Heating furnace

Abstract

To provide a heating furnace which can easily execute the removing operation of a conveyance roller.SOLUTION: An end part of a conveyance roller 60 is provided at a part eccentric to the side of an end part in a first sleeve insertion hole 58a by a first sleeve 62. For this reason, the conveyance roller 60 can be removed from the inside of a furnace chamber 22 to the outside in a state of being tilted toward the longitudinal direction of the first sleeve insertion hole 58a, so that, even when an obstacle is present within a space for the removing operation of the conveyance roller 60, the removing operation of the conveyance roller 60 can easily be executed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heating furnace that heats an object while transporting the object along a linear transport chamber. [Background technology]

[0002] Some of the above-mentioned heating furnaces have a configuration in which a long object is placed inside a transport chamber. The long object is elongated in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the transport chamber, and the transport rollers for transporting the object along the transport chamber and the heat source for heating the object are each examples of a long object. In this heating furnace, a circular hole is provided in the side wall of the transport chamber. A cylindrical insulating member is provided inside the circular hole, and the end of the long object is supported within the circular hole by inserting it into the insulating member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-30848 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of the conventional heating furnace described above, when performing maintenance, inspection, or replacement of a long object, it was necessary to remove the long object in a straight line from the inside of the transfer chamber to the outside in a perpendicular direction. Therefore, a space for the removal work equivalent to the length of the long object was required outside the transfer chamber, and there was a risk that the removal work of the long object would be hindered if an obstacle such as a pillar or machine was present in the space for the removal work.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a heating furnace that can easily perform the operation of removing long objects even when an obstacle is present in the space used for the operation of removing long objects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The gist of the heating furnace of the first invention is that it comprises: (a) a transport chamber having a side wall with a long hole formed in the side wall; (b) a transport roller disposed within the transport chamber and elongated in a direction perpendicular to the wall surface of the side wall for transporting the transported object; (c) a heat source disposed within the transport chamber and elongated in the direction perpendicular to the wall surface of the side wall for heating the transported object; (d) an insulating member disposed within the long hole and into which an end of the transport roller or an end of the heat source is inserted; and (f) the insulating member positions the end of the transport roller or the end of the heat source in a portion of the long hole that is eccentric toward the longitudinal end of the long hole.

[0007] The gist of the heating furnace of the second invention is that, in the first invention, the heating furnace described in claim 1 is characterized in that (a) the longitudinal dimension of the long hole in the insulating member is set larger than the lateral dimension of the long hole in the insulating member, and (b) a through hole is provided in a portion of the insulating member that is eccentric toward the end of the insulating member, into which the end of the conveying roller or the end of the heat source is inserted.

[0008] The gist of the heating furnace of the third invention is that in the second invention, (a) the insulating member is divided into two divided insulating members facing each other across the end of the conveying roller or the end of the heat source.

[0009] The gist of the heating furnace of the fourth invention is that, in the third invention, (a) each of the two divided insulating members is divided into a plurality of insulating plates that overlap each other in the thickness direction of the side wall. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the end of the transport roller or the end of the heat source is positioned in a portion of the slot that is eccentric to the end of the slot by the heat insulating member. Therefore, the transport roller or the heat source as a long object can be removed from the inside to the outside of the transport chamber in an attitude tilted toward the longitudinal direction of the slot. Therefore, even if an obstacle is present in the space for removing the long object, the long object can be easily removed.

[0011] According to the second aspect of the present invention, an insulating member having a dimension along the longitudinal direction of the slot greater than the dimension along the lateral direction of the slot is provided within the slot. An end of the transport roller or an end of the heat source is inserted into a through-hole located in a portion of the insulating member that is eccentric toward the end of the insulating member. This narrows the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the insulating member and the inner peripheral surface of the slot, effectively preventing heat from leaking from the inside of the transport chamber to the outside through the slot.

[0012] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the heat insulating member is divided into two divided heat insulating members that face each other with the end of the transport roller or the end of the heat source in between. Therefore, when removing the heat insulating member from the end of the transport roller or the end of the heat source, the heat insulating member can be separated into the two divided heat insulating members, making it easier to remove the heat insulating member.

