Method and apparatus for carbonizing and degassing workpieces

Claim 2

A heat treating furnace comprising an input station, a heating station, a cooling station and an output station, a vertically fixed carriage movable along a horizontal path relative to said stations, enclosure means for said carriage and including top wall means spaced above said carriage and overlying said path, chamber means at each of said stations supported on said top wall means and opening therethrough, means to heat said chamber means at said heating station, means to position said carriage along said path at each of said stations in alignment with the opening into the chamber means at the corresponding station, workpiece support and chamber closure means separate from and movable with said carriage and displaceable vertically from said carriage at each of said stations between a first position on said carriage and a second position spaced from said carriage and closing the opening into the chamber means at the corresponding station, means at each of said stations separate from said carriage and displaceable relative thereto to move said support and closure means relative to said carriage between said first and second positions, and means separate from said carriage to hold said support and closure means in said second position.

Claim 3

The furnace according to claim 1, wherein said chamber means at said input and output stations have corresponding closure members spaced from said top wall means, and means to move said closure members between open and closed positions relative to the corresponding chamber means.

Claim 4

The furnace according to claim 1, wherein said support and closure includes plate means adapted to overlie the peripheral edge of a chamber opening, and said means to hold said support and closure means in said second position includes extendable and retractable clamping means operable when extended to sealingly clamp said plate means against the peripheral edge of said opening.

Claim 5

The furnace according to claim 1, wherein said carriage means has a vertical opening therethrough, said means to move said support and closure means including vertically reciprocable plunger means at each station operable through said carriage opening to engage and move said support and closure means between said first and second positions.

Claim 6

The furnace according to claim 4, wherein said support and closure means and said plunger means have interengageable guide means for aligning said support and closure means relative to said plunger means.

Claim 7

The furnace according to claim 5, wherein said plunger means and the opening into said chamber means at the corresponding chamber are coaxial, and said interengageable guide means includes cooperatively contoured recess and projection means on said plunger means and support and closure means.

Claim 8

The furnace according to claim 4, wherein said support and closure means includes plate means adapted to overlie the peripheral edge of a chamber opening, and said means to hold said support and closure means in said second position includes extendable and retractable clamping means operable when extended to sealingly clamp said plate means against the peripheral edge of said opening.

Claim 9

The furnace according to claim 7, wherein said clamping means includes opposed horizontally reciprocable cam plates supported adjacent said peripheral edge and spaced apart when retracted for said means to pass therebetween, said cam plates when extended engaging under said plate means to cam said plate means against said peripheral edge, and drive means to displace said cam plates between the extended and retracted positions thereof.

Claim 10

The furnace according to claim 3, wherein each said chamber means at said input and output stations has an opening spaced from said enclosure means and a corresponding closure member for said opening, means to move said closure member between open and closed positions with respect to the opening, and means to sealingly clamp said closure member in the closed position thereof.

Claim 11

A heat treating furnace comprising, an elongate tubular housing closed at its opposite ends and of generally gas tight construction, said housing including top wall means, a tubular workpiece input chamber on said top wall means at one end of said housing and having an open first end facing said top wall means and a second end spaced from said top wall means, means to selectively open and sealingly close said second end of said input chamber, a tubular workpiece output chamber on said top wall means at the other end of said housing and having an open firsT end facing said top wall means and a second end spaced from said top wall means, means to selectively open and sealingly close said second end of said output chamber, a heating chamber on said top wall means between said input and output chambers and having an open first end facing said top wall means and a second end spaced from said top wall means and vented to atmosphere, said heating chamber including chamber wall means of nonmagnetic material and induction heating coil means surrounding said chamber wall means in inductive heating relationship therewith, a tubular cooling chamber on said top wall means between said heating chamber means and output chamber means, said cooling chamber having an open first end facing said top wall means and a closed second end spaced from said top wall means, said top wall means having openings therethrough each communicating the interior of said housing with one of said chambers, peripheral seal means about the open first end of each of said chambers, pedestal means including workpiece supporting means and sealing flange means, carriage means in said housing for supporting and transporting said pedestal means along a path in said housing between said one and other ends thereof, means for moving said carriage means sequentially to positions underlying said chambers, means at each of said positions for elevating said pedestal means from said carriage means to position said workpiece supporting means in the corresponding chamber and to position said sealing flange means against the peripheral seal means for the corresponding chamber, and means independent of said elevating means to releaseably hold said pedestal means in the elevated position thereof.

Claim 12

A heat treating furnace comprising, an elongate tubular housing closed at its opposite ends and of generally gas tight construction, said housing including top wall means, a tubular workpiece input chamber on said top wall means at one end of said housing and having an open first end facing said top wall means and a second end spaced from said top wall means, means to selectively open and sealingly close said second end of said input chamber, a tubular workpiece output chamber on said top wall means at the other end of said housing and having an open firsT end facing said top wall means and a second end spaced from said top wall means, means to selectively open and sealingly close said second end of said output chamber, a heating chamber on said top wall means between said input and output chambers and having an open first end facing said top wall means and a second end spaced from said top wall means and vented to atmosphere, said heating chamber including chamber wall means of nonmagnetic material and induction heating coil means surrounding said chamber wall means in inductive heating relationship therewith, a tubular cooling chamber on said top wall means between said heating chamber means and output chamber means, said cooling chamber having an open first end facing said top wall means and a closed second end spaced from said top wall means, said top wall means having openings therethrough each communicating the interior of said housing with one of said chambers, peripheral seal means about the open first end of each of said chambers, pedestal means including workpiece supporting means and sealing flange means, carriage means in said housing for supporting and transporting said pedestal means along a path in said housing between said one and other ends thereof, means for moving said carriage means sequentially to positions underlying said chambers, means at each of said positions for elevating said pedestal means from said carriage means to position said workpiece supporting means in the corresponding chamber and to position said sealing flange means against the peripheral seal means for the corresponding chamber, and means independent of said elevating means to releaseably hold said pedestal means in the elevated position thereof.

Claim 13

The furnace according to claim 10, wherein said means to selectively open and sealingly close said second ends of said input and output chambers includes corresponding cover members for said chambers, drive means for moving each cover member between open and closed positions relative to the corresponding chamber, and means to clamp the cover members in the closed positions thereof.

Claim 14

The furnace according to claim 10, wherein said carriage means includes a wheeled carriage and track means supporting said carriage for rolling movement along said path.

Claim 15

The furnace according to claim 12, wherein said carriage includes an apertured bottom wall and said elevating means includes vertically reciprocable plunger means movable through said aperture to engage and elevate said pedestal means.

Claim 16

The furnace according to claim 13, and interengaging positioning means on said plunger means and pedestal for positioning said pedestal relative to said plunger means upon engagement therebetween.

Claim 17

The furnace according to claim 10, wherein said means to releasably hold said pedestal means includes extendable and retractable clamping means supported adjacent said top wall means and engaging under said sealing flange means when in the extended position thereof, and means to move said clamping means between the extended and retracted positions thereof.

Claim 18

The furnace according to claim 15, wherein said clamping means includes opposed horizontally reciprocable cam plates having cam surfaces engaging beneath said sealing flange means when said cam plates are in the extended positions thereof.