Pivotable Housing for Roller Hearth Furnace Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing support roller changing devices for roller hearth furnaces face challenges with misalignment and tilting issues during roller replacement due to differences in rail deflection and non-horizontal mounting positions, leading to potential jamming and tilting of rollers during disassembly or assembly.

Innovation Solution

A support roller changing device equipped with a height adjustment device and pivotable housing alignment system, allowing for vertical and horizontal plane alignment, and featuring sliding bearing elements and a pivot drive to ensure precise alignment and prevent tilting during roller replacement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the support roller changing device is positioned on rails with different deflections, then the device can be moved to the furnace, but the support roller tilts and jams during movement into or out of the furnace

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemovability of changing deviceVSAvoidalignment precision of support roller
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is made pivotable relative to the support frame through sliding bearing elements, allowing the housing to dynamically adjust its orientation and compensate for rail deflection differences, preventing support roller tilting during operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The sliding bearing elements change the orientation parameter of the housing by allowing pivoting motion, enabling the system to adapt to varying rail deflections and maintain proper support roller alignment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If the roller hearth furnace is not positioned exactly horizontally, then the furnace can be installed in available space, but the support roller tilts during changing operations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation flexibility of furnaceVSAvoidhorizontal alignment of support roller
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The pivotable housing allows the system to dynamically compensate for non-horizontal furnace installation by adjusting the housing orientation to match the actual support roller angle, maintaining proper alignment during changing operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The height adjustment device preliminarily positions the housing at the correct height and orientation before the support roller changing operation begins, preventing tilting issues before they occur

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Device complexity

If the housing is fixed in position, then the structure is simple, but the support roller cannot be changed without tilting in non-horizontal positions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural simplicity of changing deviceVSAvoidalignment accuracy of support roller
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is made pivotable relative to the support frame through sliding bearing elements, allowing the housing to dynamically adjust its orientation and compensate for rail deflection differences, preventing support roller tilting during operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The sliding bearing elements act as intermediaries between the fixed support frame and the movable housing, enabling controlled pivoting motion that maintains alignment while allowing structural simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3048402B1Support roller exchange device
Publication Date: 2017.11.15 LOI THERMPROCESS
  • EP3048402B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3048402B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3048402B1 patent drawingFigure 5~7

AI summary

In a roller-changing device (18) for changing a roller (2) of a roller hearth furnace (1), comprising: a housing (16) that can be sealed against the external ambient atmosphere and has an airlock (17) through which access to a roller (2) of the roller hearth furnace (1) to be removed is possible from inside the housing (16) while excluding the ambient atmosphere, and at least one roller handling device (15, 15') designed for removing and installing rollers (2), which is movably arranged in the housing (16) and which is designed to be extendable at least partially through the airlock (17) from the housing (16), a solution is to be provided by which a roller change is possible without the roller to be removed and the roller to be installed becoming jammed during their movement in the roller hearth furnace during disassembly or assembly.This is achieved by the fact that the support roller changing device (18) further comprises a height adjustment device (37) coupled to the housing (16), which is designed to position the housing (16) vertically and to align the housing (16) in a horizontal plane (38).