Apparatus for and method of winding-up a metal strip, and plant for producing a metal strip windable into a coil

Abstract

An apparatus (1) for winding-up a metal strip (2) into a coil (3), includes a clamping pair (22) formed of a deflection roller (23) and a pressure roller (24) and located in front of the coil (3) in a material flow direction (10) so that the strip (2) is retained under tensional stress with respect to the coil (3) and is so bendable that the strip (2), which is provided with a corresponding pre-bend, is firmly wound into a coil (3). The apparatus further includes a first bending roller (35) pressable against the deflection roller (23), and arranged in front of the clamping pair (22) in the material flow direction (10), and a further roller (36) adjustable relative to the deflection roller (23) and arranged behind the clamping pair (22) in the material flow direction (10), with the pressure roller (24) and both bending rollers (35, 36) being so displaceable relative to the deflection roller (23) that an end region (45) of the strip (2) is additionally curved to form the pre-bend dependent on an end diameter (48) of the coil (3).

Claims

1. An apparatus (1) for winding-up a metal strip (2) into a coil (3), comprising a clamping pair (22) formed of a deflection roller (23) and a pressure roller (24) and located in front of the coil (3) in a material flow direction (10) so that the strip (2) is retained under tensional stress with respect to the coil (3) and is so bendable that the strip (2), which is provided with a corresponding pre-bend, is firmly wound into a coil (3), characterized in that a first bending roller (35) that is pressable against the deflection roller (23), is arranged in front of the clamping pair (22) in the material flow direction (10) and a further bending roller (36) that is adjustable relative to the deflection roller (23), is arranged behind the clamping pair (22) in the material flow direction (10), wherein the pressure roller (24) and first and further bending rollers (35, 36) are so displaceable relative to the deflection roller (23) that an end region (45) of the strip (2) is additionally curved to form the pre-bend dependent on an end diameter (48) of the coil (3).

2. An apparatus (1) according to claim 1, characterized by a common frame (20) on which the deflection roller (23) stationary, the pressure roller (24) linearly displaceably, relative to the deflection roller (23), and first and further bending rollers (35, 36) pivotably relative to the deflection roller (23), are mutually arranged.

3. An apparatus for winding-up a metal strip (2) into a coil (3), comprising a clamping pair (22) for deflecting and pre-bending the strip between a strip treatment installation (5) and the coil (3), wherein clamping pair (22) has a deflection roller (23) rotatable about a rotational axis (25) and means (24) for pressing the strip (2) against the deflection roller (23), characterized by a strip support member (60) rotatable about the rotatable axis (25) of the deflection roller (23) and having a bending edge (62) about which a rear edge region (59) of a strip end is foldable.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the strip support member (60) comprises a bending peg (66).

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the deflection roller (23) and the strip support member (60) have a common rotational axis (25).

6. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by a strip bending member (61) pivotable relative to the deflection roller (23) and the strip support member (60) and arranged on a holding arm (37) of a bending roller (35) pressable against the deflection roller (23).

7. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the strip support member (60) is arranged in front of the deflection roller (23) in a material flow direction (10).

8. An apparatus (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the strip support member (60) is so arranged relative to the deflection roller (23) that it is supportable against the apparatus (1) during folding over a circumferential surface (64) of the deflection roller (23).

