Improvements in Apparatus for Charging Metallurgical and other Furnaces.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Dec., 1896-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Charging Metallurgical and other
Furnaces.
We, SAMUEL THOMAS WELLMAN, of Upland, in the County of Delaware,
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, and CHARLES HENRY
WELLMAN, of South Chicago in the County of Cook, State of Illinois, United
States of America, Mechanical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to construct furnace charging apparatus capable
of being operated by an electric current and adapted to quickly deposit a charge
in a furnace, or to charge in succession a row of furnaces, by picking up from a
suitable truck a loaded charging box, thrusting the same into the furnace, dumping
the load, withdrawing the box, replacing it upon the truck and repeating these
operations indefinitely.
The invention comprises a pivotted charging bar mounted so as to be moved
into and out of the furnace and capable of swinging on its pivots or trunnions so
that its front end can be raised and lowered, it also comprises a charging bar
mounted so as to be moved into and out of the furnace, and capable of turning or
partially turning around its longitudinal axis. In the preferable form of our
improved charging apparatus, the charging bar is carried by a truck which is
mounted so as to be moved to and fro upon an elevated girder, the latter, when the
charging device is intended for operation in connection with a row of furnaces,
being mounted upon suitable rails extending longitudinally along the said row of
furnaces or upon a carriage adapted to the said rails.
The charging truck has a depending frame in which is pivotted or trunnioned
the charging bar, and which carries also the operator's cab, the mechanism
for tilting and rotating the charging bar, and the various current controlling
devices.
The charging bar has at its forward end means whereby it can be caused to
engage with aud be locked to the charging box and the rear end of the charging bar
structure is connected to a crank so that by the rotation of the latter the charging
bar can be swung upon its trunnions and the forward end of the bar thus raised and
lowered.
To suitable rails laid upon the floor in front of the furnace or row of furnaces
are adapted flanged wheels having journals which turn in suitable bearings upon
the main carriage, the latter comprising suitable vertical trusses properly connected
and steadied by means of brace bars at top and bottom.
Upon these vertical trusses is supported a rectangular girder comprising opposite
chanuel bars and end bars, the lower flanges of said chanuel bars having rails upon
which are adapted to run the wheels of the charger truck, suitable angle bars
secured to the channel bars serving as guard rails to prevent the tipping of this
truck by the rise of the rear end of the same.
Depending from the forward portion of the charger truck are bars or plates
connected at the bottom by a transverse plate with depending flanges, and to
openings in these flanges are adapted trunnions projecting from the opposite sides
of a sleeve through which passes a reduced portion of the charging bar, the latter
being longitudinally confined to the sleeve by means of a collar.

page_text: The charging bar projects both forwardly and rearwardly from the trunnioned
sleeve, the forward end of the charging bar being detachable and being secured in
position by suitable transverse keys, so that it can be readily replaced when it
becomes so injured by heat as to be unserviceable.
The forward end of the charging bar has a flange which is adapted to engage
with a socket formed upon one end of each of the charging boxes, the upper end or
mouth of each socket being flared or widened so as to facilitate the entrance of the
flanged front end of the charging bar thereinto.
The series of charging boxes are mounted upon a feed truck having wheels
adapted to run upon rails directly in front of the furnace or row of furnaces, the
said truck having suitable bevelled gauges or separators which serve to direct
the charging boxes into proper position as the said boxes are lowered onto the
truck.
The charging bar is free to turn in the trunnioned sleeve and the flanged front
end of the har may be of rectangular or other equivalent shape so that when the
bar is turned on its axis the charging box with which the. flanged front end of
the charging bar engages will be caused to turn with it, and in order to lock the
charging box, to the front end of the charging bar, the latter is hollow for the
reception of a locking bolt which is adapted to enter an opening in the charging
box, the rear end of the said locking bolt projecting from the charging bar and
being connected to a lever whereby it can be readily projected or retracted.
The rear end of the charging bar turns in a bearing formed on a box-like
structure projecting rearwardly from the sleeve, and this structure also carries
the cab which is provided with a seat for, the attendant of the machine, and also
with an electric motor and various current controlling switches, referred to
hereinafter.
The. motor is geared by a train of reducing gears to the rear portion of the
charging bar so as to effect the 'turning of the said charging bar around its axis
when desired.
