Cooling device

Abstract

To provide a cooling apparatus which can cool workpieces with different dimensions while suppressing the complication of the apparatus.SOLUTION: A cooling apparatus according to this invention comprises plural jet bodies 10 for jetting a cooling liquid to a workpiece W. Each jet body 10 has a jet face 111 having plural jet holes 110 formed therein, the plural jet bodies 10 are arranged with a gap G therebetween so as to surround the workpiece W by the respective jet faces 111, each jet face 111 has a jet hole group H1 in which the plural jet holes 110 are lined up in a direction of surrounding the workpiece, and it is constituted in such a manner that the cooling liquid C to be jetted from the plural jet holes 110 in the jet hole group H1 is not crossed with the cooling liquid C to be jetted from the mutually adjacent jet body 10, and the intervals of the cooling liquids C to be jetted from the mutually adjacent jet holes 110 in the respective jet faces 111 are reduced as it is separated from the jet faces 111.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device, and more specifically to a cooling device used for heat treatment of a metal workpiece (hereinafter simply referred to as "workpiece"). [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in heat treatments such as quenching of metal workpieces, the workpieces are heated by high-frequency induction or the like, and then cooled with a coolant. In such heat treatments, a cooling device that sprays the coolant onto the workpiece is used.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cooling system for an induction hardening device that has three or more hollow block bodies (injection bodies) arranged around a workpiece, each block body having an injection part with an injection hole for injecting the cooling liquid inside, and the injection ranges of the cooling liquid injected from the injection parts of each block body cover the entire periphery of the outer surface of the workpiece without overlapping with each other, and the injection range of the cooling liquid injected from the injection parts of each block body can be changed depending on the size of the workpiece. The jacket is shown. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-90081 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the cooling jacket described in Patent Document 1 requires a device structure that allows the spray range of the cooling liquid sprayed from the spray portion of each block body to be changed depending on the size of the workpiece, which may make the device complicated. In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device that can cool workpieces of different sizes while suppressing the complexity of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The cooling device according to the present invention comprises: A plurality of spray bodies are provided for spraying a cooling liquid onto the workpiece, Each of the plurality of ejection bodies has an ejection surface on which a plurality of ejection holes are formed, The plurality of ejection bodies are arranged with gaps between them so that the respective ejection surfaces can surround the workpiece, Each of the ejection surfaces has an ejection hole group in which the plurality of ejection holes are arranged in a direction surrounding the workpiece, The cooling liquid sprayed from the plurality of injection holes in the injection hole group is configured so as not to intersect with the cooling liquid sprayed from the adjacent injection bodies, and the distance between the cooling liquid sprayed from the adjacent injection holes on each injection surface is configured to become smaller as the distance from the injection surface increases.

[0007] According to this configuration, the intervals between the coolant jets jetted from the adjacent jet holes on each jet surface become smaller as the distance from the jet surface increases. Therefore, even when the workpieces are of different sizes (for example, when changing from a large outer diameter to a small outer diameter), collisions between the coolant sprayed from adjacent spray bodies outside the workpiece surface (before reaching the workpiece) are suppressed when cooling each workpiece, without requiring changes to the device structure such as changing the spray range of the coolant. Therefore, the cooling device according to the present invention can cool workpieces of different sizes while preventing the device from becoming complicated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooling device that can cool workpieces of different sizes while suppressing the complexity of the device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic top view of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a cooling device for cooling a large diameter workpiece. FIG. [Figure 2] The cooling device of Figure 1 is used to cool small diameter workpieces. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view of each jet of the cooling device of FIG. 1 as viewed from the workpiece side. [Figure 6] 2 is a more detailed top view of each jet of the cooling device of FIG. 1. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the workpieces W (large diameter workpieces Wa and small diameter workpieces Wb, the same applies hereinafter) to be cooled by the cooling device 1 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cooling device 1 of this embodiment cools two or more types of workpieces W having different sizes (outer diameters). More specifically, the cooling device 1 cools a large-diameter workpiece Wa and a small-diameter workpiece Wb. Each of the large-diameter workpiece Wa and the small-diameter workpiece Wb has, for example, a cylindrical side surface w1. The large-diameter workpiece Wa and the small-diameter workpiece Wb have different outer diameters at the side surface w1. Furthermore, each workpiece W has an axis w4.

