US724377A - Furnace feeding apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

No. 724,377; PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903- 0.- w. BRAY. FURNACE FEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. '7. 1902.-

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wrrugssgs No. 724,377. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903. v0. W. BRAY. FURNACE FEEDING APPARATUS.

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' CHARLES W. BRAY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN TIN PLATE COMPANY, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FURNACE FEEDING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,377, dated March 31, 1903.

Application filed November 7, 1902. h'erial No. 130,423. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. BRAY,'Of Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Furnace Feeding Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved furnace feeding apparatus. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same, and Fig. 3 is a detail cross-section showing the supports for the plates and holding-rods.

My invention relates to an improvement upon the furnace feedingapparatus described and claimed in an application filed by me on March 12, 1902, Serial No.' 97,823, and I show said apparatus in the present drawings with my improvement applied thereto. It should be understood, however, that the improvement mayibe applied to furnace feeding apparatus of other construction.

As described in my said application, I show in the drawings a continuous heating-furnace 2, which may be one of a series, of which there may be any desired number. The furnace has a feeding-opening 3 and exit-openings 4:, connected by suitable supports 5, upon which the row of plates rest as they are pushed forward. I preferably incline the supports 5 at an angle to the horizontal, either upwardly or downwardly, preferably the latter, as shown in Fig. 2, in order to prevent one plate climbing upon the next as the rowis pushed forward by the entering plate.

' In front of each feed-opening I mount an.

inclined table 6 upon side supports 7' 7, and tothis table are adjustably bolted side guides 8 8, between which the plates are piled, as indicated at 9 in Fig; 2. The guides are provided in front with inwardly-projecting flanges 10, which hold the plates in place, these flanges terminating above the platform to allow one or more of the lower plates to be forced forwardly.

The table is provided with longitudinal slots, through which project push-fingers 11, pivotally mounted upon a sliding plate 12, moving within guides 13 at its side edges. This plate is reciprocated bya link connection 14, with a rocking lever 15 trunnioned at 16 and pivotally connected at its lower end with an eccentric-rod 17, extending from an eccentric-strap 18. The eccentric 19 for the lever loosely surrounds a common shaft 20 and may be connected with the shaft by means of a clutch 21. This clutch is normally held in unlocked position by a spring 22 and is of'the form known as a pinclutch, which will automatically disengage itself after one revolution. The actuatingcord for each clutch extends over suitable guide-pulleys 23 to an operators pulpit.

In order to hold down the plate as it is fed along the table, I provide in front of each feed mechanism bent fingers 24, the stems of which extend up and are adj ustably secured to a U-shaped cross-bar 25. The end legs of this cross-bar are' pivoted to the outer sides of the guides 8, as shown at 26, and the fingers are yieldingly held in the position shown in Fig. 2 by means of the transverse angle 27, connected at each end to arms 28, pivoted to the sides of the guides at 29. The tensionsprings 30 act normally to draw the fingers forward, leaving a space between them and the table of a thickness equal to the thickness of the plate or set of plates to be fed.

It is of, great importance in-the feeding of the plates through the furnace that they shall be prevented from mounting upon each other at any part of their course and that the forward edge of each plate be kept flush with the rear edge of the preceding plate with which it is in contact, and it is to this that To effect this result,

my invention relates. I employ rods 31, secured in front of the charging end of the furnace, preferably to a portion of the guides 8, by a link connection 32 above the place of exitof the plates from the guides 8 and extending above the supports 5 entirely across the furnace or as far therein as may be desired. These rods are preferably vertically above the supports 5 and are preferably free at their ends within the furnace, so that they are flexible, and being free to expand and contract do not warp or become misshapen. As the plates are moved through the furnace on the supports 5the rods bear upon them by gravity and hold them .down, so that all occupy a single plane and each is prevented from climbing upon'the preceding plate. Metal rods of about one and one-half (1%) inches diameter will answer for this purpose or, if desired, I may use hollow rods or pipes through which streams of water may be maintained, and by fastening the rods or pipes at both ends they may be held rigidly, in which case they would not necessarily act by gravity. I prefer, however, to use gravityacting rods as being more certain in their operation and being capable of adjusting themselves to plates of varying thickness.

I olaim- 1. A heating-chamber having supports extending within the same, means .for moving plates thereon through the chamber, and holding-rods extendinglongitudinally of the chamber and over the course of the plates to prevent them from climbing; substantially as described.

2. A heating-chamber having supports extending within the same, means for moving plates thereon throughthe chamber, and holding-rods extending over the course of the plates and bearing upon the plates by gravity to prevent them from climbing; substantially as described.

3. A heating-chamber having supports extending within the same, means for moving plates thereon through the chamber, and hold-

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