Warp resistant access door assembly for a high temperature combustion chamber

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6735906
  • Patent Number
    6,735,906
  • Date Filed
    Friday, December 31, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 18, 2004
    20 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Thompson, II; Hugh B.
    Agents
    • O'Banion; John P.
Abstract
A warp resistant fuel feed door assembly for use in injecting supplemental fuel into a high temperature combustion chamber such as a rotating cement kiln without substantial loss of heat or combustion gases. The apparatus, which is positioned on the exterior side of a fuel passage transecting the wall of a rotating kiln, opens to receive fuel and then seals during the balance of the rotation of the kiln. Warping, bearing fracture, shaft distortion and jamming due to exposure to extreme heat and cooling are minimized by the sectional construction of the doors. The door includes a plate positioned over the mouth of the passage, a plurality of support arms attached to the plate and a hinge shaft attached to the arms. Stresses on the door structure from inconsistent expansion of the plate are reduced due to symmetrically spaced oblong and oversized bolt attachment bores in the support arms. Synchronous opening of the feed doors is achieved by levered rotation of the hinge shafts by an electric motor. Selective introduction of supplemental fuel into a rotating kiln can be controlled by electrical actuation of the feed doors.
Description




CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS




Not Applicable




STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT




Not Applicable




REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX




Not Applicable




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




This invention pertains generally to high temperature kiln access door assemblies, and more particularly to a warp resistant supplemental fuel feed door assembly for a rotating kiln.




2. Description of the Background Art




Rotating cylindrical kilns are frequently used in the production of cement. Because such kilns operate at extremely high temperatures, it is possible to burn various forms of liquid and solid combustible waste materials as a source of supplemental heat. Waste materials tend to completely combust at the high operating temperatures found in such kilns, which are on the order of 3400 degrees Fahrenheit and above, while producing little or no undesirable gaseous or solid emissions. Therefore, these waste materials can serve as a form of supplemental fuel, thereby reducing the demand for and cost of the primary fuel.




Worn rubber vehicle tires are particularly suited as a supplemental fuel for a rotary cement kiln. The extremely high temperatures within a cement kiln will cause the rubber tires to burn without any significant liquid, solid or gaseous waste byproducts which might otherwise be detrimental to the environment. Since worn out tires currently present a disposal problem, burning the tires in rotary kilns helps alleviate the growing problem of disposal without impairing the environment.




Various secondary fuel feed mechanisms have been developed to introduce fuel through a kiln wall into the interior of a rotating cylindrical kiln. Typically, these feed systems have an entrance chute which transects the kiln wall with an outer portion protruding through the outer wall of the kiln and an inner portion protruding into the interior of the kiln. The outer portion of the chute normally includes a feed door which opens to allow passage of the secondary fuel into the kiln. Some feed systems positively inject the supplemental fuel into the kiln using a ram or advancing screw mechanism. Other feed systems known tend to use gravity to inject the supplemental fuel into the kiln. A kiln feed door is utilized in both systems to prevent the escape of heat and combustion gases when the supplemental fuel is fed into the interior of the kiln.




The repetitive opening and closing of the kiln feed door results in the exposure of the door to higher temperatures when closed and lower temperatures when open. Such heating and cooling of the door results in expansion and contraction of the door surfaces and warping of the door over time. Warped doors do not properly seal against the entrance chute and allow heat and combustion gases to escape when the door is closed. Replacement of the warped kiln feed door can be costly requiring the kiln to be shut down during the time a new door is installed.




In addition, most door actuating mechanisms are mechanically controlled by the use of cams or rollers and operate within a fixed operating cycle. Such mechanical mechanisms must open the door on each revolution of the kiln and can not skip a cycle. Thus, the rate of secondary fuel introduced into the kiln can not be modified efficiently.




