Continuous furnace and continuous firing method

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of continuous furnaces, and particularly relates to a continuous furnace and a continuous firing method.The continuous furnace comprises a feeding section, a heating section, a heat insulation section, a cooling section and a discharging section which are sequentially arranged; the heat insulation section comprises a front heat insulation section and a rear heat insulation section which are sequentially arranged, a heat insulation door is arranged between the front heat insulation section and the rear heat insulation section, the heat insulation section further comprises a material pushing / pulling device, the material pushing / pulling device is used for transferring materials from the front heat insulation section to the rear heat insulation section, and the material pushing / pulling speed of the material pushing / pulling device is higher than the material conveying speed in the heating section. According to the continuous furnace, on the basis that the heating section and the cooling section are linearly arranged, the conveying efficiency is high, and a turning switching device is not needed, mutual interference of the heating section and the cooling section can be avoided by additionally arranging the heat insulation section, and the conveying efficiency of materials entering the cooling section from the heating section can be greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of continuous furnaces, specifically relating to a continuous furnace and a continuous firing method. Background Technology

[0002] A roller kiln is a sintering equipment used for the continuous sintering of green ceramics, bricks, tiles, electrode materials, etc. Taking a roller kiln with a protective atmosphere as an example, its basic working principle is as follows: using rollers as a power source, the material to be sintered is continuously fed into a closed furnace body composed of multiple standard sections. After high-temperature sintering, the material is discharged from the furnace and enters the next process. Roller kilns have advantages such as high automation, uniform temperature, short firing cycle, and stable operation.

[0003] Currently, in traditional atmosphere roller kilns, the constant temperature section and the cooling section are interconnected. The high-temperature gas generated in the constant temperature section directly enters the cooling section, resulting in significant heat loss. The conventional solution to this problem is to install one or two insulation doors between the constant temperature section and the cooling section for insulation. For example, Chinese patent "CN212566828U - A Tunnel Kiln for Refractory Materials" solves the above problem by installing an insulation door between the insulation section and the cooling section. However, this method is extremely limited in roller kilns where materials move slowly on the roller conveyor mechanism. The material often takes a long time to pass through the insulation door, making the insulation door's effectiveness extremely limited. The method of setting up two insulation doors allows materials to enter between the two insulation doors. Before the materials enter the two insulation doors, the insulation door closer to the heating section is open, and the insulation door closer to the cooling section is closed. This continues until the materials are completely inside the two insulation doors. At this point, the insulation door closer to the heating section is closed, and the insulation door closer to the cooling section is open. Although this method can separate the constant temperature section and the cooling section, there will still be some heat and cold energy interfering with each other within the range of the two insulation doors. The insulation effect is still average, and it will also affect the effective working length of the heating section and the cooling section, resulting in low utilization of the continuous furnace. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a continuous furnace and a continuous firing method that reduces energy consumption and ensures the overall utilization rate of the continuous furnace.

[0005] This invention provides a continuous furnace, comprising a feeding section, a heating section, a heat insulation section, a cooling section, and a discharging section arranged sequentially.

[0006] The insulation section includes a front insulation section and a rear insulation section arranged in sequence, with an insulation door between the front insulation section and the rear insulation section. The insulation section also includes a material pushing / pulling device, which is used to transfer material from the front insulation section to the rear insulation section, and the material pushing / pulling speed of the material pushing / pulling device is faster than the material conveying speed in the heating section.

[0007] Furthermore, both the front and rear sections of the insulation system utilize non-powered roller conveyors for material transport.

[0008] Alternatively, the rear section of the insulation includes a support platform and a conveying roller arranged in sequence. The material push / pull device drives the material from the front section of the insulation into the support platform and then into the conveying roller for conveying.

[0009] Furthermore, the material push / pull device includes a first linear drive mechanism and a push / pull block. The push / pull block is hinged to the output end of the first linear drive mechanism, and the rotation angle of the push / pull block is between 0° and 90° relative to the push / pull output stroke direction of the first linear drive mechanism. An elastic element is also provided at the hinge point between the push / pull block and the output end of the first linear drive mechanism to keep the push / pull block at a 90° position.

[0010] The first linear drive mechanism is located in the front section or the rear section of the heat insulation, and the output end of the first linear drive mechanism is oriented towards the rear section or the front section of the heat insulation.

[0011] Furthermore, a material correction mechanism is provided on the heating section. After the material passes through the material correction mechanism, the side of the material is located between the end of the push / pull block and the first linear drive mechanism when it is at a 90° position.

[0012] Furthermore, a feed inlet is provided on one side of the heating section perpendicular to the material conveying direction of the heating section, and the feeding section includes a feeding device connected to the feed inlet;

[0013] The feeding device includes a feeding bracket, a sliding frame, a roller conveyor mechanism, and a pushing mechanism. The pushing mechanism is positioned facing the feeding port. The feeding bracket is positioned between the feeding port and the pushing mechanism. The sliding frame is slidably mounted on the feeding bracket. The roller conveyor mechanism is mounted on the sliding frame. The sliding frame moves to switch the roller conveyor mechanism to align with or move away from the feeding port.

[0014] Furthermore, the feeding section also includes a replacement chamber located between the feeding inlet and the feeding support. One side of the replacement chamber is connected to the feeding inlet and is equipped with a first chamber door, while the other end of the replacement chamber is equipped with a second chamber door.

