Methods of and apparatus for sintering tubular ceramic articles
AssigneeChloride Silent Power Limited
InventorsGilbert Sands, Ian H. Jennens
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a pass-through sintering furnace for sintering a succession of ceramic tubes fed lengthwise through the furnace and rotated as they pass through the furnace, the tubes, when heated in the furnace, are kept apart by pushing each tube into the furnace at one end and pulling it out from the other end. The pulling speed is less than the pushing speed to ensure uniform firing throughout the length of the tube, allowing for shrinkage as the tube is fired, but is sufficient to hold the pulled tube clear of the next following tube so as to obviate any pushing against the end of a hot tube.
Claims13
A method of moving ceramic tubes into and through a pass-through sintering furnace comprising pushing a succession of the tubes into the furnace at a uniform speed and, at the exit end of the furnace, gripping each tube as it leaves the furnace and pulling the tube forwardly at a uniform speed which is less than the speed at which the tubes are fed into the furnace but sufficient to hold the pulled tube clear of the next following tube.
An apparatus for moving ceramic tubes into and through a pass-through sintering furnace comprising means for pushing a succession of tubes, arranged axially in line, into the furnace at a uniform speed and means for gripping and pulling each tube as it leaves the furnace at a controlled speed less than the speed at which the tubes are fed into the furnace but sufficient to hold the pulled tube clear of the next following tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.