GB2046147A

GB2046147A - Coil Band Severing and Disposal Apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2046147A
Application number: GB8010258A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Loewy Robertson Engineering Co Ltd
Current assignee: Loewy Robertson Engineering Co Ltd
Priority date: 1979-03-30
Filing date: 1980-03-27
Publication date: 1980-11-12
Also published as: GB2046147B

Abstract

Apparatus for removing bands B from around a coil C of metal strip and for disposing of the bands comprises means 2 for supporting the coil with its longitudinal axis substantially horizontal, a rotary saw 8 for movement along the length of the coil to cut the or each of the bands, and a band bundler 42 having an inlet extending along the length of the coil for receiving the or each band and for forming the or each band into a separate bundle. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Coil Band Severing and Disposal Apparatus This invention relates to apparatus for removing bands from coils of metal strip and for disposing of the bands.

When a coil of metal strip has been rolled in a rolling mill, it is usual for the coil to be held in a tightly coiled condition, pending further treatment, by one or more bands which encircle the periphery of the coil. These bands are normally of thin metal, generally between one inch and two inches wide and they are applied either by hand or, more usually, by a specially designed "banding" machine which wraps each band around the coil, the overlapping ends of each band being held together by means of a buckle which is generally crimped to maintain the band securely. The coils of strip may be stored or transported in the banded condition and are sometimes heat treated before rolling or other processing takes place.

If, for example, the strip material is to be rerolled in a rolling mill, the coil is conveyed as near as possible to the mill before the or each encircling band is removed, so that the tail of the coiled strip does not become unpeeled from the coil during such transportation. The band must then be severed and suitably disposed of, after which the coil is loaded on to a mandrel and rerolled or otherwise treated.

Severing of the band is sometimes done by means of a chisel which cuts through the band but this can cause damage to the surface of the strip, not only in the outer convolution of the coil but in several of the layers of strip just below the surface.

When the or each band has been severed from around its coil, it must be disposed of and this, in itself, has been a problem in the past. It is known to rotate the coil about its axis on support rollers so that the band is unpeeled from around the coil until the band falls into an under-floor pit area around the mill. This is undesirable as the lengths of banding material need to be removed from the pits from time to time and they are also known to cause damage to cables and other such services within the pit.

It is known from British Patent Specification No. 1380802 to provide a rotary cutting saw, which is moved so that its cutting edge moves parallel to the longitudinal axis of the coil to sever the band which is encircling the coil. The apparatus also includes a chopper having an inlet chute into which a cut end of the band is introduced and the chopper cuts the band into small lengths which are suitably collected and disposed of. In this prior specification, it is envisaged that a coil of strip will be encircled by only one band and, in use, the apparatus is brought into an operative position close to the position of the band and the rotary cutting saw is moved through a short distance so as to cut through the single band.

In practice, a coil of strip material may have more thari one band encircling it and the bands are not necessarily located at uniformly spaced apart positions along the length of the coil.

It is thus desirable for the band severing apparatus to be able to accommodate one or more bands encircling a coil of metal strip and for the band or each of the bands to be disposed of quickly and efficiently.

According to the present invention, apparatus for removing bands from coils of metal strip and for disposing of the bands comprises (a) means for supporting a coil of up to a predetermined maximum length, with its longitudinal axis substantially horizontal, (b) a rotary saw mounted for movement into and out of a position where its cutting edge is close to the peripheral surface of a coil supported on the said means, means for displacing the saw along a horizontal path substantially coterminous with said maximum length of coil to cut the or each band on the coil.

(c) a band bundier having an inlet coterminous with said maximum length of coil, means for moving said inlet towards and away from the coil support means such that a cut end of the or each band cut by the saw can be introduced into the inlet, and a rotary device for forming the or each band introduced into the inlet into a separate bundle.

By permitting the rotary saw to reciprocate along a path, which is substantially coterminous with said maximum length of coil, then the saw will sever the or each band which encircles the coil irrespective of the length of the coil and the position of the or each band around the coil.

This is an advantage over the known device where, assuming that there is only one band around the coil, the saw has to be positioned near to the band and moved for a short distance relative to the coil in order to sever the band.

It is also an advantage for the band bundler to have an inlet coterminous with the maximum length of the coil so that a cut end of the or each of the bands, wherever it or they are positioned along the length of the coil, and irrespective of the length of the coil, can be introduced into the bundler. It is also an advantage to form the or each band into a separate bundle which can subsequently be disposed of.

