Patent GB-703659-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in coke oven doors and door handling machines
IPC: C10B25/14
Filed: 1951-06-29
Abstract: 703,659. Machines for handling coke-oven doors. GILLOTT, J. M. June 13, 1952 [June 29, 1951; Jan. 18, 1952], Nos. 15445/51 and 1445/52. Class 55 (1) A machine adapted to handle a self-sealing door for a horizontal coke-oven in which the door is provided with interconnected locking bars for resolving the weight of the door into equalised sealing thrusts when engaging hooks on the door frame comprises an extractor head movable towards and away from the oven structure, a contact member mounted on but movable with respect to the head and adapted to. be brought into contact with the oven structure as the head approaches the oven structure, a door - supporting member mounted on but movable with respect to the head and adapted to have its forward end brought in the approaching movement of the head into position to take the weight of the door, a connection between the contact member and the supporting member, and means to resolve relative motion between the head and the contact member in further approaching movement of the head after contact has been made with the oven structure into an upward movement of the forward end of the supporting member to transfer the weight of the door to that member. As shown in Fig. 1 the machine comprises a carriage 1 mounted on tracks 7 capable of being brought into operative alignment with any oven in the. battery. The forward end of the carriage 1 carries two pivot pins 7 on which lugs 8 at the rear of an extractor head 9 provided for pivoting of the head when it has picked up a door. The door 16 makes self-sealing contact through a sealing strip 17 with a face 18 of a door frame 19. The door is carried by pairs of hooks 20, Fig. 3, on the frame 19, through locking bars 21 mounted on horizontal pivots 22 in slides 23 movable between guides 24 'on the back plate 25 of the door. The slides 23 are connected by links 26 to an equalizing lever 27 mounted on a horizontal pivot 28. When the locking bars are engaged in hooks 20, the centre-lines of each locking bar from their engagement with the hooks to the centre of the pivot 22 makes a small angle with the horizontal so that the weight of the door is resolved into horizontal thrust to urge the sealing strip 17 into contact with the door frame 19. During removal of the door the weight of the 'door is taken by the carriage 1 through the hub 30 of the lever 27, and engagement with the hub is through a V-notch 31 on a slide 131 slidably mounted on the back plate 25 which is contacted by the end of a lifting beam 32 connected to the head 9. The lifting beam 32, Fig. 1, is pivoted at its rear end to the top of a link 33 pivoted at a lower position 34 to the head 9 and supported by a roller 35. A spring 36 urges the beam 32 forwardly. As the head 9 approaches the oven a bar 37 carried by and projecting to each side of the beam 32 makes contact with pads 38 on the oven structure, the arrangement being such that at this time the forward end of the beam 32 is positioned below the slide 131 and is clear of the back plate 25 of the door. On further approach of the head 9 towards the oven the link 33 is forced backwardly and the roller 35 moves along a cam surface 40 on the underside of the beam 32 imparting an upward movement to the forward end of the beam and to the V-notch 31, sufficient to take up the initial clearance of the V-notch 31 below the hub 30 and to take the weight of the door, so that the locking bars 21 no longer transmit the weight of the door to the hooks 20. In the final part of the approach of head to the oven pairs of levers 41 pivoted on the head 9 bring rollers 43 into contact with plates 44 extending across the door front. The links 41 are urged outwardly by springs 45 and their outer ends engage the underside of the locking bars 21 and swing them on their pivots 22 until they are dear above the hooks 20. The links 41 are interconnected with latches 48 and 52 which hook the door to the head 9. Hooked ends of the. latches engage over catch bars 50 extending across the door and a stop is provided for the upper latch 48 to prevent dropping of the latch until its hooked end has passed over the catch bar 50. Latches 48 and 52 are connected by a link 51 and dropping of the latch 48 brings the upper end of a catch lever 54 pivoted on the. latch 48 into a notch which prevents disengagement of the latches 48 and 52 with catch bars 50. The door may now be removed by a withdrawal of the carriage 1. During the initial advance of the head 9, a roller 59 mounted at the bottom of the head rides up a ramp 60 set with its top surface at a predetermined height with respect to the oven to bring the head 9 to a correct height for that particular oven. During replacement of a door a thruster 61 is operated. This is connected to an arm 62 of the catch lever 54 and enables the upper latch 48 and through the link 51, the lower latch 52 to be freed from the catch bars 50. The latch 52 closes a limit switch in the withdrawal circuit of the motor moving the carriage 1 so that withdrawal is dependent on the door having been unlatched from the head 9. Withdrawal of the carriage 1 allows the links 41 to lower the locking bars 21 into the hooks 20 and lowering of the forward end of the beam 32 transfers the weight of the door to the hooks 20 for the sealing thrust to be applied. In one modified arrangement the lifting beam makes contact with a bracket fixed to the back plate of the door and the latches 48 and 52 have inclined leading ends. The links 41 are replaced by a push-rod which on engaging the door operates a bell-crank lever pivoted on the head to lift the slide on which the equalizing lever is mounted and this in turn enables the locking bars to be rocked clear of the hooks. In further modifications the lifting beam is lifted by means of a cam pivoted to the head and having rollers which contact plates on the oven structure. Specification 688,714 is referred to.