[0015] Furthermore, the feeding device also includes a second door feeding mechanism arranged in parallel on the sliding frame. The second door feeding mechanism includes a second linear drive mechanism and a third linear drive mechanism arranged in parallel on the sliding frame. The second door is located on the output end of the second linear drive mechanism and has a sliding hole. A push rod is located on the output end of the third linear drive mechanism and is slidably arranged in the sliding hole and passes through the second door.

[0016] Furthermore, the feeding device also includes a second door feeding mechanism arranged in parallel on the sliding frame. The second door feeding mechanism includes a second linear drive mechanism and a push rod arranged on the sliding frame. The second door is located on the output end of the second linear drive mechanism. The second door is provided with a sliding hole. The push rod is slidably arranged on the sliding frame and the sliding hole, and one end of the push rod passes through the second door. The sliding direction of the push rod is parallel to the output direction of the second linear drive mechanism.

[0017] The second compartment door feeding mechanism also includes a resilient reset member that drives the push rod to be positioned near the push mechanism. When the second compartment door feeding mechanism is located between the push mechanism and the opening on the second compartment door side of the replacement compartment, the push mechanism can push the push rod to slide.

[0018] Furthermore, the discharge section includes a discharge assembly and a discharge conveyor located at the outlet of the cooling chamber in the cooling section. A third chamber door is provided downstream of the cooling chamber. The discharge assembly includes a forklift mechanism and a transition conveyor.

[0019] The forklift mechanism includes a fourth linear drive mechanism and two fork arms set on the output end of the fourth linear drive mechanism. The fourth linear drive mechanism drives the fork arms to extend into the cooling chamber through the third compartment door to receive materials.

[0020] The transition conveyor includes a lifting mechanism I and a roller conveyor I installed on the conveying end of the lifting mechanism I, with the roller conveyor I located between two forks;

[0021] After the fork arm receives the material from the cooling chamber and resets, the lifting mechanism I drives the roller conveyor I to rise and receive the material and transport it to the discharge conveyor.

[0022] The present invention also provides a continuous firing method using the above-mentioned continuous furnace, comprising the following steps:

[0023] The material enters the heating section from the feeding section and moves and is burned within the heating section. When the material enters the front insulation section, the insulation door opens, and the material push / pull device transfers the material from the front insulation section to the rear insulation section at a speed faster than the material conveying speed of the heating section. After that, the insulation door closes.

[0024] Each time a material enters the insulation front section, the material push / pull device and the insulation door work repeatedly once.

[0025] The beneficial effects of this invention are that the continuous furnace provided by this invention, while retaining the straight-line arrangement of the heating and cooling sections, which has high conveying efficiency and eliminates the need for turning and switching devices, avoids mutual interference between the heating and cooling sections by adding an insulation section, which can greatly improve the conveying efficiency of materials from the heating section to the cooling section. Moreover, the insulation section only needs to be equipped with one insulation door and one material push / pull device. The material is still being fired at a constant temperature in the front section of the insulation, and begins to cool down when it enters the rear section of the insulation. Compared with the insulation method of setting two insulation doors, this can increase the heating and cooling time of the material, thereby increasing the firing time of the material, and thus shortening the length of the heating and cooling sections, ensuring the compactness of the continuous furnace. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Appendix Figure 1 This is a top view of the present invention;

[0027] Appendix Figure 2 This is the front view of the present invention;

[0028] Appendix Figure 3 This is the left view of the present invention;

[0029] Appendix Figure 4 This is a front sectional view of the heat insulation section in this invention (the material push / pull device is set in the rear section of the heat insulation section and used as a material pulling device);

[0030] Appendix Figure 5 For the appendix Figure 4 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle;

[0031] Appendix Figure 6 For the appendix Figure 5 A magnified view of a section at point B in the middle;

[0032] Appendix Figure 7 For the appendix Figure 6 A bottom view;

[0033] Appendix Figure 8 For the appendix Figure 6 A bottom view of another embodiment (the material push / pull device is installed in the front of the insulation section and used as a material pusher);

[0034] Appendix Figure 9 This is a rear view of the cooling chamber and discharge section in this invention;

[0035] Appendix Figure 10 For the appendix Figure 9 Sectional view along line AA.

[0036] In the diagram, 1-feeding device; 11-feeding bracket; 12-sliding frame; 13-second bin door feeding mechanism; 131-second linear drive mechanism; 132-third linear drive mechanism; 14-roller conveyor mechanism; 15-pushing mechanism; 2-replacement bin; 21-first bin door; 22-second bin door; 221-sliding hole; 3-second pushing device; 4-heating section; 41-material correction mechanism; 42-roller conveyor device; 5-heat insulation front section; 6-heat insulation rear section; 7-cooling section; 71-cooling bin; 71 1-Third compartment door; 712-Transmitter roller assembly; 713-Lifting mechanism II; 8-Discharge section; 81-Air curtain assembly; 82-Discharge assembly; 821-Forklift mechanism; 8211-Fourth linear drive mechanism; 8212-Fork arm; 822-Transition conveyor; 8221-Lifting mechanism I; 8222-Roller conveyor I; 83-Discharge conveyor; 84-Top assembly; 9-Insulation door; 10-Material push / pull device; 101-First linear drive mechanism; 102-Push / pull block; 103-Elastic element. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0039] Furthermore, in this invention, descriptions involving "first," "second," etc., are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0040] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connection," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "fixed" can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can mean a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, a physical connection, or a wireless communication connection; it can mean a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can mean the internal communication of two elements or the interaction between two elements, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0041] Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other, but only if they are feasible for those skilled in the art. If the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

[0042] As attached Figure 1 -Appendix Figure 10 As shown, the present invention provides a continuous furnace, comprising a feeding section, a heating section 4, a heat insulation section, a cooling section 7, and a discharging section 8 arranged sequentially. The material enters the heating section 4 from the feeding section for high-temperature firing, then passes through the heat insulation section into the cooling section 7 for cooling, and finally is discharged from the discharging section 8. Preferably, the heating section 4, the heat insulation section, and the cooling section 7 are arranged in a straight line, which allows the material to always move in one direction without turning. This improves material conveying efficiency, ensures the material conveying volume of the heating section 4 and the cooling section 7, and simplifies the process. By setting up the heat insulation section, the mutual interference between the linearly arranged heating section 4 and the cooling section 7 can be avoided, preventing the problem of interconnection between the heating section and the cooling section in traditional atmosphere track kilns, where the high-temperature gas generated in the heating section directly enters the cooling section, resulting in significant heat loss and energy waste.

