heated.

Additional objects of my invention will become apparent from consideration of the detailed description hereinbelow given.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 shows a side view of a furnace incorporating my invention.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the support of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A copper wire rolling mill furnace, indicated generally by the numeral 10, is used to heat billets ll, commonly called wire bars, immediately prior to rolling. The billets are pushed through the furnace by the reciprocation of a ram 12 at the charging entrance 13 and emerge red hot at the discharge end 14 of the furnace 10. The length of the furnace 10 will depend upon many factors, but my apparatus works well in a furnace about 38 feet long, and, there may be two or more supports for parallel lines of billets passing through the furnace. In their passage through the furnace 10 the billets are initially skidded along a pair of

skid bars

16, 17. which, in the illustrated case, have a flat length of about 35 feet. These bars are made of stainless steel, and, for copper furnace temperatures, l have found that RA330 stainless steel, supplied by Rolled Alloys, Inc.. is suitable. The bars are welded to steel blocks l8, 19 which abut the floor of the furnace and are firmly fixed by lag bolts 21. The

bars

18, 19 are bent downwardly a short distance at the points 22, 23 and protrude a short distance outside of the entrance 13 so that the cold billets can be set in position to be pushed by the ram 12. Except for welds 24 which fix them to the

blocks

18, 19 the

bars

16, 17 are not attached at any point, with the result that they are free to expand without buckling when the furnace is brought to heat. The forward ends of the

bars

16, 17 do, however, rest on a crosstie 26 and extend beyond the tie for a distance sufficient to allow for contraction upon cooling. The crosstie 26 also supports

short bars

27, 28 which are welded to it with welds 29. Since the

bars

27, 28 are laterally displaced outside of the

bars

16, 17 expansion of the

bars

16, 17 can take place without affecting the bars 27 28. The

bars

27, 28 extend through the discharge end 14 and terminate in downwardly bent portions 31, 32 on which the billets 11 are slid when they leave the furnace. Due to the short length of the

bars

27, 28 any differential expansion that occurs due to differences in their temperature or their coefficients, is not great enough adversely to affect the manner in which the billets slide when they leave the furnace 10. The bars 27 28, are also bent downwardly at their ends 33, 34 so that they can offer no obstruction to the sliding of the billets forward. The

welded bars

27, 28 are seen to confine the free bars l6, 17 on the crosstie 26 and prevent them from spreading apart sufficiently to slide off the edges of the tie.

The floor 36 of the furnace 10 is formed of refractory brick and this is grooved to support the

bars

16, 17, 27, 28 and has a particularly deep groove for the crosstie 26 which is thus prevented from sliding forward under frictional pressure of the billets 11.

As the billets 11 are slowly advanced along the

bars

16, 17 the portions of their surfaces that are in contact with these bars remain cooler than the areas of the billets that are in direct contact with the hot furnace gases, but when the billets transfer from the

bars

16, 17 to the

bars

27, 28 the areas that were previously in contact with the

bars

16, 17 are exposed to the furnace gases with the result that the billets are more uniformly heated.

I have invented a new and useful skid support of which the foregoing description has been exemplary rather than definitive and for which I desire an award of Letters Patent as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A skid support for articles within a furnace having a charging end and a discharge end comprising:

A. a discharge-end member comprising:

1. a plurality of short parallel metal bars;

2. a metal crosstie fixedly supporting said bars; and

3. downwardly sloping extensions of at least two of said bars projecting outside of the discharge end of said furnace and providing skid surfaces for the discharge of said articles; and

B. an internal member comprising:

1. a plurality of long parallel metal bars having a length substantially greater than the length of said short bars and displaced laterally therefrom;

2. means fixedly supporting said long bars at a point out side of the charging end of said furnace",

3. said long bars extending from said charging end to said crosstie and being slidably supported upon said crosstie.

comprise stainless steel.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said short'bars are welded to said tie.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said long bars are laterally confined upon said tie by said fixed short bars.

Claims

1. A skid support for articles within a furnace having a charging end and a discharge end comprising: A. a discharge-end member comprising: 1. a plurality of short parallel metal bars; 2. a metal crosstie fixedly supporting said bars; and 3. downwardly sloping extensions of At least two of said bars projecting outside of the discharge end of said furnace and providing skid surfaces for the discharge of said articles; and B. an internal member comprising: 1. a plurality of long parallel metal bars having a length substantially greater than the length of said short bars and displaced laterally therefrom; 2. means fixedly supporting said long bars at a point outside of the charging end of said furnace; 3. said long bars extending from said charging end to said crosstie and being slidably supported upon said crosstie.

2. a metal crosstie fixedly supporting said bars; and

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said short bars are bent downwardly at said tie thereby avoiding any obstruction to the passage of said articles.

2. means fixedly supporting said long bars at a point outside of the charging end of said furnace;

3. downwardly sloping extensions of At least two of said bars projecting outside of the discharge end of said furnace and providing skid surfaces for the discharge of said articles; and B. an internal member comprising:

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said long bars are laterally confined upon said tie by said fixed short bars.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said bars and said tie comprise stainless steel.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said short bars are welded to said tie.