The present application is a 35 U.S.C. §§ 371 national phase conversion of PCT/EP2014/056771, filed Apr. 4, 2014, which claims priority of European Application No. 13163666.4, filed Apr. 15, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. The PCT International Application was published in the German language.
The present invention relates to a cooling device for a flat rolled product. The flat rolled product passes through the cooling device in a transportation direction at the level of a passline. The cooling device includes a cooling bed which has a plurality of spray bars. Each spray bar extends transversely with respect to the transportation direction, and the spray bars are arranged in succession in the transportation direction.
Viewed transversely to the transportation direction, each spray bar has two outer sections and a central section between the two outer sections. The flat rolled product passing through the cooling device is impinged upon with a central flow rate profile of a liquid cooling medium by outlet orifices arranged in the central section. When viewed transversely to the transportation direction, the central flow rate profile is at a maximum in the center and decreases toward both of its lateral edges.
The flat rolled product is impinged upon with a respective outer flow rate profile of the liquid cooling medium outlet orifices arranged in the laterally outer sections. When viewed transversely to the transportation direction, the respective outer flow rate profile is at a maximum at the respective outer edges of the outer sections and decreases toward the center. Thus, the outer flow rate profiles of the successive array of spray bars in each case define an outer triangle in which one side runs parallel to and one side runs transversely to the transportation direction.
The present invention further relates to a rolling train for rolling flat rolled product. The rolling train has at least one roughing stand and a number of finishing stands located downstream of the roughing stand. A cooling device of the type described is positioned immediately upstream of the roughing stand or downstream between the roughing stand and the finishing stand located immediately downstream of the roughing stand.
An example of a cooling device of the above type is known by the name Mulpic. A liquid cooling medium is injected into the central section on the one side and into the two outer sections on the other side via a respective dedicated, individually controllable valve device. The central flow rate profile defines a symmetric trapezoid. Its parallel sides run transversely to the transportation direction. The trapezoid and the two outer triangles laterally outside the trapezoid combine to form a rectangle. The valve devices are actuated such that the volume of cooling medium applied to the flat rolled product via the two outer sections and the volume of cooling medium applied to the flat rolled product via the central section are coordinated such that a temperature of edge sections of the flat rolled product is adjusted to match a temperature of a central section of the flat rolled product.
In some cases, the flat rolled product may have a temperature ridge, when viewed over the width of the flat rolled product, i.e. the flat rolled product is hotter on one side than on the other side. In such a case it would be of advantage to be able to cool the one side of the flat rolled product more intensively than the other side. The known device described above is unsuitable for this purpose.
The object of the present invention is to create possibilities to enable elimination of a thermal ridge of the above type.
According to the invention, a cooling device generally of the type described above is embodied such that a liquid cooling medium is injected into the sections via a respective dedicated, individually controllable valve device. The central flow rate profile defines a central triangle in which one side runs transversely to the transportation direction and the two other sides are of equal length. The central triangle and the two outer triangles combine to form a rectangle.
Within the scope of the maximum possible cooling medium volumes, this makes it possible to counteract a thermal ridge over the entire width of the flat rolled product. In contrast to the prior art, appropriate individual control of the two outer sections continues to remain possible, to cool the two edge regions of the flat rolled product to a lesser degree than to cool the central section of the flat rolled product. It is further possible, while cooling the two edges less intensively than the central section of the flat rolled product, to cool the two edges to different degrees of intensity.
In a simple embodiment of the cooling device, the valve devices are switched in a binary manner, i.e. they are either fully open or fully closed. In the simplest case there is no other possibility of influencing the volume of liquid discharged over the respective section. Preferably, however, the volume of liquid cooling medium injected into the sections can be set by adjustment of an operating pressure generated by a respective pump and/or by adjustment of a delivery volume effected by means of the respective pump. Furthermore, the valve devices may be embodied as servo valves or as proportional valves. In this case, the liquid cooling medium can be at a constant pressure upstream of the valve devices, for example due to pumps located upstream generating a constant pressure or because the liquid cooling medium is supplied from an overhead reservoir.
In a minimum configuration of the inventive cooling device, only a single spray bar is present. In this case, the spray bar is generally arranged above the passline. In individual cases, the spray bar can alternatively be arranged below the passline. Often, however, more than one spray bar is present. The number of spray bars consequently amounts to at least two. In this case at least one spray bar is preferably arranged above, and at least another below, the passline. This enables the flat rolled product to be cooled to an equal extent from both opposite sides.
Regardless of the number of spray bars, at least one of the spray bars may be arranged on a holding frame having a fixed position with respect to the passline. In this case, the spray bar may be assigned an adjusting device for setting a distance of the spray bar from the passline. This embodiment may be used in particular to maximize the distance of the spray bar from the passline during maintenance work on the spray bar and/or for example on a roller table defining the passline. An adjustment range for this distance can be varied as required.
Preferably, it amounts to at least 20 cm, for example at least 30 cm, in particular at least 50 cm. Greater values are also possible.
By means of the adjusting device, it is also possible to pivot a spray bar that is arranged on a holding frame fixed in position with respect to the passline through a pivoting angle about an axis of rotation.
The two measures of adjustment of the distance and the pivoting movement, can also be combined for the same spray bar. In this case, the corresponding spray bar is arranged on an intermediate frame which in turn is arranged on a holding frame which is fixed in position with respect to the passline. A respective adjusting device is assigned to the spray bar and to the intermediate frame. It is possible to set a distance of the spray bar from the intermediate frame by the adjusting device for the spray bar. In this case, the intermediate frame may be pivoted through the pivoting angle about its axis of rotation by the adjusting device for the intermediate frame.
