The present application is a 35 U.S.C. §§371 national phase conversion of PCT/EP2014/053186, filed Feb. 19, 2014, which claims priority of European Patent Application No. 13160792.1, filed Mar. 25, 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 section for a flat rolled material,
A cooling line of this type is generally known.
In the prior art, so-called laminar cooling is often effected. In laminar cooling, the cooling section has at least one spray bar, which is arranged beneath the transport rollers. Welded into the spray bar and running parallel to the roller axes there is usually a row of small tubes, which project upwards in the direction of the rolled material. These small tubes are spaced apart, on the one hand looking in the direction of transport, from the transport rollers and also, on the other hand looking in the direction of the roller axes, from each other. The coolant which is applied from beneath onto the rolled material can therefore be drained away without problem.
Recently, so-called intensive cooling has become known. Intensive cooling is a new type of cooling method for cooling a rolled material during hot rolling, or immediately thereafter. It is used in order to adjust selectively the microstructure, and with it the mechanical properties, of the end product. In particular, so-called AHSS (=advanced high strength steels) call for ever more intensity of cooling and flexibility of cooling. These requirements are met by intensive cooling. For intensive cooling, the lower spray bars must be constructed differently than for laminar cooling. In particular, the lower spray bars must have larger dimensions. Furthermore, the lower spray bars must withstand the higher pressures which arise with intensive cooling.
In the prior art, a lower spray bar for intensive cooling is known. The known spray bar fills the entire space between directly neighboring transport rollers. This hinders the drainage of the coolant sprayed from below onto the flat rolled material. Consequently, a substantial excess quantity of coolant is required in order to achieve any particular cooling effect.
From DE 102 15 229 A1 a cooling section is known, for a flat rolled material, in which the cooling section has a structural frame in which a plurality of transport rollers is arranged one behind another in the direction of transport of the flat rolled material. In each case, transport rollers which are immediate neighbors looking in the direction of transport have a gap between them. Each of the transport rollers is mounted in the structural frame so that each roller can rotate about a roller axis, whereby the roller axes are oriented orthogonally to the direction of transport and horizontally, so that the transport rollers form a pass-line for the flat rolled material. Arranged underneath the pass-line is at least one lower spray bar which has a base block, arranged beneath the transport rollers, into which is fed a liquid coolant. The lower spray bar has a base body which tapers towards its upper side. On its upper side, the base body has bores, into which are set spray tubules, which are closed off in the upward direction by a nozzle. The spray tubules have a cross section which is as such constant.
The objective of the present invention is to structure a cooling section, of the type mentioned in the introduction, such that it is possible in a simple way to drain off the coolant which is sprayed from below onto the flat rolled material.
This objective is achieved by a cooling section disclosed herein.
In accordance with the invention, a cooling section of the type mentioned in the introduction is thereby further constructed so that;
The inventive tapering of the first external dimensions achieves the effect that the widths of the feeder sections in the regions of the transport rollers are significantly smaller that the gap between immediately neighboring transport rollers.
It is possible that the feeder sections taper down over their entire vertical extent. Alternatively, it is possible that the widths of the feeder sections in the neighborhood of the base block are constant.
In one preferred embodiment of the inventive cooling section, provision is made that each of the feeder sections has a lower part which abuts the base block and an upper part which contains the upper closing element concerned. In the region of each lower part, the widths of the feeder sections are constant, in the region of each upper part the widths of the feeder sections reduce towards the upper closing element, and the lower part concerned and the upper part concerned are bolted together. By this construction it is possible, in particular, to increase the ease of assembly and maintenance.
In one particularly preferred embodiment of the inventive cooling section, in addition to a tapering of the widths, provision is made that each of the feeder sections has a breadth, looking in the direction of the roller axes, that these breadths are constant in the region of the underpart concerned and that in the region of the upper part the breadths reduce in the direction towards the upper closing element concerned.
The approach of this embodiment—namely the reduction in the breadths—can also be realized if the feeder sections are not split into lower parts and upper parts. In this case, at least in the neighborhood of the upper closing element concerned, the breadths reduce in the direction towards the relevant upper closing element.
Preferably, the spray nozzles will be screwed into the relevant upper closing element.
The spray nozzles which are arranged on the upper closing elements generally incorporate several rows of spray nozzles, in particular at least two outer rows of spray nozzles, which are arranged one behind another in the direction of transport of the flat rolled material. Each of the spray nozzles in the outer rows has a principal spray direction, with a vertical component directed upwards from below. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the principal spray directions has in addition a horizontal component. The horizontal components of the principal spray directions of the outer rows of spray nozzles are in this case directed away from each other.
