Improvements in Annealing Furnaces.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1892
(Complete Specification Left, 11th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Annealing Furnaces.
I, EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER, of 33 Chancery Lane, London, and 30 East
Parade, Leeds, in the County of York, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
(which invention has been communicated to me from abroad by Alfred Abernethy
Cowles, of No. 1 West Seventy-second Street, in the City and State of New York,
United States of America, Secretary) :-
In the construction and operation of annealing furnaces difficulties have arisen
from inequality in the heat in different portions of the heating chamber, and hence
in the articles passing through such chamber not being uniformly annealed, and
also the chains that have been employed in drawing the articles through the
annealing chamber are rapidly injured or deteriorate in consequence of the heat to
which they are exposed.
The present invention is made for obviating this difficulty, and it relates to a
heating chamber that is provided with end doors that are open for the insertion or
removal of the articles, and in the hearth or bottom of this chamber there are one
or more tubular chain ways slotted along their upper portion for the passage of
lugs or projections by which the chains passing through the tubular chain ways are
caused to move along the trays or other devices having the articles to be annealed,
and the chains are returned through an archway beneath the bottom of the
annealing chamber, and they are moved progressively by wheels around which the
chains pass, and at one side of the annealing chamber there are two or more
furnaces, and at the opposite side of the annealing chamber there are descending
flues with dampers opening into a longitudinal chamber leading to a chimney, so
that by this construction the heat can be regulated at will, and the heat is confined
more or less within the chamber, and allowed to pass off through either one or
more of the descending flues, thereby great uniformity in the annealing operation
is obtained, and the chains are protected from injury, and the articles to be
annealed can be moved along through the annealing chamber in the most convenient
manner.
Dated this 19th day of July 1892.
BREWER & SON,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Annealing Furnaces.
A communication to me from abroad by ALFRED ABERNETHY COWLES, of
No. 1, West 72nd Street, in the City and State of New York, United States
of America, Secretary.
1, EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER, of 33 Chancery Lane, London, and 30 East
Parade, Leeds in the County of York, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of
Patent Agents, 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
he following statement :-
In the construction and operation of annealing furnaces difficulties have arisen
from inequality in the heat in different portions of the heating chamber, and hence
n the articles passing through such chamber not being uniformly annealed, and
Iso the chains that have been employed in drawing the articles through the
[Price 8d l

page_text: .
annealing chamber are rapidly injured or deteriorate in consequence of the heat to
which they are exposed.
The present invention is made for obviating this difficulty, and it relates to a
heating chamber that is provided with end doors that are opened for the insertion
or removal of the articles, and in the hearth or bottom of this chamber there are
one or more tubular chainways slotted along their upper portions for the passage of
lugs or projections by which the chains passing through the tubular chainways are
caused to move along the trays or other devices having the articles to be annealed,
and the chains are returned through an archway beneath the bottom of the
annealing chamber and they are moved progressively by wheels around which the
chains pass, and at one side of the annealing chamber there are two or more
furnaces and at the opposite side of the annealing chamber there are descending flues
with dampers opening into a longitudinal chamber leading to a chimney, so that by
this construction the heat can be regulated at will, and the heat is confined more or
less within the chamber and allowed to pass off through either one or more of the
descending flues, thereby great uniformity in the annealing operation is obtained
and the chains are protected from injury and the articles to be annealed can be
moved along through the annealing chamber in the most convenient manner.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is a plan with the crown or arches of the heating chamber and the fire
chambers removed and the walls in section at the line X X, Fig. 3.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section at the line YY, Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a cross section at the line Z Z, Fig. 1, and
Fig. 4 is a cross section, in larger size, of the tubular chainway.
The heating chamber is long and has a floor A, side walls B B, and an arch or
crown C, and at the ends thereof there are doors D D', preferably hinged at their
upper edges and provided with chains 2 to the levers E, by which such doors may
be opened for the insertion or removal of the articles to be annealed. Below the
floor A is an arch F, supported by the side wall above the open chamber G, and
at one side of the heating chamber there are the fire chambers H. H¹, provided
with grate bars and fuel doors I of any ordinary construction, and the rear ends of
the fire chambers are connected by the flues 3 to the heating chamber, such flues
passing through the side wall B, and in the other side wall B' there are fluc
openings 4, leading to a longitudinal chamber or flue K in the bottom of which
are openings 5, passing down into the flue L, which leads to the chimney of any
desired character, which may be located at M.
There are by preference five flues 4 in the side wall B', located at equal distances
apart, and they are provided with dampers, so that the products of combustion as
they pass through the heating chamber may be directed from either one or both
fires to one or more of the flues 4. Hence the heat of the heating chamber can be
regulated with facility and it may be uniform, or nearly so, throughout, or any one
part may be heated to a higher temperature than another, according to the
requirements of the articles or goods that are being annealed in the heating
chamber, and the products of combustion passing downwardly as they leave the
heating chamber causes a proper detention of the heat in such heating chamber to
insure its action upon the materials being annealed.
It is to be understood that this annealing furnace is constructed of brickwork
lined with fire-bricks in those portions that are exposed to a high temperature and
that tie-rods and stay-bars are employed, as usual, for supporting the walls and
arches.
To lessen the labor heretofore necessarily expended in introducing the articles
to be annealed and in withdrawing the same from the heating chamber, one, two,
or more endless chains N are made use of. Two of such chains are shown and they
are made of plate links, provided at suitable distances apart with lugs 6, and these
endless chains pass over guide wheels O and around the driving wheels P upon the
cross shaft Q, and there are supporting wheels or rolls R in the open chamber G,
and within the heating chamber such chains pass below the floor, the lugs 6

