Quenching system, working method and production line

Abstract

The application discloses a quenching system, a working method and a production line, wherein a quenching water tank is arranged below an air cooling chamber; a track is arranged above the quenching water tank; a discharging track is provided with a discharging trolley; a material salvaging track is provided with a material salvaging trolley; a front end of the discharging trolley is provided with a discharging frame clamp, and the discharging frame clamp is used for clamping a discharging frame in the air cooling chamber; a front end of the material salvaging trolley is provided with a vertical rod, the vertical rod is connected with a lifting fork, and the lifting fork is provided with a salvaging frame; the discharging frame clamp is connected with a discharging frame rotating mechanism; the salvaging frame is provided with a bottom plate which can be pulled out, and the salvaging frame is provided with a salvaging frame bottom plate pulling-out mechanism. The application can realize a series of actions such as discharging, overturning, quenching, material salvaging and material returning, and can realize automatic linkage with water stirring and a cooling system to complete basic quenching processes such as water entering, cooling and water discharging of a part. The application can be installed at a position of an air cooling chamber of an isothermal normalizing device, and can transform an isothermal normalizing line into a normalizing / tempering dual-purpose device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of workpiece quenching technology, specifically relating to a quenching system, working method, and production line. Background Technology

[0002] The pusher-type isothermal normalizing production line is a type of billet heat treatment equipment suitable for large-scale continuous isothermal normalizing production. Its advanced features are mainly reflected in its high degree of automation and stable product quality. The automatic isothermal normalizing line consists of a normalizing heating furnace, an air-cooling system, an isothermal furnace, a material tray conveying device, a process control system, and a temperature control system. Currently, the heat treatment industry only has a few other types of normalizing / quenching and tempering dual-purpose heat treatment production lines. One is a walking beam cylinder integrated quenching, tempering, and normalizing heat treatment equipment, and the other is a combined quenching, tempering, and normalizing unit for sucker rod heat treatment. Their quenching devices are completely different from those of this invention, and the furnace types are also completely different. Currently, there is a lack of quenching devices for the pusher-type isothermal normalizing / quenching and tempering automated dual-purpose heat treatment production line.

[0003] Patent publication number CN114717386A, entitled "Automatic Production Line and Process for Residual Heat Normalizing and Secondary Heating Quenching and Tempering of Forged Workpieces," describes an automated production line comprising a control unit and sequentially connected components: a residual heat normalizing conveyor belt, a post-normalizing workpiece cooling platform, a feeding mechanism, a controlled atmosphere ring furnace, a discharging mechanism, a quenching device, a post-quenching workpiece cooling platform, and a low-temperature tempering furnace. The control unit controls the conveyor belt to transport workpieces forged by the workpiece forging machine. After air-cooling normalizing, the workpieces are cooled by the post-normalizing workpiece cooling platform and then conveyed by the feeding mechanism into the controlled atmosphere ring furnace for secondary heating. The workpieces are then discharged through the discharging mechanism into the quenching device for quenching, and finally cooled by the post-quenching workpiece cooling platform before entering the low-temperature tempering furnace for tempering. This process improves the heat treatment efficiency of the workpieces and allows for the formation of a refined martensitic structure, resulting in better hardness, strength, and impact resistance, thus enhancing the overall wear resistance and breakage resistance of the workpieces. This patent application cannot realize the quenching of an automated dual-purpose heat treatment production line for isothermal normalizing / tempering. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a quenching system, working method, and production line, thereby realizing a series of actions such as material discharge, flipping, quenching, material retrieval, and material return. Combined with the automated linkage of a water stirring and cooling system, it completes the basic quenching processes of parts entering, cooling, and exiting the water. It can be installed in the air-cooling chamber of isothermal normalizing equipment, transforming the isothermal normalizing line into a dual-purpose normalizing / tempering and quenching device.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A quenching system, comprising:

[0007] A quenching water tank is located below the air-cooling chamber;

[0008] The track is disposed above the quenching water tank, and the track includes a discharge track and a scooping track.

[0009] The discharge track is equipped with a discharge trolley, and the retrieval track is equipped with a retrieval trolley. The front end of the discharge trolley is equipped with a discharge frame clamp, which is used to clamp the discharge frame in the air-cooling chamber. The front end of the retrieval trolley is equipped with a vertical rod, and a lifting fork is connected to the vertical rod. The lifting fork is equipped with a retrieval frame. The discharge frame clamp is connected with a discharge frame rotation mechanism. The retrieval frame has a removable bottom plate, and the retrieval frame is equipped with a retrieval frame bottom plate removal mechanism.

