Sintering furnace

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application is a sintering furnace (100). The sintering furnace (100) comprises: a furnace body (10) and a furnace head cover (20), wherein the furnace head cover (20) is provided with a feeding port (21), the furnace head cover (20) is sleeved on a furnace head (11) of the furnace body (10), the furnace head cover (20) and the furnace head (11) are axially limited, the furnace body (10) can rotate around a central axis relative to the furnace head cover (20), and the feeding port (21) is in communication with the interior of the furnace body (10); a sliding support structure (30), wherein the sliding support structure (30) comprises a first sliding structure (32), the first sliding structure (32) supporting the furnace head cover (20), with the furnace head cover (20) being fixedly connected to the first sliding structure (32), and the first sliding structure (32) being slidably arranged in the lengthwise direction of the furnace body (10); and a feeding device (40), the feeding device (40) being in communication with the feeding port (21) by means of a flexible connecting pipe (50).

Description

Sintering furnace

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] The present application claims priority to the priority of Chinese patent application No. "202410423457.7", "202420728944.X" filed on April 09, 2024 by Tianci Materials (Taizhou) Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Tianci High-tech Materials Co., Ltd., the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference into the present application. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of sintering equipment, more particularly, to a sintering furnace. BACKGROUND

[0004] The sintering process of lithium iron phosphate is mostly based on roller kiln and push plate kiln as the main carrier, while the application of large-scale rotary furnace in high-temperature solid-phase reaction of lithium iron phosphate belongs to the key breakthrough of the industry, which has the advantages of high automation, large capacity and good product stability. Because of the "large size", its structure is more complex than the former two, and the working stability is difficult to guarantee.

[0005] SUMMARY

[0006] The present application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, one object of the present application is to provide a sintering furnace which can adapt to the expansion and deformation of the furnace body, improve the support stability and feeding stability, and has high working stability.

[0007] The sintering furnace according to the embodiments of the present application comprises: a furnace body and a furnace head cover, the furnace head cover is provided with a feeding port, the furnace head cover is sleeved on the furnace head of the furnace body, the furnace head cover is axially limited with the furnace head, and the furnace body is rotatable relative to the furnace head cover around the central axis, and the feeding port is in communication with the inside of the furnace body; a sliding support structure, the sliding support structure comprises a first sliding structure, the first sliding structure supports the furnace head cover, and the furnace head cover is fixedly connected with the first sliding structure, and the first sliding structure is slidingly arranged along the length direction of the furnace body; a feeding device, the feeding device is in communication with the feeding port through a flexible connecting pipe.

[0008] According to the sintering furnace provided in the embodiments of the present application, the furnace head cover and the furnace head are sealed by structural cooperation or further sealing structure, and the sliding support structure cooperates with the furnace head cover and the flexible connecting pipe, so that the furnace head cover and the furnace body can be continuously and stably supported during the expansion and contraction deformation, and the axial cooperation and the circumferential cooperation between the furnace head cover and the furnace body are maintained, so that the structural displacement or even the falling off is avoided, the sealing failure is avoided, and the structural stability of the sintering furnace is improved. The flexible connecting pipe can be deformed along with the deformation of the furnace body, so that the structural falling off or even damage caused by the deformation of the furnace body is avoided, the material feeding is not affected, the feeding stability is improved, and the working stability of the sintering furnace is effectively improved. The feeding port is arranged on the furnace head cover and connected with the furnace head cover, so that the material can enter the furnace body through the furnace head cover at the end of the furnace body, the sintering range in the furnace body is increased, the number of openings in the sintering range is reduced, and the heat preservation effect of the furnace body is improved.

[0009] In addition, the sintering furnace provided in the embodiments of the present application can have the following additional technical features.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present application, the sliding support structure further comprises a first fixed structure, and the first fixed structure is provided with a sliding groove extending along the length direction of the furnace body, and the sliding groove has a groove bottom wall and two groove side walls opposite in the horizontal direction, and the first sliding structure is slidingly arranged on the groove bottom wall and located between the two groove side walls.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present application, at least one of the groove bottom wall and the groove side wall is provided with a wear-resistant layer between the first sliding structure.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present application, the extension length of the sliding groove along the length direction of the furnace body is d, the maximum displacement of the edge of the furnace head in the length direction of the furnace body during the working process is d0, and d≥d0.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present application, the sliding support structure further comprises a first fixed structure; the first sliding structure comprises a connecting rod, a first connecting part, a second connecting part and a buffer, the first connecting part is connected with the lower end of the connecting rod and slidingly cooperates with the first fixed structure, the second connecting part is sleeved on the connecting rod and fixedly connected with the furnace head cover, the buffer is sleeved on the connecting rod, one end of the buffer abuts against the first connecting part, the other end of the buffer abuts against the second connecting part, and the buffer is vertically and elastically deformed.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present application, the flexible connecting pipe has an extension length L1, the linear distance between the feeding device and the feeding port of the sintering furnace in a cold state is L2, and the maximum displacement of the feeding port along the length direction of the furnace body during operation is L0, and L1-L2>L0.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present application, the furnace body is provided with a spiral groove extending along the circumference of the furnace body, a reserved space is formed between the end wall of the furnace head cover and the end of the furnace head, the feeding port is arranged on the circumferential wall of the reserved space, the furnace head cover is provided with a feeding pipe, the feeding pipe comprises a first pipe segment and a second pipe segment connected in sequence, the first pipe segment penetrates through the reserved space and is connected with the feeding port, the second pipe segment penetrates through the opening of the end of the furnace head and extends above the spiral groove, the first pipe segment extends downward, and the second pipe segment extends downward and obliquely.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present application, a filler channel is arranged between the inner circumferential surface of the furnace head cover and the outer circumferential surface of the furnace head, the filler channel is provided with a plurality of first fillers, and a gap space is formed between adjacent two first fillers; the filler channel is provided with an adding hole for adding a lubricating medium, the adding hole is in communication with at least one gap space, and the sintering furnace further comprises a gland, the gland is connected with the furnace head cover and is stopped on the side of the plurality of first fillers away from the end wall of the furnace head cover.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present application, the filler channel is further provided with at least one second filler, the second filler is located between the first filler and the end wall of the furnace head cover, the axial cross section of the first filler is V-shaped, and the axial cross section of the second filler is rectangular.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present application, the furnace body comprises a plurality of furnace segments connected in sequence, at least one of the furnace head, the furnace tail, and the connection between adjacent furnace segments of the furnace body is provided with a support roller structure, the support roller structure comprises a second fixing structure and at least two support rollers, the support rollers are rotatably mounted on the second fixing structure and the rotation axes of the support rollers are parallel to the length direction of the furnace body, the support rollers are supported on the lower side of the furnace body in a horizontal direction, and the furnace body is movable relative to the support rollers in the length direction.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present application, the outer circumferential surface of the furnace body is provided with an annular protrusion extending in the circumferential direction, and the sintering furnace further comprises: a limiting device comprising two limiting rollers, which are respectively arranged on the two axial sides of the annular protrusion to limit the axial position of the annular protrusion, and are adapted to rollingly engage with the annular protrusion; and a driving device arranged on the side of the limiting device away from the sliding support structure in the length direction of the furnace body, which is in driving connection with the furnace body and is used to drive the furnace body to rotate around the central axis.

