A quenching and cooling device for wear-resistant steel balls

Abstract

The application belongs to the field of part quenching, in particular to a wear-resistant steel ball quenching and cooling device, which comprises a plurality of interconnected heating furnaces, the top of the heating furnace is provided with an upper feeding door for feeding the steel balls, the bottom of the heating furnace is provided with a separable lower separation seat, the bottom of the lower separation seat is provided with a discharge valve and two communication valves, and a transmission pipe fixedly connected with the communication valves is arranged between the interconnected heating furnaces. Through the arrangement, the tedious process that the workpiece needs to be frequently transferred in the traditional process is improved. In the same tank, by sequentially injecting the heating liquid, the quenching liquid and the tempering liquid, the heating, quenching and tempering whole process can be automatically completed. This not only greatly reduces the equipment occupation and mechanical complexity, but also fundamentally eliminates the heat loss, scale generation and operation safety risk in the workpiece transfer process. At the same time, the working process is not exposed, which is safer, and is a solution for realizing high consistency and high efficiency continuous production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of parts quenching, specifically a quenching and cooling device for wear-resistant steel balls. Background Technology

[0002] Part quenching is a heat treatment process in which metal is heated to a critical temperature and then rapidly cooled. The core purpose is to obtain a high-hardness martensitic structure, which greatly improves wear resistance and strength. The key points of the quenching process are to select the cooling medium according to the material, control the cooling rate to avoid cracking, and use low-temperature tempering to eliminate stress and maintain hardness.

[0003] Steel balls are fundamental industrial components, mainly divided into two categories: bearing steel balls, which are used in bearings of automobiles, wind power, machinery and other equipment, to bear rotation and reduce friction. Hardness is an important property of steel balls, and they need to be processed by quenching and tempering to obtain high hardness.

[0004] Traditional quenching and cooling devices have a relatively simple structure, consisting of a water tank and hoisting equipment. The steel balls are hoisted and then submerged in the water tank for quenching. Not only does the water tank occupy a large area, but the process is mostly outdoors, posing a significant risk of the high-temperature steel balls falling and accidentally touching them. Before quenching, the steel balls cannot be quickly immersed in water, causing oxidation on the surface. After quenching, the steel balls cannot be quickly tempered, and the transfer of high-temperature steel balls is also cumbersome, reducing work efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a quenching and cooling device for wear-resistant steel balls. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, at least one technical problem raised in the background art is solved.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is as follows: The wear-resistant steel ball quenching and cooling device of the present invention includes multiple interconnected heating furnaces. The top of the heating furnace is equipped with an upper feeding door for feeding steel balls. The bottom of the heating furnace is equipped with a separable lower separation seat. The bottom of the lower separation seat is equipped with a discharge valve and two connecting valves. A transmission pipe fixedly connected to the connecting valves is provided between the interconnected heating furnaces. The interior of the heating furnace is equipped with a rotating stirring rod.

[0008] This setup improves upon the cumbersome process of frequent workpiece transfers in traditional manufacturing. Within the same tank, heating, quenching, and tempering liquids are sequentially injected, automatically completing the entire heating, quenching, and tempering process. This significantly reduces equipment footprint and mechanical complexity, fundamentally eliminating heat loss, oxide scale formation, and operational safety risks during workpiece transfer. Furthermore, the absence of exposure during operation enhances safety, making it a solution for achieving high consistency and high-efficiency continuous production. In contrast, the bath heating method of the heating liquid offers advantages over traditional air resistance furnaces, which have low air heat transfer efficiency, require several hours to heat up, and necessitate careful heating to ensure even heating. The process involves pausing and holding the temperature at different points, significantly prolonging the heating time. Furthermore, the steel ball surface oxidizes at high temperatures in the air during transfer, forming a thick oxide scale that affects dimensional accuracy and surface quality. During quenching, the oxide scale peels off and contaminates the quenching fluid. The process also involves continuous operation of the heating fluid, maintaining its high temperature. The heating fluid needs to remain fluid and not evaporate at temperatures above 800 degrees Celsius, as such a material would easily solidify at low temperatures. The method of circulating the heating fluid in multiple heating furnaces ensures it remains in a working state, maintaining high fluidity and a high temperature, preventing solidification and avoiding the waste of heat from repeated heating and cooling.

