Structural member having differential temperature control means and combination of such structural member with horizontal stripper for grate conveyor

Claim 2

A hollow structural member comprising a first wall portion and a second wall portion in laterally spaced relation to and opposite to each other, said structural member being intended for use in an environment in which said first wall portion is normally exposed to a substantially higher temperature than said second wall portion, and means defining a cooling chamber for said first wall portion whereby to maintain the temperature differential between said first wall portion and said second wall portion at an acceptable value and thus limit undesirable deflection of said structural member, comprising a partition member interposed between said first and said second wall portions in laterally spaced relation to both said first and said second wall portions, said partition member extending for substantially the entire length of said first wall portion, said cooling chamber being bounded along one longitudinal side thereof by said first wall portion and along the opposite longitudinal side thereof by said partition member, said cooling chamber being provided with an inlet contiguous one end thereof for admitting cooling fluid thereto and an outlet contiguous an opposite end thereof for exhausting cooling fluid therefrom.

Claim 3

A hollow structural member as defined in claim 1 in which said partition member is positioned laterally closer to said first wall portion than to said second wall portion.

Claim 4

A hollow structural member as defined in claim 1 having connected to said cooling chamber means for forcing cooling fluid through said cooling chamber from said inlet to said outlet of said cooling chamber.

Claim 5

A hollow structural member as defined in claim 1 in which said member is a box beam and said one wall portion is one wall of said beam and said another wall portion is an opposite wall of said beam.

Claim 6

A hollow structural member as defined in claim 1 in which said member is of circular transverse cross section.

Claim 7

A hollow structural member as defined in claim 1 in which said cooling chamber is additionally bounded by end closure means between said partition member and said one wall portion at opposite ends of said cooling chamber.

Claim 8

A box beam of generally hollow rectangular cross section comprising a first wall and a second wall in laterally spaced relation opposite to each other, and third and fourth walls extending laterally of said first and second walls and joining corresponding ends of said first and second walls whereby to define the generally hollow rectangular cross section of said box beam, said box beam being intended for use in an environment in which said first wall is normally exposed to a substantially higher temperature than said second wall, and means defining a cooling chamber for said first wall whereby to maintain the temperature differential between said first wall and said second wall at an acceptable value and thus liMit undesirable deflection of said structural member, comprising a partition member interposed between said first and said second walls, said partition member being positioned laterally closer to said first wall than to said second wall, said partition member extending from said third wall to said fourth wall and for substantially the entire length of said first wall, said cooling chamber being bounded along one longitudinal side thereof by said first wall and along the opposite longitudinal side thereof by said partition member, end closure means between said partition member and said first wall at opposite ends of said cooling chamber, means contiguous one end of said cooling chamber for admitting a cooling fluid to said cooling chamber, and means contiguous an opposite end of said cooling chamber for exhausting cooling fluid from said cooling chamber.

Claim 9

A box beam of generally hollow rectangular cross section comprising a first wall and a second wall in laterally spaced relation opposite to each other, and third and fourth walls extending laterally of said first and second walls and joining corresponding ends of said first and second walls whereby to define the generally hollow rectangular cross section of said box beam, said box beam being intended for use in an environment in which said first wall is normally exposed to a substantially higher temperature than said second wall, and means defining a cooling chamber for said first wall whereby to maintain the temperature differential between said first wall and said second wall at an acceptable value and thus liMit undesirable deflection of said structural member, comprising a partition member interposed between said first and said second walls, said partition member being positioned laterally closer to said first wall than to said second wall, said partition member extending from said third wall to said fourth wall and for substantially the entire length of said first wall, said cooling chamber being bounded along one longitudinal side thereof by said first wall and along the opposite longitudinal side thereof by said partition member, end closure means between said partition member and said first wall at opposite ends of said cooling chamber, means contiguous one end of said cooling chamber for admitting a cooling fluid to said cooling chamber, and means contiguous an opposite end of said cooling chamber for exhausting cooling fluid from said cooling chamber.