[0020] According to some embodiments of the present application, the rotation axis of the limiting roller is inclined away from the annular protrusion in the axial direction of the furnace body and in the direction away from the axis of the furnace body in the radial direction of the furnace body, and the outer diameter of the limiting roller increases in the direction away from the axis of the furnace body in the radial direction of the furnace body.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present application, the sintering furnace further comprises a furnace tail cover and a tail support device, the furnace tail cover is sleeved on the furnace tail of the furnace body and is in rotatable engagement with the furnace tail, wherein the furnace tail cover is fixedly supported on the tail support device, or the tail support device comprises a third fixed structure and a second sliding structure, the second sliding structure supports and fixes the furnace tail cover, and the second sliding structure is mounted on the third fixed structure and is slidable relative to the third fixed structure in the length direction of the furnace body.

[0022] According to some embodiments of the present application, the flexible connecting pipe is made of rubber or polypropylene plastic material; the feeding channel of the feeding device, the furnace head cover and the furnace body are made of stainless steel or alloy material.

[0023] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and be readily appreciated from the following description, including the appended drawings.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a front view of a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a partial structural schematic view of FIG. 1;

[0027] FIG. 3 is a top view of a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG. 4 is a partial structural schematic view of FIG. 3;

[0029] FIG. 5 is a structural schematic view of a sliding support structure part in a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible connecting pipe in a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] 7 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the structure of a stuffing box in a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a stuffing box in a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a support roller structure in a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a position limiting device in a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG11 is a bottom view of a partial structure of a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG12 is a partial enlarged view of the circled area A in FIG2 .

[0037] 12 ; 13 ; 14 ; 15 ; 16 ; 17 ; 18 ; 19 ; 20 ; 21 ; 22 ; 23 ; 24 ; 25 ; 26 ; 27 ; 28 ; 29 ; 30 ; 31 ; 32 ; 33 ; 34 ; 35 ; 36 ; 37 ; 38 ; 39 ; 40 ; 41 ; 42 ; 43 ; 44 ; 45 ; 46 ; 47 ; 48 ; 49 ; 50 ; 51 ; 52 ; 53 ; 54 ; 55 ; 56 ; 57 ; 58 ; 59 ; 60 ; 61 ; 62 ; 63 ; 64 ; 65 ; 66 ; 67 ; 68 ; 69 ; 70 ; 71 ; 72 ; 73 ; 74 ; 75 ; 76 ; 77 ; 78 ; 79 ; 80 ; 81 ; 82 ; 83 ; 84 ; 85 ; 86 ; 87 ; 88 ; 89 ; 90 ; 91 ; 92 ; 93 ; 94 ; 95 ; 96 ; 97 ; 98 ; 99 ; 100 ; 110 Limiting device 80; limiting roller 81; screw 82; nut 83; rotating platform 84; driving device 85; motor 86; reducer 87; transmission gear 88; gear ring 89; furnace tail cover 90; tail support device 91; third fixing structure 96; second sliding structure 97. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The following describes in detail embodiments of the present application. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application and are not to be construed as limiting the present application.

[0039] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0040] In the description of the present application, "first feature" and "second feature" can include one or more features, and "a plurality of" means two or more, and "above" or "below" the second feature of the first feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or indirect contact between the first and second features through another feature therebetween, and "above", "over" and "on" the second feature of the first feature includes directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or only indicates that the first feature is higher than the second feature in horizontal height.

[0041] The sintering furnace 100 according to the embodiments of the present application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] Referring to FIGS. 1-12, the sintering furnace 100 according to the embodiments of the present application can include a furnace body 10, a furnace head cover 20, a sliding support structure 30, and a feeding device 40.

[0043] Specifically, the furnace head cover 20 is provided with a feeding port 21, the furnace head cover 20 is sleeved on the furnace head 11 of the furnace body 10, the furnace head cover 20 is axially limited with the furnace head 11 and the furnace body 10 is rotatable about the central axis relative to the furnace head cover 20, and the feeding port 21 is in communication with the inside of the furnace body 10.

[0044] The sliding support structure 30 includes a first sliding structure 32, the first sliding structure 32 supports the furnace head cover 20, and the furnace head cover 20 is fixedly connected with the first sliding structure 32, and the first sliding structure 32 is slidingly arranged along the length direction of the furnace body 10 (e.g., the front-rear direction shown in FIGS. 1-4). The feeding device 40 communicates with the feeding port 21 through a flexible connecting pipe 50.

[0045] The furnace head cover 20 is axially limited with the furnace head 11, that is, the furnace head cover 20 is configured to be movable along the axial direction of the furnace body 10 with the expansion and contraction of the length of the furnace body 10. The furnace head cover 20 can also be sealed with the furnace head 11 through structural cooperation or further sealing structure. The first sliding structure 32 is fixedly connected with the furnace head cover 20. When the furnace body 10 is deformed due to temperature change, the first sliding structure 32 fixedly connected with the furnace head cover 20 can slide along the axial direction, so that the furnace head cover 20 can be displaced along the axial direction of the furnace body 10 synchronously with the furnace head 11. This is conducive to stably supporting the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace body 10 during the expansion and contraction of the furnace body 10, improving the support reliability of the furnace body 10, and maintaining good axial and circumferential cooperation between the furnace body 10 and the furnace head cover 20, avoiding structural displacement or even falling off, which affects the stability of the internal atmosphere of the furnace body 10 and improves the structural stability of the sintering furnace 100. For example, the relative position of the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace head 11 along the axial direction can be fixed by a rigid structure or a flexible structure, reducing the relative movement of the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace head 11 along the axial direction, and enabling the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace head 11 to move synchronously along the axial direction. Of course, due to structural tolerance, deformation or other reasons, the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace head 11 can also have a small relative movement along the axial direction, which is within the protection scope of the present application.

[0046] The furnace body 10 is used for sintering materials and has a whole cylindrical structure, which can be a whole cylinder or composed of multiple cylinders through rigid connection. The furnace head cover 20 can support the furnace head 11 of the furnace body 10, and the feeding port 21 of the furnace head cover 20 is in communication with the inside of the furnace body 10, so that materials can be fed into the furnace body 10 through the feeding port 21. The materials of the feeding device 40 enter the feeding port 21 through the flexible connecting pipe 50 and then enter the furnace body 10 to perform the sintering work of the materials in the furnace body 10. The feeding device 40 can be a weight-reducing bin. In some embodiments, the feeding device 40 is provided with a discharge port 41, which is in communication with the feeding port 21 through the flexible connecting pipe 50, and the materials of the feeding device 40 enter the flexible connecting pipe 50 through the discharge port 41 and then enter the feeding port 21.

[0047] When the sintering furnace 100 performs the sintering work, the temperature of the furnace body 10 is high, and the thermal expansion of the furnace body 10 is large. The furnace body 10 is prone to expansion and contraction deformation and unstable support. However, when the furnace body 10 is deformed due to expansion and contraction, the furnace head cover 20, the furnace body 10 and the first sliding structure 32 slide together, which is conducive to adapting to the expansion and contraction deformation of the furnace body 10, reducing the possibility of shaking or even collapsing of the furnace body 10, and improving the support stability.