Mounted upon the charger truck is an electric motor which, by means of a
suitable train of reducing gears, drives a crank shaft, the latter having at each end
a crank which is connected by a rod to a projecting pin or stud on the cab
structure, so that when the shaft is rotated, the charging bar will be caused to
rock upon its trunnions and the forward end of the said charging bar will be
raised or lowered. The. forward wheels of the charger truck are secured to a shaft
which is driven by an appropriate train of reducing gears from an electric motor
on the said truck, and a motor on the main carriage drives, by means of a suitable
train of reducing gears, a shaft which in turn is geared to the shafts of two of the
supporting wheels of the said main carriage..
The current supplying wires are suitably mounted adjacent to the main carriage
of the machine and parallel with the line of movement of the same, and the said
carriage has suitable contact devices for engagement with the said wires, the
current being conveyed to the different motors by means of connections of ordinary
character 'carried through current controlling switch boxes on the cab, there being
one of these switch boxes for each motor.
In operation the charger truck is first retracted to the rear end of the elevated
girder and the forward end of the charging bar is raised by turning the cranks, to
their lowermost position. The feed truck containing a series of charging boxes is
then run in front of the furnace so that the socket of the first box of the series is
directly under the flanged forward end of the charging bar. The cranks are then
turned to their uppermost position so as to cause the flanged front end of the
charging bar to descend into the socket of the first charging box, to which it is
locked by projecting the bolt. The cranks are then again turned to such an extent
as to lift the loaded charging box from the feed truck and bring the same into
position to be thrust through the feed door of the furnace. The door being then
raised, the charger truck is moved forward on the elevated girder so as to carry
the loaded charging box into the furnace and said bar is then caused to turn around
..

page_text: its axis by means of the motor on the cab so as to reverse the charging box and
dump its load into the furnace, whereupon the movement of the charging bar is
immediately reversed or continued for a full turn in order to restore the charging
box to its normal condition, whereupon the charger truck is moved rearward on
the elevated girder until the charging box is restored to a position above the feed
truck, the cranks being then turned so as to lower the front end of the charging
bar until the box again rests on the feed truck, whereupon the locking bolt is
withdrawn, the cranks are further turned so as to withdraw the flangel front end
of the charging bar from the socket of the charging box and the feed truck is
moved forward so as to bring another charging box into position beneath the
front end of the charging bar, prior to a repetition of the above described
operations.
By mounting the charging bar upon trunnions on a depending portion of the
charger truck, not only is facility offered for readily raising and lowering the
forward end of the charging bar, but the weight of the attendant and of the various
appurtenances contained in the cab, can be utilized to counterbalance, or partially
counterbalance, the weight of the charging box and its load, and by the employ-
ment of the crank as a means of effecting the raising and lowering of the end of
the charging bar, excessive rising or falling movement of said charging bar is
rendered impossible and accident due to the over-running of the motor, or to
failure to stop the movement of the charging bar at the exact point required, is
effectually prevented.
The forward end of the elevated girder of the apparatus overhangs. the feed
truck, thereby reducing the lateral dimensions of the supporting structure to that
extent and permitting the trunnions of the charging bar to approach closely to the
charging doorway of the furnace so that the extent of swinging movement of the
bar in said doorway is comparatively slight and the use of large doorways rendered
unnecessary.
Where the character of the furnace admits of it, the main supporting carriage
which we have described may be dispensed with and the elevated girder may be
mounted directly upon rails suitably supported upon elevated longitudinal beams
or girders, the supporting wheels being driven by a suitable train of reducing
gears from a motor mounted directly upon the elevated girder.
Dated this 20th day of March 1806
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Charging Metallurgical and other
Furnaces.
We, SAMUEL THOMAS WELLMAN of Upland in the County of Delaware,
State of Pennsylvania United States of America, and CHARLES HENRY
WELLMAN, of South Chicago, in the County of Cook, State of Illinois, United
States of America Mechanical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of our invention is to provide furnace charging apparatus capable of
being operated by au electric current and adapted to quickly deposit a charge in
a furnace, or to charge in succession a row of furnaces, by picking up from a
suitable truck a loaded charging box, thrusting the same into the furnace,
discharging the load, withdrawing the box, and replacing it upon the truck.