9. A method of winding-up a metal strip (2) into a coil, comprising the steps of: providing an apparatus (1) for winding-up a metal strip (2) into a coil (3), and having a clamping pair (22) formed of a deflection roller (23) and a pressure roller (24) and located in front of the coil (3) in a material flow direction (10) so that the strip (2) is retained under tensional stress with respect to the coil (3) and is so bendable that the strip (2), which is provided with a corresponding pre-bend, is firmly wound into a coil (3), a first bending roller (35) that is pressable against the deflection roller (23), is arranged in front of the clamping pair (22) in the material flow direction (10), and a further bending roller (36) that is adjustable relative to the deflection roller (23), is arranged behind the clamping pair (22) in the material flow direction (10), wherein the pressure roller (24) and first and further bending rollers (35, 36) are so displaceable relative to the deflection roller (23) that an end region (45) of the strip (2) is additionally curved to form the pre-bend dependent on an end diameter (48) of the coil (3); feeding the strip (2) through the clamping pair (22) to a coiler (11) already in the pre-bend state and winding the strip (2) into a coil (3) under a tension stress, wherein upon the strip (2) reaching an end region (45) of the strip (2), the end region (45) is additionally curved so that the end region (45) with its last windings particularly tightly nestles against the coil (3); pressing the first bending roller (35) against the deflection roller (23) and thereby the strip (2) which is advanced between the first bending roller (35) and the deflection roller (23), whereby the strip (2) is pressed against a circumferential surface (64) of the deflection roller (23); lifting the pressure roller (24) off the deflection roller (23) so that the further bending roller (36) interacts with the strip (2), whereby an additional curvature is produced and an amount of the additional curvature of the end region (45) is set by a relative positioning of the pressure roller (24) and the first and second bending rollers (35, 36) with respect to the deflection roller.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of folding a rear edge region (59) of the end region (45) of the strip (2) about a bending edge (62) of a strip support member (60) displaced in a circumferential direction of the deflection roller (23) and positioned beneath the strip (2), by a pivotable strip bending member (61) arranged above the strip (2).

Description

IN THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIGS. 1 through 17 schematically show the technological process of a likewise schematically shown, in a side view, of the inventive apparatus for winding-up a metal strip which is provided at an output region, e.g., of a hot rolling mill and has a deflection device, a bending device, a winding device, and a strip feeding device.

(2) FIGS. 1 through 17 show an embodiment of an apparatus 1 for winding-up a metal strip 2 in a coil 3 (see in particular FIG. 4), wherein FIGS. 1 through 17 illustrate a possible first technological process for winding a metal strip 2.

(3) At an output region 4, e.g., of a hot rolling mill 5, the strip 2 is fed to the apparatus 1 for winding-up or a winding-up apparatus 1 by a feeding device 6. However, the winding-up apparatus 1 can also be provided downstream of another installation for treating the strip 2. Anyway, the feeding device 6 includes two feeding rollers 7 and 8, a pivotal feeding arm 9 which is so arranged that the fed strip is reliably delivered to the winding-up apparatus 1 in the material flow direction 10.

(4) Downstream of the winding-up apparatus 1, there is provided a coiler 11 which can provide a mandrel 12 on which the strip 2 can finally be wound up in a coil 3. The mandrel 12 is supported for rotation about axis 13. Beneath the mandrel, there are provided two support rollers 14 and 15 for supporting the coil 3. The coiler 11 includes, in addition to the mandrel 12, an infeed device 16 having a telescopic infeed arm 17 with which a roller member 18 and a deflection plate 19 can be advanced toward the coil 3 and apply pressure thereto.

(5) The winding-up device 1 itself has a central frame 20 located between the feeding device 6 and the coiler 11.

(6) The winding-up apparatus 1 includes a deflection and bending device 21 formed by a clamping roller pair 22 (See FIGS. 1 through 3), wherein the clamping roller pair 22 has a deflection roller 23 and a pressure roller 24 arranged thereabove. Both the deflection roller 23 and the pressure roller 24 are supported in the frame 20, wherein the deflection roller 23 rotates about a stationary axle 25.

(7) The pressure roller is rotatable about a displaceable vertical rotational axis 26, wherein the pressure roller 24, together with its rotational axis 26, are supported in the frame 20 for linear displacement in a vertical direction 28 by a slide member 27.

(8) A correspondingly directed setting movement applied to the upper apex 29 of the deflection roller 23, is carried out by a pressure roller hydraulic cylinder 30 which is secured in the frame 20 above the pressure roller 34 or the deflection roller 23.

