US3608876A - Heat-treating apparatus with roller-type hearth - Google Patents

Heat-treating apparatus with roller-type hearth Download PDF

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US3608876A
US3608876A US27339A US3608876DA US3608876A US 3608876 A US3608876 A US 3608876A US 27339 A US27339 A US 27339A US 3608876D A US3608876D A US 3608876DA US 3608876 A US3608876 A US 3608876A
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roller
rollers
telescoped
pin
cup
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US27339A
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Charles E Leaich
Edwin L Springer
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Abar Ipsen Industries Inc
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Ikon Office Solutions Inc
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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
    • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • F27B9/00—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity
    • F27B9/14—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity characterised by the path of the charge during treatment; characterised by the means by which the charge is moved during treatment
    • F27B9/20—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity characterised by the path of the charge during treatment; characterised by the means by which the charge is moved during treatment the charge moving in a substantially straight path
    • F27B9/24—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity characterised by the path of the charge during treatment; characterised by the means by which the charge is moved during treatment the charge moving in a substantially straight path being carried by a conveyor
    • F27B9/2407—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity characterised by the path of the charge during treatment; characterised by the means by which the charge is moved during treatment the charge moving in a substantially straight path being carried by a conveyor the conveyor being constituted by rollers (roller hearth furnace)

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  • the primary aim of the present invention is to mount and drive the rollers in a new and comparatively simple manner which results in the individual rollers being positively rotated at all times, which accommodates lengthwise expansion and contraction of the rollers as the latter are heated and cooled, and which, at the same time, enables universal pivoting of the rollers relative to their supporting shafts while reducing the danger of the ends of the rollers being damaged during such pivoting.
  • the invention resides in achieving the foregoing through the provision of a novel pin-and-slot universal-driving connection between the end of each roller and a shaft for rotatably supporting the roller, the shaft preferably including a protective cup telescoped over the roller and prevented by the pin-and-slot connection from hottoming against and damaging the end of the roller.
  • FIG. I is a fragmentary side elevation of an exemplary heattreating apparatus having rollers which are driven and supported in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of parts shown in FIG. 1, portions of the view being broken away and shown in section.
  • FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.
  • FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of parts illustrated in FIG. 4 and showing the pin-and-slot connection between the end of one of the rollers and the supporting shaft for such roller.
  • the invention is shown in the drawings in conjunction with a heat-treating apparatus in the form of a roller hearth kiln having a heated work chamber 11 (FIG. 2) within which workpieces I3 are heated to high temperatures.
  • the workpieces are conveyed into, through and out of the chamber by a series of side-by-side rollers 14 spanning the chamber and adapted to be power rotated to advance the workpieces.
  • the work chamber 11 is defined by upright sidewalls l5 and I6 (FIG. 2), a bottom wall 17 and a top closure 19 all made of refractory material and suspended from a framework consisting partly of I-beams 20 located above and suspended from a framework consisting partly of I-beams 20 located above and extending transversely of the chamber and supported on upright posts 2I (FIG. I).
  • the rollers 14 are disposed on lMi-inch centers within the chamber and are arranged in groups of 30, some of the rollers of the first group being located outside of the entrance end (the left end as viewed in FIG. I) of the chamber for the purpose of'conveying the workpieces I3 into the chamber. Additional groups of rollers (not shown) are supported outside of the exit end of the chamber to carry the workpieces away from the chamber.
  • the hearth rollers M which are disposed within the chamber 11 are mounted for rotation and for endwise sliding within openings 23 in the sidewalls I5 and 16 and project outwardly beyond the sidewalls.
  • the openings are packed with fibrous insulating material 24 in order to retard the flow of heat to the outboard end of the rol' lers, the latter preferably being tubular, being made of ceramic material and being packed with insulation 25 (FIG. 4).
  • the present invention contemplates coupling the rollers I4 to driving and supporting shafts 26 and 27 (FIG. 4) by uniquely arranged pin-and-slot connections 30 which coact with the shafts to effect a positive rotational drive to each roller, to allow unrestricted expansion and contraction of the roller during heating and cooling of the roller, and to enable universal pivoting of the roller relative to the shafts in the event the shafts and the ends of the roller are misaligned.
  • the pin-andslot connections are particularly characterized by their ability to enable driving and pivoting of the rollers without the ends of the rollers becoming chipped or broken.
  • each driving shaft 26 (FIG. 4) comprises an elongated cylindrical member disposed outside of the chamber 111 at the left end of the respective roller 14 and journaled for rotation in ball bearings 31 mounted in a pair of parallel sideplates 33 and 34. The latter are suspended by uprights 35 from a rail 36 anchored to and extending beneath the I-beams 20.
  • Several pairs of sideplates are disposed endto-end outside of the sidewall 25 of the chamber and each pair extends alongside the ends of a group of thirty rollers.
  • a motor 37 (FIG. 1) is located on the sideplates 33 near the center of the kiln I0 and drives a series of gearboxes 40 which are connected to one another by shafts 41 and couplings 43.
  • Each gearbox 40 serves to rotate a group of 30 rollers and each is supported on one of the outer sideplates 33.
  • Chains 44 and 45 (FIGS. 3 and 4) are trained around drive sprockets 46 and 47 on the output shaft 49 of each gearbox and serve to rotate sprockets 50 and SI, respectively, which are connected to the individual driving shafts 26, the chains being guided around the sprockets S0 and SI by idler sprockets 53 (FIG.
