FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mechanism for minimizing the noise
produced while handling the finished tubes at various sequence of
operations that are performed by equipments during cold drawing
process in the tube manufacturing unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
During cold rolling mill process many operations are involved like
pointing, drawing, Hydro test, NDT testing, oiling and straightening,
packing in converting a billet into a tube form. In all these areas noise
levels generated are above threshold levels which lead to high sound
pollution in the work environment. The noise levels and found that noise
levels are greater than threshold level (95dbA). When human beings are
exposed to such kind of high sound pollution over a long period of time,
it leads to health hazards like hearing related problems and ultimately to
permanent deafness. As per statutory requirements for industrial areas,
noise levels are targeted to be below 70-75dbA for few hours of working
per day. The bay is covered with asbestos roof tiles, and since it is closed,
the noise is reverberated causing stress to the people working. Though
protective safety equipment like ear plugs are used but still face health
issues arises over prolonged time as the noise levels measured is more
than 90dBA levels much above the industrial levels of 70dBA required.
The noise is generated mainly when tubes are piled during collection in
trough after each operation. The height of fall of a tube varies between 1
to 1.5m at various operational equipments mentioned earlier. There are
315kN, 800kN, 50T and 60T drawing machines used for generally tubes
of sizes 21.3mm to 82.5mm OD and lengths varying between 5 to 15m

are handled. The operational speed i.e. amount of time taken to complete
operations at each one of the working platforms on one tube and ready to
fall into collection trough varies between 1 to 3 minute. Each lot consist
of 40 to 70 tubes to be collected before a hoist is used to bundle and tied
up with metallic ropes and carried away to other bay or storage yard.
The present invention teaches an automatic mechanism to collect the
tubes and drop the tubes at lesser height so that the noise produced
during the tube operations can be reduced. In this invention a method is
disclosed which serves purpose of reducing the noise generated during
tube manufacturing process by eliminating the source of the noise
generation.
The existing methods with conventional knowledge of avoiding noise
during the aforesaid tube operations are like placing a rubber mat on the
floor where the tubes are falling or lay husk on the floor. These methods
may be able to support if there is only one tube to handle while falling
after operations. Here for plurality of tubes that are operated batch-wise,
meaning that each time certain numbers of tube are handled one by one
after production operations. During the batch operation of tubes, with
the above mentioned approaches, first tube may not produce much noise
as it is falling directly on a rubber mat or husk but subsequent tubes
falling would produce noise as if there is no rubber mat or husk, as these
tubes collide with each other and produce reverberating noise.
US Patent Application US 3018991A discloses an invention relates to an
improved damping pad for isolation a source of vibration from the
surroundings, and more particularly to a damping pad including a glass
fiber pack with a rigid slab thereon and a wall there around which is
resistant to the passage of air.

US Patent Application US3860086 discloses and invention relates to
improved apparatus reducing the transmitted sound level of a machine
to an operator. More specifically, this invention is a noise reduction
enclosure for a can bodymaker.
European Patent Application EP0737620A1 disclosed an invention
relates to an integral protective and sound-insulating chamber for
automatic machines in general and especially for automatic sweet and
chocolate wrapping machines and other automatic packaging machines.
Chinese Patent Application CN202962576U invention is an utility model,
discloses a noise reduction lining plate for a ball grinder. The noise
reduction lining plate comprises a rubber layer and a manganese-steel
lining plate, wherein the rubber layer is arranged at the bottom of the
manganese-steel lining plate. The noise reduction lining plate is simple
in structure and convenient to use; and noise produced by impact
between a steel ball and the lining plate can be effectively closed in a
cavity of the ball grinder, so that an effect of reducing noise is achieved.
Chinese Patent Application CN2432458Y is an utility model belongs to
silencer, more precisely, a ball mill noise protection device for power ball
mills Noise Reduction. The utility model relates to a sound insulation
device, particularly a sound insulation protector for a steel ball coal mill,
which is suitable for the sound insulation and noise reduction of the
steel ball coal mill in a heat (thermal) power plant. The sound insulation
protector for the steel ball coal mill is composed of skeletons of channel
steels and sound insulation cover plates, wherein the skeletons of the
channel steels ate formed by the connection of bolts. Both sides of the
skeleton of the channel steel are provided with doors, and the sound
insulation cover plate is arranged on the skeleton of the channel steel.

