JPS636458B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of variable capacitance strip accumulators, and in particular to such devices for effecting the transition of a strip from a first coil to a second coil of the strip.

It is an object of the present invention to improve upon previously known variable capacity strip accumulators, including those disclosed in earlier U.S. Pat. There is a particular thing. In particular, the present invention provides a significant improvement in the transition from the first coil to the second coil.

Another object of the invention is to improve the apparatus to operate at higher strip speeds.

Still another object of the present invention is to be sturdy and economical in construction, relatively compact in size, and thus efficient in the use of factory floor space, and to be capable of achieving an efficient use of factory floor space. The object of the present invention is to provide a variable capacitance strip accumulator that can handle strips of various thicknesses in the range of 1 inch.

The present invention is an improvement over the previously described invention relating to a temporary strip accumulator with freely controllable inlet and outlet velocities. The strip is stored as a length in two coaxial coils in opposite directions, and the transition path of the strip from the first coil to the second coil is "S" shaped to effect a change in winding direction. .

In this configuration, the radius of the "S" is only half the radius of the coil, and the strip must not be bent too far beyond its elastic limit, especially since the typical cross-section is 3/4 in. )×1016mm
A problem arises for thick strips (40 inches). Accumulators of this type were therefore necessarily of large diameter and therefore expensive and space-consuming. The applicant is
In the first step, it practically follows the shape of the convolution of the coil according to the magnitude and direction of curvature, moving away from the coil by a slight twist, upwards if the axis is vertical, or sideways if the axis is horizontal. This problem was solved by providing a transition curve between the first coil and the second coil that deviates in the opposite direction. The path of the strip proceeds smoothly to the point of intersection with the axis, at which point the twist reaches 90°, and then descends, symmetrically to the first step, to a twist of 180°, and thus said path changes in the opposite direction to the point where the twist reaches 90°. Join the two coils.

Although this improvement can reduce the direct diameter of the accumulator by half, it also necessarily has other advantages, (1)
(2) greater efficiency, especially in the case of a vertical axis arrangement in which the second coil is housed within the first coil in the same horizontal plane; and that a reliable and reliable support roller drive can be used. A single crown gear coaxial with the coil drives all support rollers of one table via pinions and radial shafts, without all the universal joints and individual gearboxes of the prior art. . Another advantage is the addition of a supplementary fine drive for precise adjustment to correct for slippage of the strip on the support roll. There is a significant simplification of the drive of the transition guide tower by simply coupling the two table drives with a differential to obtain the theoretically correct angular velocity of the transition guide tower. The first coil is also controlled by a fine adjustment drive which can be adjusted within about minus 2 to 5% of the table support roll to compensate for strip slippage and create some tension in the strip by means of a "correlated" drive. The inlet pinch roll drive can be branched off from the support roll drive of the second coil, and the support of the second coil can be branched off in the same manner by a fine adjustment that makes about a minus 2 to 5% correction to the exit pinch roll. An exit pinch roll drive can be branched off from the roll drive. This is because the exit pinch roll is driven at the same speed as minus 2 to 5% of the lower table roll, thus adding some extra deceleration to the exiting strip, which gradually reduces the diameter of the convolution. This means that it is prevented from decreasing.

The earlier patent No. 3,310,255 discloses two coaxial spiral coils in opposite directions whose inner turns are joined to an intermediate strip section with an "S" shape (S-curve) ensuring a change in winding direction. A storage strip in the form of is disclosed. The S-curve is flat and its radius is half the length of the radius of the two spiral coil inner diameters. Proceeding along the S curve, the strip first moves in the same direction as the coil from which it came out.
It must be bent at said smaller radius and then bent in the opposite direction when intersecting the axis. For steel strips with a modulus of elasticity E of 27.390 Kgf/mm ² (29000000 psi) and an elastic limit of 28.124 Kgf/mm ² (40000 psi) or less, the strip has a radius of curvature of at least 1000 times the thickness of the strip. can be bent. Smaller radii of curvature will result in permanent plastic deflections, a small amount of which is often tolerated, but larger deformations will result in changes in the grain structure that will affect the ductility of the strip and must be avoided. No. this is,
For example, a 1.016 cm (0.4 in) x 45.72 cm welded tube must have a very large coil diameter solely to avoid large plastic deformations of the strip during its passage through the S-curve.
This is a serious problem in accumulators made for thick sheets such as (18in) strips. Unfortunately, annealed mild steel does not deform uniformly and develops kinks known as "coil breaks" that cannot be corrected by subsequent cold rolling. The problem regarding the S curve is
The same is true for similar horizontal axis mounted accumulators of the type disclosed in the aforementioned patent no. 4,288,042.

