Title of Invention

WALKING BEAM FURNACE

Abstract

A walking beam furnace has in its interior fixed beams and walking beams for holding and transporting material to be annealed. These beams are provided with different support members (3,4) for the material to be annealed, of which one is flat-material support members(3) and serves for transporting flat-material and the other is the round-material support members(4) for transporting round-material. The different support members are arranged on the fixed and walking beams one after another in an alternating sequence.

Full Text

The present invention relates to a walking beam furnace for heating or baking both round and flat objects. For even heating of objects to be baked or annealed having both a rectangular and a round cross section, walking beam furnaces are used, since such furnaces provide a low-damage transportation of the objects to be baked in comparison to, for example, a pusher-type heating furnace or a pusher furnace through which the object to be baked travels. To achieve the shaped and the load capacity of the walking and fixed beams even at a high furnace temperature, such beams usually comprise pipes having a cooling medium flowing through them. In German laid-open specification 3939582, a walking beam furnace is disclosed which has supports for the objects to be baked, which supports are provided on walking and fixed beams cooled by a cooling medium passing therethrough. In such walking beam furnaces, locking elements provided on the supports may easily become bonded with the beam on account of their high susceptibility. In one embodiment, the whole support is recessed in a middle to form a depression. As a result, in the area of the depression fence stops are created as a means of fixing the position of objects to be baked which have an uneven support surface such as round objects. German laid-open specification 434367 5... describes a walking beam furnace in which the cooled walking or fixed beam thereof has short fastening members attached thereto for carrying supports having a flat support surface for baked objects and extending at an angle to the direction of transport. By means of support bolts, these carrying supports are mounted by boreholes or eyelets located in their ends at a same angle with respect to the lengthwise axis. A substantial disadvantage of the above-mentioned walking beam furnaces is that their support surfaces are arranged only for round or flat objects, and not both. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a walking beam furnace for heating both round and flat objects. According to the invention, the walking beam furnace is provided with different carrying support members on its 2 walking or fixed beams for round or flat objects. The flat object supports have a middle portion, which is wider in the direction of travel, and has a flat upper surfaces, and a narrower beveled portion rising up to each side of the middle portion in the direction of travel. The round object carrying support members have a trough-like shape. They have preferably in their middle a narrow level surface and two beveled surfaces rising upwardly on, the right-hand left-hand side thereof. The width of the round object support in the direction of travel may correspond to the width of the beveled parts of the flat object support members. The beveled portions of the round obj ect support members and the beveled portions of the flat object support members match one another such that in a side view, there is a wave-like surface of the carrying support in which there is a variation between recessed trough and raised flat surfaces. In this configuration, the trough secures round objects to the baked against translational movement in its transport position. Flat obj ects such as slabs on the other hand rest above the troughs on the raised flat surfaces. Furthermore, the beveled surfaces of the support members have downwardly slopped surfaces as seen in a direction of transport to the left or right. In the case of the round objects support members, those downwardly sloping surfaces are staggered. On the other hand, in the case of the flat object support members, both beveled portions on the right and left side are provided with downwardly sloped edges. The downwardly sloped surfaces reduce the collection of forging scales on the support members. The walking and fixed beams may comprise on their upper surfaces a lengthwise extending rib. This rib mates with a U-shape channel formed in a base of the carrying support member. The flat object support members which are provided with a borehole on their side is attached by means of bolts to the rib. The round object carrying support members are placed on the rib and are locked in place between two flat object support members to be clamped in position and thereby prevented from coming loose. It is thereby possible to provide for an easy exchange of the round object support members. According to the invention, there is provided a walking beam furnace having fixed and walking beams comprising: carrying support members for supporting flat objects to be baked; and carrying support members for supporting round objects to be baked, the flat object support members and the round objects support members being mounted to the beams. 3 alternating, and a support surface of the carrying support members for flat objects are raised with respect to a support surface for the carrying support members for the round objects, and a side view profile of the beam being undulatory. Also preferably, the beams may be provided with a lenghwise extending rib on an upper side thereof for receiving the carrying support members. The support members may also preferably comprise a base including a channel for receiving the rib and an upper support surface. The invention will be better understood bu way of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. The invention is now described in details with reference to the accompanying drawings : Figure 1 is an plan view of a walking or fixed beam of a walking beam furnace; Figure 2 is a side view of a walking or fixed beam according to Fig.l; Figure 3 is an plan view of a number of support members; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view about the line IV-IV according to Fig.2; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view along the line V-V of Fig.2, and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view along the line VI-VI according to Fig.2. As shown in Figure 1, the walking beam and fixed beam l comprise a cooled support pipe 2 having a flat object support members 3 and round object support members 4. The support members 3 and 4 are arranged in alternating order on pipe 2. As illustrated in Figure 2, the flat object support members 3 have a flat support surface 5 as well as a beveled surface 6 on both a forward and rear side with respect to the direction of travel of the pipe 2. The round object support members 4 on the other hand are distinguished by the narrow level surface 7 positioned in the middle (when seen from the side) . Beveled surfaces 8 rise up from the middle surface 7 on each side with respect to the direction of travel. 