[0043] Specifically, the insulation section includes a front insulation section 5 and a rear insulation section 6 arranged sequentially. An insulation door 9 is provided between the front insulation section 5 and the rear insulation section 6. The insulation door 9 is used to separate and connect the front insulation section 5 and the rear insulation section 6. The insulation door 9 is preferably arranged vertically, so that the material conveying in the front insulation section 5 and the rear insulation section 6 will not be affected during the opening and closing of the insulation door 9. The insulation section also includes a material push / pull device 10, which is used to transfer the material from the front insulation section 5 to the rear insulation section 6. The material push / pull speed of the material push / pull device 10 is faster than the material conveying speed in the heating section 4. Because the continuous kiln requires a long heating time for the material during firing and cooling, and the heating section 4 and cooling section 7 are of limited length, the material conveying speed in the heating section 4 and cooling section 7 is generally very slow. The material usually takes more than ten hours to pass through the furnace, conveyed at a speed of 0.5 meters per hour or even lower. At this time, without the material push / pull device 10, it takes tens of minutes or more than an hour for the material to pass through the insulation door 9, and the insulation effect of the insulation door 9 is negligible. This invention, by setting the material push / pull device 10 and transferring the material from the insulation front section 5 to the insulation rear section 6 at a speed faster than the material conveying speed in the heating section 4, can greatly shorten the opening time of the insulation door 9.

[0044] The continuous furnace provided by this invention, while retaining the linear arrangement of the heating section 4 and cooling section 7, which offers high conveying efficiency and eliminates the need for turning and switching devices, further enhances the efficiency of material conveying from the heating section 4 to the cooling section 7 by adding an insulation section. This avoids mutual interference between the heating section 4 and the cooling section 7. Moreover, the insulation section only requires one insulation door 9 and one material push / pull device 10. The material is still being fired at a constant temperature in the front insulation section 5, and begins to cool down when it enters the rear insulation section. Compared to the insulation method with two insulation doors, this increases the heating and cooling time of the material, thereby increasing the firing time and shortening the length of the heating section 4 and the cooling section 7, ensuring the compactness of the continuous furnace.

[0045] In one embodiment, both the front insulation section 5 and the rear insulation section 6 use non-powered roller conveyors to transport materials. In this embodiment, the material conveying structure in the insulation section can be simplified, and the material can move smoothly in the front insulation section 5 and the rear insulation section 6.

[0046] In another embodiment, the rear insulation section 6 includes a support platform and a conveying roller arranged sequentially. In this case, the material conveying method of the front insulation section 5 is not limited. The material push / pull device 10 drives the material from the front insulation section 5 into the support platform and then into the conveying roller for conveying. This allows for further increases in the material push / pull speed of the material push / pull device 10, further shortening the opening time of the insulation door 9. Specifically, the material is conveyed normally within the front insulation section 5, and then the material push / pull device 10 transfers the material from the front insulation section 5 to the support platform. Since the material and the support platform slide against each other, inertial slippage caused by excessive material transport speed is avoided. Then, the material push / pull device 10 transfers the material from the support platform to the conveying roller for normal conveying. This embodiment solves the problem of speed limitation caused by inertial slippage due to excessive material speed on the conveying roller. Preferably, the support platform is made of graphite material, which has good high-temperature resistance, wear resistance, and self-lubricating properties.

[0047] In one embodiment, the material push / pull device 10 includes a first linear drive mechanism 101 and a push / pull block 102. The push / pull block 102 is hinged to the output end of the first linear drive mechanism 101. The first linear drive mechanism 101 drives the push / pull block 102 to move linearly and reciprocally. The push / pull block 102 can rotate at the output end of the first linear drive mechanism 101. The rotation angle of the push / pull block 102 is between 0° and 90° relative to the push / pull output stroke direction of the first linear drive mechanism 101. That is, when the material push / pull device 10 is used as a pulling device, the rotation angle of the push / pull block 102 is between 0° and 90° relative to the pulling output stroke direction of the first linear drive mechanism 101 (the direction of material movement in the heating section 4); when the material push / pull device 10 is used as a pushing device, the rotation angle of the push / pull block 102 is between 0° and 90° relative to the pushing output stroke direction of the first linear drive mechanism 101 (the direction of material movement in the heating section 4).

[0048] Preferably, the hinge structure between the push / pull block 102 and the output end of the first linear drive mechanism 101 is provided with a rotation limiting structure to restrict the push / pull block 102 from rotating further in a direction greater than 90°. When it is at 90°, the push / pull block 102 is perpendicular to the output end of the first linear drive mechanism 101. Due to the restriction of the rotation limiting structure, the push / pull block 102 cannot rotate further in an angle greater than 90°. When the material push / pull device 10 is used as a material pulling device, when the push / pull block 102 is at 0°, the push / pull block 102 is tightly attached to the output end of the first linear drive mechanism 101, and the push / pull block 102 will not rotate further in an angle less than 0°. When the material push / pull device 10 is used as a material pushing device, the material will push the push / pull block 102 to rotate to the minimum 0° and will not rotate further in an angle less than 0°.

