BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to rolling mills producing hot rolled steel products such as rods, bars and the like, and is concerned in particular with an improved system and method for cooling such products at retarded cooling rates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to form hot rolled steel rod into rings which are deposited on a conveyor and transported through cooling zones where the rod is cooled at controlled rates in order to achieve desired metallurgical properties. Cooling rates may be accelerated through the forced application of a gaseous coolant, typically ambient air, or the cooling rates may be retarded through the use of insulated covers overlying the conveyor. Examples of the foregoing are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,320,101 (McLean et al.); 3,930,900 (Wilson); 3,940,961 (Gilvar) and 4,468,262 (Kaneda et al.).
One drawback of such installations is that prolonged exposure of the rings to ambient air encourages the development of surface scale, which must then be removed before the product can be subjected to further processing e.g., wire drawing, machining, etc. Also, cooling rates tend to be non-uniform and somewhat difficult to control.
Other attempts at more uniform retarded cooling have included the use of hot water baths and fluidized beds, but these have not proven to be commercially viable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objective of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks associated with the above described prior art systems by embedding the rings being transported on the conveyor in granular insulation material. By doing so, exposure of the ring surfaces to ambient air is significantly minimized, with a concomitant reduction in the development of surface scale. Collateral advantages include more uniform cooling, and an ability to more closely control cooling rates, for example by either heating or cooling the granular insulation material prior to its application to the product rings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCORDING DRAWINGS
These and other objects and advantages will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of a system in accordance with the present invention; and
Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the system shown in Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is an illustration of an alternative system in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference initially to Figures 1 and 2, one embodiment of a retarded cooling system in accordance with the present invention is generally depicted at 10. A continuous belt 12 of sheet steel or other appropriate heat resistant material extends between rolls 14a, 14b, at least one of which is driven by a conventional drive (not shown) to move the upper belt portion from left to right as viewed in the drawing. The belt is supported at spaced locations between the rolls 14a, 14b by rollers indicated typically at 16, which also may be driven.
Hot rolled steel rod is received from a rolling mill and directed downwardly by a pinch roll unit 19 and roUerized guide mechanism 20 to a laying head 22 which forms the rod into a continuous series of rings 24. Immediately upstream from the laying head 22, a feeder mechanism 26 deposits a base layer 28 of a preheated granular insulation material on the belt 12. The insulation material may typically comprise dolomite, silica, sand or the like having an average grain or particle size ranging from about 1 to 8 mm.
The rings 24 emerging from the laying head 22 are deposited in an overlapping non-concentric pattern on the insulation base layer 28, and are immediately covered by a top layer 30 of preheated granular insulation material applied by second feeder mechanisms 32.
Typically, the rod rings will be laid on the conveyor at an elevated temperature above about 500°C, and the granular insulation will be preheated to ± 100°C of that laying temperature, thereby resulting in the rod being cooled on the conveyor at a retarded rate on the order of 0.05 to 1°C/sec. It will be understood, of course, that this is but one of a myriad of different retarded cooling processes that may be carried out with the disclosed system. Cooling rates will vary depending on the temperature of the rod being laid on the conveyor, the temperature and/or type of granular insulation, and other factors, including the optional use
of insulating covers 34 or the like to further retard cooling. Under certain conditions, it may be desirable to cool rather than preheat the granular insulation material.
At the delivery end of the conveyor, the rings 24 pass over driven mutually spaced rollers 36 before being received in a reforming chamber 38 where they are gathered into upstanding cylindrical coils. The granular insulation material drops between the rollers 36 into a hopper 40. An auger 45 moves the insulation material laterally from the hopper to a bucket conveyor 44 or other like conveying mechanism which serves to recirculate the granular insulation material back to the feeder mechanism 32, and via an auxiliary conveyor 47 to the feeder mechanism 26.
Although the granular insulation material will be continuously reheated by the heat given off by the rings on the conveyor, some additional reheating may be required, and to this end heaters 46 may be provided along the path of the conveyor 44 and/or beneath the belt 12.
The upper end of the reforming chamber 38 is of a known design, as disclosed for example in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,501,410 (Starvaski) and 5,735,477 (Shore et al.), and includes a nose cone 40 suspended by an iris mechanism 42 which may be moved into and out of the path of ring descent. Insulated pots 44 are movable on driven roller conveyor segments 46a -46d from a waiting station "A" to a coil receiving position "B" at the reforming chamber 38, and from there to a holding station "C". Each pot has an inner core 48 which cooperates with a surrounding insulated wall to define an annular chamber 50. Piston-cylinder units 52 are operable to elevate the roller conveyor segment 46b, thereby raising the pot 44 supported thereon to place its core 48 in supportive contact with the nose cone 40. This frees the iris mechanism 42 for retraction, thereby allowing rings to descend over the nose cone 40 and into the annular chamber 50 of the underlying pot for collection into a coil.
At the conclusion of a coil forming operation, the iris mechanism 42 is closed and the conveyor segment 46b is lowered, resulting in the nose cone 40 being redeposited on the iris. The filled pot is then shifted to the holding station C where it is covered by a lid 54. At the same time, another empty pot is moved into the coil receiving position B and the entire operation is repeated.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention as depicted in Figure 3, the granular insulation material dropping between the spaced rollers 36 is directed downwardly into the annular chamber 50 of a pot at the waiting station A. The filled pot is then shifted to the coil receiving position B, and its place at the waiting station A is taken by another empty pot (not shown).