[0009] Preferably, the heating furnace is flat and vertically placed, the stirring rod is vertically arranged inside the heating furnace, and multiple conveying valves communicating with the interior of the heating furnace are fixedly connected to the front end of the heating furnace near the top. The shape of the heating furnace allows the stirring rod to effectively agitate the steel balls inside during stirring, moving the larger steel balls to the upper position, reducing the problem of steel balls accumulating at the bottom of the furnace, and ensuring the uniformity of heating; the conveying valves are used to convey the required liquids such as tempering liquid and quenching liquid into the furnace.

[0010] Preferably, the heating furnace consists of a lower adapter frame and an upper expansion frame. The internal width of the lower adapter frame is the same as the width of the stirring rod, and the width of the upper expansion frame is greater than the width of the lower adapter frame. The connection between the lower adapter frame and the upper expansion frame is a smooth transition. Through the design of being wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, all the steel balls at the bottom will be picked up during the rotation of the stirring rod and spread outwards after being moved to the upper expansion frame, reducing the problem of uneven heating of the steel balls at the bottom. The smooth design at the connection prevents the stirring rod from getting stuck with the steel balls due to excessive resistance when it presses down through the connection.

[0011] Preferably, multiple locking bolts are installed between the heating furnace and the lower separation seat, and multiple door hinges located on the same side are also installed between the heating furnace and the lower separation seat. A door hinge is installed between the heating furnace and the upper feeding door. When the lower separation seat needs to be opened, multiple locking bolts are first opened to allow the lower separation seat to move down, and then the lower separation seat is flipped by the door hinge, which can quickly discharge the internal steel balls and tempering liquid, completing the internal evacuation process. The opening and closing process of the upper feeding door also relies on the setting of the door hinge. Hydraulic or electric equipment can also be used for control to complete fully automatic opening and closing.

[0012] Preferably, a drive shaft is fixedly connected to the middle of the stirring rod, and a drive motor for rotating the drive shaft is fixedly connected to the outside of the heating furnace. A separator connected to the drive shaft is also installed on the outside of the heating furnace. The output end of the separator passes through the inner wall of the heating furnace and communicates with the interior. The drive motor drives the drive shaft to rotate, which in turn drives the stirring rod to rotate. The separator has a built-in circulating pump that can continuously absorb the heating liquid in the heating furnace and return it to the interior of the heating furnace after passing through itself. After passing through itself again, it can filter out impurities in the heating liquid, such as the oxide metal slag produced by the steel balls during the heating process, ensuring that the heating liquid remains in an excellent state with low impurities after multiple operations.

[0013] Preferably, both ends of the stirring rod are equipped with edge platforms, which are fitted to the inner wall of the heating furnace. Both the edge platforms and the stirring rod are hollow. The edge platforms are connected to the separator through the stirring rod and the drive shaft. Both ends of the edge platforms are provided with flow holes. The liquid continuously flows through the bottom of the heating furnace through the edge platforms. With the help of the flow holes, the heating liquid can flow from one end to the other. At the same time, the oxide metal fragments are easy to settle to the bottom. After being absorbed by the edge platforms, they will be filtered through the separator to further ensure the purity of the heating liquid.

[0014] Preferably, an inclined partition plate is fixedly connected inside the edge platform, and an inclined gravity valve is installed inside the stirring rod. The gravity valve includes a rotatable cover plate and a valve frame fixed inside the stirring rod. A counterweight is fixedly connected to the middle of the cover plate. When the heating liquid passes through the partition plate, the liquid flows normally, while impurities are blocked by the partition plate. The inclined partition plate can assist impurities to move upward. With this configuration, the separator does not need to be turned on for a long time, and the edge platform can automatically filter impurities. Afterward, the separator can be turned on periodically to recover the impurities. The gravity valve is designed so that the cover plate will only open under gravity when one side of the stirring rod rotates to the bottom, and the impurities and heating liquid will be transferred under the absorption of the separator, preventing negative pressure from being drawn in from the upper edge platform and ensuring smooth transfer.

[0015] Preferably, the end of the drive shaft is rotatably engaged with the separator, a detachable filter box is installed on the outside of the separator, and a steam valve is installed on the top of the outside of the heating furnace. After filtering for a period of time, the filter box can be removed and replaced to achieve the effect of quick start-up. Steam is generated during the quenching stage. The steam is received through the steam valve and stored in an additional storage device.

[0016] Preferably, the heating furnace includes, from the inside out, an inner contact layer, an electric heating layer, a steam layer, and an outer protective layer. The output end of the steam valve is connected to the steam layer. During the heating stage, the electric heating layer maintains the internal heating liquid at a high temperature, while the steam layer is empty, which can isolate internal and external heat. At the same time, the outer protective layer can also keep the liquid warm and reduce heat loss. During the tempering stage, the steam generated during quenching can be injected into the steam layer to keep the tempering liquid warm, thus realizing the function of heat recovery and reuse.

