Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Coil holder or support – Radially expansible or contractile
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-17
2002-03-12
Jillions, John M. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Coil holder or support
Radially expansible or contractile
C242S575000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06354534
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to uncoilers and recoilers used in a line for processing sheet material, such as slitting lines used for dividing sheet steel.
2. Review of the Prior Art
Sheet steel is normally provided in coils, and it is common to process such material in a slitting line to divide the material longitudinally. A coil of un-slit sheet steel is placed on an uncoiler on one end of the line, and the steel is unwound from the coil and slit in the slitting line and then rolled into coils on a recoiler at the other end of the line. As used herein, the term “coiler” generally refers to either uncoilers or recoilers. Both uncoilers and recoilers include a drum having one end of which is rotatably mounted on a fixed support. The opposite end of the coil is free so that the coiled sheet steel can be installed on the drum of an uncoiler and removed from the drum of the recoiler. To facilitate installation and removal of the coils, the drums are expandable/contractible as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,116. Sheet steel is normally wound into coils, which may have either of two standard inner diameters, and while the coilers have expanding mandrels to grip the inner coil opening, the expansion of the mandrels cannot accommodate the dimensional variance in inner diameters of the two standard diameters. The strips of slit steel may be wound on the recoiler into coils having either of the two common inner diameters. The coils with the smaller inner diameter may be placed directly upon, or removed from, the drum of the uncoiler or recoiler, but the coils with the larger inner diameter require that the drum be modified to have a larger outer diameter in order that the slit steel can be taken up.
There are a number of prior art methods which have been attempted, but which are inefficient for this use. Prior art adapter plates are used which are connected to the mandrel, but these are difficult and time consuming to install on the drums. To install adapter plates on the drum, the slitting line must be shut down, thereby losing production. In other versions, bands of rubber are wrapped around the mandrel which expand with the mandrel. These versions are extremely difficult, and become oil soaked after a short period of time, making them difficult to use. Another version is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,315 which shows movable elements which are surrounded by a polyurethane slit sleeve which is held on by elastic bands. Such a device would not be usable with a steel coil of the nature anticipated in the present invention.
It should be understood to those skilled in the art, the resultant inefficiency the prior art methods provide. In a fabrication facility of the type described, it is not uncommon to have a changeover in diameters three to four times per day, where the down time is nearly 40 minutes per changeover, primarily due to the mandrel diameter modification on the coiler.
According to the present invention, a sleeve having three interconnected segments is mounted on a drum having expandable segments in radial alignment with the segments of the drum, to permit the sleeve to be expanded and contracted with the drum.
The sleeve is installed and removed from the drum by way of a coil cart which is normally used to transport steel coils to and from the drum. Accordingly, the sleeve can quickly and easily be modified to accommodate coils having inner diameters of different sizes.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2848176 (1958-08-01), Gunter
patent: 3396918 (1968-08-01), Adamson et al.
patent: 3815840 (1974-06-01), Horton et al.
patent: 4199116 (1980-04-01), Matsunaga
patent: 4201352 (1980-05-01), Madachy
patent: 4421283 (1983-12-01), Rippin
patent: 5904315 (1999-05-01), McInerney
Lopez Esteban
Matsunagana Douglas
Braner USA, Inc.
Decker Ken C.
Hall James D.
Jillions John M.
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