US112322A - Improvement in glass-flattening furnaces and leers - Google Patents

Description

` NIT- E7 STATES y JAMESVCLABBY, vor,` LENOX, MASSACHUSETTS.

`-\ilvleuovrlvlENT'IN GLA-ss-FLATTENING FuRNAoEs AND LEERS.

A Specification ,forming part of Letters Ivatent No.v 112,322, dated March 7,1871.

:To all 07am/mit concern:

i `Be it known that I, JAMES CLABBY, of LenoX,`in the county of Berkshire and State 1 of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvedk Glass-FlatteningFurnace and Leer; andl. do l hereby `declarethat the following, taken in connection withnthe` drawing which `accompanies and for-ms part of this specification, is -a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

The invention relates to certain improvementsin the `manufacture of sheets of glass, with particular reference to the processH of flattening, annealing, and cooling the plates or sheets. l, l f

My improvement consists, first, in combining with the flattening-ovenand annealingoven `and 4a car-track running fromone to the other a movable car-table or transfer-table, and a side oven or chamber, so arranged that, after the flattening-stone is charged with i a cylinder7 from the main furnace, (and the glass has been flattenedon the flattening-stone which liesontop of the car,) it may be run through into the piling or annealing chamber,

` and the transfer-table,with an emptycar from the side chamber, maythen be brought into line with the track leadingfrom the iiattening-oven to the annealing-oven, so that it may be wheeledforward to receive a fresh cylinder at the front of the oven, the 4fear in the annealing-oven being relieved from its annealed plate andwheeled forward opposite the side chamber and upon the change-table, and beingthen wheeled into said chamber, leaving the" track free for passage' of the loaded car from theflattening-oveninto the annealingoven, after which thetable is again moved "forward, with the car inthe side chamber, so that this car may come into line with the track and be drawn forward to the front of the fiat-l tening-oven to receive a new cylinder.

The invention also consists incombining l with the flattening and annealing oven a long cooling oven or chamber provided with a railway, by which box-cars may be moved through it, and with a series of verticaldampvers or movable partitions, by which the-oven can be so subdivided as to maintain the diff' ferent parts of the oven at varying temperatures, gradually decreasing fromthe receiving to the opposite and deliv- The invention also consists in Ymaking the cranes, and a series of swing foot-pieces, by means of which the sheets of glass may be stood in nearly vertical position in lots or piles',77 separated from each other, so that each pile stands independently of the others.

in making the flattening-oven with a double arch, in such manner that the llames and volatile productsof combustion, before entering the oven, pass over the arch forming the oventop, and then into the oven at one side, or through one of the vertical walls thereof, by which means the cinders 'and ashes are deposited upon the arch, orat the outer side of the oven-wall, before they can enter the oven,

these matters upon the glass, and thereby se` other blemishes.

and ovens embodying my improvements.

toward the front end or the flattening-oven. B is a similar perspective from the opposite end, the walls in both views being more or ovens. C is a sectional plan; D, a vertical leer.

ing-oven, Oris an end continuation of the same, and through the two ovens (considered as'one) a car-track, f, extends.

Opposite to that part of the track midway between the two ends, or between the flattening-oven and annealing-oven, is a side chamber or oven, g, (opening from the ovens c at) Vand the track f is provided with a shifting table, h, and double vtracks 'i in line with this oven g, the table having beneath it a gear-rack, 7c, into which meshes a pinion, Z, on a shaft, j,

its track to be so moved as to carry one track (and the car thereon) into the oven g, and at the same time bring the other track into line are two cars formed to run over the tracks.

m denotes one-'of these cars, and u the other;

packing-caror car-box with a series of swing- Another feature of the invention consists this improvement preventing thedeposit of i curing glass more free from scratches and The drawing represents a set of furnaces A shows an isometrical perspective, looking less broken away to expose the interior of the section on the line x x. E are views of one of the piling cars or boxes. va cdenote the walls; b-themain furnace; c, the atteningc oven; d, the annealing or piling oven; e, the

The annealing-oven opens out of the flattenrotation of the shaft enabling the table with l with the main track in the ovens c d. There The car m is shown in position (just behind the oven-door o) to receive the cylinder from This leaves the track clear for passage of the loaded carm from the flattening-oven c through into the annealing and piling oven d. As soon as the car m has reached the annealing-oven, the track is free for movement of the table h and its discharged car n back into line with the main tracks,which being effected, the discharged. car is brought forward into the flattening-oven to receive a new cylinder from the furnace. It will readily be seen that by this method of procedure, while the operation of discharging one car at one end of the track is progressing, the other car may be brought forward to the other end of the track (or into the iattening-oven) and charged, the two operations thus progressing simultaneously and enbling all the heat of the flattening-oven to be utilized.

