Material testing method, use of a drawing die arrangement, and drawing die arrangement

Abstract

A method for material testing of an elongated work piece drawn through a drawing die arrangement, wherein the drawing die arrangement includes a drawing tool that acts on the elongated work piece, forming it in a forming region, carries out the material testing in the forming region.

Claims

1. A material testing method for material testing of a solid rod comprising: (a) providing a drawing die arrangement having a drawing tool support that carries a drawing tool and counteracts the drawing tool and a mass distribution measurement device; (b) drawing the solid rod through the drawing die arrangement to cause the drawing tool to act on and shape the solid rod in a forming region of the drawing die arrangement; (c) sending a measurement signal from the measurement device of the drawing die arrangement through the solid rod in the forming region of the drawing die arrangement; (d) receiving the measurement signal; (e) measuring via the measurement device an attenuation of signal strength of the measurement signal after the measurement signal passes through the solid rod; and (f) evaluating via the measurement device the attenuation such that local defects in the solid rod are identified.

2. The material method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement device is disposed on the drawing tool.

3. The material testing method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement signal is reflected on a wall of the solid rod.

4. The material testing method according to claim 3, wherein the measurement signal comprises ultrasound.

5. A drawing die system comprising: (a) a solid rod; and (b) a drawing die arrangement comprising: (i) a drawing tool adapted to act on the solid rod and shape the solid rod in a forming region of the drawing die arrangement as the solid rod is drawn through the drawing die arrangement; (ii) a drawing tool support carrying the drawing tool and counteracting the drawing tool; and (iii) a measurement device acting to measure in the forming region of the drawing die arrangement, the measurement device comprising an attenuation determination device configured to transmit a measurement signal, to receive the measurement signal, to measure an attenuation of signal strength of the measurement signal after the measurement signal passes through the solid rod, and to evaluate the attenuation such that local defects in the solid rod are identified.

6. The drawing die system according to claim 5, wherein the measurement signal is reflected on a wall of the solid rod.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages, goals, and properties of the present invention will be explained using the following description of exemplary embodiments, which are particularly shown also in the attached drawings. The drawings show:

(2) FIG. 1 a sectional representation of a drawing die arrangement;

(3) FIG. 2 an enlarged representation of a detail of FIG. 1, which particularly shows a measurement device of the drawing die arrangement;

(4) FIG. 2A the measurement device according to FIG. 2 in a schematic view from below;

(5) FIG. 3 a three-dimensional representation of the measurement device, in a perspective from which the configuration of the face region of the measurement device is evident in greater detail;

(6) FIG. 4 a top view of the measurement device; and

(7) FIG. 5 a schematic side view of a drawing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) The drawing die arrangement 10 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a drawing tool 14, which is provided for acting on an elongated work piece 12. The drawing die arrangement 10 furthermore comprises a drawing tool support 16 that carries the drawing tool 14 and counteracts the drawing tool 14, in which a measurement device 20 that measures the mass distribution of the work piece material 18 is disposed on the drawing tool 14, which device is able to measure the mass distribution of the work piece material in a pipe to be drawn as the work piece 12. The drawing tool support 16 is configured in multiple parts and comprises an adapter ring 17A, a drawing ring holder 17B in the form of a spherical cap, and a drawing ring 17 that lies against the drawing tool 14.

(9) A coupling medium 22 that is guided in circulation is provided between the measurement device 20 and the drawing tool 14. A circulation channel 24 for the coupling medium 22 is provided in the drawing tool support 16, so that the coupling medium 22 can be guided in circulation via the circulation channel 24 or can be moved to circulate via the circulation channel 24. It is understood that the circulation channel 24 of this exemplary embodiment is connected, in sufficiently known manner, with a pump 75 and with a coupling medium supply 77, by way of feed and discharge lines 76.

(10) The measurement device 20 of this exemplary embodiment comprises an ultrasound sensor that is partially accommodated in an accommodation opening 26 provided in the drawing ring 17 of the drawing tool support 16. In other embodiments, other types of sensors, for example X-ray sensors, can also be used.

(11) The accommodation opening 26 for the measurement device penetrates the drawing tool support 16 radially or in a radial direction. A seal 28 is disposed between the measurement device 20 and the drawing tool support 16.

