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AssigneeWilliam R. Jones
InventorsReal Fradette, Benjamin Isaak
Estimating the term…
A high temperature vacuum furnace including a prefabricated tongue-and-groove, low-mass insulation ring assembly hot zone, resulting in decreased energy costs and increased energy efficiency, faster heating and cooling cycles, and expedited maintenance capability resulting in lower maintenance costs. Decreased time of a workpiece in the furnace improves production turnaround and lowers energy costs for each heat treating cycle. Furnace manufacturing is also easier and less expensive compared to prior art vacuum furnaces. A bottom support structure replaces the prior art metal support ring resulting in an approximately 80-85% weight saving in the furnace hot zone. This reduces the time and energy required to heat and cool the furnace components and workpiece.
A high temperature vacuum furnace including a chamber containing a hot zone being formed to accept and heat treat a stationary workload, said hot zone comprising an inner wall formed by a plurality of high density, high strength, low conductivity, and low moisture-sensitive graphite insulation board means, each one of said insulation board means being connected at one longitudinal edge thereof to an adjacent board means by a tongue-and-groove connection to form a continuous assembly around said hot zone, and each one of said insulation board means engaging the adjacent insulation board means to provide a tight fit with no gap therebetween, said insulation board means having a thin stainless steel sheet on the outer surface thereof, whereby thermal radiation losses from said hot zone are substantially eliminated, said insulation board means continuous assembly being supported in said hot zone by support structure means in the lower portion of said hot zone, said hot zone further including a plurality of electrical resistance heating element means arranged in a continuous ring within said hot zone adjacent to said insulation board means assembly, each one of said heating element means being operatively connected to an adjacent one of said heating element means at each of their respective longitudinal edges by a first connection means, said heating element means ring being operatively connected to said insulation board means assembly by a plurality of heating element standoff means.
A high temperature vacuum furnace including a chamber containing a hot zone being formed to accept and heat treat a stationary workload, said hot zone comprising an inner wall formed by a plurality of high density, high strength, low conductivity, and low moisture-sensitive graphite insulation board means, each one of said insulation board means being connected at one longitudinal edge thereof to an adjacent board means by a tongue-and-groove connection to form a continuous assembly around said hot zone, and each one of said insulation board means engaging the adjacent insulation board means to provide a tight fit with no gap therebetween, whereby thermal radiation losses from said hot zone are substantially eliminated, said insulation board means continuous assembly being supported in said hot zone by support structure means in the lower portion of said hot zone, said hot zone further including a plurality of electrical resistance heating element means arranged in a continuous ring within said hot zone adjacent to said insulation board means assembly, each one of said heating element means being operatively connected to an adjacent one of said heating element means at each of their respective longitudinal edges by a first connection means, said heating element means ring being operatively connected to said insulation board means assembly by a plurality of heating element standoff means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.