[0049] The hinge joint between the push / pull block 102 and the output end of the first linear drive mechanism 101 is also provided with an elastic element 103 to keep the push / pull block 102 at a 90° position;

[0050] Reference Appendix Figure 4 -Appendix Figure 7 When the material push / pull device 10 is performing the material pulling operation, the first linear drive mechanism 101 is located in the heat-insulated rear section 6, and the output end of the first linear drive mechanism 101 faces the heat-insulated front section 5. The pulling output stroke direction of the first linear drive mechanism 101 is the same as the material movement direction. The first linear drive mechanism 101 drives the push / pull block 102 to move to the downstream end of the material located in the heat-insulated front section 5. Before the push / pull block 102 contacts the material, the push / pull block 102 is in a 90° state, and during the extension of the first linear drive mechanism 101, the push / pull block 102 will contact the upstream end of the material. At this point, the push / pull block 102 will rotate due to contact with the material, and the push / pull block 102 will continue to move along the side wall of the material until the push / pull block 102 passes the downstream end of the material. At this time, the elastic element 103 will drive the push / pull block 102 to a 90° state. Subsequently, the first linear drive mechanism 101 will reset, and the push / pull block 102 will abut against the downstream end of the material and be restricted by the rotation limit structure and unable to rotate. During the reset process of the first linear drive mechanism 101, the material is pulled to move towards the heat insulation rear section 6, thereby transferring the material from the heat insulation front section 5 to the heat insulation rear section 6 in the manner of material pulling.

[0051] Reference Appendix Figure 8 When the material push / pull device 10 is pushing material, the first linear drive mechanism 101 is located in the heat-insulating front section 5, and the output end of the first linear drive mechanism 101 faces the heat-insulating rear section 6. The pushing output stroke direction of the first linear drive mechanism 101 is the same as the material movement direction. At this time, the material is conveyed in the heat-insulating front section 5, while the material push / pull device 10 remains stationary. During the movement of the material, the upstream end of the material will contact the push / pull block 102. At this time, the push / pull block 102 will rotate in the 0° direction due to contact with the material, and the first linear drive mechanism 101 will rotate in the 0° direction. 01 will continue to move along the side wall of the material until the push / pull block 102 passes the downstream end of the material and leaves the material. At this time, the elastic element 103 will drive the push / pull block 102 to a 90° state. Subsequently, the first linear drive mechanism 101 extends, and the push / pull block 102 will abut against the downstream end of the material and be restricted by the rotation limit structure and cannot rotate. During the extension of the first linear drive mechanism 101, the material is pushed to move, and then the material is transferred from the heat insulation front section 5 to the heat insulation rear section 6 by pushing the material. At this time, the push / pull block 102 is used as a pusher block.

[0052] The material push / pull device 10 provided by this invention only requires a first linear drive mechanism 101 to complete the pushing / pulling of materials, and does not require any interlocking structure on the materials. It exhibits strong adaptability to pushing / pulling, and the overall structure of the material push / pull device 10 is simple, convenient, quick, and energy-efficient. It is also adaptable to pushing or pulling materials, suitable for different working conditions. Furthermore, it does not excessively occupy the space of the insulation front section 5 or insulation rear section 6, and allows the first linear drive mechanism 101 and the push / pull block 102 to be located within the same insulation front section 5 or insulation rear section 6, ensuring the integrity of the insulation door 9 and thus guaranteeing the insulation effect.

[0053] Preferably, the material push / pull device 10 is installed in the heat-insulated rear section 6 as a material pulling device, which can avoid the first linear drive mechanism 101 being in the high-temperature environment in the heating section 4, reduce the heat resistance of the first linear drive mechanism 101, and improve its service life.

[0054] In one embodiment, a material correction mechanism 41 is provided on the heating section 4. After the material passes through the material correction mechanism 41, the side of the material is located between the end of the push / pull block 102 and the first linear drive mechanism 101 when it is at a 90° position. In a preferred embodiment, the material correction mechanism 41 corrects the material to the middle of the heating section 4, so that when the material passes through the material push / pull device 10, the material push / pull device 10 can directly act on the upper and lower ends of the material. Preferably, two sets of material correction mechanisms 41 and material push / pull devices 10 are mirror-arranged on the left and right sides of the furnace cavity to improve the material correction effect and the material push / pull effect.

[0055] In one embodiment, a feed inlet is provided on the side of the heating section 4 perpendicular to the material conveying direction of the heating section, that is, the feed inlet is provided on the side of the heating section 4, and the feeding section includes a feeding device 1 connected to the feed inlet;

[0056] The feeding device 1 includes a feeding bracket 11, a sliding frame 12, a roller conveyor mechanism 14, and a pushing mechanism 15. The pushing mechanism 15 is arranged facing the feeding port. Preferably, the pushing mechanism 15 includes a linear drive mechanism and a pushing block arranged on the conveying end of the linear drive mechanism. The feeding bracket 11 is arranged between the feeding port and the pushing mechanism 15. The sliding frame 12 is slidably arranged on the feeding bracket 11. The roller conveyor mechanism 14 is arranged on the sliding frame 12. The sliding frame 12 moves to switch the roller conveyor mechanism 14 to be aligned with or away from the feeding port. When the roller conveyor mechanism 14 is aligned with the feeding port, the roller conveyor mechanism 14, the feeding port, and the pushing mechanism 15 are in a straight line.