[0010] Optionally, the front end of the discharge vehicle is provided with a lifting gantry, and the discharge frame clamp is connected to the lifting gantry through a discharge frame rotation mechanism.

[0011] Optionally, the discharge track and the scooping track are perpendicular to each other.

[0012] Optionally, a material spreading platform is provided in the quenching water tank, and the height of the material spreading platform is higher than the lowest position of the lifting fork.

[0013] Optionally, the material spreading platform is funnel-shaped.

[0014] Optionally, the bottom plate removal mechanism of the material scooping frame includes a chain drive mechanism, on which a chain is provided, and the chain is connected to the removable bottom plate of the material scooping frame through a connecting block.

[0015] Optionally, both the discharge vehicle and the retrieval vehicle have a base, and the discharge vehicle is equipped with a discharge vehicle drive mechanism; the retrieval vehicle is equipped with a retrieval vehicle drive mechanism.

[0016] Optionally, a counterweight for the discharge vehicle is provided on the base of the discharge vehicle; a counterweight for the retrieval vehicle is provided on the base of the retrieval vehicle.

[0017] The working method of the quenching system includes the following steps:

[0018] The discharge frame in the air-cooling chamber is picked up by the discharge frame clamp;

[0019] Move the discharge frame along the discharge track to the quenching water tank;

[0020] The workpiece in the discharge frame is poured into the quenching water tank through the discharge frame rotation mechanism;

[0021] The cooled workpiece is scooped up using a scooping frame, and the scooping frame is raised using a lifting fork.

[0022] Move the scooping frame along the scooping track to the workpiece receiving position, and start the scooping frame bottom plate pulling mechanism to pour out the cooled workpiece.

[0023] A production line includes the aforementioned quenching system and an annealing line, wherein an air-cooling chamber is provided on the annealing line, a side door is provided on the side of the air-cooling chamber, and the discharge track and the outlet of the side door are on the same axial direction.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0025] This invention discloses a quenching system, working method, and production line capable of performing a series of actions including material discharge, turning, quenching, material retrieval, and material return. Combined with an automated water stirring and cooling system, it can complete the quenching process of parts entering, cooling, and exiting the water. It is suitable for cooling media that allow for direct tempering without cleaning after quenching, such as clean water, brine, alkaline water, and other water-based quenching media. It provides good quenching uniformity and is suitable for tempering heat treatment of medium and low carbon steel parts of various shapes and cross-sectional dimensions. It can be installed in the air-cooling chamber of isothermal normalizing equipment, transforming the isothermal normalizing line into a dual-purpose normalizing / tempering / heating device. The modified equipment can switch between isothermal normalizing and tempering processes at any time. This invention is compatible with various pusher-type and roller-hearth type isothermal normalizing furnaces.

[0026] Furthermore, this invention adds a side-mounted discharge furnace door to the outer wall of the air-cooling chamber of the existing pusher-type isothermal normalizing production line, inserting a quenching step to add automated quenching functionality to the equipment without affecting its original function. After the modification, the isothermal normalizing production line can be used for quenching treatment, expanding the process range of the isothermal normalizing production line. Attached Figure Description

[0027] The accompanying drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Furthermore, the shapes and proportions of the components in the drawings are merely schematic to aid in understanding the invention and do not specifically limit the shapes and proportions of the components. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the production line of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a top view of the quenching water tank of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the quenching water tank of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a top view of the quenching system of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the quenching system of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the material retrieval vehicle of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 This is a top view of the material retrieval vehicle of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the discharge vehicle of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 9 This is a front view of the material discharge vehicle of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 10 This is a top view of the material discharge vehicle of the present invention;

[0038] The components are as follows: 0. Annealing line; 1. Air cooling chamber; 11. Side door; 2. Quenching water tank; 21. Water inlet; 22. Water outlet; 23. Air inlet; 24. Pipeline pump; 25. Water pipe trench; 3. Discharge trolley; 31. Discharge track; 32. Discharge frame; 33. Discharge frame clamp; 34. Lifting gantry; 35. Clamp lifting drive mechanism; 36. Discharge frame rotation mechanism; 37. Discharge trolley drive mechanism; 38. Discharge trolley counterweight; 4. Spreading screen; 5. Retrieving trolley; 51. Retrieving track; 52. Retrieving frame; 53. Lifting fork; 54. Vertical rod; 55. Lifting fork drive mechanism; 56. Retrieving frame bottom plate removal mechanism; 561. Chain drive mechanism; 562. Chain; 563. Connecting block; 57. Retrieving trolley drive mechanism; 58. Retrieving trolley counterweight. Detailed Implementation

[0039] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this invention, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0040] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only embodiments.