Accordingly, there is a need for a kiln feed door that is resistant to warpage when repetitively exposed to hot and cold temperatures, and which can be opened and closed such that the rate of secondary fuel can be varied. The present invention satisfies those needs, as well as others, and generally overcomes deficiencies found in convention kiln feed door assemblies.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention is a kiln feed door assembly that restricts the loss of heat and combustion gases when feeding tires and other combustible materials into a rotating kiln as a source of supplemental fuel. By way of example, and not of limitation, the apparatus comprises a kiln feed door assembly that preferably includes two feed doors pivotally mounted to a baseplate on the exterior entrance of a chute which transects the wall of the rotary kiln. Each door includes a pivot shaft which preferably pivots within two high temperature pillow block bearings. Preferably four door plate mounting arms are attached to the pivot shaft and extend radially from the center of the pivot shaft. Planar rectangular door plates are mounted to the mounting arms with bolts secured through bores or apertures in the mounting arms.




In the preferred embodiment, there are at least two apertures in each mounting arm. The apertures are matched in pairs in each mounting arm. Some apertures are oblong in shape with the lengthwise portion of the aperture aligned with the direction of the width of the mounting arm. Other oblong apertures are aligned such that the lengthwise portion of the aperture is in the direction of the length of the mounting arm and perpendicular to the length of the pivot shaft. Still other apertures are circular. Each aperture may be sized to receive a bushing.




The bushings and linear alignment of the oblong apertures allow the door plates to expand and contract inconsistently without causing stress or otherwise warping the door. An efficient seal against the loss of heat and combustion products is maintained when the door plates keep their planer shape.




The two kiln doors pivot outwardly from the base plate and center of the kiln. One door assembly has a lip on the outer surface of the door. The lip is positioned to cover and seal the small space between the doors when the doors are in the closed position.




Each kiln feed door of the door assembly is preferably counterbalanced on the pivot shaft, preferably with two counterweights, one disposed near each of the block bearings. The door and counterweights are equally balanced with respect to the pivot shaft allowing for the opening and closing of the doors with little effort.




In one preferred embodiment, the kiln doors synchronously open and close using an electric motor, gearbox, actuating arms, rods and transfer arms. An actuating arm is radially mounted to one end of the pivot shaft of one door and a transfer arm is radially mounted to the other end of the shaft. The actuating arm is connected by an actuating rod to a rotating armature from the gearbox. This portion of the mechanism translates the rotational motion of the armature to oscillating motion of the actuating arm and partial rotation of the pivot shaft. Rotation of the pivot shaft results in movement of the transfer arm. An elongate transfer rod is pivotally connected to the transfer arm on one end and to an arm mounted to the pivot shaft of the opposing door on the other. Therefore, both kiln feed doors open simultaneously when the electric motor is activated.




In operation, tires or other combustible materials are presented to a feed ramp or injection platform. As the kiln rotates, the feed door assembly eventually comes into proper alignment with the feed ramp. The kiln feed doors are mechanically or preferably electrically opened to allow the kiln to receive the combustible materials from the ramp. The doors are closed after the combustible material enters into the kiln to eliminate the loss of heat and combustion products from the kiln during rotation.




An object of the invention is to provide secondary fuel access doors for a rotating kiln that can expand linearly or laterally without warping.




Another object of the invention is to provide kiln feed doors that will efficiently prevent the escape of heat and combustion products from the interior of the kiln yet allow the efficient entry of tires or other combustible material into the kiln




Another object of the invention is to provide a kiln feed door that can be repetitively exposed to heat extremes and cooling and maintain its shape.




Yet another object of the invention is to provide a door actuating mechanism that efficiently and reliably allows momentary access to the interior of the kiln without releasing large amounts of heat or combustion gases.




Still another object of the present invention is to provide a kiln supplemental fuel feed door assembly that can be programmed to open and close at desired times and is capable of skipping cycles.




Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodiments of the invention without placing limitations thereon.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a feed door assembly according to the present invention showing the warp resistant doors in the open position.





