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US 10,480,860 B2Granted
Conveyor furnace
AssigneeSandvik Materials Technology Deutschland GmbH
InventorThomas Frobose
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A conveyor furnace includes a muffle having an inlet opening and an outlet opening, with a heating device for heating a volume delimited by the muffle, and a closed conveyor belt manufactured at least partially from metal. The conveyor furnace includes another heating device which is arranged so that, during the operation of the conveyor furnace, the heating device heats a section of the conveyor belt extending outside of the muffle.
Claims19
A conveyor furnace comprising:
- a muffle having an inlet opening and an outlet opening;
- a first heating device for heating a volume delimited by the muffle;
- a closed conveyor belt manufactured at least partially from metal, the conveyor belt including a first section extending through the muffle such that, during the operation of the conveyor furnace, a workpiece to be annealed is arranged to be conveyed in through the inlet opening and out through the outlet opening of the muffle, and a second section extending outside of the muffle, wherein, during the operation of the conveyor furnace, the first section of the conveyor belt is arranged to be moved in a first direction, while, at the same time, the second section of the conveyor belt is arranged to be moved in a second direction opposite from the first direction;
- a second heating device arranged so that during the operation of the conveyor furnace, the second heating device heats the second section of the conveyor belt under an atmosphere in which oxidation occurs outside of the muffle, wherein the first heating device and the second heating device are mutually separate and mutually independent heating devices;
- and
- a first lock chamber before the inlet opening and a second lock chamber after the outlet opening, relative to the first direction in which the first section of the conveyor belt is moved, wherein the first lock chamber and the second lock chamber are each flushed with gaseous hydrogen,
- wherein the first heating device heats the first section of the conveyor belt while the first section of the conveyor belt travels in the first direction and the second heating device heats the second section of the conveyor belt while the second section of the conveyor belt travels in the second direction.
4 more elements
A pilger rolling mill train comprising a cold pilger rolling mill and a conveyor furnace, the conveyor furnace having an inlet opening and an outlet opening;
- a first heating device for heating a volume delimited by the muffle;
- a closed conveyor belt manufactured at least partially from metal, the conveyor belt including a first section extending through the muffle such that, during the operation of the conveyor furnace, a workpiece to be annealed is conveyed in through the inlet opening and out through the outlet opening of the muffle, and a second section extending outside of the muffle, wherein, during the operation of the conveyor furnace, the first section of the conveyor belt is arranged to be moved in a first direction, while, at the same time, the second section of the conveyor belt is arranged to be moved in a second direction opposite from the first direction;
- and a second heating device arranged so that during the operation of the conveyor furnace, the second heating device heats the second section of the conveyor belt under an atmosphere in which oxidation occurs outside of the muffle,
- wherein the first heating device and the second heating device are mutually separate and mutually independent heating devices,
- wherein the conveyor furnace has a first lock chamber before the inlet opening and a second lock chamber after the outlet opening, relative to the first direction in which the first section of the conveyor belt is moved, wherein the first lock chamber and the second lock chamber are each flushed with gaseous hydrogen, and
- wherein the first heating device heats the first section of the conveyor belt while the first section of the conveyor belt travels in the first direction and the second heating device heats the second section of the conveyor belt while the second section of the conveyor belt travels in the second direction.
3 more elements
A drawing train comprising a drawing bench and a conveyor furnace, the conveyor furnace having an inlet opening and an outlet opening;
- a first heating device for heating a volume delimited by the muffle;
- a closed conveyor belt manufactured at least partially from metal, the conveyor belt including a first section extending through the muffle such that, during the operation of the conveyor furnace, a workpiece to be annealed is arranged to be conveyed in through the inlet opening and out through the outlet opening of the muffle, and a second section extending outside of the muffle, wherein, during the operation of the conveyor furnace, the first section of the conveyor belt is arranged to be moved in a first direction, while, at the same time, the second section of the conveyor belt is arranged to be moved in a second direction opposite from the first direction;
- and a second heating device arranged so that during the operation of the conveyor furnace, the second heating device heating the second section of the conveyor belt extending under an atmosphere in which oxidation occurs outside of the muffle,
- wherein the first heating device and the second heating device are mutually separate and mutually independent heating devices,
- wherein the conveyor furnace has a first lock chamber before the inlet opening and a second lock chamber after the outlet opening, relative to the first direction in which the first section of the conveyor belt is moved, wherein the first lock chamber and the second lock chamber are each flushed with gaseous hydrogen, and
- wherein the first heating device heats the first section of the conveyor belt while the first section of the conveyor belt travels in the first direction and the second heating device heats the second section of the conveyor belt while the second section of the conveyor belt travels in the second direction.
3 more elements
A method for annealing a workpiece in a conveyor furnace, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a conveyor furnace, the conveyor furnace including a muffle with an inlet opening and an outlet opening, a first heating device for heating a volume delimited by the muffle, a closed conveyor belt manufactured at least partially from steel, wherein a first section of the conveyor belt extends through the muffle, and a second section of the conveyor belt extends outside of the muffle, and a first lock chamber before the inlet opening and a second lock chamber after the outlet opening, relative to a first direction in which the first section of the conveyor belt is moved, wherein the first lock chamber and the second lock chamber are each flushed with gaseous hydrogen;
- moving the first section of the conveyor belt in the first direction so that the workpiece to be annealed is conveyed through the inlet opening into the muffle, is heated by the first heating device in the muffle and conveyed out of the muffle through the outlet opening;
- simultaneously moving the second section of the conveyor belt with the movement of the first section in a second direction opposite from the first direction;
- and
- heating the second section of the conveyor belt extending outside of the muffle by a second heating device for the conveyor belt under an atmosphere in which oxidation occurs,
- wherein the first heating device and the second heating device are mutually separate and mutually independent heating devices, and
- wherein the first heating device heats the first section of the conveyor belt while the first section of the conveyor belt travels in the first direction and the second heating device heats the second section of the conveyor belt while the second section of the conveyor belt travels in the second direction.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.