United States Patent [151 3,659,831 Reber et al. [451 May 2, 1972 [54] INTEGRAL QUENCH FURNACE AND 2,681,136 6/1954 lpsen .................................... ..266/4 R TRANSFER MECHANISM 2,747,855 5/1956 lpsen . ..266/4 R [72] Inventors: Russell H. Reber, Orange; Harold E. 2,965,369 12/1960 Acker et al .......... ..266/4 R Mescher, Pico Rivera, both of Calif. 3,381,947 5/1968 Beggs . ..266/4 R 3,410,547 11/1968 Bielefeldt... .....266/5 R [73] Assignee: Paci?c Scientific Company, City of Com 3,441,452 4/1969 Westeren ............................. ..266/4 R merce, Calif. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed: Aug. 25, 1969 987,910 8/1951 France ................................. ..266/4 R [21] Appl.N0.: 852,671 Primary Examiner—-Gerald A. Dost Atrorney—-Fowler, Knobbe & Martens [52] U.S.Cl. ........................... ..266/4A,148/153,214/18R, 214/26 [57] ABSTRACT [51] im. Cl. .................................................. ..C21d1/66 [58] Field ofSearch ........... ..148/153, 155; 214/18 R, 23-26, An integral quench furnace system and transfer mechanism 214/32; 266/4 R, 4 A, 4 B, 6 R for removing a heat treated charge from the furnace chamber into the quench media and onto an unloading platform. The [56] References Cited transfer mechanism includes a forked loading cart mounted on the quench chamber A-frame for movement into the fur UNITED STATES PATENTS nace and onto the unloading platform through a hydraulic motor driven chain and sprocket arrangement, 1,840,327 1/1932 Paulsen ................... ............ ..214/26 1,848,898 3/1932 McFarland ............................ ..2l4/26 22 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,831 i0 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS. EL/iSEZL H E5551? M45040 5. M53045’? BY’ FOWL 5/6 (M0555 4% M42 TEN5’ Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,831 10 Sheets-Sheet .FZIG Z INVENTORS. £0555“ H. 2655? 144E040 6'. 4455045,? BY POM/L 56 44/0555 6’ M?ETE/VS Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,831 i0 Sheets-Sheet l5 i INVENTOR5. 2055624 A! E5556 #42040 5. MESKHEE BY ran/452, K/V055E \I \lllllf,4 WMFTzF/VS Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,831 10 Sheets-Sheet 4 140 M! INVENTOR?.’ 60.516224 4 E5552 BY ran/4 £6, K/VOBBE a M4275”; Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,831 l0 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS. FUSSELL h.’ @5545? Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,831 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 N6? INVENTORS. 2055621. HEEBEE A/?EOLD E M55095? BY FOWL £2, K/V055E a’ Ame rlsws Patented May 2, 1972 ' 3,659,831 10 Sheets-Sheet 7 EGQ //f 1/4 :4 Maw INVENTORS. EUSKSZZL H £5552 mf/QEOLD E. MESf?/EF Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,831 10 Sheets-Sheet 8 fire. /0. M; INVENTORS. £05562 L H. 1655678 #41701 0 E. M556‘#56 BY 47' TOIQNE K61 3,659,831 1 2 INTEGRAL QUENCH FURNACE AND TRANSFER mechanism after the charge has been picked up. This enables MECHANISM the mechanism to transfer directly from the heat treating This invention is directed to metallurgical heat treating chamber onto the unloading platform omitting the quench if equipment and more speci?cally to a transfer mechanism for desired. A third vertical position that the transfer mechanism use with integral quench vacuum or atmosphere furnaces. must assume is a position which places the heat treated charge Prior art heat treating furnaces which combine a quench within the quenching media. chamber and furnace heating chamber are generally incapable This invention is basically an integral quench furnace of rapidly transferring the charge being heat treated from the system and a transfer mechanism which is designed for use in furnace chamber into the quench media without dropping the conjunction with integral quench metallurgical heat treating charge into the quench tank. Such uncontrolled movement of furnaces, i.e., furnaces which are divided into a quenching the charge may cause distortion of the workpiece and usually chamber and a heating or holding at temperature chamber. cannot be tolerated. Additionally the prior equipment The transfer mechanism comprises a loading cart which is generally leaves a portion of the transfer mechanism in the horizontally translatable and a vertically translatable support furnace during the heat treating cycle and then immerses this frame which mounts and supports the loading cart. The sup same portion of the mechanism into the quench ?uids. Usually port frame thus determines the vertical position from which no effective means is provided for cleaning the quench ?uids the loading cart will translate horizontally. The heat treating from this portion of the transfer mechanism before it is rein equipment and transfer mechanism also includes a horizon serted into the furnace. This portion, whether it be support tally translatable alignment and unloading frame. Reversible rollers, pallets or other equipment, due to the continuous ther means are provided for driving the loading cart and the align mal stress cycling and