Heating and heat treatment furnace for metal products and ingots

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR HEAT TREATING INGOTS BY MEANS OF A SEMI-CONTINUOUS FURNACE HAVING A ROTARY HEARTH HEATED FROM THE CENTER OF SAID HEARTH, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ANNULAR ROTATABLE HEARTH, STATIONARY WALL ELEMENTS SURMOUNTING SAID HEARTH AND A CYLINDRICALLY SHAPED STATIONARY PARTITION IN SAID HEARTH COAXIALLY DISPOSED WITH RESPECT THERETO, SAID HEARTH, SAID ELEMENTS AND SAID PARTITION DEFINING AN ANNULAR SPACE FOR THE ACCOMMODATION AND THE TREATMENT OF SAID INGOTS, MEANS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF CENTRALLY OPEN CELLS IN SAID SPACE ARRANGED IN A CIRCLE COAXIAL WITH SAID HEARTH, MEANS INSIDE SAID PARTITION FOR SUPPLYING HEATED GASES THERETO, CIRCULATING MEANS FOR CIRCULATING THE HEATED GASES DISPOSED INSIDE SAID PARTITION, MEANS ESTABLISHING A PASSAGE FOR SAID GASES AT THE TOP AND AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID PARTITION, RADIAL SCREENS ON SAID HEARTH AND ADJACENT SAID CENTRALLY OPEN CELLS FOR THERMALLY INSULATING SAID CENTRALLY OPEN CELLS FROM EACH OTHER, A SINGLE DOOR IN THE STATIONARY WALL ELEMENTS FOR PASSAGE OF SAID INGOTS TO AND FROM SAID CELLS, AND MECHANICAL HANDLING MEANS ADAPTED FOR ENGAGING AND PASSING SAID INGOTS THROUGH SAID DOOR WHEN THE LATTER IS OPEN.