  • the sprockets 50 are fastened to the driving shafts 26 of alternate ones of the rollers in the group of 30 and are set outwardly from the sprockets SI which are fastened to the driving shafts of the remaining rollers in the group. With the chains 44 and 45 thus rotating alternate rollers, every other roller will continue to be rotated to advance the workpieces 13 through the chamber Ill in the event that one of the chains should break.
  • the offsetting of the sprockets 50 and 51 from one another enables the use of larger sprockets in conjunction with the closely spaced rollers and also enables the use of more rugged drive chains.
  • Each supporting shaft 27 is mounted for rotation and for endwise sliding in ball bearings 55 (FIG. 4) which are supported by a pair of sideplates 56 and 57, the latter being arranged along the right side (FIG. 2) of the chamber 111 outside of the sidewall 16 and being connected to uprights 59 hung from a rail 60 extending beneath the I-beams 20.
  • sideplates 56 and 57 Like the plates 33 and 34, several pairs of the plates 56 and 57 are disposed end-to-end outside of the chamber and each pair is associated with a group of 30 rollers.
  • each supporting shaft 27 is biased toward its respective roller 14 so as to accommodate lengthwise expansion and contraction of the roller as the latter is heated and cooled.
  • a coil spring 61 (FIG. 4) is telescoped over each supporting shaft and is compressed between the outer sideplate 56 and a collar 63 secured to the shaft.
  • the springs urge the supporting shafts to slide in-. wardly within the bearings 55 and toward the rollers.
  • the supporting shafts and the inner races of the bearings 55 are formed with complementary hexagonal or other noneircular cross sections so that the supporting shafts may slide axially within the bearings whilestill turning the inner races within the outer races so as to take full advantage of the antifriction characteristics of the bearings.
  • a protective cup 65 (F lGS. 4 and 5) is welded to the inboard end of each driving and supporting shaft 26 and 27 and is telescoped over the adjacent end of the roller 14.
  • the rollers and cups fit loosely with one another so as to leave the rollers free to float radially within the cups, each cup, for example, having an inside diameter of about 1-1] 16 inches and each roller being approximately 1 inch in diameter although rollers and cups of various different diameter diameters may be used.
  • each connection comprises an elongated key or pin 67 anchored to and extending radially of the cup intermediate the ends thereof.
  • Each pin is received in a pair of elongated and diametrically opposed U-shaped slots 69 formed in and extending axially of the roller and opening out of the outboard end of the roller.
  • each pin has a diameter of approximately five thirty-seconds of an inch while the slots have a width of approximately three sixteenths of an inch thus establishing radial clearance between the pin and the edges of the slots to enable the end of the roller to float within the cup.
  • each pin 67 and each set of slots 69 are positioned axially of the roller such that the distance a (for example, one-fourth of an inch) between the outboard end of the roller and the closed or axially facing ends 70 of the slots is considerably less than the distance b (for example, seven-sixteenths of an inch) between the closed end 66 of the cup 65 and the inner surface of the pin 67. In this way, the pin will bottom against the slots and prevent the end of the roller from bottoming against and being chipped or broken by the closed end of the cup when the roller is in a pivoted position within the cup.
  • each spring 61 acting on its respective, supporting shaft 27 tends to slide the latter inwardly relative to the bearings 55 to press the pin 67 on the end portion of the shaft 27 into seating engagement with the closed ends 70 of the slots 69 in the adjacent end of the roller 14.
  • the roller is urged to the left (FIG. 4) to press the closed ends of the slots in the opposite end of the roller against the pin 30 carried on the driving shaft 26.
  • the spring yields to allow such expansion to occur without mechanically overstressing the roller.
  • the spring relaxes to keep the pins pressed firmly against the closed ends of the slots.
  • the spring tends to place the roller in a state of compression at all times and, since ceramic material is comparatively strong in compression while being weak in tension, the possibilities of the roller being broken are reduced.
  • each driving shaft 26 is transmitted to the respective roller 14 by the pin 67 on the end portion of the shaft engaging the edges of the slots 69 in the adjacent end of the roller. Being located in the deepest portion of the slots and pressed against the closed ends 70 thereof, the pin bears and drives against the most structurally rugged part of the slots and thus there is less likelihood of the extreme ends of the roller adjacent the slots being chipped away than would be the case if the pin were located intermediate the ends of the slots and nearer to the outer end of the roller. Also, the driving pin tends to engage the curved closed end of each slot face-to-face to distribute the driving force over a greater area of the slot (as indicated schematically by the stress pattern shown in FIG. 5) than would be possible with line-to-line contact between the pin and the slot.
  • each roller may pivot within its respective cup to accommodate any minor parallel or angular misalignment that might exist between the shafts 26 and 27 for such roller.
  • the pins at the opposite ends of each roller are disposed at right angles to one another as shown in FIG. 4 to facilitate pivoting of the roller within the cups with a universal action.
  • pin-andslot connections different from the connections 30 specifically shown may be used in carrying out the invention.
  • the pins 67 may be carried by the rollers 14 and fit into either slots or enlarged recesses formed in the protective cups 65 when such cups are employed.
  • other types of telescoping arrangements may be used between the rollers and the shafts 26 and 27 with the pins carried by one of the telescoped end portions of the members and bottomed against slots formed in the other of the telescoped end portions.
