Integral quench furnace and transfer mechanism

Claim 2

A metallurgical furnace having a quench chamber and an elevated temperature heat treating chamber comprising: means for dividing said quench chamber from said heat treating chamber; and transfer means in said quench chamber for entering said heat treating chamber at the completion of the heat treating cycle, lifting the charge vertically and transferring the charge being heat treated into a quenching media in said quench chamber without sliding and rolling said charge, said transfer means being maintained outside said heat treating chamber until time for quenching said charge, said transfer means comprises vertically translatable means mounted for movement within said quench chamber and horizontally translatable means mounted for horizontal translation from within said vertically translatable means.

Claim 3

A furnace as defined in claim 1 wherein said vertically translatable means is an A-frame support member.

Claim 4

A furnace as defined in claim 1 wherein said horizontally translatable means includes a forked loading cart mounted so that only the fork prongs enter said heat treating chamber.

Claim 5

A furnace as defined in claim 1 wherein said horizontally translatable means comprises an alignment frame mounted for horizontal translation from within said vertically translatable member and a loading cart mounTed for horizontal translation from within said alignment frame, said furnace further including drive means operatively connected to said vertically and horizontally translatable means.

Claim 6

A furnace as defined in claim 4 wherein said alignment frame comprises: a pair of spaced guide plates; a pair of longitudinally extending guide rails attached to the opposing inner surfaces of each of said guide plates; and said loading cart comprises: a plurality of axially extending cylindrical members; a plurality of transverse support members spacedly mounting said cylindrical members, a pair of loading cart side plates, and a plurality of spaced roller pairs mounted on the outer surfaces of said loading cart side plates for movably mounting said loading cart on said guide rails.

Claim 7

A furnace as defined in claim 1 further including hydraulically actuated drive means for said vertically translatable member and for said horizontally translatable member, said hydraulic drive means having no seals which interface with the atmosphere.

Claim 8

A furnace as defined in claim 6 wherein said drive means comprise: a hydraulic motor; a chain and sprocket drive system connected to said horizontally translatable member for driving said member in a forward and reverse direction; and a hydraulic piston attached to said vertically translatable member for vertically driving said vertically translatable member.

Claim 9

A furnace as defined in claim 7 wherein said drive means further comprise a pair of overriding auxiliary pistons mounted in said quench chamber for lowering said vertical translatable member by a sufficient distance to permit at least a portion of said horizontally translatable member to enter said heat treating chamber beneath the charge being heat treated, said auxiliary pistons being selectively actuatable to vertically translate said vertically translatable member so that said horizontally translatable member picks up said charge.

Claim 10

A furnace as defined in claim 7 further including means for accelerating and then decelerating said horizontally translatable member in a predetermined manner when it is driven from said heat treating chamber to said quench chamber.

Claim 11

A furnace as defined in claim 9 wherein said accelerating and decelerating means comprises a hydraulic control valve for varying the speed of said hydraulic motor.

Claim 12

A furnace as defined in claim 10 wherein said accelerating and decelerating means further comprises a cam member operatively connected to said chain and sprocket drive system for controlling acceleration and deceleration of said horizontally translatable member.

Claim 13

In a metallurgical furnace having a heat treating chamber and a horizontally adjacent quench chamber, a transfer mechanism comprising: a vertically displaceable support member mounted within said quench chamber; a drive assembly connected to said support member and to a wall of said quench chamber for moving said support member into a charge pick up position, a quench position and an unload position; an alignment frame mounted within said support member for horizontal movement from within said support member; a loading cart mounted within said alignment frame for horizontal movement between a charge pick up position, a quench position and a charge unload position, said support member and said loading cart positions determining the vertical and horizontal positions of said loading cart during charge pick up, quench and unload; means for driving said loading cart to said positions; and means for driving said alignment frame.

Claim 14

In a metallurgical furnace having a heat treating chamber and a horizontally adjacent quench chamber, a transfer mechanism comprising: a vertically displaceable support member mounted within said quench chamber; a drive assembly connected to said support member and to a wall of said quench chamber for moving said support member into a charge pick up position, a quench position and an unload position; an alignment frame mounted within said support member for horizontal movement from within said support member; a loading cart mounted within said alignment frame for horizontal movement between a charge pick up position, a quench position and a charge unload position, said support member and said loading cart positions determining the vertical and horizontal positions of said loading cart during charge pick up, quench and unload; means for driving said loading cart to said positions; and means for driving said alignment frame.

Claim 15

A transfer mechanism as defined in claim 12 wherein said alignment frame comprises: a pair of spaced guide plates, a pair of longitudinally extending guide rails attached to the opposing surfaces of said guide plates, and means for attaching said alignment frame drive means to said alignment frame; and said loading cart comprises longitudinally extending side members, means on Said side members for riding on said guide rails, longitudinally extending charge pick up members for extending into said heat treating chamber and lifting said charge, and means for connecting said loading cart drive means to said loading cart.

Claim 16

A transfer mechanism as defined in claim 13 wherein said loading cart has drive engaging members depending therefrom and said loading cart drive means comprises a motor driven chain having transversely extending members thereon for engaging said depending members to drive said loading cart into said charge pick up position and return said loading cart to said quench position.

Claim 17

A transfer mechanism as defined in claim 14 further including an unloading platform positioned adjacent said quench chamber and means on said unloading platform for moving said loading cart into the unload position.

Claim 18

A transfer mechanism as defined in claim 15 wherein said means on said unloading platform comprises: a motor, an unload drive chain operatively connected to said motor and members on said chain for engaging said depending members to drive said loading cart into said unload position after said alignment frame has been driven toward said unload position.

Claim 19

A transfer mechanism as defined in claim 16 wherein said unloading platform further comprises means for aligning with said alignment frame when said alignment frame is driven toward said unloading platform.

Claim 20

A transfer mechanism as defined in claim 12 wherein said loading cart and alignment frame driving means comprise a motor driven chain and sprocket arrangement wherein said loading cart is driven at a faster rate toward said charge pick up position and quench position.

Claim 21

A transfer mechanism as defined in claim 18 further including means for disengaging said loading cart from its drive means after said loading cart is driven toward said unloading platform and means on said unloading platform for driving said loading cart thereon after said alignment frame has positioned said loading cart.

Claim 22

A metallurgical furnace having a quench chamber and a heat treating chamber and a transfer mechanism comprising: a horizontally translatable loading cart; a horizontally translatable alignment frame for mounting said loading cart; means for vertically lifting said loading cart when said cart is placed beneath a load; and means for driving said loading cart and said alignment frame at different speeds.

Claim 23

A metallurgical furnace having a quench chamber and a heat treating chamber and a transfer mechanism comprising: a horizontally translatable loading cart; a horizontally translatable alignment frame for mounting said loading cart; means for vertically lifting said loading cart when said cart is placed beneath a load; and means for driving said loading cart and said alignment frame at different speeds.

Claim 24

A transfer mechanism as defined in claim 20 wherein said driving means comprises: a motor; a shaft operatively connected to said motor for rotation therein; a first sprocket connected to said shaft for rotation therewith; a drive chain mounted over said first sprocket for engaging said sprocket and said loading cart for driving said loading cart; a pair of second sprockets attached to said shaft; and a pair of second drive chains connected to said second sprockets and to said alignment frame for translating said alignment frame.

Claim 25

A transfer mechanism as defined in claim 21 wherein said first sprocket is larger than said second sprockets so that said loading cart is translated at a faster rate than said guide rails.