Abstract
The invention relates to a device (1) in conveying equipment for moving metal strips wound to form coils (2), in particular produced from high-strength or ultra-high-strength steel grades, wherein for transport the coils (2) can be lifted and lowered from a resting position on a coil support (3) by means of a vertically adjustable coil lifting device (4), wherein the coil support (3) has two coil support elements (3a, 3b) which are laterally spaced apart from one another and the coil lifting device (4) has two support prongs (4a, 4b), characterized in that at least the coil support elements (3a, 3b) are disposed asymmetrically with respect to the vertical (5) through the center of rotation (2a) of the coil (2).
Claims
1. An apparatus for supporting and transporting a coil of high-strength or ultra-high-strength metal strip centered on a horizontal axis and having a free strip end lying horizontally to one side of a vertical plane through the axis, the apparatus comprising: a stationary support cradle having two horizontal support elements with upper support ends horizontally flanking the vertical plane and adapted to engage and support the coil, the upper support end to the one side of the vertical plane being lower than the upper support end to the other side of the vertical plane and horizontally closer to the vertical plane than the upper support end to the other side of the vertical plane; and a vertically shiftable lifter generally between and below the support elements and having two horizontal support prongs with upper prong ends horizontally flanking the vertical plane and adapted to engage and support the coil, the upper prong end to the one side of the vertical plane being lower than the upper prong end to the other side of the vertical plane and horizontally closer to the vertical plane than the upper prong end to the other side of the vertical plane.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the prong ends have head faces that extend at a slant relative to one another.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support ends have a horizontal spacing that is greater than a horizontal free space between the prong ends.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper prong end on the other side is higher by a vertical spacing than the upper prong end on the one side.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a quotient of the vertical spacing to a horizontal spacing between the upper prong ends is equal to between 0.1 and 0.5.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a quotient of s vertical spacing between the upper support ends to a horizontal spacing between the upper support ends is equal to between 0.1 and 0.5.
7. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the upper prong ends are at a fixed horizontal spacing from each other and the upper support ends are also at a fixed horizontal spacing from each other that is greater than the fixed horizontal spacing of the upper prong ends.
8. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the upper support ends are stationary.
9. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the upper prong ends are fixed to each other and move vertically jointly and synchronously.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
(1) In FIGS. 1 to 5, the invention is described in greater detail by way of example, and preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in these figures that do not restrict the scope of protection of the invention as recorded in the appended claims.
(2) FIG. 1 is a cross section through an apparatus according to the invention in a rest position,
(3) FIG. 2 is a cross section through an apparatus according to the invention of FIG. 1 in a moving position,
(4) FIG. 3 is a cross section through a part of the apparatus according to the invention in two different views,
(5) FIG. 4 is a cross section through a part of another apparatus according to the invention in two different views, and
(6) FIG. 5 shows the forces that act on the coil support elements and the support prongs while setting down and conveying a coil.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(7) FIG. 1 shows a view of an apparatus 1 according to the invention for moving a coil 2. In the rest position shown here, the coil 2 sits on two coil support elements 3a and 3b with the coil support element 3b facing away from the band end 2b vertically offset from the coil support element 3a facing the band end 2b by an amount Δh.sub.1. As a result, the coil 2 rests on the coil support elements 3a and 3b in such a manner that the coil support elements 3a and 3b are positioned asymmetrically to a vertical plane 5 that passes through a center of rotation 2a of the coil 2. In the rest position shown here, a coil-lifting carriage 4 with two support prongs 4a and 4b and moveable upward and downward by a lifting cylinder 10 is lowered.
(8) FIG. 2 shows the apparatus 1 in a moving position, in which the coil 2 no longer rests on the coil support elements 3a and 3b but rather on the support prongs 4a and 4b of the coil-lifting carriage 4 after activation of the lifting cylinder 10. Similar to the coil support elements 3a and 3b, the support prongs 4a and 4b are also positioned asymmetrically to the vertical plane 5 and vertically spaced apart from one another, in such a manner that the support prong 4a that faces a band end 2b is lower than the support prong 4b that is spaced farther from a band end 2b.
(9) FIG. 3 shows the lifter 4 of the apparatus 1 according to FIGS. 1 and 2 in a view from the side and from the rear. The coil-lifting carriage 4 carries the coil 2 after activation of the lifting cylinder 10, and the view on the right in FIG. 3 shows that the coil-lifting carriage 4 has a longitudinal dimension such that the individual support prongs 4a and 4b do not extend along the entire width of the band that has been wound up into the coil 2. The lifter 10 for the coil-lifting carriage 4 consists of a central working cylinder as well as two guide cylinders laterally flanking the working cylinder 10 and ensuring that there will be no tilting of the coil-lifting carriage 4 when the coil 2 is moved.
(10) FIG. 4 shows two views of an apparatus 1 according to the invention in an alternative to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 that differs from the form shown in FIG. 3 in that the width of the support prongs 4a and 4b is greater than the free space between the two coil supports 3a and 3b. The support prongs 4a and 4b of the coil support carriage 4 are therefore formed as combs in order to nevertheless permit a lifting movement of the coil-lifting carriage 4, in spite of the narrow free space between the coil support elements 3a and 3b. When the coil 2 is transferred from the coil support elements 3a and 3b to the support prongs 4a and 4b of the coil-lifting carriage 4, no lateral displacement of the vertical plane of the coil 2 therefore takes place, as shown on the left in FIG. 4.
(11) FIG. 5 shows the forces that act on the individual coil support elements 3a and 3b as well as on the support prongs 4a and 4b when the coil 2 is set down on the coil support elements 3a and 3b or on the support prongs 4a and 4b. The coil 2 lies on the coil support elements 3a and 3b with its gravitational weight G, and the spacing between the vertical plane 5 through the center of rotation 2a of the coil 2 and a vertical plane through the support point on the coil support element 3a that is closer to a coil end 2b, is indicated with e.sub.1, and the spacing between the vertical plane 5 and a vertical plane through the support point of the coil 2 on the coil support element 3b is indicated with e.sub.2. The vertical spacing between the two coil support elements 3a and 3b is equal to Δh.sub.1. Because of this asymmetrical configuration of the arrangement of the coil support elements 3a and 3b, the gravitational weight that acts on the coil support element 3a is greater than the gravitational weight that acts on the coil support element 3b that is spaced farther from the band end 2b. Therefore the force R.sub.1 applied by the coil support element 3a is greater than the force R.sub.2 applied by the coil support element 3b. When the coil 2 is set down on the support prongs 4a and 4b of the coil support carriage 4, the spacing between the vertical plane 5 through the center of rotation 2a of the coil 2 and the vertical plane through the support point on the support prong 4a that is closer to the band end 2b is indicated as e.sub.3, and the spacing between the vertical plane 5 and the vertical plane through the support point on the support prong 4b that is farther away from the band end 2b is indicated as e.sub.4. The vertical spacing between the support points on the support prongs 4a and 4b is referred to as Δh.sub.2. Because of this asymmetrical arrangement of the support prongs 4a and 4b to the vertical plane 5, the holding force R.sub.3 applied by the support prong 4a is greater than the holding force R.sub.4 applied by the support prong 4b. Accordingly, a greater force can be applied to the band end 2b at the same coil weights, as compared with conventional apparatuses for moving coils.