  • a heat-treating apparatus having opposed walls defining a work chamber, and a series of side-by-side rollers for supporting workpieces spanning said chamber and adapted to be power rotated to convey the workpieces through the chamber, the improvement in said apparatus comprising, means in said walls mounting said rollers for rotation and for endwise sliding within said chamber, elongated shafts disposed at opposite ends of each roller and journaled for rotation adjacent said walls, at least one of said shafts for each roller being powerrotated and at least one of said shafts being mounted for endwise sliding, means yieldably biasing said slidable shafts toward said rollers, a cup carried on the inboard end of each shaft and telescoped slidably over the outboard end of the adjacent roller with a loose fit, a connection between the telescoped end portions of each cup and roller for coupling the cups and the rollers together for rotation .in unison while permitting pivoting of the rollers within the cups, each of said connections comprising a pin anchored to and extending radially through said cup and fitted loose
  • a heat-treating apparatus having opposed walls defining a work chamber, and a series of side-by-side rollers for supporting workpieces spanning said chamber and adapted to be power rotated to convey the workpieces through the chamber, the improvement in said apparatus comprising, means in said walls mounting said rollers for rotation and for endwise sliding within said chamber, elongated shafts disposed at opposite ends of each roller and journaled for rotation adjacent said walls, at least one of said shafts for each roller being power rotated and at least one of said shafts being mounted for endwise sliding, means yieldably biasing said slidable shafts toward said rollers, a cup carried on the inboard end of each shaft and telescoped slidably over the outboard end of the adjacent roller with a loose fit, a connection between the telescoped end portions of each cup and roller for coupling the cups and the rollers together for rotation in unison while permitting pivoting of the rollers within the cups, each of said connections comprising a key carried by and extending radially of one of the telescoped end portions and
  • a heat-treating apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which the keys on opposite ends of each roller are disposed substantially at right angles relative to one another.
  • each of said recesses comprises an axially extending slot formed in one of said telescoped end portions and opening out of the end of such end portion.
  • each of said keys comprises a pin anchored to and extending radially of its respective cup, each of said recesses comprising an axially extending slot formed in the end portion of said roller, each of said slots having a closed end defined by said axially facing edge and having an open end opening out of the outboard end of the roller.
  • a heat-treating apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which the distance between the closed end of each slot and the outboard end of the associated roller is less than the distance between each pin and the closed end of the adjacent cup thereby to prevent the outboard ends of the rollers from en- 7 gaging the closed ends of the cups.
  • a heat-treating apparatus having a series of side-by-sidc rollers for supporting workpieces and adapted to be power rotated to advance the workpieces, the improvement in said apparatus comprising, elongated supporting members telescoped loosely with opposite ends of each roller and journaled for rotation adjacent said rollers, at least one of said supporting members for each roller being power rotated and at least one of said supporting members being mounted for end wise sliding, means yieldably biasing said slidable supporting members toward said rollers, a pin-and-slot connection between the telescoped end portions of eachroller and supporting member for coupling the rollers and the supporting members together for rotation in unison while permitting pivoting of the rollers relative to the supporting members, each of said connections comprising a pin carried by and extending radially of one of the telescoped end portions and fitted loosely within a slot formed in and extending axially of the other of the telescoped end portions so as to leave the telescoped end portions free for relative pivoting, and each of said slots having an open end opening out of the end

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Tunnel Furnaces (AREA)
  • Heat Treatments In General, Especially Conveying And Cooling (AREA)
  • Rollers For Roller Conveyors For Transfer (AREA)

Abstract

The ceramic hearth rollers of a kiln are connected to driving and supporting shafts by pin-and-slot connections which enable universal pivoting and lengthwise expansion and contraction of the rollers relative to the shafts while reducing the danger of the ends of rollers becoming chipped and broken during service use.

Description

United States 1atent 1111 3,608,876
[72] Inventors Charles E. Leaich [56] References Cited Rockford; UNITED STATES PATENTS L-springermlvidmbmh 1,777,921 10/1930 Hudson 263/6c x AW- 27,339 1,992,467 2 1935 Blythe 263/6C [22] hled Apr. 10,1970 2045 773 6 3 I 63 d Se t 28 1971 /l9 6 Havey 1 1 2 [6C [451 ff d d C 2,156,395 5 1939 Klouman 263/6C [731 Abbgm 2,986,386 5/1961 Trimborn. 263/6C 3,006,625 10/1961 Boron 263/6c Primary ExaminerCharles J. Myhre Attorney-Wolfe, Hubbard, Leydig, Voit 81 Osann [54] HEAT'TREATING APPARATUS WlTH ROLLER' ABSTRA C'll: The ceramic hearth rollers of a kiln are con- TYPI? nected to driving and supporting shafts by pin-and-slot con- 7 cla'mssDrawmg nections which enable universal pivoting and lengthwise ex- [52] U.S.Cl 263/6C pansion and contraction of the rollers relative to the shafts [Sl] lnt.Cl.... F27b 9/24 while reducing the danger of the ends of rollers becoming [50] Field of Search 263/6, 6 C chipped and broken during service use1 y r *1 I r 1 .1 I 11 1 49 i-a"- eer 1: 11 I M Jd if g Ill HEAT-TREATING APPARATUS WITH ROLLER-TYPE HEAR'II-I BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to improvements in heat-treating apparatus and more particularly relates to apparatus for mounting and driving a series of sideby-side rollers adapted to be power rotated to convey workpieces through a work chamber, The rollers are rotatably supported between the sidewalls of the work chamber and usually are formed of ceramic material capable of withstanding the high temperatures prevailing in the chamber. Apparatus of this general type is shown in US. Pat. No. 3,338,569.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary aim of the present invention is to mount and drive the rollers in a new and comparatively simple manner which results in the individual rollers being positively rotated at all times, which accommodates lengthwise expansion and contraction of the rollers as the latter are heated and cooled, and which, at the same time, enables universal pivoting of the rollers relative to their supporting shafts while reducing the danger of the ends of the rollers being damaged during such pivoting.