Alternatively, the reverse approach can be adopted. In this case, the spray bar can be pivoted through the pivoting angle about the axis of rotation by the adjusting device for the spray bar. In this case the distance of the intermediate frame from the holding frame can be set by the adjusting device assigned to the intermediate frame.
If a pivoting movement is possible, the axis of rotation is typically arranged at the edge of said spray bar, when viewed transversely to the transportation direction, and runs parallel to the transportation direction. The pivoting angle can be set as required. Preferably, the angle is at least 20°. For example, the pivoting angle is at least 30°, at least 45° or at least 60°. Greater pivoting angles, up to 90° and beyond, are also possible.
The object is further achieved by a rolling train for rolling flat rolled product. According to the invention, a rolling train of the type cited in the introduction is embodied, and the cooling device is embodied according to the invention.
The above-described characteristics, features and advantages of this invention, as well as the manner in which these are realized, will become clearer and more readily understandable in connection with the following description of the exemplary embodiments, which are explained in more detail in conjunction with the accompanying schematic drawings
According to
The cooling device 1 has a number of spray bars 5, 6. It is also possible for only a single spray bar 5, 6 to be present. Generally, however, a plurality of spray bars 5, 6 are present, that is, at least two spray bars 5, 6. According to
Possible embodiments of the upper spray bar 5 are explained below in conjunction with
In
The flat rolled product 2 can be impinged upon with a flow rate profile V1 of the liquid cooling medium 13 by outlet orifices 15 in the central section 9. In an analogous manner, the flat rolled product 2 can be impinged upon with a respective flow rate profile V2, V3 of the liquid cooling medium 13 by outlet orifices 16, 17 in the two outer sections 7, 8. The flow rate profiles V1, V2, V3 are referred to as central flow rate profile V1, left outer flow rate profile V2 and right outer flow rate profile V3. The term “flow rate profile” herein, relates to a location-based profile, not a time-based profile. This will become more apparent with reference to the following explanations in relation to
When the valve device 10 assigned to the central section 9 is fully opened, the central flow rate profile V1 is applied to the flat rolled product 2. According to
When the valve device 11 that is assigned to the left outer section 7 is fully opened, the left outer flow rate profile V2 is applied to the flat rolled product 2. According to
When the valve device 12 assigned to the right outer section 8 is fully opened, the right outer flow rate profile V3 is applied to the flat rolled product 2. According to
It is apparent that the central triangle and the two outer triangles combine to form a rectangle. A resulting localized flow rate profile V, in other words the sum of the flow rate profiles V1, V2 and V3, is indicated by a dashed line in the drawing in
In order to realize the respective triangular flow rate profile V1, V2, V3, the outlet orifices 15, 16, 17 can be arranged for example according to the illustration in
The flow rate profiles V1, V2, V3 shown in
M3 a desired resulting localized flow rate profile V can be set within the adjustment limits. Several possible resulting localized flow rate profiles V are explained in more detail below in conjunction with
According to
According to
According to
According to
The delivery volumes M1, M2, M3 explained hereinabove in conjunction with
In order to be able to adjust the delivery volumes M1, M2, M3, the valve devices 10, 11, 12 may be embodied as servo valves. Preferably, however, the valve devices 10, 11, 12 are switched in a binary manner. Depending on the actuation state, they are therefore either fully open or fully closed. No intermediate settings are assumed. In this case, insofar as the delivery volumes M1, M2, M3 are adjustable, they are set by pumps 18, 19, 20, each located upstream of the respective valve device 10, 11, 12. The delivery volume M1, M2, M3 effected by the respective pump 18, 19, 20 can be set directly. Alternatively or in addition, an operating pressure p1, p2, p3 effected by the respective pump 18, 19, 20 in a respective feed line 21, 22, 23 can be adjusted.
In the embodiment according to
In the embodiment according to
A pivoting angle α, in other words the angle through which the upper spray bar 5 can be pivoted, can be chosen as required. Preferably, the pivoting angle α amounts to at least 20°. For example, the pivoting angle α can amount to at least 30°, at least 45° or at least 60°. Even greater pivoting angles a even up to 90° and beyond, are also possible.
The two adjustment options, that is, the setting of the distance a and the pivoting movement about the axis of rotation 26, can also be combined.
According to
The inventive cooling device 1 can be deployed as part of what is known as a laminar cooling system. Preferably, however, it is utilized within the context of a process known as intensive cooling. In an intensive cooling process, the operating pressures p1, p2, p3 typically amount to at least 0.5 bar. In most cases they even lie above 1.0 bar. For example, they can range between 1.5 bar and 3.0 bar.
The inventive cooling device 1 has many advantages. In particular, flexible cooling of the flat rolled product 2 over its entire width can be realized in a simple manner.
Although the invention has been illustrated and described in greater detail on the basis of the preferred exemplary embodiment, the invention is not limited by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived herefrom by the person skilled in the art without leaving the scope of protection of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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13163666 | Apr 2013 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2014/056771 | 4/4/2014 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2014/170139 | 10/23/2014 | WO | A |
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Entry |
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Notice of Allowance dated Feb. 6, 2017 in corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-508077 (total 3 pages). |
International Search Report dated Jul. 22, 2014 issued in corresponding International patent application No. PCT/EP2014/056771. |
Written Oinion dated Jul. 22, 2014 issued in corresponding International patent application No. PCT/EP2014/056771. |
European Search Report dated Sep. 11, 2013 issued in corresponding European patent application No. 13 16 3666. |
Chinese Office Action, dated May 23, 2016, issued in corresponding Chinese Patent Application No. 201480021293.X. English Translation. Total 11 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20160052033 A1 | Feb 2016 | US |