The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for taking samples from coils, and in particular steel coils.
Before delivering coils to a customer, a manufacturer of the coils or another entity may be required to test one or more locations within the coil in order to confirm the properties of the coil (e.g., material properties, mechanical properties, or the like). As such, different apparatuses and methods are needed to take samples of coils as the coils are unwound.
The present invention meets the needs discussed above by providing coil sampling apparatuses and methods that result in improved operation, improved safety, and reduces costs associated with taking samples from coils. While the present invention is generally described with respect to steel coils, it should be understood that the apparatuses and methods described herein may be utilized on any type of material that is coiled.
In one embodiment, the coil sampling apparatus generally comprises a frame, at least two rollers operatively coupled to the frame (e.g., a first roller and a second roller), a roller drive operatively coupled to at least one of the at least two rollers (an in some embodiments multiple rollers), and a peeler assembly comprising a peeler (e.g., peeler, knife, member with an edge, or the like) located at least partially between the at least two rollers (e.g., between the first roller and the second roller). The coil may be positioned on the at least two rollers on the frame of the coil sampling apparatus. The tail edge of the coil (e.g., end of the coil roll) may be located upstream of the peeler, such as in the bottom left quarter of the coil (e.g., between 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock when viewing
Peeling the tail edge and layer off of the coil after both rollers, or before both rollers, exposes people and other machinery adjacent to the sampling stand to the moving parts of the peeler assembly. Moreover, this configuration may also result in an uncoiling force (e.g., from the coil itself or from components pushing against the coil) in which the coil rises off of one or more of the rollers, rocks within the one or more rollers, and/or causes the coil to roll off of the rollers of the sampling stand (e.g., opposite of the side on which the peeler is located) as the tail end is peeled off of the coil and/or bent towards the desired sampling location. These issues may be especially true for coils with thickness gauges of 0.300 to 0.750, and/or coils with diameters that range from 48 inches to 73 inches. However, it should be noted that the sampling stands of the invention described herein may also provide benefits (e.g., shielding the moving parts under the frame, or the like) regardless of the thicknesses and/or size of the coils. As such, the thicknesses and diameters of the coils used with the sampling stand apparatus may be outside of, overlapping, or within the stated ranges. In some embodiments of the invention, the peeler (e.g., through the peeler assembly, or the like) is mounted in such a way that it can be raised or lowered into different positions to accommodate different sized coils (e.g., coils with different diameters) that may have bottom surfaces of the coil body that sit at different vertical locations between the two rollers on the frame. In other embodiments of the invention the one or more rollers may be adjustable and/or replaceable in order accommodate different sized coils.
Aspects of the invention comprise a coil sampling stand. The coil sampling stand comprises a frame; a first roller operatively coupled to the frame; a second roller operatively coupled to the frame; a roller drive operatively coupled to at least one of the first roller or the second roller; and a peeler assembly comprising a peeler. The coil sampling stand is configured to support a coil on the first roller and the second roller, and the peeler assembly is configured to actuate the peeler between at least one peeler engaged position and at least one peeler disengaged position with the coil between the first roller and the second roller. The roller drive rotates the at least one of the first roller or the second roller to turn the coil and to allow the peeler to peel a tail edge of the coil from the coil and pass the tail edge of the coil under the second roller.
In further accord with aspects of the invention, the coil sampling stand further comprises a deflector roll. The deflector roll is configured to direct the tail edge of the coil to the desired location for sampling.
In another aspects of the invention, the coil sampling stand further comprises a bend plate. The bend plate directs the tail edge of the coil into the desired position for sampling.
In still other aspects of the invention, the peeler assembly further comprises a peeler guide. The peeler guide directs the tail edge of the coil into the desired position for sampling.
In yet other aspects of the invention, the peeler assembly further comprises a peeler actuator configured to actuate the peeler into the at least one peeler engaged position and the at least one peeler disengaged position.
In further accord with aspects of the invention, the peeler assembly is operatively coupled to the frame.
In another aspect of the invention, the peeler assembly further comprises a peeler band guide, and the peeler comprises at least one band slot. The peeler band guide and the at least one band slot in the peeler guide are configured to guide a band under the coil for banding the coil.
In still another aspect of the invention, the coil sampling stand further comprises a band guide assembly comprising a band guide with band slots and a band guide actuator. The band guide actuator is configured to actuate the band guide into a banding guide engaged position and a banding guide disengaged position with the coil between the first roller and the second roller. The band guide and the band slots are configured to guide a band under the coil for banding the coil.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the coil sampling stand of claim further comprises one or more coil supports operatively coupled to the frame. The one or more coil supports are configured to support the coil if the coil becomes dislodged from the first roller and the second roller.
Another aspect of the invention is a coil sampling stand. The coil sampling stand comprises a frame; at least two rollers operatively coupled to the frame; and a peeler assembly comprising a peeler. The coil sampling stand is configured to support a coil on the at least two rollers. The peeler of the peeler assembly is configured to be positioned in at least one peeler engaged position and at least one peeler disengaged position with the coil between the at least two rollers. The at least two rollers allow the coil to turn and the peeler to peel a tail edge and layer of the coil from the coil and pass the tail edge of the coil under one of the at least two rollers.
