A method of annealing a steel sheet in an annealing furnace, including: supporting and conveying a steel sheet with hearth rolls; and supporting and conveying the steel sheet with a full-ceramic hearth roll as a hearth roll located in an area where a furnace temperature is equal to or higher than 950 C., wherein a main constituent of the full-ceramic hearth roll is silicon nitride with use of an AlY-based sintering aid.

A furnace roller assembly having a fluid-cooled shaft that is covered by an interface performance material comprising both ceramic millboard and a wire brush bristled-material is disclosed. The roller assembly can be used as part of a conveyance system in a finishing mill to support and transport steel sheet through an annealing furnace. The fluid-cooled shaft and the ceramic millboard plus wire brush interface performance material arrangement provide the means to provide effective insulation for the shaft while preventing degradation of the covering on the shaft.

A device for aligning a metal blank for a temperature control system which has at least one temperature control unit for heating or cooling the metal blank includes at least two support rollers on which the metal blank can be placed and conveyed through the temperature control system by rotation of the support rollers in the throughput direction and within a conveying plane. The support rollers are arranged spaced apart in the throughput direction. The device further includes a first centering unit having at least one centering finger which is movably arranged within the conveying plane such that the centering finger is movable transversely to the throughput direction in order to align the metal blank in a predetermined orientation.

A roller transport assembly includes a cart assembly and a roller carriage assembly. The roller carriage assembly is slidably mounted to the cart assembly and has at least one chamber for housing a roller. Each of the chambers includes a linear rail extending along a first axis and a roller coupling device attached to and slidable along the linear rail. The roller coupling device is operable to couple to the roller and move the roller along the first axis adjacent and parallel with the linear rail.

A roller for a roller hearth furnace, the roller including a water-cooled, rotatably mounted carrying axle on which a plurality of support rings are arranged at a spacing from one another. In the axial region between and next to the support rings, the carrying axle is provided with insulation composed of a fiber material and configured with protection of the outer circumference of the fiber material from the environment. In the case of insulation constructed from ring-shaped punched parts, the insulation arranged in the axial region between and next to the support rings is composed of circular or ring-shaped punched fiber parts. The protection is configured as ring-shaped insulating disks composed of a more resistant material than that of the punched fiber parts, and at least one punched fiber part is provided in each case between two insulating disks.

The invention relates to a device for the thermal or thermo-chemical treatment, more particularly calcination, of material (12), more particularly battery cathode material (14), comprising a housing (16), in which a process space (20) is located. The material (12), or carrying structures (40) loaded with the material (12), can be conveyed in a conveying direction (30) into or through the process space (20) by means of a conveying system (28). A process space atmosphere (50) prevailing in the process space (20) can be heated by means of a heating system (48). There is a process gas system (64), by means of which a process gas (66) can be fed to the process space (20), said process gas being required for the thermal treatment of the material (12). The process gas system (64) comprises a plurality of local injection units (68), which are arranged and configured such that process gas (66) can be released in a targeted manner onto the material (12) or onto the carrying structures (40) loaded with material (12), the process gas being released in a plurality of local process gas streams (70), each having a main stream direction (72). The invention also specifies a method for the thermal or thermo-chemical treatment of material (12), in which process gas (66) is released in a targeted manner onto the material (12) or onto the carrying structures (40) loaded with material (12), the process gas being released in a plurality of local process gas streams (70), each having a main stream direction (72).

A protective and abradable coating composition is suitable for application on rolls and more particularly for application on conveyor rolls. The abradable coating is suitable for use in high temperature applications. Rolls incorporating the coating may be produced and used according to disclosed processes and procedures. Application of the composition to rolls reduces corrosion by aluminium melt, and enables the removal of built-up substances by friction. The life time of the roll is thereby increased.

A glass heating furnace is illustrated. Rollers of the glass heating furnace are pivotally connected to a movable frame, and a roller driver of the glass heating furnace controls the rollers to rotate to a direction of an X axis, and a movable frame driver controls the movable frame to displace reciprocatively along a Y axis, such that the rollers displace along the Y axis at the same time. The glass displaces reciprocatively in multiple directions to be heated up more uniformly, which effectively reduces formation of the thermal stress marks on the glass. Since the rollers displace along the Y axis at the same time, the glass on the rollers does not have the displacement of the Y axis in respect to the rollers, such that friction of the displacement of the glass is reduced, which more effectively reduces formation of the thermal stress marks on the glass.

A method of heating for hot stamping is configured to heat a plated metallic material while conveying the plated metallic material. A heating device for hot stamping comprises: a first heating tank provided in a conveyance path for the plated metallic material; and a second heating tank provided downstream of the first heating tank in the conveyance path. A heating amount provided by the second heating tank is configured such that a temperature of the plated metallic material becomes equal to or higher than Ac3 point and less than a boiling point of a plating of the plated metallic material, and a heating amount provided by the first heating tank is configured to be larger than the heating amount provided by the second heating tank.

A guiding unit for slabs comprising at least two rolls (10, 10) connected to each other and adapted to rotate along a same axis X; wherein each roll comprises a first tubular element (12) and a second tubular element (5), which is external and coaxial to axis X and to the first tubular element and removable from said first tubular element; wherein cooling channels (3, 30) are provided in each roll between said first tubular element and said second tubular element for the passage of a coolant liquid; wherein each roll comprises a respective hub at its two ends; and wherein each hub is provided with cavities communicating with the cooling channels of the respective roll so as to define a path for the coolant liquid from a first end to a second end of the guiding unit crossing said at least two rolls.