FR3102688A1 - Aluminum strip coil manufacturing process and stormwater drainage element profile manufacturing process - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of fabricating a coil (18) of aluminum strip (16), said aluminum strip (16) being configured to fabricate a storm drain member profile (30), in which one provides a initial coil (10) of flat aluminum strip (12), said flat aluminum strip (12) having a direction of length (X) and a direction of width (Y), the initial roll (10) is unwound, the flat aluminum strip (12) is ribbed in the length direction (X), and the ribbed strip (16) is wound up. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 1.

Description

Aluminum strip coil manufacturing process and stormwater drainage member profile manufacturing process

This disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a coil of aluminum strip for manufacturing stormwater drainage element profiles, as well as a method of manufacturing a stormwater drainage element profile.

A rainwater drainage element profile is, for example, a gutter profile or a coping profile.

The methods for manufacturing the profiles of known rainwater evacuation elements do not always give complete satisfaction from the point of view of the ease of implementation, the mechanical strength of the resulting profile and the aesthetic result. So there is a need for that.

One embodiment relates to a method of manufacturing a coil of aluminum strip, said aluminum strip being configured to manufacture a profile of a storm drain element, in which an initial coil of flat strip of aluminum, said flat aluminum strip having a length direction and a width direction, the initial coil is unrolled, the flat aluminum strip is ribbed along the length direction, and the ribbed strip is wound.

The initial coil can be partially unwound during beading. For example, the initial coil is partially unwound, the unwound flat strip portion is ribbed and the ribbed portion is then rolled up.

For example, several ribs are formed arranged parallel in the width direction, each rib extending in the length direction.

The formation of the ribs makes it possible to mechanically reinforce the aluminum strip while allowing it to be rewound. This facilitates its subsequent handling for the manufacture of the stormwater drainage element profile, and mechanically reinforces the final stormwater drainage element profile. In addition, the ribs make it possible to obtain a final aesthetic rendering, forming a 3D (or three-dimensional) effect on the profile of the final rainwater drainage element which is interesting.

In some embodiments, the ribs are contiguous along the width direction.

This provides mechanical reinforcement and a uniform aesthetic finish over the entire width of the aluminum strip.

In some embodiments, the ribs are sawtooth shaped in the width direction.

In other words, each rib has a transverse section in the direction of sawtooth length, or triangle.

Such ribs have a good balance between mechanical reinforcement and winding flexibility. Furthermore, such ribs have an interesting final aesthetic result.

In certain embodiments, the saw teeth have a height, the height of each saw tooth being a function of the thickness of the sheet of the aluminum strip.

This ensures that the saw teeth are well matched to the sheet metal used to form the aluminum strip

In some embodiments, the height of each sawtooth is between 1.5 times (one and a half times) and 2.0 times (twice) the thickness of the aluminum strip sheet.

Such a height ensures a good balance between mechanical reinforcement and rolling flexibility.

In some embodiments, each saw tooth has a first angled side forming a first angle relative to the width direction and a second angled side forming a second angle relative to the width direction, the first angle and the second angle being between 1° (one degree angle) and 5° (five degree angle).

The angles are not oriented, and are considered in absolute value with respect to the width direction. The first angle can be equal to or different from the second angle (and vice versa). Such angle values make it possible to ensure a good balance between mechanical reinforcement and aesthetic rendering.

In some embodiments, the flat aluminum strip of the initial coil is cut along the length direction into several daughter parallel strips after unrolling the initial coil, each daughter strip is ribbed, and each ribbed daughter strip is wound in such a way to form several daughter coils.

For example, the initial reel can be cut into four or five daughter strips. This makes it possible to optimize the handling of the initial roll and to form several daughter rolls in a single operation.

An embodiment also relates to a method of manufacturing a stormwater drainage element profile in which an aluminum strip coil manufactured according to the aluminum strip coil manufacturing method according to any of the embodiments described in this presentation, the coil of aluminum strip is unrolled, and the aluminum strip is folded along two ribs so as to form two vertical walls of element profile rainwater drain and a rainwater drain element profile collection wall.

As used herein, the term “bend” is understood to be broad, such as “folding one part down to another”. The folding can be carried out by any technique available to those skilled in the art. For example, bending can be done by profiling, but not only. For example, bending is performed along the edge of a rib. For example, when the ribs are sawtooth shaped, the bend is made along one vertex of the sawtooth. Other bending/machining operations may be provided upstream and/or downstream of the bending operation, but not necessarily. By bending the ribbed aluminum strip along a rib to form the rainwater drainage element profile, bending is made easier. Furthermore, the ribs stiffen the strip and the profile of the rainwater evacuation element, which facilitates the implementation of the method of manufacturing the profile of the rainwater evacuation element. Note that for a gutter profile the collection wall is a bottom wall while for a coping profile the collection wall is a top or cap wall.