In a preferred arrangement, means are provided for rotating the coil support means so that a cut end of the or each band is fed into said inlet. Where a number of bands have been severed, all the bands are fed simultaneously into the bundler and are each formed into a separate bundle.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood it will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view, partly in section, showing a coil in position with respect to a coil transporting device and a coil band severing and disposal unit, Figure 2 is a view, partly in section, showing in more detail the apparatus Figure 1, Figure 3 is a further, but diagrammatic view, of the part shown in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a view, partly in section, of the coil band severing device, Figure 5 is a view showing a band of coil with the band severing device in diagrammatic form, and Figure 6 is a sectional side elevation of a coil band severing and disposal unit of an alternative embodiment of the invention.

A coil C of strip material is shown in the drawings encircled by one or more bands. A coil car 2 is movable in a horizontal direction and has an angled platen 4 which is vertically movable with respect to the car. A pair of relatively small diameter rollers 6 is provided to support the coil during the de-banding operation and these rollers are of a length approximately equal to that of the longest coil which is expected to be accommodated in the operation. The rollers are provided with means for mechanically rotating them about their axes, when desired. At the debanding station, a saw blade 8 is mounted on a spindle 10 (Figure 2) and driven by a suitable motor 12 through a gearbox 14.The saw unit just described is mounted on a frame 1 6 slidable in guideways 1 8 (Figure 4) towards and away from the periphery of the coil by means of a low pressure piston and cylinder unit 20. The guideways 18 are part of a further frame 22 which is slidable in a direction parallel to the axis of the coil on further slideways 24 mounted on a framework 26 on the foundations 28 of the mill.

The means for moving the saw mechanism parallel to the axis of the coil are not shown in detail but include a lead screw 30 which cooperates with a nut 32 fast on the frame 22 and is driven by a convenient motor.

To control the depth of cut of the saw blade 8, a pair of locating rolls 34 is provided and these are adjustable with respect to the saw blade.

Thus, when adjusted correctly, the saw blade is level with the rollers 34, as clearly shown in Figure 5. Pads 36 are rockable on the ends of rods 38 which are slidable axially in the frame 16 and are urged by springs 40 towards the coil.

Located somewhat adjacent to the saw mechanism is a band bundler generally designated by the numeral 42. This comprises a pair of side frames 44 joined by cross pieces 46 and carrying a guide throat 48 and a three-roll bending device 50. The bundler 42 is movable towards and away from the coil on wheels 52 rotatable on their axes 54, the wheels being guided within tracks 56 mounted on the foundations of the mill. A pair of low pressure piston and cylinder units 58 is provided to move the bundler along the tracks. Spanning the side frames 44 of the bundler is a curved plate 60 and a further plate 62 is pivoted about one of the axes 54. An arm 64 extends upwardly from the plate 62 and is pivotally connected at its upper end to the piston rod 66 of a piston and cylinder unit 68 mounted on one of the side plates of the bundler.

Actuation of the piston and cylinder 68 opens or closes the plate 62 to catch or release a bundled band, as will be described later. A bin 70 and a deflector plate 72 are suitably positioned within the underfloor area.

In operation, a coil C with its encircling band or bands B rests on the angled platen 4 which is in its elevated position and is conveyed by the coil car 2 to the debanding position. At this time, the saw mechanism is in the withdrawn position, somewhat below and to the right of that shown in Figures 1 and 2 and to one end, in the longitudinal sense, of the coil. The platen 4 descends to deposit the coil on the roller 6. It should be noted that, like the roller 6, the throat 48 of a bending device 50 and plates 60 and 62 are all of a length substantially equal to the axial length of the largest coil expected to be processed in the apparatus.

The saw is then advanced until the locating roils 34 contact the outer surface of the coil, when the saw motor is actuated to start rotation of the saw blade, and the saw mechanism is moved parallel to the axis of the coil along its guides 24. The saw traverses along the entire length of the coil so as to cut a band or any number of bands wherever it, or they, may be positioned along the length of the coil. The saw mechanism is then drawn away from the periphery of the coil and the band bundler 42 is moved towards the coil by actuation of the piston and cylinder unit 58. At this time, the plate 62 is in its closed position with respect to the plate 60, forming a cradle as shown in Figure 3. The rollers 6 are then rotated in a clockwise direction, as seen in Figures 1,2 and 3, to rotate the coil about its axis in an anticlockwise direction.This causes the leading end of the severed band to pass into the throat 48 and towards and into the band bending roller device 50. The rollers of this device bend the band in such a way as to form it into a tight coil or bundle S, illustrated in Figure 1. When the band has completely left the coil and passed through the bending rollers 50, it falls into the cradle formed by plates 60, 62 and the bundler 42 is then retracted from the coil. Actuation of piston and cylinder unit 68 opens the cradle by lowering plate 42 to allow the band S to fall into bin 70 guided, if necessary, by the deflector plate 72. The pads 36 are used to hold the band firmly against the coil during sawing.