[0017] Preferably, the discharge valve is located at the front end of the two connecting valves, the transmission pipe is made of high-temperature resistant metal, and a positioning seat is fixedly connected to the outer side of the middle part of the transmission pipe. When the lower separation seat is rotated open, the transmission pipe will bend accordingly. The positioning seat is used to fix the middle position of the transmission pipe and prevent excessive bending and positional displacement.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0019] 1. The wear-resistant steel ball quenching and cooling device of the present invention improves the cumbersome process of frequent workpiece transfer in the traditional process by setting up multiple interconnected heating furnaces. In the same tank, the heating, quenching and tempering processes can be automatically completed by sequentially injecting heating liquid, quenching liquid and tempering liquid. This not only greatly reduces the equipment footprint and mechanical complexity, but also fundamentally eliminates heat loss, oxide scale formation and operational safety risks during workpiece transfer. At the same time, the non-exposed working process is safer, and it is a solution for achieving high consistency and high efficiency continuous production.

[0020] 2. The wear-resistant steel ball quenching and cooling device of the present invention uses a bath heating method of heating liquid, which eliminates the need to stop and hold at different temperature points, resulting in higher heating efficiency and more uniform heating. By using multiple heating furnaces to circulate the heating liquid, the heating liquid is kept in working state, maintaining a high fluidity and high temperature state, preventing solidification and avoiding the problem of repeated cooling and heating that wastes heat. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2This is a first-view perspective perspective view of the heating furnace of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a second-view perspective perspective view of the heating furnace of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a diagram of the internal structure of the heating furnace of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the stirring rod and drive shaft of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the drive shaft and separator of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the furnace body structure of the heating furnace of the present invention;

[0029] In the diagram: 1. Heating furnace; 2. Transmission pipe; 3. Positioning seat; 4. Upper feeding door; 5. Steam valve; 6. Lower separating seat; 7. Locking bolt; 9. Drive motor; 10. Separator; 12. Door hinge one; 13. Conveying valve; 14. Door hinge two; 15. Discharge valve; 16. Connecting valve; 17. Stirring rod; 18. Edge platform; 19. Drive shaft; 21. Upper expansion frame; 22. Lower adapter frame; 24. Divider plate; 25. Flow hole; 26. Gravity valve; 27. Cover plate; 28. Counterweight; 29. ​​Filter box; 30. Outer protective layer; 31. Steam layer; 32. Electric heating layer; 33. Inner contact layer. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0031] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown in the embodiment of the present invention, a wear-resistant steel ball quenching and cooling device includes multiple interconnected heating furnaces 1. The top of each heating furnace 1 is equipped with an upper feeding door 4 for feeding steel balls. The bottom of each heating furnace 1 is equipped with a separable lower separation seat 6. The bottom of the lower separation seat 6 is equipped with a discharge valve 15 and two connecting valves 16. A transmission pipe 2 fixedly connected to the connecting valves 16 is provided between the interconnected heating furnaces 1. The interior of each heating furnace 1 is equipped with a rotating stirring rod 17.