FIG. 2

is a side view of the feed door assembly of the invention with the doors shown in the open position, and showing the feed door assembly in relation to the fuel guide of a rotating kiln and a feed chute.





FIG. 3

is a top view of the warp resistant doors of the present invention showing the positioning of the bores in the arms and pivot shafts, and showing one of the doors partially cut away for clarity.





FIG. 4

is a front view of the feed door assembly of

FIG. 1

with the warp resistant doors shown in the closed position.





FIG. 5

is a rear view of the feed door assembly of

FIG. 1

with the warp resistant doors shown in the closed position.





FIG. 6

is a perspective view of a rotating kiln with the attached feed door assembly of

FIG. 1

shown the warp resistant doors in the open position to receive secondary fuel from the feed chute.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposes the present invention is embodied in the apparatus generally shown in FIG.


1


through

FIG. 6

, where like reference numbers denote like parts. It will be appreciated that the apparatus may vary as to configuration and as to details of the parts without departing from the basic inventive concepts disclosed herein.




Referring first to FIG.


1


and

FIG. 2

, the invention comprises a kiln access door assembly


10


that is used to allow the injection of combustible material into a rotating kiln of the type that is commonly used in the production of cement. The invention includes a pair of outwardly opening warp resistant feed doors


12




a


,


12




b


which provide access to a feed opening


14


in the side wall of a kiln


16


. It will be appreciated, however, that the present invention can be used with any combustion chamber such as a stationary kiln, furnace or boiler that exposes an access door to high temperatures. As can be seen, feed opening


14


is at the exterior end of a fuel feed inlet tube


18


which transects the sidewall of the kiln.




In the configuration shown in FIG.


1


and

FIG. 2

, the feed door assembly


10


of the invention is supported by a baseplate


20


mounted on the exterior end of feed tube


18


. Feed opening


14


is an opening in baseplate


20


that allows the passage of combustible material to the interior of the kiln through feed tube


18


.




Doors


12




a


and


12




b


include door plates comprising planar members


22




a


and


22




b


, respectively, which face the interior of the kiln when the doors are in the closed position. Preferably, the periphery of feed opening


14


has a lip


24


that engages the face of planar members


22




a


and


22




b


sealing the opening when doors


12




a


and


12




b


are closed.




A fuel guide


26


is mounted on the baseplate


20


such that the plane of surface


28


of the guide is perpendicular to the baseplate. Preferably door


12




a


opens to a position that is perpendicular to the baseplate and then stops. Fuel guide


26


is positioned such that guide surface


28


is substantially contiguous with the inner surface of planar member


22




a


when the door is open. In this manner, tires and other combustible materials can be deposited on the surface


28


of fuel guide


26


and slide by the forces of gravity along the guide and the surface of door member


22




a


, and through the interior of feed tube


18


into the interior of the kiln as the kiln rotates.




Door


12




b


preferably opens to a position approximately one-hundred and ten degrees from horizontal and then stops. This positioning effectively directs stray fuel into the feed opening


14


as it slides down the guide and into feed opening


14


.




In

FIG. 2

, a tire


30


is shown positioned in a feed chute apparatus


32


for delivery into the kiln. In operation, the timing of the release of the fuel from the feed chute should be coordinated with the opening of the doors


12




a


and


12




b


when in the proper position to receive the fuel. In this regard, it will be appreciated that it is important that the tires not be released from the feed chute apparatus until the feed doors on the kiln are in position and opened to receive the tires. In addition, to ensure that the tires will be gravity fed into the kiln, the feed chute is oriented on the support frame such that the plane of the internal ramp (bottom wall) has an angle of inclination between approximately 33 degrees and approximately 60 degrees, and preferably 47 degrees. The feed chute apparatus with rate regulation capability described in detail in co-pending application Ser. No. 09/448,570 filed on Nov. 23, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference, can be used for this purpose. It will be appreciated, however, that the feed door assembly of the present invention can also be used with other feed mechanisms known in the art that actively inject the fuel into the kiln without the assistance of gravity.