[0057] In this embodiment, the roller conveyor mechanism 14 is used to feed material onto the feeding bracket 11. Specifically, material can be fed onto the roller conveyor mechanism 14 via hoisting equipment or other conveyor belt mechanisms. The roller conveyor mechanism 14 can be located away from the line connecting the feeding port and the pushing mechanism 15, which facilitates the feeding of material onto the roller conveyor mechanism 14. In this embodiment, the pushing mechanism 15, which pushes the material into the feeding port, is located outside the heating section 4, which avoids the pushing mechanism 15 being in the high-temperature environment of the heating section 4.

[0058] In one embodiment, the feeding section further includes a replacement chamber 2 disposed between the feeding inlet and the feeding support 11. One side of the replacement chamber 2 is connected to the feeding inlet and is provided with a first chamber door 21, and the other end of the replacement chamber 2 is provided with a second chamber door 22. In this embodiment, the pushing mechanism 15 is provided with an opening facing the second chamber door 22 side of the replacement chamber 2. In this embodiment, by setting up the replacement chamber 2, on the one hand, the material to be entered into the heating section 4 can be vacuumed and filled with inert gas to remove air from the material, thus preventing oxygen from entering the heating section 4. On the other hand, the replacement chamber 2 can also keep the heating section 4 in a sealed state during the feeding stage, ensuring the airtightness of the heating section 4 and reducing heat loss. Specifically, when there is no feeding, the first chamber door 21 and the second chamber door 22 are both closed, and they jointly block the feed inlet. When the pushing mechanism 15 pushes the material on the roller conveyor mechanism 14 towards the replacement chamber 2, the second chamber door 22 opens. At this time, the first chamber door 21 blocks the feed inlet, ensuring the airtightness of the heating section 4. After the material has completely entered the replacement chamber 2, the second chamber door 22 closes, and vacuuming and filling with inert gas are performed in sequence. Then the first chamber door 21 opens, and the material enters the heating section 4 from the replacement chamber 2. At this time, the second chamber door 22 is closed, which can ensure the airtightness of the heating section 4.

[0059] In one embodiment, reference is made to the appendix. Figure 1 and attached Figure 3The feeding device 1 also includes a second door feeding mechanism 13 arranged in parallel on the sliding frame 12. The second door feeding mechanism 13 includes a second linear drive mechanism 131 and a third linear drive mechanism 132 arranged parallel to each other on the sliding frame 12. The second door 22 is located on the output end of the second linear drive mechanism 131, and a sliding hole 221 is provided on the second door 22. A push rod 133 is provided on the output end of the third linear drive mechanism 132. The push rod 133 is slidably arranged in the sliding hole 221 and passes through the second door 22. In this embodiment, the material in the replacement chamber 2 is directly pushed into the heating section 4 through the second door feeding mechanism 13 located on one side of the second door 22, without the need to set up a material conveying mechanism in the replacement chamber 2 or a material pulling mechanism in the heating section 4. This can greatly simplify the difficulty of transferring material from the replacement chamber 2 to the heating section 4 and reduce the complexity of the mechanism. The second door feeding mechanism 13 is implemented by a push rod 133 slidably mounted on the sliding hole 221 on the second door 22. The push rod 133 fills the gap in the sliding hole 221, ensuring the sealing of the replacement chamber 2. Furthermore, the sliding hole 221 serves as a support point for the push rod 133, improving its structural strength and pushing stability. The third linear drive mechanism 132, which drives the push rod 133, and the second linear drive mechanism 131, which drives the second door 22, are arranged in parallel and do not affect each other. In other words, the placement of the push rod 133 does not affect the opening and closing of the second door 22. Additionally, by directly mounting the second door feeding mechanism 13 on the sliding frame 12, one of the second door feeding mechanism 13 and the roller conveyor mechanism 14 can be positioned between the pushing mechanism 15 and the opening on the second door 22 side of the replacement chamber 2, making fuller use of the sliding frame 12.

[0060] In another embodiment (not shown in the figure), the feeding device 1 further includes a second door feeding mechanism 13 arranged in parallel on the sliding frame 12. The second door feeding mechanism 13 includes a second linear drive mechanism 131 and a push rod 133 arranged on the sliding frame 12. The second door 22 is arranged on the output end of the second linear drive mechanism 131. The second door 22 is provided with a sliding hole 221. The push rod 133 is slidably arranged on the sliding frame 12 and the sliding hole 221, and one end of the push rod 133 passes through the second door 22. The sliding direction of the push rod 133 is parallel to the output direction of the second linear drive mechanism 131.

[0061] The second door feeding mechanism 13 also includes an elastic reset member that drives the push rod 133 to be located near the push mechanism 15. The elastic reset member can be set on the second door 22 or on the sliding frame 12. When the elastic reset member drives the push rod 133 to be located near the push mechanism 15, the end of the push rod 133 is outside the replacement chamber 2 so that the push rod 133 will not interfere with the replacement chamber 2 when the sliding frame 12 slides. When the second door feeding mechanism 13 is located between the push mechanism 15 and the opening on the second door 22 side of the replacement chamber 2, the push mechanism 15 can push the push rod 133 to slide.