[0013] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, each of the two divided insulation members is divided into a plurality of insulation plates that overlap each other in the thickness direction of the side wall, so that the insulation member can be constructed within the elongated hole by inserting a unit number of the plurality of insulation plates into the elongated hole, which makes it easier to install the insulation member within the elongated hole. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing a heating furnace according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a view showing the heating furnace of FIG. 1 cut along line X2-X2 of FIG. 1. [Figure 3]1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion X3 in FIG. 2, which is a part of the heating furnace in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a view showing a sleeve for the heating furnace of FIG. [Figure 5] 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion X5 in FIG. 2, which is a part of the heating furnace in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a view showing a sleeve for a heating furnace according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 3 and shows a part of a heating furnace according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. [Example]

[0016] The heating furnace 10 in Figure 1 shows part of a roller hearth kiln that is used for firing porcelain, ceramic electronic components, carbon fiber, etc., and for firing glazes on enamelware and sanitary ware, etc., and is installed on the floor F of a factory or the like. This heating furnace 10 corresponds to the heating furnace of the present invention. Arrow H1 in Figure 1 indicates the horizontal direction, and hereinafter the direction of arrow H1 will be referred to as the conveying direction. Arrow H2 in Figure 2 indicates the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and hereinafter the direction of arrow H2 will be referred to as the perpendicular direction.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 2, the heating furnace 10 has a rectangular furnace body 20 parallel to the conveying direction, and the furnace body 20 has two side walls 20a, a top wall 20b, and a bottom wall 20c. The two side walls 20a are vertical and face each other at a distance in the orthogonal direction, and the bottom wall 20c is horizontal and connects the lower ends of the two side walls 20a. The top wall 20b is horizontal and connects the upper ends of the two side walls 20a, and a furnace chamber 22 parallel to the conveying direction is formed between the two side walls 20a to the bottom wall 20c. This furnace chamber 22 corresponds to the conveying chamber of the present invention, and the side wall 20a corresponds to the side wall of the present invention.

[0018] 2, the furnace body 20 has rectangular insulating bricks 24 parallel to the conveyance direction and a metal casing 26. The casing 26 encases the insulating bricks 24 and has a rectangular outer cylindrical portion 26a that covers the outer peripheral surface of the insulating bricks 24 and a rectangular inner cylindrical portion 26b that covers the inner peripheral surface of the insulating bricks 24.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, roller cases 28 are installed on the outer surfaces of the two side walls 20a of the furnace body 20. Each roller case 28 is elongated and parallel to the conveying direction (see Fig. 1), and the two roller cases 28 are arranged facing each other in the perpendicular direction, sandwiching the furnace body 20 therebetween. As shown in Fig. 3, each roller case 28 has an opening on only one side facing the furnace body 20. Each roller case 28 has a flange portion 28a that runs around the roller case 28, and a sealing member 30 that runs around the roller case 28 is interposed between each flange portion 28a and the side wall 20a of the furnace body 20.

[0020] As shown in Figure 3, a plurality of bolts 32a are inserted into the flange portion 28a of each roller case 28 from the outside of the furnace body 20, and the tip of each bolt 32a penetrates the seal member 30 and the outer cylindrical portion 26a of the casing 26 and protrudes into the insulating bricks 24. A nut 32b is threaded onto the tip of each bolt 32a, and each roller case 28 is detachably fixed to the side wall 20a of the furnace body 20 by multiple sets of bolts 32a and nuts 32b. A bearing mechanism 40 is fixed to each of the two roller cases 28. These two bearing mechanisms 40 have the same configuration, and the following description of one bearing mechanism 40 will focus on that bearing mechanism.

[0021] 3, the bearing mechanism 40 has two bearing plates 42, an upper spacer plate 44 interposed between the upper ends of the two bearing plates 42, and a lower spacer plate 46 interposed between the lower ends of the two bearing plates 42. The two bearing plates 42 are arranged vertically facing each other with a gap in between in the orthogonal direction, and the upper spacer plate 44 and the lower spacer plate 46 are arranged horizontally. A plurality of bolts 48a are inserted into each of the upper spacer plate 44 and the lower spacer plate 46 from the outside of the bearing mechanism 40, passing through one of the bearing plates 42.