(9) The deflection roller 23, in this embodiment, is driven by a driving device (not shown) so that it can rotate in a counter-clockwise direction.

(10) In the view shown in FIG. 1, the pressure roller 24 is displaced in an upper initial position so that a maximal gap 31 is formed between the pressure roller 24 and the deflection roller 23. In this phase, the winding-up device 1 feeds the strip 2 with the pivotal feeding arm 9 according to the material flow direction to initiate a winding-up process of the strip 2, as it will be explained further.

(11) The winding-up device 1 is characterized not only by the clamping roller pair 22. Rather, it also includes a first bending roller 35 that is arranged, in the material flow direction 10, in front of the clamping roller pair 22, and a further bending roller 36 that is positioned, in the material flow direction 10, behind the clamping roller pair 22.

(12) The first bending roller 35 is mounted on the frame 20 for pivotal movement by a front pivot arm 37 about a front pivot axis 38. The front pivot arm 37 is secured to a piston member of a front hydraulic cylinder 39 that provides for pivotal movement of the front pivot arm 37 and, thereby, for the first bending roller 35 about the front pivot axis 38. The front hydraulic cylinder 39 is secured on the frame 20 with its cylindrical member.

(13) Correspondingly, the further bending roller 36 is supported on the frame 20 for pivotal movement about a rear pivot axis 41 by a rear pivot arm 40. For the pivotal movement of the rear pivot arm 40 and, thereby, of the further bending roller 36 about the rear pivot axis 41, there is provided a rear hydraulic cylinder 42 which is likewise secured on the frame 20 with its cylindrical member and has its piston member attached to the rear pivot arm 40.

(14) According to the invention, the bending rollers 35, 36 which are provided in the winding-up apparatus 1, and are located, with respect to the clamping roller pair 22 which consists of the deflection roller 23 and the pressure roller 24, in front of the clamping roller pair 22 and behind the clamping roller pair 22, respectively, are supported on the common frame 20, whereby the pressure roller 24 and both bending rollers 35 and 36 are so displaceably arranged with respect to the deflection roller 23 that in an end region 45 (see in particular FIG. 6), additionally, a bending torque 47 can be introduced which acts transverse to a longitudinal direction 46 of the strip 2 and produces plastic deformation. Thereby, the end region 45 can be curved additionally to the already produced preliminary bending, ideally, dependent on the end diameter 48 (shown only in FIG. 17).

(15) Advantageously, the deflection roller 23 and the pressure roller 24 of the clamping roller pair 22 and both bending rollers 35, 36 are compactly arranged in the common frame 20 of the wind-up apparatus 1. Thereby, it became possible to provide a very compact deflection and bending device 21 on the basis of the clamping roller pair 22, which permitted, e.g., to eliminate an additional three-roller bending machine in front of the clamping roller pair 22 or behind the clamping roller pair 22.

(16) For folding the edge region 59 (see FIG. 6), the winding-up apparatus 1 includes a strip support member 60 rotatable about the rotational axis 25 of the deflection roller 23 and which can be so displaced below the strip 2 that the strip 2 can be correspondingly folded by a strip bending member 61 provided above the strip 2.

(17) Advantageously, the strip support member 60 has a bending rim 62 over which the strip 2 can be precisely folded with the pivotal strip bending member 61.

(18) The strip support member 60 can advantageously be arranged in an intermediate space 63 between the curved circumferential surface 64 of the deflection roller 23 and the bottom side 65 of the strip 2 when the strip support member 60 includes a bending peg 66.

(19) The strip bending member 61 can constructively particularly simply integrated in the winding-up apparatus when it, as it is realized in the discussed embodiment, is arranged on the front pivot arm 37, e.g., extends from the front pivot arm 37.

(20) Because the strip support member 60 can pivot about the rotational axis 25 of the deflection roller 23, there is provided, beneath the deflection roller 23, a cylinder 68 for the strip support member 60 secured, on one hand, to a corresponding element of the strip support member 60, and on the other hand, to the frame 20.

