Coil box

Abstract

The invention relates to a coil box (100) having an interior (110) for accommodating a coil (20) in the form of a wound metal strip. The coil box (100) or the interior (110) is assigned a coil opener (120) having a main body (122) for releasing the start of the wound metal strip on the coil for transport of the metal strip out of the coil box. The invention also relates to a method for controlling the coil opener. The aim of the invention is to better protect the coil within a coil box against excessive undesired heat loss. To achieve this aim, the coil opener (120) has thermal insulation (130) at least on the surface of the main body (122) of the coil opener which faces the interior of the coil box (100). The thermal insulation improved according to the invention makes it possible that, according to the method according to the invention, the radial distance d between the tip (128) of the coil opener (120) and the outer turn of the coil (20) remains in a distance interval between a specified minimum distance and a specified maximum distance during the winding mode and / or during the unwinding mode, with the following applying to the maximum distance:

Description

[0001] Coilbox

[0002] The invention relates to a coil box with an interior space for receiving a coil in the form of a wound metal strip. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a method for controlling a coil opener of a coil box.

[0003] Such coil boxes are generally known in the prior art, for example from German patent application DE 102 23 905 A1. The coil box described therein is located within a rolling mill for rolling metal strip, in particular between a roughing and a finishing mill of the rolling mill. The known coil box comprises an unwinding station with an interior space for receiving a coil in the form of a wound metal strip. A coil opener is assigned to the unwinding station for releasing the beginning of the wound metal strip from the coil. This is necessary to unwind the coil and transport the metal strip from the coil box for subsequent processing, in particular for subsequent forming. To protect the coil or the metal strip from excessive cooling, heat shield devices are provided in the unwinding station, which can be positioned against the end faces of the coil by means of a rotary drive.The heat shield devices are equipped with thermal insulation on the hot side, consisting of at least one layer of insulating material. Optionally, this insulating layer can be covered with a foil-like layer of steel.

[0004] Coil openers for coil boxes are also known in the prior art, which are water-cooled internally. This has the disadvantage that heat is drawn from the interior of the respective coil box and ultimately also from the coil, if present. The invention is based on the objective of further developing a known coil box and a known method for controlling a coil opener of the coil box in such a way that a coil within a coil box is better protected against unwanted heat loss.

[0005] This problem is solved with respect to the coilbox by the subject matter of claim 1. Accordingly, the coilbox according to the invention is characterized in that the coil opener has thermal insulation at least on the surface of its base body facing the interior of the coilbox.

[0006] The term "base body of the bundle opener" refers to the bundle opener without the thermal insulation according to the invention. Both a base part and a front part of the bundle opener have a base body.

[0007] The thermal insulation of the bundle opener offers the following advantages:

[0008] - The improved thermal insulation of the coil opener reduces heat loss from the coil box interior. This enhances the overall heat balance and insulation of the coil box, thereby reducing heat loss from the metal strip wound into the coil. Consequently, the metal strip can be advantageously fed into downstream forming processes at higher temperatures, such as hot strip or heavy plate rolling. Due to the higher temperature, lower forces and torques are required for the forming processes, resulting in energy savings. Furthermore, the improved thermal insulation of the coil box also enables the handling of temperature-sensitive metal strip grades, thus expanding the overall product range. The coil's residence time in the coil box is preferably adapted to the entire subsequent forming process.According to one embodiment, the bundle opener can have an internal coolant chamber or coolant channels for introducing or passing a coolant through it. In this case, the thermal insulation of the bundle opener according to the invention makes it possible to reduce the size of the coolant chamber or coolant channels, or even to eliminate the coolant chamber entirely, which would also reduce the overall weight of the bundle opener with or without the coolant. This weight reduction allows for a reduction in the power consumption of the drive, in particular the rotary drive of the bundle opener.

[0009] Alternatively, with the reduced weight of the coil opener and the same high-performance drive, higher traverse speeds can be achieved. These higher traverse speeds directly reduce coil cycle times and thus significantly increase the overall productivity of any downstream forming line, such as a (hot strip) rolling mill.

[0010] The aforementioned problem of the invention is further solved by the method according to claim 8. The advantages of this solution correspond to the advantages previously mentioned with reference to the claimed coilbox.

[0011] Further embodiments of the coilbox and method according to the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0012] The description includes three figures, whereby

[0013] Fig. 1 shows the coilbox according to the invention in a cross-sectional view with a coil opener in a “coil-opening” position;

[0014] Fig. 2 shows the coilbox according to the invention as shown in Figure 1 with the coil opener and its thermal insulation; and Fig. 3 shows the coil opener according to the invention in a cross-sectional view.