In a more detailed sense, the invention resides in achieving the foregoing through the provision of a novel pin-and-slot universal-driving connection between the end of each roller and a shaft for rotatably supporting the roller, the shaft preferably including a protective cup telescoped over the roller and prevented by the pin-and-slot connection from hottoming against and damaging the end of the roller.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a fragmentary side elevation of an exemplary heattreating apparatus having rollers which are driven and supported in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of parts shown in FIG. 1, portions of the view being broken away and shown in section.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of parts illustrated in FIG. 4 and showing the pin-and-slot connection between the end of one of the rollers and the supporting shaft for such roller.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT For purposes of illustration, the invention is shown in the drawings in conjunction with a heat-treating apparatus in the form of a roller hearth kiln having a heated work chamber 11 (FIG. 2) within which workpieces I3 are heated to high temperatures. The workpieces are conveyed into, through and out of the chamber by a series of side-by-side rollers 14 spanning the chamber and adapted to be power rotated to advance the workpieces.
The work chamber 11 is defined by upright sidewalls l5 and I6 (FIG. 2), a bottom wall 17 and a top closure 19 all made of refractory material and suspended from a framework consisting partly of I-beams 20 located above and suspended from a framework consisting partly of I-beams 20 located above and extending transversely of the chamber and supported on upright posts 2I (FIG. I). Preferably, the rollers 14 are disposed on lMi-inch centers within the chamber and are arranged in groups of 30, some of the rollers of the first group being located outside of the entrance end (the left end as viewed in FIG. I) of the chamber for the purpose of'conveying the workpieces I3 into the chamber. Additional groups of rollers (not shown) are supported outside of the exit end of the chamber to carry the workpieces away from the chamber.
As shown most clearly in FIG. 2, the hearth rollers M which are disposed within the chamber 11 are mounted for rotation and for endwise sliding within openings 23 in the sidewalls I5 and 16 and project outwardly beyond the sidewalls. The openings are packed with fibrous insulating material 24 in order to retard the flow of heat to the outboard end of the rol' lers, the latter preferably being tubular, being made of ceramic material and being packed with insulation 25 (FIG. 4).
The present invention contemplates coupling the rollers I4 to driving and supporting shafts 26 and 27 (FIG. 4) by uniquely arranged pin-and-slot connections 30 which coact with the shafts to effect a positive rotational drive to each roller, to allow unrestricted expansion and contraction of the roller during heating and cooling of the roller, and to enable universal pivoting of the roller relative to the shafts in the event the shafts and the ends of the roller are misaligned. The pin-andslot connections are particularly characterized by their ability to enable driving and pivoting of the rollers without the ends of the rollers becoming chipped or broken.
In the present instance, each driving shaft 26 (FIG. 4) comprises an elongated cylindrical member disposed outside of the chamber 111 at the left end of the respective roller 14 and journaled for rotation in ball bearings 31 mounted in a pair of parallel sideplates 33 and 34. The latter are suspended by uprights 35 from a rail 36 anchored to and extending beneath the I-beams 20. Several pairs of sideplates are disposed endto-end outside of the sidewall 25 of the chamber and each pair extends alongside the ends of a group of thirty rollers.
To rotate the rollers 14 for purposes of advancing the workpieces 13, a motor 37 (FIG. 1) is located on the sideplates 33 near the center of the kiln I0 and drives a series of gearboxes 40 which are connected to one another by shafts 41 and couplings 43. Each gearbox 40 serves to rotate a group of 30 rollers and each is supported on one of the outer sideplates 33. Chains 44 and 45 (FIGS. 3 and 4) are trained around drive sprockets 46 and 47 on the output shaft 49 of each gearbox and serve to rotate sprockets 50 and SI, respectively, which are connected to the individual driving shafts 26, the chains being guided around the sprockets S0 and SI by idler sprockets 53 (FIG. 4) disposed between the sideplates. The sprockets 50 are fastened to the driving shafts 26 of alternate ones of the rollers in the group of 30 and are set outwardly from the sprockets SI which are fastened to the driving shafts of the remaining rollers in the group. With the chains 44 and 45 thus rotating alternate rollers, every other roller will continue to be rotated to advance the workpieces 13 through the chamber Ill in the event that one of the chains should break. In addition, the offsetting of the sprockets 50 and 51 from one another enables the use of larger sprockets in conjunction with the closely spaced rollers and also enables the use of more rugged drive chains.
Each supporting shaft 27 is mounted for rotation and for endwise sliding in ball bearings 55 (FIG. 4) which are supported by a pair of sideplates 56 and 57, the latter being arranged along the right side (FIG. 2) of the chamber 111 outside of the sidewall 16 and being connected to uprights 59 hung from a rail 60 extending beneath the I-beams 20. Like the plates 33 and 34, several pairs of the plates 56 and 57 are disposed end-to-end outside of the chamber and each pair is associated with a group of 30 rollers.
