EP0878562A1 - System for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing - Google Patents
System for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0878562A1 EP0878562A1 EP97108041A EP97108041A EP0878562A1 EP 0878562 A1 EP0878562 A1 EP 0878562A1 EP 97108041 A EP97108041 A EP 97108041A EP 97108041 A EP97108041 A EP 97108041A EP 0878562 A1 EP0878562 A1 EP 0878562A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- wire
- station
- drum
- phosphating
- vat
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C22/00—Chemical surface treatment of metallic material by reaction of the surface with a reactive liquid, leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, e.g. conversion coatings, passivation of metals
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
- B21C—MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES, OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL
- B21C9/00—Cooling, heating or lubricating drawing material
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a system for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing.
- These preparatory operations include a first step, known as mordanting, which essentially consists in submerging the wire in a solution of water and sulfuric or hydrochloric acid for a preset time in order to remove lamination scales and surface oxides from the surface of the wire.
- mordanting essentially consists in submerging the wire in a solution of water and sulfuric or hydrochloric acid for a preset time in order to remove lamination scales and surface oxides from the surface of the wire.
- this operation can be performed by electrolytic pickling, using electrolytic solutions having weak concentrations of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid.
- the wire is then cleaned and blown by means of water with continuous replacement and with pressurized air nozzles.
- the wire is then subjected to phosphating (bonderizing), which is performed by dipping the wire in a solution of water and zinc salts in an environment that is slightly acid due to phosphoric acid at temperatures that can vary between 50 o C and 85 o C.
- phosphating bonderizing
- the phosphating operation has the purpose of producing, on the surface of the wire, tightly adhering zinc phosphate crystals that facilitate the adhesion of stearates during drawing, preventing wire-die contact, which would lead to seizure, and allowing the desired drawing rate.
- the wire is cleaned and blown with hot air so that the wire is dry and ready for subsequent neutralization, which is performed with lime or borax using highly concentrated solutions.
- the wire is subjected to further drying and is stored, ready to be drawn.
- the systems currently used to perform these operations for preparing the wire for drawing are generally constituted by a plurality of vats, through which the wire is passed to undergo the various operations for pickling, phosphating, and neutralization with borax.
- the systems currently being used can be distinguished into continuous-type systems, in which the wire is treated online by virtue of the continuous advancement of the wire in the various vats, and into discontinuous-type systems, in which the various operations for preparing the wire are performed by dipping coils of wire in the various vats in sequence.
- Continuous-type systems are generally used to treat semifinished wires as they leave the patenting oven. These systems are capable of treating a plurality of wires simultaneously and the speed of the preparation process is closely correlated to the rate of advancement of the wire leaving the patenting oven.
- the speed of the preparation process is closely correlated to the rate of advancement of the wire leaving the patenting oven.
- In order to adapt to the times required to perform the various pickling, bonderizing, and borax neutralization operations it is necessary to use very long vats and considerable amounts of acid solution, with consequent ecological problems for the subsequent neutralization of these substances. With these systems it is therefore necessary to have considerable space available due to the size of the vats and it is also necessary to have a large space available to store the coils after preparation.
- the coils are dipped individually in side-by-side vats, so as to perform the descaling step, the cleaning step, the phosphating step, an additional cleaning step, the borax neutralization step, and the final cleaning sequentially.
- these kinds of system it is necessary to provide a plurality of vats for the phosphating operation, so as to adapt to process and production times.
- These systems have the problem that they require considerable manual work to perform all the preparatory operations by virtue of lifting units to move the coils from one vat to the other.
- the aim of the present invention is to solve the above described problems by providing a system for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing which requires very small spaces with respect to those required by conventional systems.
- an object of the invention is to provide a system that requires low investments for its execution.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a system that allows to considerably reduce the costs for preparing the wire for drawing.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a system that is highly flexible in use.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a system that can correctly prepare wires for subsequent drawing without requiring large amounts of solutions or treatment liquids, thus reducing the amount of pollutants and the consequent costs for their neutralization.
- a system for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing characterized in that it comprises a phosphating station that comprises a vat for containing a phosphating solution and a drum for winding and unwinding the wire to be treated, said drum being at least partially immersed in said phosphating solution and being actuatable with a rotary motion about its own axis to gradually wind the wire to be treated and gradually release the treated wire.
- the system according to the invention forms a path for the continuous advancement of a wire 2 to be treated, which is made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general and runs through a station 3 for mechanical pickling, a station 4 for phosphating (bonderizing) and a station 5 for neutralizing with borax.
- the pickling station 3 comprises means for deforming the wire 2 around at least two axes that are substantially perpendicular to each other so as to separate the milling scales and the oxides from the surface of the wire 2.