(12) Not shown in FIG. 1 but evident in FIG. 2 is that a spacer 30, which defines a space 33 for the coupling medium 22 (see FIG. 2A), is provided between the measurement device 20 and the drawing tool 14.

(13) The space 33 for the coupling medium 22 is worked out on the measurement device 20, whereby the spacer 30 is formed by a remaining protrusion 31 of the measurement device 20. Accordingly, the spacer 30 is configured in one piece with the measurement device 20 in the exemplary embodiment illustrated here.

(14) A clamping apparatus 32 for the measurement device 20 that acts in the direction toward the drawing tool 14 is provided on the drawing tool support 16 (see FIG. 2), whereby the clamping apparatus 32 comprises a U-shaped clamping element 57 and three-point bracing mechanism 58 (see FIG. 3), which has three screw connections, in each instance. The U-shaped clamping element 57 is screwed onto the drawing ring 17 via four screws (see FIG. 4).

(15) As is evident from FIG. 1, the measurement device 20 is particularly directed at a region that lies behind a drawing and ironing section of the drawing die arrangement 10, in the drawing direction 35, and is particularly also focused in the direction of this region.

(16) FIG. 1 illustrates the situation for forming a rod 64 by means of drawing, whereby pipes can also be drawn, if applicable, as work pieces 12, with or without a mandrel, and a mandrel is not shown in the figures. The use of a mandrel is particularly advantageous in application cases in which a very uniform wall thickness stands in the foreground, and is sufficiently known as such from the state of the art.

(17) The forming process during drawing can be divided into two regions, namely the reduction drawing component and the drawing and ironing component or the reduction drawing section 70 and the drawing and ironing section 72 (see FIG. 1). In the reduction drawing section 70, the work piece 12 is reduced to the desired outside diameter. The drawing and ironing section 72 begins starting from the point at which the drawing tool 14 demonstrates no further narrowing in the drawing direction 35; it extends in the drawing direction 35 up to the point at which no further forming takes place any longer. The drawing tool 14 has a cylindrical region 36. The drawing and ironing section 72 is defined by this region.

(18) The drawing die arrangement 10 furthermore has a cable channel 39 covered by a covering 39A for guiding a measurement line or a supply line for the measurement device 20 in from outside the drawing die arrangement 10. Likewise, the drawing tool support comprises further known and therefore not numbered channels for coolants, whereby the division of the drawing tool support 16 essentially represents facilitation of production in this regard.

(19) The drawing die arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 can be integrated into a drawing machine 56 (see FIG. 5) by way of the drawing tool support 16, to produce a drawing system 54. In this exemplary embodiment, the drawing machine 56 is structured as a caterpillar tractor. Alternatively, the drawing machine 56 can also be configured in the form of a two-carriage drawing machine or a drum drawing machine, for example.

(20) In this connection, the drawing machine 56 draws the work piece 12 through the drawing tool 14 in the drawing direction 35, along a drawing axis 34, by way of two drawing chains 83 and 84 (shown schematically) and gripping drawing tools 85 carried on these drawing chains 83, 84; the tool supports itself against the tool support 16 by way of supports 86, on a frame rack 87 that carries the drawing chains 83, 84.

(21) An ultrasound signal or a different signal can easily be introduced into a forming region 19 of the work piece 12 by means of the measurement device 20, and evaluated using measurement technology. The attenuation of the signal can be evaluated as a measurement signal for the number of defects in the material 18 of the work piece 12. When using pipes as work pieces 12, the wall thickness of the pipes can be measured, if necessary; this measurement can serve, for example, for measurement of the mass distribution, whereby the wall thickness measurement will then generally take place by way of running time measurements. Here, too, the signal strength of the attenuation might possibly be sufficient to be able to check for defects as a material parameter.

(22) Very good data about the work piece material 18 can be measured by means of the measurement in the forming region 19. The measurements are extremely effective on the basis of the good coupling of the measurement devices 20 to the work piece 12. The measurements are extremely effective particularly on the basis of the good coupling between measurement device 20 and drawing tool 14, on the one hand, and/or on the basis of the good coupling between drawing tool 14 and the work piece, on the other hand.

(23) Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing form the spirit and scope of the invention.