Apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus (10) for the thermal treatment of metallic products, which comprises (a) a support and transport plane (24); (b) at least one collector module (12) comprising at least one collector (14, 16), the collector (14) being provided with a perforated plate (22) facing the support and transport plane (24); (b-2) a conduit (20) connected to said at least one collector (14), and (b-3) integrated in said conduit (20), at least one stop valve (18). The stop valve (18) is situated at a distance from the collector (14) which does not exceed 60 cm. The perforated plate (22) is provided with holes which are arranged in rows parallel to each other but not in parallel rows with respect to the sides of said perforated plate. The rows are inclined with respect to two opposite sides of the plate (22) of an acute angle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products, comprising a support and transport plane to place and forward a product to be treated; a collector module that comprises: a collector including a perforated plate on a side of the collector facing the support and transport plane; a conduit connected to the collector to feed the collector with a fluid, and at least two stop valves to feed a collector by a feeding circuit connected to the conduit and configured to permit or preclude the flow of the fluid into the collector and wherein upstream of the stop valves a proportioning valve is foreseen to regulate the flow rate inside the feeding circuit downstream of the proportional valve and wherein the proportioning valve feeds two stop valves for each collector; and wherein the stop valve is located at a distance from the collector that does not exceed 60 cm and that the perforated plate includes holes arranged in rows parallel to each other but not in parallel rows with respect to two opposite sides of the perforated plate, and wherein the rows are inclined with respect to the two opposite parallel sides of the plate at an acute angle (β).

2. The apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products according to claim 1, wherein the acute angle (β) is less than or equal to 30°.

3. The apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products according to claim 1, wherein the one collector module comprises at least two collectors which are facing each other and which are spaced one from the other such that the first collector is located in a higher position with respect to the support and transport plane and that the second collector is located in a lower position with respect to the support and transport plane.

4. The apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products according to claim 1, wherein the perforated plate is part of a collector which is in a higher position with respect to the support and transport plane.

5. The apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products according to claim 1, wherein the collector module further comprises a pivot mechanism which (i) rotates around an axis that is located outside the treating area of the product; (ii) supports a collector being located above the support and transport plane; (iii) is suitable to perform a movement to lift the collector, the movement describing an arc of a circle (α).

6. The apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products according to claim 1, wherein the collector is provided with a relief valve.

7. The apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products according to claim 3, wherein the upper collector further comprises a pneumatic valve connected or being connectable through respective conduits to a compressed gas source.

8. The apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products according to claim 1, wherein the stop value comprises an on-off valve.

9. The apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products according to claim 1, wherein the stop valve is situated at a distance from the collector which does not exceed 35 cm.

10. The apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products according to claim 1, wherein the stop valve is situated at a distance from the collector which does not exceed 10 cm.

11. The apparatus for the thermal treatment of metallic products according to claim 5, wherein a relief valve is situated in a zone of the respective collector, which is located in a low zone of the collector when the collector is in a position raised by the pivot mechanism.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT EXAMPLE

(1) FIG. 1 shows a side view sectioned in a plane orthogonal to the advancing direction of the metallic products to be treated, an apparatus for the thermal treatment of sheets and slabs according to the invention.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the succession of two parallel collectors inside the apparatus of FIG. 1 with a view of the perforated plates.

(3) FIG. 1 shows a side view sectioned in the plane orthogonal to the advancing direction of the metallic products to be treated, an apparatus 10 for the thermal treatment of metal sheets and slabs according to the invention. The figure shows only one module 12, but depending on the length of the treatment line, there may be more than one module 12.

(4) Each module 12 comprises more collectors, in the example shown two 14 and 16. The upper collector 14 is illustrated as having two own on-off feeding valves 18, which allow or deny the entry inside the same of the refrigerating fluid necessary for the thermal treatment of the product passing under the collector 14. The fluid is transported through the conduits 20. The upper collector 14 (as well as the collector 16) is connected to a perforated plate 22 parallel and spaced with respect to the product (not shown), which forwards on the transport system 24. The plate 22 allows the cooling liquid to outflow from the collector 14 to impact on the product (not shown) for carrying out the thermal treatment. At the same time, similarly to the modules shown in the previous state of the art and as already mentioned, the apparatus 10 provides a fixed lower collector 16, separately fed always in the sense of the invention which serves for the thermal treatment of the lower surface of the product.

(5) The on-off valves 18 are located at an extremely reduced distance from the corresponding collector 14, so that the filling time of the same, in the transition from off to on is minimum, ideally 10 seconds or less. Systems according to the state of the art currently take even 30 seconds to fill a collector.

(6) Upstream of said valves 18, along the at least one downstream collector, there is provided a proportioning valve (not shown), adapted to regulate the flow rate of the cooling fluid, for example water, to the entire system, then unless it is fully tightened, it allows the complete filling of the conduits 20 between it and the on/off valves 18.

(7) Each collector 14, which as said provides a perforated plate 22, is connected to the supply circuit (not shown) by two separate on-off valves 18 and is provided with quick releases 26, made for example by means of flanges, designed to allow its rapid removal from the rest of the apparatus for maintenance operations, in particular for the cleaning of the plates 22 obstructed by possible obstructions.

(8) In the apparatus shown, each module simultaneously supplies two collectors 14, 16, and a proportioning valve (not shown) feeds through the two on-off valves 18 the upper collector 14, while a similar proportioning valve supplies the lower collector 16. This allows, through the action of the on-off valves 18, to feed even just one of the two collectors 14 forming part of the module, so as to temporarily decrease the water flow, for example for the thermal treating of certain types of products, thus increasing the flexibility of the machine.

(9) The collectors 14 described in the present invention which, as said, are connected to the cooling fluid supply conduits 20 by means of quick releases 26, can be raised along an arc of a circle a, through a pivot mechanism 28, using for example hydraulic actuators 30, which rotates around an axis X which lies outside the flow area of the product. In such a way, in the event of an emergency, the collectors 14 can be moved away in a few seconds from the material passing along the thermal treatment line.

(10) Each collector 14 is equipped with a relief valve 32 and preferably with a pneumatic valve 34. The relief valve 32 is disposed on the side of the collector 14 which will be located further down when the collector 14 is lifted by the pivot mechanism 28. In this way, by gravity, the water contained in the collector 14 will be reversed outside the same, dragging any occlusion elements of the perforated plates 22 to the outside of the collector 14.

(11) At the same time, the pneumatic valve 34 can push air into the collector 14 so as to speed up the operation of emptying the refrigerating fluid even when the collector 14 is not raised.

(12) FIG. 2 shows a plan view, with the view on the perforated plates 22 the succession of two parallel collectors inside the apparatus of FIG. 1. The plates 22 provide for the presence of a high density of holes 36. The holes 36 are arranged in rows 38 parallel to each other, but not with respect to the sides 22a and 22b of the plate 22. In particular, the holes 36 are aligned in rows 38 inclined at an acute angle β of less than 30° with respect to the shorter walls 22a of the perforated plate 22. Thus, at least one hole 36a of one of the rows 38a wets a product section which will subsequently be wet also by a second hole 36b belonging to a second row 38b parallel to the previous row 38a.

(13) During operation, further modifications or variants, not described herein, of the apparatus for the thermal treatment, of the collector and use according to the invention may be implemented. If such modifications or such variants should fall within the scope of the following claims, they should all be considered protected by the present patent.