Variable Profile Gas Blowing Device for Strip Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing gas blowing devices for moving strip materials face challenges in achieving efficient cooling and stability while minimizing vibrations and contact risks, often requiring high flow rates or significant installation costs.

Innovation Solution

A gas blowing device with hollow boxes featuring tubular nozzles with variable profiles, where the nozzles are fixed orthogonally to the profile, allowing for closer nozzle-strip distance and improved gas uptake, homogeneity, and stability, with dihedral, broken line, or curvilinear profiles optimizing gas distribution and reducing pressure drops.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If the distance between nozzles and strip is reduced to improve cooling performance, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the risk of contact and damage increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling efficiencyVSAvoidrisk of contact and damage
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The hollow box is equipped with a surface whose profile is variable in at least one given direction (dihedral, broken line, or curvilinear profiles), creating a curved geometry that allows nozzles to be positioned closer to the strip while maintaining safety margins and avoiding direct contact

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The variable profile surface allows different regions of the hollow box to have different distances to the strip, enabling optimized local cooling performance while maintaining overall safety, with each nozzle positioned at an ideal distance for its specific location

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Temperature

If very high flow rates are used to improve cooling performance, then cooling efficiency is improved, but installation cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling efficiencyVSAvoidinstallation cost
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The variable profile surface changes the geometric parameters of the hollow box, allowing optimization of gas flow distribution and pressure characteristics to achieve efficient cooling at moderate flow rates rather than requiring very high flow rates

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the variable profile surface create localized flow patterns that optimize cooling efficiency across the entire strip width, achieving uniform cooling performance without requiring excessively high overall flow rates

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Stability of the object's composition

If nozzles are inclined towards edges of strip to reduce vibrations, then strip stability is improved, but uniformity of temperature distribution worsens

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestrip stabilityVSAvoiduniformity of temperature
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The variable profile surface (dihedral, broken line, or curvilinear) creates a curved geometry that naturally directs gas flow towards the edges of the strip, providing stabilizing effect while maintaining uniform temperature distribution through the optimized surface shape

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The variable profile allows different sections of the hollow box to have different orientations and distances to the strip, creating localized flow patterns that simultaneously provide edge-directed stabilization and uniform overall temperature distribution

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 device achieves enhanced thermal and aerodynamic performance, improved strip stability, and reduced vibrations, while maintaining a reasonable installation cost, with the ability to minimize the distance between nozzles and strip, even at high speeds.

Implementation Method 1

device for blowing gas onto one face of a moving strip material... with a view to a drying, cooling or coating treatment

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 2

use of gas jets inclined with respect to the normal to the plane of the moving strip in order to improve the stability of the moving strip

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAerodynamic force:

Data Source

PatentEP2085488B1Vorrichtung zum Blasen von Gas auf eine Fläche von durchlaufendem Bandmaterial
Publication Date: 2010.09.22 CMI THERMLINE SERVICES
  • EP2085488B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2085488B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2085488B1 patent drawingFigure 5~7

AI summary

The present invention relates to a device for blowing gas onto one face of a moving strip material, comprising at least one hollow box (20) equipped with a plurality of tubular nozzles (30) directed towards the relevant face of the strip material (15). According to the invention, the hollow box (20) has, on the side facing the relevant face of the strip material (15), a surface (22) whose profile (P) is variable in at least one given direction (D), symmetrically with respect to a median plane (Q) perpendicular to the plane of the strip (15), and the tubular nozzles (30) are fixed at their base to the variable-profile surface (22) such that their respective axes are essentially orthogonal to said variable profile at the point considered, said tubular nozzles having a respective length chosen so that their outlet orifices are in a common plane substantially parallel to the plane of the strip (15).