GB736217A - Improvements relating to the cleaning, removal of scale and conditioning of metal surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

736,217. Cleaning metals. OSBORN MANUFACTURING CO. Feb. 22, 1952, No. 4776/52. Class 82 (2). [Also in Groups XXII and XXIII] In a process of cleaning, polishing, removing scale from, and reducing surface stresses and eliminating hard spots in, metal articles such as sheets, strip, rod and wire, the metal is stretched uniformly beyond its yield point and subjected to the action of at least one power-driven rotary brush, either while still under tension or subsequently. As shown in Fig. 1, a metal sheet S<SP>2</SP> is passed between pairs of rolls 68a, 69a and 70a, being stretched between the power driven rolls 68a and 69a, and fractured scale particles on its surface being removed by a brush 75. A further brush 67 provided with a back-up roll 72 is used to polish the sheet, and the lower face of the sheet may also be brushed. The direction of rotation of the brushes may be periodically reversed, and the brush 67 may be replaced by three or more brushes inclined at different angles to the direction of travel of the sheet. When treating rod or wire, the polishing may be effected as shown in Fig. 6 by two sets of brushes 90 and 91, brushing longitudinally and transversely respectively. As shown in Fig. 10, metal strip 132 is stretched between a forward tension unit 131 and a back tension unit 130, each of these comprising two pairs of pinch rolls 135, 136, 140, 141 and 142-145, intermediate roll 139 and 146, and idler rolls 137, 138 and 147, 148, the two units being power driven and mechanically geared to provide the required stretching. Brushing units 133, 134 are provided with high-speed rotary brushes 158, 159 which may be reciprocated transversely to ensure uniform brush wear. As shown in Fig. 12, wire is tensioned between rolls 173 and 175 around which it is wound, subjected to brushing by one or more brushes as shown in Fig. 5 and illustrated diagrammatically by 177. A die 178 may also be employed in this stretched region. The brushes may project abrasive material onto the metal, as described in Specification 736,253.