Separation device for rolled bars

Details Separation device for rolled bars Separation device for rolled bars

1999-10-08

2001-04-24

Krizek, Janice L. (Department: 3652)

Material or article handling

Cylindrical bar handling device

Sequentially acting, diverse handling devices

C198S459100, C198S468100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06220812

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns a separation device for rolled bars.
The invention is employed, in the zone where layers or packs of bars are formed, to separate, distance and align the bars arriving from the cooling zone located downstream of the rolling or finishing line, in order to obtain a better, more regular and more accurate packing of said bars.
The invention, in co-operation with a counter device, allows to prepare layers or packs consisting of a desired number of bars, and allows to avoid counting errors due to the bars being superimposed and twisted along the transport plane.
The device according to the invention is used in the preparation of long rolled products in bars, particularly if emerging from multi-profile rolling.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Downstream of the finishing train, rolling plants for bars and profiles normally provide a cooling zone and a zone for the formation of bundles or layers in which the bars are counted and, when the desired number for the formation of the bundle is reached, tied and discharged.
In the bundle-forming step, there is the problem that the bars arranged on the carrier plane, particularly if emerging from a multi-profile formation process, are often superimposed and twisted lengthwise, so that it is difficult to count them accurately and without mistakes, and difficult to separate the last bar of one layer from the first bar of the next layer.
There have been proposals for separation devices which raise the leading end of the last bar in one layer with respect to the carrier plane in order to separate it from the adjacent bar.
This lifting is problematic at times and is not able to separate bars which overlap or are twisted together for a considerable part of their length. Moreover, lifting the bars from the carrier plane may cause them to be axially mis-aligned.
Other solutions have proposed movable blades or arms arranged below the carrier plane and suitable to be inserted into the gap between two adjacent bars in order to separate them.
These means are only able to separate the bars in correspondence with the leading ends, they cannot eliminate twisted and overlapping bars.
Moreover, they only give a minimum separation, which is not sufficient to ensure accurate counting and easy manipulation.
These problems therefore cause mistakes and the formation of layers which are not homogeneous, creating considerable problems in the subsequent step of tying and packing the bundles of bars.
The problems are even greater in the case of multi-profile rolling and the thinner the bars are, in which case the possibility of the bars being overlapping and twisted on the carrier plane is even higher.
The present Applicant has devised, tested and embodied this invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain further advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of the invention is to provide a device which allows to efficiently separate and distance adjacent bars on a carrier plane which are to be sent to a tying or packing zone or where layers are formed.
A further purpose is to obtain, at outlet from the separation device, bars which are perfectly aligned lengthwise to be sent to the pack- or layer-forming zone.
The separation device according to the invention co-operates with counter means suitable to count the bars which are progressively made to advance along a carrier plane.
The carrier plane consists of movement elements which are separated lengthwise from each other and suitable to displace the bars in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the bars.
In a preferential embodiment, the device according to the invention also co-operates with partial spacer means which act in correspondence with the leading end of the bars.
The separation device according to the invention comprises a plurality of separator assemblies arranged in alignment in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bars arranged on the carrier plane.
Each separator assembly is arranged in the space between two adjacent movement elements on the carrier plane and has at least separator means associated with movement means suitable to make them rotate with respect to a substantially horizontal axis.
According to a variant, every separator assembly comprises a pair of separator means counter-opposed and rotating on respective horizontal axes with an opposite direction of rotation.
In this case, every separator mean is suitable to act on a respective bar and two adjacent bars are distanced in opposite directions by the action of the respective separator means.
According to a further variant, every separator assembly comprises two or more separator means, or two or more pairs of separator means, separated longitudinally along the bar, each of which is suitable to act on a respective segment of a relative bar.
In this case, according to a further embodiment, the two or more separator means, or the two or more pairs of separator means, are suitable to act on the bars in a temporal progression according to their position with respect to the leading end of the bars.
To be more exact, first the separator means nearest the leading end of the bar act, then, in sequence, the separator means which are gradually further from the leading end of the bar act, thus determining a progressive separation of two adjacent bars.
The separator means have a first inactive position arranged retracted below the plane carrying the bars, and a second operating position in which they are taken progressively above the carrier plane and, inserting themselves between two adjacent bars, cause them to be progressively separated.
The separator means have an arched profile suitable to act on the bar gradually as the means are taken above the carrier plane.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the arched profile of each of the separator means is defined by at least a first segment which has the function of displacing the relative bar while the separator means are being raised, and a second segment which does not generate any displacement on the bar even if the separator mean is further raised with respect to the carrier plane.
According to a variant, the separator assemblies are activated in a temporal progression in which the leading separator assembly is activated first, and then all the others are gradually activated, so as to cause two adjacent bars to be progressively distanced from the leading end to the trailing end thereof.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3151747 (1964-10-01), McGoogan
patent: 3502191 (1970-03-01), Valo
patent: 4245735 (1981-01-01), Valo
patent: 4431367 (1984-02-01), Pousette et al.
patent: 4911283 (1990-03-01), Hollins
patent: 1011217 (1965-11-01), None
patent: 9921666 (1999-05-01), None

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