Multilayer Thickness Gauge Frame for Hot Rolling Heat Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for determining the thickness of strip-shaped or plate-shaped objects in hot rolling processes face measurement errors due to temperature changes, which cause thermal expansion and deformation of the frame structure, leading to inaccurate readings, especially in environments with high temperatures and thermal radiation.
Innovation Solution
A multilayered structure for the frame's legs, including a base frame element with a cooling device, a radiation protection layer, and a jacket with a fluid flow channel, designed to minimize temperature effects and maintain measurement accuracy by decoupling the sensors from environmental temperature fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional single-layer frame structures are used in hot rolling environments, then the device structure is simple, but temperature changes cause thermal expansion and deformation leading to measurement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The frame legs are divided into multiple layers (first layer, second layer, third layer) that can differentially expand and contract in response to temperature changes. This segmentation allows each layer to accommodate thermal stress independently, preventing deformation that would affect sensor positioning and measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame employs a composite multi-layer structure where each layer can be made of different materials with varying thermal expansion coefficients. This composite construction enables the frame to manage thermal stresses through controlled differential expansion between layers, maintaining structural integrity and measurement precision in hot rolling environments.
2Measurement precision
If cooling devices are added to reduce temperature effects, then measurement accuracy is maintained, but device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is segmented and distributed across multiple layers of the frame structure. Different layers can be cooled independently or to different extents, allowing selective temperature management that reduces overall energy consumption while maintaining sensor accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
Cooling is applied locally to specific regions of the frame, particularly to the sensor mounting areas and connecting pieces, rather than uniformly cooling the entire frame. This localized approach minimizes energy consumption by cooling only the critical components that affect measurement accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If cooling devices are added to reduce temperature effects, then measurement accuracy is maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is merged into the frame structure itself by integrating cooling channels and cooling devices directly into the frame legs and connecting pieces. This integration eliminates the need for separate external cooling systems, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame structure serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical support, accommodates thermal expansion through its multi-layer design, and incorporates cooling channels for temperature management. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, simplifying the overall device while maintaining measurement precision.
4Reliability
If the frame structure is made more robust to resist thermal deformation, then measurement stability is improved, but the device becomes more complex and harder to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is segmented into multiple layers that can be manufactured separately and then assembled. This segmentation allows each layer to be manufactured using standard processes without requiring complex tooling or specialized manufacturing techniques, while the assembled multi-layer structure provides the thermal deformation resistance needed for measurement stability.
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
The solution effectively reduces temperature-related errors in thickness measurements, ensuring accurate and reliable readings even in high-temperature environments by shielding sensors from thermal radiation and maintaining stable frame components, thus minimizing the impact of ambient conditions on the measurement.
Implementation Method 1
the legs of a C-frame are wrapped with copper pipes through which liquid flows in a closed circulation
Implementation Method 2
liquid flows in a closed circulation, without cooling or heating
Implementation Method 3
designed to minimize temperature effects and maintain measurement accuracy by decoupling the sensors from environmental temperature fluctuations
Implementation Method 4
temperature changes, for example, cause the frame structure to expand or deform as a result of the material's own coefficient of thermal expansion
Data Source
AI summary
With regard to a reliable measurement of the thickness of an object (4) even in an environment with high temperatures, a device (1) is provided for determining the thickness of an object (4), more particularly a strip-like or flat object (4), preferably for use in a hot rolling process, having a frame (2) with at least one leg (5, 6), the at least one leg (5, 6) having a sensor (8a, 8b) for the contactless measuring of the distance to the object (4), which device is characterised in that the at least one leg (5, 6) has a structure consisting of a plurality of layers in order to reduce the temperature effect on the frame (2) and/or on the sensor (8a, 8b).