(21) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the finished strip 2, e.g., the rolled pickled strip 2, or the like, is so fed to the clamping roller pair 22 by the feeding device 6 and the pivotal feeding arm 9 that it can be advanced with its front edge through the maximal gap 31. During this phase, both bending rollers 35, 36 are located in their upper position and do not take part in the production process. Also, the strip support member 60 is still in a lower initial position.

(22) To be able to purposefully feed the strip 2 to the mandrel 12 during further processing, an arm 70 is so positioned between the winding-up apparatus 1 and the coiler 11 that the strip 2 can be reliably advanced to the mandrel 12.

(23) As shown in FIG. 2, the strip 2 is further pushed through the maximal gap 31 and, due to its inherent stiffness, contacts with its upper surface 71 the further bending roller 36 that is still located in its upper initial position.

(24) As shown in FIG. 3, the further bending roller 36 meantime pivots toward the deflection roller 23 so that the strip 2 lies with its front region and particularly with its front edge on the smooth surface 72 of the arm 71. In this phase, the pressure roll 24 advances toward the deflection roller 23 in vertical direction 28 according to pressure direction 73, so that the maximal gap 31 is correspondingly reduced. Furthermore, the pivotal feeding arm 9 of the feeding device 6 pivots downwardly in a lower position so that it does not any more interact with the bottom side 65 of the strip 2.

(25) As shown in FIG. 4, the pressure roller 24 is so pressed against the deflection roller 23 that the strip 2 is clamped between both rollers 23 and 24. In this position the strip 2 is already wound in the coil 3 on the mandrel 12 under tensile stress so that the coil windings tightly lay one over the other. During this phase, the arm 70 is pivoted into a lower position so that it does not any more interact with the bottom side 65 of the strip 2. The further bending roller 36 is again displaced in its upper initial position

(26) As shown in FIG. 5, the strip 2 is so wound into the coil 3 that its end region 45 reached the winding-up device 1. In order to curve only the end region 45 dependent on the end diameter 48 (see FIG. 17) of the coil 3, while an additional bending torque 47 is applied thereto, the first bending roller 35 is so set up on the circumferential surface 64 of the deflection roller 24 that the strip 2 has, between the apex 29 of the deflection roller 23 and the first bending roller 35, the same radius as the circumferential surface 64 of the deflection roller 23 and is correspondingly additionally curved. With this, the pressure roller 24 is somewhat lifted from the deflection roller 23 so that the strip 2 contacts, with its end region 45, the further bending roller 36 that still remains in its upper initial position. In order that the strip 2, during this phase in which the end region 45 is not wound any more under the tensile stress, can still be tightly wound on the coil 3, the roller 18, which meantime is advanced by the infeed arm 17 of the infeed device 16 toward the coil 3, presses the strip 2 against the winding of the coil 3.

(27) As shown in FIG. 6, the strip 2 is so advanced forward in the material flow direction that the rear edge region 59 of the strip 2 has reached the deflection roller 23. During this phase, the forward movement of the strip 2 in the material flow direction 10 is stopped in order to fold the rear edge region 59.

(28) As shown in FIG. 7, to this end, the pressure roller 24 is against advanced toward the deflection roller 23 in the pressure direction 73 until the strip 2 is fixedly clamped between the apex 29 of the deflection roller 23 and the pressure roller 24. Here, only the end region 45 between the pressure roller 24 and the first bending roller 35 lies on the circumferential surface 64 of the deflection roller 23.

(29) As shown in FIG. 8, the first bending roller 35 is pivoted back into its upper initial position, whereby the rear edge region 59 again is lifted off the circumferential surface 64 of the deflection roller 23 and becomes correspondingly spaced from the deflection roller 23. During this phase, only folding of the rear edge region 59 starts, while the strip bearing section 60 is displaced from its lower initial position in its upper bending position by a strip bearing cylinder 68 (see FIG. 9). Thereby, the rear edge region 59 is aligned almost horizontally between the clamping pair 22 and additionally lies on the strip bearing section 60.

