Seal assembly for thermal treatment furnaces using an atmospheric gas containing hydrogen gas

Abstract

A seal assembly (3) located at an entrance and/or exit of a heat treatment furnace for heat treating a metallic strip (S) with no formation of oxide films on the surface thereof, using an atmospheric gas containing hydrogen gas and including an elastic rotating roll (6) being pressedly engaged with an elastic pad (5) fixed on the surface of a seal plate (4) and the metallic strip (S) to seal the inside of the furnace against the outside air, wherein elastic members (9) being provided in through-holes (2b) formed through a side plate (2a) of a furnace wall (2) at positions corresponding to both side edges of the elastic pad (5), and elastic member-moving mechanisms (10) being provided for pressedly engaging the elastic members (9) with the sides of the elastic pad (5); at least two closely-set slip disks (7) arranged in an axial direction of the side of a roll body (6c) and an elastic disk (8) being fitted over a roll shaft (6a) between the side plate (2a) of the furnace wall (2), on which the elastic rotating roll (6) is rotatably mounted, and a roll body (6c) of the elastic rotating roll 6, the slip disk and said elastic disks being in surface contact with each other; of the contact surfaces of the parts present from the roll body (6c) to the side plate (2a) of the furnace wall (2), the contact surface of the slip disks (7) and (7) having the lowest coefficient of dynamic friction.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.