- These deformation means are constituted, in the illustrated embodiment, by a series of pulleys 6 that are arranged so that their axes are horizontal and are followed by one or more pulleys 7 that are arranged so that their axes are also horizontal but at right angles to the axes of the pulleys 6.
- wire cleaning means that can be constituted by conventional cleaning brushes that are not illustrated for the sake of simplicity.
- Said cleaning station 9 Downstream of the pickling station 3, along the advancement direction of the wire 2, and before the phosphating station 4, there is a station 9 for cleaning the wire after pickling.
- Said cleaning station 9 comprises a chamber 10 inside which there are nozzles for delivering jets of water and nozzles for delivering air.
- a filter 11 is arranged below the chamber 10 to filter the water used in this cleaning step.
- the phosphating station 4 comprises, according to the invention, a vat 12 that is adapted to contain the phosphating liquid and a drum 13 on which the wire 2 that arrives from the cleaning station 9 is gradually wound and unwound.
- the drum 13 is preferably arranged so that its axis 13a is horizontal and is partially immersed in the phosphating solution.
- the drum 13 can be actuated with a rotary motion about its own axis 13a by virtue of a variable-speed gearmotor 14.
- the portion on which the wire 2 is meant to wind is substantially shaped like a truncated cone whose cross-section tapers gradually, starting from the region where the wire starts to be wound and toward the region where said wire is released; said wire winds in turns around the reel 13.
- Said frustum-shaped portion where traction is applied is coated with a wearproof material that can be constituted by ceramic material or by an applied part made of hard metal such as Widia (tungsten carbide) or the like.
- At least one part of the portion of the drum on which the wire 2 winds has a frame-like structure.
- said frame-like structure is constituted by a plurality of bars 15 that are mutually spaced about the axis 13a of the drum 13 and are orientated along directrices of the frustum-shaped surface of the drum 13.
- the portions of the bars 15 that are meant to make contact with the wire 2 are conveniently made of a material that is highly resistant to wear and to corrosion by the phosphating solution.
- the portions meant to make contact with the wire 2 can be constituted by inserts 16a, 16b, and 16c that may have different shapes according to the requirements and are inserted in adapted seats formed in the body of the bars 15, so as to protrude laterally from the bars in order to make contact with the wire 2 and protect the remaining part of the bars 15 from said contact.
- These inserts 16a, 16b, and 16c can be constituted, for example, by ceramic materials, sintered metals, or other conventional highly wear- and corrosion-resistant material.
- the phosphating solution to be used in the vat 12 is stored inside a reservoir 17 that is also provided with means for heating the solution; said means are constituted for example by a conventional burner 18 that is connected to said reservoir 17.
- the reservoir 17 is connected to the vat 12 by virtue of means for conveying the phosphating solution from the reservoir 17 to the vat 12 and vice versa, from the vat 12 to the reservoir 17.
- said conveying means comprise a duct 19 that connects the reservoir 17 to the vat 12 and leads into the vat 12 above the drum 13, so as to deliver the phosphating liquid, which arrives from the reservoir 17, directly onto the drum 13, on which the wire 2 winds and unwinds continuously.
- the vat 12 is closed at the top by an openable cover 21.
- Means are furthermore arranged inside the vat 12 to reduce the traction applied to the wire 2 between the region where winding on the drum 13 begins and the region where it is released, so as to avoid packing of the wire 2 on the drum 13 and thus facilitate contact between the phosphating solution and the surface of the wire 2.
- These traction reducing means are constituted by two pulleys 22a and 22b that are arranged so that their axes are horizontal and mutually parallel and force the wire to undergo a deformation along two mutually opposite curves, so as to reduce the tension T2 applied to the wire that leaves the phosphating station 4 until the tension T1 on the wire that unwinds from the drum 13 is significantly lower than the tension T2 and significantly lower than the tension T that is applied to the wire when it begins to be wound on the drum 13; said tension is determined by the deformations that the wire undergoes during pickling and during its extraction from the drum 13 as a consequence of the actuation of the drum 13 with a rotary motion about its own axis.
- the borax treatment station 5 comprises an overflow vat 24 that is crossed by the immersed wire 2 and is fed continuously with lime or borax in a highly concentrated solution by means of a pump that draws from an underlying vat 25.
- vat 25 can be kept at an adapted temperature, substantially 75 o C, by virtue of the circulation of hot water next to the walls of said vat 25.
- the wire Downstream of the borax treatment station 5, the wire is sent to the drums of the drawing machine, which apply to said wire a traction that also affects the path followed by the wire through the system according to the invention.
- means 27 for compensating the variations in the advancement rate of the wire as it leaves the system are arranged between the phosphating station 4 and the borax treatment station 5.
- Said compensating means 27 comprise two pulleys 28a and 28b, on which the wire that leaves the phosphating station 4 winds; said pulleys are arranged so that their axes are mutually horizontal and parallel.
