Ingot pusher furnace

An ingot pusher furnace for heating an ingot comprising:

• a base having a floor with a plurality of channels formed therein, said base being adapted to rest on a surface;
• a pair of side walls connected to said base;
• a top wall connected to said side walls and said base;
• said base, said side walls and said top wall defining an enclosure having a first vestibule adapted to receive an ingot for heating and a second vestibule adapted to discharge said ingot subsequent to heating, each of said vestibules including an interior door suspended from said top wall and movable vertically when actuated by a hydraulic cylinder, an exterior door mounted in spaced proximity from said interior door, said exterior door being movable vertically by a second hydraulic cylinder, said vestibule maintaining a uniform temperature within said enclosure, a plurality of heaters suspended within said enclosure to heat a gaseous medium within said enclosure to provide heating to said ingot;
• a baffle assembly suspended from said top wall and having a central portion movable with respect thereto, said baffle assembly including a pair of pivot end panels slidably engaging said central portion which includes a top panel, a spacer connected to said top panel and a bottom panel connected to said spacer, said end panels being oriented obliquely with respect to said top wall, said center portion being oriented to said top wall, said baffle assembly defining a venturi when said ingot for heating is located beneath said baffle assembly, a fan mounted on one of said side walls above said baffle assembly for moving said gaseous medium within said enclosure, said gaseous medium flowing between said baffle assembly and an upper portion of said aluminum ingot whereby a maximum velocity of said gaseous medium is attained immediately beneath said center portion of said baffle assembly in order to provide more rapid heat transfer at said center portion of said ingot so that said ingot is uniformly heated;
• and said ingot being carried on a plurality of identical shoes, each of which has a pair of rails adapted to move within said channels in said floor, an ingot carrying crosspiece connected to said rails having a pair of rounded end portions which are adapted to promote streamlined flow of said gaseous medium between said floor and a bottom portion of said aluminum ingot in order to provide good heat transfer from said gaseous medium to said aluminum ingot.