EP0425715B1 - Strip accumulator - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a tape storage system, with a horizontal or vertical tape storage device for tapes continuously passing through loops, in particular metal tapes, in tape treatment plants, with a tape drive in the inlet, a tape drive in the outlet, the tape storage device being divided into two or more storage sections and each storage section has its own tension drive for generating the required band tension in the loop strands.

In the infeed and outfeed of strip treatment systems for, for example, metal strips made of steel, aluminum or the like, plastic strips, paper strips but also foils, wire or the like, with continuous operation in the process part, it is necessary to arrange a strip store in each case, which shows the downtimes during Changing the coils, coils or spools bridged. In the treatment of metal strips, the process part can be a rolling mill, a stretching system, a chemical treatment part, a coating system, an annealing plant or the like. Horizontal or vertical memories are known as tape memories, each of which is traversed by the tape in question, forming loops. The individual loops or loop strands are guided over stationary and movable deflection rollers. The movable deflection rollers are arranged in vertical storage in roller tables and in horizontal storage in sling cars. The roller tables or sling carriages are connected to a traction drive, which is used to generate the required Belt tension or the desired tape tension in the loop strands is used.

Bending and friction losses occur when the deflecting rollers run around, especially when it comes to metal strips with a thickness of 1.5 mm to 6 mm. These bending and friction losses add up from loop strand to loop strand. For structural reasons, the diameter of the deflection rollers is not large enough to ensure that the belt rotates elastically. For example, a steel strip with a yield strength of 250 N / mm² and a strip thickness of 2 mm requires a roll diameter of 1680 mm. With a strip thickness of 6 mm, the roll diameter must even be 5000 mm. However, for reasons of cost and space, only roll diameters between 1000 mm and 1500 mm are common. With such roll diameters, however, extremely high bending and friction losses occur in the area of the aforementioned strip thicknesses, which are not justifiable for technical and economic reasons. - In addition, increasingly higher process speeds and larger strip storage capacities and winding coils are required in order to be able to run the strip treatment system or its process part continuously at high strip speeds.

From JP-A-61 30 212 (PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN) a generic tape storage system is known which has a tape store divided into two storage sections, each storage section having its own train drive. Between the two storage sections however, no intermediate belt drive is provided, rather the same belt tension should always be achieved in both storage sections. For this purpose, detectors are provided to indicate the respective position of the roller tables of both storage sections, while the traction drives are controlled so that both roller tables are always at the same height.

JP-A-12 37 018 (PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN) teaches a tape storage system with only a single tape storage device and individual driven storage rolls. The storage rollers are positioned opposite an up and down roller table with their own drive and fulfill the function of auxiliary rollers that are driven with a constant torque in order to maintain the most constant belt tension.

DE-C 36 36 652 deals with a band storage device with at least two loop carriage and loop carriage drives, the loop carriage being horizontally displaceable and one loop carriage drive being controlled, while the other loop carriage drives are speed-controlled depending on the speed of the loop carriage drive controlled by the train. This is to create a tape store for continuously running tapes, in which a synchronous driving of all sling wagons is guaranteed in a functional and simple manner.

The invention has for its object to provide a tape storage system of the type described in which while maintaining the usual roll diameter For the deflection rollers, the bending and friction losses can be controlled perfectly, taking into account even considerable strip thicknesses, which, moreover, enables an arbitrarily large storage capacity and high process speeds in a simple and reliable manner.

This object is achieved by the invention in a generic tape storage system in that intermediate tape drives are arranged between the storage sections, that both tape drives and the intermediate tape drives are speed-controlled, and that the train drives in the event of deviations from the synchronous operation of the roller tables of a vertical memory or the sling carriage of a horizontal memory influence the speed-controlled belt drives or belt intermediate drives accordingly via a computer to restore synchronous operation. - In the context of the invention, the bending and friction losses of each storage section are applied by the respectively subsequent speed-controlled intermediate belt drive and set again for the subsequent storage section to the tension input size of the first loop strand of the previous storage section. The intermediate belt drives take up as much power as is necessary to cover the respective bending and friction losses of the belt running through in the relevant storage section. They are designed for the maximum tensile losses in which the bending and friction losses are included. The synchronous running of the roller tables or sling wagons Storage sections can be checked by measuring the distance of the train drives. Corresponding correction signals are given by the computer to the belt drives or belt intermediate drives.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are listed below. Thus, the invention provides that the train drives for the roller tables or sling cars are identical. Furthermore, at least the intermediate belt drives can preferably be regulated as a function of the speed difference between the inlet-side and outlet-side belt drives, with the interposition of the computer, so that the respective fill level of the storage sections remains approximately the same. The speed difference is measured continuously and processed by a computer for the speeds of the intermediate belt drives. The fill levels are also continuously fed to the computer and processed for speed control of the intermediate belt drives. Level differences in the storage sections are compensated for by correction signals for the intermediate belt drives or their speeds. If the tape store is a vertical store, the storage sections are expediently arranged one behind the other at predetermined intervals, each with its own roller table. In the case of a horizontal store, the store sections are expediently arranged one above the other, each with their own loop carriage.

