Device and method for controlling and/or regulating an annealing or heat treatment furnace of a production line processing metal material

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for controlling and/or regulating an annealing or heat treatment furnace (2) of a production line (1) processing metal material, which comprises the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2) and at least one measuring instrument (7, 8, 17), which detects at least one material property of a strip material (6) located in the production line (1), wherein the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2) and the at least one measuring instrument (7, 8) interact in a regulating and/or control circuit of an automated process control, which regulates and/or controls the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2) in connection with a furnace control, wherein according to the invention, a solution is created wherein an improvement of the process control over the previously known prior art can be achieved. This is achieved in that the at least one measuring instrument (7, 8) is arranged behind the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2) in the strap material processing direction (5) and detects online a measured value reproducing and/or depicting a mechanical material property of the strap material (6) and transmits said measured value to a regulating and/or control unit (18) as a data transfer signal.

Claims

1. A device for controlling or regulating operation of a production line for processing a strap material and comprising: an annealing or heat treatment furnace (2); and at least one rolling stand (3) and at least one stretching stand (4) arranged one behind the other downstream of the annealing or heat treatment furnace in a strap material processing direction (5), the device comprising: a regulation or control unit (18) for controlling or regulating the operation of the production line; two measurement instruments (7, 8, 17) arrangeable at two different positions along the production line for detecting and continuously monitoring at least one and same material property characterizing a mechanical property of the strap material at respective positions, the two measurement instruments being connected with the regulation or control unit (18) for continuously transmitting measured values thereto as data transfer signals, wherein one of the two measurement instruments (7, 8, 17) is arranged immediately in front of or immediately behind the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2) and another of the two measurement instruments is arranged at a different position along the production line; and a feedback control circuit (11, 12, 13) connecting the regulation and control unit with at least the annealing or heat treatment furnace for automatically regulating or controlling operation of the at least the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2) in accordance with the data transfer signals transmitted by the two measurement instruments (7, 8, 17).

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein one of the two measuring instruments (7, 17) is arranged immediately upstream of the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2) in the strap processing direction (5), and another of the two measurement instruments (7, 17) is arranged immediately downstream of the annealing and heat treatment furnace (2), whereby the annealing or heat treatment furnace is controlled in accordance with an influence the annealing or heat treatment furnace exercises on the mechanical material property of the strap material measured by each of the two instruments.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein one of the two instruments (7, 8) is arranged immediately downstream of the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2) in the strap material processing direction (5), and another of the two measurement instruments (7, 8) is arranged downstream of the stretching stand (4) in the strap material processing directions, and wherein the feedback circuit also connects the regulation and control unit (18) with both the rolling stand (3) and the stretching stand (4) for continuously controlling operation of the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2), the rolling stand (3), and the stretching stand (4) in accordance with data transfer signals transfer signals transmitted by the two measurement instruments (7, 8, 62).

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the two measurement instruments (7, 8) each detects and monitors the mechanical material property by way of a real-time measurement.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the regulation and control unit (18) includes a material model.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the two measurement instruments (7, 8) is a remanence measurement instrument that detects a magnetic value as a measurement value.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating and control unit (18) forms part of the production line.

8. A method of controlling or regulating operation of a production line for processing strap material and comprising: an annealing or heat treatment furnace (2); and at least one rolling stand (3) and at least one stretching stand (4) arranged one behind the other downstream of the annealing or heat treatment furnace in a strap material processing direction (5), the method comprising the steps of: detecting and continuously monitoring at least one and same material property characterizing a mechanical property of the processed strip material at a location immediately in front of or immediately behind the annealing or heat treatment furnace and at a different location along the production line; and regulating or controlling operation at least of the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2) in accordance with measurement data transmitted from the two locations along the production line, wherein in a framework of a learning process measured values are fed back into the regulating or control circuit in a framework of a closed loop circuit wherein based on a previous behavior of the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2), the regulation or control unit (18) learns reaction of the annealing or heat treatment furnace (2) to different furnace conditions, and adjusts it in order to adjust the measured values for incoming straps.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the material property detected at each of the two different locations is transmitted online to a control and regulating unit as data transfer signals.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1a) through FIG. 1e) shows schematically different embodiments of an annealing or heat treatment line according to the present invention for processing a strap material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(2) In the respective partial images a) through e), the only figure schematically shows a production line in the form of a CAL (Continuous Annealing Line), marked throughout as 1. It includes the schematically shown elements annealing or heat treatment furnace 2, a rolling station 3 arranged behind the respective annealing or heat treatment furnace 2, and embodied as a skin pass mill, as well as a stretching station 4 in the form of a stretcher leveler, arranged behind the latter in the strap material processing direction 5. In directions of the arrow 5, a strap material 6 made out of a metal material, specifically a ferrous material, preferentially steel, or of a non-ferrous metal, specifically aluminum, is moved into the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2, from there to the rolling station 3 and from there to the stretching station 4, and from there out of the production line 1. Furthermore, in the production line 1 between the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2 and the rolling station 3 in each of the embodiments according to the partial images a), c), and d), a first measuring instrument 7 is provided that detects at least one material property of the strap material 6. Specifically, the measuring instrument 7 may be a remanence measuring instrument, detecting a magnetic value as a material property of the strap material 6. Moreover, in the embodiments according to the partial images b), c), and e), a second measuring instrument 8 is arranged behind the stretching station 4 and therefore also behind the last piece of mechanical processing equipment intended for the mechanical processing of the strap material 6 of the production line 1, which also detects at least one material property of the strap material 6, preferentially the same material property as the first measuring instrument 7. In the embodiment according to the partial images d) and e), an (additional) measuring instrument 17 is arranged ahead of the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2. For either the measuring instrument 7, 8 or for the measuring instrument 17, it is possible that the mechanical material property of the metal strip 6 that is meant to be observed or to be established or to be determined is only determined indirectly. In any case, a measured value is determined by means of the respective measuring instrument 7 or 8 which reflects and/or illustrates the desired mechanical material properties of the strap material 6. In measurement and regulation circuits not shown here, or in a regulating and/or control circuit not shown here, this may be converted into an electrical or data transfer signal, and be transmitted to the regulating and/or control circuit or to individual measurement and regulation circuits interacting with it.