In an embodiment, the spray nozzles arranged on the upper closing elements include in addition, at least one central row of spray nozzles, which is arranged between the outer rows of spray nozzles in the direction of transport of the flat rolled material. In this case, the spray nozzles of the central row will preferably have a principal spray direction which is oriented purely vertically, upwards from below.
In an embodiment, the widths reduce in steps in the direction towards the upper closing element. Preferably, however, the widths reduce steplessly.
Preferably there are strengthening ribs arranged at least in the base block. These enable the base block to better withstand pressure loadings—including changing pressure loadings due to the lower spray bar being switched on and off. If necessary, strengthening ribs can also be arranged in or on the feeder sections.
Provision is preferably be made to feed the liquid coolant into the base block parallel to the direction of the roller axes.
This simplifies the constructional layout of the lower spray bar.
In general, in addition to the lower spray bar, there is at least one upper spray bar arranged above the pass-line, into which is also fed a liquid coolant. On the underside of the upper bar there are further spray nozzles which feed the coolant into the upper spray bar to be sprayed from above onto the surface of the flat rolled material.
The characteristics, features and advantages described above for this invention, together with the way in which these are achieved, will be more clearly and sharply comprehensible in conjunction with the following description of the exemplary embodiments, which will be explained in more detail in conjunction with the drawings. These show schematic diagrams.
As shown in
Arranged beneath the pass-line 5 is a lower spray bar 6. In general, there are several lower spray bars 6. The explanations which follow, in which reference is made to the lower spray bar 6 and its components, are thus to be regarded as exemplary.
The lower spray bar 6 has a base block 7. This base block 7 is arranged beneath the transport rollers 3. Into the base block 7 is fed a liquid coolant 8. In principle, the liquid coolant 8 can be fed into the base block 7 from any arbitrary direction. Preferably, the liquid coolant 8 will, as indicated in
A number of feeder sections 9 project upwards from the base block 7 into gaps between the transport rollers 3. Generally, several feeder sections 9 are present. In what follows, reference will only be made to one of the feeder sections 9 and its components—as a representative of all the feeder sections 9. However, the corresponding embodiments are applicable to all the feeder sections 9.
As shown in
Looking in the direction of transport x of the flat rolled material 1, the feeder section 9 has a width 1. This width 1 varies when looking in a vertical direction. In particular, at least in the neighborhood of the upper closing element 10, the width 1 reduces in the direction towards the upper closing element 10. Preferably, there will be a stepless reduction in the width 1. A first angle of inclination α, formed between the boundary of the width 1 and the vertical direction, generally lies between 3° and 10°, for example 4° to 7°. Due to the reduction in the width 1, it is possible in particular to achieve the effect that the width 1 of the feeder section 9 is significantly less than the size of the gap a between the two immediately neighboring transport rollers 3. In particular, the width 1 in this region is preferably at most 80% of the gap a. It can also be even smaller, for example up to at most 50% of the gap a.
It is possible that the width 1 reduces over the entire height of the feeder section 9. Preferably, however, the width 1 is constant in the neighborhood of the base block 7. Even there, it can already be less than the size of the gap a between the two immediately neighboring transport rollers 3, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In a way analogous to the width 1, the narrowing of the breadth b will preferably be stepless. A second angle of inclination β, formed between the boundary of the breadth b and the vertical direction, generally lies between 5° and 15°, for example 7° to 12°.
As shown in
As shown in
The spray nozzles 11 of the central row 11b also have their own principal spray direction. The principal spray direction of the spray nozzles 11 of the central row 11b does not have a reference mark in
The more detailed explanation above was exclusively about the lower spray bar 6 and its construction. In general there is, as shown in the diagram in
The present invention has many advantages. In particular, the coolant usage for the lower spray bar 6 can be significantly reduced. Savings on coolant 8 of about 40% to about 50% are possible.
Although the invention has been illustrated and described in more detail by the preferred exemplary embodiment, the invention is not restricted by the examples disclosed, and a specialist can derive other variations therefrom without going outside the scope of protection for the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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13160792 | Mar 2013 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2014/053186 | 2/19/2014 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2014/154399 | 10/2/2014 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160052034 A1 | Feb 2016 | US |