- the position of the pulley 28a is fixed, whilst the pulley 28b can move toward or away from the pulley 28a, since it is supported by a structure 29 so that it can slide vertically.
- the movement of the pulley 28b toward the pulley 28a is contrasted by means of a fluid-actuated cylinder 30 that is arranged so that its axis is vertical and is connected to the pulley 28b by means of the stem 30a of its piston.
- the fluid-actuated cylinder 30 is conveniently constituted by a pneumatic cylinder that is continuously supplied with pressurized air through a duct 31 on which there is a regulator valve 32 in order to regulate the traction of the wire at the exit from the phosphating vat (T2).
- the pulley 28b is furthermore controlled by a sensor 33 that detects the movements of the pulley 28b, i.e., the variations in the distance between the pulley 28a and the pulley 28b, and is connected to an actuation and control element 34 that supervises the operation of the machine.
- the actuation and control element 34 is connected to the gearmotor 14 so as to vary the actuation rate of the drum 13 to adapt said rate to the advancement rate of the wire set by the drawing system.
- a guiding pulley 35 is arranged below the pulley 28a, and means for detecting the advancement rate of the wire are arranged between said pulley 35 and the inlet of the borax treatment station 5; said detector means can be constituted, for example, by an encoder that is mounted on the shaft of a pulley 36.
- the encoder mounted on the pulley 36 is also connected to the actuation and control element 34, which thus constantly controls the advancement rate of the wire 2, varying the actuation rate of the drum 13 if necessary.
- an additional pair of guiding pulleys is arranged along the path of the system and more particularly between the cleaning station 9 and the phosphating station 4.
- the wire 2 that leaves the pickling station 3 is optionally subjected to mechanical brushing, which completes the removal of the milling scales and of the oxides.
- the wire 2 is then cleaned in the cleaning station 9 and dried with air jets.
- the wire 2 by gradually winding on the drum 13 and gradually unwinding from it, is subjected to the action of the phosphating solution.
- the wire is cleaned and dried in the chamber 23 and then subjected to treatment with borax by passing through the vat 24. Finally, in passing through the chamber 26, the wire is dried and is ready to enter the die.
- the system according to the invention for feeding conventional dies requires very small spaces, since it does not require the use of bulky vats to perform pickling and phosphating.
- the system according to the invention is capable of operating by using smaller amounts of phosphating solutions, generating less pollution problems and furthermore reducing costs for the treatment of these solutions when they are no longer used.
- the materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Metallurgy (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Cleaning And De-Greasing Of Metallic Materials By Chemical Methods (AREA)
Abstract
System for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or
ferrous materials in general for drawing which comprises a
phosphating station (4) that is substantially constituted by
a vat (12) for containing a phosphating solution and by a
drum (13) for winding and unwinding the wire (2) to be
treated. The drum (13) is at least partially immersed in the
phosphating solution and can be actuated with a rotary
motion about its own axis (13a) to gradually wind the wire
(2) to be treated and gradually release the treated wire.
Description
The present invention relates to a system for preparing
wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general
for drawing.
It is known that medium- and high-quality wires made of
steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general that must be
drawn must undergo adapted preparatory operations to
prevent, during drawing, contact between the wire and the
die and consequent seizure and to allow an adapted drawing
rate.
These preparatory operations include a first step,
known as mordanting, which essentially consists in
submerging the wire in a solution of water and sulfuric or
hydrochloric acid for a preset time in order to remove
lamination scales and surface oxides from the surface of the
wire. As an alternative, this operation can be performed by
electrolytic pickling, using electrolytic solutions having
weak concentrations of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid.
The wire is then cleaned and blown by means of water
with continuous replacement and with pressurized air
nozzles.
The wire is then subjected to phosphating
(bonderizing), which is performed by dipping the wire in a
solution of water and zinc salts in an environment that is
slightly acid due to phosphoric acid at temperatures that
can vary between 50oC and 85oC. The phosphating operation
has the purpose of producing, on the surface of the wire,
tightly adhering zinc phosphate crystals that facilitate the
adhesion of stearates during drawing, preventing wire-die
contact, which would lead to seizure, and allowing the
desired drawing rate. After phosphating, the wire is cleaned
and blown with hot air so that the wire is dry and ready for
subsequent neutralization, which is performed with lime or
borax using highly concentrated solutions. Finally, the wire
is subjected to further drying and is stored, ready to be
drawn.
The systems currently used to perform these operations
for preparing the wire for drawing are generally constituted
by a plurality of vats, through which the wire is passed to
undergo the various operations for pickling, phosphating,
and neutralization with borax.
The systems currently being used can be distinguished
into continuous-type systems, in which the wire is treated
online by virtue of the continuous advancement of the wire
in the various vats, and into discontinuous-type systems, in
which the various operations for preparing the wire are
performed by dipping coils of wire in the various vats in
sequence.
