Method and furnace apparatus for continuously heating steel blanks

Abstract

An intermittent flames, heated bed type furnace and a method for heating steel plate. The furnace and method for heating solve problems inherent in conventional furnaces, namely, consuming too much energy, having low efficiency, and providing a heat which is unstable and non-uniform in quality. The invention includes a modified furnace with a special heated bed, the furnace having a wide or square body to replace the conventional rectangular type of furnace, thus enlarging its loading volume. To improve product quality, a combined or continuous operational heating sequence is substituted for the conventional intermittent or batch heating mode, thus raising labor productivity. The overall effectiveness obtained by this invention has increased from 1 to 3 times the productivity of a conventional intermittent flame furnace, while decreasing energy consumption by 30 to 70 percent. Deflection of the size of the steel plate or end is only a fraction of that specified in conventional standards. Also, there is minimal oxidization on the surface of the steel plate and good appearance is maintained. Consequently, it is not necessary to polish, select, and fit the plate when used as the sealing end of a cylinder body or tank to be welded, the exchangeability being 100 percent.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.