Floating equipment and floating-type heat treating furnace for striplike works

Claim 1

A pressure pad for directing jet or streams of fluid against an adjacent, continuous strip of material adapted to travel along a flow path which is generally parallel to a first axis of the pad, the pressure pad comprising: a first line of jet nozzles including first jet nozzle opposite end portions with one of the opposite end portions disposed at each end of a first jet nozzle central portion, at least one of the first jet nozzle end portions being disposed at an angle relative to the pad first axis and diverging outwardly thereof from the first central portion toward the one first jet nozzle outer terminal end such that the outer terminal end is spaced further from the pad first axis than an inner terminal and thereof disposed at the first central portion; and a second line of jet nozzles including second jet nozzle opposite end portions with one of the opposite end portions disposed at each end of a second jet nozzle central portion, at least one of the second jet nozzle end portions being disposed at an angle relative to the pad first axis and diverging outwardly thereof such that an outer terminal end of the one second jet nozzle end portions is spaced further from the pad first axis than an inner terminal end thereof disposed at the second central portion; wherein the jet nozzles of at least the first and second jet nozzle one end portions and the first and second jet nozzle other end portions are angularly disposed in such manner that jets of fluid emitting therefrom and striking a material strip passing adjacent thereto exert an outward force on the strip along the pad first axis which tends to stretch the strip.