Carousel Coiler Layout for Thin Strip Winding at High Mass Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
State-of-the-art combined casting and rolling plants face reliability and productivity issues when producing very thin hot-rolled finished strips at high mass flows, particularly due to difficulties in winding and cutting thin strips at high speeds, leading to reduced efficiency and increased risk of the strip head not being picked up by the coiler mandrel.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a carousel coiler system with separate rotary drives for each coiler mandrel and a pivot drive for pivoting the mandrels on an elliptical or circular path, allowing for efficient winding and cutting of thin strips without diverting the strip under the pass line, and the use of driver rollers to minimize tension before cutting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple reels are arranged one after another in the transport direction, then the finished strip can be wound onto separate coils, but the strip head may not be picked up by the reel mandrel at high transport speeds, leading to production interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The coiling system is segmented into multiple independently driven reel mandrels arranged side-by-side rather than in series. Each mandrel can operate independently, allowing the strip to be continuously fed to any available mandrel without stopping production when one mandrel is full or malfunctioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The reel mandrels are equipped with separate high-speed drives that can dynamically adjust their speeds and activate/deactivate based on operational needs. This dynamic control ensures the strip head is reliably picked up by the appropriate mandrel even at high transport speeds, preventing production interruptions.
2Productivity
If the finished strip is diverted to another coil before the first coil reaches capacity, then continuous production is maintained, but the complex switching mechanism increases the risk of strip head pickup failures
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a single reel with switching mechanisms, the system segments the coiling function across multiple fixed-position mandrels. The strip is fed linearly to the appropriate mandrel without complex diversion mechanisms, eliminating the reliability issues associated with mechanical switching while maintaining continuous production capability.
Solution Approach 2:
A carrier mechanism acts as an intermediary between the strip source and multiple reel mandrels, allowing the strip to be easily transferred between mandrels without complex switching. This intermediary simplifies the transition process and reduces the risk of pickup failures during coil changes.
3Device complexity
If traditional coiling systems are used with thin strips at high mass flows, then the equipment structure is simple, but the strip tension causes poor cut quality and potential strip lifting
Solution Approach 1:
The coiling function is segmented across multiple mandrels with independent control, allowing each mandrel to be optimized for specific strip thicknesses and tensions. This segmentation enables better control over strip handling and cutting quality without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables dynamic adjustment of winding parameters such as winding tension, mandrel speed, and positioning for each individual mandrel. These parameter changes allow optimization of the coiling process for thin strips at high mass flows, improving cut quality and preventing strip lifting while maintaining manageable system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances the reliability and productivity of the combined casting and rolling plant by enabling the continuous operation of producing very thin hot-rolled strips with high mass flow, reducing the risk of strip lifting during cutting and improving the quality of the cut, while allowing for faster transport speeds.
Implementation Method 1
Each reel mandrel (21a, 21b) has a separate rotary drive (20a, 20b) for rotating the reel mandrel around an axis of rotation (22a, 22b)
Implementation Method 2
The carousel reel (18) has a pivoting drive (27) for pivoting the reel mandrels (21a, 21b) together around a common pivoting axis (28) on an elliptical, in this case circular, path
Implementation Method 3
driver rollers to minimize tension before cutting
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a cast-roll composite plant for the production of a hot-rolled finished steel strip with a carousel reel (18). The object of the invention is to increase the reliability of the cast-roll composite plant in the production of very thin finished strips at high mass flow rates. The problem is solved by a casting-rolling composite plant according to claim 1, in which a carousel reel (18) for winding the finished strip onto a first and a second reel mandrel (21a, 21b) is arranged behind the shear (16) in the material flow direction, wherein each reel mandrel (21a, 21b) has a separate rotary drive (20a, 20b) for rotating the reel mandrel (21a, 21b) about its axis of rotation (22a, 22b) and the carousel reel (18) has a pivoting drive for pivoting the reel mandrels (21a, 21b) together about a common pivoting axis (28) on an elliptical, preferably a circular, track (29).