(30) As shown in FIG. 10, only the front pivot arm 37 is so adjusted with respect to the deflection roller 23 and is so pivoted toward the deflection roller 23 that a strip bending part 61, which is provided on the bending arm 37, folds the rear edge region 59 over the bend rim 62, as clearly shown in FIG. 11.

(31) As shown in FIG. 12, the strip bending part 61 has reached its strip folding position in which the rear edge region 59 is maximally folded about the bend rim 62 in the desired manner.

(32) As shown in FIG. 13, the front pivot arm 37 is again pivoted back into its initial position. Thereby, the folding of the strip 2 in its rear edge region 59 is clearly seen.

(33) As shown in FIG. 14, the strip bending part 60 likewise is displaced in its lower initial position so that the rear folded edge region 59 is freely positioned in front of the deflection roller 23. During this phase of treatment, the clamping pair 22 is still firmly clamped so that the strip 2 between the clamping pair 22 and the roller member 18 is firmly clamped against the coil 3.

(34) In order for the folded rear edge region 59 to pass the clamping pair 22 so that it can leave the winding-up device 1, the pressure roller 24 is again lifted off the deflection roller 23 and is displaced upwardly, so that the maximal gap 31 becomes again available between the pressure roller 24 and the deflection roller 23. In this way, the end region 45 of the strip 2 again bears against the further bending roller 36, without a load applied thereto, and is held down by the further bending roller 36 (see FIG. 15).

(35) Finally, the so treated end region 45 is further wound on the coil 3, as clearly shown in FIG. 16. As can also be seen, the rear edge region 59 of the strip 2 is strongly curved.

(36) As clearly shown in FIG. 17, the end region 45 is wound on the coil 3 in such a way that the sharp rear edge of the rear edge region 59 does not present any danger for holding means subsequently wound about the coil 3.

(37) It is explicitly stated that the foregoing features which are claimed in the claims and/or the solutions described with reference to the figures, can be, if needed, combined to increase the effect and advantages or to be able to obtain the same.

(38) It should be understood that the above-described embodiment represents a first embodiment of the inventive winding-up apparatus 1. In this regard, the present invention is not limited by this embodiment.

(39) Generally, the features described in the application are claimed as inventive as long as they are new with respect to the state of the art whether taken alone or in combination.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERAL

(40) 1 Winding-up apparatus 2 Strip 3 Coil 4 Output 5 Hot rolling mill or a similar installation for a strip product or handling 6 Feeding device 7 First feeding roller 8 Second feeding roller 9 Pivotal feeding arm 10 Material flow direction 11 Coiler 12 Mandrel 13 Rotational axis 14 First support roller 15 Second support roller 16 Infeed device 17 Infeed arm 18 Roller member 19 Deflection plate 20 Frame 21 Deflection and bending device 22 Clamping pair 23 Deflection roller 24 Pressure roller 25 Stationary rotational axis 26 Displaceable rotational axis 27 Slide member 28 Vertical direction 29 Upper apex 30 Hydraulic cylinder for the pressure roller 31 Maximal gap 35 First bending roller 36 Further bending roller 37 Front pivot arm 38 Front pivot axis 39 Front hydraulic cylinder 40 Rear pivot arm 41 Rear pivot axis 42 Rear hydraulic cylinder 45 End region 46 Longitudinal direction 47 Bending torque 48 End diameter 59 Rear edge region 60 Strip support member 61 Strip bending member 62 Bending edge 63 Intermediate arm 64 Circumferential surface 65 Bottom side 66 Bending peg 68 Cylinder for the strip support member 70 Arm 71 Upper side 72 Smooth surface 73 Pressure direction