Improvements in Furnaces for Heating Billets or Bars.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1899 -Accepted, 13th Jan., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furnaces for Heating Billets or Bars.
I, CHARLES HILL MORGAN, of 21, Lincoln Street, Worcester, in the County
of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare that the nature of this invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My improvements relate to furnaces designed for heating billets or long bars
for rolling mills and comprising a heating chamber into which the billets or
bars are introduced at one end and are successively pushed to the opposite end,
from which they are delivered to the rolling mill. My improvements particu-
larly relate to the construction of the furnace by which the roof is composed of
a series of circular arches with their axes arranged transversely to the heating
chamber and supported upon vertical side walls; to the method of introducing
the billets or bars by an endwise movement through an opening in the side wall
of the furnace; to a pushing mechanism operating through restricted openings
in the end wall to successively move the billets or bars by a broadside movement
from the admission to the delivery end of the heating chamber; to the construc-
tion and arrangement of water-protected skids and a flanged sole-plate upon
which the billets or bars are supported and my improvements further relate to
the employment of two heating chambers arranged in alinement and having a
common receiving hearth for the heated billets and a common delivery opening
through which billets or bars heated in either of the heating chambers are
delivered to a rolling mill.
In the following description of my invention and the manner in which the same
is to be performed, reference is made to the letters and figures in the accom-
panying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 represents a plan view of a furnace illustrating the nature of my
improvements with one half of the furnace shown in horizontal, sectional view,
in order to disclose the interior of the heating chamber.
Figure 2 represents a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view of the furnace
represented in Fig. 1, the section being taken on lines 2, 2, Fig. 1.
Figure 3 represents a central, longitudinal, sectional view of a furnace com-
prising two heating chambers placed in alignment and having a common receiv-
ing hearth for the heated billets and a common delivery opening through which
they are delivered to the rolling mill.
Figure 4 represents a plan view of the furnace shown in Figure 3, shown in
sectional view on line 4, 4, Figure 3, but with the billets removed.
Like parts are indicated in the accompanying drawings by like letters and
figures of reference.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, 1 denotes the heating chamber inclosed by a
roof, consisting in the present instance of three circular arches 2, 3, and 4.
The arches 2 and 4 are supported at their outer ends upon piers 5 and 6 at each
end of the furnace and at their inner ends upon skew-backs 7, 7, and the ends
of the inner arch 3 are supported upon skew-backs 8, 8.

page_text: The skew-backs 7 and 8 are arranged in pairs with vertical and abutting
walls 9 held in contact by the lateral thrust of the arches upon opposite sides
of each abutting pair which are provided with semicircular recesses 10 in the
vertical walls 9 forming a circular chamber to receive a water pipe 11.
The water pipes 11 are suspended by looped metal straps 12 and suspension
rods 13 from the I-beams 14 which "extend transversely across the furnace
above the circular arches 2, 3, and 4, and are supported at their ends upon the
vertical side walls 15 of the furnace. The piers 5 and 6 are backed by metal
plates 16 against which is placed the edges of the I-beams 17 having their oppo-
site edges bearing against the vertical I-beams 18 which are united at their
upper and lower ends by tie rods 19, 19, so as to receive the lateral thrust of
the circular arches upon the piers 5 and 6, while the interior ends of the circular
arches are supported upon the transverse skew-backs, which are supported by
the water pipes 11, suspended by straps 12 and rods 13 from I-beams 14 which
rest at their ends upon the side walls of the furnace. The weight of the roof is
thereby distributed upon the outer walls and the transverse arches, by con-
tracting the space at intervals, increase the reverberatory action of the currents
of gaseous fuel, with which the furnace is charged through ports 3ª, in their
passage to the downward escape flues 3b.
As the roof is horizontal and the floor inclined, these contracted spaces in-
crease in area toward the delivery end of the furnace. Water pipes 21 serve as
skids upon which the billets, or bars, represented in Fig. 2 by the broken
lines 22, are successively moved from the charging end of the heating chamber
by means of pushing bars 23 connected by links 24 with arms 25 upon a rock-
ing shaft 26, which is provided with arms 27 and connected by links 28 with a
reciprocating piston inclosed in a hydraulic cylinder 29 by which the rocking
shaft 26 is oscillated and a reciprocating motion imparted to the pushing bars 23.
An opening 30 is provided in one of the side walls at the charging end of
the chamber for the introduction of billets, or bars, endwise and inserted in the
floor 20, and opposite the opening 30, is a water box 31, also connected with a
water supply, with its upper surface 32 constituting a sole-plate, upon which the
billet is received.
The upper surface of the water box is depressed at intervals forming recesses
to allow the water pipes, or skids, 21 to pass over the water box below the path
of the billet as it is pushed endwise upon the upper surface of the water box.
The water box 31 is provided on one side with an upward flange 33 which
serves as a guide wall for the billet in its endwise movement and is provided
with openings 34 to receive the pushing bars 23.
In the operation of my improved furnace, the pushing bars 23 are drawn back
by their connected actuating mechanism, so as to clear the space over the water
box 31 and a billet or bar is inserted endwise into the heating chamber 1 through
the opening 30, the billet sliding along and resting upon the surface 32 of the
water box. A reciprocating motion is then imparted to the pushing bars 23 and
the billet lying upon the surface 32 of the water box is pushed sidewise off the box
upon the water pipes, or skids, 21. The pushing bars 23 are then drawn back
and a second billet or bar inserted through the opening 30.
The flange 33 and the side of the billet last inserted serve as guiding walls
for the advancing end of the billet.
A forward movement is then imparted to the pushing bars 23 and the billet
is pushed off the water box 31 moving the adjacent billet along the pipes, or
skids, 21 and as each succeeding billet is inserted, the entire series of billets,
or bars, lying upon the water pipes, or skids, 21 are horizontally moved along
toward the opposite or delivery end of the furnace.
As the billets approach
the ends of the water pipes, or skids, 21 they fall upon the horizontal hearth 35
from which they are removed through an opening 35" in the side wall of the
furnace.
The openings in the end wall of the furnace, for the pushing bars 23 are sub-