[0022] 3, the tip of each bolt 48a protrudes into the roller case 28 through the other bearing plate 42. A nut 48b is threaded onto the tip of each of these bolts 48a, and the four elements - the two bearing plates 42, the upper spacer plate 44, and the lower spacer plate 46 - are connected to each other in a disassemblable manner by multiple sets of bolts 48a and nuts 48b.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3 , each bearing plate 42 supports eight bearings 50 (only one is shown). The eight bearings 50 of each bearing plate 42 are aligned in a row at intervals in the conveying direction, and the bearing mechanism 40 has eight pairs of bearings 50 facing each other in the perpendicular direction. A support shaft 52 is rotatably supported in each of the eight pairs of bearings 50. Each of the eight support shafts 52 is cylindrical and parallel to the perpendicular direction, and is aligned in a row at intervals in the conveying direction. One end of each support shaft 52 facing the roller case 28 protrudes into the roller case 28, and the other end of each support shaft 52 opposite the roller case 28 protrudes outside the bearing mechanism 40.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, each of the eight support shafts 52 has a small diameter portion 52a and a head portion 52b located within the roller case 28. Each of these small diameter portions 52a is cylindrical and has a smaller diameter than the support shaft 52, while each of the head portions 52b is cylindrical and has a larger diameter than the small diameter portion 52a. An annular spring pressure plate 54 with a larger diameter than the support shaft 52 is fixed to each support shaft 52. A pressure spring 56 made of a compression coil spring is inserted into the outer periphery of each support shaft 52 on the furnace body 20 side of the spring pressure plate 54. Each bearing mechanism 40 is configured as described above.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, first brick holes 24a are formed in two rows, one above the other, in the insulating bricks 24 corresponding to each of the two side walls 20a of the furnace body 20. Each of these first brick holes 24a penetrates the insulating bricks 24 corresponding to the side walls 20a in the perpendicular direction and has an elongated hole shape whose horizontal dimension is larger than its vertical dimension when viewed from the perpendicular direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the casing 26 has first brick hole covers 26c corresponding to each of the first brick holes 24a. Each of these first brick hole covers 26c is cylindrical and protrudes from the outer cylindrical portion 26a toward the furnace chamber 22, and the inner circumferential surface of each first brick hole 24a is covered by the first brick hole cover 26c.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 1, two second brick holes 24b are formed in two upper and lower rows in the portions of the insulating bricks 24 corresponding to the two side walls 20a of the furnace body 20, aligned in the transport direction, which is the horizontal direction in Fig. 1. Each of these second brick holes 24b penetrates the portion of the insulating bricks 24 corresponding to the side walls 20a in the perpendicular direction, and when viewed from the perpendicular direction, has an elongated hole shape in which the dimension in the transport direction, which is the horizontal dimension in Fig. 1, is larger than the dimension in the vertical direction, which is the vertical dimension in Fig. 1. The vertical dimension of each of these second brick holes 24b is set to be the same as the vertical dimension of the first brick holes 24a, and the dimension in the transport direction of each second brick hole 24b is set to be shorter than the dimension in the transport direction of the first brick holes 24a.

[0027] The casing 26 has second brick hole covers 26d (see FIG. 4(b)) corresponding to each second brick hole 24b. Similar to the first brick hole covers 26c, each of these second brick hole covers 26d has a cylindrical shape that protrudes from the outer cylindrical portion 26a toward the furnace chamber 22, and the inner peripheral surface of each second brick hole 24b is covered by the second brick hole cover 26d.

[0028] 1, four third brick holes 24c are formed in two rows, one above the other, in the conveying direction in the portions of the insulating bricks 24 corresponding to the two side walls 20a of the furnace body 20. Each of these third brick holes 24c penetrates the portion of the insulating bricks 24 corresponding to the side wall 20a in the perpendicular direction and has a circular shape when viewed from the perpendicular direction. The diameter of each of these third brick holes 24c is set to be the same as the vertical dimension of each of the first brick holes 24a and the second brick holes 24b.