In this embodiment, the pots are provided with gate mechanisms 56 at the bottoms of the annular chambers 50. During the coil forming operation, the gate mechanism of the pot at the receiving position B is opened to control the discharge of granular insulation material downwardly through the spaced rollers of the conveyor segment 46b onto a conveyor belt 58 for return to the bucket conveyor .44. The gradually lowering level of the granular insulation in the pot chamber 50 serves as a descending coil support which maintains the top of the accumulating coil at a relatively constant level.
In light of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the present invention offers a number of significant advantages not available with prior art systems. Of particular importance is the immediate embedding of the rings 24 emerging from the laying head 22 in the granular insulation material. By doing so, the development of surface scale is significantly minimized, while at the same time making it possible to achieve a more uniform and controllable rate of retarded cooling.
At the end of the retarded cooling cycle on the conveyor, the granular insulation material can either be recovered and recirculated back to its initial points of application, or it can serve a continued support function in the insulated pots being employed at the reforming chamber.
It will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments herein chosen for purpose of disclosure are susceptible to modification by substituting structurally and functionally equivalent steps and/or components. By way of example only, and without limitation, other systems including those that are pneumatically driven, may be employed to recirculate the granular insulation material. The length, design and configuration of the conveyor can be modified to suit the requirements of various installations. Insulated covers on the conveyor are optional, as are the heaters which may be employed to reheat the granular insulation material at various stages during the retarded cooling, recovery and recirculation cycles.
It is my intention to cover these and all other changes and modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.
I claim:

1. A system for cooling a hot rolled steel product at a retarded cooling rate, said
system comprising:
coiling means for forming said product into a continuous series of rings;
conveyor means for receiving said rings from said coiling means at a receiving station and for transporting said rings in a non-concentric overlapping pattern from said receiving station through a cooling zone to a reforming station at which said rings are delivered from said conveyor means and gathered into upstanding coils; and
insulating means for covering the rings being transported through said cooling zone with granular insulation material.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said insulating means includes first feeder means for depositing a first layer of said granular insulation material on said conveyor means at a location upstream of said reforming station, said first layer thus underlying the rings being received from said coiling means, and second feeder means for depositing a second layer of said granular insulation material on the thus received rings at a location downstream from said reforming station.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising means for separating said granular insulation material from said rings prior to the delivery of said rings from said conveyor means.
4. The system as claimed in claim 3 further comprising recovery means for recovering the thus separated granular insulation material, and return means for recirculating the thus recovered granular insulation material back to said insulating means.
5. The system as claimed in claim 4 farther comprising means for reheating the granular insulation material being recirculated back to said insulating means.
6. The system as claimed in claim 3 further comprising insulated pots for containing said upstanding coils, and second conveyor means for transporting said pots from a waiting station to said reforming station where said pots receive and contain said rings in coil form, and from said reforming station to a holding station where said rings continue to cool at a retarded rate in said pots.
7. The system as claimed in claim 6 further comprising means for filling the pots at said waiting station with the granular insulation material being separated from said rings.
8. The system as claimed in claim 7 further comprising means for withdrawing the granular insulation material from said pots at said reforming station, the said withdrawal being at a controlled rate related to the rate at which said pots are receiving rings from said conveyor means.
9. The system as claimed in claim 8 further comprising recovery means for recovering the thus withdrawn granular insulation material, and for recirculating the thus recovered granular insulation material back to said insulating means.
10. The system as claimed in claim 9 further comprising means for reheating the granular insulation material being recirculated back to said insulating means.
11. A method of cooling a hot rolled steel product at a retarded cooling rate, said
method comprising:
forming the product into a continuous series of rings;
depositing said rings on a conveyor at a receiving station and transporting said rings in a non-concentric overlapping pattern from said receiving station through a cooling zone to a reforming station where the rings are delivered from the conveyor and gathered into upstanding coils; and
covering the rings being transported through said cooling zone with granular insulation material.
12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein a first layer of said granular insulation material is deposited on said conveyor at a location upstream of said receiving station to thereby underlie the rings being deposited on said conveyor, and wherein a second layer of said granular insulation material is deposited on said conveyor at a location downstream of said receiving station, whereupon said rings are embedded in said granular insulation material.
13. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of separating said granular insulation material from said rings at a location upstream of said receiving station.
14. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising the step of recovering and recirculating the thus separated granular insulation for reuse in covering the rings being transported through said cooling zone.
15. The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising the step of reheating the granular insulation material being recirculated.
16. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising the step of containing the upstanding coils being formed at said receiving station in insulated pots.
17. The method as claimed in claim 16 wherein prior to being positioned at said receiving station, said pots are filled with the thus separated granular insulation material, and said granular insulation material is thereafter gradually withdrawn from said pots at said receiving station, the rate of withdrawal of said granular insulation material being related to the rate at which said pots receive rings from said conveyor.
18. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising the step of recovering the thus withdrawn granular insulation material for recirculation and reuse in covering the rings being transported through said cooling zone.
19. The method as claimed in claim 18 further comprising the step of reheating the granular insulation material being recirculated.
20. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said rings are deposited on said conveyor at a laying temperature above about 500°C.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein prior to covering said rings, said granular insulation material is preheated to a temperature of + 100OC of said laying temperature.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein said rings are cooled at a retarded rate on the order of 0.05 to l°C/sec.
23. The method of claim 1 wherein said granular insulation material is selected from the group consisting essentially of dolomite, sand, silica, and the like.
24. A system for cooling a hot rolled steel product substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.