[0048] The flexible connecting pipe 50 can deform (e.g. stretch, bend, etc.) with the expansion and contraction of the furnace body 10 to adapt to the expansion and contraction deformation of the furnace body 10 during the switching between the cold state and the high-temperature state, and the flexible connecting pipe 50 is not easy to be separated from the furnace head cover 20 during the deformation of the furnace body 10, the connection is more reliable, which is beneficial to improve the feeding stability, and the support to the furnace body 10 during feeding is more stable, which is beneficial to further improve the feeding stability. Through the cooperation of the sliding support structure 30 and the flexible connecting pipe 50, the expansion and contraction of the furnace body 10 can be adapted, which is beneficial to improve the support stability and the feeding stability, and improve the working stability of the sintering furnace 100. The material of the flexible connecting pipe 50 can be a deformable material such as polypropylene plastic or rubber.

[0049] For example, in some embodiments, the axial dimension of the furnace body 10 is greater than 60m, and the maximum temperature of the furnace body 10 during sintering is as high as 800℃, and the thermal expansion of the furnace body 10 is very large, so that the dimension of the furnace body 10 along the axial direction changes by up to 40cm. The furnace body 10 is arranged to slide along the length direction by the furnace head cover 20 and the first sliding structure 32, which can always support the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace body 10 during the deformation of the furnace body 10, so that the furnace body 10 is always supported by the sliding support structure 30, and the support stability is stronger.

[0050] The feeding port 21 is arranged on the furnace head cover 20, and the feeding device 40 communicates with the feeding port 21 through the flexible connecting pipe 50, so that the material of the feeding device 40 can enter the furnace body 10 through the flexible connecting pipe 50 from the end of the furnace body 10, which is beneficial to increase the sintering range of the material in the furnace body 10. Instead of opening holes in the furnace body 10 to transport material into the furnace body 10, the number of openings in the sintering range of the furnace body 10 is reduced, the heat loss of the furnace body 10 is reduced, the heat preservation effect of the furnace body 10 is improved, the high-temperature environment in the furnace body 10 is maintained to sinter the material at high temperature, and the number of openings is reduced to prevent the furnace body 10 from cracking, which is beneficial to improve the strength of the furnace body 10.

[0051] According to the sintering furnace 100, the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace head 11 are sealed by structural cooperation or further sealing structure, and the cooperation of the sliding support structure 30, the furnace head cover 20 and the flexible connecting pipe 50 can adapt to the expansion and contraction of the furnace body 10, so that the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace body 10 can be continuously and stably supported during the expansion and contraction, and the axial and circumferential cooperation between the two can be maintained, so as to avoid structural displacement or even falling off and cause sealing failure, thereby improving the structural stability of the sintering furnace 100. The flexible connecting pipe 50 can deform with the deformation of the furnace body 10, thereby avoiding structural falling off or even damage due to the deformation of the furnace body 10, affecting the material feeding, improving the feeding stability and improving the working stability of the sintering furnace 100. The feeding port 21 is arranged on the furnace head cover 20 and the flexible connecting pipe 50 is connected to the furnace head cover 20, so that the material can enter the furnace body 10 through the furnace head cover 20 at the end of the furnace body 10, which is conducive to increasing the sintering range in the furnace body 10 and reducing the number of openings in the sintering range, thereby improving the heat preservation effect of the furnace body 10.

[0052] The first sliding structure 32 can be supported on the ground by installing a roller or the like at the bottom to realize sliding along the length direction of the furnace body 10. The first sliding structure 32 can also be supported on other structures to realize sliding.

[0053] For example, in some embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 1-5, the sliding support structure 30 further comprises a first fixed structure 31, which is provided with a sliding groove 311 extending along the length direction of the furnace body 10. The sliding groove 311 has a groove bottom wall 312 and two groove side walls 313 opposite in the horizontal direction. The first sliding structure 32 is slidingly arranged on the groove bottom wall 312 and between the two groove side walls 313.

[0054] The first sliding structure 32 is installed on the first fixed structure 31 and can slide along the length direction of the furnace body 10 relative to the first fixed structure 31. The groove bottom wall 312 can support the first sliding structure 32 and limit the displacement of the first sliding structure 32 in the up-down direction. The two groove side walls 313 can limit the displacement of the first sliding structure 32 in the horizontal direction, so that the first sliding structure 32 can only slide in the length direction of the furnace body 10, reducing the possibility of shaking when the furnace body 10 slides through the sliding support structure 30, and improving the support reliability.

[0055] For example, in some specific embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, the first sliding structure 32 is limited in the up-down direction and the left-right direction by the sliding groove 311, so that the first sliding structure 32 can only slide in the front-back direction. When the furnace body 10 expands and contracts in the front-back direction, it can slide in the front-back direction to adapt to the deformation, and the support is more reliable.

[0056] In some embodiments, the first fixing structure 31 comprises an I-beam which is fixedly installed on the concrete column by bolts, and an upper end surface of the I-beam is welded with a slide rail defining a slide groove 311, which is beneficial to enhancing the connection reliability between the slide rail and the I-beam and between the I-beam and the concrete column, and improving the installation reliability of the first fixing structure 31.

[0057] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 4-5, a reinforcing rib 33 is welded between the slide rail and the I-beam, which is beneficial to enhancing the mechanical strength of the slide rail and the I-beam. The number and shape of the reinforcing rib 33 are not limited, for example, in some embodiments, four reinforcing ribs 33 are arranged in a rectangular manner and welded between the slide rail and the I-beam, which is convenient for processing.

[0058] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, at least one of the groove bottom wall 312 and the groove side wall 313 is provided with a wear-resistant layer between the first sliding structure 32, which is beneficial to reducing the sliding resistance of the first sliding structure 32 in the slide groove 311, and the wear-resistant layer has good wear-resistant performance, which is beneficial to reducing the consumption and has good economy.

[0059] For example, in some embodiments, the wear-resistant layer can comprise a ceramic layer, which makes the sliding of the first sliding structure 32 in the slide groove 311 more smooth and has better wear-resistant performance. For another example, in some embodiments, the material of the wear-resistant layer is stainless steel, and the hardness of the wear-resistant layer is greater than that of the groove bottom wall 312 and the groove side wall 313, which has good wear-resistant performance.

[0060] The extension length of the slide groove 311 along the length direction of the furnace body 10 can be designed according to the length of the furnace body 10, etc. For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the extension length of the slide groove 311 along the length direction of the furnace body 10 is d, the maximum displacement of the edge of the furnace head 11 in the length direction of the furnace body 10 during the working process is d0, and d≥d0.

