DK160773B - Process, unit and appliance for cleaning oblong objects - Google Patents

Abstract

Wire (50) is passed through apparatus (51) having two treatment zones. The first treatment zone contains six wire cleaning heads (15-20) and the second treatment zone contains two wire cleaning heads (13 & 14). Each cleaning head consists of a primary cylindrical chamber (72) flanked by two secondary cylindrical chambers (73) of substantially smaller diameter. The wire passes axially through the cylinders. A working fluid such as dilute alkali, water or an organic solvent is pumped into the primary cylindrical chamber via a tangentially aligned inlet (74). It circulates in the primary chamber (72) and leaves via the secondary chamber with a very high annular velocity due to the reduction in the diameter of circulation. The high circulation speed causes vibration in and around the wire in the secondary chambers with resultant abrasion of the surface of the wire. In an alternative embodiment up to all but one of the cleaning heads may be replaced by dies. Separate fluids are used in each treatment zone and prevented from mixing by a jet of high pressure air directed obliquely onto the wire to repel any flow of fluid along the wire. Similar jets prevent escape of fluid out of the ends of the apparatus.

Description

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DK 160773 B

The invention relates to an assembly for cleaning elongated articles and of the nature specified in the preamble of claim 1.

In the manufacture of thread or of articles containing 5 thread, it is often necessary to clean the surface of the thread e.g. removing an oxide layer or lubricant layer formed as a result of a heat treatment after a previous rolling or drawing operation.

10 Threads are usually cleaned by immersing them in one or more baths of dissolving, strong acid or lye. This technique has the disadvantage that the chemicals in these baths are usually dangerous and corrosive, and that they themselves must again be removed from the strands by rinsing the strands in a further bath. Other problems are also associated with such treatments. For example, the chemicals used often work quite slowly, so the length of the wires in the bath must be long. In order to provide economical treatment, a long wire length at a time must be placed in the bath, which requires a large bath. The problem can be solved by immersing the entire thread or thread roll in the bath, but this does not always ensure the cleaning.

Threads are often cleaned in roll form, but the cleaning can sometimes become ineffective because the chemicals do not penetrate sufficiently to all the thread layers of the roll.

It is known to treat a longitudinal thread conveyed with a fluid. For example, US Patent No. 3,682,185 proposes an assembly with a central piercing 30 through which wire passes. The ends of the bore are closed by means of plugs having holes with a diameter only slightly larger than the wire so that leakage is minimized. Several axially spaced sets of inlet ducts open radially in the bore, while substantially similar outlet ducts are located alternately with the inlet ducts.

The inlet and outlet ducts are angularly interposed. This - 2 -

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gives rise to a swirling action in the bore and gives a uniform plating of the thread. It is stated that the aggregate can also be used for purification, but because of the mainly only chemical effect on the wire, the treatment time is long and / or the chemicals used must be powerful.

The object of the invention is to provide an assembly for cleaning elongated articles, for example rods and wire, at which the said problems are at least partially overcome. *

This is achieved according to the invention in the embodiment of claim 1.

15

In this embodiment, due to the tangential introduction of the fluid, a strong swirling effect is obtained which increases as the fluid enters the other two smaller chambers and is thus subjected to a strong acceleration. This gives rise to 20 cavitation, which causes the wire to vibrate.

This causes the thread to also be subjected to a mechanical, cleaning effect.

The invention also relates to an apparatus for cleaning 25 elongated articles, which apparatus comprises a number of the above-mentioned assemblies as claimed in claim 4.

The invention further relates to a method for cleaning elongated articles, the method being characterized by the method of claim 12.

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DK 160773 B

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows schematically a section along the line BB in Fig. 2 through an embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention for purifying 5 threads. along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a section in the same plane as FIG. 1 through a cleaning head as used in the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

A wire 5o is cleaned by tightening it, e.g. 15.9 kg o 10 at a 2 mm carbon steel wire with a tensile strength of 98 kg / mm is passed continuously through a purifier 51. This apparatus consists of a metal block 1 having a central bore 2, for example 22 mm in diameter, which extending through the total length of the block. In the bore 2 there are eight cleaning heads 13 - 2 placed in two groups, 15 with one group comprising two heads 13 and 14 and the other group six heads 15 - 2o. The two groups are separated from each other by an intermediate drying head 22. At the end of the bore, drying heads 21 and 23. The cleaning heads 15 - 20 are arranged, and the intermediate drying head is held in place by screws 1A in the upper side of the block 20. The drying heads 21 and 23 are threaded and screwed into a threaded end portion of the bore 2 in cooperation with sealing rings 21C and 23C.