Advantageously, each supporting shaft 27 is biased toward its respective roller 14 so as to accommodate lengthwise expansion and contraction of the roller as the latter is heated and cooled. For this purpose, a coil spring 61 (FIG. 4) is telescoped over each supporting shaft and is compressed between the outer sideplate 56 and a collar 63 secured to the shaft. Thus, the springs urge the supporting shafts to slide in-. wardly within the bearings 55 and toward the rollers. Herein, the supporting shafts and the inner races of the bearings 55 are formed with complementary hexagonal or other noneircular cross sections so that the supporting shafts may slide axially within the bearings whilestill turning the inner races within the outer races so as to take full advantage of the antifriction characteristics of the bearings.
Preferably, a protective cup 65 (F lGS. 4 and 5) is welded to the inboard end of each driving and supporting shaft 26 and 27 and is telescoped over the adjacent end of the roller 14. The rollers and cups fit loosely with one another so as to leave the rollers free to float radially within the cups, each cup, for example, having an inside diameter of about 1-1] 16 inches and each roller being approximately 1 inch in diameter although rollers and cups of various different diameter diameters may be used.
The pin-and-slot connections 30 serve to couple the rollers 14 and the cups 65 for rotation in unison and for relative pivoting while preventing the ends of the rollers from engaging and breaking against the closed ends 66 of the cups. As shown most clearly in FIG. 5, each connection comprises an elongated key or pin 67 anchored to and extending radially of the cup intermediate the ends thereof. Each pin is received in a pair of elongated and diametrically opposed U-shaped slots 69 formed in and extending axially of the roller and opening out of the outboard end of the roller. In this instance, each pin has a diameter of approximately five thirty-seconds of an inch while the slots have a width of approximately three sixteenths of an inch thus establishing radial clearance between the pin and the edges of the slots to enable the end of the roller to float within the cup. importantly, each pin 67 and each set of slots 69 are positioned axially of the roller such that the distance a (for example, one-fourth of an inch) between the outboard end of the roller and the closed or axially facing ends 70 of the slots is considerably less than the distance b (for example, seven-sixteenths of an inch) between the closed end 66 of the cup 65 and the inner surface of the pin 67. In this way, the pin will bottom against the slots and prevent the end of the roller from bottoming against and being chipped or broken by the closed end of the cup when the roller is in a pivoted position within the cup.
With the foregoing arrangement, each spring 61 acting on its respective, supporting shaft 27 tends to slide the latter inwardly relative to the bearings 55 to press the pin 67 on the end portion of the shaft 27 into seating engagement with the closed ends 70 of the slots 69 in the adjacent end of the roller 14. The roller, in turn, is urged to the left (FIG. 4) to press the closed ends of the slots in the opposite end of the roller against the pin 30 carried on the driving shaft 26. As the roller expands lengthwise during heating, the spring yields to allow such expansion to occur without mechanically overstressing the roller. Of course, when the roller subsequently contracts and shortens, the spring relaxes to keep the pins pressed firmly against the closed ends of the slots. The spring tends to place the roller in a state of compression at all times and, since ceramic material is comparatively strong in compression while being weak in tension, the possibilities of the roller being broken are reduced.
The rotational movement of each driving shaft 26 is transmitted to the respective roller 14 by the pin 67 on the end portion of the shaft engaging the edges of the slots 69 in the adjacent end of the roller. Being located in the deepest portion of the slots and pressed against the closed ends 70 thereof, the pin bears and drives against the most structurally rugged part of the slots and thus there is less likelihood of the extreme ends of the roller adjacent the slots being chipped away than would be the case if the pin were located intermediate the ends of the slots and nearer to the outer end of the roller. Also, the driving pin tends to engage the curved closed end of each slot face-to-face to distribute the driving force over a greater area of the slot (as indicated schematically by the stress pattern shown in FIG. 5) than would be possible with line-to-line contact between the pin and the slot.
Because the rollers 14 and the pins 67 fit loosely in the cups 65 and the slots 69, respectively, each roller may pivot within its respective cup to accommodate any minor parallel or angular misalignment that might exist between the shafts 26 and 27 for such roller. Preferably, the pins at the opposite ends of each roller are disposed at right angles to one another as shown in FIG. 4 to facilitate pivoting of the roller within the cups with a universal action. As a result of the relative locations of the pins 67, the closed ends 70 of the slots 69 and the closed ends 66 of the cups 65, the extreme ends of each roller are held out of engagement with the closed ends of the cups to reduce the danger of the roller ends being broken by the cups during pivoting of the roller.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that pin-andslot connections different from the connections 30 specifically shown may be used in carrying out the invention. For example, the pins 67 may be carried by the rollers 14 and fit into either slots or enlarged recesses formed in the protective cups 65 when such cups are employed. Alternatively, other types of telescoping arrangements may be used between the rollers and the shafts 26 and 27 with the pins carried by one of the telescoped end portions of the members and bottomed against slots formed in the other of the telescoped end portions.