Adjacent to the discharge-door of the annealing-oven is the entrance s of the leer or cooling-oven. As each sheet of glass is removed from the car n, (at the door of the annealing-wem) it is placed in a piling-box, t, said box being providedwith a car-truck, which enables it to wheel along a track, a, in the car. This car (shown at E) is made with provision to receive a large number of sheets-Say from one hundred to one hundred and fty arranged in standing piles or assemblages, which are slightly inclined to keep them in steady position. As the pressure of the whole number of sheets in one box would cause great breakage, I arrange them in piles, separated from each other by means of intervening swinging arms or cranes o and foot-pieces w, each arm c being hinged to one side wall of the box, so that it can be swung in against the wall, and each piece w to the licor, so that it can be turned down. When the box is empty and ready for packing, the arms o are all swung in against the wall, and the pieces w are turned down to the floor. The irst sheet of flattened and annealed glass is then carefully transferred from the flattening-stone in the annealing-oven d to the rear end of the box and stood up against the end wall. The next sheet from the next flattening-stone is laid against the first, and so on until the rear space is sufficiently packed. Then the inner arm or crane c is swung out and across the box, its free end lodging on a bar, x, and against a stop or shoulder on said bar. The inner foot-piece w is then turned up, suitable stops arresting it when it reaches a vertical position. A suitable number of sheets are then packed in the box, standing against the inner arm o and inner foot-piece w. Then the next arm and foot-piece are swung into position, and so on until the car or box is filled, the division of the whole charge into piles, each pile separated from the others, so that no one pile can press upon another, insuring the safety of all the sheets from breakage while cooling and under the movementsof the piles, car, or box. The car being thus filled, its door is closed, and the car is then wheeled into the adjacent end of the leer or cooling-oven e. This end of the oven has afurnaee beneath it, and'its temperature is kept but little lower than the temperature of the annealing-oven. At the rear of the front oven, on the front part of the cooling-oven, is a damper, c2, that divides the oven from a compartment, b2, beyond, and at the opposite end of the compartment b2 is another damper, c2, that divides the compartment b2 from a similar compartment, d?, beyond. At the rear end of this last compartment is still another damper, e2; separating compartment cl2 from the compartment f 2, which forms the opposite end of the coolingoven. Each of these dampers forms a movable end wall to its compartment, and each slides vertically, so that by raising it the two adjacent compartments may be joined, and by lowering it they may be separated. The loaded car or box being charged or piled,77 it is run into the front end of the leer or coolingoven, the first damper, a2, being down, and the front oven-door being shut during the process of loading or piling the next car. Vhen the second car is ready, the 'damper a2 is raised and the first car is drawn or pushed through into the second cooling-compartment, b2, and the damper a3 is then lowered. Then the front door of the oven is opened, and the last-piled car is wheeled into the oven and the door is closed. W'hen another ear is ready, the dampers a2 and e? are raised and the two cars inthe cooling-oven are advanced-the first one into the compartment di, and the last one into the compartment bZ-and the two dampers are again lowered. This leaves the front compartment ready for reception of the last-piled car. When another ear is ready, all three of the dampers are raised and the three cars are advanced, and the fourth car is placed in the coolingoven. The heat is so conducted through the series of cooling-ovens that their temperature is regularly graduated, the front oven being the hottest, and of a temperature but little less that of the annealing-oven, the compartment b2 being of less temperature than the front oven, compartment d2 of less temperature than b2, and so on through the series of compartments, whichare of such number and such respective temperature that when the car reaches the last one the glass is sufficiently cooled for removal, the car being wheeled out of the end door, x2, onto a suitable track, to be discharged.

In most glass-furnaces (for making sheetdouble'arch,

glass) the main `furnace opens directlyinto the `flattening-oven, and the glass upon the flatteningstone is moreor less covered with and defaced and injured `by the weighty products .of combustion or foreign matters carried with the iiames, (ashes, fnefcol, sand, &c.,) which l fall upon and adhere to the glass. `To prevent this result, I form the furnace vand oven with a the upperarch, h2, the'top of the furnace-flue ,t 4"2, the' liue oname space extending directly over the oven, and then down vertically,- and t opening into the sidet of -the flattening-oven through openings k2( Thus, while the oven is heated at its sides and over its top, no deposits y f can fall upon the glass, such deposits lodging upon the top of the lower arch, from which they -Inay be removed when the oven is empty or not in operation.

l. In combination with the iiattening and annealing ovens, 4the railway, shifting table,

and tracks, (placed between such ovens,) and the cooling-oven into which the cars are alternatelyrun, substantially as described. t

as seen'at D, the lower arch, y, forming the top ofthe flattening-oven, and

2. The piling boX or car made with pro l vision for piling the sheets vertically, and so that the several piles shall stand independently each from the others, substantially as described.

3. Inl combination with the flattening and `I annealing ovens, the cooling-oven made with a series of compartments inline and separated each from the adjacent ones by a damper or dampers, substantially as shown and described.

4. In combination with the main furnace and the flattening-oven, the arch g2, forming, with the roof, a -flue extending directly over the oven, said flue extending down the opposite' side of the oven from the furnace and openinginto the oven through the openings, substantially as shown and described.

hi JAMEs cLABBY.

mark.

Witnesses:

OLIVER PEcK, `GEORGE F. NEALE.

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