[0041] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the specification of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0042] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, a production line of the present invention includes an annealing line 0, an air-cooling chamber 1 is provided on the annealing line 0, a side door 11 is provided on the side of the air-cooling chamber 1, and a quenching system of the present invention is provided below the opening direction of the side door 11.

[0044] like Figure 4 As shown, a quenching system of the present invention includes a quenching water tank 2 and a track; the track is disposed above the quenching water tank 2, and the track includes a discharge track 31 and a retrieval track 51. Specifically, the discharge track 31 and the retrieval track 51 are perpendicular to each other. The discharge track 31 is on the same axial direction as the outlet of the side door 11.

[0045] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the bottom of the side wall of the quenching water tank 2 is provided with an air inlet 23 for heating when the water temperature is low. The two opposite side walls of the quenching water tank 2 are respectively provided with a water inlet 21 and a water outlet 22 for circulating cooling water. A pipeline pump 24 and a water pipe trench 25 are provided next to the quenching water tank 2.

[0046] Optionally, the quenching water tank 2 is 2.5m long, 3.5m wide, and 2m deep. It is constructed from 10mm thick steel plates, with the outer edges reinforced with structural steel to prevent deformation. A slag removal pit is provided at the bottom of the quenching water tank 2 for easy removal of oxide scale. A protective railing is installed around the perimeter of the quenching water tank 2, and a protective net is installed above it to avoid obstructing the track, ensuring safety and facilitating maintenance.

[0047] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, a discharge cart 3 is installed on the discharge track 31, and a retrieval cart 5 is installed on the retrieval track 51. A spreading screen 4 is installed inside the quenching water tank 2; specifically, the spreading screen 4 is funnel-shaped. Both the discharge cart 3 and the retrieval cart 5 have a base. The discharge cart 3 is equipped with a discharge cart drive mechanism 37; the retrieval cart 5 is equipped with a retrieval cart drive mechanism 57. A discharge cart counterweight 38 is installed on the base of the discharge cart 3; a retrieval cart counterweight 58 is installed on the base of the retrieval cart 5.

[0048] like Figures 6 to 10 As shown, the front end of the discharge cart 3 is equipped with a discharge frame clamp 33, which is used to clamp the discharge frame 32 in the air-cooling chamber 1. A discharge frame rotating mechanism 36 is connected to the discharge frame clamp 33. The front end of the discharge cart 3 is equipped with a lifting gantry 34, and the discharge frame clamp 33 is connected to the lifting gantry 34 through the discharge frame rotating mechanism 36.

[0049] The front end of the material retrieval vehicle 5 is provided with a vertical rod 54. A groove is opened on the side of the vertical rod 54, and a roller is arranged in the groove of the vertical rod 54. The roller is connected to the lifting fork 53 through a connector. A steel cable is connected to the lifting fork 53, and a power device is connected to the steel cable. Specifically, the vertical rod 54 is made of channel steel.

[0050] A material scooping frame 52 is provided on the lifting fork 53. The material scooping frame 52 has a removable bottom plate, and a material scooping frame bottom plate removal mechanism 56 is provided on the material scooping frame 52. The height of the material spreading platform 4 is higher than the lowest position of the lifting fork 53.

[0051] like Figure 7 As shown, the bottom plate removal mechanism 56 of the material scooping frame includes a chain drive mechanism 561, on which a chain 562 is provided. The chain 562 is connected to the removable bottom plate of the material scooping frame 52 through a connecting block 563.

[0052] The quenching system of the present invention further includes an electrical control system, which includes a programmable logic controller (PLC) for controlling the actions of the unloading trolley 3, the spreading screen 4, and the retrieval trolley 5. The electrical control system also includes a time relay for setting the residence time of the workpiece in the water. The electrical control system further includes a temperature controller connected to a thermocouple, which is placed in the quenching water tank 2. After setting the starting temperature of the circulating pump, the circulating cooling system automatically starts when this temperature is reached to ensure that the water temperature meets the requirements.

[0053] The production line of the quenching system of the present invention includes the following steps during operation:

[0054] When the isothermal normalizing / quenching and tempering annealing line 0 is in automatic operation, the discharge frame 32 containing the parts is transported to the air-cooling chamber 1. The pipeline pump 24 is started to transport the cooling water in the quenching water tank 2 to the open cooling tower outside the production line for cooling. At the same time, the cooled water is circulated back into the quenching water tank 2.

[0055] The heated discharge frame 32 on the heat-resistant steel track of the air-cooled chamber 1 is picked up by the discharge frame clamp 33.