Referring also to

FIG. 3

, the preferred embodiment of the warp resistant feed doors are shown in greater detail. It will be appreciated that the various components described herein can be attached using conventional fastening techniques, such as welding, bolts, pins or the like, as appropriate for the type of attachment made. In the embodiment shown, doors


12




a


and


12




b


each have a pivot shaft, a plurality of support arms mounted to the shaft and a planar member secured to the arms. Specifically, door


12




a


includes a pivot shaft


34


which functions as a hinge and which preferably has grooves to receive splines at both ends. A plurality of arms


36


,


38


,


40


, and


42


are oriented substantially parallel in the same direction and are securely mounted to shaft


34


. Each arm preferably has a horizontal anchor


44


,


46


,


48


and


50


, respectively, which serves as an attachment point with planar member


22




a


. Each horizontal anchor is supported by a vertical upright which is perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the anchor. Vertical uprights


52


,


54


,


56


and


58


are attached to pivot shaft


34


as well as to its respective horizontal anchor. Each vertical upright has a top plate


60


,


62


,


64


, or


66


, respectively, attached on the side opposite the anchor.




Top plates


60


,


62


,


64


, and


66


are also attached to pivot shaft


34


providing additional strength and rigidity to the door. Further rigidity for door


12




a


is provided by a cross-brace or beam


68


which cross-links the vertical uprights of the anchor arms.




Each of the horizontal anchors has one or more pairs of apertures which receives bolts or the like to secure the planar members to the anchors. For example, horizontal anchor


44


has a pair of apertures


70




a


and


70




b


that have a generally oblong shape with the lengthwise portion of the oblong oriented substantially parallel to the length of shaft


34


and substantially perpendicular to the length of anchor


44


. In other words, the longitudinal axis through the oblong portion of the aperture is generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the shaft and generally offset with the longitudinal axis of the anchor by approximately ninety degrees.




Horizontal anchor


46


has two pairs of apertures


72




a


,


72




b


and


74




a


,


74




b


that are preferably disposed on either side of vertical upright


54


. Apertures


72




a


and


72




b


are oversized and circular in shape. In contrast with apertures


70




a


and


70




b


, apertures


74




a


and


74




b


have a generally oblong shape with the lengthwise portion of the oblong oriented substantially perpendicular to the length of shaft


34


and generally parallel to the length of the anchor. In other words, the longitudinal axis through the oblong portion of the aperture is offset in relation to the longitudinal axis of the shaft by approximately ninety degrees and is generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the anchor.




Apertures


76




a


and


76




b


in anchor


48


have the same oblong dimensions as apertures


74




a


and


74




b


and are oriented in the same direction generally perpendicular to the length of the shaft


36


and aligned with the length of the anchor. Likewise, apertures


78




a


and


78




b


are circular and preferably have the same dimensions as apertures


72




a


and


72




b.






Anchor


50


has apertures


80




a


and


80




b


which are oblong oriented in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of length of shaft


34


and substantially perpendicular to the length of the anchor. Preferably, apertures


80




a


and


80




b


have the same dimensions as apertures


70




a


and


70




b


in anchor


44


.




One skilled in the art will appreciate the symmetry of the placement of apertures


70




a


through


80




b


. While this symmetry is preferred, other combinations and placements are anticipated. The orientation and placement of the apertures


70




a


through


80




b


allow the expansion and contraction of planar member


22




a


due to the high temperature gradients associated with opening and closing the doors to occur without causing significant deformation to the door assembly. In addition, appropriately sized bushings may alternatively be placed in the apertures to further reduce stresses. Thus, expansion and contraction of the inventive door assembly from exposure to extreme temperatures does not create sizeable stresses in the door assembly causing warping and a loss of door seal to escaping combustion gases.




Kiln feed door


12




b


has essentially the same structure as feed door


12




a


as can be seen in FIG.