page_text: 5
antially closed by the pushing bars and the opening 30 in the side
e furnace is restricted to the size of the billet or bar and is therefore practically
osed during the introduction of the billet and the undue escape of heat from
he chamber 1 is thereby prevented during the introduction of a billet and the
peration of a pushing mechanism.
The box 30 is provided with a supply of moving water and not only serves
sa sole-plate, but also to conduct the billet over the water pipes, or skids, 21
nd to guide the advancing end of the billet by means of its flange 32.
The furnace is fired or heated by gas which is admitted through ports 3.
nd intermingled with currents of air under pressure admitted through ports 3°
nto the space 3d, which forms a mixing chamber in which the mixed gas and
ir is united and from which it flows over a bridge 3 to the heating chamber 1.
The products of combustion are taken from the heating chamber through the
Hownward flues 3b which communicate with a smoke stack in the usual manner
in furnaces of this class.
common
In Figure 3 I have shown two heating chambers 36, 37, placed in alignment,
or end to end, having water pipes, or skids, 38, 38, over which the billets are
moved from the outer ends of the chambers 36 and 37 to a
hearth 39 from which they are taken through an opening 40 to the rolling
mill. Gaseous fuel is admitted into each of the heating chambers 36 and 37
from pits 41, 42, forming currents passing in opposite directions and escaping
through the downward flues 43, 44, at the outer ends of the furnace.
The heating chambers 36 and 37 communicate at the central portion of the
furnace, or they may be divided by a partition wall, as shown by the broken
lines 45; but when they communicate the relative intensity of the oppositely
directed currents may be varied, or both currents may be directed through the
same heating chamber, by means of dampers at the escape flues, such as are
usually employed in furnaces of this class.
Two rows of billets or bars may be simultaneously heated in the chambers 36
and 37 and the heated billets withdrawn from either row through the opening 40,
thereby doubling the supply of heated billets to the rolling mill; or rolls can
be employed having two sets of passes, or circumferential grooves, adapted to
roll billets of different sizes which can be separately heated in the chambers 36
and 37.
my said
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
First. In a furnace, the combination of vertical side walls, a framework sup-
ported thereon, an arched roof suspended from said framework with the axes of
its arches at right angles with said side walls, end walls receiving the end
thrust of said arched roof, piers outside said end walls, beams between said piers
and said end walls, and tie rods connecting the piers at opposite ends of the
furnace, as and for the purpose set forth.
Second. In a furnace, the combination of a heating chamber, a pushing
mechanism, an opening through which billets are admitted by an endwise
movement into the port of said pushing mechanism, as and for the purpose set
forth.
Third. In a furnace, a heating chamber having an opening near one end for
the delivery of heated billets, a pushing mechanism arranged to act through the
50 opposite end wall and push a billet by a sidewise movement toward the delivery
opening, an opening in the side wall for the admission of a billet by an endwise
movement into the path of said pushing mechanism and a longitudinal track
over which the billets are pushed through the heating chamber, as and for the
purpose set forth.
55
Fourth. In a furnace, a heating chamber having an opening in one of its side
walls for the admission of a billet by an endwise movement and a sole-plate

page_text: opposite said admission opening having a flange to guide the advancing end
of the billet, as and for the purpose set forth.
Fifth. In a furnace, a heating chamber having an opening for the admission
of a billet by an endwise movement, a sole-plate placed opposite said opening
provided with recesses to receive a longitudinal track, and a longitudinal track
extending through said recesses, as, and for the purpose set forth.
Sixth. In a furnace, the combination with a heating chamber having an
opening for the admission of a billet by an endwise movement and a series of
restricted openings for a series of reciprocating pusher bars, of a series of
reciprocating pusher bars sliding in said restricted openings and means outside
the heating chamber by which a reciprocated movement is imparted to said
pushing bars, as and for the purpose set forth.
Seventh. In a furnace, the combination of a floor presenting a plane surface
to the impact of a current of heated gases in the direction of their movement
lengthwise the furnace, a roof extending over said floor, and comprising a series
of circular arches with their axes arranged transversely to the furnace and a
series of ribs between said arches, whereby the space between the floor and roof
is contracted at intervals, as and for the purpose set forth.
Eighth. In a furnace, a heating chamber having an opening at one end for
the admission of billets and an opening at the opposite end for their delivery, a
floor inclined toward the delivery end of the chamber, a roof extending hori-
zontally over said floor and consisting of a series of circular arches with their
axes transverse to the heating chamber, whereby the space between the floor and
roof is contracted at intervals with the area of said contracted space gradually
increasing toward the delivery end of the chamber, as and for the purpose set
forth,
Ninth. In a furnace, the combination of two heating chambers, placed end to
end and in alignment, openings at the other ends of said chambers for the
admission of billets, pushing mechanisms by which the billets are pushed length-
wise said chambers, a common hearth for the reception of billets from each of
said chambers and a common delivery opening, as and for the purpose set forth.
Tenth. In a furnace, two heating chambers placed end to end and in alignment,
openings in the outer ends of said chambers for the admission of billets, a common
hearth between said chambers for the reception of heated billets, a delivery
opening opposite said hearth, fuel openings on each side of said central hearth
and escape flues at the admission ends of said chambers, as and for the purpose
set forth.
בד
35
3000