US1844094A - Material treating furnace - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 9, 1932.

S. KNEASS. JR

MATERIAL TREATING FURNACE Filed May '11, 1929 2 Sheets-$heet INVENTOR Feb. 9, 1932. 5, KNEASS, JR 1,844,094

MATERIAL TREATING FURNACE Filed May 11, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Feb. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES STEICKLAND KNEASS, JR., 0F SEWICKLEY, PENNSYIiVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO COSTELLO ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA MATERIAL TREATING FURNACE Application filed May 11, 1929. Serial No. 362,161. I

This invention relates to material treating furnaces, and is particularly useful for no rmalizing or annealing material such as strip or wire, although it has numerous other applications.

In furnaces as ordinarily constructed, the material is passed through the furnace n a horizontal direction on rollers or other supporting means. The material is necessarily rubbed to some extent and under the heat conditions existing in the furnace, the quality of the surface is lowered. This is partrc: ularly objectionable in certain classes of sheets.

I provide a furnace wherein the material is passed therethrough in a vertically extending direction. Preferably 1t 1s passed downwardly and is arranged to be out of contact with any supporting surface through a substantial part of the heated Zone. A plurality of strips of material may be handled in the same furnace. I preferably employ straightening means through which the material passes on its way to the furnace chamber. as this insures that the material Wlll follow a strai ht line path and that different strips will not rub on one another.

Heating means is provided, preferably adjacent the inlet. In order to conserve heat, a heat exchanger is placed adjacent the furnace outlet and I preferably arrange for some of the combustion gases to pass through the heat exchanger so as to maintain a nonoxidizing atmosphere therein. Means is also provided for delivering the various strips of material in different paths. This is preferably accomplished by employing a set of guide rolls arranged in staggered relationship.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the present preferred embodiment of my invention as applied to a furnace for treating metal sheets Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through a furnace,

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken at right angles to the section of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line IIII1I of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 2. 7

F igure 1 shows a furnace comprising a heating chamber 2 having a top 3 and a bottom 4. -The top and the bottom are provided with slits 5 through which sheet metal may pass The sheet metal to be treated is suppliedin "coils C nounted on unreeling' spindles of straightening rolls 7 is provided for each metal strip so as to remove thecurl from the metal and insure that it will take a straight line path through the furnace chamber. Combustion chambers 8 are arranged at each side of the furnace chamber adjacent the top 8. Each of-these chambers isprovided with burner openings 9 and is separated from the chamber-proper by a bridgewall 10.- The hot combustion gases pass to the furnace chamber 2 and downwardly therethrough to outlets 11 immediately above the bottom 4 of the furnace. The outlets 11 are connected to stack passages 12. This arrangement insuresthat the cold sheets will come into contact with hot combustion gases and that, therefore, oxidation will be minimized or eliminated.

Afterthe sheets travel through the furnace 2 they pass into a cooling chamber 13 having a heat exchanger 14. therein. The heat exchanger 14 is made in spaced hollow sections 23 between which the sheets pass. The sec tions are each provided with baffles 15 so as to guide the air therethrough, as shown by the arrows. The cooling air enters at 21 and 6 above the furnace chamber 2.-A set leaves at 22. The heated air may be used for combustion at the burner openings 9 by the use of a conduit 18 which conducts the air to openings 19 near the said burner openings 9. A damper 20 may be inserted in the conduit 18 to control the air flow to the burners.

Stack openings 16 are provided in the cooling chamber 13 below the heat exchanger 14. These stack openings, as well as the stack openings 12, are provided with suitable dampers 17 whereby the flow of gases may be regulated. This arrangement permits of drawing a desired amount of the combustion gases downwardly through the cooling chamber, thus maintaining an'inert non-oxidizing atmosphere therein. The heat exchanger 14 is of sufficient capacity to cool this gas, as Well as the metal sheets.

The sheets pass downwardly through slits in the bottom 18 of the cooling chamber 13 and each pass over a guide roll 19. The guide rolls are arranged in staggered relationship so that the treated metal is discharged in different paths, as shown in Figure 1.

WVhile Ihave described and illustrated the present preferred form of my invention, it

will be understood that it is notthus limit-ed,

as it may be otherwise embodied or practiced within the scope of the following claim:

I claim An elongated heat treating furnace having end openings for the entrance and exit respectively of the material to be treated, means for passing said material continuously through the furnace from one end to the other, a combustion chamber, means at the entrance end of the furnace for introducing hot products of combustion from said chamber into intimate contact with said'material, means for withdrawing a portion of-the combustion products between the ends ofthe furnace, means at the exit end of thefurnace for cooling the materiahasaid means including independent passages forsaid material and an air stream, and means for conducting said air streamto the combustion chamber.

In testimony whereoflhave hereunto set myhand.

- STRICKLAND KNEASS, JR.

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