3


. Pivot shaft


82


preferably has four mounting arms


84


,


86


,


88


, and


90


which are secured to pivot shaft


82


. Each arm has horizontal anchors


92


,


94


,


96


, and


98


, respectively, which are ultimately secured to planar member


22




b


. Each anchor has a vertical upright


100


,


102


,


104


and


106


, respectively, mounted radially to shaft


82


and perpendicularly to horizontal anchors


92


,


94


,


96


, and


98


, respectively. The vertical uprights are preferably cross-linked by beam


108


to provide strength to the mounting arm assembly. Top plates


110


,


112


,


114


and


116


are mounted to the vertical uprights on the side opposite the horizontal anchor as well as shaft


82


providing further rigidity to the assembly as shown in FIG.


1


. Note that cross beam


108


, cover


130


and top plates


110


,


112


,


114


and


116


, can be seen in

FIG. 1

, but have been omitted from

FIG. 3

for clarity.




The apertures in the horizontal anchors of arms


92


,


94


,


96


and


98


share the same shape, symmetry, placement and orientation as those apertures in anchors


44


,


46


,


48


and


50


of door


12




a


. Apertures


118




a


and


118




b


in anchor


92


are oblong shaped with the lengthwise portion of the oblong oriented in the direction of the length of shaft


82


. Apertures


120




a


,


120




b


and


122




a


and


122




b


are disposed in anchor


94


. Apertures


120




a


and


120




b


are circular in shape, and apertures


122




a


and


122




b


are oblong in shape with the lengthwise portion of the oblong perpendicular to the length of shaft


82


.




Horizontal anchor


96


has apertures


124




a


and


124




b


which are oblong in shape and


126




a


and


126




b


which are circular in shape disposed on either side of upright


104


. The lengthwise portion of oblong apertures


124




a


and


124




b


is perpendicular to the length of shaft


82


.




Anchor


98


has apertures


128




a


and


128




b


which are oblong in shape and oriented so that the lengthwise portion of the oblong is parallel to the length of shaft


82


. As can be seen, therefore, door


12




b


preferably maintains the same symmetry with respect to the apertures as door


12




a


as seen in FIG.


3


.




Referring to

FIG. 1

, FIG.


4


and

FIG. 5

, there is a cover


130


that is attached to the outer edge of planar member


22




b


and covers the gap between planar members


22




a


and


22




b


when doors


12




a


and


12




b


are in the closed position. Cover


130


acts to seal the gap between the doors to prevent the escape of significant amounts of combustion gases and heat from the kiln.




The door assembly of the present invention has a front or drive side as seen in

FIG. 4 and a

rear side as shown in FIG.


5


. In the embodiment shown, the ends of pivot shafts


34


and


82


rotate in high temperature pillow block bearings


132




a


,


132




b


and


134




a


,


134




b


, respectively. The pillow block bearings


132




a


,


132




b


,


134




a


and


134




b


are preferably mounted on baseplate


20


.




Doors


12




a


and


12




b


are preferably counterweighted to create a zero lift weight and reduce the stress on the door actuating mechanisms. Shaft


34


has a counterweight


136




a


on the drive side and a counterweight


136




b


on the rear side of the apparatus. Similarly, shaft


82


has a counterweight


138




a


on the drive side and a counterweight


138




b


on the rear side of the shaft. The counterweights are preferably placed on the shaft such that the pillow block bearings are between the door and the counterweight.




Referring more particularly to the drive side of the apparatus as shown in

FIG. 4

, an actuating arm


140


is radially mounted to pivot shaft


34


. Force applied to actuating arm


140


will cause pivot shaft


34


to rotate around its axis in block bearings


132




a


and


132




b.