[0011] Each workpiece W is made of a steel material, such as carbon steel for machine structures as specified in JIS 4051:2016.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cooling device 1 of this embodiment is configured to cool, with a coolant C, a side surface w1 of a workpiece W that has been heated by high-frequency induction or the like. The cooling device 1 of this embodiment is configured to support the workpiece W by a support means (not shown) so that the axis w4 is aligned with a first direction, and to supply the coolant C to the side surface w1 of the workpiece W while rotating the workpiece W around the axis w4 by a rotation means (not shown). Note that, hereinafter, the first direction in which the axis w4 extends will be referred to as the height direction, and the second direction perpendicular to the first direction will be referred to as the horizontal direction.

[0013] The cooling device 1 of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of ejectors 10 that eject the cooling liquid C onto the side surface w1 of the workpiece W. Each injection body 10 is formed in a box shape. Specifically, each injection body 10 has a front portion 11 extending in the height direction and capable of facing the side surface w1 of the workpiece W, a back portion 12 facing the front portion 11, an upper surface portion 13 (shown transparent in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6) and a lower surface portion 14 connected to the front portion 11 and the rear portion 12 and extending horizontally, and a pair of side surface portions 15 (shown transparent in FIGS. 3 and 4) connected to the front portion 11 and the rear portion 12 and extending in the height direction. The upper surface portion 13 and the lower surface portion 14 face each other, and the pair of side surface portions 15 face each other. The front portion 11, the rear portion 12, the upper surface portion 13, the lower surface portion 14, and the pair of side surface portions 15 form a storage space V for temporarily storing the coolant C.

[0014] Each of the ejection bodies 10 is provided with a coolant supply port (not shown) for supplying the coolant C to the storage space V.

[0015] 3 to 6, a plurality of injection holes 110 for injecting the coolant C are formed in the front portion 11 of each of the plurality of injection bodies 10. As a result, the surface of the front portion 11 forms an injection surface 111 in which the plurality of injection holes 110 are formed.

[0016] The ejection surface 111 of this embodiment is formed to face the side surface w1 of the workpiece W. The ejection surface 111 has a pair of side edges 111a extending in the height direction, and is formed as a curved surface that is concave toward a center line 111b that extends parallel to the side edges 111a in the height direction and on the same plane as the surface of each side edge 111a, and that extends in a direction away from the workpiece W with the center line 111b as its axis. In other words, the ejection surface 111 of this embodiment has a pair of side edges 111a extending in the height direction in a front view, and an arc-shaped upper edge 111c and an arc-shaped lower edge 111d that are concave toward the back surface 12 in a plan view. This allows the ejection surface 111 to be parallel to the side surface w1 of the workpiece W. The multiple ejection bodies 10 are configured so that the ejection surfaces 111 of adjacent ejection bodies 10 can surround the side surface w1 of the workpiece W.

[0017] More specifically, the multiple ejection bodies 10 are arranged so that the lower surfaces 14a of the respective lower surface portions 14 are aligned on the same plane. Furthermore, the multiple ejection bodies 10 are arranged so that the respective ejection surfaces 111 are aligned concentrically when viewed from one side in the height direction as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In other words, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the multiple ejection bodies 10 are arranged so that the respective ejection surfaces 111 surround an imaginary straight line VL on which the axis w4 of the workpiece W may overlap. Each ejection body 10 is fixed by fixing means (not shown) on which the cooling device 1 is installed.

[0018] 1 and 2, adjacent ejection bodies 10 are arranged with a horizontal gap G therebetween. The gap G is, for example, 10 mm.

[0019] 5, on each injection surface 111, the injection holes 110 are arranged in multiple rows along the horizontal and height directions. That is, the injection surface 111 of each of the multiple injection bodies 10 has an injection hole group H1 in which the injection holes 110 are arranged in a direction surrounding the side surface w1 of the workpiece W. Furthermore, the injection hole group H1 is arranged in multiple rows in the height direction perpendicular to the direction surrounding the side surface w1 of the workpiece W.

[0020] The multiple injection hole groups H1 include odd-numbered row injection hole groups H1 and even-numbered row injection hole groups H1. The multiple injection holes 110 in the odd-numbered row injection hole groups H1 are arranged in a grid pattern. The multiple injection holes 110 in the even-numbered row injection hole groups H1 are also arranged in a grid pattern. The plurality of injection holes 110 in the odd-numbered rows of injection hole groups and the plurality of injection holes 110 in the even-numbered rows of injection hole groups are formed so as to be misaligned in the horizontal direction. That is, in the injection surface 111 of this embodiment, a plurality of injection holes 110 are formed in a staggered arrangement.