[0029] The casing 26 has third brick hole covers 26e (see FIG. 4(c)) corresponding to each of the third brick holes 24c. Similar to the first brick hole covers 26c, each of the third brick hole covers 26e has a cylindrical shape that protrudes from the outer cylindrical portion 26a toward the furnace chamber 22, and the inner peripheral surface of each of the third brick holes 24c is covered by the third brick hole cover 26e.

[0030] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, each side wall 20a of the furnace body 20 has two first sleeve insertion holes 58a aligned vertically. Each of these first sleeve insertion holes 58a corresponds to the internal space of the first brick hole cover 26c, and first windows 26f are formed in the inner cylindrical portion 26b of the casing 26 corresponding to each of the first sleeve insertion holes 58a. Each of these first windows 26f has an elongated hole shape that overlaps with the first sleeve insertion hole 58a when viewed from the perpendicular direction, and each of the first sleeve insertion holes 58a communicates with the interior of the furnace chamber 22 via the first windows 26f. Each of these first sleeve insertion holes 58a corresponds to the elongated hole of the present invention.

[0031] Each side wall 20a of the furnace body 20 has two second sleeve insertion holes 58b (see FIG. 4(b)) arranged in a row in the conveying direction, one above the other. Each of these second sleeve insertion holes 58b corresponds to the internal space of the second brick hole cover 26d, and second windows (not shown) are formed in the inner cylindrical portion 26b of the casing 26 corresponding to each of the second sleeve insertion holes 58b. When viewed from the perpendicular direction, each of these second windows has an elongated hole shape that overlaps with the second sleeve insertion hole 58b, and each of the second sleeve insertion holes 58b communicates with the inside of the furnace chamber 22 via the second window. Each of these second sleeve insertion holes 58b corresponds to the elongated hole of the present invention.

[0032] Each side wall 20a of the furnace body 20 has four third sleeve insertion holes 58c (see FIG. 4(c)) arranged in a row in the conveying direction, in two upper and lower rows. Each of these third sleeve insertion holes 58c corresponds to the internal space of the third brick hole cover 26e, and third windows (not shown) are formed in the inner cylindrical portion 26b of the casing 26 corresponding to each of the third sleeve insertion holes 58c. Each of these third windows has a circular shape that overlaps with the third sleeve insertion hole 58c when viewed from the perpendicular direction, and each of the third sleeve insertion holes 58c communicates with the inside of the furnace chamber 22 via the third window.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, eight conveying rollers 60 (only one is shown) are housed within the furnace chamber 22 in FIG. 1. Each conveying roller 60 is made of cylindrical ceramic material parallel to the orthogonal direction, and is circular when viewed from the orthogonal direction. Each conveying roller 60 is elongated and perpendicular to the outer and inner wall surfaces of the side wall 22a. Two of the eight conveying rollers 60 have their ends removably fitted into the outer circumferential surface of the head portion 52b of the support shaft 52 through the lower first sleeve insertion hole 58a. Two of the remaining six conveying rollers 60 have their ends removably fitted into the outer circumferential surface of the head portion 52b of the support shaft 52 through the lower second sleeve insertion hole 58b. Each of these conveying rollers 60 corresponds to a conveying roller according to the present invention. Each end of the remaining four transport rollers 60 is fitted removably onto the outer circumferential surface of the head portion 52b of the support shaft 52 through the third sleeve insertion hole 58c.