Actuating arm


140


is pivotally connected to the distal end of cushioned push rod


142


by bearing


144


. The proximal end of push rod


142


is rotatably connected to rotating arm


146


by bearing


148


. Push rod


142


is preferably coupled to a resistive plunger or spring


156


that will allow the length of pushrod


142


to compress or shorten slightly while resisted by spring


156


. This serves to temper the force applied to arm


140


and shaft


34


by pushrod


142


when door


12




a


is opened or closed.




Arm


146


is connected to an output shaft


150


(

FIG. 5

) of gearbox


152


and rotated by the output shaft at a desired speed. Output shaft


150


and gearbox


152


are preferably driven by an electric motor


154


. In use, the electric motor


154


drives gearbox


152


which imparts a rotational motion to arm


146


. Push rod


142


forces actuating arm


140


to oscillate. Arm


140


rotates shaft


34


to a point that door


12




a


is opened to a vertical position.




Motor


154


may be activated by any number of timing mechanisms known in the art which allow the doors to be opened at the proper position to receive fuel during rotation of the kiln. The opening and closing of the feed doors can be timed for every cycle of rotation of the kiln or for alternate cycles.




Referring now to FIG,


5


, the rear side of the inventive apparatus is shown. A transfer arm


158


is mounted to pivot shaft


34


and rotates with shaft


34


in pillow bearings


132




a


and


132




b


when the shaft is rotated by actuating arm


140


. Transfer arm


158


is pivotally connected to one end of transfer rod


160


by transfer arm bearing


162


. The other end of transfer rod


160


is pivotally connected to arm


164


through bearing


166


. When shaft


34


is rotated, counterweight


136




b


rotates downwardly, transfer arm


158


moves upwardly about the axis of shaft


34


and transfer rod


160


forces arm


164


to rotate pivot shaft


82


. Rotation of shaft


82


causes door


12




b


to open upwardly and counterweight


136




b


to rotate downwardly around the axis of shaft


82


. It is preferred that door


12




b


open beyond vertical to approximately one hundred and ten degrees from horizontal.




In operation, the opening of doors


12




a


and


12




b


is preferably coordinated with the release of fuel from feed chute


32


. It is preferred that the doors do not open when the assembly is below forty degrees from horizontal.




Referring to FIG.


2


and

FIG. 6

, in operation a tire


30


is placed on feed chute


32


either manually or by using an auxiliary mechanical feed mechanism (not shown). As kiln


16


rotates, sensor


168


, which is a conventional photosensor or the like, senses an actuator key such as tab


170


and activates motor


154


thereby opening doors


12




a


and


12




b


. As rotation continues, the doors completely open and fuel guide


26


and feed opening


14


comes into alignment with feed ramp


32


, fuel control sensor


172


detects tab


174


and sends a control signal to feed chute


32


. The tire or other combustible material is timed to slide down the feed chute, along fuel guide


26


and planar member


22




a


, and into the kiln since the angle of inclination is sufficient to allow the material to be gravity fed out the end of the feed chute.




The number of times that doors


12




a


,


12




b


open and close may be controlled and coordinated with the release of fuel by feed chute


32


to meter the amount of material injected into the kiln by sensor controllers at the door and feed chute assemblies. (not shown). Accordingly, the door assembly can remain closed until the kiln completes one or more full rotations.




Accordingly, it will be seen that this invention provides a simple and effective way of introducing combustible materials such as tires into a rotating kiln using gravity feed or affirmative injection which can skip one or more revolutions of the kiln. The structure of the fuel feed doors allow for exposure to extreme temperatures and inconsistent expansion and contraction without warping, fracturing the bearings, shaft distortion, jamming or significant release of heat or combustion gases. Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus the scope of this invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.