Continuous-type systems are generally used to treat
semifinished wires as they leave the patenting oven. These
systems are capable of treating a plurality of wires
simultaneously and the speed of the preparation process is
closely correlated to the rate of advancement of the wire
leaving the patenting oven. In order to adapt to the times
required to perform the various pickling, bonderizing, and
borax neutralization operations it is necessary to use very
long vats and considerable amounts of acid solution, with
consequent ecological problems for the subsequent
neutralization of these substances. With these systems it is
therefore necessary to have considerable space available due
to the size of the vats and it is also necessary to have a
large space available to store the coils after preparation.
In discontinuous-type systems, the coils are dipped
individually in side-by-side vats, so as to perform the
descaling step, the cleaning step, the phosphating step, an
additional cleaning step, the borax neutralization step, and
the final cleaning sequentially. In these kinds of system it
is necessary to provide a plurality of vats for the
phosphating operation, so as to adapt to process and
production times. These systems have the problem that they
require considerable manual work to perform all the
preparatory operations by virtue of lifting units to move
the coils from one vat to the other. Even with these types
of system, there are problems as regards the space required
for the vats and problems linked to neutralizing the large
amounts of liquids to be processed; moreover, processing
times are long and extended further by the operations for
moving the coils from one vat to the other.
The aim of the present invention is to solve the above
described problems by providing a system for preparing wires
made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for
drawing which requires very small spaces with respect to
those required by conventional systems.
Within the scope of this aim, an object of the
invention is to provide a system that requires low
investments for its execution.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system
that allows to considerably reduce the costs for preparing
the wire for drawing.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system
that is highly flexible in use.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system
that can correctly prepare wires for subsequent drawing
without requiring large amounts of solutions or treatment
liquids, thus reducing the amount of pollutants and the
consequent costs for their neutralization.
This aim, these objects, and others that will become
apparent hereinafter are achieved by a system for preparing
wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general
for drawing, characterized in that it comprises a
phosphating station that comprises a vat for containing a
phosphating solution and a drum for winding and unwinding
the wire to be treated, said drum being at least partially
immersed in said phosphating solution and being actuatable
with a rotary motion about its own axis to gradually wind
the wire to be treated and gradually release the treated
wire.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention
will become apparent from the description of a preferred but
not exclusive embodiment of the system according to the
invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example
in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
With reference to the above figures, the system
according to the invention, generally designated by the
reference numeral 1, forms a path for the continuous
advancement of a wire 2 to be treated, which is made of
steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general and runs
through a station 3 for mechanical pickling, a station 4 for
phosphating (bonderizing) and a station 5 for neutralizing
with borax.
More particularly, the pickling station 3 comprises
means for deforming the wire 2 around at least two axes that
are substantially perpendicular to each other so as to
separate the milling scales and the oxides from the surface
of the wire 2. These deformation means are constituted, in
the illustrated embodiment, by a series of pulleys 6 that
are arranged so that their axes are horizontal and are
followed by one or more pulleys 7 that are arranged so that
their axes are also horizontal but at right angles to the
axes of the pulleys 6. When the wire leaves the pulley 7, it
is guided, by means of an additional pulley 8, to wire
cleaning means that can be constituted by conventional
cleaning brushes that are not illustrated for the sake of
simplicity.
Downstream of the pickling station 3, along the
advancement direction of the wire 2, and before the
phosphating station 4, there is a station 9 for cleaning the
wire after pickling. Said cleaning station 9 comprises a
chamber 10 inside which there are nozzles for delivering
jets of water and nozzles for delivering air. A filter 11 is
arranged below the chamber 10 to filter the water used in
this cleaning step.
The phosphating station 4 comprises, according to the
invention, a vat 12 that is adapted to contain the
phosphating liquid and a drum 13 on which the wire 2 that
arrives from the cleaning station 9 is gradually wound and
unwound. The drum 13 is preferably arranged so that its axis
13a is horizontal and is partially immersed in the
phosphating solution. The drum 13 can be actuated with a
rotary motion about its own axis 13a by virtue of a
variable-speed gearmotor 14.
In the drum 13, as shown in particular in figure 2, the
portion on which the wire 2 is meant to wind is
substantially shaped like a truncated cone whose cross-section
tapers gradually, starting from the region where the
wire starts to be wound and toward the region where said
wire is released; said wire winds in turns around the reel
13.
Said frustum-shaped portion where traction is applied
is coated with a wearproof material that can be constituted
by ceramic material or by an applied part made of hard metal
such as Widia (tungsten carbide) or the like.
Furthermore, at least one part of the portion of the
drum on which the wire 2 winds has a frame-like structure.