[0034] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, a first sleeve 62 made of insulating material is inserted into each of the first sleeve insertion holes 58a in the lower row and each of the first sleeve insertion holes 58a in the upper row of the furnace body 20. Each of these first sleeves 62 corresponds to the insulating member of the present invention, and a bulk external insulating member 64 is filled between the outer surface of each pair of first sleeves 62 and the inner surface of the first sleeve insertion hole 58a. As shown in Figure 4(a), each of these first sleeves 62 has an elongated hole shape similar to the first sleeve insertion hole 58a when viewed from the orthogonal direction. The longitudinal dimension of the first sleeve insertion hole 58a of each of these first sleeves 62 is set larger than the lateral dimension of the first sleeve insertion hole 58a.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4(a), two through holes 66 are formed in each first sleeve 62. When the first sleeve 62 is viewed from the orthogonal direction, each of these through holes 66 is provided in a portion of the first sleeve 62 that is eccentric toward the end of the first sleeve 62. Each of these through holes 66 penetrates the first sleeve 62 in the thickness direction, and when viewed from the orthogonal direction, each through hole 66 has a circular shape. Each of these through holes 66 corresponds to a through hole according to the present invention.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4(b), a second sleeve 68 made of insulating material is housed within each second sleeve insertion hole 58b of the furnace body 20. Each second sleeve 68 corresponds to the insulating member of the present invention, and a bulk external insulating member 64 is filled between the outer circumferential surface of each pair of second sleeves 68 and the inner circumferential surface of the second sleeve insertion hole 58b, similar to the first sleeve 62. When viewed from the orthogonal direction, each second sleeve 68 has an elongated hole shape similar to the second sleeve insertion hole 58b. The longitudinal dimension of the second sleeve insertion hole 58b of each second sleeve 68 is set larger than the lateral dimension of the second sleeve insertion hole 58b. Each second sleeve 68 has a through hole 66 formed therein that is identical in shape to the through hole 66 of the first sleeve 62. The through holes 66 of each of the second sleeves 68 are provided in a portion of the second sleeve 68 that is eccentric toward the end portion when the second sleeve 68 is viewed from the orthogonal direction.

[0037] As shown in Figure 4(c), a third sleeve 70 made of a thermal insulating material is housed in each of the third sleeve insertion holes 58c of the furnace body 20. When viewed from the orthogonal direction, each of these third sleeves 70 has a circular shape similar to that of the third sleeve insertion hole 58c, and each third sleeve 70 has a through hole 66 formed therein similar to that of the first sleeve 62. Similar to the first sleeve 62, a bulk external thermal insulating member 64 is filled between the outer peripheral surface of each set of third sleeves 70 and the inner peripheral surface of the third sleeve insertion hole 58c.

[0038] As shown in Figure 3, each end of two of the eight transport rollers 60 is rotatably inserted into the through-hole 66 of the lower first sleeve 62. Each end of two of the remaining eight transport rollers 60 is rotatably inserted into the through-hole 66 of the lower second sleeve 68. Each end of the remaining four transport rollers 60 is rotatably inserted into the through-hole 66 of the lower third sleeve 70. An intra-bulk heat insulating member 72 is filled between the outer peripheral surfaces of each of these eight transport rollers 60 and the inner peripheral surfaces of the through-holes 66.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, a conveying motor 74 is installed outside the furnace chamber 20 of FIG. 1. Of the total 16 support shafts 52, eight on the conveying motor 74 side each have a sprocket 76 fixed thereto, as shown in FIG. 3. Each of these eight sprockets 76 is connected to the drive shaft of the conveying motor 74 via a common chain mechanism (not shown). When the conveying motor 74 is operating, this chain mechanism rotates each of the eight conveying rollers 60 via the support shafts 52 in the same direction and at the same speed. As shown in FIG. 2, these eight conveying rollers 60 support the conveyed object C, and the conveyed object C is conveyed in the conveying direction along the furnace chamber 22 by rotating the eight conveying rollers 60 by the conveying motor 74.

[0040] To perform maintenance, inspection, or replacement of each of the eight transport rollers 60, the roller case 28 on the driven side opposite the transport motor 74 is removed from the side wall 20a. This removal of the roller case 28 is possible by removing multiple bolts 32a, and each support shaft 52 is removed from the transport roller 60 when the roller case 28 is removed. With the roller case 28 removed, the lower first sleeves 62, lower second sleeves 68, and lower third sleeves 70 are removed. Then, each transport roller 60 is pulled from the inside to the outside of the furnace chamber 22 toward the driven side, and maintenance, inspection, or replacement of the transport roller 60 is performed outside the furnace chamber 22.

