Apparatus for inductive heating of cylindrical members

Claim 2

A heat-treating apparatus for the successive heating of similar cylindrical members, comprising a horizontal support adapted to support said cylindrical members for axial transfer and having a rotating drive section to positively and rapidly rotate said members about their own axis, means to axially transfer said members along said support and through said rotating drive section, and a heating means mounted adjacent the support in thermally coupled heating relation to an aligned member to rapidly bring the member to a selected temperature, said rotating drive section being located to engage the member and positively rotate the cylindrical member during the alignment with the heating means.

Claim 3

The heat-treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein said heating means is a high frequency inductive heating means having coil means mounted adjacent the support in thermally coupled relation to an aligned member which is transferred through the coil.

Claim 4

The heat-treating apparatus of claim 2, having a quenching liquid applicating means immediately adjacent the heating coil means to apply quenching liquid to the tubular member as it is moved from said heating means and through said rotating drive section.

Claim 5

The heat-treating apparatus of claim 2, including lateral feed means to simultaneously feed a plurality of longitudinally aligned cylindrical members laterally onto said support, and a reciprocating feed means mounted to move longitudinally of the support and having means to engage the trailing member and to push the members along said support in a preselected stepped sequence to correspondingly locate the succeeding members within the coil means and the rotating drive section to simultaneously heat and rotate the member as it is moved axially along said support.

Claim 6

The heat treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein said support and drive section includes a first plurality of axially spaced drive rollers adjacent the coil means, a second plurality of axially spaced drive rollers aligned with the first drive rollers to define said support, means to rotate the rollers in the same direction, each of said rollers having at least one peripheral circumferential groove.

Claim 7

The heat-treating apparatus of claim 3, wherein said rotating drive section includes a plurality of laterally spaced roller means defining an upper supporting bed and means connected to rotate said roller means in the same direction.

Claim 8

The heat-treating apparatus of claim 6, wherein said drive section includes said plurality of axially spaced drive rollers located to the opposite ends of said coil means to maintain said rotating drive section to the opposite sides of the coil means, and said quenching means aligned with the drive rollers to the discharge side of said coil means.

Claim 9

The heat-treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein said heating means includes a high frequency coil having at least two adjacent radially disposed turns with the coil axis aligned with members on said support, and a bonding material rigidly interconnecting the coil turns.

Claim 10

The heat-treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein said support and drive section includes a first plurality of axially spaced drive rollers adjacent the discharge side of said coil means, a second plurality of axially spaced drive rollers mounted in opposed alignment with the first drive rollers to define the support for the members passing through the coil means, means to rotate the rollers in the same direction, each of said rollers haVing at least one peripheral circumferential groove, and a quenching liquid applicating means aligned with the rollers and applying quenching liquid to the top and bottom of the member as it is moved from said coil means.

Claim 11

The heat-treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein said drive section includes a first plurality of axially spaced drive rollers adjacent the input side of the coil means and the output side of the coil means, a second plurality of axially spaced drive rollers mounted in opposed relation to the first drive rollers to define the support for the members, each of said rollers having at least one peripheral circumferential groove, opposed elongated rollers mounted in axially spaced aligned relation with the first and second rollers to the infeed side of the coil means, a feed chute means mounted to one side of the elongated rollers to simultaneously feed a plurality of longitudinally aligned cylindrical members laterally onto said elongated rollers, a reciprocating feed means mounted to move longitudinally of the support and having means to engage the trailing member and to push the plurality of members along said support and through said coil means, and means to rotate all of said rollers in the same direction.