Heating – With cleaning means for apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-30
2003-11-18
Wilson, Gregory (Department: 3749)
Heating
With cleaning means for apparatus
C432S002000, C134S008000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06648633
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a drum cleaner for cleaning a coiler furnace drum such as a drum of the type found in coiler furnaces for use with Steckel mills (reversing rolling mills).
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
A Steckel mill is one of the various types of rolling mill commonly installed in a production line for the manufacture of steel plate or strip. A Steckel mill is typically used to roll the steel (so as to reduce the thickness of the steel) while the steel is at a desired (typically relatively high) temperature so as to produce a desired steel microstructure. As such rolling reduction typically requires more than one pass (and sometimes several passes) through the Steckel mill, coiler furnaces are typically installed in line with the Steckel mill (one coiler furnace upstream of the Steckel mill and a second downstream of the Steckel mill) to maintain the temperature of the steel between passes through the Steckel mill. A coiler furnace has an internal rotatable generally-cylindrical drum. The leading edge (for the time being) of coilable plate or strip emerging from the Steckel mill that requires further passes through the Steckel mill is directed into the nearer coiler furnace and wound onto its drum. Subsequently, the plate or strip is unwound from the drum as it is fed back through the Steckel mill for a further pass. Sometimes, steel is temporarily kept coiled in the coiler furnace while other operations are in progress and then uncoiled and sent downstream on the production line or, if further rolling in the Steckel mill is required, after the next pass it is wound onto the drum of a coiler furnace on the other side of the Steckel mill.
During use, the work surface of the coiler furnace drum (that is, that portion of the coiler furnace drum that contacts the plate or strip) tends to accumulate unwanted matter such as scale and other debris. It is desirable to remove this unwanted matter from time to time to prevent it from being transferred to, and thus contaminating, the steel plate or strip wound on the drum.
To clean coiler furnace drums, it is conventional practice to hold a scraper (typically a piece of scrap steel) against the periphery of the drum, while the drum is rotated, so as to scrape unwanted matter from the surface of the drum. This procedure is sometimes ineffective and hazardous, and typically may be performed only when the coiler furnace is idle and (depending on the means for holding the scraper against the drum) relatively cool. Coiler furnace housings incorporating pivoting gates with scrapers attached at their distal ends, are also known. With such arrangements, the drum may be cleaned by pivoting the gate so as to bring the scraper into contact with the rotating drum.
Smith (U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,156, issued Mar. 12, 1996) discloses a dual-purpose guide and drum cleaner for coiler furnace winding drums. The guide and drum cleaner functions as a pivoting guide for guiding steel plate or strip into the coiler furnace so as to engage the winding drum and thus be coiled within the coiler furnace. The pivoting guide also functions as a drum cleaner in that it has a drum cleaner element attached at its distal end that can be brought into contact with the rotating drum to rub against the outer cylindrical surface of the drum so as to knock off the unwanted matter clinging to the drum's surface. Smith discloses two alternative drum cleaner elements, a consumable, abrasive-type cleaning element and a scraper-type cleaning element. When the abrasive or scraper-type cleaning element is worn down, it is replaced with a fresh cleaning element.
Due to uneven wear along their lengths, known drum cleaners typically do not provide even or consistent contact pressure against the drum, and thus do not provide even or consistent cleaning of the drum. Further, with cleaning elements that are attached to gates in the coiler furnace housing or that are part of a guide, the coiler furnace must be shut down and permitted to cool in order to replace worn cleaning elements. What is needed is a coiler drum cleaner that effectively cleans the surface of the coiler drum; that can be used when the coiler drum is at its normal operating temperature; and that permits maintenance and changing of the cleaning element while the coiler furnace is at its normal operating temperature. Such cleaner would be expected to facilitate consistent and uniform removal of debris along the length of the drum and would tend to minimize down time while cleaning is performed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A coiler furnace drum has a peripheral cylindrical surface and is rotatable. In this specification and in the appended claims:
a) “work surface” refers to the portion of the peripheral cylindrical surface of the drum that is available for contact with the steel that is wound around the drum when the coiler furnace is in use;
b) “drum length” refers to the length of the work surface as measured parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum;
c) “drum circumference” refers to the circumference of the work surface;
d) “axial” and “axially” refer to a direction or movement substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum; and
e) “radial” and “radially” refer to a direction or movement that is substantially perpendicular to an axial direction.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coiler drum cleaner comprising means for moving a cleaning element toward and into close proximity with the work surface, and means for supporting the cleaning element and moving the cleaning element axially, such that during the cleaning operation, the cleaning element may be moved axially so as to bring the cleaning element into contact with different circumferential portions of the work surface. Axial movement of the cleaning element during the cleaning operation compensates for inconsistencies in the cleaning effectiveness of different portions of the cleaning element (due, perhaps, to wear).
The axial length of the cleaning element that in use is engageable with unwanted matter on the work surface for removing the unwanted matter, is preferably less than the drum length (and more preferably no more than about half of the drum length), such that during use, the cleaning element is moved across the work surface of the rotating drum in order to contact and remove unwanted matter from the whole of the work surface. A cleaning element with a length considerably less than the drum length will typically be less costly than a cleaning element with a length equal to or greater than the drum length. As well, a cleaning element with a length considerably less than the drum length will enable more efficient cleaning in that the cleaning action can be localized so as to provide cleaning action for a longer or shorter time period as needed for different portions of the work surface.
The coiler drum cleaner includes means for retractably inserting the cleaning element into the coiler furnace, such that between cleaning operations, the cleaning element may be completely withdrawn from the coiler furnace, so that: the cleaning element does not interfere with the operation of the coiler furnace; the cleaning element is exposed to the high temperatures of the interior of the coiler furnace only for the time required to perform the cleaning operation; and maintenance of the coiler drum cleaner, such as changing or inspecting the cleaning element, may occur while the coiler furnace is operational.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided means for axially retractably inserting the cleaning element into the coiler furnace. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the coiler drum cleaner is configured such that the axial movement of the cleaning element for insertion into, and retraction from, the coiler furnace of the cleaning element, is in the same direction of movement as the movement of the cleaning element along the work surface over the drum length during cleaning. In this way, the means for inserting and retracting the
Banowetz Glen
Brooks Russell J.
Suchan Michael J.
Barrigar Robert
Ipsco Enterprises Inc.
Wilson Gregory
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