[0032] The steel balls to be processed are placed into the heating furnace 1 from the top. After closing the upper feeding door 4, the heating function of the heating furnace 1 is turned on to preheat the steel balls for a short time. Then, a heating liquid is injected into the heating furnace 1, ensuring the liquid level is higher than the height of the stacked steel balls, so that the steel balls are completely submerged. Simultaneously, the stirring rod 17 continuously stirs the liquid, ensuring the steel balls are evenly distributed and heated. The temperature of the heating liquid is approximately 800 degrees Celsius, used to heat the steel balls to the required temperature before quenching, aiming to transform the internal structure of the steel balls into austenite. The heating time is adjusted according to the diameter of the steel balls. To ensure sufficient heating and transformation of the internal structure, larger diameter steel balls require longer heating times. For example, for a steel ball with a diameter of 12 centimeters... Experimental calculations show that under bath heating conditions, the steel ball needs approximately 40 minutes to reach the required temperature and complete the austenite conversion process after holding at that temperature for one hour. It should be noted that the time increases with the diameter of the steel ball. After the conversion is complete, the heating liquid inside furnace 1 is discharged to the next furnace 1 through transmission pipe 2 and connecting valve 16. This can be done using a high-temperature resistant liquid pump or by applying a vacuum to the next furnace 1. After the heating liquid is completely pumped out, quenching liquid is injected into the first furnace 1. The quenching liquid flows over the steel ball. The steps are as follows: after injecting a certain amount of quenching liquid, submerging the steel ball, open the bottom discharge valve 15 to allow the quenching liquid to continuously flow out. The quenching liquid not only quenches the steel ball but also cleans the inside of furnace 1. The residual heating liquid and metal slag generated during the heating process are cleaned up. The discharge valve 15 has a diameter smaller than the steel ball, preventing the steel ball from being discharged. Simultaneously, during the quenching stage, the stirring rod 17 agitates the water, reducing congestion and promoting discharge. Once the steel ball temperature drops to approximately 200 degrees Celsius, the flow rate of the quenching liquid is reduced, ensuring the steel ball reaches the required tempering temperature just before the quenching liquid is completely drained. Then, the discharge valve 15 is closed, and tempering liquid is injected into the heating furnace 1, completely submerging the steel ball. Tempering is then completed by holding the mixture at this temperature for three to four hours. During this time, the transferred heating liquid is used in the next heating furnace 1 to repeat the heating operation, heating another group of steel balls to the required pre-quenching temperature. The heating liquid is then transferred to a third heating furnace 1 for the same process. When the steel balls in the third heating furnace 1 are about to be heated... At the end of the tempering process, the steel balls in the first heating furnace 1 have completed the tempering and heat preservation stage. At this time, the entire lower separation seat 6 is opened to allow all the steel balls and tempering liquid inside to be discharged outwards, emptying the interior of the heating furnace 1. The steel balls are discharged along with the tempering liquid and enter the subsequent stage. At the same time, the lower separation seat 6 is closed, and the interior of the heating furnace 1 can be cleaned with a completely volatile cleaning liquid, which is then discharged from the bottom of the discharge valve 15. The residual cleaning liquid evaporates under the residual high temperature. After that, steel balls can be put in and the heating liquid from the third heating furnace 1 can be received for repeated operation. Multiple heating furnaces 1 can be arranged according to space constraints. They can be placed side by side or in a circle. Placing them in a circle makes it easier to connect the beginning and the end. Different numbers of heating furnaces 1 are used depending on the diameter of the steel balls to ensure the continuity of the process.

[0033] This setup improves upon the cumbersome process of frequent workpiece transfers in traditional manufacturing. Within the same tank, heating, quenching, and tempering liquids are sequentially injected, automatically completing the entire heating, quenching, and tempering process. This significantly reduces equipment footprint and mechanical complexity, fundamentally eliminating heat loss, oxide scale formation, and operational safety risks during workpiece transfer. Furthermore, the absence of exposure during operation enhances safety, making it a solution for achieving high consistency and high-efficiency continuous production. Compared to traditional air resistance furnace heating, which has low air heat transfer efficiency, requires several hours to heat up, and necessitates pauses and holding at different temperature points to ensure comprehensive heating, further prolonging the heating time, the bath heating method of the heating liquid offers advantages. Air resistance furnaces oxidize at high temperatures in the air during transfer, forming thick oxide scale that affects dimensional accuracy and surface quality. Oxide scale peeling off during quenching can also contaminate the quenching liquid. The continuous operation of the heating liquid ensures consistent heat transfer and maintains high efficiency. The heating fluid maintains a continuous high temperature; it needs to remain fluid even at temperatures above 800 degrees Celsius, as such a material would easily solidify at low temperatures. Multiple heating furnaces circulate the heating fluid, ensuring it remains in a working state, maintaining high fluidity and a high-temperature state, preventing solidification and avoiding the waste of heat from repeated heating and cooling. Molten salts, such as chloride salts, can be used as the heating fluid, offering good fluidity at high temperatures, uniform heating, and no oxidation or decarburization. The quenching fluid uses PAG-based water-based quenching fluid. PAG has anti-solubility; upon contact with high-temperature steel balls, it precipitates and forms a film, separating the water and completely preventing steam explosions. By changing the water concentration, the cooling rate can be adjusted from water-fast to oil-slow, ensuring hardening without cracking. The water-based ratio can be increased later, allowing any remaining quenching fluid to evaporate at high temperatures, cleaning the heating furnace 1 without mixing with other liquids. Professional tempering oil can be used as the tempering fluid, offering comprehensive functions at an affordable price.

[0034] The heating furnace 1 is flat and placed vertically. The stirring rod 17 is arranged vertically inside the heating furnace 1. A plurality of conveying valves 13 that communicate with the interior of the heating furnace 1 are fixedly connected to the front end of the heating furnace 1 near the top.