[0061] In the working process of the sintering furnace 100, the maximum displacement of the edge of the furnace head 11 in the length direction of the furnace body 10 is d0. For example, the sintering furnace 100 further comprises a limiting device 80 connected with the furnace body 10 and arranged in the length direction of the furnace body 10 and spaced apart from the furnace head 11, and the limiting device 80 is used for limiting the position connected with the furnace body 10 in the length direction. When the furnace body 10 is in a cold state, the distance between the edge of the furnace head 11 and the limiting device 80 in the length direction of the furnace body 10 is d1. In the working process, the furnace body 10 expands due to heating, and the edge of the furnace head 11 will displace in the length direction of the furnace body 10 away from the limiting device 80. After the working condition is stable, the distance between the edge of the furnace head 11 and the limiting device 80 in the length direction of the furnace body 10 is d2, and d0 = d2-d1. The specific value of d0 depends on the length of the furnace body 10, the position of the limiting device 80 in the length direction of the furnace body 10, the linear expansion coefficient corresponding to the material of the furnace body 10, the temperature difference between the cold state and the working state of the furnace body 10, and needs to be determined according to the actual heat transfer of the sintering equipment such as the sintering furnace 100 and the specific sintering process of the material.

[0062] In order to meet the range requirement of the furnace body 10 for axial expansion and deformation, the extension length d of the chute 311 in the length direction of the furnace body 10 should be greater than or equal to the maximum displacement d0 of the edge of the furnace head 11 in the length direction of the furnace body 10, that is, d≥d0, so as to ensure that the first sliding structure 32 can freely slide in the chute 311 without sliding out of the chute 311 in the working process of the furnace body 10 due to thermal expansion, so that the first sliding structure 32 can provide stable support for the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace head 11.

[0063] For example, in some specific embodiments, the material of the furnace body 10 is 310S stainless steel. When the furnace body 10 expands due to thermal expansion, and the maximum displacement d0 of the edge of the furnace head 11 in the length direction of the furnace body 10 is greater than or equal to 20 cm and less than or equal to 80 cm, the extension length d of the chute 311 in the length direction of the furnace body 10 is greater than or equal to d0, and the first sliding structure 32 always slides in the chute 311 without sliding out of the chute 311, which has a wide range of application. For example, d0 is 20 cm, and d can be any value greater than or equal to 20 cm, such as 20 cm, 50 cm, 80 cm, etc. For example, d0 is 40 cm, and d can be any value greater than or equal to 40 cm, such as 40 cm, 60 cm, 80 cm, etc. In some specific embodiments, d is greater than or equal to 20 cm and less than or equal to 80 cm.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIG. 5, the sliding support structure 30 further comprises a first fixed structure 31, and the first sliding structure 32 comprises a connecting rod 321, a first connecting part 322, a second connecting part 323 and a buffer 324, the first connecting part 322 is connected with the lower end of the connecting rod 321 and the first connecting part 322 is in sliding fit with the first fixed structure 31, the second connecting part 323 is sleeved on the connecting rod 321 and is fixedly connected with the furnace head cover 20, the buffer 324 is sleeved on the connecting rod 321 and one end of the buffer 324 abuts against the first connecting part 322, the other end of the buffer 324 abuts against the second connecting part 323, and the buffer 324 is elastically deformable in the vertical direction (for example, the up-down direction shown in FIG. 5).

[0065] When the furnace body 10 is elastically deformed, the first connecting part 322 is in sliding fit with the first fixed structure 31, so that the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace body 10 slide to adapt to the deformation of the furnace body 10 in the axial direction; one end of the buffer 324 abuts against the first connecting part 322, the other end of the buffer 324 abuts against the second connecting part 323, the buffer 324 is deformed under the action of the second connecting part 323 to buffer the deformation of the furnace body 10 in the vertical direction, and the connecting rod 321 can constrain the extension direction of the buffer 324, which is conducive to meeting the range requirement of the expansion and contraction of the furnace body 10 in the axial and radial directions. The buffer 324 can be a deformable object such as a spring.

[0066] In some specific embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, the first connecting part 322 is a sliding block which is slidably installed in a sliding groove 311, the second connecting part 323 is a support plate which is fixedly connected with the furnace head cover 20, the support plate and the furnace head cover 20 can be connected by welding, riveting or the like, the support plate is sleeved on the connecting rod 321, and the support plate and the connecting rod 321 can be connected by riveting or the like, the buffer 324 is a spring which can bear 1 ton, and the support effect on the furnace head cover 20 is better.

[0067] In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIG. 6, the extension length of the flexible connecting pipe 50 is L1, the straight-line distance between the feeding device 40 and the feeding port 21 is L2 when the sintering furnace 100 is in a cold state, and the maximum displacement of the feeding port 21 in the length direction of the furnace body 10 during operation is L0, and L1-L2>L0.

[0068] The extension length of the flexible connecting pipe 50 refers to the path length extended from one end of the flexible connecting pipe 50 to the other end in the state that the flexible connecting pipe 50 is not deformed. For example, the flexible connecting pipe 50 extends along an arc, and the extension length refers to the arc length of the arc. Alternatively, the flexible connecting pipe 50 is an elastic and stretchable pipe, and the extension length of the flexible connecting pipe 50 refers to the maximum path length extended from one end of the flexible connecting pipe 50 to the other end within the elastic allowable range. The linear distance between the feeding device 40 and the feeding port 21 can be the linear distance between the discharging port 41 and the feeding port 21.

[0069] In the working process of the sintering furnace 100, the maximum displacement of the feeding port 21 along the length direction of the furnace body 10 is L0. For example, the sintering furnace 100 further comprises a limiting device 80, and the distance between the feeding port 21 and the limiting device 80 along the length direction of the furnace body 10 is L3 when the furnace body 10 is in a cold state. In the working process, the furnace body 10 expands due to heating, and the feeding port 21 is displaced along the length direction of the furnace body 10 away from the limiting device 80. After the working condition is stable, the distance between the feeding port 21 and the limiting device 80 along the length direction of the furnace body 10 is L4, and L0=L4-L3. The specific value of L0 depends on the length of the furnace body 10, the setting position of the limiting device 80 along the length direction of the furnace body 10, the linear expansion coefficient corresponding to the material of the furnace body 10, the temperature difference between the cold state and the working state of the furnace body 10, and needs to be determined according to the actual heat transfer condition of the sintering equipment and the specific sintering process of the material.

[0070] When the feeding port 21 of the furnace head cover 11 moves with the deformation of the furnace body 10, the flexible connecting pipe 50 connecting the feeding device 40 and the feeding port 21 also moves, and L1-L2>L0, so that the length of the flexible connecting pipe 50 is long enough to adapt to the maximum moving range of the feeding port 21, so that the flexible connecting pipe 50 is not easily separated from the feeding port 21 during the movement of the feeding port 21, and the stability of feeding the material to the furnace body 10 through the flexible connecting pipe 50 is improved. At the same time, the flexible connecting pipe 50 is long enough, so that the flexible connecting pipe 50 is not easily affected by external forces such as the pulling force from the feeding device 40 and the furnace head cover 11 to affect its own material feeding function, and the feeding device 40 and the furnace head cover 11 are not easily affected by the pulling force from the flexible connecting pipe 50 to affect the working stability, which is beneficial to the smooth progress of the sintering work. In addition, the flexible connecting pipe 50 can also be deformed, so that the flexible connecting pipe 50 can adapt to a larger moving range of the feeding port 21, and has a wider application range.