[0062] In this embodiment, the material in the replacement chamber 2 is directly pushed into the heating section 4 through the second chamber door feeding mechanism 13 located on one side of the second chamber door 22, without the need to set up a material conveying mechanism in the replacement chamber 2 or a material pulling mechanism in the heating section 4. This can greatly simplify the difficulty of transferring the material from the replacement chamber 2 to the heating section 4 and reduce the complexity of the mechanism. The second chamber door feeding mechanism 13 is implemented by a push rod 133 slidingly mounted on the sliding hole 221 on the second chamber door 22. The push rod 133 can fill the gap in the sliding hole 221 to ensure the sealing of the replacement chamber 2. On the other hand, the sliding hole 221 can also serve as a support point for the push rod 133, improving the structural strength and pushing stability of the push rod 133. The drive mechanism that drives the push rod 133 to push the material is driven by the push block of the push mechanism 15. At this time, the push mechanism 15 is used to push the material on the roller conveyor mechanism 14 into the replacement chamber 2, and also to push the push rod 133 to push the material in the replacement chamber 2 into the heating section 4. This eliminates the need for a third linear drive mechanism 132 to drive the push rod 133 to move, further simplifying the structure and reducing costs. The drive mechanism that drives the push rod 133 to reset the stroke uses an elastic reset component, eliminating the need for a linear drive mechanism and electric drive, thus saving energy. In addition, by directly mounting the second door feeding mechanism 13 on the sliding frame 12, one of the second door feeding mechanism 13 and the roller conveyor mechanism 14 can be located between the opening on the side of the second door 22 of the pushing mechanism 15 and the replacement chamber 2, thus making fuller use of the sliding frame 12.

[0063] In one embodiment, a movable support platform and a roller conveyor 42 are sequentially arranged in the heating section 4, that is, the heating section 4 adopts a roller kiln structure.

[0064] The feed inlet is located on the side of the heating section 4 and at the position of the movable support platform. A second pushing device 3 is provided on the upstream end face of the heating section 4 to push the material on the movable support platform into the roller conveyor device 42. In this embodiment, the second gate feeding mechanism 13 pushes the material from the feed inlet onto the movable support platform, and then the second pushing device 3 pushes the material on the movable support platform onto the roller conveyor device 42. This allows for turning conveying of the material, enabling longitudinal feeding and transverse conveying, reducing the size of the feed inlet, minimizing air leakage points, improving the airtightness of the heating section 4, and ensuring the material load capacity within the heating section 4. The movable support platform is preferably a graphite platform, which has wear-resistant and high-temperature resistant properties.

[0065] In one embodiment, the discharge section 8 includes a discharge assembly 82 and a discharge conveyor 83 located at the outlet of the cooling chamber 71 in the cooling section 7. The discharge assembly 82 is used to transport the material in the cooling chamber 71 to the discharge conveyor 83. The discharge conveyor 83 is used to transport the material from the discharge assembly 82 to the next station. A third chamber door 711 is provided downstream of the cooling chamber 71 to open and close the cooling chamber 71, so as to prevent the cooling chamber 71 from being open when no material is needed, which would cause the temperature inside the roller kiln to be lost or the air to enter the roller kiln. The discharge assembly 82 includes a fork mechanism 821 and a transition conveyor 822. During the discharge process of the cooling chamber 71, the opening time of the third chamber door 711 is short, which can reduce the loss of cold energy and thus reduce energy consumption.

[0066] The forklift mechanism 821 includes a fourth linear drive mechanism 8211 and two fork arms 8212 disposed on the output end of the fourth linear drive mechanism 8211. The fourth linear drive mechanism 8211 drives the fork arms 8212 to extend into the cooling chamber 71 through the third chamber door 711 to receive materials. Preferably, the fourth linear drive mechanism 8211 drives the fork arms 8212 to move horizontally and laterally, thereby extending into the cooling chamber 71 through the third chamber door 711 to receive or unload materials, so as to ensure the stability of receiving materials.

[0067] The transition conveyor 822 includes a lifting mechanism I 8221 and a roller conveyor I 8222 disposed on the conveying end of the lifting mechanism I 8221. The roller conveyor I 8222 is located between two forks 8212, ensuring that the roller conveyor I 8222 and the two forks 8212 do not interfere with each other during their movement. During the discharge process of the roller kiln, after the forks 8212 receive the material from the cooling chamber 71 and reset, the lifting mechanism I 8221 drives the roller conveyor I 8222 to rise to receive the material and convey it to the discharge conveyor 83.

[0068] The discharge assembly 82 and the discharge conveyor 83 are used for discharging material from the cooling chamber 71. Specifically, when discharging material from the roller kiln, the fork arm 8212 receives the material into the cooling chamber 71. After receiving the material, the fork arm 8212 returns to its original position. Then, the lifting mechanism I 8221 drives the roller conveyor I 8222 to rise and receive the material. The roller conveyor I 8222 then transports the material to the discharge conveyor 83. The positional relationship between the fork arm 8212 and the transition conveyor 822, i.e., the lifting mechanism I 8221 and the roller conveyor I 8222 are located between the two fork arms 8212, can make reasonable use of the space outside the third chamber door 711 of the cooling chamber 71. This allows material to be taken out from the cooling chamber 71 through the fork arm 8212, and then received and transported by the roller conveyor I 8222. While ensuring a compact structure, it achieves stable and reliable material removal from the cooling chamber 71, efficiently and stably unloading material from the fork arm 8212. At the same time, it avoids the problems of difficulty in reversing direction and difficulty in adjusting the discharge height caused by the conventional direct connection of conveyor rollers (the conveyor roller connection discharge method requires one of the conveyor rollers to be tilted if the discharge height needs to be adjusted, but the material sintered in the roller kiln is very heavy, and tilted conveying will pose a safety hazard).

