Means for supporting the material under treatment in continuous-action heat treatment furnaces

A support for supporting material under heat treatment in a continuous action heat-treatment furnace having an entrance opening, comprising:

• a three roller combination together having an outer substantially continuous surface, one of the rollers forming said three roller combination having a diameter greater than the sum of the diameters of the other two rollers forming, and said one roller having recesses at the periphery for receiving the other two rollers;
• a support for said one roller independent of said furnace for supporting said rollers substantially outside said furnace at said entrance opening;
• means to rotate said roller combination such that when said one roller or either of said two other rollers are supporting material moving into said furnace the individual one of said other rollers rotates at the same speed at which the material moves into said furnace;
• and
• means for cooling each of said rollers.