More particularly, said frame-like structure is
constituted by a plurality of bars 15 that are mutually
spaced about the axis 13a of the drum 13 and are orientated
along directrices of the frustum-shaped surface of the drum
13.
The portions of the bars 15 that are meant to make
contact with the wire 2 are conveniently made of a material
that is highly resistant to wear and to corrosion by the
phosphating solution. As shown in figures 3 to 5, the
portions meant to make contact with the wire 2 can be
constituted by inserts 16a, 16b, and 16c that may have
different shapes according to the requirements and are
inserted in adapted seats formed in the body of the bars 15,
so as to protrude laterally from the bars in order to make
contact with the wire 2 and protect the remaining part of
the bars 15 from said contact. These inserts 16a, 16b, and
16c can be constituted, for example, by ceramic materials,
sintered metals, or other conventional highly wear- and
corrosion-resistant material.
The phosphating solution to be used in the vat 12 is
stored inside a reservoir 17 that is also provided with
means for heating the solution; said means are constituted
for example by a conventional burner 18 that is connected to
said reservoir 17. The reservoir 17 is connected to the vat
12 by virtue of means for conveying the phosphating solution
from the reservoir 17 to the vat 12 and vice versa, from the
vat 12 to the reservoir 17.
Conveniently, said conveying means comprise a duct 19
that connects the reservoir 17 to the vat 12 and leads into
the vat 12 above the drum 13, so as to deliver the
phosphating liquid, which arrives from the reservoir 17,
directly onto the drum 13, on which the wire 2 winds and
unwinds continuously.
On the bottom of the vat 12 there is the inlet of a
return duct 20, through which the phosphating solution is
returned to the reservoir 17 until the iron concentration in
said solution makes it practically unusable. At this point
the phosphating solution is replaced with fresh solution.
There is also a circuit that is in parallel to said
circuit and continuously filters the solution by means of a
pump and a filter.
The vat 12 is closed at the top by an openable cover
21.
Means are furthermore arranged inside the vat 12 to
reduce the traction applied to the wire 2 between the region
where winding on the drum 13 begins and the region where it
is released, so as to avoid packing of the wire 2 on the
drum 13 and thus facilitate contact between the phosphating
solution and the surface of the wire 2. These traction
reducing means are constituted by two pulleys 22a and 22b
that are arranged so that their axes are horizontal and
mutually parallel and force the wire to undergo a
deformation along two mutually opposite curves, so as to
reduce the tension T2 applied to the wire that leaves the
phosphating station 4 until the tension T1 on the wire that
unwinds from the drum 13 is significantly lower than the
tension T2 and significantly lower than the tension T that
is applied to the wire when it begins to be wound on the
drum 13; said tension is determined by the deformations that
the wire undergoes during pickling and during its extraction
from the drum 13 as a consequence of the actuation of the
drum 13 with a rotary motion about its own axis. Owing to
the fact that the tension T1 is significantly lower than the
tension T, packing of the wire 2 on the drum 13 is
effectively avoided and the turns of wire, in the region
occupied by-the frame-like structure, are kept adequately
spaced from each other, thus achieving high effectiveness in
the contact between the phosphating liquid and the surface
of the wire.
At the output of the phosphating station 4 there are
means for cleaning the wire with water and drying it; said
means can be constituted, for example, by nozzles for
delivering pressurized water jets and hot air, arranged in a
chamber 23 that is crossed by the wire that exits from the
vat 2.
The borax treatment station 5 comprises an overflow vat
24 that is crossed by the immersed wire 2 and is fed
continuously with lime or borax in a highly concentrated
solution by means of a pump that draws from an underlying
vat 25.
It should be noted that the vat 25 can be kept at an
adapted temperature, substantially 75oC, by virtue of the
circulation of hot water next to the walls of said vat 25.
At the outlet of the borax treatment station 5 there is
a chamber 26 in which there are hot air blower nozzles that
dry the wire.
Downstream of the borax treatment station 5, the wire
is sent to the drums of the drawing machine, which apply to
said wire a traction that also affects the path followed by
the wire through the system according to the invention.
Conveniently, in order to make the speed of the drum 13
compatible with the speed of the first drum of the drawing
machine, means 27 for compensating the variations in the
advancement rate of the wire as it leaves the system are
arranged between the phosphating station 4 and the borax
treatment station 5.
Said compensating means 27 comprise two pulleys 28a and
28b, on which the wire that leaves the phosphating station 4
winds; said pulleys are arranged so that their axes are
mutually horizontal and parallel. The position of the pulley
28a is fixed, whilst the pulley 28b can move toward or away
from the pulley 28a, since it is supported by a structure 29
so that it can slide vertically.
