US876183A - Annealing-furnace. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

J. A. HERRICK. ANNEALING FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.17.1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

WITNESSES No. 876,183. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908. J. A. HERRIOK.

ANNEALING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.1 7.1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOH Junta fLflerric? m I TTORNEYJ No. 876,183. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

' J. A. HERRIGK.

ANNBALING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.1'1.1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES: F {3 4- INYENTOR 76 W X 1 W nramvsr;

UNITED, sT rEs PATENT orrron.

JAMES HERRICK, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ANNEALiNG-FURNAOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 7, 1908.

Application filed March 17. 1905. Serial No. 250.659.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. HERRICK, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Annealing-Furnaces of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of annealin furnaces in which the objects to be annea ed are subjected to heat while maintained in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, the object of my invention being to rovide simple and convenient means for mergingthe various materials to be annealed into a closed muffle without admission of external to quick'or gradual cooling and final treatment without danger of stain or scalin This object I attain in the manner liereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section, on the line bb of Fig. 2, of annealing aparatus constructed in accordance with my mvention; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on the line cc of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the lin c-c of Fig. 2; Fi 4 is a transverse section on the line d-d of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the charging end of the mufiie or retort, and'Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the same.

The prime object in all closed annealing systems is to treat the materials perfectly while excluding the atmospheric air during all stages of the operation, and different forms of fixed or movable closed retorts have been devised with the view of attaining this result, none of which, so far as I am aware, have been perfectly satisfactory, one objection being the expensive and cumbersome ma chinery employed, which is liable to accident and is di'ilicult to adjust and repair, and another objection being that different metals require different. treatment and different forms of apparatus. I aim to overcome these ol jections in my improved apparatus by the use of an air lock or charging compartment at the inlet end of the retort, in connection with a system of internally disposed but externally driven conveyers, and by the use of an air-tight hood at the delivery end of the muffle, whereby the materials, after being heated, are delivered to one or more air-ti ht cooling chambers where they can be cooled gradually and from which they can be removed when finished, or from which they maybe dipped in ickling or other fluids, either after they l fave become cooled or partially cooled, or in the fully heated condition in which they are discharged from the retort.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a retort, which may be made of any suitable refractory material and of any desired size and form, this retort being so mounted in the furnace 2 that the ends of the retort are firmly supported upon and built into the end walls of the furnace, the retort being also, if desired, supported at various points throughout its length by walls 3 of refractory material, as shown in Fig. 1.

are shown at the front of the furnace structure, the products of combustion passing first over the top of the retort, then down along one side of the same, thence across the bottom of the retort between the supporting walls 3, thence up along the opposite side of the retort and thence through passages 5 and 6 to a discharge flue 7. The retort being thus enveloped in products of combustion, provision is afiorded for uniformly heating the same throughout its entire extent to any desired temperature, without the risk of overheating its contents or injuring them by direct contact with the products of combustion. Instead of direct coal firing any acceptable system of uniformly heating the retort 1, as for instance by means of oil or gas, may be employed.

At its charging end the retort has a projecting neck 9, and at its delivery end a projecting neck 10, with downwardly bent outer end 11, as shown in Fig. 1. With the receiving neck of the retort communicates a pipe 12, suitably valved, and with the delivery neck of the retort communicates a similarly valved pipe 13, and throu h these pipes steam or other non-oxidizing uid may be admitted to the retort in order to drive the air therefrom in the first instance, and to maintain a non-oxidizing atmosphere within the retort during the continuance of the annealing operation.

Projecting upwardly from the receiving neck 9 of the retort is a char ing structure 14, and projecting outwardly rom said receiving neck 9 is another charging structure 15, and between these two charging structures is a pivoted and swinging valve 16, which In the present instance two fire-places 4 lines in ig. 1 when it is desired to out OK communication between the receiving neck 9 of the retort and the charging structure 15 and open communication between said neck 9 and the charging structure 14, or it can be raised to a horizontal position so as to cut off communication between the neck 9 and the chargingstructure 14 and opencommunication between said neck and the charging structure 15. The charging structure 14 has, around the top, a sealing trough 17 for containing water, sand, or other sealing agent, into which dips a dependlng flange around the periphery of-a cap or cover 18', which can be raised or lowered by manipulating a lever 19.

A valved pipe 20 communicates with the interior of the charging structure 14 and the stem of this valve is connected to a counterbalanced arm 21 projecting from the pivot shaft of the valve 16, so that when said valve is lowered to the position shown in Fig- 1 "flow through the pipe 20 will be permitted,

such flow being cut oil-when the valve 16 is raised to a horizontal position. The charging structure 15 has an end portion. in line with the retort 1, and this end portion is provided with a swinging valve or cover 22 with peep hole 23, so that the conditions within the retort may be observed when the valve 16 is raised. At the extreme outer end of the charging structure 15 there is an opening normally closed by a swinging valve or door 24, and said charging structure is also provided with a pipe having a valve whose stem is connected to a counter-balanced arm 26 projecting from the shaft of the valve 24, so that when the latter is closed the valve in the pipe 25 will be open, and vice versa. 'In the top of the charging structure 15 is a manhole 27, which provides for access to the interior of said charging structure independently of the access providedby the swinging valve or door 24.

Extending through the retort 1 and its charging and delivery necks '9 and 10, is an endless conveyer 30, which is guided, supported, and driven by means of suitable sprocket wheels 31, and this endless conveyer also passes through extensions 32, 33, and 34, forming 21; depending continuation of the retort, whereby the conveyer is contained wholly Within the retort, and always works in the non-oxidizing atmosphere maintained therein during the continuance of the annealing process. The extensions 33 and the lower portions of the extensions 32 and 34 of the retort may be filled with water for the purpose of cooling the conveyer during the return passage of the same from the delivery end to the charging end of the retort.