Claim 10

In combination, a grate conveyor adapted to convey heated material thereon, a stripper member positioned to strip heated material from said conveyor contiguous the discharge end of the upper run of said conveyor, a beam member for supporting said stripper member, said beam member having a hollow interior, said beam member including one wall thereof facing said grate conveyor and another wall thereof disposed away from said grate conveyor, said one wall normally being exposed to a substantially higher temperature than said another wall, and means for cooling said one wall whereby to maintain the temperature differential between said one wall and said another wall at an acceptable value and thus limit undesirable deflection of said beam member, comprising a cooling chamber positioned within the hollow interior of said beam member contiguous said one wall, said cooling chamber extending along substantially the entire length of said one wall, whereby a cooling fluid flowing through said cooling chamber is in heat exchange relation with said one wall, said cooling chamber being adapted to be connected to a source of cooling fluid, said cooling chamber being adapted to exhaust cooling fluid therefrom which has passed through said cooling chamber.

Claim 11

In combination, a grate conveyor adapted to convey heated material thereon, a stripper member positioned to strip heated material from said conveyor contiguous the discharge end of the upper run of said conveyor, a beam member for supporting said stripper member, said beam member having a hollow interior, said beam member including one wall thereof facing said grate conveyor and another wall thereof disposed away from said grate conveyor, said one wall normally being exposed to a substantially higher temperature than said another wall, and means for cooling said one wall whereby to maintain the temperature differential between said one wall and said another wall at an acceptable value and thus limit undesirable deflection of said beam member, comprising a cooling chamber positioned within the hollow interior of said beam member contiguous said one wall, said cooling chamber extending along substantially the entire length of said one wall, whereby a cooling fluid flowing through said cooling chamber is in heat exchange relation with said one wall, said cooling chamber being adapted to be connected to a source of cooling fluid, said cooling chamber being adapted to exhaust cooling fluid therefrom which has passed through said cooling chamber.

Claim 12

The combination defined in claim 8 in which said beam member is a box beam.

Claim 13

The combination defined in claim 8 which further includes means connected to said cooling chamber for forcing cooling fluid through said cooling chamber from an inlet passage to an outlet passage of said cooling chamber.

Claim 14

The combination defined in claim 8 which further includes means for sensing the temperature differential between said one wall and said another wall, and means for controlling the cooling of said one wall as a function of the sensed temperature differential.

Claim 15

The combination defined in claim 8 in which said cooling chamber is bounded along one side thereof by said one wall and is bounded along an opposite side thereof by a partition member positioned within the hollow interior of said beam member in laterally spaced relation to said one wall, said partition member extending substantially parallel to said one wall.

Claim 16

The combination defined in claim 12 in which said cooling chamber is additionally bounded by end closure means between said partition member and said one wall at opposite ends of said cooling chamber.

Claim 17

In combination, a grate conveyor adapted to convey heated material thereon, a stripper member positioned to strip heated material from said conveyor contiguous the discharge end of the upper run of said conveyor, a box beam of generally hollow rectangular cross section for supporting said stripper member, said beam comprising a first wall and a second wall in laterally spaced relation opposite to each other and third and fourth walls extending laterally of said first and second walls and joining corresponding ends of said first and second walls whereby to define the generally hollow rectangular cross section of said box beam, said first wall of said box beam facing said grate conveyor and said second wall being disposed away from said grate convEyor, said first wall normally being exposed to a substantially higher temperature than said second wall, and means defining a cooling chamber for said first wall whereby to maintain the temperature differential between said first wall and said second wall at an acceptable value and thus limit undesirable deflection of said box beam, comprising a partition member interposed between said first and said second walls in laterally spaced relation to both said first and said second walls, said partition member being positioned laterally closer to said first wall than to said second wall, said partition member extending from said third wall to said fourth wall and for substantially the entire length of said first wall, said cooling chamber being bounded along one longitudinal side thereof by said first wall and along the opposite longitudinal side thereof by said partition member, end closure means between said partition member and said first wall at opposite ends of said cooling chamber, means contiguous one end of said cooling chamber for admitting a cooling fluid to said cooling chamber, and means contiguous an opposite end of said cooling chamber for exhausting cooling fluid from said cooling chamber.