The object of this presentation and its advantages will be better understood on reading the detailed description given below of various embodiments given by way of non-limiting examples. This description refers to the pages of appended figures, on which:

Figure 1 shows the different steps of a process for manufacturing a coil of aluminum strip configured to manufacture a profile of a rainwater drainage element

Figure 2 shows the cross section of a ribbed aluminum strip of Figure 1,

FIG. 3 represents the various stages of a method for manufacturing a profile of a rainwater drainage element from a coil produced according to the method of FIG. 1, and

Figure 4 shows a gutter comprising profiles of rainwater evacuation elements manufactured according to the method of Figure 3.

FIG. 1 represents the various stages of a method of manufacturing a coil of aluminum strip configured to manufacture a profile of a rainwater drainage element, from an initial coil 10 of flat strip of aluminum 12. In Figure 1, the tools/devices for machining the aluminum strip are not shown for the sake of clarity. Only the successive results of the machining steps are represented.

As shown in Figure 1, the coil 10 is partially unwound, the flat strip 12 having a direction of length X and a direction of width Y. The direction of length X corresponds to the direction of unwinding, circulation and then re - winding of the tape. The arrow F in Figure 1 corresponds to the direction of circulation from the initial coil 10 to the final coil(s) 18.

In this example, after unrolling the reel 12, the flat strip 12 is cut along the length direction X so as to form several daughter strips 14, in this example five daughter strips 14. The daughter strips 14 are arranged side-by-side. coast along the width direction Y and extend parallel along the length direction X.

Then, each daughter strip 14 is ribbed so as to obtain a ribbed strip 16. Each ribbed strip 16 is then wound up so as to form a coil 18 or daughter coil. In this example, five separate daughter coils 18 are obtained from a single initial coil 10. For example, the internal diameter of the coil 18 is greater than or equal to 420 mm.

FIG. 2 represents a cross section perpendicular to the direction of length X (i.e. along the direction of width Y) of a ribbed strip 16. The strip 16 has a plurality of contiguous ribs 20 along the direction of width Y, each rib 20 extending along the length direction X. In the example shown in Figure 2, the strip 16 has seven ribs 20. Considered along the width direction Y, each rib 20 has the shape of a sawtooth, and has a height H extending perpendicularly to the direction of length X and width Y. In this example, each sawtooth has the same height H (or depth), in this example equal to 2.8 times the thickness E of the sheet. In this example, the sheet has a thickness E equal to 0.55 mm and the height H is equal to 1.55 mm. Note that in Figure 2, the height H is exaggerated so as to make the section more readable, in particular the angles described below. However, those skilled in the art will immediately know how to scale the cut from the numerical values indicated in this presentation.

In this example, among the seven ribs 20 there are four types of ribs, namely one rib 20A, one rib 20B, four ribs 20C and one rib 20D. In this example, the rib types differ only in the dimensions of the ribs. Starting from the left and going to the right in FIG. 2, the rib 20A has a first side and a second side 20A1 and 20A2 each having the same length L1 in the width direction X of 22 mm, and respectively forming a first angle AA and a second angle AB of 2.5° with respect to the width direction X, identical in absolute value, but oriented opposite to each other. The rib 20B has a first side 20B1 having a length L2 along the width direction X of 22 mm, and forming a first angle BA of 2.5° relative to the width direction X, and a second side 20B2 having a length L3 along the direction of width X by 23 mm, and forming a second angle BB of 2.5° with respect to the direction of width X. The first and second angles BA and BB are identical in absolute value, but oriented opposite one the other. It should be noted that given the small dimensions of the saw teeth, in particular the height H, the values of the angles indicated are approximations rounded to one digit after the decimal point. The following four ribs 20C are of the same type and each have a first side and a second side 20C1 and 20C2 each having an identical length L4 in the width direction X of 18 mm, and respectively forming a first angle CA and second angle CB of 3.0° from the width direction X, identical in absolute value, but oriented opposite to each other. The rib 20D is the last in the series and has a first side 20D1 having a length L5 in the width direction X of 18 mm, and forming a first angle DA of 2.5° with respect to the width direction X, and a second side 20D2 having a length L6 along the width direction X of 28 mm, and forming a second angle DB of 2.5° relative to the width direction X. The first and second angles DA and DB are identical in absolute value, but oriented opposite each other.