page_text: The invention comprises a pivoted charging bar mounted so as to be movable
into and out of the furnace and capable of turning on its pivots or trunnions so
that its front end can be raised and lowered.
The invention also comprises a charging bar mounted so as to be moveable into
and out of the furnace and capable of turning or partially turning around its
longitudinal axis.
In the preferable form of our improved charging apparatus the charging bar is
carried by a truck which is capable of being moved to and fro upon an elevated
girder which girder when the charging device is intended for operation in
connection with a row of furnaces is mounted upon suitable rails extending longi-
tudinally along the row of furnaces or upon a carriage adapted to travel on the
said rails.
The truck on which the charging bar is mounted has a depending frame in
which the charging bar is trunnioned the said frame carrying also the operator's
cab, the mechanism for tilting and rotating the charging bar and the various
current controlling devices.
The charging bar has at its forward end means whereby it can be caused to
engage with and be locked to the charging box, and the rear end of the charging
bar structure is connected to a crank, so that by the rotation of the latter the
charging bar can be swung upon its trunnions and the forward end of the bar be
thus raised and lowered.
Having thus set forth the general features of the apparatus we will now proceed
to describe the same more in detail referring to the accompanying drawings, in
which
Figure 1 represents a side view of furnace charging apparatus constructed in
accordance with our invention, this view showing also a transverse section of a
melting furnace with the charging bar and its charge box inserted thereinto;
Figure 2, is a top or plan view of the charging bar and its appurtenances;
Figure 3, is a top or plan view of the entire charging apparatus ;
Figure 4, is a front view of a feed truck with a series of charge boxes mounted
thereon;
Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5 Figure 1, with the motors and
gearing of the charger truck omitted to avoid confusion;
Figure 6 is a section of the charging bar and its trunnion sleeve; and
Figure 7, is a side view illustrating a modified form of support for the girder
which carries the charging device.
bars 4
der
To suitable rails laid upon the floor in front of the furnace or row of furnaces
are adapted flanged wheels 1, having journals which turn in suitable bearings upon
the main carriage, the latter comprising suitable vertical trusses 2 properly
connected and steadied by means of brace bars 3 at the bottom and
at the top. Upon these vertical trusses is supported a rectangula.
comprising opposite channel bars 5 and end bars 6, the lower flanges ör
channel bars 5 having tails 7 upon which are adapted to run the wheels 8 of the
charger truck 9, suitable angle bars 10, secured to the bars 5 serving as guard
rails to prevent the tipping of this truck by the rise of the rear end of the
same.
Depending from the forward portion of the truck 9 are bars or plates 11
connected at the bottom by a plate 12 with depending flanges 13 and to openings
in these flanges are adapted trunnions 14 projecting from the opposite sides of a
sleeve 15 through which passes a reduced portion of the charging bar 16, the latter
being longitudinally confined to the sleeve 15 by means of a collar 17, as shown in
Figure 6.
The charging bar projects both forwardly and rearwardly from the trunnioned
sleeve 15, the forward end of the charging bar being detachable and being secured
in position by suitable transverse keys 181 Fig. 1 so that it can be readily replaced
when it becomes so injured by heat as to be unserviceable.
The forward end of the charging bar 16 has a flange 18 which is adapted to

page_text: engage with a socket formed upon one end of each of the charging boxes 19 as
shown in Figure 4 the upper end or mouth of each socket being flared or widened
so as to facilitate the entrance of the flanged front end of the charging bar
thereinto.
The series of charging boxes are mounted upon a feed truck 20 having wheels 21"
adapted to run upon rails 22 directly in front of the furnace or row of furnaces
the said truck 20 having suitable bevelled gauges or separators 23 which serve to-
direct the charging boxes into proper position as the said boxes are lowered onto-
the truck.