[0015] The invention is described in detail below with reference to these figures in the form of exemplary embodiments. In both figures, identical technical elements are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0016] Figure 1 shows the coil box 100 according to the invention, in particular its unwinding station. The coil box, or its unwinding station, has an interior 110 in which a coil 20 is received. The coil 20 is a wound metal strip. Associated with the coil box 100, or its unwinding station, is a coil opener 120 for releasing the beginning of the wound metal strip from the coil 20 for transport of the metal strip out of the coil box 100, for example to a downstream forming device. To open the coil 20 during an "opening mode," the coil opener 120 engages the free end of the outer winding of the metal strip on the coil 20 with its tip 128.

[0017] Figure 2 shows the coil box in a winding or unwinding operating mode. The tip 128 of the coil opener is then spaced radially from the outer winding of the coil 20 by a distance d.

[0018] Regardless of the operating mode, as shown in Figure 2, a base body 122 of the coil opener 120 has thermal insulation 130 at least on its surface facing the interior 110 of the coil box 100. The advantages of this thermal insulation 130 are described in detail above.

[0019] The thermal insulation 130 consists of at least a first insulating layer 130-1, which in turn is made of a non-metallic insulating material. Optionally, the thermal insulation can also have a second insulating layer in the form of a metal membrane 130-2. The metal membrane can be a foil, a mesh, a thin sheet, a perforated sheet, or the like. A closed surface is particularly advantageous, as it prevents dirt, water, or other substances from penetrating the insulating material. The metal membrane can be relatively thin. To improve its durability, it can be mechanically protected by projecting cheeks 123 of the arm of the coil opener 120; see Fig. 3. The metal membrane 130-2 is preferably firmly bonded to the insulating material. The two insulating layers are then formed as a single piece. The metal membrane 130-2 preferably forms the hot side of the coil opener 120 facing the coil 20.The insulating material 130-1 is then arranged between the metal membrane 130-2 and the base body 122 of the bundle opener 120.

[0020] According to Fig. 3, the bundle opener 120, in particular its base body 122, can have a coolant chamber 125 or cooling channels inside for introducing or passing through a coolant, for example water. The advantages of the thermal insulation 130, 130-1, 130-2 provided according to the invention in conjunction with the coolant chamber are described above.

[0021] As can be seen in Fig. 2, the coil opener 120 is movable, and in particular pivotably mounted, via a drive 140, for example in the form of a pivoting drive. The drive 140 is controlled by a control unit 150 for variably adjusting the coil opener 120 within the interior 110 of the coil box 100, in particular for adjusting the distance of the coil opener to the coil 20. The coil opener 120 is, for example, designed in two or more parts. It then consists of a base part 124, which is primarily pivotable by the drive 140, to which a preferably curved front part 126 is articulated. The free end of the front part is designed in the form of a point for engaging between the windings of the coil, in particular for opening the coil. The front part 126 can be moved, in particular pivoted, relative to the base part 124 by means of a separate actuator 142, for example a hydraulic cylinder.In this way, the coil opener 120 is particularly well and variably adaptable to coils even with different diameters. The base part 124 and the front part 126 can each have the base body 122 with the inventive one- or multi-part insulating coating.

[0022] The inventive method for controlling the coil opener 120 of the coilbox 100 is described in more detail below. It comprises the following steps:

[0023] - Handling a coil within the coil box during different operating modes: winding mode, opening mode, or unwinding mode; and

[0024] - Controlling the movement and variably adjusting the position of the coil opener relative to the coil 20 during the various operating modes, wherein the radial distance d between the tip 128 of the coil opener 120 and the outer winding of the coil 20 remains within a distance interval between a predetermined minimum distance and a predetermined maximum distance during the winding mode and / or during the unwinding mode. The maximum distance is

[0025] 1,200 mm, preferably 600 mm.

[0026] By adhering to the maximum distance, which is significantly smaller or can be selected than in the prior art due to the thermal insulation of the coil opener 120 according to the invention, it is advantageously ensured that the heat loss of the coil 20 in the coilbox 100 is largely reduced.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the method according to the invention provides that the change in the outer diameter of the coil is determined or predetermined for at least one of the operating modes; and that the tip of the coil opener is adjusted during the operating mode as a function of the changing outer diameter of the coil, so that the radial distance d between the tip of the coil opener and the changing outer diameter remains within the interval between the minimum and maximum distances, preferably remaining constant. For the distance interval during the winding mode and / or during the unwinding mode, with the minimum and maximum distances as interval limits, the following applies, for example:

[0028] 100 mm (minimum distance) < d < 1200 mm (maximum distance); preferably 100 mm (minimum distance) < d < 600 mm (maximum distance)

[0029] In the open operating mode, the dimension d is preferably reduced to 0 mm.