Furthermore, in the total length of the block 1, a narrower bore 3 extends, e.g. with a diameter of 12.7 mm which has an inlet 10 for connection with a compressed air line. From the bore 3, channels 25 lead to each of the drying heads 21 and 23.

The block 1 also has blind bores 4 and 5 which are drilled into the block from opposite ends and extend along the bore 2.

Each of the bores 4 and 5 is connected to an associated inlet 30 9 and 8 for working medium. The bore 4 is connected to six channels 24 which form supply lines for the first group of cleaning heads 15 - 20. Similarly, the cleaning heads 13 and 14 are provided from the bore 5. The bores 3, 4 and 5 are closed at the end of the block 1 by means of plugs 3A, 4A and 5A.

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At the bottom of the block 1, an outlet slot 2A is milled through which the working medium from the cleaning heads can extend down to the containers located below the block. One of these containers 8o is shown in Fig.2. A cylindrical outlet 81 5 is provided in the bottom of the container with a threaded connecting rod 81A.

Each dryer head 21, 22 and 23 has a central bore, e.g.

21A in the head 21, and at least one diagonal channel, e.g. 21B in the drying head 21. Compressed air is fed from the narrow bore 3 of the block 1 via the duct 25 to the diagonal duct 21Bf where it strikes the wire 5o.

The operation of the dryer heads 21, 22 and 23 is disclosed in English Patent Specification No. 1,533,846.

During work, each of the inlets 8 and 9 is provided with working medium with a pressure of e.g. o, 18 kg / mm. For example, for the group with six cleaning heads 15 - 2o, the working medium is added. dilute liquor, an organic solvent, or water, and the working medium supplied to the group with two cleaning heads 13 and 14 are e.g. water. Compressed air for Ιο is conducted e.g. with a pressure of o, o7 kg / mm to the inlet lo to operate the drying heads. Instead of atmospheric air, other gases, e.g. nitrogen if the wire surface is to be protected from contact with atmospheric air.

During passage through the apparatus, the thread · is first affected by the drying head 23. This head must first and foremost prevent leakage of working medium from the apparatus backwards along the thread. Thereafter, the thread passes in sequence all cleaning heads 2o - 15 in the group of 25 six heads, thereby cleaning it. This operation is described in more detail below in connection with Fig. 3. Thereafter, the wire enters the drying head 22, which has two angular air nozzles 22A and 22B. The air nozzle 22B has the task of preventing working medium from the six-head group 15 -2o from running along the thread, while the air nozzle 22A has the task of preventing working medium from the two-head group 13 - 14 from running backwards along with the thread. Thereby, the drying head 22 forms an air cushion which keeps the two working means apart. Appropriate adjustment of the air pressure to the working media pressure ensures that the media does not come into contact with each other. This separation of the 35 media allows the two groups of heads to be used for different purposes. In the present example, the six-head group - 5 -

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15-2o to clean the thread 5o, while the two-head group 13-14 is used to rinse the thread. The purification may consist of removing an oxide layer using a lye, and the rinsing may consist of removing lye residue. After the drying head 22, the thread passes the two cleaning heads 13 and 14.

These two heads 13 and 14 serve to rinse the wire to remove all residue of the six-head group 15-2 used cleaning medium and all products produced by the purification process. The wire leaves the apparatus through the drying head 21, which prevents the rinsing fluid used in the group 10 13-14 from running forward along the wire. The wire leaves the device completely dry.

As mentioned, the working media used in the cleaning heads are collected in containers, one container for each group of heads. In the case of the two main group 13-14 where the working medium is water, the medium can be recycled or drained to a sewer via an outlet not shown. For the six-head group 15-2o, measures have been taken to recycle the working medium. From the outlet 81, the medium flows to a collection container not shown, from which it is fed back to the pump supplying the inlet 9. The collection container may be located at a location remote from the apparatus.