Claims
  • 1. A warp resistant door, comprising:a pivot shaft; a plurality of support arms attached to said pivot shaft; each said support arm including at least one anchor arm, said anchor arm including a plurality of oblong shaped bores; a door plate; and a plurality of fasteners coupling said door plate to said anchor arms, wherein said fasteners are disposed in said bores.
  • 2. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 1, wherein said oblong bores have a major axis and a minor axis;wherein said support arms have a longitudinal axis; and wherein the major axis of the bores is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the arm.
  • 3. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 1, wherein said oblong bores have a major axis and a minor axis;wherein said support arms have a longitudinal axis; and wherein the major axis of the bores is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the arm.
  • 4. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 1, wherein said bores in said anchor arms comprise a combination of circular-shaped bores and oblong-shaped bores.
  • 5. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 1, further comprising a bushing located within each of said bores, wherein said fasteners are disposed with said bushings.
  • 6. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 1, further comprising a cross-brace interconnecting said anchor arms.
  • 7. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 1, wherein said door further comprises a counterweight attached to the shaft opposite said anchor arms.
  • 8. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 1, wherein said door further comprises a seal member at the periphery of said plate.
  • 9. A warp resistant door; comprising:a shaft rotatably coupled to a base; a plurality of anchor arms mounted to said shaft, said anchor arms having a plurality of apertures; a door plate, said door plate having a plurality of oblong shaped apertures; and a plurality of fasteners coupling said door plate to said anchor arms.
  • 10. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 9, wherein said door further comprises a counterweight attached to the shaft opposite said anchor arms.
  • 11. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 9, wherein said base further comprises a seal.
  • 12. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 9, wherein said fasteners coupling said door plate to said anchor arms comprise a plurality of bolt fasteners, said bolt fasteners disposed within said plurality of apertures within said anchor arms and within said door plate.
  • 13. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 12, further comprising a bushing disposed within said apertures of said anchor arms and said door plate, said bolt fasteners disposed within said bushing.
  • 14. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 9, wherein said anchor arms further comprise a combination of circular-shaped bores and oblong-shaped bores.
  • 15. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 9, wherein said apertures in said anchor arms comprise a combination of oblong-shaped bores oriented laterally and oblong-shaped bores oriented longitudinally.
  • 16. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 9, wherein said door further comprises a seal member at the periphery of said door plate.
  • 17. A warp resistant door, comprising:a plurality of hinges; a door plate; a plurality of anchor arms attached to said hinges, said anchor arms having a plurality of bores, said bores configured to allow a longitudinal and a lateral expansion and contraction of the door plate; a plurality of fasteners coupling said door plate to said anchor arms; and a cross brace coupling said plurality of anchor arms together.
  • 18. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 17, wherein said oblong bores have a major axis and a minor axis;wherein said support arms have a longitudinal axis; and wherein the major axis of the bores is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the arm.
  • 19. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 17, wherein said oblong bores have a major axis and a minor axis;wherein said support arms have a longitudinal axis; and wherein the major axis of the bores is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the arm.
  • 20. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 17, wherein said bores in said anchor arms comprise a combination of circular-shaped bores and oblong-shaped bores.
  • 21. A warp resistant door, comprising:a pivot shaft; a plurality of support arms attached to said pivot shaft; each said support arm including at least one anchor arm, said anchor arm including a plurality of circular and oblong shaped bores; a door plate; a plurality of fasteners coupling said door plate to said anchor arms, wherein said fasteners are disposed in said bores; and a cross brace coupling said plurality of anchor arms together.
  • 22. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 21, wherein said oblong bores have a major axis and a minor axis;wherein said support arms have a longitudinal axis; and wherein the major axis of the bores is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the arm.
  • 23. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 21, wherein said oblong bores have a major axis and a minor axis;wherein said support arms have a longitudinal axis; and wherein the major axis of the bores is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the arm.
  • 24. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 21, further comprising a plurality of bushings disposed within said bores in said anchor arms.
  • 25. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 21, wherein said door further comprises a counterweight attached to the shaft opposite said anchor arms.
  • 26. The warp resistant door as recited in claim 21, wherein said fasteners coupling said door plate to said anchor arms comprise a plurality of bolt fasteners, said bolt fasteners disposed within said plurality of bores within said anchor arms and within said door plate.
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