Claim 18

In combination, a grate conveyor adapted to convey heated material thereon, a stripper member positioned to strip heated material from said conveyor contiguous the discharge end of the upper run of said conveyor, a box beam of generally hollow rectangular cross section for supporting said stripper member, said beam comprising a first wall and a second wall in laterally spaced relation opposite to each other and third and fourth walls extending laterally of said first and second walls and joining corresponding ends of said first and second walls whereby to define the generally hollow rectangular cross section of said box beam, said first wall of said box beam facing said grate conveyor and said second wall being disposed away from said grate convEyor, said first wall normally being exposed to a substantially higher temperature than said second wall, and means defining a cooling chamber for said first wall whereby to maintain the temperature differential between said first wall and said second wall at an acceptable value and thus limit undesirable deflection of said box beam, comprising a partition member interposed between said first and said second walls in laterally spaced relation to both said first and said second walls, said partition member being positioned laterally closer to said first wall than to said second wall, said partition member extending from said third wall to said fourth wall and for substantially the entire length of said first wall, said cooling chamber being bounded along one longitudinal side thereof by said first wall and along the opposite longitudinal side thereof by said partition member, end closure means between said partition member and said first wall at opposite ends of said cooling chamber, means contiguous one end of said cooling chamber for admitting a cooling fluid to said cooling chamber, and means contiguous an opposite end of said cooling chamber for exhausting cooling fluid from said cooling chamber.

Claim 19

In a structural member of hollow transverse cross-section, the method of maintaining a predetermined temperature differential between a first longitudinal wall and a second longitudinal wall disposed opposite said first wall in which said first wall is exposed to a substantially higher environmental temperature than the environmental temperature to which said second wall is exposed, whereby to limit to an acceptable value the deflection of said structural member due to the difference between said environmental temperatures, which method comprises the step of directing a cooling fluid through the hollow interior of said structural member contiguous and in heat exchange relation with said first wall and in substantially noncontiguous and substantially non-heat-exchange relation to said second wall, whereby to reduce the temperature of said first wall to a value at which an acceptable predetermined temperature differential between said first and said second wall is obtained.

Claim 20

In a structural member of hollow transverse cross-section, the method of maintaining a predetermined temperature differential between a first longitudinal wall and a second longitudinal wall disposed opposite said first wall in which said first wall is exposed to a substantially higher environmental temperature than the environmental temperature to which said second wall is exposed, whereby to limit to an acceptable value the deflection of said structural member due to the difference between said environmental temperatures, which method comprises the step of directing a cooling fluid through the hollow interior of said structural member contiguous and in heat exchange relation with said first wall and in substantially noncontiguous and substantially non-heat-exchange relation to said second wall, whereby to reduce the temperature of said first wall to a value at which an acceptable predetermined temperature differential between said first and said second wall is obtained.

Claim 21

The method defined in claim 15 which comprises the step of providing a cooling chamber within said structural member contiguous said first wall and passing a cooling fluid through said cooling chamber.

Claim 22

The method defined in claim 16 in which said cooling fluid is passed through said chamber at a predetermined pressure and velocity.

Claim 23

The method defined in claim 15 which includes the further steps of sensing the temperature differential between said first wall and said second wall and of controlling the flow of cooling fluid contiguous said first wall as a function of the sensed temperature differential.

Claim 24

The method defined in claim 15 in which said structural member is a box beam and said one wall is one wall of said beam and said another wall is an opposite wall of said beam.

Claim 25

The method defined in claim 15 in which said structural member is of circular cross section.