[0041] 5, eight elongated heaters 78 (only one heater is shown) extending in the orthogonal direction are housed within the furnace chamber 22. When viewed from the orthogonal direction, each of these heaters 78 has a circular shape of the same size as the transport roller 60. Each of these heaters 78 is elongated and perpendicular to the inner and outer wall surfaces of the side wall 22a, and each heater 78 corresponds to an elongated heat source of the present invention.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 5, each end of two of the eight heaters 78 is inserted into the through-hole 66 of the first sleeve 62 in the upper row of the side wall 20a. As shown in FIG. 5, each end of two of the remaining six heaters 78 is inserted into the through-hole 66 of the second sleeve 68 in the upper row. Each end of the remaining four heaters 78 is inserted into the through-hole 66 of the third sleeve 70 in the upper row of the side wall 20a. Each of these heaters 78 is installed in the ceiling of the furnace chamber 22, directly above the transport rollers 60, and as shown in FIG. 5, an intra-bulk insulation member 72 is filled between the outer circumferential surface of each heater 78 and the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 66.

[0043] The interior of the furnace chamber 22 is controlled to a heat treatment temperature for heat-treating the transported object C in accordance with the power on / off control of the eight heaters 78. When these eight heaters 78 and the transport motor 74 are in operation, the transported object C is heat-treated while being transported in the transport direction.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 1, the furnace body 20 in Fig. 1 is provided with elongated heater covers 80 positioned on the outer surfaces of each of the two side walls 20a and extending in the conveying direction. As shown in Fig. 5, each of these heater covers 80 has only one open surface facing the furnace chamber 22, and the electrode portions at the ends of each heater 78 are covered by the heater cover 80. Each of these heater covers 80 is formed with a flange portion 80a that surrounds the heater cover 80, and a seal member 82 that surrounds the heater cover 80 is interposed between each flange portion 80a and the side wall 20a.

[0045] 5, a plurality of bolts 84a are inserted into the flange portion 80a of each heater cover 80 from the outside of the furnace chamber 22, and the tip of each bolt 84a penetrates the seal member 82 and the outer cylindrical portion 26a of the casing 26 and protrudes into the insulating bricks 24. A nut 84b is threaded onto the tip of each of these bolts 84a, and each heater cover 80 is detachably fixed to the side wall 20a of the furnace body 20 by multiple sets of bolts 84a and nuts 84b.

[0046] To perform maintenance, inspection, or replacement of the eight heaters 78, the multiple bolts 84a of the driven-side heater cover 80 are removed from the side wall 20a, and the driven-side heater cover 80 is then removed from the side wall 20a. With the heater cover 80 removed in this state, the upper first sleeves 62, the upper second sleeves 68, and the upper third sleeves 70 are removed. Then, each heater 78 is pulled out from the inside to the outside of the furnace chamber 22 facing the driven side, and each heater 78 is then inspected, inspected, or replaced outside the furnace chamber 22.

[0047] According to the first embodiment, the end of the transport roller 60 and the end of the heater 78 are each held by the first sleeve 62 at a portion eccentric to the end within the first sleeve insertion hole 58a. Therefore, the transport roller 60 and the heater 78 can be removed from the inside to the outside of the furnace chamber 22 while tilted toward the longitudinal direction of the first sleeve insertion hole 58a. Therefore, even if an obstacle is present in the space for removing the transport roller 60 and the heater 78, the transport roller 60 and the heater 78 can be easily removed. The same effect applies to the second sleeve 68.

[0048] According to the first embodiment, the first sleeve 62 is provided in the first sleeve insertion hole 58a. The first sleeve 62 has a long hole shape with a longitudinal dimension greater than a lateral dimension. A through hole 66 is provided in the first sleeve 62 at a portion eccentric to the end of the first sleeve 62. This narrows the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the first sleeve 62 and the inner peripheral surface of the first sleeve insertion hole 58a, effectively preventing heat from leaking from the inside of the furnace chamber 22 to the outside through the first sleeve insertion hole 58a. The same effect applies to the second sleeve 68.