The charging bar is free to turn in the trunnioned sleeve 15 and the flanged"
front end of the bar is of rectangular or other equivalent shape so that when the-
bar is turned on its axis the charging box with which the flanged front end of the
charging bar engages, will be caused to turn with it, and in order to lock.
the charging box to the front end of the charging bar the latter is hollow from end:
to end for the reception of a locking bolt 24 which is adapted to enter an
opening 25, in the charging box, the rear end of the said locking bolt projecting
from the charging bar and being connected to a lever 26 whereby it can be readily
projected or retracted. The rear end of the charging bar turns in a bearing
formed on a box like structure 27 projecting rearwardly from the sleeve 15, and.
this structure also carries the cab 28, which is provided with a seat 29 for the
attendant of the machine and also with an electric motor 30 and various current
controlling switches, referred to hereinafter.
The motor 30 is geared by a train of reducing gears to the rear portion of the
charging bar 16 so as to effect the turning of the said charging bar 16 around its
axis when desired.
Mounted upon the charger truck 9 is an electric motor 31 (Figure 3) which, by
means of a suitable train of reducing gears, drives a crank shaft 32, the latter
having at each end a crank 33 which is connected by a rod 34, to a projecting pin
or stud 35 on the cab structure 28. Hence when the shaft is rotated the charging
bar 16 will be caused to rock upon the trunnions 14 and the forward end of the
said charging bar will be raised or lowered. The forward wheels 8 of the truck 9-
are secured to a shaft 36 which is driven by an appropriate train of reducing
gears from an electric motor 37 on the said truck 9, and a motor 38 on the
main carriage drives, by means of a suitable train of reducing gears, a shaft 39-
which in turn is geared to the shafts of two of the supporting wheels 1 of the said
main carriage.
The current supplying wires are suitably mounted adjacent to the main carriage
of the machine and parallel with the line moveinent of the same, and the said
carriage has suitable contact devices for engagement with the said wires, the-
current being conveyed to the different motors by means of connections of ordinary
character, which it has not been deemed necessary to show or describe further
than by saying that they are carried through current controlling switch boxes-
on the cab 28, there being one of these switch boxes for each motor, and the
boxes being numbered 30, 31, 37, and 38 to correspond with the different
motors.
Having thus described the detailed construction of our machine we will now"
describe the operation of the same.
The charger truck 9 is first retracted to the rear end of the elevated girder and
the forward end of the charger bar 16 is raised by turning the cranks 33 to their
lowermost position. The feed truck 20 containing a series of charging boxes 19 is
then run in front of the furnace, so that the socket of the first box of the series is
directly under the flanged forward end of the charging bar. The cranks 33 are
then turned to their uppermost position so as to cause the flanged front end of the
charging bar to descend into the socket of the first charging box to which it is
locked by projecting the bolt 24. The cranks 33 are then again turned to such an
extent as to lift the loaded charging box from the feed truck and bring the same
into position to be thrust through the feed door of the furnace. The door being:

page_text: then raised the truck 9 is moved forward on the elevated girder so as to carry the
loaded charging bux into the furnace, and said bar is then caused to turn around
its axis by means of the motor 30 so as to reverse the charging box and discharge
its load into the furnace whereupon the movement of the charging bar is imma-
diately reversed or continued for a full turn in order to restore the charging box
to its normal condition, whereupon the carriage 9 is movet rearward on the
elevated girder until the charging box is restored to a position above the feed
truck 20, the cranks 33 being then turned so as to lower the front end of the
charging bar until the box again rests on the feed truck, whereupon the locking
bolt 24 is withdrawn, the cranks 33 are further turned so as to withdraw the
flanged front end of the charging box and the feed truck 20 is moved forward so as
to bring another charging box into position beneath the front end of the charging
bar prior to a repetition of the above described operations.
By mounting the charging bar upon trunnions on a depending portion of the
charger truck 9 not only is facility afforded for readily raising and. lowering the
forward end of the charging bar, but the weight of the attendant and of the various
appurtenances contained in the cab can be utilized to counterbalance or partially
counterbalance the weight of the charging box and its load, and by the employment
of the cranks as a means of effecting the raising and lowering of the end of the
charging bar excessive rising or falling movement of the said charging bar is
rendered impossible, and accident due to the over-running of the motor or failure
to stop the movement of the charging bar at the exact point required is effectually
prevented.
