Untitled record

Application filed March 7,1894. Serial No. 502,757. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, William F. Johnston, manufacturer, and James Gray, mechanic, both of the city of Toronto, in the 5 county of York, in .the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Hardening Knife-Sections of Harvester-Binders or Similar Articles, of which the following is a io specification.

Our invention relates to an improved apparatus for hardening the edges or other desired portions of knives, sections of knives, ledger plates and such like articles and the 15 object of the invention is to design such an apparatus whereby the cutting edges of the sections may be successively and rapidly hardened with greater uniformity in heating and hardening than by the apparatus now 20 employed, without affecting such portion of the section, which it is desirable to leave soft and tough, and thereby effect by our improved apparatus an economy both in time and labor, and for placing each section or 25 piece to be heated or hardened between peculiarly formed links of a traveling chain,/ which passes through a fire chamber where it is subjected to a high degree of heat, so that tb e edges of the sections or pieces to be heated 30 or hardened are brought to the desired heat, means being provided whereby each section or piece may be taken from, or may drop from or through the chain from the fire chamber into a hardening tank, the apparatus be35 ing arranged and constructed in detail as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure 1, is a perspective sectional view through the fire chamber of a furnace, traveling chain, and other parts of the apparatus, 40 the chain being shown for the major portion in section. Fig. 2, is an enlarged perspective detail showing the means whereby the chain is supported.. Fig. 3, is an inside view of the form of link, in chain shown, which is adapted 45 for the sections of knives of harvesting machinery. Fig. 4 is a detail view.

In the drawings like letters and numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts iu each figure.

A, is the ordinary fire chamber of an oil furnace and B, the .flue. The furnace body is supported preferably upon legs, C. /

D, is an endless chain, which is shown mostly in cross section and is comprised of a series of links, d. Each of the links is pref- 55 erably made up. of two forwardly extending lugs, d', and two rearwardly extending lugs, d?, a greater distance apart than the forwardly extending lugs, d’; the rearwardly extending lugs of each link being pivotally 60 connected to the forwardly extending lugs of the succeeding link by suitable rivets, d³. The space between the lugs of each link is open with the exception of a downwardly ex-tending tooth, d⁴, situated between the for- 65 wardly extending lugs, d'. The side portion, D',of each link is preferably concavo-tapered to an apex. The ends of the outer portion D', are parallel to each other.

E, is an oil burner, which is supplied with 70 oil from a pipe, F, and has air pumped into the burner, so as to spray it into the interior of the fire chamber through the opening, G, shown in Fig. 1. It will be understood that there is preferably a burner at each side or 75 end although only one is shown, which burners when ignited serve to keep the interior of the fire chamber at a very great heat. Although we preferably use petroleum as fuel we do not wish to confine ourselves to its use 8α as other kinds of fuel might possibly be used as advantageously.

H, is a channel iron, which extends from the opening I, at one end of the furnace to a point beyond the opposite side of the furnace.. The chain passes through an opening, J at the flue end of the oil furnace and an inclined opening K, at the opposite end. The end of the channel iron, H, is supported upon the forked bracket, L, which is bolted to the 90 channel brackets, M, which in turn are secured to the bottom plate of the body of the furnace as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 and particularly in Fig. 2, in which the holes for the bolts are shown. 95

N, is a sprocket wheel shown in section in Fig. 1, and in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The sprocket wheel, N, is secured on the shaft, Ν', which is journaled in the outer ends of the brackets, M, as indicated. 100 a

530,183 indicated in Fig. 1, so as to permit a section when heated to drop through the opening, I. The teeth of the chain pass over the sprocket 70 wheel, Y, at the forward end, which sprocket wheel is supported on the shaft, y, which is journaled in the end of the bearing brackets, X, and supports, Y'.