The operation of one of the cleaning heads, e.g. the head 17 is to be described in more detail in connection with Fig. 3. The head 17 consists of a cylindrical tube 7o which is machined to receive two annular end pieces 71. Each end piece 71 is fitted with a fixed fit in the tube 7o, which during the assembly is shrunk around the rings 71.

Each end piece has a shouldered bushing 75 which is fixedly fitted into a suitable hole in the end piece 71.

What material the sleeve 75 should be made of depends on the application. If finished thread is to be cleaned, e.g. to remove lubricant used in the drawing process, a soft, tough material such as ultra-high density polyethylene can be used

This results in a soft, high quality finish.

However, if a sharp abrasion effect is required, while surface finish is of minor importance, tungsten carbide may be used.

The tube 70 and the end pieces 71 together form a first substantially cylindrical chamber 72. The center hole of each of the bushings 75 forms a second cylindrical chamber, the diameter of which is substantially smaller.

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- -6- than the first chamber. For example, the first chamber may have a diameter of about 22 mm. The diameter of the second chamber depends on the diameter of the purified wire and may e.g. 1.6 mm for up to 5o Thou thread, 3.2 mm for up to 2.5 mm material, or 6.4 mm for 5.5 mm 1. 5 rods. The inlet of the working medium is formed by a hole 74 which is substantially tangential to the first-chamber-.72 curved wall. The orientation of the hole is illustrated in more detail in FIG.

During operation, working medium is pressed through hole 74 into said first chamber. As it enters substantially tangentially into the chamber, it circulates in the chamber at an angular velocity determined by the linear inflow velocity. Medium can only leave the chamber through one of the other chambers 72 and around the wire 5o. Preserving the angular momentum means that the angular momentum associated with the flow of the medium through the second chamber 73 must be substantially equal to the angular momentum of the working medium while the medium is in the first chamber. Since the diameter of the second chamber is smaller than the first chamber, the angular velocity of the medium in the second chamber must be relatively greater than the angular velocity of the medium in the first chamber to maintain the angular momentum. By appropriately adjusting the pressure of the applied working medium and appropriately determining the ratio of the diameters of the chambers, the angular velocity of the medium in the second chamber can be set so high as to cause vibration in and around the wire causing a grinding of the thread surface.

It is not possible to explain exactly what the abrasive effect 25 is due to in all details, but it is presumed that the wire vibrates transversely in the cleaning head with a substantially circular motion, thereby rubbing against the wall of the second chamber. The frequency of vibration depends at least on the distance between said two other chambers of the cleaning head and the tension of the wire. It has also been found that it is not necessary to supply all cleaning heads with working medium, because the vibration induced by one of the heads propagates along the wire to some extent and may cause a grinding in an adjacent, non-working main. Accordingly, some of the heads of a multi-head apparatus can be replaced by matrices. The construction of such matrices may be similar to the end piece 71. A suitable embodiment of an apparatus modified as indicated may be provided by:

DK 160773 B

each of the heads 16 - 19 shown in Fig. 1 is replaced with matrices while the other heads are retained.

To obtain a special abrasive effect, the inside of the head end portion 71 may have a special contour. It can e.g. be radially-treated to provide an improved surface finish.

Since the cleaning or grinding provided by the apparatus is due to a mechanical effect, it is not necessary to use a treatment liquid which is more powerful than water, diluted liquor, or an organic solution. The apparatus is particularly suitable for continuous cleaning of wire and working speeds in excess of 30 m / min can be obtained. In order to ensure a particularly efficient machining, it is appropriate to make use of means by which the tension of the wire can be controlled, just as it is appropriate to use control means to ensure that the wire passes centrally to the apparatus. Conveniently, the working media should be removed quickly so that the spaces around the outer ends of the second chamber are not filled with liquid. In practice, the heads may be longer than shown in FIG. 1 with a ratio length: diameter of suitably 2: 1.

The apparatus described may be said to have two treatment zones, one 20 having a group of six heads, and the other having a group of two heads, separated by a drying head, but it will also be possible to use a different number of heads. in each treatment zone, and / or more than two treatment zones. The device may also have only a single treatment zone. If desired, drying heads can be used to confine the working medium. Such devices can be used individually or in series.

If different wire sizes are to be cleaned, it is advisable to use interchangeable heads so that the diameter of the second chamber can be selected appropriately for the diameter of a wire to be cleaned.