We claim as our invention:
1. A heat-treating apparatus having opposed walls defining a work chamber, and a series of side-by-side rollers for supporting workpieces spanning said chamber and adapted to be power rotated to convey the workpieces through the chamber, the improvement in said apparatus comprising, means in said walls mounting said rollers for rotation and for endwise sliding within said chamber, elongated shafts disposed at opposite ends of each roller and journaled for rotation adjacent said walls, at least one of said shafts for each roller being powerrotated and at least one of said shafts being mounted for endwise sliding, means yieldably biasing said slidable shafts toward said rollers, a cup carried on the inboard end of each shaft and telescoped slidably over the outboard end of the adjacent roller with a loose fit, a connection between the telescoped end portions of each cup and roller for coupling the cups and the rollers together for rotation .in unison while permitting pivoting of the rollers within the cups, each of said connections comprising a pin anchored to and extending radially through said cup and fitted loosely within an elongated slot formed in and extending axially of the outer end portion of said roller so as to leave the roller free for pivoting within the cup, each of said slots having an axially facing closed end pressingly engaging the associated pin by virtue of the bias applied to said slidable shaft and having an opposite open end opening out of the outboard end of the roller, and the distance between the closed end of each slot and the outboard end of the associated roller being less than the distance between each pin and the closed end of the adjacent cup thereby to prevent the outboard ends of the rollers from engaging the closed ends of the cups.
2. A heat-treating apparatus having opposed walls defining a work chamber, and a series of side-by-side rollers for supporting workpieces spanning said chamber and adapted to be power rotated to convey the workpieces through the chamber, the improvement in said apparatus comprising, means in said walls mounting said rollers for rotation and for endwise sliding within said chamber, elongated shafts disposed at opposite ends of each roller and journaled for rotation adjacent said walls, at least one of said shafts for each roller being power rotated and at least one of said shafts being mounted for endwise sliding, means yieldably biasing said slidable shafts toward said rollers, a cup carried on the inboard end of each shaft and telescoped slidably over the outboard end of the adjacent roller with a loose fit, a connection between the telescoped end portions of each cup and roller for coupling the cups and the rollers together for rotation in unison while permitting pivoting of the rollers within the cups, each of said connections comprising a key carried by and extending radially of one of the telescoped end portions and fitted loosely within a recess formed in the other of the telescoped end portions so as to leave the telescoped end portions free for relative pivoting, each of said recesses having an edge facing axially of the associated roller and pressingly engaging the associated key by virtue of the bias applied to said one shaft, and said edges and said keys being located axially of said rollers in positions preventing the outboard ends of said rollers from engaging the closed ends of said cups.
3. A heat-treating apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which the keys on opposite ends of each roller are disposed substantially at right angles relative to one another.
4. A heat-treating apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which each of said recesses comprises an axially extending slot formed in one of said telescoped end portions and opening out of the end of such end portion.
5. A heat-treating apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which each of said keys comprises a pin anchored to and extending radially of its respective cup, each of said recesses comprising an axially extending slot formed in the end portion of said roller, each of said slots having a closed end defined by said axially facing edge and having an open end opening out of the outboard end of the roller.
6. A heat-treating apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which the distance between the closed end of each slot and the outboard end of the associated roller is less than the distance between each pin and the closed end of the adjacent cup thereby to prevent the outboard ends of the rollers from en- 7 gaging the closed ends of the cups.
7. A heat-treating apparatus having a series of side-by-sidc rollers for supporting workpieces and adapted to be power rotated to advance the workpieces, the improvement in said apparatus comprising, elongated supporting members telescoped loosely with opposite ends of each roller and journaled for rotation adjacent said rollers, at least one of said supporting members for each roller being power rotated and at least one of said supporting members being mounted for end wise sliding, means yieldably biasing said slidable supporting members toward said rollers, a pin-and-slot connection between the telescoped end portions of eachroller and supporting member for coupling the rollers and the supporting members together for rotation in unison while permitting pivoting of the rollers relative to the supporting members, each of said connections comprising a pin carried by and extending radially of one of the telescoped end portions and fitted loosely within a slot formed in and extending axially of the other of the telescoped end portions so as to leave the telescoped end portions free for relative pivoting, and each of said slots having an open end opening out of the end of its respective telescoped end portion and having an opposite closed end facing axially of said roller and located in pressing engagement with the associated pin.

Claims (7)

1. A heat-treating apparatus having opposed walls defining a work chamber, and a series of side-by-side rollers for supporting workpieces spanning said chamber and adapted to be power rotated to convey the workpieces through the chamber, the improvement in said apparatus comprising, means in said walls mounting said rollers for rotation and for endwise sliding within said chamber, elongated shafts disposed at opposite ends of each roller and journaled for rotation adjacent said walls, at least one of said shafts for each roller being power-rotated and at least one of said shafts being mounted for endwise sliding, means yieldably biasing said slidable shafts toward said rollers, a cup carried on the inboard end of each shaft and telescoped slidably over the outboard end of the adjacent roller with a loose fit, a connection between the telescoped end portions of each cup and roller for coupling the cups and the rollers together for rotation in unison while permitting pivoting of the rollers within the cups, each of said connections comprising a pin anchored to and extending radially through said cup and fitted loosely within an elongated slot formed in and extending axially of the outer end portion of said roller so as to leave the roller free for pivoting within the cup, each of said slots having an axially facing closed end pressingly engaging the associated pin by virtue of the bias applied to said slidable shaft and having an opposite open end opening out of the outboard end of the roller, and the distance between the closed end oF each slot and the outboard end of the associated roller being less than the distance between each pin and the closed end of the adjacent cup thereby to prevent the outboard ends of the rollers from engaging the closed ends of the cups.
