Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
  • B21C—MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES, PROFILES OR LIKE SEMI-MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL
  • B21C49/00—Devices for temporarily accumulating material

Definitions

• This invention relates to a strip accumulator.
• Strip accumulators are used in tube or pipe mills to accumulate strip.
• the accumulated strip is fed into the pipe mill whilst the head of a strip from a fresh coil is welded to the tail of a strip from a depleted coil.
• the pipe mill can continue to produce pipe from the accumulated strip in the accumulator whilst the strips are being welded together.
• an accumulator for a flexible strip includes a frame and a plurality of strip feed means located side-by-side on the frame so that in use at least one suspended storage loop of strip can be formed, with the storage loop being formed between a pair of strip feed means so that one of the feed means can feed strip into the storage loop and the other of the strip feed means can withdraw strip from the storage loop.
• Each strip feed means preferably includes two rollers between which the strip can pass.
• Drive means for driving one or both of the rollers to feed the strip into or from its storage loop is preferably provided.
• Each strip feed means preferably includes biassing means for biassing the two rollers towards one another to pinch the strip between the two rollers.
• the biassing means may be an actuator.
• the accumulator may include loop width increasing means for increasing the width of the storage loop to increase the storage capacity of the loop.
• the loop width increasing means preferably includes loop support means and displacing means for displacing the loop support means away from the strip feed means to increase the width of the storage loop.
• the displacing means may include carriage means supporting the loop support means, the carriage means being displacable away from and towards the strip feed means to increase or decrease the width of the storage loop.
• the displacing means may include a pivotally mounted structure supporting the loop support means, the pivotally mounted structure being displacable away from and towards the strip feed means to increase or decrease the width of the storage loop.
• a method of operating a strip accumulator includes the steps of: forming at least one suspended spiral-like storage loop; increasing the size of the storage loop to accumulate strip within the accumulator; and decreasing the size of the storage loop to withdraw the accumulated strip from the accumulator.
• the method may include the step of increasing the size of the storage loop by increasing the depth and the width of the loop.
• the method may include the step of forming a plurality of suspended spiral-like storage loops.
• the width of the plurality of loops may be increased simultaneously.
• the storage loops are formed by the strip winding continually and advancing from one strip feed means to the next preferably along a common axis or at least in the same direction. Each storage loop is thus spiral-like and a plurality of such loops are referred to herein as a spiral-like formation.
• Figure 1 is a side view of part of a pipe mill including an accumulator according to a first embodiment of the invention
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of part of the accumulator of figure 1 ;
• Figure 3 is a front view of the part of the accumulator of figure 2;
• Figure 4 is a side view of the part of the accumulator of figure 2;
• Figure 5 is a diagrammatic front view of the accumulator showing spirallike formations
• Figure 6 is a diagrammatic imaginary view of the accumulator showing the accumulator in a substantially full configuration
• Figure 8 is a diagrammatic side view of a second embodiment of an accumulator according to the invention.
• Figure 9 is a front view of the accumulator of figure 8.
• Figure 14 shows the steps, according to another embodiment of the invention, involved in creating a storage loop in the accumulator of figures 8 and 9;
• Figure 15 is a diagrammatic side view of a third embodiment of an accumulator according to the invention.
• Figure 16 is a diagrammatic side view of a fourth embodiment of an accumulator according to the invention.
• an accumulator 10 is fed a flexible steel strip 12 from a coil 14 located on a decoiler 16.
• the strip 12 from the decoiler 16 passes through a strip joiner 18 and a pinch roller 20 to the accumulator 10.
• the strip 12 passes over support rollers 22 located on a common axis 24 to form a spiral-like formation.
• the spiral-like formation is shown diagrammatically and referred to by reference numeral 25.
• the spiral-like formation 25 consists of a number of suspended spiral-like storage loops 26. Typically the pitch of each storage loop is about 300 mm for an accumulator which is designed to accommodate a strip width of up to 200 mm.
• Each support roller 22 has a drive roller 28, between which drive roller 28 and its support roller 22 the strip 12 is sandwiched.
• the drive rollers 28 are driven by chains 29 connected to magnetic clutches 30 located on a common shaft 32 driven via a gearbox 34 by an electric motor 36.
• Each drive roller 28 has its own magnetic clutch 30 for engaging or disengaging the drive shaft 32, The diameters of the drive rollers 28 decrease along the drive shaft 32 so that the steel strip 12 will be fed faster into the accumulator 10 than it is removed from the accumulator 10.
• the drive rollers 28 are biassed downwardly onto their respective support rollers 22 by arms - 38 biassed downwardly and connected to plates 40.
• the chains 29 for each drive roller 28 are tensioned by arms 42 biassed downwardly and also connected to the plates 40.
• the arms 38 are biassed by rubber torsion bars 43 and the arms 42 are biassed by rubber torsion bars 45.
• the support rollers 22 are supported on a frame 44.
• the loops 26 are suspended under the influence of gravity from the support rollers 22 and adopt a catenary-like shape.
• Loops L2 to L5 are anywhere between Level 2 and Level 3.
• Level 2 is estimated using an elapsed time interval for a loop leaving its respective proximity switch at Level 1 (viz. P4, P5, P6 and P7, respectively).
• Loop 1 reaches PSI or any of the Loops L2 to L4 reaches Level 4, then power to all clutches as well as motor drives Ma and Mp switches off.