It is preferable that the band is severed away from the location of the buckle which holds the band firmly in its encircling condition, i.e, only the band should be sawn through and not the buckle.

To ensure this, feelers may be provided, adjacent the position where the saw mechanism operates, to detect the possible presence of a buckle in that zone and, if that should be so, to cause the rollers 6 to operate to rotate the banded coil until the buckle is outside that zone.

After the coil has been debanded, and the scrap band has been bundled and disposed of as described, the rollers 6 may again be driven to rotate the coil so that the trailing end of the strip is towards to bottom of the coil, i.e. kept firmly in place by the weight of the coil against the rollers 6.

The rollers 6 may be located on part of the foundations of the mill or could be mounted on the coil car itself, as seen in Figure 2.

Where it is expected that the diameters of the coils being processed differ considerably, and some small coils will be used, then the rollers 6 may be mounted on slides 6A movable towards or away from each other, as illustrated in Figure 1.

In order to ensure that the saw apparatus approaches the coil band substantially normal to the tangent of the coil, whatever the coil diameter, the arrangement shown in Figure 6 may be employed. The saw 6 is driven by an endless band 62 connecting the saw and an electric motor 64. The saw and the motor are mounted on a frame 66 which is pivotable about a shaft 68, which extends for the entire length of the widest coil which can be accommodated, and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the coil. An annular ring 70 surrounds the shaft 68 and an upstanding projection 72 from the ring has one end of the piston of a piston-cylinder device 74 connected thereto. The cylinder is secured to a post 76.On actuating the piston-cylinder device, the ring 70 is rotated around the shaft 68 and, as the frame 66 is connected to the ring, the frame is pivoted about the shaft, thus moving the saw blade towards and away from the surface of the coil.

The frame 66 can also slide along the shaft 68 so that the saw blade can be traversed along the length of the coil. In the arrangement of Figure 6, the coil is supported on a pair of pedestals 80 which are non-rotatable. The support surface of each pedestal has slots cut in it so that the bands surrounding the coil can be positioned in the slots and can, therefore, be pulled out from between the coil and the pedestals after they have been severed. The bands can be pulled manually from beneath the coil sufficiently for a cut end of each band to be fed into the guide of the band bundler and thereafter the band(s) are drawn into the bundle by the action of the rotary bundle former.

Claims

1. Apparatus for removing bands from coils of metal strip and for disposing of the bands comprising (a) means for supporting a coil of up to a predetermined maximum length with its longitudinal axis substantially horizontal, (b) a rotary saw mounted for movement into and out of a position where its cutting edge is close to the peripheral surface of a coil supported on said means, means for displacing the saw along a horizontal path substantially coterminous with said maximum length of coil to cut the or each band on the coil, (c) a band bundler having an inlet coterminous with said maximum length of coil, means for moving said inlet towards and away from the coil support means such that a cut end of the or each band cut by the saw can be introduced into the inlet, and a rotary device for forming the or each band introduced into the inlet into a separate bundle.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for supporting a coil comprises a pair of spaced apart parallel rollers, at least one of which is rotatable by drive means to rotate a coil supported thereon.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for supporting a coil comprises a pair of spaced apart pedestals, the support surfaces of which have one or more slots formed therein for extending normal to the length of the support surfaces for receiving the bands encircling the coil.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3, in which the rotary saw is mounted on a first frame which is displaceable on a second frame towards and away from the coil support means.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which the second frame is displaceable along guides extending substantially the entire length of the maximum length coil supportable on the support means and parallel to the longitudinal axis of such a coil.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3, in which the rotary saw is mounted on a frame which is pivotable about a shaft extending substantially the entire length of the maximum length coil supportable on the support means and parallel to the longitudinal axis of such a coil, the frame also being displaceable along the length of said shaft.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the rotary device forming part of the band bundler is a three-roll device for rolling the or each band into a coil.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, in which the band bundler includes a pair of curved plates which together define a chamber for receiving the or each bundled band, one of the plates being pivotally mounted so as to be pivoted away from the other plate to allow the or each bundled band to fall out of the chamber.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or 8, in which the band bundler is provided with wheels which permit the bundler to move along a track towards and away from the coil support means.

10. Apparatus for removing bands from coils of metal strip and for disposing of the bands substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.