2. A heat-treating apparatus having opposed walls defining a work chamber, and a series of side-by-side rollers for supporting workpieces spanning said chamber and adapted to be power rotated to convey the workpieces through the chamber, the improvement in said apparatus comprising, means in said walls mounting said rollers for rotation and for endwise sliding within said chamber, elongated shafts disposed at opposite ends of each roller and journaled for rotation adjacent said walls, at least one of said shafts for each roller being power rotated and at least one of said shafts being mounted for endwise sliding, means yieldably biasing said slidable shafts toward said rollers, a cup carried on the inboard end of each shaft and telescoped slidably over the outboard end of the adjacent roller with a loose fit, a connection between the telescoped end portions of each cup and roller for coupling the cups and the rollers together for rotation in unison while permitting pivoting of the rollers within the cups, each of said connections comprising a key carried by and extending radially of one of the telescoped end portions and fitted loosely within a recess formed in the other of the telescoped end portions so as to leave the telescoped end portions free for relative pivoting, each of said recesses having an edge facing axially of the associated roller and pressingly engaging the associated key by virtue of the bias applied to said one shaft, and said edges and said keys being located axially of said rollers in positions preventing the outboard ends of said rollers from engaging the closed ends of said cups.
3. A heat-treating apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which the keys on opposite ends of each roller are disposed substantially at right angles relative to one another.
4. A heat-treating apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which each of said recesses comprises an axially extending slot formed in one of said telescoped end portions and opening out of the end of such end portion.
5. A heat-treating apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which each of said keys comprises a pin anchored to and extending radially of its respective cup, each of said recesses comprising an axially extending slot formed in the end portion of said roller, each of said slots having a closed end defined by said axially facing edge and having an open end opening out of the outboard end of the roller.
6. A heat-treating apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which the distance between the closed end of each slot and the outboard end of the associated roller is less than the distance between each pin and the closed end of the adjacent cup thereby to prevent the outboard ends of the rollers from engaging the closed ends of the cups.
7. A heat-treating apparatus having a series of side-by-side rollers for supporting workpieces and adapted to be power rotated to advance the workpieces, the improvement in said apparatus comprising, elongated supporting members telescoped loosely with opposite ends of each roller and journaled for rotation adjacent said rollers, at least one of said supporting members for each roller being power rotated and at least one of said supporting members being mounted for endwise sliding, means yieldably biasing said slidable supporting members toward said rollers, a pin-and-slot connection between the telescoped end portions of each roller and supporting member for coupling the rollers and the supporting members together for rotation in unison while permitting pivoting of the rollers relative to the supporting members, each of said connections comprising a pin carried by and extending radially of one of the telescoped end portions and fitted loosely within a slot formed in and extending axially of the other of the telescoped end portions so aS to leave the telescoped end portions free for relative pivoting, and each of said slots having an open end opening out of the end of its respective telescoped end portion and having an opposite closed end facing axially of said roller and located in pressing engagement with the associated pin.
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Cited By (20)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3867748A (en) * 1974-03-07 1975-02-25 Libbey Owens Ford Co Supporting and driving frangible rollers
FR2405449A1 (en) * 1977-10-07 1979-05-04 Welko Ind Spa SUPPORT FOR ROTATING ROLLERS FORMING THE ADVANCEMENT PLAN OF CERAMIC MATERIALS IN THE COOKING OVENS
FR2447526A1 (en) * 1979-01-29 1980-08-22 Holcroft & Co Rollers for supporting workpieces in roller hearth furnace - have slip joint with driven sleeves at roller ends to allow for dimensional variation during operation
US4230475A (en) * 1979-02-20 1980-10-28 Ppg Industries, Inc. Ceramic roll drive and support mechanism and a method of using same
US4242782A (en) * 1979-06-08 1981-01-06 Ppg Industries, Inc. Ceramic conveyor rolls with metal end caps frictionally fixed thereto
US4247000A (en) * 1979-07-16 1981-01-27 Ppg Industries, Inc. Ceramic conveyor rolls with metal end caps clamped thereto
DE2947540A1 (en) * 1979-11-26 1981-05-27 Karl August Heimsoth, Industrie- u. Tunnel-Ofenbau GmbH, 3200 Hildesheim FURNACE, IN PARTICULAR ROLE FOR FURNACE
US4343395A (en) * 1977-11-10 1982-08-10 Holcroft & Co. Roller hearth furnace
US4397673A (en) * 1982-01-27 1983-08-09 Ppg Industries, Inc. Composite conveying roll