The movement of the pulley 28b toward the pulley 28a is
contrasted by means of a fluid-actuated cylinder 30 that is
arranged so that its axis is vertical and is connected to
the pulley 28b by means of the stem 30a of its piston. The
fluid-actuated cylinder 30 is conveniently constituted by a
pneumatic cylinder that is continuously supplied with
pressurized air through a duct 31 on which there is a
regulator valve 32 in order to regulate the traction of the
wire at the exit from the phosphating vat (T2).
The pulley 28b is furthermore controlled by a sensor 33
that detects the movements of the pulley 28b, i.e., the
variations in the distance between the pulley 28a and the
pulley 28b, and is connected to an actuation and control
element 34 that supervises the operation of the machine. The
actuation and control element 34 is connected to the
gearmotor 14 so as to vary the actuation rate of the drum 13
to adapt said rate to the advancement rate of the wire set
by the drawing system.
A guiding pulley 35 is arranged below the pulley 28a,
and means for detecting the advancement rate of the wire are
arranged between said pulley 35 and the inlet of the borax
treatment station 5; said detector means can be constituted,
for example, by an encoder that is mounted on the shaft of a
pulley 36. The encoder mounted on the pulley 36 is also
connected to the actuation and control element 34, which
thus constantly controls the advancement rate of the wire 2,
varying the actuation rate of the drum 13 if necessary.
For the sake of completeness in description, it should
be noted that an additional pair of guiding pulleys,
designated by the reference numerals 37 and 38, is arranged
along the path of the system and more particularly between
the cleaning station 9 and the phosphating station 4.
The operation of the system according to the invention
is as follows.
The wire 2, pulled by the rotary actuation of the drum
13 with a motion about its own axis 13a and by the drawing
system, gradually passes through the pickling station 3,
where the deformation of the wire about two mutually
perpendicular axes removes the milling scales and the oxides
produced during the previous production processes from the
surface of the wire. The wire 2 that leaves the pickling
station 3 is optionally subjected to mechanical brushing,
which completes the removal of the milling scales and of the
oxides.
The wire 2 is then cleaned in the cleaning station 9
and dried with air jets. In the phosphating station 4, the
wire 2, by gradually winding on the drum 13 and gradually
unwinding from it, is subjected to the action of the
phosphating solution. It should be noted that the movement
of the drum 13 about its own axis, the fact that said drum
is partially immersed in the phosphating solution, the fact
that the phosphating solution is fed to the vat 12 from
above so that the phosphating solution falls onto the wire 2
wound on the drum 13, as well as the particular path
followed by the wire that winds on the drum 13, achieve
particular effectiveness in phosphating. Owing to the
presence of the two pulleys 22a and 22b it is possible to
maintain limited traction on the wire during its unwinding
from the drum 13, which as mentioned effectively avoids the
packing of the wire on the drum 13, and a higher traction on
the wire 2 that leaves the phosphating station 4, which
allows optimum operation of the compensating means 27. At
the exit from the phosphating station 4, the wire is cleaned
and dried in the chamber 23 and then subjected to treatment
with borax by passing through the vat 24. Finally, in
passing through the chamber 26, the wire is dried and is
ready to enter the die.
The system according to the invention for feeding
conventional dies requires very small spaces, since it does
not require the use of bulky vats to perform pickling and
phosphating.
Furthermore, by virtue of this fact the system
according to the invention is capable of operating by using
smaller amounts of phosphating solutions, generating less
pollution problems and furthermore reducing costs for the
treatment of these solutions when they are no longer used.
It should also be noted that by virtue of the high
effectiveness achieved with the phosphating station of the
system according to the invention it is possible to use
phosphating solutions having very low concentrations, with
additional savings both in terms of raw material and in
terms of disposal of the solutions.
In practice, it has been observed that the system
according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim,
since it requires limited investments, is easy to manage and
highly flexible in use, and occupies far less space than
conventional systems for preparing the wire for drawing.
The system thus conceived is susceptible of numerous
modifications and variations, all of which are within the
scope of the inventive concept; all the details may
furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent
elements.
In practice, the materials employed, as well as the
dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the
state of the art.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are
followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been
included for the sole purpose of increasing the
intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such
reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the
interpretation of each element identified by way of example
by such reference signs.
Claims (26)
- System for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing, characterized in that it comprises a phosphating station (4) that comprises a vat (12) for containing a phosphating solution and a drum (13) for winding and unwinding the wire (2) to be treated, said drum (13) being at least partially immersed in said phosphating solution and being actuatable with a rotary motion about its own axis (13a) to gradually wind the wire (2) to be treated and gradually release the treated wire.
- System according to claim 1, characterized in that the axis (13a) of said drum (13) is substantially horizontal.
- System according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a variable-speed gearmotor (14) for the actuation of said drum (13) so that it rotates about its own axis (13a).
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least part of the portion of said drum on which the wire winds has a frame-like structure (15).