page_text: projecting above the floor in order that such chains may be protected from injury
by the heat and with this object in view I provide in the floor A the tubular
chainways S, which are preferably of iron, having a longitudinal channel way
considerably larger than the chain and with a longitudinal slot at the top of the
channel way, through which the lugs 6 project upwardly, and the flanges 7 are
provided on the top and at each side of the chainway upon the level or nearly so
of the floor of the heating chamber, and the chains extend beyond the ends of the
heating chamber, as represented, and occupy inclined positions, so that the
attendants can place the pan containing the goods or metallic articles to be annealed
upon such chains adjacent to the door D and then open such door and pass the pan
partially into the heating chamber, and then by actuating the driving shaft and
chain such pan and its contents will be drawn into the heating chamber to whatever
position may be desired in relation to the fires, and such pan is moved along from
time to time as the annealing progresses and as other pans are introduced, and it is
finally drawn out at the opposite end of the heating chamber, the door D' being
raised for that purpose, and such pan can then be lifted conveniently off the incline
by the attendants.
It is remarked that the tubular chainway being larger than the chain allows an
air space around such chain, and the air passes into the chainway and rises up
through the slot in the top of such chainway, thereby keeping the chain
comparatively cool and lessening injury that might otherwise result to the same
from the licat of the chamber, and as an additional precaution the spaces beneath
the flanges 7 may be left open, so that air may circulate through the same and
tend to lessen the heat of the chainway and its flanges and reduce the temperature
of the chain.
One endless chain might be made use of in instances where the pan is constructed
so as to be hooked at its forward edge or end to the chain, so as to be drawn along,
but usually it is advantageous to employ two chains, as represented, with the lugs
opposite to each other, so that the pans can be pushed along through the heating
chamber with a uniformity of movement, and for large sized heating chambers
three chains may be made use of.
In consequence of the articles or materials to be annealed being supplied at one
end of the heating chamber and delivered at the other end the annealing operations
can be carried on progressively and with as much rapidity as consistent with the
proper heating of the articles under operation, and the labor necessarily
employed in handling the materials is lessened and the risk of wear and injury to
the heating chambers almost entirely removed. The chains as they pass to the
heating chamber and at the end where they leave the same are supported in the
inclined positions shown, by any convenient devices. Cross bars or rolls T beneath
such chains and about midway between the chain wheels are represented.
In the drawings two fire chambers are represented.
It is to be understood that three or more fire chambers may be used, according
to the size and requirements of the annealing furnace.
In cases where the metal to be annealed is of such a character that it may be
acted upon directly by the chains the pans may be dispensed with and the
connection between the pan and chain may be of any suitable character.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
First. The combination, with the heating chamber in an annealing furnace and
chains for moving the articles to be annealed through the heating chamber, of
tubular chainways introduced into the floor below the bottom of the heating
chamber, such tubular chainways being slotted along the top for the lug or
connection between the chain and pan or article to be moved through the heating
chamber and also forming an air tube to keep the chain cool, substantially as
specified.

page_text: Second. The combination, with the heating chamber in an annealing furnace and
chains for moving the articles to be annealed through the heating chamber, of
tubular chainways below the bottom of the heating chamber, such tubular chainways
having projecting flanges 7 and being slotted along the top for the lug or connection
between the chain and pan or article to be moved through the heating chamber and
also forming an air tube to keep the chain cool, substantially as specified.
Third. The combination, in an annealing furnace, of a heating chamber and
doors at the ends, fire chambers at one side and dampers and flues at the other side
opening downwardly into an escape fluc, chains for moving the articles to be
annealed progressively through the heating chamber, and tubular chainways
introduced below the floor of the heating chamber and slotted along the top and
forming air tubes to keep the chain cool, substantially as specified.
Dated this 11th day of January 1893.