[0030] For the aforementioned adjustment, positioning, or tracking of the tip 128 of the bundle opener 120, its front part 126 and / or base part 124 can be moved independently of each other, even relative to each other. Alternatively, the front part and the base part can also be moved together as if they were fixed or connected.

[0031] Reference symbol list

[0032] 20 Coil

[0033] 100 Coilbox

[0034] 110 interior

[0035] 120 Bund openers

[0036] 122 Basic bodies

[0037] 123 Cheek of the base body of the bung opener

[0038] 124 Basic part

[0039] 125 Coolant chamber

[0040] 126 Front part

[0041] 128 Tip of the Bund opener

[0042] 130 Thermal insulation

[0043] 130-1 Insulation material

[0044] 130-2 Metal diaphragm

[0045] 140 Drive, for example swivel drive

[0046] 142 Actuator

[0047] 150 control unit

Claims

Patent claims:

1. Coilbox (100), with an interior (110) for receiving a coil (20) in the form of a wound metal strip; and a coil opener (120) for releasing the beginning of the wound metal strip from the coil (20) for transporting the metal strip out of the coilbox, wherein the coil opener (120) has a base body (122), characterized in that the coil opener (120) has thermal insulation (130) at least on the surface of its base body facing the interior (110) of the coilbox (100).

2. Coilbox (100) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the thermal insulation (130) has a first insulating layer (130-1 ) consisting of a non-metallic insulating material.

3. Coilbox (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the thermal insulation (130) has a second layer in the form of a metal membrane (130-2); that the metal membrane (130-2) is preferably firmly or integrally connected with the insulating material; and that the insulating material is preferably arranged between the base body of the coil opener and the metal membrane (130-2).

4. Coilbox (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base body (122) of the coil opener (120) has a coolant chamber (125) for the insertion or Passing through a coolant.

5. Coilbox (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a drive (140), for example a swivel drive, for moving the coil opener (120); and a control device (150) for controlling the drive (140) for variably adjusting the position of the coil opener (120) within the interior (110) of the coilbox (100), in particular for adjusting the distance of the coil opener to the coil (20).

6. Coilbox according to claim 5, characterized in that the coil opener (120) has a base part (124) and a front part (126) articulated to the base part (124); that the drive (140) is connected to the base part for moving, in particular pivoting, the base part (124) into or out of the interior of the coilbox; and that an actuator (142) is provided for moving, in particular pivoting, the front part (126) of the coil opener (120) relative to its base part (124), also into or out of the interior of the coilbox; and that the control device is further configured for variably controlling the actuator (142) to move the front part (126) relative to the base part (124).

7. Coilbox (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coilbox (100) has an unwinding station; and that the interior (110) and the coil opener (120) of the unwinding station assigned and each part of the processing station.

8. Method for controlling the coil opener (120) of a coilbox (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the coil opener (120) has a base part (124) and a front part (126) articulated to the base part with a point at its free end, and wherein the method comprises the following steps: - Handling a coil within the coil box during different operating modes: winding mode, opening mode, or unwinding mode; and - Controlling the movement and variably adjusting the position of the coil opener relative to the coil (20) during the different operating modes, wherein the radial distance d between the tip of the coil opener and the outer winding of the coil remains within a distance interval between a predetermined minimum distance and a predetermined maximum distance during the winding mode and / or during the unwinding mode; characterized in that the maximum distance is 1,200 mm, preferably 600 mm.

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the change in the outer diameter of the coil (20) is determined at least during one of the operating modes or is predetermined for this operating mode; and that the tip (128) of the coil opener (120) is adjusted during the operating mode as a function of the changing outer diameter of the coil (20), so that the radial distance d between the tip of the coil opener and the changing outer diameter remains in the distance interval between the minimum and the maximum distance, preferably remains constant.

0. Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the minimum and maximum distances are defined as interval limits for the distance interval: 100 mm (minimum distance) < d < 1200 mm (maximum distance); preferably 100 mm (minimum distance) < d < 600 mm (maximum distance).

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