Steel Strip Edge Markers for Spatial Material Property Tracking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for marking steel strips often result in surface damage, leading to waste and the need for additional processing steps to remove markers, and fail to efficiently track material properties along the strip, especially when the strip is divided into smaller units.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the measurement of material properties at discrete positions on a steel strip and applying markers to the strip edge, each containing a material identifier, allowing for spatially resolved tracking and dynamic adjustment of process parameters during further processing without surface impairment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If markers are applied to the flat strip surface, then identification is facilitated, but surface damage occurs leading to waste and additional processing steps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveidentification facilitationVSAvoidsurface damage and waste
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The marker application location is shifted from the flat strip surface (2D plane) to the strip edge (1D boundary), effectively moving the marking function to a different dimension where it no longer interferes with the usable surface area of the steel strip

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Ease of operation

If markers are applied to the flat strip surface, then identification is facilitated, but additional processing steps are required to remove markers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveidentification facilitationVSAvoidprocessing steps
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The marker application is extracted from the flat strip surface and relocated to the strip edge, separating the identification function from the main processing flow and eliminating the need for subsequent marker removal steps

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Loss of information

If material properties are tracked along the strip, then spatially resolved tracking is achieved, but confusion between strip sections and measurement data may occur when strip is divided

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial property trackingVSAvoiddata management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The continuous steel strip is conceptually segmented into discrete sections, with each section assigned a unique marker containing material property information. This segmentation approach maintains clear association between strip sections and their measurement data even when physically divided

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Material property measurement and marker application are performed in advance during the marking process, before the strip undergoes further processing or division. This preliminary action ensures that each strip section carries its own identification information from the outset

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4182102B1Method for marking a steel strip, and steel strip with a plurality of markers
Publication Date: 2024.10.30 THYSSENKRUPP STEEL EUROPE AG PATENTE PATENT DEPARTMENT
  • EP4182102B1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1c
  • EP4182102B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2d

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for marking a steel strip (11) with material properties of the steel strip. The method comprises the following steps: - measuring material properties of the steel strip (11) at a plurality of discrete strip positions - applying a plurality of markers (25) to the strip edge at the discrete strip positions, each marker (25) of the plurality of markers (25) containing a material identifier (29) with regard to the measured material properties at the respective strip position (17) of the marker. The invention also relates to a steel strip with a plurality of markers.