[0021] 6, each injection hole 110 is formed in the front portion 11 so as to extend horizontally in a direction away from the workpiece W, thereby injecting the coolant C traveling horizontally. Each injection hole 110 in this embodiment forms, for example, a cylindrical passage through which the coolant C passes. 6, the multiple injection holes 110 of the injection hole group H1 are formed to be inclined toward the center line CL, from the central injection hole 110b toward the injection holes 110a located at both ends, so that each injection hole 110 injects the coolant C toward the center line CL passing through the central injection hole 110b. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the distance between the coolant C injected from adjacent injection holes 110 on the injection surface 111 of each of the multiple injection bodies 10 becomes smaller with increasing distance from the injection surface 111. All of the plurality of injection hole groups H1 (all of the injection hole groups H1 in the odd-numbered rows and the injection hole groups H1 in the even-numbered rows) have the same configuration.

[0022] 6, in this embodiment, each of the ejection holes 110 in the multiple ejection hole groups H1 ejects the coolant C toward the center of the arc (the imaginary straight line VL) described by the inner surface of the ejection surface 111. This allows each of the ejection holes 110 in the multiple ejection hole groups H1 to eject the coolant C toward the axis w4 of the workpiece W.

[0023] Next, we will explain how to configure the cooling device 1 of this embodiment so that the cooling liquid C sprayed from the multiple injection holes 110 in the injection hole group H1 for each of the workpieces W of different sizes does not intersect with the cooling liquid C sprayed from adjacent injection bodies 10, and so that the distance between the cooling liquid C sprayed from adjacent injection holes 110 on each injection surface 111 becomes smaller as the distance from the injection surface 111 increases. First, let us consider cooling the workpiece W whose side surface w1 has the smallest outer diameter (for example, workpiece Wb whose side surface w1 has an outer diameter of 10 mm) among the workpieces W to be cooled by the cooling device 1 shown in Fig. 2. Also, let us define the area from the virtual line VL horizontally to the side surface w1 of the workpiece Wb as a radius distance as a central area A, and let us define the area from the outer edge of the central area A (the side surface w1 of the workpiece Wb) to the injection surface 111 as a lateral area B.

[0024] Next, as described above, the workpiece Wb is configured so that in the side region B, the distance between the coolant C sprayed from adjacent spray holes 110 on the spray surface 111 becomes smaller as it moves away from the spray surface 111. The configuration for such a workpiece Wb is as follows. The front portion 11 has a plurality of injection holes 110 formed to extend horizontally away from the workpiece W, and an injection hole group H1 formed at equal intervals in the direction surrounding the workpiece (preferably, the injection hole groups H1 are further arranged in multiple rows at equal intervals from each other in the height direction perpendicular to the direction surrounding the workpiece W). The injection surface 111 of the front portion 11 is formed into a curved shape by adjusting the amount of recession (i.e., the amount of curvature radius of the injection surface 111 when curved) toward a center line 111b extending in the height direction parallel to each side edge portion 111a, with the center line 111b as the axis, in the direction away from the workpiece W. In this case, the injection hole group H1 may adjust the amount of intrusion in the central region A so that the coolant C injected from the injection holes 110 adjacent to each other intersects with each other.

[0025] The multiple injection bodies 10 with recessed front portions 11 in this manner are used to cool not only the workpiece Wb but also the workpiece W with the largest outer diameter of the side surface w1 among the workpieces W to be cooled by the cooling device 1 (for example, workpiece Wa with an outer diameter of the side surface w1 of 20 mm), and the multiple injection bodies 10 are arranged so that their respective injection surfaces 111 surround the workpiece Wb and so that a gap G is left between them so that the cooling liquid C sprayed from the multiple injection holes 110 in the injection hole group H1 does not intersect with the cooling liquid C sprayed from adjacent injection bodies 10 in the side regions B and B' of both workpieces Wb and Wa.

[0026] In this way, by designing the cooling device 1 to have the smallest outer diameter of the side surface w1 of the workpiece W that is expected to be cooled by the cooling device 1 and configuring the cooling device 1 so that it can also cool the workpiece with the largest outer diameter, the cooling liquid C sprayed from the multiple injection holes 110 in the injection hole group H1 will inevitably not intersect with the cooling liquid C sprayed from adjacent injection bodies 10 in the side region B', and the distance between the cooling liquid C sprayed from adjacent injection holes 110 on each injection surface 111 will become smaller as it moves away from the injection surface 111.

[0027] The cooling device 1 of this embodiment supports each workpiece W, which may be of different sizes, in a state in which the axis w4 of each workpiece W overlaps the center of the arc of each ejection surface 111, and ejects the coolant C toward the side surface w1 of each workpiece W. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cooling device 1 of this embodiment has the ejection holes 110 configured as described above, and can therefore supply the coolant C directly to the side surface w1 of each of the large-diameter workpiece Wa and the small-diameter workpiece Wb.