[0071] For example, L0 is 20 cm, and L1-L2 can be any value greater than or equal to 20 cm, such as 21 cm, 25 cm, 30 cm, etc. For another example, L0 is 80 cm, and L1-L2 can be any value greater than or equal to 80 cm, such as 81 cm, 85 cm, 90 cm, etc.

[0072] In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIG. 6, the furnace body 10 is provided with a spiral groove extending along the circumference of the furnace body 10, a reserved space is formed between the end wall of the furnace head cover 20 away from the furnace head 11 and the end of the furnace head 11, the feeding port 21 is arranged on the circumferential wall of the reserved space, and the furnace head cover 20 is provided with a feeding pipe 22, which includes a first pipe segment 223 and a second pipe segment 224 connected with each other, the first pipe segment 223 penetrates through the reserved space and is connected with the feeding port 21, and the second pipe segment 224 penetrates through the opening of the end of the furnace head 11 and extends above the spiral groove. The first pipe segment 223 extends downward, and the second pipe segment 224 extends downward and obliquely.

[0073] The spiral groove can guide the material. For example, in some embodiments, the spiral groove is defined by spiral blades protruding from the inner wall of the furnace body 10, the spiral blades extend spirally along the axial direction of the furnace body 10, when the furnace body 10 rotates, the material in the furnace body 10 is turned over and redistributed under the guidance of the spiral blades, the material is pushed forward, the uniformity of the material distribution is improved, and the sintering work of the material is facilitated.

[0074] One end (for example, the rear end shown in FIG. 6) of the furnace head cover 20 is open and connected with the end of the furnace head 11, the other end (for example, the front end shown in FIG. 6) of the furnace head cover 20 is an end wall forming a reserved space with the end of the furnace head 11, the first pipe segment 223 extends downward to penetrate through the reserved space, and the second pipe segment 224 extends downward and obliquely to penetrate through the opening of the end of the furnace head 11, which can reduce the positional conflict between the furnace body 10 and the feeding pipe 22 when the furnace body 10 rotates, and improve the stability of feeding.

[0075] The first pipe segment 223 can extend vertically downward or obliquely downward, etc. The feeding pipe 22 can be arranged in the furnace head cover 20 by welding or the like. For example, in some embodiments, the feeding pipe 22 and the furnace head cover 20 are welded by argon arc welding.

[0076] The material flows from the feeding port 21 of the furnace head cover 20 to the first pipe segment 223, which can make the material flow to the second pipe segment 224 under the action of gravity without the help of external feeding tools, so as to facilitate the guidance of the material to the second pipe segment 224 and then flow into the spiral groove, and realize stable feeding.

[0077] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, the angle between the second pipe segment 224 and the horizontal direction is greater than the angle of repose of the material, so that the material in the second pipe segment 224 is easy to flow downward and obliquely to the spiral groove under the action of gravity, the material in the feeding pipe 22 is not easy to be blocked, and stable feeding is facilitated. For example, the material is lithium iron phosphate material, and the angle between the second pipe segment 224 and the horizontal direction is greater than the angle of repose of the lithium iron phosphate material.

[0078] In addition, since the sintering process of materials such as lithium battery positive electrode materials needs to be carried out in a protective gas atmosphere, the sealing performance of the sintering equipment has high requirements, therefore, the air tightness problem is also an important difficulty in the application of large-scale sintering furnace in the sintering work such as high-temperature solid-phase reaction of lithium iron phosphate. Especially, the sealing structure needs to be well adapted to the rotation of the moving part (such as the furnace body) of the sintering furnace, the radial and axial deformation of the furnace body due to the switching between cold and hot states, and the shape error (such as ovality, eccentricity, etc.) and bending of the geometric center line of the furnace body during production, installation, transportation, etc.

[0079] Based on this, the following improvements are made to meet the sealing requirements of the sintering work. In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 1-4 and 7-8, a filler channel 60 is provided between the inner circumferential surface of the furnace head cover 20 and the outer circumferential surface of the furnace head 11, and the filler channel 60 is provided with a plurality of first fillers 62. The first fillers 62 can be used to seal the connection gap between the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace head 11, improve the sealing performance between the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace head 11, and help to ensure the protective gas atmosphere such as inert gas atmosphere inside the sintering furnace 100, so as to avoid the influence of high oxygen content on the roasting of materials such as lithium iron phosphate, for example, high oxygen content leads to more lithium iron phosphate oxidized into trivalent iron salt and other by-products. At the same time, it can also reduce the possibility of material flow from the sintering furnace 100 to the outside or dust from the outside to the sintering furnace 100, improve the sealing performance between the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace head 11, and improve the roasting index and safety and environmental protection index of the sintering furnace 100. The material of the first filler 62 can be ceramic fiber, rubber, etc.

[0080] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, a gap space is formed between the two adjacent first fillers 62, and the filler channel 60 is provided with an adding hole 63 for adding lubricating medium (such as butter, etc.), and the adding hole 63 is in communication with at least one gap space. The lubricating medium can be introduced into at least one gap space through the adding hole 63, which helps to reduce the corrosion and wear of the contact surface between the furnace body 10 and the filler, reduces the possibility of rusting of the furnace body 10, and prolongs the service life. For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the gap space and the adding hole 63 on the filler channel 60 are radially opposite and in communication.

[0081] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 7-8, the sintering furnace 100 further comprises a gland 65 connected with the furnace head cover 20 and stopping at the side of the plurality of first fillers 62 away from the furnace head cover 20, which helps to fix the position of the first filler 62, improve the installation stability, and improve the sealing effect and sealing life of the first filler 62. For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the gland 65 stops at the back side of the first filler 62 and the filler channel 60 to fix the position of the first filler 62 and the filler channel 60 in the front-back direction.

[0082] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 7, the stuffing box 60 further includes at least one second stuffing box 61, located between the first stuffing box 62 and the end wall of the furnace cover 20. The first stuffing box 62 has a V-shaped axial cross-section, while the second stuffing box 61 has a rectangular axial cross-section. The axial cross-section of the stuffing box refers to the cross-section formed by cutting the stuffing box through the plane of the furnace body 10's axis. The stuffing box can reduce the possibility of seal failure when the furnace body 10 deforms, and the different shapes of the first stuffing box 62 and the second stuffing box 61 help improve sealing performance.

[0083] For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG7 , two second packings 61 and six first packings 62 are sequentially arranged axially between the stuffing box 60 and the burner head 11. Two second packings 61 form a group, and three adjacent first packings 62 form a group, forming three groups of packings. Cooling water can be passed between adjacent first packings 62 in the same group to cool the packings and reduce the possibility of damage to the packings due to excessive frictional temperatures. Inert gas, such as nitrogen, can be passed between adjacent second packings 61 and first packings 62. The cooling water and inert gas can compress the first packings 62, causing them to expand radially, thereby tightening the connection between the burner head cover 20, the packings, and the burner head 11 and improving sealing performance.