[0035] During operation, the configuration of the heating furnace 1 allows the stirring rod 17 to effectively agitate the internal steel balls, moving the larger steel balls to the upper position, reducing the problem of steel balls accumulating at the bottom of the furnace, and ensuring uniform heating; the conveying valve 13 is used to convey the required liquids such as tempering liquid and quenching liquid into the furnace.

[0036] The heating furnace 1 is composed of a lower adapter frame 22 and an upper expansion frame 21. The internal width of the lower adapter frame 22 is the same as the width of the stirring rod 17. The width of the upper expansion frame 21 is greater than the width of the lower adapter frame 22. The connection between the lower adapter frame 22 and the upper expansion frame 21 is a smooth transition.

[0037] During operation, the design, which is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, will scoop up all the steel balls at the bottom during the rotation of the stirring rod 17. After moving to the upper expansion frame 21, the balls will spread outwards, reducing the problem of uneven heating of the steel balls at the bottom. The smooth design at the connection point will prevent the stirring rod 17 from getting stuck with the steel balls due to excessive resistance when it presses down through the connection point.

[0038] Multiple locking bolts 7 are installed between the heating furnace 1 and the lower separation seat 6, and multiple door hinges 12 located on the same side are also installed between the heating furnace 1 and the lower separation seat 6. A door hinge 14 is installed between the heating furnace 1 and the upper feeding door 4.

[0039] When the lower separator 6 needs to be opened during operation, multiple bolts 7 are first opened to allow the lower separator 6 to move down. Then, the lower separator 6 is flipped by the door hinge 12, which can quickly discharge the internal steel balls and tempering liquid and complete the internal evacuation process. The opening and closing process of the upper feeding door 4 also relies on the setting of the door hinge 14. It can also be controlled by hydraulic or electric equipment to complete the fully automatic opening and closing.

[0040] A drive shaft 19 is fixedly connected to the middle of the stirring rod 17. A drive motor 9 for driving the drive shaft 19 to rotate is fixedly connected to the outside of the heating furnace 1. A separator 10 connected to the drive shaft 19 is also installed on the outside of the heating furnace 1. The output end of the separator 10 passes through the inner wall of the heating furnace 1 and communicates with the interior.

[0041] During operation, the drive motor 9 drives the transmission shaft 19 to rotate, which in turn drives the stirring rod 17 to rotate. The separator 10 has a built-in circulating pump that can continuously absorb the heating liquid in the heating furnace 1 and return it to the heating furnace 1 after passing through itself. After passing through itself again, it can filter out impurities in the heating liquid, such as the oxidized metal slag produced by the steel balls during the heating process, ensuring that the heating liquid remains in an excellent state with low impurities after multiple operations.

[0042] Both ends of the stirring rod 17 are equipped with edge platforms 18, which are in contact with the inner wall of the heating furnace 1. Both the edge platforms 18 and the stirring rod 17 are hollow. The edge platforms 18 are connected to the separator 10 through the stirring rod 17 and the drive shaft 19. Both ends of the edge platforms 18 are provided with flow holes 25.

[0043] During operation, the heating liquid continuously passes through the bottom of the heating furnace 1 via the edge platform 18. With the opening of the flow hole 25, the heating liquid can flow from one end to the other. At the same time, the oxide metal fragments are easy to settle to the bottom. After being absorbed by the edge platform 18, they will be filtered through the separator 10 to further ensure the purity of the heating liquid.

[0044] An inclined partition plate 24 is fixed inside the edge platform 18, and a gravity valve 26 is inclined inside the stirring rod 17. The gravity valve 26 includes a rotatable cover plate 27 and a valve frame fixed inside the stirring rod 17. A counterweight block 28 is fixed in the middle of the cover plate 27.

[0045] During operation, when the heating liquid passes through the separator plate 24, the liquid flows normally, while impurities are blocked by the separator plate 24. The inclined separator plate 24 can assist the impurities to move upward. With this setting, the separator 10 does not need to be turned on for a long time, and the edge platform 18 can also automatically filter impurities. Afterwards, the separator 10 can be turned on periodically to recover the impurities. The gravity valve 26 is designed so that the cover plate 27 will only open under the action of gravity when one side of the stirring rod 17 rotates to the bottom. Under the absorption of the separator 10, the impurities and heating liquid are transferred, so that the negative pressure will not be sucked from the edge platform 18 above, ensuring that the transfer effect is carried out smoothly.