[0049] In the above-described first embodiment, the first sleeve 62 is configured from a single member, but this is not limiting and the first sleeve 62 may be divided into a plurality of members. Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention in which the first sleeve 62 is divided into a plurality of members will be described. [Example]

[0050] As shown in FIG. 6 , each first sleeve 62 for the transport rollers 60 is divided into two, a first upper divided sleeve 62a and a first lower divided sleeve 62b, by a straight line passing through the center points of both through holes 66. The first upper divided sleeve 62a and the first lower divided sleeve 62b of each first sleeve 62 for the transport rollers 60 face each other, sandwiching the ends of the two transport rollers 60 between them, and are in contact with each other within the first sleeve insertion hole 58a. The first upper divided sleeve 62a and the first lower divided sleeve 62b for the transport rollers 60 correspond to the two divided insulating members of the present invention. Each first upper divided sleeve 62a and each first lower divided sleeve 62b for the transport rollers 60 is divided into multiple insulating plates 62c that overlap each other in the thickness direction of the side wall 20a. These multiple insulation plates 62c are stacked within the first sleeve insertion hole 58a as they are inserted one by one into the first sleeve insertion hole 58a, and each of the multiple insulation plates 62c is in contact with both the bulk external insulation member 64 and the bulk internal insulation material 72.

[0051] Like the first sleeves 62 for the transport rollers 60, each first sleeve 62 for the heater 78 is divided into two, a first upper divided sleeve 62a and a first lower divided sleeve 62b, by a straight line passing through the center points of both through-holes 66. The first upper divided sleeve 62a and the first lower divided sleeve 62b of each first sleeve 62 for the heater 78 face each other, sandwiching the ends of the two heaters 78 between them, and are in contact with each other within the first sleeve insertion hole 58a. The first upper divided sleeve 62a and the first lower divided sleeve 62b for the heater 78 correspond to the two divided insulating members of the present invention. Like the first upper divided sleeve 62a and the first lower divided sleeve 62b for the transport rollers 60, each first upper divided sleeve 62a and each first lower divided sleeve 62b for the heater 78 is divided into multiple insulating plates 62c that overlap each other in the thickness direction of the side wall 20a. These multiple insulation plates 62c are stacked within the first sleeve insertion hole 58a as they are inserted one by one into the first sleeve insertion hole 58a, and each of the multiple insulation plates 62c is in contact with both the bulk external insulation member 64 and the bulk internal insulation material 72.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 7, vertically elongated inner retaining plates 102 made of metal plates are fixed to the inner cylindrical portion 26b of the casing 26, corresponding to the upper and lower first sleeve insertion holes 58a and 58a, respectively. Each of these inner retaining plates 102 is disposed between the two through holes 66 of the first sleeve 62 when viewed from the orthogonal direction (see FIG. 7). Each of these inner retaining plates 102 is detachably fixed to the inner cylindrical portion 26b with multiple sets of bolts 104a and nuts 104b before the heat insulating plate 62c is inserted into the first sleeve insertion hole 58a. That is, the heat insulating plate 62c is inserted from the opposite side of the inner retaining plate 102 while it is fixed to the inner cylindrical portion 26b. During the insertion of the heat insulating plate 62c, the inner retaining plate 102 prevents the heat insulating plate 62c from passing through the end face of the first sleeve insertion hole 58a and falling off.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 7 , vertically elongated metal outer retaining plates 106 are fixed to the outer cylindrical portion 26a of the casing 26, corresponding to the upper and lower first sleeve insertion holes 58a, respectively. Each of these outer retaining plates 106 is disposed between the two through holes 66 of the first sleeve 62 when viewed from the orthogonal direction. Each of these outer retaining plates 106 is removably fixed to the outer cylindrical portion 26a with multiple sets of bolts 108a and nuts 108b after all of the heat insulating plates 62c have been inserted into the first sleeve insertion holes 58a. Together with the inner retaining plate 102, these outer retaining plates 106 prevent the multiple heat insulating plates 62c from falling out of the first sleeve insertion holes 58a after the insertion operation is complete.