[0084] The furnace head 11 is rotatable relative to the furnace head cover 20. The provision of the stuffing box 60 effectively seals the fixed portion (i.e., the furnace head cover 20) and the rotating portion (i.e., the furnace head 11) of the sintering furnace 100, ensuring sealing performance. Furthermore, the first filler 62 and the second filler 61 can be made of rubber or ceramic fiber, so that the first filler 62 and the second filler 61 have a certain degree of deformation margin. When the furnace body 10 expands and deforms radially due to factors such as temperature differences during rotation and squeezes the filler, the filler can adapt to the deformation of the furnace body 10 and deform to maintain sealing contact with the furnace body 10, further improving sealing performance. Furthermore, the filler can deform to accommodate shape errors (ovality, eccentricity) and curvature of the geometric centerline of the furnace body 10 during manufacturing, installation, and operation. In addition, when the furnace body 10 produces a large-scale deformation in its length direction, such as thermal expansion, the furnace head hood 20 is stably supported by the sliding support structure 30, so that the furnace head hood 20 can slide along the length direction of the furnace body 10 as the furnace body 10 deforms. Therefore, during the deformation of the furnace body 10, the furnace head hood 20, the stuffing box 60 and the furnace head 11 are always tightly connected, ensuring the sealing performance and ensuring the stability of the inert gas atmosphere inside the furnace body 10.

[0085] It is worth noting that the relative axial position of the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace head 11 can change due to the deformation of the furnace body 10, but the present application always seals the furnace head cover 20 and the filler funnel 60 through the filler funnel 60, so that the relative axial position of the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace head 11 changes little or even does not change basically, which is beneficial to supporting the furnace head cover 20 and then supporting the furnace body 10 through the first sliding structure 32, and improves the support reliability of the furnace body 10.

[0086] In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 1-4 and 9, the furnace body 10 includes a plurality of furnace sections 12 connected in sequence, and at least one of the furnace head 11, the furnace tail 13, and the connection between adjacent furnace sections 12 of the furnace body 10 is provided with a support roller structure 70. The support roller structure 70 includes a second fixed structure 71 and at least two support rollers 72, the support rollers 72 are rotatably mounted on the second fixed structure 71, and the rotation axis of the support rollers 72 is parallel to the length direction of the furnace body 10, the support rollers 72 are spaced apart and supported on the lower side of the furnace body 10 in the horizontal direction, and the furnace body 10 is movable relative to the support rollers 72 in the length direction.

[0087] The plurality of furnace sections 12 can respectively perform different processing work on the material. The furnace body 10 has a relatively long length in the axial direction, and can be supported by at least one support roller structure 70, and the support roller structure 70 cooperates with the sliding support structure 30 at the end to support the entire furnace body 10 and the furnace head cover 20, which is more conducive to improving the working stability of the sintering furnace 100. In some embodiments of the present application, the furnace body 10 is supported by at least four support roller structures 70, which is more stable for supporting the sintering furnace 100. The support rollers 72 can rotate relative to the second fixed structure 71, and the furnace body 10 can move relative to the support rollers 72 in the length direction, which is conducive to meeting the rotation of the furnace body 10 and the expansion and contraction deformation of the furnace body 10 in the length direction. The furnace body 10 is supported by the support rollers 72, and the support rollers 72 cooperate with the sliding support structure 30 to reduce the radial shaking of the furnace body 10 and adapt to the expansion and contraction deformation of the furnace body 10, which is conducive to improving the sealing reliability between the furnace head 11 and the furnace head cover 20. The material of the support rollers 72 can be Cr2 series cold-rolled steel, etc.

[0088] For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the furnace body 10 includes a first furnace section 121, a second furnace section 122 and a third furnace section 123 arranged from front to back, the first furnace section 121 is used for heating treatment of the material, the second furnace section 122 is used for heat preservation treatment of the material, and the third furnace section 123 is used for cooling treatment of the material. The furnace head 11, the connection between the first furnace section 121 and the second furnace section 122, the connection between the second furnace section 122 and the third furnace section 123, and the furnace tail 13 are respectively supported by the four support roller structures 70, the support of the furnace body 10 is more reliable, and the outer part of the furnace section 12 is provided with a shell 15, the shell 15 is fixedly arranged on the concrete column, and the furnace section 12 rotates around the shell 15 in the shell 15 relative to the shell 15, so that the support stability is higher. In addition, the length of the support roller 72 of the front two support roller structures 70 in the front-rear direction is greater than the length of the support roller 72 of the rear two support roller structures 70, which is beneficial to adapt to the stretching and deformation of the heating section and the heat preservation section of the furnace body 10 which is higher in temperature, reduces the risk of the furnace body 10 and the support roller 72 being separated, and works more stably.

[0089] In some embodiments, the extension length of the support roller 72 in the length direction of the furnace body 10 is greater than or equal to 20 cm and less than or equal to 80 cm, so that the furnace body 10 can freely slide on the support roller 72 in the length direction relative to the second fixed structure 71 when the furnace body 10 is deformed, which is beneficial to meet the range requirement of the axial stretching and deformation of the furnace body 10. For example, the extension length of the support roller 72 in the length direction of the furnace body 10 is 20 cm, 60 cm, 80 cm, etc.

[0090] In some specific embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, the support roller structure 70 further includes two support shafts 73 and four side supports 74, the two support shafts 73 are arranged in the left-right direction and correspond to the two support rollers 72 respectively, and the support roller 72 is arranged around the support shaft 73. Among the four side supports 74, two side supports 74 are arranged in the front-rear direction and correspond to the front end and the rear end of the left side support shaft 73 respectively, and the other two side supports 74 are arranged in the front-rear direction and correspond to the front end and the rear end of the right side support shaft 73 respectively, the support shaft 73 is fixedly installed on the side support 74 by one or more ways such as bolts, buckles, etc., and the side support 74 is fixedly installed on the second fixed structure 71 by one or more ways such as bolts, buckles, etc. The second fixed structure 71 is a I-beam truss made of stainless steel, and the second fixed structure 71 is fixedly installed on the concrete column, which is beneficial to improve the rigidity of the support roller structure 70 and the support stability of the furnace body 10. Moreover, the included angle between the extension line of the tangent at the contact point of the two support rollers 72 in the same support roller structure 70 and the furnace body 10 is 120° (as shown by the identifier a in FIG. 9), which is more stable in supporting the furnace body 10. In some embodiments, the support roller structure 70 can support a furnace body 10 of 38 tons.

[0091] In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 1-4 and 10-11, the outer circumferential surface of the furnace body 10 is provided with an annular protrusion 14 extending in the circumferential direction, and the sintering furnace 100 further comprises a limiting device 80 and a driving device 85.

[0092] The limiting device 80 comprises two limiting rollers 81 respectively arranged on the two axial sides of the annular protrusion 14 to limit the axial position of the annular protrusion 14, and the limiting rollers 81 are adapted to rollingly engage with the annular protrusion 14. In the length direction of the furnace body 10, the driving device 85 is arranged on the side of the limiting device 80 away from the sliding support structure 30, and the driving device 85 is in driving connection with the furnace body 10 and is used to drive the furnace body 10 to rotate around the central axis.