[0056] Move the discharge frame 32 along the discharge track 31 to the quenching water tank 2.

[0057] The unloading cart 3 reverses while rotating 360 degrees via the unloading frame rotating mechanism 36, evenly pouring the workpieces from the unloading frame 32 onto the spreading mesh platform 4 in the quenching water tank 2. This ensures a uniform cooling rate for the workpieces, thereby guaranteeing uniform hardness after quenching. The unloading cart 3 then returns to its original position, awaiting the next operation.

[0058] After cooling, the workpieces on the spreading screen 4 are poured into the scooping frame 52. The scooping cart 5 is then moved backward to avoid the spreading screen 4, and the cooled workpieces are scooped up through the scooping frame 52. The scooping frame 52 is then raised by the lifting fork 53 to drain the water.

[0059] The material scooping frame 52 moves along the material scooping track 51 to the workpiece receiving position, and the bottom plate pulling mechanism 56 of the material scooping frame is activated to pour the cooled workpiece out to the next production line. The material scooping cart 5 then reverses, lowers the material scooping basket into the bottom of the quenching water tank 2, and moves forward to the exit of the spreading mesh platform 4 to wait.

[0060] After the automated quenching process is completed, the material tray automatically moves to the isothermal furnace on the isothermal normalizing / tempering line to begin heating and tempering until the material is discharged and the tempering process is completed.

[0061] Unless otherwise specified, the equipment components involved in the above embodiments are all conventional equipment components, and the structural settings, working methods or control methods involved are all conventional settings, working methods or control methods in the art unless otherwise specified.

[0062] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Any other modifications or equivalent substitutions made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention, as long as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A quenching system, characterized in that, include: Quenching water tank (2), the quenching water tank (2) is located below the air-cooling chamber (1); The track is located above the quenching water tank (2), and the track includes a discharge track (31) and a scooping track (51). The discharge track (31) is equipped with a discharge cart (3), and the retrieval track (51) is equipped with a retrieval cart (5). The front end of the discharge cart (3) is equipped with a discharge frame clamp (33), which is used to clamp the discharge frame (32) in the air-cooled chamber (1). The front end of the retrieval cart (5) is equipped with a vertical rod (54), and a lifting fork (53) is connected to the vertical rod (54). The retrieval frame (52) is equipped with a retrieval frame. The discharge frame clamp (33) is connected with a discharge frame rotation mechanism (36). The retrieval frame (52) has a removable bottom plate, and the retrieval frame (52) is equipped with a retrieval frame bottom plate removal mechanism (56). The quenching water tank (2) is provided with a material spreading platform (4), and the height of the material spreading platform (4) is higher than the lowest position of the lifting fork (53). The discharge track (31) and the scooping track (51) are perpendicular to each other; The bottom plate removal mechanism (56) of the material scooping frame includes a chain drive mechanism (561), on which a chain (562) is provided. The chain (562) is connected to the bottom plate of the material scooping frame (52) through a connecting block (563).

2. The quenching system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The front end of the discharge car (3) is provided with a lifting gantry (34), and the discharge frame clamp (33) is connected to the lifting gantry (34) through the discharge frame rotation mechanism (36).

3. The quenching system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material spreading platform (4) is funnel-shaped.

4. The quenching system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the discharge car (3) and the retrieval car (5) have a base. The discharge car (3) is equipped with a discharge car drive mechanism (37); the retrieval car (5) is equipped with a retrieval car drive mechanism (57).

5. A quenching system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The discharge cart (3) has a discharge cart counterweight (38) on its base; the scooping cart (5) has a scooping cart counterweight (58) on its base.

6. A method for operating a quenching system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The discharge frame (32) in the air-cooled chamber (1) is clamped by the discharge frame clamp (33); Move the discharge frame (32) along the discharge track (31) to the quenching water tank (2); The workpiece in the discharge frame (32) is poured into the quenching water tank (2) by the discharge frame rotation mechanism (36); The cooled workpiece is lifted by the scooping frame (52) and the scooping frame (52) is raised by the lifting fork (53); Move the scooping frame (52) along the scooping track (51) to the workpiece receiving position, and start the scooping frame bottom plate pulling mechanism (56) to pour out the cooled workpiece.

7. A production line, characterized in that, The invention includes a quenching system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, and an annealing line (0), wherein an air-cooling chamber (1) is provided on the annealing line (0), and a side door (11) is provided on the side of the air-cooling chamber (1), and the discharge track (31) and the outlet of the side door (11) are on the same axial direction.

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