(3) The regulating and/or control circuit not shown here is part of an automated process control which controls and/or regulates the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2, and under certain circumstances also the rolling station 3 and/or the stretching station 4 taxes behind it. The measured values detected by the measuring instrument 7 and/or 8 and/or 17 or electrical signals derived from them, are fed to a furnace control and/or a control of the rolling station 3 and/or the control of the stretching station 4 by way of feedback via the corresponding regulation circuits 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, which impact the regulating and/or control circuit not shown here of the automated process control or which are part of it, for the purpose of controlling the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2, as will be explained below in the context of the partial images a) through e).

(4) The first measuring instrument 7 and the second measuring instrument 8 or the additional measuring instrument 17 determine or capture the measured value reproducing and/or depicting a mechanical material property of the strap material 6 online by way of a real-time online measurement. This respective measured value or an electrical signal derived from it is fed back into the regulating and/or control circuit of the production line 1, specifically into the furnace control and/or furnace regulation of the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2 in the framework of a closed loop process. Preferentially, this regulating and/or control circuit comprises a furnace model, displayed or stored in it in the form of a furnace model control. Furthermore, the regulating and/or control circuit may comprise a material model.

(5) Specifically, in regard to and/or through the interaction with the furnace control and/or furnace regulation, one or multiple furnace parameters are controlled with the learning regulation and/or control unit in such a manner that a predetermined value or value range of the measured or detected mechanical material property or of the detected mechanical material properties of the strap material 6 is obtained or set. These furnace parameters can be at least one of the following values: the strap target temperature in the heating and/or cooling range of the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2, the strap moving speed, the furnace temperature, the furnace capacity, the coolant storage, meaning the manner in which the strap material 6 is stored with a coolant, or the coolant type.

(6) Each of the measuring instruments 7, 8, and 17 may be a remanence measuring instrument detecting a magnetic value as measured value. However, the respective measuring instrument 7, 8 may also be a measuring instrument of any other type which allows the direct or indirect detection of mechanical properties of the observed strap material 6.

(7) Preferentially, the production line 1 shown in the partial images a) through e) of the figure is a continuous annealing and/or galvanizing line for a steel or aluminum material.

(8) In the embodiment shown in partial image a), only a measuring instrument 7 is arranged between the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2 and the rolling station 3, which feeds back into the regulating and/or control circuit, and here specifically, into the furnace control, via a regulation circuit 9.

(9) In the exemplary embodiment according to partial image b), the second measuring instrument 8 is arranged behind the mechanical processing equipment in the processing direction 5 of the strap material 6, and therefore behind the rolling station 3 and the stretching station 4, which feeds back into the regulating and/or control circuit via the regulation circuit 10, and impacts the control of the furnace 2 as well as of the rolling station 3 and/or of the stretching station 4.

(10) In the embodiment according to partial image c), the first measuring instrument 7 is arranged between the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2 and the rolling station 3, and the second measuring instrument 8 is arranged behind the stretching station 4 in the processing direction 5.

(11) The regulation unit 18 receives measured values from measuring instrument 7 and 8. In the framework of the regulation circuit 11, these feed back into the annealing furnace 2 and the rolling station 3 and the stretching station 4.

(12) In the exemplary embodiment according to partial image d), the first measuring instrument 7 is arranged between the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2 and the rolling station 3, and the additional measuring instrument 17 is arranged ahead of the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2 in terms of the direction in which the strap material is processed 5. Via a regulation circuit 12, the measured values fed by the measuring instrument 7 and 17 into the regulation unit 18 are fed back into the regulating and/or control circuit of the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2.

(13) The exemplary embodiment according to partial image e) shows an embodiment in which the second measuring instrument 8 is arranged behind the stretching station 4 in the strap material processing direction 5, and the additional measuring instrument 17 is arranged ahead of the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2. The measured values fed into the regulation unit 18 by the second measuring instrument 8 and the additional measuring instrument 17 are fed back into the regulating and/or control circuit of the annealing or heat treatment furnace 2, of the rolling station 3, and of the stretching station 4 in the framework of a regulation circuit 13.

(14) In a manner not shown here, the combination of the first measuring instrument 7 and the second measuring instrument 8 or the additional measuring instrument 17 and the respective regulation circuits derived from them may also have impacts other than those shown. Hence it is possible, for instance, that both the first measuring instrument 7 and the second measuring instrument 8 would have an impact on both the furnace control as on the control of individual or of all mechanical processing equipment units. Similarly, all conceivable combinations of only partial impact of the measuring instruments and the resulting regulation circuits on only individual devices or on the furnace are conceivable and possible in the framework of the regulating and/or control circuit.