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wire winding portion of said drum (13) is substantially shaped like a truncated cone that tapers from the winding region to the wire release region.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said wire winding portion substantially shaped like a truncated cone where traction is applied is covered with wearproof material made of ceramic material or applied hard metal, such as Widia (tungsten carbide) or the like.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said frame-like structure is constituted by a plurality of bars (15) that are orientated along the directrices of a frustum-shaped surface and are mutually spaced about the axis (13a) of the drum (13), the portions of said bars (15) that are meant to make contact with the wire (2) being made of a material that is highly resistant to wear and to corrosion by the phosphating solution.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a reservoir (17) for containing the phosphating solution, means (19) being provided for conveying the phosphating solution from said reservoir (17) to said vat (12) that accommodates said drum (13) and from said vat (12) to said reservoir.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said means for conveying the phosphating solution comprise a duct (19) for connecting said reservoir (17) to said vat (12) that accommodates said drum (13), said connecting duct (19) leading into said vat (12) above said drum (13).
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said reservoir (17) is provided with means (18) for heating the phosphating solution.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means (22a, 22b) for reducing the traction applied to said wire (2) between the region where winding on said drum (13) begins and the release region.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a station (9) for the mechanical cleaning of the wire (2) is arranged ahead of said phosphating station (4) along the wire advancement direction.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a pickling station (3), said pickling station (3) comprising means (6) for deforming the wire about at least two axes that are substantially perpendicular to each other.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said pickling station (3) comprises wire cleaning brushes at the exit of said deforming means (6).
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a wire cleaning station (9) is arranged between said pickling station (3) and said phosphating station (4).
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that means for cleaning the wire with water and drying means are arranged in said cleaning station (9).
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a borax treatment station (5) is arranged after said phosphating station (4) along the wire advancement direction.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said borax treatment station (5) comprises an overflow vat (24) that is supplied with borax and in which the wire (2) passes so as to be immersed.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that means for cleaning and drying the wire (2) are provided at the exit of said phosphating station (4).
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said means for cleaning and drying the wire at the exit of said phosphating station are constituted by nozzles for delivering jets of pressurized water and hot air.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that means (27) for compensating the variations in the advancement rate of the wire (2) when it leaves the system are arranged between said phosphating station (4) and said borax treatment station (5).
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said compensating means (27) comprise two pulleys (28a, 28b) for winding the wire (2) at the exit of said phosphating station (4), said pulleys (28a, 28b) being arranged so that their axes are mutually parallel, one (28b) of said pulleys being movable toward the other pulley (28a) in contrast with a resisting force.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a fluid-actuated cylinder (30) acts on said movable pulley (28b) and contrasts its movement toward the other pulley.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said fluid-actuated cylinder (30) is constituted by a pneumatic cylinder.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said compensating means (27) comprise a sensor (33) for detecting the change in the distance between said two pulleys (28a, 28b), said sensor (33) being operatively connected to an actuation and control element (34) adapted to vary the actuation rate of said drum (13) as a function of the variation of said distance.
- System according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that at the inlet of said borax treatment vat (25) there are means for detecting the advancement rate of the wire (2), said means being connected to said actuation and control element (34).
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP97108041A EP0878562A1 (en) | 1997-05-16 | 1997-05-16 | System for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP97108041A EP0878562A1 (en) | 1997-05-16 | 1997-05-16 | System for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0878562A1 true EP0878562A1 (en) | 1998-11-18 |
Family
ID=8226800
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP97108041A Withdrawn EP0878562A1 (en) | 1997-05-16 | 1997-05-16 | System for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0878562A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2009147470A1 (en) * | 2008-06-04 | 2009-12-10 | I.C.M.I. S.R.L. | Plant for the treatment of metallic wires addressed to the drawing operation |
