Walking beam furnace

Claim 2

In a walking beam furnace, the combination of an elongated hearth having a floor with a longitudinal slot therein, a walking beam within said floor slot and having an upper edge at the approximate level of said hearth floor and a lower edge portion, means engageable with the lower edge portion of said walking beam for intermittently raising, moving forward, and lowering the beam, and means on the top of the furnace operatively connected to said means engageable with the lower portion of said walking beam means for actuating said means engageable with the lower portion.

Claim 3

In a walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means engageable with the lower portion extends below the bottom and along the sides of the furnace.

Claim 4

In a walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 2 and including bellows seal means between said means engageable with the lower edge portion and the exterior of the furnace.

Claim 5

In a walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 1 and having rack means on the bottom edge of said beam, and a plurality of crank lever pins on said means engageable with the lower portion for engaging said rack means.

Claim 6

In a walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 4 and a plurality of shafts pivotally mounted under the bottom of said furnace and each shaft extending transversely from the side of the furnace to the bottom of said beam, a crank lever pin on each shaft and engageable with said rack means, a vertical bar attached at the outer end of each shaft, means for mounting each of said shaft and bar assemblies for pivotal movement along a respective horizontal axis transverse to the shaft at the vicinity of said bar attached to the shaft, and means on the top of the furnace for pivoting all of said arms and shafts both about said horizontal pivot axes and about the longitudinal axes of the shafts so that each crank lever pin will be raised into engagement with said rack means, pivot to move said rack horizontally, and then lowered to disengage from the rack.

Claim 7

In a walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 5 wherein said pivoting means comprises a carriage mounted for reciprocable longitudinal movement on the top of the furnace, means connecting said carriage and said vertical arms such that reciprocating movement of said carriage pivots said arms about the axes of their respective shafts, and means on the top of said furnace for pivoting said arms and shafts about their respective horizontal pivot axes.

Claim 8

In a walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 6 wherein said arm and shaft pivoting means comprises longitudinally reciprocating elongated means, and a plurality of tie rods pivotally connecting each of said arms with said elongated means such that reciprocating movement of said elongated means will pivot said arms and shafts about their respective horizontal axes.

Claim 9

In a walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 7 and first drive means on the furnace for reciprocating said carriage, and second drive means on the furnace for reciprocating said elongated means.

Claim 10

In a walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 8 wherein said drive means operate to reciprocate said carriage and elongated means in opposite directions.

Claim 11

In a walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 1 and a channel-shaped tray, said beam being supported within said tray.

Claim 12

In a walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 10 wherein said tray comprises a plurality of detachable interconnected aligned tray elements.

Claim 13

In a walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 11 and rack means on the bottom of said tray elements.