Method and apparatus for the continuous furnace brazing and gas soft-nitriding treatments of iron articles

A continuous treatment furnace for brazing and gas soft-nitriding iron parts, comprising:

• a furnace body including:
• a brazing chamber for brazing said iron parts in a protecting atmosphere substantially comprising a controlled gas for brazing;
• a furnace cooling chamber, provided subsequent to said brazing chamber, for gradually cooling said iron parts in a protecting atmosphere substantially comprising said controlled gas;
• and
• a gas soft-nitriding chamber, provided subsequent to said furnace cooling chamber, for gas soft-nitriding said iron parts in a gas soft-nitriding atmosphere substantially comprising said controlled gas and an ammonia gas;
• a protecting gas supply line branched to feed said controlled gas to said brazing chamber, said furnace cooling chamber, and said gas soft-nitriding chamber;
• an ammonia gas supply line connected to feed said ammonia gas to said gas soft-nitriding chamber;
• said chambers being provided with partition walls therebetween;
• each said partition wall being provided with an opening therein to permit communication between said chambers;
• and
• a shielding steel curtain being disposed so as to cover each said opening while permitting said iron parts to be passed therethrough.