Heat treating apparatus for crankshafts

Claim 1

IN A APPARATUS FOR HARDENING THE MAIN AND PIN BEARINGS OF A PLURALITY OF CRANKSHAFTS; A QUENCH TANK HAVING QUENCH FLUID CONTAINED THEREIN; A CRANKSHAFT CARRIER FOR SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF CRANKSHAFTS WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF THE CRANKSHAFTS SPACED AND PARALLEL AND EACH BEARING OF ONE CRANKSHAFT LYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN A COMMON VERTICAL PLANE CONTAINING CORRESPONDING BEARINGS OF THE OTHER CRANKSHAFTS, AT LEAST ONE OF THE CRANKSHAFTS BEING SPACED ABOVE THE LEVEL OF QUENCH FLUID CONTAINED IN SAID TANK; AN INDUCTOR CARRIER AND INDUCTOR COIL ASSEMBLY MOVABLE ALONG A PATH PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF THE CRANKSHAFTS TO SELECTED POSITIONS WHEREIN SAID INDUCTOR COIL IS MOVABLE VERTICALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID INDUCTOR CARRIER INTO HEATING RELATIONSHIP WITH A PARTICULAR ONE OF THE BEARINGS OF THE CRANKSHAFT SPACED ABOVE THE LEVEL OF QUENCH FLUID; A PLURALITY OF QUENCH CASINGS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID TANK BELOW THE LEVEL OF QUENCH FLUID, SAID CASINGS EACH INCLUDING A CURVED SURFACE HAVING A PLURALITY OF OUTLET APERTURES FORMED THERETHROUGH; MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLY SECURING SAID QUENCH CASINGS TO SAID TANK WHEREBY SAID CASINGS ARE DISPOSED IN A LINE PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF THE CRANKSHAFTS AND THE CURVED SURFACE OF EACH CASING IS ADJACENT TO A RESPECTIVE BEARING OF ONE OF THE CRANKSHAFTS DISPOSED BELOW THE QUENCH LEVEL; A SOURCE OF QUENCH FLUID UNDER PRESSURE; A PLURALITY OF FLUID CONDUCTING MEANS, EACH OF SAID FLUID CONDUCTING MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SOURCE OF QUENCH FLUID UNDER PRESSURE AND A RESPECTIVE OF ONE OF SAID QUENCH CASINGS; VALVE MEANS IN EACH OF SAID FLUID CONDUCTING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF QUENCH FLUID THERETHROUGH, EACH OF SAID VALVE MEANS BEING NORMALLY CLOSED; VALVE CONTROL MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID VALVE MEANS, EACH OF SAID VALVE CONTROL MEANS BEING CONDITIONABLE TO OPEN THE VALVE MEANS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH; AND MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID INDUCTOR CARRIER AND INDUCTOR COIL ASSEMBLY IN EACH SELECTED POSITION, SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE INCIDENT TO OPERATION THEREOF TO CONDITION THE VALVE CONTROL MEANS OF A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID VALVE MEANS TO OPEN SAME.