US1387023A - Method of and apparatus for treating metal - Google Patents

Description

H. 0. swm. I w METHOD or AND APPARATUS FOR IREATINGQM'ET'WZI APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1920.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT D. SWIFT, OF NEWYORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB TO INTERNATIONAL AUTOMATIC APPLIANCE CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ma'rnon or AND arrmrus ro'n 'rima'rme METAL To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT D. SWIFT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county,

' and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Treating Metal, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the annealing of metals and is particularly adapted for annealing metals as they come from the rolling mills, irrespective of the particular shape of the metal, that is to say, whether in the form of a bar, strip or wire. It is to be understood, therefore, that in its broadest aspects the present invention is directed to a method of and apparatus for use in connection with any metal to be annealed.

It has been common practice prior to this invention to make up a number of coils of metal after coming from the rolling mills and to take these metal coils and place them, one ontop of the other, in an annealing oven for a predetermined length of time, depend ing upon the degree of temper desired. These metal coils are then taken from the annealing oven and cleaned, sometimes necessitatinguncoiling of the metal, cleaning it, and then coiling it up again. This method is unsatisfactory for obvious reasons, inasmuch as a cat deal of time is consumed in the coi in o eration which time is greatly increase 0 course, in the event of the metal being cleaned in the manner referred to, and it is not always possible to succeed in annealing the metal uniformly throughout, that is to say, not only may each coil be improperly annealed but there ma be a lack of uniformity comparing one coil with another.

In annealing bar metal it is common practice to place thesame in an annealing oven where it is subiected to a predetermined temperature unti the metal is annealed sufficiently.

All 'of these methods are unsatisfactory, however, as a great deal of time is necessarily consumed in the annealing operation and furthermore it'seems to be practically impossible to get a uniformly annealed product.

It is an object of the present invention,

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented Aug, 9, 1921,

Application filed March 27, 1920. Serial No. 389,361.

' therefore, to provide a method of and apparatus for annealing metals wherein these defects are overcome.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of and apparatus for andirectly into the annealing chamber, and

after being annealed and not until then, coiled up. If desired and should it be necessary to clean the metal after annealing, this may be done as the metal comes from the annealing chamber, so that there will be the continuous process of rolling the metal, annealing, cleaning if necesary, and finally coiling in a finished condition.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means whereby the metal while being annealed may be'passed through a set of reducing rolls thereby effecting a saving in rolling or drawing costs.

Other and further objects will be apparent from the detailed descrlption to follow.

In its broadest aspects the present invention comprises a method and apparatus whereby an electric current, either impressed or induced, and. of sufficient amperage, is

passed through a closed circuit, part of which is composed of the metal to be annealed, for a sufficient length of time to generate an annealing heat in said metal.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated in perspective an embodiment of my invention wherein a plurality of metal sections may be annealed simultaneously.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 54 designates the metal shell of a transformer, the V end of these bars. Immediately above the bars are rollers 61. The metal 62 to be annealed may be fed between the contact bars 60 and the rollers 61 and if the primary 55 of the transformer be energized by current from the generator 65, current will. be 1nduced in the metal sections 62 which will be short-circuited through the contact bars 58 and the metal sections.

In order that the, annealing temperature may be varied I have provided resistance coil 64 adapted to be cut in and out or varied by the arm 65.

The rollers 60 and 61 are preferably, though not necessarily, provided with peripheral grooves 66 to grip the metal sections as the same are fed through the apparatus. t will be obvious that if desired the rollers 61 may be sprlng ressed-.

At times it may be desirab e to reduce the metal during the annealing operation and to this end I have provided reducing rollers 67 and 68 mounted on suitable supports 69. It will be understood from the drawings that a set of reducing rollers for each metal section may be provided. These rollers are positioned intermediate the contact bars 58 so that the metal sections will be annealed and reduced simultaneously which is of distinct advantage in that otherwise after reduction the metal sections would necessarily have to go throu h theannealing operation again.

From t e foregoing it will be seen, that I have provided a method of and apparatus for annealing metal sections wherein the metal to be annealed is heated by short-circuiting an electric current either induced or impressed through the same whereby one or more metal sections may be annealed simultaneously. It will be obvious also that I have provided a method and a paratus whereby the metal may be reduce during the annealing operation. Furthermore I have provided means whereby the annealing temperature may be varied as desired.

While .I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction illustrated within the purview of the'in vention.v

In this illustration two strips or sections of metal have been illustrated which will be annealed simultaneously but it is to be understood that more than two strips or sections may be annealed simultaneously 'if desired.

What is claimed as new is:

1. The method of annealing metal which method consists in inducing in the metal to be annealed an electric current of sufiicient amperage and maintained for a suflicient length of time to generate an annealing heat in said metal.

2. The method of annealing metal which method consists in inducing in a plurality of metal sections simultaneously electric cur annealed to generate an annealing heat in said metal, and at the same time passing the metal through reducing rolls.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a primary winding, contact bars for the reception of metal sections to be annealed, and means for energizing said primary winding whereby induced current will be short-circuited through the metal sections to anneal the same.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a primary winding, a contact bar on opposite sides of said primary winding, and a pair of rollers supported at each end of said contact bars whereby when the primary winding is energized an induced current will be short-circuited through metal sections bridging said contact bars and between said rollers.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a primary winding, a contact bar on opposite sides of said winding, and reducing means intermediate said contact bars, whereby when said primary winding is energized an induced current will be short-circuited throu h metal sections bridging said contact ars and passing through the reducing means.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of means for annealing metal sections and means for rolling the sections during the annealing operation.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of means for short-circuiting-an electric current through a section of metal to anneal the same and means for simultaneously reducing the cross-section of said metal.

9. In combination a transformer frame, a primary winding interme iate the ends of said frame, means for energizing said winding, a contact bar on each side of said winding intermediate it and the end of said frame, and metal sections bridging said contact bars.

10. In combination, atransformer frame, a primary winding supported thereby, contact bars between said winding and the ends primar winding is excited a current will be induce in the metal sections and short-circuited thereby.

11. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a primary winding, contact bars for the reception of metal sections to be annealed, means for energizing said primary winding whereb induced current will be short-circuited through the metal sections to anneal the same, and means for rolling the metal sections during the annealing operation.

12; The method of treating metals which method consists in simultaneously annealingjand reducing the metal.

his specification signed this 25th day of March, 1920.

HERBERT D. SWIFT.

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