[0069] In one embodiment, when the lifting mechanism I 8221 rises to allow the roller conveyor I 8222 to receive material, the roller conveyor I 8222 and the discharge conveyor 83 are at the same height, while the two forks 8212 are lower than the roller conveyor I 8222 and the discharge conveyor 83. The material passes through the roller conveyor I 8222 and the discharge conveyor 83. In this embodiment, when the lifting mechanism I 8221 rises to allow the roller conveyor I 8222 to receive material, it directly lifts the material off the forks 8212, causing the material to completely detach from the forks 8212. At this time, the rollers on the roller conveyor I 8222 rotate, causing the material to move towards the discharge conveyor 83, thus ensuring conveying efficiency.

[0070] In another embodiment, since the current roller kiln discharge generally uses a rolling conveying scheme (i.e., transporting materials by rotating rollers), and because the materials inside the roller kiln are large in volume and heavy in weight, considering the material's own weight and inertia, the roller rotation speed cannot be too fast, resulting in a long discharge time. Therefore, in order to improve conveying efficiency, when the lifting mechanism I 8221 rises so that the roller conveyor I 8222, the fork arm 8212, and the discharge conveyor 83 are at the same height when receiving materials, during the discharge process of the roller kiln, the materials pass sequentially through the roller conveyor I 8222, the fork arm 8212 located between the roller conveyor I 8222 and the discharge conveyor 83, and the discharge conveyor 83. During the feeding process of the roller kiln, the materials pass sequentially through the discharge conveyor 83, the fork arm 8212 located between the roller conveyor I 8222 and the discharge conveyor 83, and the roller conveyor I 8222. In this embodiment, when the lifting mechanism I 8221 rises to allow the roller conveyor I 8222 to receive the material, the material remains in contact with the fork arm 8212. At this time, the rollers on the roller conveyor I 8222 rotate, causing the material to move towards the discharge conveyor 83. During this movement, the material continuously rubs against the fork arm 8212 between the roller conveyor I 8222 and the discharge conveyor 83, forming frictional sliding to provide a certain amount of frictional force. Therefore, the material's weight and inertia do not need to be considered, ensuring the conveying speed of the roller conveyor I 8222 and the discharge conveyor 83. The problem of prolonged braking distance due to inertia is avoided, achieving both efficiency and conveying stability of the rollers. This embodiment is suitable for situations where the material is relatively heavy. Preferably, in this embodiment, the fork arm 8212 is made of graphite material.

[0071] In one embodiment, the cooling chamber 71 is provided with a conveyor roller assembly 712 and a lifting mechanism II 713. The lifting mechanism II 713 is located at the end of the conveyor roller assembly 712 and is used to lift the material conveyed to the third chamber door 711, so that the material leaves the conveyor roller assembly 712 and is received by the fork mechanism 821. Specifically, the output end of the lifting mechanism II 713 lifts the material through the gap between the rollers of the conveyor roller assembly 712, and the output end of the lifting mechanism II 713 is staggered with the two forks 8212. In this embodiment, when the roller kiln is feeding, the forks 8212 carry the material into the third chamber door 711, and then the lifting mechanism II 713 lifts the material from the forks 8212, after which the forks 8212 reset, and finally the lifting mechanism II 713 resets and places the material on the conveyor roller assembly 712.

[0072] In one embodiment, the discharge section 8 further includes an air curtain assembly 81 disposed in the cooling chamber 71; the distance between the air curtain assembly 81 and the third chamber door 711 is greater than the size of the material, so that the material can be positioned between the air curtain assembly 81 and the third chamber door 711. At this time, after the material has completely passed through the air curtain assembly 81 and is located before the third chamber door 711, the air curtain assembly 81 can be opened first to form an air curtain, and then the third chamber door 711 can be opened. By setting the air curtain assembly 81, the air curtain assembly 81 can be opened before or during the opening of the third chamber door 711, and protective gas can be released towards the third chamber door 711 through the air curtain assembly 81, effectively reducing the entry of external air into the cooling chamber 71 and the interior of the roller kiln through the third chamber door 711, and reducing the impact of the opening of the third chamber door 711 on the sintering atmosphere inside the roller kiln.

[0073] The present invention also provides a continuous firing method using the above-mentioned continuous furnace, comprising the following steps:

[0074] The material enters the heating section 4 from the feeding section and moves and is fired in the heating section 4. When the material enters the insulation front section 5, the insulation door 9 opens, and the material push / pull device 10 transfers the material from the insulation front section 5 to the insulation rear section 6 at a speed faster than the material conveying speed of the heating section 4. After that, the insulation door 9 closes.

[0075] Each time a material enters the insulation front section 5, the material push / pull device 10 and the insulation door 9 work repeatedly once.

[0076] This continuous firing method can maintain the straight arrangement of heating section 4 and cooling section 7, which has high conveying efficiency and eliminates the need for turning and switching devices. It also avoids mutual interference between heating section 4 and cooling section 7, and greatly improves the conveying efficiency of material from heating section 4 to cooling section 7.

[0077] The above description is merely an embodiment and does not constitute any limitation on the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible variations, modifications, or alterations to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention, without departing from the scope of the present invention, should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A continuous furnace, characterized in that, It includes a feeding section, a heating section (4), a heat insulation section, a cooling section (7), and a discharging section (8) arranged in sequence; The heat insulation section includes a heat insulation front section (5) and a heat insulation rear section (6) arranged in sequence. A heat insulation door (9) is provided between the heat insulation front section (5) and the heat insulation rear section (6). The heat insulation section also includes a material push / pull device (10). The material push / pull device (10) is used to transfer material from the heat insulation front section (5) to the heat insulation rear section (6), and the material push / pull speed of the material push / pull device (10) is faster than the material conveying speed in the heating section (4).