An endless conveyer 35, mounted u on driving sprocket wheels 36, is containe in the charging structure 15 of the retort, the

.u per run of said conveyer 35being flush with, or slightly above, the level of the up er run of the main conveyer 30, and beingfiiy reference, driven at a slightly greater surrace speed than said main conveyer.

The delivery neck 10 ofthe retort has an opening normally closed by a swim ing valve or door 37 with peep hole 38, so t at conditions within the retort vmay be observed from the delivery end of the same as well as from the charging end.

' The depending end 11 of the delivery neck 10 of the retort communicates with a duplex chamber 40, 41 which has a water jacket 42, the two other chambers being separated by a water-cooled hollow partition 43, and on the to of the partition is mounted a swingin ya ve' or gate 44, which can be adjusted eit er to the osition shown in Fig. 1, so as to direct the ischarge from the neck 11 into the chamber 41, or can be reversed so as to direct said discharge into the chamber 40.

Each of the chambers 40 and 41 has, at the bottom, a. pivoted and tiltable platform 45 for receiving, supporting, or dum ing the material fed into said chamber, and 0th chambers are sealed at the bottom by means of water or other sealing agent contained in a sealing trough 46 into which the contents of either chamber 40 or 41 can therefore be discharged b tilting its platform 45 and moved. Each chamber 40, 41, also has a su-itabl closed opening 47' at one side throug which the contents of said chamber can be removed, without dumping them into the sealing trough, when such removal is desired.

The method of operation of my improved furnace is as follows. The sealing trough 46 being properly filled with water orother sealing agent and the fires started, the retort is heated to the roper temperature and the air is then expel ed therefrom by means of the steam or other non-oxidizing fluid, which also expels air from the char ing structure 14 or 15, depending upon t e adjust ment of the valve 16. If a charge is to be introduced through the structure 14 the valve 16 is raised to the horizontal position so as to cut off communication betweensaid structure and the retort, the cover 18 is then lifted andthe charge is deposited upon the valve 16, and the cover 18're-app11edf The valve is then lowered so as to direct the charge to the moving conveyer 30 in the from which t e materials can be readily rebottom of the retort, whereby the said tained under slight pressure in the retort, and hence serves to prevent any inflow of air into said retort during the continuance of the annealingoperation. If strips, bars,

iently charged through the structure 14 are to be annealed, the charging structure 15 is 15 veyer 35 and are de osited upon the main conveyer 30, where y they are carried through the retort. Air is expelled from the charging structure 15 through the pipe 25 when the valve 16 is raised, so that no inflow of air into the retort at this point is If the articles, after being heated cooled, they may be dis- 'er of the chambers 40 or 41, the platform 45 at the botand permitted to acpossible.

are to be slowl charged into eit deposited upon tom of said chamber,

cumulate in the chamber until it becomes full, whereupon the valve 44 may be reversed and the discharge directed into the other chamber, which ma also be permitted to behaving meantime cooled so they can be withdrawn through the opening 47 of said chamber, and the chambers being thus used alternately as long as may be des1red,'or the articles after havin cooled or partially cooled in either of t e chambers 40 or 41 ma be dumped into the water or other sea ing fluid in the trough 46 by tipping the platform 45 at the bottom of said chamber or platforms may be tipped at the beginning of the o thereb ropped directly from the neck 11 throng either of the chambers 40 or. 41 into the liquid in the sealing trough, which li uid may be of a character to effect the pick ing or other finishing of the articles.

It is obvious that the number of retorts contained in the furnace may be multiplied, as may also the firing chambers, and it is also obvious that in some cases the delivery neck 11 of the retort may discharge directly into the sealin trough without the interposition of the coo ing chambers 40 and 41, and that cut off from communication with the atmosphere whenopen to the retort, since the pipes 20 and 25 provide only for the escape or other articles which cannot be conven-.

come full, the art1c es in the other chamber and the valve in the discharge pipe,

ration and the heated articles the charging chamber 14 can be closed at the top by an automatic swinging valve or cover.

in connection with the of the steam or other non-oxidizing fluid from the retort, and do not permit of an inflow of air.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An annealing furnace having a heated retort with a dry air lock having a' watersealed cover at the inlet end through which material can be charged into the retort.

2. An annealing furnace having a heated retort with a double airlock at the inlet end through either of which materials can be charged into the retort. 3. An annealing furnace havin a heated retort provided at its inlet end wit a double airlock, and avalve interposed between the two locks so as to operate in conjunction with either. I

4. An annealing furnace having a heated retort with an air lock having a water-sealed cover at the inlet end,said airlock being provided with an escape pipe through which air may be forced from the lock by a non-oxidizing fluid within the retort, substantially as specified.

5. An annealing furnace having a heated retort with an air look at the inlet end, said air lock having a discharge pipe, a valve for o ening and closing communication with the air lock, and a connection between said valge su stantially as specified.

6. An annealing furnace having a heated retort, a 'conveyer wholliy within the same, an 4 air lock at the inlet en of-the retort, and a supplementary 'conveyer situated below said air lock, substantially as specified. 7. An annealing furnace in which are combined a heated retort, a plurality of receiving chambers at the delivery end of said retort, and means for directing the discharge from said retort into either of said chambers, stantially as specified. 8. An annealing furnace in which are combined a heated retort, a pluralit of watersealed receiving chambers at the elivery end of said retort, and means whereb the discharge from the retort can be directed to either of said chambers, substantially as specified.

9. An annealing furnace in which are comsub- I bined a heated retort, a water-sealed chamher at the delivery end of said retort, and w tilting latform contained in said chamber above t e seal, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof, I have slgned my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

JAMES A. HERRICK. Witnesses:

E. R. LOUGHERY, Jos. H. KLEIN.

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