[0046] The end of the drive shaft 19 is rotatably engaged with the separator 10. A detachable filter box 29 is installed on the outside of the separator 10. A steam valve 5 is installed on the outside of the heating furnace 1 near the top.

[0047] During operation, after filtering for a period of time, the filter cartridge box 29 can be removed and replaced to achieve the effect of quick start-up; steam is generated during the quenching stage, which is received through the steam valve 5 and stored in an additional storage device.

[0048] The heating furnace 1 includes, from the inside out, an inner contact layer 33, an electric heating layer 32, a steam layer 31, and an outer protective layer 30. The output end of the steam valve 5 is connected to the steam layer 31.

[0049] During operation, in the heating stage, the heating layer 32 maintains the internal heating liquid at a high temperature, while the steam layer 31 is empty, which can isolate the internal and external heat. At the same time, the outer protective layer 30 can also keep the heat and reduce heat loss. In the tempering stage, the steam generated during quenching can be injected into the steam layer 31 to keep the tempering liquid warm, thus realizing the function of heat recovery and reuse.

[0050] The discharge valve 15 is located at the front end of the two connecting valves 16, the transmission pipe 2 is made of high temperature resistant metal, and a positioning seat 3 is fixedly connected to the outer side of the middle part of the transmission pipe 2.

[0051] During operation, when the current separation seat 6 rotates and opens, the transmission tube 2 will bend accordingly. The positioning seat 3 is used to fix the middle position of the transmission tube 2 and prevent excessive bending and positional deviation.

[0052] During operation, the steel balls to be processed are placed into the heating furnace 1 from the top. After closing the upper feeding door 4, the heating function of the heating furnace 1 is turned on to preheat the steel balls for a short time. Then, a heating liquid is injected into the heating furnace 1, ensuring the liquid level is higher than the height of the stacked steel balls, so that the steel balls are completely submerged. Simultaneously, the stirring rod 17 continuously stirs the liquid, ensuring the steel balls are evenly distributed and heated. The temperature of the heating liquid is approximately 800 degrees Celsius, used to heat the steel balls to the required temperature before quenching, aiming to transform the internal structure of the steel balls into austenite. The heating time is adjusted according to the diameter of the steel balls. To ensure sufficient heating and transformation of the internal structure, larger diameter steel balls require longer heating times. For example, a steel ball with a diameter of 10... Taking a 2-centimeter steel ball as an example, experimental calculations show that under bath heating conditions, the steel ball needs about 40 minutes to reach the required temperature and complete the austenite conversion process after holding at that temperature for one hour. It should be noted that the time increases with the diameter of the steel ball. After the conversion is complete, the heating liquid inside furnace 1 is discharged to the next furnace 1 through transmission pipe 2 and connecting valve 16. This can be done using a high-temperature resistant liquid pump or by applying a vacuum to the next furnace 1. After the heating liquid is completely pumped out, quenching liquid is injected into the first furnace 1. The quenching liquid flows over the steel ball. The steps are as follows: after injecting a certain amount of quenching liquid, submerging the steel ball, open the bottom discharge valve 15 to allow the quenching liquid to continuously flow out. The quenching liquid not only quenches the steel ball but also... The balls undergo quenching, and the interior of heating furnace 1 is cleaned to remove residual heating liquid and metal slag generated during the heating process. The discharge valve 15, with a diameter smaller than the steel balls, prevents the balls from being discharged. Simultaneously, during the quenching stage, stirring rod 17 agitates the water, reducing congestion and promoting discharge. Once the steel ball temperature drops to approximately 200 degrees Celsius, the flow rate of the quenching liquid is reduced, ensuring the steel balls reach the required tempering temperature just before the quenching liquid is completely drained. Then, the discharge valve 15 is closed, and tempering liquid is injected into heating furnace 1, completely submerging the steel balls. The mixture is then held at this temperature for three to four hours to complete the tempering. During this time, the transferred heating liquid is used in another heating furnace 1 to repeat the above heating operation, heating another group of steel balls to the required pre-quenching temperature. Simultaneously, the heating liquid is transferred to a third furnace. The process is repeated in furnace 1. When the steel balls in the third furnace 1 are about to finish heating, the steel balls in the first furnace 1 have completed the tempering and heat preservation stage. At this time, the entire lower separation seat 6 is opened to allow all the steel balls and tempering liquid inside to be discharged outwards, emptying the inside of furnace 1. The steel balls are discharged along with the tempering liquid and enter the subsequent stage. At the same time, the lower separation seat 6 is closed, and the inside of furnace 1 can be cleaned with a completely volatile cleaning liquid, which is discharged from the bottom of the discharge valve 15. The residual cleaning liquid evaporates under the residual high temperature. After that, steel balls can be put in and the heating liquid from the third furnace 1 can be received for repeated operation. Multiple furnaces 1 can be arranged according to space constraints. They can be placed side by side or in a circle. Placing them in a circle makes it easier to connect them end to end.Depending on the diameter of the steel ball, different numbers of heating furnaces 1 are used to ensure the continuity of the process;