Z, is a tank, which is filled with sperm oil, 75 water, or other suitable liquid and has situated within it the open work basket, Z'. The tank is made of a greater >< idth than the width of the furnace so that the basket can be inserted into it or taken out from it at each end. 80 z, is a series of coils which extend throughout the length of the tank at each side, and have a continual supply of cold water from the main by means of the pipe, z', which is connected to one end of the coil, z. The ob- 85 ject of passing the cold water through these pipes is to keep the liquid in the tank cool and thereby effect the proper hardening of the section.

z², is a pipe which leads from the other end 90 of the coil into a tank, 2, which is located on the floor. 3, is an over flow pipe for such tank, so that the water returned from the coil is always kept at the same level in the tank, 2. The height of the water in the tank, 2, is 95 such that the sag of the chain admits of the points of the outer portion of the link passing through the water as indicated in Fig. 1, We find in practice that the outer points of each link are heated to such an extent that were 100 such a device as the tank not provided, the outer end of each link would in time become heated and thus destroy their usefulness by communicating such heat to that portion of the section, which it is necessary to keep cool. 10 5 By submerging the points, however, in the water in the tank as they pass around their temperature is reduced to such a degree that when they reach the fire chamber they serve to keep that portion of each section, with no which they come in contact, cool as it passes through the fire chamber.

As hereinbefore described the endless chain, D, is driven in the direction indicated by arrow through the sprocket wheel, 0, chain, P, 115 sprocket wheel, Q, and the rapidity at which the chain is driven is regulated by the position of the belt upon the tapered pulleys, R, and T. The flame emitted from the burners, E, on each side of the fire chamber, A, of 120 course acts upon the exposed parts of the sections as they pass through the fire chamber. On account of the thickness of material in the outer portion or point of the links of the chain it will be seen that intense heat is prevented 125 from reaching the covered parts of the sections, which will consequently remain soft and tough. The outer edges Of the teeth are heated to the degree desired and when .each tooth reaches the opening, I, it passes through 13c the opened chain down through the opening into the open work basket, Z', in.the cooling tank,which rapidly cools each section. When the basket, Z',is filled it can be removed from

Π', are curv.ed extension bars of the channel iron, II, the bars being of the same width as the side ribs of the channel iron. The outer ends of the bars II', are curved, on a 5 slightly smaller arc than, and one which is preferably concentric with, the circle described by the top of the tooth asthesprocket wheel rotates. It will thus be seen that as the width of the knife sections is the same as io from outside to outside of the channel iron that the curved extending bars, 11', will receive the teeth and hold them up in position until they reach the channel iron, H. The sprocket wheel, N. is driven through the 15 sprocket wheel, O, by a sprocket chain, P, to the sprocket wheel, Q, on the shaft, Q', which is supported in suitable bearings, which are preferably suspended from the beams of the ceiling.

R, is a tapered pulley, which is connected by a belt, S, to a tapered pulley, T, on the driving shaft, Τ', which is supported in suitable bearings.

U, is a lever pivotally connected to a bar, 25 «·, which is suitably supported. The bar, u, has a loop u', which extends over the belt. By tilting the lever on its pivot the position of the belt on the tapered pulleys may be changed so as to drive the sprocket wheel, N, 30 and consequently the chain, D, at such a desired speed as will best effect the proper heating of the knives as they pass through the fire chamber as hereinbefore described. We preferably use means for speeding the chain in35 stead of increasing or decreasing the intensity of the heat in the fire chamber which alternative means; however, we lay claim to in connection with our invention.

The channel iron, H, is supported upon the 40 bed of the fire chamber through which it extends longitudinally slightly beyond the edge bf the opening, I.

V, is a bar, which extends beneath the end of the channel iron above the opening and 45 has two upwardly extending ribs, v, one on each side of the channel iron and two end lips, ν'.

W,are two parallel bars, the upper ends of which are horizontal and extend underneath 50 the lips at each side into the recess formed between the ribs, v, and lips, ν'. The inner edges of the bars, W, are entirely outside the line of the channel iron and the bars are bent so as to extend downwardly obliquely from 55 immediatelyabovetheopening,I,to the bearing brackets, X, at the forward end of the machine to which they are secured by screw bolts, w, passing through the bars W, near ' the outer edge into the bosses, x, attached to 60 or forming part of the bearing brackets, X, which in turn are secured to the bottom of the furnace body by suitable bolts, holes being shown for such bolts in Fig. 2.

The bars, W, are designed to form a sup65 port for the chain, D, and the bend in the bars is designed to cause the links of the chain to open as they pass over the angle as

530,183 either side and another basket substituted in its place.

From this description it will be seen that we provide a very simple and efficient means by 5 which the desired parts of the sections of knives or other similar articles maybe hardened without affecting the portion of the section which it is desired to leave soft and tough.

It will of course be understood that the links io of the chain would be necessarily constructed according to the specific form of article which it is desired to harden. It will also be understood that although we show a drive through the tapered pulleys that our machine might 15 be driven by hand, or in any other suitable manner.