US9222605B2 (en) | 2008-10-17 | 2015-12-29 | Hutchinson | Ducting for a fluid transfer pipeline for an aircraft or spacecraft, method for producing same and aeronautical structure incorporating same |
CN110433551A (en) * | 2019-08-30 | 2019-11-12 | 河南恒星钢缆股份有限公司 | Novel Boraxing unit |
Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
BE450886A (en) * | ||||
GB928435A (en) * | 1961-02-14 | 1963-06-12 | British Oxygen Co Ltd | Apparatus and methods for the treatment of wire |
US3354687A (en) * | 1965-06-23 | 1967-11-28 | Nat Standard Co | Combination wire treating and drawing apparatus and process |
GB1165015A (en) * | 1966-08-22 | 1969-09-24 | Herbert Kenmore | A Process for Cleaning Wire and Like Strip Material. |
DE1953133A1 (en) * | 1968-11-25 | 1970-06-11 | Ruthner Ind Planungs Ag | Method and device for the continuous pickling of wire |
AT294521B (en) * | 1969-12-01 | 1971-11-25 | Ruthner Othmar | Method and device for the continuous pickling of wire |
FR2359059A1 (en) * | 1976-07-22 | 1978-02-17 | Ruthner Industrieanlagen Ag | Continuous wire transport equipment - has wire winding drum with rollers for guiding wire on and off drum |
DE3611185A1 (en) * | 1986-04-03 | 1987-12-23 | Kieserling Ziehmaschinen | Apparatus and method for the surface treatment of wire or the like |
EP0775759A1 (en) * | 1995-11-22 | 1997-05-28 | Santo Esposito | System for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing |
-
1997
- 1997-05-16 EP EP97108041A patent/EP0878562A1/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
BE450886A (en) * | ||||
GB928435A (en) * | 1961-02-14 | 1963-06-12 | British Oxygen Co Ltd | Apparatus and methods for the treatment of wire |
US3354687A (en) * | 1965-06-23 | 1967-11-28 | Nat Standard Co | Combination wire treating and drawing apparatus and process |
GB1165015A (en) * | 1966-08-22 | 1969-09-24 | Herbert Kenmore | A Process for Cleaning Wire and Like Strip Material. |
DE1953133A1 (en) * | 1968-11-25 | 1970-06-11 | Ruthner Ind Planungs Ag | Method and device for the continuous pickling of wire |
AT294521B (en) * | 1969-12-01 | 1971-11-25 | Ruthner Othmar | Method and device for the continuous pickling of wire |
FR2359059A1 (en) * | 1976-07-22 | 1978-02-17 | Ruthner Industrieanlagen Ag | Continuous wire transport equipment - has wire winding drum with rollers for guiding wire on and off drum |
DE3611185A1 (en) * | 1986-04-03 | 1987-12-23 | Kieserling Ziehmaschinen | Apparatus and method for the surface treatment of wire or the like |
EP0775759A1 (en) * | 1995-11-22 | 1997-05-28 | Santo Esposito | System for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2009147470A1 (en) * | 2008-06-04 | 2009-12-10 | I.C.M.I. S.R.L. | Plant for the treatment of metallic wires addressed to the drawing operation |
US9222605B2 (en) | 2008-10-17 | 2015-12-29 | Hutchinson | Ducting for a fluid transfer pipeline for an aircraft or spacecraft, method for producing same and aeronautical structure incorporating same |
CN110433551A (en) * | 2019-08-30 | 2019-11-12 | 河南恒星钢缆股份有限公司 | Novel Boraxing unit |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
KR100207836B1 (en) | Equipment for continuously manufacturing metal coils and metal coil manufacturing method | |
US3122114A (en) | Continuous tube forming and galvanizing | |
DE2931308A1 (en) | SURFACE TREATMENT DEVICE | |
KR101010580B1 (en) | Method and device for descaling and/or cleaning a metal casting | |
RU2237743C2 (en) | Method for processing of surface of elongated article, line and apparatus for effectuating the same | |
CN207495222U (en) | A kind of processing equipment of the wire rod after drawing soft annealing | |
US5771728A (en) | System for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing | |
EP0878562A1 (en) | System for preparing wires made of steel, iron, or ferrous materials in general for drawing | |
US9597922B2 (en) | Method for liquid surface activation of transfer film, hydrographic method and hydrographic device implementing same | |
JP2021151657A (en) | Method of uniformizing wire-coil coat film | |
US4326894A (en) | Process for the production of conversion layers on metal surfaces by the spray method | |
US3144361A (en) | Pretreating iron or steel | |
US5201206A (en) | Continuous wire drawing process with mechanical descaling and post-die treatment and apparatus | |
US2311616A (en) | Apparatus for treating metal strips | |
US3501347A (en) | Removing scale from wire and similar strip material | |
US6544402B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for manufacturing a wire | |
US4850378A (en) | Steel pickling apparatus | |
US2326844A (en) | Method of continuously galvanizing pipe and the like | |
US3238059A (en) | Wire coating | |
US2203063A (en) | Method of treating and coiling wire | |
CZ271099A3 (en) | Process and apparatus for applying phosphate coating to products | |
US3518847A (en) | Continuous processing of flexible materials | |
US2203064A (en) | Method of and apparatus for treating and drawing wire | |
US5209092A (en) | Continuous wire drawing process with chemical descaling and post-die treatment and apparatus | |
JPH03500907A (en) | Continuous strip pickling method and equipment |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AT DK FI GR IE NL |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Free format text: LT PAYMENT 970530;SI PAYMENT 970530 |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 19990422 |
|
AKX | Designation fees paid |
Free format text: AT DK FI GR IE NL |
|
AXX | Extension fees paid |
Free format text: LT PAYMENT 19970530;SI PAYMENT 19970530 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
|
18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 19991201 |