2. The continuous furnace as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Both the heat insulation front section (5) and the heat insulation rear section (6) use non-powered roller conveyors to transport materials; Alternatively, the heat insulation rear section (6) includes a bearing platform and a conveying roller arranged in sequence, and the material push / pull device (10) drives the material from the heat insulation front section (5) into the bearing platform and then into the conveying roller for conveying.

3. The continuous furnace as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The material push / pull device (10) includes a first linear drive mechanism (101) and a push / pull block (102). The push / pull block (102) is hinged to the output end of the first linear drive mechanism (101), and the rotation angle of the push / pull block (102) is between 0° and 90° relative to the push / pull output stroke direction of the first linear drive mechanism (101). An elastic element (103) is also provided at the hinge point between the push / pull block (102) and the output end of the first linear drive mechanism (101) to keep the push / pull block (102) at a 90° position. The first linear drive mechanism (101) is disposed in the front section (5) or the rear section (6) of the heat insulation, and the output end of the first linear drive mechanism (101) is disposed facing the rear section (6) or the front section (5) of the heat insulation.

4. The continuous furnace as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The heating section (4) is provided with a material correction mechanism (41). After the material passes through the material correction mechanism (41), the side of the material is located between the end of the push / pull block (102) and the first linear drive mechanism (101) when it is at a 90° position.

5. The continuous furnace as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The heating section (4) has a feed inlet on one side perpendicular to the material conveying direction of the heating section, and the feed section includes a feeding device (1) connected to the feed inlet; The feeding device (1) includes a feeding bracket (11), a sliding frame (12), a roller conveyor mechanism (14), and a pushing mechanism (15). The pushing mechanism (15) is arranged facing the feeding port. The feeding bracket (11) is arranged between the feeding port and the pushing mechanism (15). The sliding frame (12) is slidably arranged on the feeding bracket (11). The roller conveyor mechanism (14) is arranged on the sliding frame (12). The sliding frame (12) moves to switch the roller conveyor mechanism (14) to align with or move away from the feeding port.

6. The continuous furnace as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The feeding section also includes a replacement chamber (2) disposed between the feeding port and the feeding bracket (11). One side of the replacement chamber (2) is connected to the feeding port and is provided with a first chamber door (21), and the other end of the replacement chamber (2) is provided with a second chamber door (22).

7. The continuous furnace as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The feeding device (1) further includes a second door feeding mechanism (13) arranged in parallel on the sliding frame (12). The second door feeding mechanism (13) includes a second linear drive mechanism (131) and a third linear drive mechanism (132) arranged in parallel on the sliding frame (12). The second door (22) is arranged on the output end of the second linear drive mechanism (131). The second door (22) is provided with a sliding hole (221). The output end of the third linear drive mechanism (132) is provided with a push rod (133). The push rod (133) is slidably arranged in the sliding hole (221) and passes through the second door (22).

8. The continuous furnace as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The feeding device (1) further includes a second door feeding mechanism (13) arranged in parallel on the sliding frame (12). The second door feeding mechanism (13) includes a second linear drive mechanism (131) and a push rod (133) arranged on the sliding frame (12). The second door (22) is arranged on the output end of the second linear drive mechanism (131). The second door (22) is provided with a sliding hole (221). The push rod (133) is slidably arranged on the sliding frame (12) and the sliding hole (221). One end of the push rod (133) passes through the second door (22). The sliding direction of the push rod (133) is parallel to the output direction of the second linear drive mechanism (131). The second door feeding mechanism (13) also includes an elastic reset member that drives the push rod (133) to be located near the push mechanism (15). When the second door feeding mechanism (13) is located between the push mechanism (15) and the opening on the second door (22) side of the replacement chamber (2), the push mechanism (15) can push the push rod (133) to slide.

9. The continuous furnace as described in any one of claims 1-4 and 6-8, characterized in that, The discharge section (8) includes a discharge assembly (82) and a discharge conveyor (83) located at the outlet of the cooling chamber (71) in the cooling section (7). A third chamber door (711) is provided downstream of the cooling chamber (71). The discharge assembly (82) includes a forklift mechanism (821) and a transition conveyor (822). The forklift mechanism (821) includes a fourth linear drive mechanism (8211) and two fork arms (8212) disposed on the output end of the fourth linear drive mechanism (8211). The fourth linear drive mechanism (8211) drives the fork arms (8212) to extend into the cooling chamber (71) through the third chamber door (711) to receive materials. The transition conveyor (822) includes a lifting mechanism I (8221) and a roller conveyor I (8222) disposed on the conveying end of the lifting mechanism I (8221), wherein the roller conveyor I (8222) is located between the two forks (8212); After the fork arm (8212) receives the material from the cooling chamber (71) and resets, the lifting mechanism I (8221) drives the roller conveyor I (8222) to rise to receive the material and convey it to the discharge conveyor (83).

10. A continuous firing method, characterized in that, Using the continuous furnace as described in any one of claims 1-9 includes the following steps: The material enters the heating section (4) from the feeding section and moves and is burned in the heating section (4). When the material enters the insulation front section (5), the insulation door (9) is opened, and the material push / pull device (10) transfers the material from the insulation front section (5) to the insulation rear section (6) at a speed faster than the material conveying speed of the heating section (4). After that, the insulation door (9) is closed. Each time a material enters the insulation front section (5), the material push / pull device (10) and the insulation door (9) work repeatedly once.

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