[0093] When the furnace body 10 rotates around the axis, the annular protrusion 14 rotates with it, and the two limiting rollers 81 clamp the annular protrusion 14 on the two axial sides of the annular protrusion 14 and rollingly engage with the annular protrusion 14 to limit the axial position of the annular protrusion 14, thereby limiting the axial displacement of the furnace body 10 along the annular protrusion 14, reducing the adverse effects of the axial movement of the furnace body 10 on the driving of the driving device 85, and facilitating to improve the driving stability of the driving device 85 to the furnace body 10. The annular protrusion 14 can be a flange or the like.

[0094] For example, in some specific embodiments, as shown in FIG. 11, the limiting roller 81 on the front side rotates in the counterclockwise direction shown in FIG. 11, the limiting roller 81 on the rear side rotates in the clockwise direction shown in FIG. 11, and the annular protrusion 14 between the two limiting rollers 81 rotates around the axis extending in the front-rear direction.

[0095] The driving device 85 is arranged on the side of the limiting device 80 away from the sliding support structure 30, which facilitates to reduce the deformation amount of the furnace body 10 at the driving device 85 and improve the driving stability of the driving device 85. For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the limiting device 80 fixes the position of the annular protrusion 14 in the three-dimensional space, and when the furnace body 10 expands and elongates, it elongates forward with the annular protrusion 14 as the origin, and will not elongate backward under the limiting action of the limiting device 80, so that the driving device 85 can be in stable driving engagement with the furnace body 10 on the rear side of the limiting device 80.

[0096] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the outer circumferential surface of the furnace body 10 is fixedly provided with a gear ring 89, and the driving device 85 comprises a motor 86, a speed reducer 87, and a transmission gear 88, the transmission gear 88 is in meshing engagement with the gear ring 89, the motor 86 drives the transmission gear 88 to rotate and in turn drives the gear ring 89 to rotate, thereby achieving the driving of the furnace body 10 to rotate, and the speed reducer 87 is used to improve the output torque of the motor 86, and the driving effect is better. By arranging the limiting device 80, the transmission gear 88 can be kept in the position of meshing engagement with the gear ring 89 without moving, thereby improving the driving stability.

[0097] In some embodiments, the support roller structure 70 supports the annular protrusion 14 to support the furnace body 10, which can reduce the local force acting on the furnace body 10 and prolong the service life of the furnace body 10.

[0098] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2, 10 and 12, the rotation axis of the limiting roller 81 is inclined away from the annular protrusion 14 along the axial direction of the furnace body 10 and away from the axis of the furnace body 10 along the radial direction of the furnace body 10, and the outer diameter of the limiting roller 81 increases away from the axis of the furnace body 10 along the radial direction of the furnace body 10. That is, the limiting roller 81 is conical and is inclined to be installed, which can make the force applied by the annular protrusion 14 to the limiting roller 81 not perpendicular to the axis of the limiting roller 81 while the limiting roller 81 is in rolling cooperation with the annular protrusion 14, reduce the force acting on the limiting roller 81 perpendicular to the axial direction, reduce the risk of damage to the limiting roller 81, and prolong the service life of the limiting roller 81.

[0099] For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 12, the limiting roller 81 is arranged on the lower side of the furnace body 10, the bottom of the limiting roller 81 has a larger radial outer diameter than the top to form a conical shape, and the rotation axis of the front limiting roller 81 is inclined forward and downward, and the rotation axis of the rear limiting roller 81 is inclined backward and downward.

[0100] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 12, the limiting device 80 further comprises two rotating tables 84, two lead screws 82 and a plurality of nuts 83. The two rotating tables 84 are arranged on the two axial sides of the annular protrusion 14, respectively, and the two limiting rollers 81 are rotatably arranged on the rotating tables 84, respectively. The two rotating tables 84 are respectively provided with limiting bosses on the same side of the left-right direction of the furnace body 10, the limiting bosses are provided with through holes, the lead screws 82 pass through the through holes of the limiting bosses of the two rotating tables 84, and the nuts 83 are arranged on the lead screws 82 and located on at least one side of the limiting boss away from the annular protrusion 14, that is, the front nut 83 is arranged on the front side of the front limiting boss, the rear nut 83 is arranged on the rear side of the rear limiting boss, or the two sides of each limiting boss are provided with nuts 83 and clamped by the nuts 83 on the two sides, and the nuts 83 are in threaded connection with the lead screws 82 to limit the limiting roller 81, reduce the movement tendency of the limiting roller 81 away from the annular protrusion 14 along the axial direction, and improve the limiting reliability of the limiting device 80 to the annular protrusion 14.

[0101] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the sintering furnace 100 further comprises a furnace tail cover 90 and a tail support device 91. The furnace tail cover 90 is sleeved on the furnace tail 13 of the furnace body 10 and is in rotatable cooperation with the furnace tail 13. The furnace tail cover 90 can support the furnace tail 13 and support the furnace body 10.

[0102] In some embodiments, the furnace end cover 90 is fixedly supported by the end support device 91, which helps to improve the installation stability of the furnace end cover 90 and the support reliability of the furnace body 10.

[0103] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the end support device 91 includes a third fixed structure 96 and a second sliding structure 97, the second sliding structure 97 supports and fixes the furnace end cover 90, and the second sliding structure 97 is installed on the third fixed structure 96 and is slidable relative to the third fixed structure 96 along the length direction of the furnace body 10. When the furnace body 10 is subjected to expansion and contraction deformation, the furnace end cover 90, the furnace body 10 and the second sliding structure 97 can slide together relative to the third fixed structure 96, which helps to adapt to the expansion and contraction deformation of the furnace body 10 and improve the support stability.

[0104] In the furnace body 10, the temperature near the furnace end 13 is lower than the temperature near the furnace head 11, that is, the deformation amount of the portion of the furnace body 10 between the furnace end 13 and the limiting device 80 is smaller than the deformation amount of the portion of the furnace body 10 between the furnace head 11 and the limiting device 80. In some embodiments, the slidable distance of the second sliding structure 97 is smaller than the slidable distance of the first sliding structure 32, which helps to save costs while adapting to the expansion and contraction deformation of the furnace body 10.

[0105] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the third fixed structure 96 is provided with a groove extending along the length direction of the furnace body 10, and the second sliding structure 97 is arranged in the groove of the third fixed structure 96. The working mode of the third fixed structure 96 and the second sliding structure 97 is the same as that of the first fixed structure 31 and the second sliding structure 32 in the sliding support structure 30, which will not be described here.

[0106] In some embodiments, a filler box 60 is arranged between the furnace end 13 and the furnace end cover 90, and at least one second filler 61 and a plurality of first fillers 62 are arranged between the filler box 60 and the furnace end 13, which helps to improve the sealing performance between the furnace end 13 and the furnace end cover 90.

[0107] In some embodiments of the present application, the flexible connecting pipe 50 is made of rubber or polypropylene plastic, which can be deformed to improve the feeding stability.

[0108] In some embodiments, the feeding passage of the feeding device 40, the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace body 10 are all made of alloy material, which helps to improve the strength of the feeding passage, the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace body 10, prolong the service life, and facilitate the normal operation of the sintering work.