[0054] According to the second embodiment, the first sleeve 62 for the transport roller 60 is divided into two parts, the first upper divided sleeve 62a and the first lower divided sleeve 62b, which face each other with the end of the transport roller 60 in between. Therefore, when performing maintenance and inspection work on the transport roller 60, the first sleeve 62 can be removed from the transport roller 60 by dividing it into the first upper divided sleeve 62a and the first lower divided sleeve 62b. This makes it easy to remove the first sleeve 62. The same effect applies to the first sleeve 62 for the heater 78.

[0055] According to the second embodiment, the first upper divided sleeve 62a and the first lower divided sleeve 62b for the conveying roller 60 are each divided into a plurality of insulating plates 62c that overlap each other in the thickness direction of the side wall 20a of the furnace chamber 22. Therefore, the first sleeve 62 can be configured within the first sleeve insertion hole 58a by inserting the plurality of insulating plates 62c one by one into the first sleeve insertion hole 58a. This facilitates the installation of the first sleeve 62 within the first sleeve insertion hole 58a. The same effect applies to the first sleeve 62 for the heater 78.

[0056] In the above-described second embodiment, in addition to the first sleeve 62, the second sleeve 68 may be divided into two parts, a second upper divided sleeve and a second lower divided sleeve, similar to the first sleeve 62. In this case, it is preferable to divide each of the second upper divided sleeve and the second lower divided sleeve into a plurality of insulating plates that overlap each other in the thickness direction of the side wall 20a.

[0057] In each of the above-described first and second embodiments, maintenance and inspection work on the transport rollers 60 may be performed using the following procedure. The eight transport rollers 60 are removed from the inside to the outside of the furnace chamber 22 with the driven side facing the transport rollers 60. With the eight transport rollers 60 removed, the lower first sleeves 62, the lower second sleeves 68, and the lower third sleeves 70 are removed from the eight transport rollers 60. This procedure is also the same for the eight heaters 78.

[0058] In each of the above-described first and second embodiments, the first and second sleeve insertion holes may be formed in the side wall 20a as elongated slots inclined with respect to the conveying direction when viewed from the orthogonal direction, or may be formed in the side wall 20a as elongated slots perpendicular to the conveying direction when viewed from the orthogonal direction.

[0059] In each of the first and second embodiments, the outer diameter of the transport roller 60 and the outer diameter of the heater 78 may be different from each other.

[0060] The above-described embodiments of the present invention are merely examples, and the present invention can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10: heating furnace, 22: furnace chamber (transport chamber), 22a: side wall, 58a: first sleeve insertion hole (long hole), 58b: second sleeve insertion hole (long hole), 60: transport roller, 62: first sleeve (insulating member), 62a: upper sleeve divided member (divided insulating member), 62b: lower sleeve divided member (divided insulating member), 62c: insulating plate, 66: through hole, 68: second sleeve (insulating member), 78: heater (heat source), C: transported object

Claims

1. a transfer chamber having a side wall, the side wall having a slot; a conveying roller provided in the conveying chamber, the conveying roller being elongated in a direction perpendicular to the wall surface of the side wall, for conveying the object to be conveyed; a heat source provided in the transfer chamber and elongated in the perpendicular direction for heating the object; a heat insulating member provided in the long hole and into which an end of the transport roller or an end of the heat source is inserted, A heating furnace characterized in that the insulating member positions the end of the transport roller or the end of the heat source in a portion within the long hole that is eccentric toward the longitudinal end of the long hole.

2. a longitudinal dimension of the elongated hole in the heat insulating member is set to be larger than a lateral dimension of the elongated hole in the heat insulating member, The heating furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that a through hole is provided in a portion of the insulating member that is eccentric toward the end of the insulating member, into which the end of the conveying roller or the end of the heat source is inserted.

3. 3. The heating furnace according to claim 2, wherein the heat insulating member is divided into two divided heat insulating members facing each other with an end of the transport roller or an end of the heat source sandwiched therebetween.

4. 4. The heating furnace according to claim 3, wherein each of the two divided heat insulating members is divided into a plurality of heat insulating plates overlapping each other in the thickness direction of the side wall.

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