In further accord with aspects of the invention, a first roller of the at least two rollers contacts the coil before the tail edge is peeled from the coil, and a second roller of the least two rollers contacts the coil after the tail edge is peeled from the coil.
In another aspect of the invention, the coil sampling stand further comprises a deflector roll and a bend plate. The deflector roll and bend plate direct the tail edge of the coil to the desired location for sampling.
Another aspect of the invention is a method for peeling a layer from a coil using a sampling stand. The method comprises positioning a coil on the sampling stand, wherein the sampling stand comprises a frame, a first roller operatively coupled to the frame, a second roller operatively coupled to the frame, a roller drive operatively coupled to at least one of the first roller or the second roller, and a peeler assembly comprising a peeler. The method further comprises actuating a peeler into an engaged position with a coil, wherein the peeler is engaged with the coil between the first roller and the second roller. The method also comprises rotating the coil by utilizing the roller drive to turn at least one of the first roller or the second roller. The method additionally comprises peeling a tail edge of a layer of the coil away from the coil using the peeler. The method further comprises directing the tail edge of the layer of the coil under the second roller and towards a sampling location.
In further accord with aspects of the invention, directing the tail edge of the layer of the coil towards the sampling location is done through the use of a deflector roll.
In another aspect of the invention, directing the tail edge of the layer of the coil towards the sampling location is done through the use of a bend plate, wherein the bend plate is operatively coupled to the frame.
In still another aspect of the invention, directing the tail edge of the layer of the coil towards the sampling location is done through the use of a peeler guide, wherein peeler assembly comprises the peeler guide.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the peeler assembly further comprises a peeler actuator. Actuating the peeler into the engaged position with a coil comprises actuating the peeler into the peeler engaged position. The peeler actuator is further configured to actuate the peeler into at least one peeler disengaged position.
In further accord with aspects of the invention, the peeler assembly is operatively coupled to the frame.
In another aspect of the invention, the method further comprises rotating the coil by utilizing the roller drive to turn at least one of the first roller or the second roller for recoiling the coil. The method also comprises actuating a peeler band guide into an engaged position with the coil. The peeler comprises at least one band slot, and the peeler band guide and the at least one band slot in the peeler band guide are configured to guide a band under the coil for banding the coil. The method includes banding the coil.
In still another aspect of the invention, the method further comprises rotating the coil by utilizing the roller drive to turn at least one of the first roller or the second roller for recoiling the coil. The method also comprises actuating a band guide into an engaged position with the coil. The peeler comprises at least one band slot, and the band guide and the at least one band slot in the band guide are configured to guide a band under the coil for banding the coil. The method includes banding the coil.
The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed may be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present invention or may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.
The foregoing and other advantages and features of the invention, and the manner in which the same are accomplished, will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the invention and which are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein:
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
As illustrated in
The peeler assembly 120 comprises a peeler 122 (e.g., a blade, knife, edged member, or the like) that is configured to peel the first layer off of the coil 2. The peeler assembly 120 further comprises a peeler guide 124 which is configured to guide the peeled layer of the coil 2 to the sampling location. The peeler assembly 120 may further comprise a peeler band guide 126, which may be configured to help in banding the coil 2, as described in further detail later. In some embodiments the peeler 122 and/or the peeler band guide 126 (as well as the rollers 112, 114) may also have banding slots 123, which allows the coil 2 to rotate while the peeler 122 is engaged with a surface of the coil 2 and the bands (e.g., illustrated in
The peeler assembly 120 may further comprise a peeler actuator 130, which may be a hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, mechanical, and/or other like type of actuator that is configured to engage and disengage the peeler 122 with the coil 2. The peeler actuator 130 may be operatively coupled to a peeler support member 132 at a first peeler tab location (e.g., at a peeler support actuator tab location 133). The peeler actuator 130 may be operatively coupled to the frame 110 at a second peeler frame location (e.g., a frame actuator location 135). The peeler support member 132 may be operatively coupled to the frame 110 at a peeler support frame end 134 (e.g., at a first end of the peeler support member using a pivot trunnion, or the like) and operatively coupled to the peeler 122, the peeler guide 124, and/or the peeler band guide 126 at a peeler support member end 136 (e.g., at a second end of the peeler support member). In some embodiments of the invention, the peeler support actuator tab location 133 and/or the frame actuator location 135 may be the same as or different than the peeler support frame end 134 and/or the peeler support member end 136 of the peeler support member 132. In some embodiments of the invention the peeler assembly 120 may be operatively coupled to the frame 110 that supports the coil 2 (as illustrated in
As illustrated by
As previously discussed, the peeler guide 124 may be a part of the peeler assembly 120, and is used to help guide the tail end and the layer of the coil 2 peeled from the coil body 4 to the desired sampling location. In some embodiments of the invention the peeler guide 124 may be operatively coupled to the peeler 122 and moves along with the peeler 122 (and the peeler assembly 120) as the peeler 122 is moved between the engaged position 152 (or one or more engaged positions) and the disengaged position 150 (or one or more disengaged positions). The one or more engaged positions and one more ore disengaged positions may be based on the size of the coil being sampled. As such, as the tail edge and layer are peeled from the coil 2 the peeler guide 124 directs the tail edge and coil layer to towards the desired sampling location. Furthermore, during peeling, the peeler 122 (and as such the peeler guide 124) may be moved to one or more of the disengaged positions 150 to further direct the tail edge and coil layer towards the desired sampling location. For example, based on the diameter of the coil 2 (e.g., the bottom 6 of the coil sits between the rollers), the thickness of the coil 2, and/or the unwinding tendency of the tail edge and coil layer, peeler guide 124 adjustments may be required to direct the tail edge and coil layer to the desired sampling location. In other embodiments of the invention the peeler guide 124 may operate independently of the peeler 122 (e.g., actuate independently of the peeler 122), and thus, may be positionable in different orientations (e.g., vertical, horizontal, rotational, or the like) to guide the tail edge and coil layer the desired sampling location.