The apparatus can be used for cleaning wires, but also for cleaning rods or ribbons.

In the case of belts, the arrangement may be such that the vibrations are limited to take place in a plane across the large surface of the belt and that the belt is advanced between a pair of rollers. For polygonal thread or 35 polygonal rods, roll sets can be used if desired.

Claims (13)

An assembly for cleaning the surface of elongated articles and having a first, substantially cylindrical chamber (72) having at least one inlet (74) for liquid, and two others, therein; substantially cylindrical chambers (73) arranged coaxially with, and 5 at opposite sides of, the first chamber, each of these chambers having a substantially smaller radius than said first chamber, the first and second two chambers being arranged so that elongate articles (50) during the work of the assembly can be passed in the axial direction through them, characterized in that said inlet (74) is directed tangentially and that the other chambers form outlets for liquid from said first chamber, the arrangement being such that liquid which, during use of the assembly, is pressed into the first chamber via the inlet, in the chambers 15 forming a rotating fluid mass whose angular velocity increases as the radius of the rotating mass decreases as the liquid enters in opposite directions with respect to the longitudinal direction of the articles. in the other two chambers to such an extent that the elongated objects are cleaned and the liquid 20 is discharged from the other two chambers. Assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the first chamber is formed by a pipe (70) and two annular end pieces (71) arranged in the pipe, the end pieces also restricting said second chambers. Assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that each end piece contains a separate bushing (75) of a material selected for the desired cleaning properties, which bushes form the walls of the other two chambers. Apparatus for cleaning elongated articles, characterized in that it contains a plurality of aggregates 35 - 9 - DK 160773 B according to any one of the preceding claims, a console which in a first treatment zone carries at least one of the aggregates (15-20 ) away from a second treatment zone comprising at least one additional assembly (13,14), the aggregates of the first and second treatment zones being aligned with each other in such a way that elongated objects during the work of the apparatus in the axial direction can freely pass the assemblies where there are means (9) for supplying a first liquid to the liquid inlet for each unit disposed in the first treatment zone, means (8) for supplying a second liquid to the liquid inlet in each aggregate in the second zone, and means (22) for introducing air or a gas into a region between the first and second treatment zones in a manner such that a contact between said first and said duck n liquid is prevented. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that it further has liquid outlet means (81) for preventing the collection of liquid around the outer ends of said second chambers of at least one unit in the first treatment zone. Apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that it has additional means (21,23) for conveying air or a gas to areas which limit said first and second treatment zones for preventing discharge of said first and said second fluid from the treatment zones. 30 Apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that it has collecting means for at least one of said first and said second liquid, and a pump for circulating the liquid from the collecting means to the aggregates. 35 Apparatus according to claim 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that the apparatus comprises a metal body (1) having a first elongated bore (2) in which the assemblies are held and an elongated slot (2A). flowing with the bore to allow fluid to flow away from the assembly as the apparatus operates, another elongated bore (3) for supplying air or a gas to the respective introducer (s), a third elongated bore (4) for supplying said first liquid to the aggregates of the first treatment zone, and a fourth elongated bore (5) for supplying said second liquid to the aggregates of the second treatment zone. Apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the insertion means or insertion means consists of a body (21, 23) with a first duct for elongated objects and a second duct for the air or gas, said second channel (25, 22A, 22B, 21B) is inclined with respect to said first channel in such a way that the air or gas is caused to flow 20 along the channel for elongated objects in such a way that it retains said first and said second liquid. Apparatus for cleaning elongated articles, characterized in that it has a bracket carrying at least one 25 assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, supply and outlet openings for articles to be treated arranged in such a way that the articles may be advanced through said aggregate, or the aggregates, and means for supplying liquid to the liquid inlet of said aggregate or 30 aggregates. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that it also contains discharge means arranged to prevent a collection of liquid around the outer ends of the other two chambers of said sole assembly, or the assemblies. Method for cleaning elongated articles, characterized in that a tensioned portion of the article is passed through an assembly according to claim 1, while liquid is forced into the first chamber and discharged from the second chambers. 5 Method according to claim 12, characterized in that transverse vibration is provided by passing the liquid over the material at high speed. 10 15 20 25 30 35