The advantages achieved by the invention are essentially to be seen in the fact that now any have large tape storage systems built in a simple and reliable design. Tape storage of any size means storage with any capacity while maintaining deflection rollers with conventional roll diameters even when storing tapes and in particular metal tapes with considerable tape thicknesses and especially tape thicknesses of up to 6 mm. The additive bending and friction losses are applied by the downstream intermediate belt drive after each storage section, so that the same train entrance size is available for the first loop strand of each storage section. Band storage devices in a vertical design can be designed particularly advantageously as loop carts. The vertically hanging loop strands do not tend to run and can be controlled centrally in a known manner. Since all train drives for the storage sections are the same, simple synchronization of the roller tables is possible. In the case of different belts, the desired belt tension can be reset from memory section to memory section after the connection point has been run through, that is to say the individual memory sections can be moved with different belt trains, and nevertheless the synchronization of the memory sections or their roller tables is maintained. In addition, it is possible to work with increased process speeds because the process part of the strip treatment plant in question can be run continuously at high speeds.

Fig. 1

eine Bandbehandlungsanlage mit einer erfindungsgemäßen Bandspeicheranlage in schematischer Seitenansicht,

Fig. 2

einen Ausschnitt aus dem Gegenstand nach Fig. 1, und zwar mit einem Bandspeicher der Vertikal-Bauart,

Fig. 3

einen Ausschnitt aus dem Gegenstand nach Fig. 1, und zwar mit einem Bandspeicher der Horizontal-Bauart.

In the following, the invention is explained in more detail with reference to a drawing showing only one embodiment; show it:

Fig. 1

a strip treatment system with a tape storage system according to the invention in a schematic side view,

Fig. 2

1, with a tape storage device of the vertical type,

Fig. 3

a section of the object of FIG. 1, with a tape storage of the horizontal type.

In the figures, a belt treatment system with a belt storage system is shown. The basic structure of the tape storage system has a tape storage device 1 for tapes 2, in particular metal tapes, which run continuously with loop formation, namely with a tape drive 3 in the inlet, a tape drive 4 in the outlet and at least one tension drive 5 for generating the required tape tension in the loop strands 6. The tape storage 1 is in two or more storage sections 1a, 1b, 1c, etc. divided, divided into three storage sections 1a, 1b, 1c according to the exemplary embodiments. Each storage section 1a, 1b, 1c has its own train drive 5a, 5b, 5c. Speed-controlled intermediate belt drives 7, 8 are arranged between the storage sections 1a, 1b, 1c. The belt drives 3, 4 in the inlet and outlet can also be speed-controlled.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 2 with a vertical storage, the storage sections 1a, 1b, 1c, each with its own roller table 9a, 9b, 9c, are arranged one behind the other at predetermined intervals. In the embodiment according to FIG. 3 with a horizontal memory, the memory sections 1a, 1b, 1c are each arranged one above the other at predetermined intervals, each with its own loop carriage 10a, 10b, 10c.

Im folgenden sind die Speicherfunktionen:

Füllen;
Leeren;
gefüllter Speicher

an einem Beispiel funktionell erläutert, und zwar ausgehend von einer Bandeinlaufgeschwindigkeit V_E 700 m/min und einer Bandauslaufgeschwindigkeit V_A 300 m/min.

Füllen:

${\text{V}}_{\text{E}}{\text{> V}}_{\text{A}}$

${\text{ΔV = V}}_{\text{E}}{\text{- V}}_{\text{A}}\text{= 400 m/min}$

,
${\text{V₁ = V}}_{\text{E}}\text{- 1/3 ΔV = 566,66 m/min}$

,
${\text{V₂ = V}}_{\text{E}}\text{- 2/3 ΔV = 433,33 m/min}$

,
unter Berücksichtigung von drei Speicherabschnitten.