4 The flat support surfaces 5 provide support surfaces for flat objects, while the trough created by the beveled surfaces 6, 8 and the level surface 7 receiving round objects to be baked. In the flat object support members 3, as best shown in Fig.3, a borehole 9 is provided for receiving a bolt 13 for attaching member 3 to pipe 2. The bolt 13 is prevented from falling out by means of a stopper 14. The bolt 13 connects the flat object support member 3 with a locking cam 15 engaging a lengthwise extending rib 10 as best shown in Fig. 6. The cam 15 is provided with a borehole in its middle for receiving bolt 13. The round object support members 4 are merely placed on rib 10 of pipe 2 as shown in Fig. 4 and secured in place by being sandwiched between two flat object support members 3. As shown in Fig. 2, the lenghwise ends of the members 4 are beveled vertically inwardly so as to be locked by members 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the flat receiving surfaces 5 of the flat object support member 3 is broader or wide (in a direction transverse to the direction of travel) than its beveled portions 6 and the round obj ect support members 4. This provides the necessary support surface for the flat object to be baked. The beveled surfaces 6 are further beveled laterally to the right and left of the direction of travel. The beveled surfaces 8 of the round object support members 4 have such a beveling or downwardly sloping surfaces 12 in a staggered manner as illustrated in Fig.4. This arrangement reduces the collection of forging scales on the support members. Furthermore, this arrangement of the support surfaces as well as the alternation of the sideways beveled surfaces have the effect of causing a continuously changing support position on round objects in the furnace and thereby improves the evenness of the heating. In Figs. 4 through 6, it will be appreciated that the base of the support members 3 and 4 have a U- shape channel which mates with the shape of the rib 10 of pipe 2. Although the invention as being described above with reference to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that other constructions and embodiments are contemplated by the present invention as defined in the appended claims. 5 We claim :- 1. Walking beam furnace for heating material to be annealed, which furnace comprises in its interior; fixed beams for holding a material to be annealed; walking beams for transporting the material to be annealed; and characterised in that the said furnace comprises flat-material support members(3) and round-material support members(4) on upper sides of the fixed and walking beams, for the material to be annealed. wherein said flat-material support members(3) comprise a flat supporting face (5) with downwardly sloping beveled surfaces(6) in front and behind it. 2. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein a longitudinal rib(10) is provided on the upper sides of the walking beams and the fixed beams for receiving the support members. 3. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 2, wherein the support members(3,4) comprise a foot adapted to the longitudinal rib(10) and comprise a supporting face (5,6,7,8). 4. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 2, wherein the longitudinal rib(10) is provided with cam members(15). 5. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cam members (15) are welded on to the longitudinal rib on both sides thereof. 6. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cam members(15) are provided with bores(9). 7. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 6, wherein the flat-material support members (3) are attached to the cam members(15) by means of bolts(13) inserted into the bores(9) in the flat material support members(3). 8. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 7, wherein the bolts(13) are secured against falling out of the bores(9) by stoppers(14) that close up the latter. 6 9. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flat-material support members(3) comprise a flat supporting face(5) and the round-material support members(4) comprise trough-shaped supports(7,8), and wherein the support members(3,4) are arranged upon the fixed ,and walking beams one after another in an alternating manner. 10. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 9, wherein the flat supporting face (5) is wider than the combination of the trough-shaped supports(7,8) and the downwardly sloping beveled surfaces(6). 11. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 9, wherein the trough-shaped supports of the round-material support members(4) comprise a narrow flat portion(7) with upwardly sloping beveled surfaces(8) in front of and behind it in a feeding direction. 12. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 11, wherein each upwardly sloping beveled surface(8) includes faces(12), alternately sloping downward left and right in the feeding direction. 13. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim l, wherein the flat-material support members(3) are releasably connected to the beams. 14. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein the downwardly sloping beveled surfaces(6) comprise downwardly sloping surfaces(11) on either side thereof in a feeding direction. 15. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flat-material support members(3) have lateral bores(9) therein. 16. A walking beam furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein each round-material support member(4) is form-locked between two flat- material support members(3). 16. 7 A walking beam furnace has in its interior fixed beams and walking beams for holding and transporting material to be annealed. These beams are provided with different support members (3,4) for the material to be annealed, of which one is flat-material support members(3) and serves for transporting flat-material and the other is the round-material support members(4) for transporting round-material. The different support members are arranged on the fixed and walking beams one after another in an alternating sequence.

Documents:

00454-cal-1998-abstract.pdf

00454-cal-1998-claims.pdf

00454-cal-1998-correspondence.pdf

00454-cal-1998-description (complete).pdf

00454-cal-1998-drawings.pdf

00454-cal-1998-form-1.pdf

00454-cal-1998-form-13.pdf

00454-cal-1998-form-2.pdf

00454-cal-1998-form-26.pdf

00454-cal-1998-form-3.pdf

454-CAL-1998-FORM 27.pdf

454-CAL-1998-FORM-27.pdf