exposure to the high temperature of the 20 ment frame at different speeds in a loading and a reverse furnace chamber may eventually contaminate the heat treat direction so that the loading cart can rapidly move from the ing furnace or become corroded or cracked. Any time that ex quench chamber enabling a portion of it to enter the furnace traneous materials, such as portions of the transfer chamber and retrieve the heat treated charge without having mechanism, are left in the furnace chamber, the danger of out diffusion and contamination of the atmosphere or the charge the alignment frame enter the furnace chamber. is present. Even small amounts of contamination cannot be The integral quench furnace system of this invention further tolerated for high quality heat treating work such as with includes control means for accelerating and then decelerating vacuum or atmosphere furnaces. the loading cart as it retrieves the heat treated charge from the Additionally, in the prior art furnaces it sometimes is neces furnace chamber and returns it to position over the quenching sary to slide the charge on the refractory hearths while at tem 30 media in the quench chamber. Actuatable pistons are pro perature. This may cause defacing of the hearths and the vided for vertically positioning the support frame for the lead charge or introduce distorting stresses into the charge metals. ing cart to enable the loading cart to be translated horizontally Another difficulty with integral quench vacuum or at from various vertical levels to enter the furnace chamber, lift mosphere furnaces presently available is that the furnace the heat treated charge, and immerse the charge in the chamber and the quench chamber are generally separated by quenching media. a hinge‘mounted door which swings into the quench chamber. After the quenching has been completed, the loading cart Such doors are provided since they must prevent radiation may be vertically returned to its initial or “home" position losses from within the furnace insulation lining and seal the within the quench chamber and both the loading cart and the heat treating chamber from the partial pressure of the alignment and unloading frame may be translated horizontally quenching chamber. Because the entrance to the furnace away from the furnace toward an unloading station. During housing is not ?ush with the entrance to the furnace chamber, this translation the loading cart is disengaged from its drive the radiation seal protrudes beyond the vacuum seal. Con mechanism until alignment with the unloading platform has sequently, it has been thought that the hinged doors were the been achieved by the alignment frame. Means are then pro vided on the unloading platform for engaging the loading cart only type usable. Such swing-in doors consume a large amount 45 of space when opened causing unnecessary lengthening of the and translating the loading cart horizontally out of the quench quench chamber. chamber onto an unloading platform where the charge can be In integral quench vacuum furnaces the transfer mechanism removed and the portions of the cart which enter the high for transferring the heat treated charge into the quenching temperature chamber can easily be wiped clean. media must be capable of rapidly moving into the heat treating 50 One feature of the apparatus of this invention is that a rapid chamber once the heat treat is completed and the door has translation of a heat treated charge from the furnace into the been opened, picking up the charge, and returning the charge quenching media can be obtained without distortion, sliding, into position over the quenching media. The return stroke of or uncontrolled movement of the heat treated charge. the transfer mechanism, however, must not be so rapid that Another feature of the heat treating furnace system of this the heated charge is jarred, slid or distorted by jerking move 55 invention is that the heat treatment and quenching of the heat ment or quick stops. ' i treated charge can be accomplished rapidly in a controlled To be completely acceptable, the transfer mechanism must manner within a closed system. also provide an effective means for removing the charge from Another feature of the apparatus of this invention is that it is the quenching media and the quench chamber onto an un not necessary to leave any portion of the transfer mechanism loading platform where any portion of the transfer mechanism in the heat treating chamber during heat treatment of the which may enter the furnace chamber can be wiped clean of charge so that contaminants are not thereby introduced into the quenching ?uids after the quench has been completed. the heat treating chamber. This requires some precise manner of alignment of the Yet another feature of the heat treating furnace and transfer transfer mechanism with the unloading platform which ena mechanism of this invention is that the apparatus can be readi bles the charge to be correctly positioned on the unloading 65 ly automated for heat treating a series of charges in a pro platform after removal.