Furnace having conveyor with intermittent drive

Claim 2

In a furnace construction for heat treating metallic articles, a heating chamber, a conveyor belt extending through said heating chamber and receiving said metallic articles thereon for transfer through said heating chamber during the heattreating cycle, means for supporting said conveyor belt along the length thereof, means for driving said conveyor belt in an intermittent motion including a pivotally mounted member with which said belt is engaged in frictional relation, and means for periodically pivoting said member in a direction toward the rear of the furnace construction, wherein said belt is dragged periodically in the same direction to effect an intermittent advancing movement of said belt through said heating chamber.

Claim 3

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 1, said pivotally mounted member having an arcuate surface over which said conveyor belt is received and being located at the rearmost end of said supporting means in disconnected relation with respect thereto, wherein pivotal movement of said member imparts a corresponding longitudinal movement of said conveyor belt.

Claim 4

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 2, said supporting means including a plurality of plates that are disposed in end-to-end horizontal relation and that define a bed over which said belt is slidably moved during the intermittent movement thereof.

Claim 5

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 3, said belt having upturned marginal edges formed thereon that act to retain the articles in place on said belt.

Claim 6

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 2, means for heating said pivotally mounted member so as to maintain the temperature of the area at which said member is located substantially the same as in said heating zone, thereby providing for continued heat treatment of the articles as said belt moves over said member, and to provide for minimum stress on said belt during the movement thereof.

Claim 7

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 1, a quench zone located adjacent to the rearmost end of said conveyor belt, for receiving the heat treated articles therefrom for quenching, and rotating means located at said quench zone for automatically transferring the quenched articles from said quench zone to a discharge area for further handling.

Claim 8

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 6, said quench zone including a tank in which a quench liquid is located, said rotating means including a transfer wheel having a plurality of pockets that are intermittently immersed in said quench liquid and that receive the articles therein, the axis of said wheel being inclined so that upon movement of a pocket out of the quench liquid to a position opposed thereto, said articles drop from the pocket by gravity to said discharge area.

Claim 9

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 1, a loading station Located forwardly of said heating zone, means for loading said articles onto said conveyor belt at said loading station including a feed belt, means for driving said feed belt at a predetermined speed, wherein said feed belt cooperates with said intermittently moving conveyor belt to deposit said articles on said conveyor belt in said heating chamber.

Claim 10

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 8, means for sealing said loading station from said heating chamber, after the loading of said articles on said conveyor belt, wherein the heating chamber is isolated during the heat-treating cycle.

Claim 11

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 1, said heating chamber being located in a vacuum vessel, wherein the heat treating cycle of said articles is carried out in a predetermined vacuum and at a predetermined temperature.

Claim 12

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 10, a loading station at which said articles are introduced into said furnace construction, a feed belt located at said loading station for receiving said articles thereon, and means for driving said feed belt at a predetermined speed, wherein said feed belt cooperates with said intermittently moving conveyor belt to deposit said articles on said conveyor belt in said heating chamber.

Claim 13

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 10, a quench zone located adjacent to said heating chamber, said quench zone including a quench tank having a liquid quench medium contained therein, and means received in said quench tank for automatically transferring the quenched articles to a delivery station for further handling.

Claim 14

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 12, said pivotally mounted member being located at the discharge end of said heating chamber and being disconnected from said supporting means, wherein pivotal movement of said member imparts a corresponding longitudinal movement of said conveyor belt that is located in frictional engagement therewith.

Claim 15

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 13, said supporting means including a plurality of plates that are disposed in end-to-end horizontal relation and that define a bed over which said belt is slidably moved during the intermittent movement thereof.

Claim 16

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 12, said transferring means including a wheel having a plurality of spaced pockets formed therein that are periodically movable into said quench tank for receiving the quenched articles therein, the axis of said wheel being inclined so that upon movement of a pocket out of the quench tank to a position opposite thereto, the articles therein drop from the pocket by gravity to said delivery station.

Claim 17

In a furnace construction for heat treating metallic articles, a heating chamber, a conveyor belt extending through said heating chamber and receiving said metallic articles thereon for transfer through said heating chamber during the heat treating cycle, means for driving said conveyor belt, means located at a loading station for loading said articles onto said conveyor belt at the entrance to said heating chamber including a longitudinally movable loading device having a feed conveyor mounted for movement thereon, and means responsive to movement of said loading device for controlling movement of said feed conveyor, wherein said articles are transferred from said feed conveyor to said conveyor belt only when said loading device is moving in a longitudinal direction.

Claim 18

In a furnace construction for heat treating metallic articles, a heating chamber, a conveyor belt extending through said heating chamber and receiving said metallic articles thereon for transfer through said heating chamber during the heat treating cycle, means for driving said conveyor belt, means located at a loading station for loading said articles onto said conveyor belt at the entrance to said heating chamber including a longitudinally movable loading device having a feed conveyor mounted for movement thereon, and means responsive to movement of said loading device for controlling movement of said feed conveyor, wherein said articles are transferred from said feed conveyor to said conveyor belt only when said loading device is moving in a longitudinal direction.

Claim 19

In a furnace construction as set forth in claim 16, a rack located in fixed relation at said loading station, a gear on said loading device engaging said rack and rotatable thereon upon longitudinal movement of said loading device, said feed conveyor being interconnected to said gear and driven thereby, and clutch means responsive to rotation of said gear to permit movement of said feed conveyor only upon reverse longitudinal movement of said loading device, wherein the movement of said conveyor belt and reverse movement of said loading device that provides for movement of said feed conveyor deposits said articles from said feed conveyor onto said conveyor belt at approximately zero velocity.

Claim 20

In a furnace construction for heat treating metallic articles, a heating chamber, a conveyor belt extending through said heating chamber and receiving said articles thereon for transfer through said heating chamber during the heat-treating cycle, means for driving said conveyor belt, said heating chamber being maintained at a subatmospheric pressure during the heating cycle so that heat treating is carried out in a vacuum, a quench zone communicating with said heating chamber and receiving the heat-treated articles for quenching therein, and a rotatable transfer device extending into said quench zone for automatically transferring said articles from said quench zone to a delivery zone for further handling, said transfer device including a wheel having a plurality of spaced pockets formed therein that are periodically movable into said quench zone for receiving the quenched articles therein, the axis of said wheel being inclined so that upon rotating movement thereof each of said pockets is moved through the quench zone to a position opposite thereto, wherein the articles received in said quench zone drop by gravity to said delivery zone.

Claim 21

In a furnace construction for heat treating metallic articles, a heating chamber, a conveyor belt extending through said heating chamber and receiving said articles thereon for transfer through said heating chamber during the heat-treating cycle, means for driving said conveyor belt, said heating chamber being maintained at a subatmospheric pressure during the heating cycle so that heat treating is carried out in a vacuum, a quench zone communicating with said heating chamber and receiving the heat-treated articles for quenching therein, and a rotatable transfer device extending into said quench zone for automatically transferring said articles from said quench zone to a delivery zone for further handling, said transfer device including a wheel having a plurality of spaced pockets formed therein that are periodically movable into said quench zone for receiving the quenched articles therein, the axis of said wheel being inclined so that upon rotating movement thereof each of said pockets is moved through the quench zone to a position opposite thereto, wherein the articles received in said quench zone drop by gravity to said delivery zone.