The sound insulation cover plate is composed of sound insulation plates,
glad fiber feels, damping layers, and steel plates.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to reduce noise by mitigating the source of
the noise generation while handling tubes that are operated on any of the
sequence of operations involved in the tube manufacturing process.
Another object of the invention is to introduce a controlled mechanism
which can handle multiple tubes operated.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a controlled mechanism
that can be retrofitted on any of the operational specific equipments like
pointing machines, drawing machines, straitening machines, oiling
areas, storage areas, NDT areas, Hydro testing areas etc. that are needed
in the tube manufacturing unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
The invention is related to mechanism that handles work-in-progress or
finished tubes from various intermediate stage operations of cold drawing
to reduce the noise produced by tubes by avoiding free fall onto the floor
or colloid onto other tubes that are already on the floor. The mechanism
has the provision to sense the tube (s) coming in contact with
mechanism or released from the mechanism by sensing the change in
the payload through load cells integrated with the mechanically operable
device. The mechanical arm on the side of the working platform, receives
the finished tube. When the sensor of mechanism senses a tube, the
controller of the mechanism activates downward motion to drop the tube
into trough. The height of total fall of the tube from working platform to

trough would be reduced by introduction of this arm mechanism,
thereby leading to noise reduction. Once the finished tubes are placed at
prescribed place, the controller of the mechanism activates motion to
reach its initial position and wait to receive tubes further from
manufacturing process.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING:
Figure 1 shows sketch depicting the arrangement of one of the tube
production operations with platform and tubes collecting trough in
according to the invention.
Figure 2 shows schematic design of the new automated mechanism to
handle tubes by picking and dropping after operation there by height of
fall. (a) Operated tube moving to the device that is developed (b) Operated
tube moving from the device to the collecting platform. (c) Representative
Isometric view of trough for collecting the operated tubes.
Figure 3 shows block diagram depiction of control logic of automated
mechanism to handle tubes by picking and dropping.
Figure 4 shows a flowchart showing steps involved in packing the
finished tubes automatically.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFFERED EMBODIMENT OF THE
INVENTION:
Figure 1 represents an arrangement of one of the various operations
involved in the tube production process that generally have to be
performed on a tube before it is converted from a billet to final finished
tube product. Figure 1 shows representing main components like head-

stock (1), Incoming tube receiving area (2), operations finished tube
receiving trough (3) and platform (4) through which the tube is fed to
head stock. When these operations are performed in the existing setup,
dropping of tubes from working platform to the trough (3) leads to a
heavy noise which pollutes the work environment.
Figure 2(a) shows the mechanism in the invention consist of support (5),
arm (6), actuator (7) and load cells (8) embedded on the arm (6). Figure
2(a) to 52(c) show the steps involved in the proposed in the current
invention and how it helps in reducing the noise that is produced during
the operations, Figure 2(a) shows on how the tube is being collected by
the mechanism described in the current invention. In this it is shown
that the tube is moving from the operating platform to the mechanism
that holds a single tube and this step (11) is first step in the process
steps shown in Figure 4. In conjunction with Figure 4, Figure 3 shows on
how the sensing and signal information flow between Load cell (8),
controller (10) and the actuator (7). Once the tube is reached on the
mechanism (6) step (12) in the process steps is performed by load cell (8)
and it performed step (13). On receipt of the payload change signal, the
controller (10) sends control signal to actuator (7) by performing next
step (14) in the process to move down the mechanism to a predefined
position. Figure 2(b) shows the operation that is performed by the
mechanism to roll-out tube from the mechanism to trough in such way
and height that is causing the noise generation is reduced. Figure 4
shows the step (15) that is carried-out once the tube on the mechanism
is rolled-out from the arm, and the mechanism is back into the original
state to accept new tube that is ready to fall into the mechanism.
While the invention has been described in detail in connection with only
a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that
the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the

invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations,
alterations, substituents or equivalent arrangements not heretofor
described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the
invention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have
been described, it is so be under stood that aspects of the invention is
not be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by
the scope of the appended claims.

WE CLAIM:
1. A method for minimizing noise produced at piling of steel tubes during
cold mill production the method comprising steps of:
- receiving atleast a tube from the headstock (1) by a hinge joint
mechanical arm (6) supported at support (5);
- activating a payload change signal which triggers a control signal
of a controller (10) of a load cell (8);
- lowering of the mechanical arm (5) to a predefined position to allow
the tube to roll down to a trough wherein the height of the
mechanical arm and the trough is kept minimum;
- deactivating the payload change signal which triggers a reverse
control signal of the controller (10) of the load cell wherein the
mechanical arm (10) returns to its previous position.
2. A method for minimizing noise produced at pilling of steel tubes
during cold mill production as claimed in claim 1, substantially as herein
described and illustrated.