• Diameter of D1 1,01 5 X Diameter of D2
• Diameter of D2 1 ,01 5 X Diameter of D3
• Diameter of D3 1,01 5 X Diameter of D4
• each storage loop L2 to L5 in the normal operating mode the depth or height of each storage loop L2 to L5 is maintained between levels 1 and 2 as shown in figure 6 to maintain sufficient strip accumulated within the accumulator.
• the depth of each enlarged loop L2 to L5 is decreased sequentially from loop L2 to L5 until the configuration shown in figure 7 is attained.
• the lower roller 56 is connected to a sprocket 64 which is driven by a chain 68 connected to a sprocket 70.
• the sprocket 70 is driven by an electric motor 72 via a gearbox 74.
• a gantry arrangement 76 is located at the front of and at the rear of the pinch roller stations.
• Each gantry arrangement includes a pair of opposed roller carriages 78.
• Each carriage 78 is supported by wheels 80 on a rail 82.
• Each carriage 78 has a body 84 with a bracket 86 supporting two horizontally extending rollers 88.
• a pair of vertical guide rollers 90 is located in line with each pair of pinch rollers 50 and mounted on the gantry arrangement 76.
• Each carriage 78 is connected at its front and rear ends to a chain 92 which passes over a sprocket 94 and is driven by a motor 96 to move the carriage 78 along its rail 82.
• entry strip 98 from a coil enters the first pinch roller station 50.1 and passes between the upper and lower pinch rollers 54 and 56, through both pairs of horizontal rollers 88 and then to the second pinch roller station 50.2 and so on to form suspended spiral-like storage loops 26.
• the strip exits the seventh pinch roller station (not shown) to the pipe mill (not shown) and is hereinafter referred to as the exiting strip 100.
• the accumulator 10.2 is operated in much the same way as the accumulator 10, except that when all the storage loops 26 have reached their maximum depth as shown in figure 11 , the carriages 78 are moved away from the pinch roller stations simultaneously to increase the width of the storage loops 26 as shown in figure 12. Further strip is then fed into each loop 26 to increase the depth of the storage loops 26.
• Figure 13 shows a loop 26 at its maximum depth and at its maximum width.
• each storage loop 26 is fed strip by its upstream pinch roller station and that strip is withdrawn from the loop by its downstream pinch roller station.
• the accumulator requires one more pinch roller station than there are storage loops formed in the accumulator.
• the pinch roller station 50.1 is the upstream pinch roller station and the pinch roller station 50.2 is the downstream pinch roller station for the storage loop 26 formed between the pinch roller stations 50.1 and 50.2. It will be appreciated that the pinch roller station 50.2 is the upstream pinch roller station for the next storage loop.
• Each pair of pinch roller station has its own drive motor 72 for its pinch rollers 54 and 56 as opposed to the common drive motor 36 and magnetic clutches of the accumulator 10.
• the horizontally extending rollers 88 may be supported on two pivotally mounted structures 102.
• Each pivotally mounted structure 102 consists of two beams 104 each pivotable about pivot points 106 and displaceable about their pivot points by an actuator 108 pivotally supported on a frame 110.
• the pairs of horizontal rollers 88 can thus move in arcs 112 to increase the width of the storage loops 26.
• the accumulator 10.2 can store up to 70 m of strip and accommodate strips varying in width from 50 to 200 mm and in thickness from 0,7 mm to 3 mm in a space having a footprint of 5 m x 2,5 m and a height of 5,5 m.
• an accumulator 10.3 is the same as the accumulator 10.2 except that it has two horizontally extending rollers 114 supported in guides 1 16.
• the guides 116 are located between the pinch roller stations and the extended position of the rollers 88.
• the rollers 114 can move vertically downwardly in the direction of arrow 118 to create two secondary outer loops 120 in each of the main storage loops 26 to increase the amount of strip stored within the main storage loops 26.
• the rollers 114 contact all of the storage loops 26 and therefore simultaneously create the secondary outer loops in the main storage loops 26.
• the rollers 114 move vertically upwardly in the direction of arrow 118 to reduce the size of the secondary outer loops 120 when accumulated strip is required by the pipe mill, and thereafter the width of the main storage loops can be decreased to the position shown in figure 11.
• an accumulator 10.4 is the same as accumulator 10.2 except that it has a horizontally extending roller 122 contacting all of the main storage loops 26 and located within guides 124.
• the roller 122 can move vertically upwardly in the direction of arrow 126 to create a secondary inner loop 128 in each of the main storage loops 26 to increase the amount of strip stored within the main storage loops 26.
• the secondary inner loops 128 are created simultaneously in all of the main storage loops 26.
• the roller 122 is lowered to its bottom position shown in dotted lines when the accumulated strip is required by the pipe mill.
• rollers 114 and 122 can be combined on a single accumulator so that each main storage loop 26 can have two secondary upper loops 120 and a secondary inner loop 128. It will be appreciated that many modifications and/or variations of the invention are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Advancing Webs (AREA)
• Winding, Rewinding, Material Storage Devices (AREA)
• Controlling Rewinding, Feeding, Winding, Or Abnormalities Of Webs (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2001
  • 2001-08-03 EP EP01958266A patent/EP1307392A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-08-03 WO PCT/IB2001/001389 patent/WO2002012099A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2001-08-03 AU AU2001279990A patent/AU2001279990A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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