Abstract: A fire grate for a combustion furnace having a pair of parallel spaced apart frame walls and a plurality of alternately arranged stationary and movable grate bars extending between and secured to the frame walls. The grate bars are formed of a plurality of grate members wherein at least two neighboring grate members are connected together by means of a removably secured clamping element.

Abstract: In treating nuts which are supplied by way of transport means and which are held between two conveyor belts, a groove of uniform depth is milled into the shell of the nut by means of overlapping milling discs, which groove permits the shell of the nut to be broken open by a subsequent splitting means.On the transport means, the nuts are separated and aligned by vibration and the configuration of the guide tracks. A spiral conveyor with a baffle is also provided for this purpose.The conveyor belts are adapted to the different thicknesses of the nuts by means of vertically adjustable rollers.The depth of the groove which is less than the thickness of the shell of the nut is restricted by toothed rings on the milling discs and annular shoulders which are arranged at a displaced position relative thereto radially with respect to the axis of rotation.

Abstract: A grate assembly for a furnace for incinerating material comprises rows of moving grate bars which are arranged between rows of stationary grate bars and which are individually driven by drives arranged exteriorly of a combustion zone located beneath the rows of grate bars. Interposed between the grate bars and the drive are a lever system including a swivel lever fastened to a torsion shaft and a slide guide attachment for effecting approximately rectilinear movement of the moving grate bars. The torsion shaft is supported on sidewalls of the combustion zone and is rotatable and slideable by means of a bearing support which pivots about a shaft. Due to the approximately rectilinear movement and the optional, individual adjustment of the movement of adjacent moving rows of grate bars, the incineration behaviour of the material may be taken into consideration to a large extent and the drives may be easily maintained since they are readily accessible.