Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to high speed wire rod mills and more particularly, optimization and synchronization of water box opening and closing time of high speed wire rod mill for the reduction in end losses of high carbon wire rods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Wire Rod Mill (WRM) having versatile capabilities of rolling special quality plain steel wire rods ranging from low carbon to high carbon and alloy-grade steel, in diameters spanning 5.5mm to 22mm, additionally, it produces TMT wire rods of 6, 8, and 10mm diameter. The mill is equipped with advanced features, including housing less stand, Twin module block, and Structure Control system, coil laying head, C-hook conveyor, and coil compacter, enabling a maximum mill speed of 115 m /s.

In a wire rod mill, it's a common practice to leave the head end of the coil uncooled to prevent potential cobble, which could result from the disturbance caused by the high-pressure flow of water and to facilitate coiling of wire rod after cooling conveyor. This practice is prevalent across all wire rod mills and typically results in only 5-10 rings at the front end that fail to attain the required mechanical properties. However, in the case of rolling high carbon wire rods, both the front and tail ends failed to achieve the desired mechanical properties. Consequently, these sections are rejected and discarded before dispatch to customers, resulting in substantial losses. Each end sees approximately 80 rings discarded, totalling 160 rings overall. This issue is particularly prominent in the lower sections of high carbon wire rods rolled at high speeds.

Hence there is a need for the introduction of new technology that aims to overcome these drawbacks and provide a more efficient solution. This patent application proposes novel features distinct from the existing prior art, providing ground-breaking advancements and unique solutions that significantly enhance functionality and efficiency in the relevant field of technology.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following disclosure presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the present invention. It is not intended to identify the key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concept of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of the invention presented later.

The primary objective of the present invention is to optimize and synchronize the water box opening and closing time of high speed wire rod mill for high carbon wire rods, to reduce end losses of high carbon wire rods during rolling in a high speed wire rod mill.

In one aspect of the invention, a method of reduction in end losses of rolling high carbon wire rods is provided. The method comprises optimization and synchronization of water box opening and closing time of high speed wire rod mill for high carbon wire rods. In the method, initially, the location of the water box was examined to understand its role in end losses. Subsequently, the number of valves employed in each water box was scrutinized, considering the response time of these valves, which could significantly impact the cooling process efficiency. Further investigation extended to the operation of the programmable logic controller (PLC) in the cooling module, analyzing how signals are transmitted and received to open the valves in the water boxes. The conveyor speed and air flow within the system were also evaluated for their potential influence on end losses. Moreover, parameters such as furnace discharge temperature were taken into account during this comprehensive study. The furnace discharge temperature of the billet was reduced by 30°C-50°C to optimise the finishing temperature.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent in the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates the method/process of metal flow in wire rod mill and the optimizing signal sent from PLC to control the cooling process according to one implementation of present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates fast response valve fitted on water box according to one implementation of the present invention.

Figure 3 illustrates cooling conveyor table according to one implementation of the present invention.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may not have been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding, but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which various embodiments belong. Further, the meaning of terms or words used in the specification and the claims should not be limited to the literal or commonly employed sense but should be construed in accordance with the spirit of the disclosure to most properly describe the present disclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular various embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of various embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, members, components, and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, members, components, and/or groups thereof.

The present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

In one aspect of the invention, a method of reduction in end losses of rolling high carbon wire rods is provided. The method is shown by a flow chart in Figure 1. The method comprises optimization and synchronization of water box opening and closing time of high speed wire rod mill for high carbon wire rods. In the method, initially, the location of the water box was examined to understand its role in end losses. Subsequently, the number of valves employed in each water box was scrutinized, considering the response time of these valves, which could significantly impact the cooling process efficiency. Further investigation extended to the operation of the programmable logic controller (PLC) in the cooling module, analyzing how signals are transmitted and received to open the valves in the water boxes. The conveyor speed and air flow within the system were also evaluated for their potential influence on end losses. Moreover, parameters such as furnace discharge temperature were taken into account during this comprehensive study. The furnace discharge temperature of the billet was reduced by 30°C-50°C to optimise the finishing temperature.

Fast-response valves in Figure 2 were identified and fitted in water boxes for plant trials, with the response time of ON/OFF valves being less than 0.5 seconds. To improve air flow, dummy rollers were removed from appropriate locations after study to enhance air flow to 25-40 m^3/s as shown in Figure 3. PLC logic modifications were made for metal tracking of the front end; the tracking parameters for water box 7 were changed to minus 50 meters, and for water boxes 3 and 5 to minus 50 meters, resulting in a reduction of front end losses to 10 rings each. Similar modifications were made for metal tracking of the tail end; the tracking parameters for water box 7 were changed to plus 30 meters, and for water boxes 3 and 5 to plus 55 meters, reducing front end losses to 10 rings each. These innovations resulted in an 87.5% reduction in end losses, contributing to increased productivity in the wire rod mill for high carbon wire rods.

Usefulness of the Invention:
Currently, this innovative is used in wire rod mill of ISSCO steel plant.
The following are the benefits achieved after the usage of heat treated bent pipe.
i. End loses have reduced by 87.5%.
ii. The yield has improved.

This process innovation can be used all the wire rod mill of SAIL. Apart from this, the innovation can be used in non-SAIL wire rod mill in India and abroad.

Industrial Applicability:
Temperature optimization, PLC logic modification, fast response valve identification and innovation to improve air flow in the conveyor will be used for regular production of high carbon wire rods. This can used for bar and rod mill of Bhilai steel plant when such issue is faced in future. This can also be used for wire rod mill in India and abroad where issue of end loses is faced.

Those skilled in the art will recognize other use cases, improvements, and modification to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and other use-cases are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.
, Claims:
1. A method of reduction in end losses of rolling high carbon wire rod in a wire rod mill, wherein the method comprises:
Optimization and synchronization of water box opening and closing time of high speed wire rod mill for high carbon wire rods.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:
examining the location of water boxes; scrutinizing the number of valves employed in each water box by considering a response time of said valves; investigating the operation of a programmable logic controller (PLC).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the response time of said valves relates to cooling process efficiency.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the PLC logic is optimized for reduction in end losses by metal tracking.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an appropriate fast response valve is identified for rolling high carbon wire rod in high speed wire rod mill.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a wire rod conveyor system is modified for increase air flow in the conveyor table for rolling high carbon wire rod.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a temperature for rolling high carbon wire rod is optimised from furnace discharge to finish rolling in high speed wire rod mill for rolling high carbon wire rod with minimal end losses.