[0028] As described above, according to the cooling device 1 of this embodiment, the distance between the coolant C sprayed from adjacent injection holes 110 on each injection surface 111 is configured to become smaller as the distance from the injection surface 111 increases. Therefore, even if the workpieces are of different sizes (for example, when changing from a workpiece with a large outer diameter to a workpiece with a small outer diameter), collisions between the coolant sprayed from adjacent spray bodies outside the workpiece surface (before reaching the workpiece) are suppressed when cooling each workpiece, without requiring changes to the device structure such as changing the range of coolant spray. Therefore, the cooling device according to the present invention can cool workpieces of different sizes while preventing the device from becoming complicated.

[0029] In the cooling device 1 of this embodiment, the injection hole groups H1 are described as being arranged in multiple rows in the height direction perpendicular to the direction surrounding the side surface w1 of the workpiece W, but the same effect can be obtained even if there is only one row of injection hole groups H1. However, from the perspective of improving the cooling rate of the workpiece W, it is preferable that the injection hole groups H1 are arranged in multiple rows in the height direction perpendicular to the direction surrounding the side surface w1 of the workpiece W.

[0030] Moreover, the cooling device 1 of this embodiment is more preferably used for cooling the workpiece W by moving quenching in high frequency induction heating. In moving quenching, for example, a heating section (not shown) that performs high-frequency induction heating is arranged at the upper part of the height direction in Figures 3 and 4, and the cooling device 1 of this embodiment is arranged at the lower part of the heating section in the height direction, and the workpiece W heated in the upper heating section is moved downward in the height direction by a moving means (not shown), and the workpiece W is cooled by moving downward in the height direction while the cooling liquid C is constantly being sprayed from multiple spray bodies 10. This is more preferable because the cooling rate of the side surface w1 of each workpiece W, which is different in size, can be improved and made uniform by using this type of cooling for the workpiece W by moving hardening during high-frequency induction heating.

[0031] The coolant C in this embodiment is water, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the coolant C may be a polymer-based coolant.

[0032] Although one embodiment has been shown as an example, the cooling device according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment. Furthermore, the cooling device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described effects. The cooling device according to the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0033] For example, in the above embodiment, the workpiece W is supported so that the axis w4 is aligned vertically, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the workpiece W may be supported so that the axis w4 is aligned horizontally. That is, the above embodiment may be configured such that the height direction is reversed to the horizontal direction and vice versa.

[0034] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the injection surface 111 of the injection body 10 has a curved surface shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the injection surface 111 may be formed in a rectangular shape along a single plane. In this case, the injection direction of the coolant C from each injection hole 110 can be adjusted by forming the injection holes 110 of the injection hole group H1 of the front surface portion 11 at an appropriate inclination with respect to the thickness direction of the front surface portion 11 so that the intervals between the injection holes 110 of the injection holes 110 adjacent to each other on the injection surface 111 become smaller with increasing distance from the injection surface 111. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1: cooling device, 10: injection body, 11: front portion, 110: injection hole, 111: injection surface, 111a: side edge portion, 111b: center line, 111c: upper edge portion, 111d: lower edge portion, H1: injection hole group, 12: back portion, 13: upper surface portion, 14: lower surface portion, 15: side portion, C: coolant, V: storage space, G: gap, VL: imaginary line, A: central region, B: side region, W: workpiece, Wa: large diameter workpiece, Wb: small diameter workpiece, w1: side surface, CL: center line

Claims

1. Used to cool workpieces of different sizes, A plurality of spray bodies are provided to spray the cooling liquid onto the workpiece, Each of the plurality of ejection bodies has an ejection surface on which a plurality of ejection holes are formed, The plurality of ejection bodies are arranged with gaps between them so that the respective ejection surfaces can surround the workpiece, Each of the ejection surfaces has an ejection hole group in which the plurality of ejection holes are arranged in a direction surrounding the workpiece, A cooling device configured so that the cooling liquid sprayed onto each of the workpieces from the plurality of spray holes in the spray hole group does not intersect with the cooling liquid sprayed from adjacent spray bodies, and so that the distance between the cooling liquid sprayed from adjacent spray holes on each spray surface becomes smaller as the distance from the spray surface increases.

2. 2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the groups of injection holes are arranged in a plurality of rows in a height direction perpendicular to the direction surrounding the workpiece.

3. 3. The cooling device according to claim 1, which is used for cooling a workpiece by moving hardening in high frequency induction heating.

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