[0053] This setup improves upon the cumbersome process of frequent workpiece transfers in traditional manufacturing. Within the same tank, heating, quenching, and tempering liquids are sequentially injected, automatically completing the entire heating, quenching, and tempering process. This significantly reduces equipment footprint and mechanical complexity, fundamentally eliminating heat loss, oxide scale formation, and operational safety risks during workpiece transfer. Furthermore, the absence of exposure during operation enhances safety, making it a solution for achieving high consistency and high-efficiency continuous production. Compared to traditional air resistance furnace heating, which has low air heat transfer efficiency, requires several hours to heat up, and necessitates pauses and holding at different temperature points to ensure comprehensive heating, further prolonging the heating time, the bath heating method of the heating liquid offers advantages. Air resistance furnaces oxidize at high temperatures in the air during transfer, forming thick oxide scale that affects dimensional accuracy and surface quality. Oxide scale peeling off during quenching can also contaminate the quenching liquid. The continuous operation of the heating liquid ensures consistent heat transfer and maintains high efficiency. The heating fluid maintains a continuous high temperature; it needs to remain fluid even at temperatures above 800 degrees Celsius, as such a material would easily solidify at low temperatures. Multiple heating furnaces circulate the heating fluid, ensuring it remains in a working state, maintaining high fluidity and a high-temperature state, preventing solidification and avoiding the waste of heat from repeated heating and cooling. Molten salts, such as chloride salts, can be used as the heating fluid, offering good fluidity at high temperatures, uniform heating, and no oxidation or decarburization. The quenching fluid uses PAG-based water-based quenching fluid. PAG has anti-solubility; upon contact with high-temperature steel balls, it precipitates and forms a film, separating the water and completely preventing steam explosions. By changing the water concentration, the cooling rate can be adjusted from water-fast to oil-slow, ensuring hardening without cracking. The water-based ratio can be increased later, allowing any remaining quenching fluid to evaporate at high temperatures, cleaning the heating furnace 1 without mixing with other liquids. Professional tempering oil can be used as the tempering fluid, offering comprehensive functions at an affordable price.

[0054] The configuration of the heating furnace 1 allows the stirring rod 17 to effectively agitate the internal steel balls during stirring, moving the large-mass steel balls to the upper position, reducing the problem of steel balls accumulating at the bottom of the furnace, and ensuring the uniformity of heating; the conveying valve 13 is used to convey the required liquids such as tempering liquid and quenching liquid into the furnace.

[0055] With its wide top and narrow bottom design, the stirring rod 17 will scoop up all the steel balls at the bottom during rotation and spread them outwards after moving to the upper expansion frame 21, reducing the problem of uneven heating of the steel balls at the bottom. The smooth design at the connection point ensures that the stirring rod 17 will not get stuck with the steel balls due to excessive resistance when it presses down through the connection point.

[0056] When the lower separator 6 needs to be opened, multiple bolts 7 are first opened to allow the lower separator 6 to move down. Then, the lower separator 6 is flipped by the door hinge 12, which can quickly discharge the internal steel balls and tempering liquid and complete the internal evacuation process. The opening and closing process of the upper feeding door 4 also relies on the setting of the door hinge 14. It can also be controlled by hydraulic or electric equipment to complete the fully automatic opening and closing.

[0057] The drive motor 9 drives the transmission shaft 19 to rotate, which in turn drives the stirring rod 17 to rotate. The separator 10 has a built-in circulating pump that can continuously absorb the heating liquid in the heating furnace 1 and send it back into the heating furnace 1 after passing through itself. After passing through itself again, it can filter out impurities in the heating liquid, such as the oxidized metal slag produced by the steel balls during the heating process, ensuring that the heating liquid still maintains an excellent state of low impurities after multiple operations.

[0058] The heating liquid continuously passes through the bottom of the heating furnace 1 via the edge platform 18, and with the opening of the flow hole 25, the heating liquid can flow from one end to the other. At the same time, the oxide metal fragments are easy to settle to the bottom. After being absorbed by the edge platform 18, they will be filtered through the separator 10, which further ensures the purity of the heating liquid.