It will be observed that the forward end of the elevated girder 5 of the apparatus
overhangs the feed truck 20, thereby reducing the lateral dimensions of the
supporting structure to that extent and permitting the trunnions of the charging
bar to approach cosely to the charging doorway of the furnace so that the extent
of swinging movement of the bar in the said doorway is comparatively slight and
the use of large doorways rendered unnecessary. The whole apparatus, moreover,
is of an extremely compact character, and. all of the various motors are within
easy and direct control of the attendant in the cab so that the desired end,
namely, the quick and accurate handling of the successive charges, is perfectly
attained.
Where the character of the furnace admits of it, the main supporting carriage
which we have illustrated and described may be dispensed with and the elevated
girder may be mounted directly upon rails suitably supported upon elevated
Tongitudinal beams or girders, such construction being shown for instance in
Figure 7, where the girder is represented as mounted upon wheels 1ª, running upon
the elevated tracks 1, these wheels being driven by a suitable train of reducing
gears from a motor 38, mounted directly upon the elevated girder.
We have set forth an organized apparatus embodying our invention in one of
its preferred forms, but modifications in the various details of the apparatus
will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and such modifications may be
made without departing from the essential features of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. Furnace charging apparatus in which are combined a frame mounted so as to
be movable toward and from the front of the furnace, a charging bar trunnioned
on the said frame, a cranked shaft mounted on the upper portion of the frame
and connected by rods to the charging bar, and means for imparting movement to
the said shaft so as to cause the rocking of the charging bar on its trunnions,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. Furnace charging apparatus in which are combined a truck mounted so as to
be movable toward and from the front of the furnace, a frame carried by the said
truck, a.charging bar trunnioned on the said frame, a cranked shaft connected to

page_text: the charging bar, an electric motor connected by means of reducing gears to the
truck wheels, and an electric motor connected by a train of reducing gears to the
crank shaft which rocks the charging bar, substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described.
3. Furnace charging apparatus in which are combined a charging bar mounted
so as to be movable into and out of the furnace, and having horizontal trunnions,
the said bar being free to turn axially in the trunuioned portion, and an electric
motor carried by the trunnioned portion of the charging bar and connected by a
train of reducing gears to the axially rotative part of the same, substantially as
and for the purpose herein before described.
4. Furnace charging apparatus in which are combined a girder mounted so as to
be movable across the front of the furnace, an electric motor and re.lucing gears
whereby such movement is effected, a truck movable to and fro on the girder in a
direction at right angles to the girder movement, an electric motor and reducing
gears whereby the movement of the said truck is effected, a frame carried by the
said truck, a charging bar horizontally trunnioned on the said frame but free to
turn axially in the trunnioned portion, an electric motor and devices operated
thereby whereby the rocking of the charging bar on its trunnions is effected, and
an electric motor mounted on the charging bar and connected by a train of
reducing gears to the axially rotative portion of the same, substantially as herein-
before described.
5. Furnace charging apparatus in which are combined a frame mounted so as to
be movable toward and from the front of the furnace, a charging bar trunnioned on
the said frame, and extending rearwardly therefrom, and a controlling cab and
its appurtenances mounted upon the rear end of the bar, substantially as herein-
before described.
6. Furnace charging apparatus in which are combined a carriage mounted on
rails in front of the furnace, feed truck rails interposed between the said main rails
and the front of the furnace, an elevated girder supported on the main carriage and
overhanging the feed truck rails, a frame mounted on the said clevated girder and
free to move to and fro thereon, and a charging bar carried by the said frame,
substantially as herein before described.
7. Furnace charging apparatus in which are combined a girder mounted so as to
be movable across the front of the furnace or furnaces, a truck mounted on the
said girder so as to be movable to and fro thereon in a direction at right angles to
the girder movement, a frame carried by the said truck, a charging bar horizontally
trunnioned on the said frame and free to turn in the trunnioned portion, a cab
mounted upon the said charging bar, electric motors for effecting the movement of
the girder and its truck and for causing the swinging and turning of the charging
bar, and motor controlling switches carried by the cab, substantially as herein before
described.
8. In a furnace charging apparatus, the combination with a charging box having
a socket thereon, of a charging bar having a flanged forward end for engaging with
the socket on the box, and a longitudinal bolt passing through the charging bar
and adapted to engage with the charging box so as to prevent the withdrawal of
the flanged head of the bar from the socket, substantially as herein before
described.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.