The peeler band guide 126 may be utilized to help guide a band used to secure the coil 4 before transport. In some embodiments the band guide 126 may be operatively coupled to the peeler 122, or may operate independently of the peeler 122. In some embodiments the peeler 122 and/or peeler band guide 126 (as well as the rollers) may have slots 123 that allow for a band to be fed around the coil 4 in order to secure the coil 4 for transport (e.g., as illustrated in
In some embodiments of the invention the band guide assembly 140 and/or the peeler band guide 126 may be a single band guide assembly 140 that works in conjunction with each other. As such, the single band guide assembly 140 may have a first band guide and a second band guide, which are located near or adjacent to the first roller 112 and/or the second roller 114 in order to allow the coil to be banded after sampling and before transport.
The coil sampling stand 100 may further comprise a deflector assembly 170 which may be operatively coupled to the frame 110 or may be located separate from the frame 110. The deflector assembly 170 may comprise a deflector roll 172 and/or a bend plate 174 which may assist in delivering the peeled tail end and coil layer of the coil 2 to the desired location for sampling. As illustrated in
In still other embodiments of the invention, the deflector assembly 170 or additional rollers, plates, or guides may be located between and/or below the first roller 112 and the second roller 114 in order to direct the layer peeled from the coil 2 to the desired location for sampling.
In some embodiments of the invention, the coil sampling stand 100 may further comprise one or more coil supports 180, which may be utilized to prevent the coil 2 from rolling off of the rollers 112, 114 and/or the frame 110. If the coil 2 does roll off of the rollers 112, 114. The one or more coil supports 180 may be useful in preventing injury to people or damage to machinery located near the coil sampling stand 100; however, the coil supports 180 may still damage at least a part of the coil 2 if the coil was to rock or roll off of the rollers 112, 114. As such, even with the one or more coil supports 180, reducing the tendency of the coil 2 to roll off of the rollers 112, 114, and/or frame 110 by peeling the tail end from the coil 2 at or near the bottom surface 6, such as the surface located between the rollers 112, 114, provides an improved coil sampling stand 100.
Block 204 of
As illustrated by block 206 of
Block 208 of
Block 210 of
As illustrated by block 212 in
Block 214 of
It should be understood that “operatively coupled,” when used herein, means that the components may be formed integrally with each other, or may be formed separately and coupled together. Furthermore, “operatively coupled” means that the components may be formed directly to each other, or to each other with one or more components located between the components that are operatively coupled together. Furthermore, “operatively coupled” may mean that the components are detachable from each other, or that they are permanently coupled together.
Also, it will be understood that, where possible, any of the advantages, features, functions, devices, and/or operational aspects of any of the embodiments of the present invention described and/or contemplated herein may be included in any of the other embodiments of the present invention described and/or contemplated herein, and/or vice versa. In addition, where possible, any terms expressed in the singular form herein are meant to also include the plural form and/or vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Accordingly, the terms “a” and/or “an” shall mean “one or more.”
While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention is not limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other changes, combinations, omissions, modifications and substitutions, in addition to those set forth in the above paragraphs, are possible. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations, modifications, and combinations of the just described embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.
The present Application for a Patent claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/140,835 entitled “Coil Sampling Stand and Method of Taking Coil Samples” filed on Mar. 31, 2015 and assigned to the assignees hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2965328 | Groll | Dec 1960 | A |
3226050 | Engel | Dec 1965 | A |
3330497 | Deschaine | Jul 1967 | A |
3461703 | Ranney | Aug 1969 | A |
4070891 | Stretten | Jan 1978 | A |
4549700 | Ganseuer | Oct 1985 | A |
7181946 | Kruger | Feb 2007 | B2 |
9770748 | Hofmann | Sep 2017 | B2 |
20040245367 | Malard | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20080190258 | Moser | Aug 2008 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
0497182 | Aug 1992 | EP |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20160288183 A1 | Oct 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62140835 | Mar 2015 | US |