The ribbed strip 16 has, seen in cross-section in the direction of length X, in FIG. 2, and considered along the direction of width Y, a first lateral portion P1 configured to form a hidden vertical wall of element profile rainwater drainage, a second central portion P2, configured to form a bottom (cf. gutter) or a top (cf. coping) of a rainwater drainage element profile, and a third lateral portion P3 configured to form a visible vertical wall of the rainwater drainage element. Strip 16 can be used to manufacture either gutter profiles or coping profiles.

FIG. 3 represents a method of manufacturing a profile for a rainwater evacuation element 30, in this example a gutter profile 30, from a coil 18 of aluminum strip 16 configured to form a profile of rainwater drainage element. The coil 18 is unrolled at least in part and the aluminum strip 16 is folded along two ribs, in this example along a triangle vertex of the sawtooth shapes of the ribs, so as to form two walls vertical 30A and 30B of gutter profile 30 and a collection wall 30C of gutter profile 30. The heights H1 and H2 of the walls 30A and 30B may or may not be identical. The walls 30A and 30B may or may not be substantially parallel. Other bending and/or machining steps may be planned to obtain a final gutter profile, but not necessarily. For example, the method may include a step of machining the free ends in the directions of the heights H1 and H2. In this example, the bending step is performed by profiling. In this example, a two-roll profiler is used, but of course any other type of profiler can be used, for example a roller profiler as described in document FR1459547, or other. Portions P1, P2 and P3 of strip 16 respectively form all or part of walls 30A, 30B and 30C of profile 30.

Figure 4 shows a gutter 100 comprising two gutter profiles 30. Thanks to the particular geometry of the coil 18, the profile 30 makes it possible to obtain in the end, when the gutter is installed, an interesting aesthetic rendering, forming a 3D effect.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it is obvious that modifications and changes can be made to these examples without departing from the general scope of the invention as defined by the claims. In particular, individual features of the different illustrated/mentioned embodiments can be combined in additional embodiments. Accordingly, the description and the drawings should be considered in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

It is also obvious that all the characteristics described with reference to a method can be transposed, alone or in combination, to a device, and conversely, all the characteristics described with reference to a device can be transposed, alone or in combination, to a method.

Claims (8)

A method of making a coil (18) of aluminum strip (16), said aluminum strip (16) being configured to make a storm drain member profile (30), wherein a initial coil (10) of flat aluminum strip (12), said flat aluminum strip (12) having a direction of length (X) and a direction of width (Y), the initial coil (10) is unrolled, the flat aluminum strip (12) is ribbed along the length direction (X), and the ribbed strip (16) is rolled up. A method of manufacturing a coil of aluminum strip according to claim 1, wherein the ribs (20) are contiguous in the direction of width (Y). A method of making a coil (18) of aluminum strip (16) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ribs (20) are saw-tooth shaped in the width direction (Y). A method of manufacturing a coil (18) of aluminum strip (30) according to claim 3, in which the saw teeth have a height (H), the height (H) of each saw tooth being a function of the thickness (E) the aluminum strip sheet (16). A method of manufacturing a coil (18) of aluminum strip (30) according to claim 4, in which the height (H) of each sawtooth is between 1.5 times and 2.0 times the thickness (E) of the sheet aluminum strip (16). A method of manufacturing a coil (18) of aluminum strip (16) according to any one of Claims 3 to 5, in which each sawtooth has a first inclined side (20A1, 20B1, 20C1, 20D1) forming a first angle (AA, BA, CA, DA) with respect to the width direction (Y) and a second inclined side (20A2, 20B2, 20C2, 20D2) forming a second angle (AA, BB, CA, DB) with respect to the width direction (Y), the first angle and the second angle being between 1° and 5°. Method of manufacturing a coil (18) of aluminum strip (16) according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, in which the flat strip of aluminum (12) is cut from the initial coil (10) in the direction of length (X) into several daughter parallel strips (14) after having unwound the initial coil (10), each daughter strip (14) is ribbed, and each ribbed daughter strip (16) is wound so as to form several daughter coils ( 18). A method of manufacturing a storm drain member profile (30) in which there is provided a coil (18) of aluminum strip (16) manufactured by the aluminum strip coil manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the coil (18) of aluminum strip (16) is unwound, and the aluminum strip (16) is folded along two ribs (20) so as to form two vertical walls (30A, 30B) of stormwater drainage element profile and a collection wall (30C) of stormwater drainage element profile.