[0059] When the heating liquid passes through the separator plate 24, the liquid flows normally, while impurities are blocked by the separator plate 24. The inclined separator plate 24 can help the impurities move upward. With this setting, the separator 10 does not need to be turned on for a long time, and the edge platform 18 can also automatically filter impurities. Afterwards, the separator 10 can be turned on periodically to recover the impurities. The gravity valve 26 is designed so that the cover plate 27 will only open under the action of gravity when the stirring rod 17 on one side rotates to the bottom. Under the absorption of the separator 10, the impurities and heating liquid are transferred, so that the negative pressure will not be sucked from the edge platform 18 above, ensuring that the transfer effect is carried out smoothly.

[0060] After filtering for a period of time, the filter cartridge box 29 can be removed and replaced to achieve the effect of quick start-up; steam will be generated during the quenching stage, which will be received through the steam valve 5 and stored in an additional storage device.

[0061] During the heating stage, the heating layer 32 maintains the high temperature of the internal heating liquid, while the steam layer 31 is empty, which can isolate the internal and external heat. At the same time, the outer protective layer 30 can also keep the heat and reduce heat loss. During the tempering stage, the steam generated during quenching can be injected into the steam layer 31 to keep the tempering liquid warm, thus realizing the function of heat recovery and reuse.

[0062] When the current separation seat 6 is rotated open, the transmission tube 2 will bend accordingly. The positioning seat 3 is used to fix the middle position of the transmission tube 2 to prevent excessive bending and positional displacement.

[0063] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A quenching and cooling device for wear-resistant steel balls, characterized in that: The system comprises multiple interconnected heating furnaces. Each furnace has a top feeding gate for adding steel balls and a detachable lower separation seat at its bottom. The lower separation seat has a discharge valve and two connecting valves at its bottom. A transmission pipe, fixed to the connecting valves, connects the interconnected heating furnaces and facilitates the transfer of heating liquid between them. Each heating furnace contains a rotating stirring rod. Within the same furnace, heating, quenching, and tempering processes can be automatically completed by sequentially injecting heating liquid, quenching liquid, and tempering liquid. A drive shaft is fixedly connected to the middle of the stirring rod, and a drive motor for driving the drive shaft to rotate is fixedly connected to the outside of the heating furnace. A separator connected to the drive shaft is also installed on the outside of the heating furnace, and the output end of the separator passes through the inner wall of the heating furnace and communicates with the interior. Both ends of the stirring rod are equipped with edge platforms, which are in contact with the inner wall of the heating furnace. Both the edge platforms and the stirring rod are hollow. The edge platforms are connected to the separator through the stirring rod and the drive shaft. Both ends of the edge platforms are provided with flow holes. An inclined partition plate is fixed inside the edge platform, and a gravity valve is inclined inside the stirring rod. The gravity valve includes a rotatable cover plate and a valve frame fixed inside the stirring rod. A counterweight is fixed in the middle of the cover plate.

2. The wear-resistant steel ball quenching and cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating furnace is flat and placed vertically. The stirring rods are arranged vertically inside the heating furnace. A number of conveying valves that communicate with the interior of the heating furnace are fixed to the front end of the heating furnace near the top.

3. The wear-resistant steel ball quenching and cooling device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heating furnace consists of a lower adapter frame and an upper expansion frame. The internal width of the lower adapter frame is the same as the width of the stirring rod, and the width of the upper expansion frame is greater than the width of the lower adapter frame. The connection between the lower adapter frame and the upper expansion frame is a smooth transition.

4. The wear-resistant steel ball quenching and cooling device according to claim 3, characterized in that: Multiple locking bolts are installed between the heating furnace and the lower separation seat, and multiple door hinges located on the same side are also installed between the heating furnace and the lower separation seat. A door hinge is installed between the heating furnace and the upper feeding door.

5. The wear-resistant steel ball quenching and cooling device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The end of the drive shaft is rotatably engaged with the separator, a detachable filter box is installed on the outside of the separator, and a steam valve is installed on the outside of the heating furnace near the top.

6. The wear-resistant steel ball quenching and cooling device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The heating furnace comprises, from the inside out, an inner contact layer, an electric heating layer, a steam layer, and an outer protective layer, and the output end of the steam valve is connected to the steam layer.

7. The wear-resistant steel ball quenching and cooling device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The discharge valve is located at the front end of the two connecting valves, the transmission pipe is made of high-temperature resistant metal, and a positioning seat is fixed to the outer side of the middle part of the transmission pipe.

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