EP0186842A1 (en) * 1985-01-03 1986-07-09 Tamglass Oy Resistor element assembly for a heating furnace of glass sheets and method of replacing a resistor element
EP0260937A1 (en) * 1986-09-17 1988-03-23 Ngk Insulators, Ltd. Apparatus for driving rollers of roller hearth kiln
EP0393292A1 (en) * 1989-04-19 1990-10-24 W. HALDENWANGER TECHNISCHE KERAMIK GMBH & CO. KG Device to support rolls in a roller conveyor furnace
US5007826A (en) * 1988-05-14 1991-04-16 Wuenning Joachim Roller hearth furnace for the heat treating of metal and ceramic parts
US5040779A (en) * 1988-06-23 1991-08-20 Mita Industrial Co., Ltd. Detachable paper delivery roller for a paper utilizing device
US5119922A (en) * 1989-03-17 1992-06-09 Ngk Insulators, Ltd. Apparatus for driving rollers in roller hearth kiln
GB2272270A (en) * 1992-11-10 1994-05-11 Riedhammer Gmbh Co Kg Device for supporting and driving a conveying roller of a roller kiln
US5392899A (en) * 1993-12-10 1995-02-28 Nakanishi Metal Works Co., Ltd. Drive wheel conveyor
EP1004527A1 (en) * 1998-11-27 2000-05-31 GRUPPO BARBIERI & TAROZZI S.r.l. Improved head for turning rollers, in boxes for containing ceramic products, particularly tiles, on stacked supporting surfaces
US20090224472A1 (en) * 2008-03-10 2009-09-10 Masaya Asakawa Paper delivery mechanism and apparatus for image formation with a paper delivery mechanism
IT202200018114A1 (en) * 2022-09-05 2024-03-05 Ema Cer S R L CONTROLLED MOTORIZATION SYSTEM FOR ROLLER OVENS

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US2045773A (en) * 1928-06-13 1936-06-30 Babcock & Wilcox Tube Company Heating furnace
US1777921A (en) * 1928-10-13 1930-10-07 American Rolling Mill Co Mounting of furnace rolls
US1992467A (en) * 1933-01-26 1935-02-26 Driver Harris Co Heat-treating furnace
US2156395A (en) * 1935-07-22 1939-05-02 Michiana Products Corp Roll for heat treating furnaces
US2986386A (en) * 1957-05-22 1961-05-30 Schmidt & Clemens Transport roller for industrial furnaces
US3006625A (en) * 1959-09-16 1961-10-31 American Brake Shoe Co Furnace shafts

Cited By (26)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3867748A (en) * 1974-03-07 1975-02-25 Libbey Owens Ford Co Supporting and driving frangible rollers
FR2405449A1 (en) * 1977-10-07 1979-05-04 Welko Ind Spa SUPPORT FOR ROTATING ROLLERS FORMING THE ADVANCEMENT PLAN OF CERAMIC MATERIALS IN THE COOKING OVENS
US4225197A (en) * 1977-10-07 1980-09-30 Welko Industriale S.P.A. Insulation structure for kiln rollers and element for use therewith
US4343395A (en) * 1977-11-10 1982-08-10 Holcroft & Co. Roller hearth furnace
FR2447526A1 (en) * 1979-01-29 1980-08-22 Holcroft & Co Rollers for supporting workpieces in roller hearth furnace - have slip joint with driven sleeves at roller ends to allow for dimensional variation during operation
US4230475A (en) * 1979-02-20 1980-10-28 Ppg Industries, Inc. Ceramic roll drive and support mechanism and a method of using same
US4242782A (en) * 1979-06-08 1981-01-06 Ppg Industries, Inc. Ceramic conveyor rolls with metal end caps frictionally fixed thereto
US4247000A (en) * 1979-07-16 1981-01-27 Ppg Industries, Inc. Ceramic conveyor rolls with metal end caps clamped thereto
DE2947540A1 (en) * 1979-11-26 1981-05-27 Karl August Heimsoth, Industrie- u. Tunnel-Ofenbau GmbH, 3200 Hildesheim FURNACE, IN PARTICULAR ROLE FOR FURNACE
US4337035A (en) * 1979-11-26 1982-06-29 Karl August Heimsoth Industrie Firing kiln; with emphasis on rollers for a firing kiln
US4397673A (en) * 1982-01-27 1983-08-09 Ppg Industries, Inc. Composite conveying roll
EP0186842A1 (en) * 1985-01-03 1986-07-09 Tamglass Oy Resistor element assembly for a heating furnace of glass sheets and method of replacing a resistor element
EP0260937A1 (en) * 1986-09-17 1988-03-23 Ngk Insulators, Ltd. Apparatus for driving rollers of roller hearth kiln
US4802845A (en) * 1986-09-17 1989-02-07 Ngk Insulators, Ltd. Apparatus for driving rollers of roller hearth kiln
US5007826A (en) * 1988-05-14 1991-04-16 Wuenning Joachim Roller hearth furnace for the heat treating of metal and ceramic parts
US5040779A (en) * 1988-06-23 1991-08-20 Mita Industrial Co., Ltd. Detachable paper delivery roller for a paper utilizing device
US5119922A (en) * 1989-03-17 1992-06-09 Ngk Insulators, Ltd. Apparatus for driving rollers in roller hearth kiln
US5297670A (en) * 1989-03-17 1994-03-29 Ngk Insulators, Ltd. Apparatus for driving rollers in roller hearth kiln
EP0393292A1 (en) * 1989-04-19 1990-10-24 W. HALDENWANGER TECHNISCHE KERAMIK GMBH & CO. KG Device to support rolls in a roller conveyor furnace
GB2272270A (en) * 1992-11-10 1994-05-11 Riedhammer Gmbh Co Kg Device for supporting and driving a conveying roller of a roller kiln
GB2272270B (en) * 1992-11-10 1995-06-07 Riedhammer Gmbh Co Kg Supporting a conveying roller of a roller kiln
US5392899A (en) * 1993-12-10 1995-02-28 Nakanishi Metal Works Co., Ltd. Drive wheel conveyor
EP1004527A1 (en) * 1998-11-27 2000-05-31 GRUPPO BARBIERI & TAROZZI S.r.l. Improved head for turning rollers, in boxes for containing ceramic products, particularly tiles, on stacked supporting surfaces
US20090224472A1 (en) * 2008-03-10 2009-09-10 Masaya Asakawa Paper delivery mechanism and apparatus for image formation with a paper delivery mechanism
US7845634B2 (en) * 2008-03-10 2010-12-07 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Paper delivery mechanism and apparatus for image formation with a paper delivery mechanism
IT202200018114A1 (en) * 2022-09-05 2024-03-05 Ema Cer S R L CONTROLLED MOTORIZATION SYSTEM FOR ROLLER OVENS

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