[0109] In some embodiments, the feeding channel, the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace body 10 are made of stainless steel material, which does not contain copper and zinc material, so as to reduce the possibility of introducing magnetic substances in the high-temperature sintering process while ensuring the strength of the feeding channel, the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace body 10, thereby facilitating the control of magnetic substances. The control of magnetic substances of some materials is extremely strict, for example, the lithium iron phosphate material requires that the magnetic substance level of the finished product is less than 0.8 ppm level. The feeding channel, the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace body 10 made of stainless steel material facilitate to meet the requirements of the control of magnetic substances of the materials.

[0110] In some embodiments, the feeding pipe, the furnace body 10, the furnace head cover 20 and the furnace tail cover 90 are made of 310S stainless steel or Inconel601 / 625 alloy, which has high-temperature resistance performance up to 1000-1200℃, and has excellent stainless corrosion resistance and good intergranular corrosion resistance, thereby facilitating to effectively reduce the possibility of introducing magnetic substances in the high-temperature sintering process.

[0111] Other configurations and operations of the sintering furnace 100 according to the embodiments of the present application are known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0112] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms “mounting”, “connection”, “connecting” should be understood in a broad sense, for example, can be fixed connection, can also be detachable connection, or integrally connected; can be mechanical connection, can also be electrical connection; can be directly connected, can also be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0113] In the description of the present application, the description of the terms “embodiment”, “specific embodiment”, “example” and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are contained in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present application, the illustrative description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0114] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, replacements and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and purposes of the present application, and the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A sintering furnace, wherein: include: A furnace body and a burner cover, wherein the burner cover is provided with a feed port, the burner cover is sleeved on the burner of the furnace body, the burner cover and the burner are axially limited, and the furnace body is rotatable relative to the burner cover around a central axis, and the feed port is communicated with the interior of the furnace body; A sliding support structure, wherein the sliding support structure includes a first sliding structure, the first sliding structure supports the furnace cover, and the furnace cover is fixedly connected to the first sliding structure, and the first sliding structure is slidably arranged along the length direction of the furnace body; A feeding device is connected to the feeding port through a flexible connecting pipe.

2. The sintering furnace according to claim 1, wherein The sliding support structure also includes a first fixed structure, which is provided with a sliding groove extending along the length direction of the furnace body. The sliding groove has a groove bottom wall and two groove side walls opposite to each other in the horizontal direction. The first sliding structure is slidably arranged on the groove bottom wall and is located between the two groove side walls.

3. The sintering furnace according to claim 2, wherein: A wear-resistant layer is provided between at least one of the groove bottom wall and the groove side wall and the first sliding structure.

4. The sintering furnace according to claim 2, wherein The extension length of the chute along the length direction of the furnace body is d, and the maximum displacement of the edge of the furnace head along the length direction of the furnace body during operation is d0, d≥d0.

5. The sintering furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The sliding support structure further includes a first fixing structure; The first sliding structure includes a connecting rod, a first connecting part, a second connecting part and a buffer member. The first connecting part is connected to the lower end of the connecting rod and the first connecting part slides with the first fixed structure. The second connecting part is sleeved on the connecting rod and fixedly connected to the burner hood. The buffer member is sleeved on the connecting rod and one end of the buffer member abuts against the first connecting part, and the other end of the buffer member abuts against the second connecting part. The buffer member is telescopically deformable in the vertical direction.

6. The sintering furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The extension length of the flexible connecting pipe is L1. When the sintering furnace is in a cold state, the linear distance between the feeding device and the feeding port is L2. During operation, the maximum displacement of the feeding port along the length direction of the furnace body is L0, and L1-L2>L0.

7. The sintering furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: A spiral groove extending in a spiral direction along the circumference of the furnace body is provided in the furnace body, a reserved space is formed between the end wall of the burner cover away from the burner and the end of the burner, the feed port is arranged on the peripheral wall of the reserved space, a discharge pipe is provided in the burner cover, the discharge pipe includes a first pipe section and a second pipe section connected, the first pipe section passes through the reserved space and is connected to the feed port, the second pipe section passes through the end opening of the burner and extends to above the spiral groove, the first pipe section extends downward, and the second pipe section extends downward at an angle.

8. The sintering furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: A stuffing box is provided between the inner circumference of the furnace head cover and the outer circumference of the furnace head, the stuffing box is provided with a plurality of first fillers, a gap space is formed between two adjacent first fillers, the stuffing box is provided with an addition hole for adding a lubricating medium, the addition hole is connected to at least one of the gap spaces, the sintering furnace also includes a pressure cover, the pressure cover is connected to the furnace head cover and is stopped on the side of the plurality of first fillers away from the end wall of the furnace head cover.

9. The sintering furnace according to claim 8, wherein The stuffing box is further provided with at least one second stuffing, which is located between the first stuffing and the end wall of the furnace head cover. The axial cross-section of the first stuffing is V-shaped, and the axial cross-section of the second stuffing is rectangular.

10. The sintering furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The furnace body includes a plurality of furnace sections connected in sequence, and a support roller structure is provided at least at one of the furnace head, the furnace tail, and the connection between adjacent furnace sections of the furnace body. The support roller structure includes a second fixed structure and at least two support rollers. The support rollers are rotatably mounted on the second fixed structure and the rotation axis of the support rollers is parallel to the length direction of the furnace body. The support rollers are supported at intervals along the horizontal direction on the lower side of the furnace body, and the furnace body is movable along the length direction relative to the support rollers.

11. The sintering furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The outer peripheral surface of the furnace body is provided with an annular protrusion extending in the circumferential direction, and the sintering furnace further comprises: A limiting device, comprising two limiting rollers, the two limiting rollers being respectively arranged on both axial sides of the annular protrusion to limit the axial position of the annular protrusion, the limiting rollers being adapted to rollingly cooperate with the annular protrusion; A driving device is provided on a side of the limiting device away from the sliding support structure in the length direction of the furnace body. The driving device is transmission-connected to the furnace body and is used to drive the furnace body to rotate around the central axis.

12. The sintering furnace according to claim 11, wherein The rotation axis of the limiting roller is away from the annular protrusion along the axial direction of the furnace body and is inclined in the radial direction of the furnace body away from the furnace body axis. The outer diameter of the limiting roller increases in the radial direction of the furnace body away from the furnace body axis.

13. The sintering furnace according to claim 11, wherein It also includes a furnace tail cover and a tail support device, wherein the furnace tail cover is sleeved on the furnace tail of the furnace body and rotatably cooperates with the furnace tail, wherein, The furnace tail cover is fixedly supported on the tail support device, or, The tail support device includes a third fixed structure and a second sliding structure, the second sliding structure supports and fixes the furnace tail cover, and the second sliding structure is installed on the third fixed structure and is slidable relative to the third fixed structure along the length direction of the furnace body.

14. The sintering furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The flexible connecting pipe is made of rubber or polypropylene plastic; The feeding channel of the feeding device, the furnace head cover and the furnace body are all made of stainless steel or alloy.

Images