Leeren:

${\text{V}}_{\text{E}}{\text{< V}}_{\text{A}}$

und bei ${\text{V}}_{\text{E}}\text{= 0}$

,
${\text{ΔV = V}}_{\text{A}}\text{= 300 m/min}$

,
$\text{V₁ = ΔV - 2/3 ΔV = 100 m/min}$

,
$\text{V₂ = ΔV - 1/3 ΔV = 200 m/min}$

.

Speicher gefüllt:

${\text{V}}_{\text{E}}{\text{- V₁ = V₂ = V}}_{\text{A}}\text{= 300 m/min}$

.

At least the intermediate belt drives 7, 8 can be regulated as a function of the speed difference between the inlet-side and outlet-side belt drives 3, 4 with the interposition of a computer so that the respective fill level of the storage sections 1a, 1b, 1c remains approximately the same. The traction drives 5a, 5b, 5c for the roller tables 9a, 9b, 9c or loop carriages 10a, 10b, 10c are identical. The roller tables 9a, 9b, 9c or loop car 10a, 10b, 10c run synchronously. The train drives 5a, 5b, 5c influence the speed-controlled belt drives 3, 4 or intermediate belt drives 7, 8 in a corresponding manner in the event of deviations from the synchronous operation, in order to restore the synchronous operation.

The following are the memory functions:

To fill;
To empty;
filled memory

Functionally explained using an example, starting from a tape entry speed V _E 700 m / min and a tape exit speed V _A 300 m / min.

To fill:

${\text{V}}_{\text{E}}{\text{> V}}_{\text{A}}$

${\text{ΔV = V}}_{\text{E}}{\text{- V}}_{\text{A}}\text{= 400 m / min}$

,
${\text{V₁ = V}}_{\text{E}}\text{- 1/3 ΔV = 566.66 m / min}$

,
${\text{V₂ = V}}_{\text{E}}\text{- 2/3 ΔV = 433.33 m / min}$

,
considering three memory sections.

To empty:

${\text{V}}_{\text{E}}{\text{<V}}_{\text{A}}$

and at ${\text{V}}_{\text{E}}\text{= 0}$

,
${\text{ΔV = V}}_{\text{A}}\text{= 300 m / min}$

,
$\text{V₁ = ΔV - 2/3 ΔV = 100 m / min}$

,
$\text{V₂ = ΔV - 1/3 ΔV = 200 m / min}$

.

Memory filled:

${\text{V}}_{\text{E}}{\text{- V₁ = V₂ = V}}_{\text{A}}\text{= 300 m / min}$

.

Claims (5)

1. A strip accumulator installation with a horizontal or vertical strip accumulator (1) with synchronously running roller tables (9a, 9b, 9c) or loop carriages (10a, 10b, 10c) for strips (2), particularly metal strips, continuously running through with the formation of loops in strip processing installations, with a strip drive (3) at the input and a strip drive (4) at the output, wherein the strip accumulator (1) is subdivided into two or more accumulator sections (1a, 1b, 1c) and each accumulator section (1a, 1b, 1c) has a separate traction drive (5a, 5b, 5c) for producing the requisite strip tension in the loop runs (6), characterised in that strip intermediate drives (7, 8) are disposed between the accumulator sections (1a, 1b, 1c), that both strip drives (3, 4) and the strip intermediate drives (7, 8) are speed-controlled, and that the traction drives (5a, 5b, 5c) correspondingly influence the speed-controlled strip drives (3, 4) or strip intermediate drives (7, 8) via a computer to restore the synchronous running when there are departures from the synchronous running of the roller tables (9a, 9b, 9c) of a vertical accumulator or of the loop carriages (10a, 10b, 10c) of a horizontal accumulator.
2. A strip accumulator installation according to claim 1, characterised in that the traction drives (5a, 5b, 5c) are of identical construction.
3. A strip accumulator installation according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that at least the strip intermediate drives (7, 8) can be controlled with the computer connected in-line depending on the difference in speed between the input side and output side strip drives (3, 4) so that the state of filling of the accumulator sections (1a, 1b, 1c) remains approximately the same in each case.
4. A strip accumulator installation with a vertical accumulator, characterised in that the accumulator sections (1a, 1b, 1c) are disposed in series with a separate roller table (9a, 9b, 9c) in each case.
5. A strip accumulator installation according to any one of claims 1 to 3 with a horizontal accumulator, characterised in that the accumulator sections (1a, 1b, 1c) are arranged one on top of another with a separate loop carriage (10a, 10b, 10c) in each case.

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