The applicant has proposed an alternative to the aforementioned "S" curve in which the radius of curvature remains almost the same as that of the coil, so that the strip is virtually unbent on the way between the first and second coils. By giving , we succeeded in eliminating the above-mentioned transition curve problem.

The novel, valuable and advantageous features as well as other objects and intentions of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In a variable capacity strip accumulator made according to the prior art, schematically shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a steel strip 1 is first fed through an inlet pinch roll P and wound or convoluted in multiple turns. A clockwise spiral coil 2 is formed. The inner winding of said coil is then bent to form an S-curve 3 joining the lower coil 4, and at the same time change the winding direction from a clockwise to a counterclockwise spiral. Strip 1 is the last, pinch roll
It leaves the accumulator via P' from the outer winding of the coil 4 towards the next device.

The coil 2 and the coil 4 are supported by and rotated by rollers 11 provided at intervals on the circumference and driven by a gear box 7 and a spindle 8 connected via a universal joint 9. (Figure 3).
Thus, only one motor 10 is required for coil 2 and another motor for coil 4.

FIG. 3a shows a semi-major radius relaxation curve 3a according to the invention between two superimposed coils 2, 4 of the accumulator shown in FIGS. Further details are provided below in connection with the figures.

The long-axis transition curve according to the present invention is applicable to an accumulator having two coaxial coils of opposite rotation as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The advantage is that when this type of transition curve is applied to an accumulator in which the second coil is housed within the first coil in the same horizontal plane as shown in Figure 6 (before revision), the extreme This is especially noticeable since there are bends that reverse rapidly. This application of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a coil arrangement with two coils 2', 4' placed one inside the other and provided with a relaxation curve 3'. This is also disclosed in Figures 3, 3a and 4 of the aforementioned patent number 3310255, which schematically illustrate the sharp bending of the strip as it transitions from the outer coil to the inner coil. There is. In comparison, FIG. 7 shows how the principles disclosed herein can be applied in a case where two concentric spiral coils are located one within the other in a plane. FIG. 7 shows the outer coil 12 as a clockwise spiral, the innermost convolution curved too close to the axis to be kept free as the exit of the strip 1 from the innermost turn of the coil 14. It is desirable that the starting point on the coil 12 and the ending point on the coil 14 be spaced slightly less than 180° so that the inner coil 1 is rotated counterclockwise by the transition curve 13 so that the starting point on the coil 12 and the ending point on the coil 14 are spaced slightly less than 180°.
4 is shown connected to the outermost side. It is clear that the bending in the transition curve is significantly reduced.

By comparing the two figures, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, we find that (1) in the case of the prior art shown in FIG. It's way too short. but,
Even so, the space that must be left free between the two coils for the coupling curve 3' is considerable, reducing the storage capacity of the device.

(2) On the contrary, in the case of the invention shown in FIG. 7, there is no part on the connecting curve 13 that has a radius of curvature that is much smaller than that of the coil itself. Secondly, between the two coils there is only a very small space, a kind of valley, required for the connecting curve 13 to enter and exit the point where it connects to the coils. Therefore, there is considerable room left to store additional strips.

I understand that.

This embodiment according to the invention is illustrated in FIGS.
It is shown in more detail in the figure. In this case, the stored long strip takes the form of two coils 12, 14, one inside the other, but from the innermost convolution of the clockwise spiral 12 to the counterclockwise spiral 1.
The transition curve 13 leading to the outermost convoluted portion of 4 is according to the invention.

The new type of transition curve in the strip maintains the direction of curvature and the radius of curvature, while at the same time twisting the strip at its starting point from the inner winding of the coil 12 and at the same time in the axial direction away from the coil (this obtained by moving the strip (upward in the example), advancing the outer part of the curve while continuing to twist on it, and at the intersection of the strip with the axis at a certain height perpendicular to it, the farthest point, i.e. the twist. is 90°, then proceed backwards towards the coil, following a path approximately symmetrical to said outer part, and finally to a point approximately diametrically opposite to the starting point from the first coil. After reaching a twist of 180°, the junction with the outer winding of the coil 14 is reached.

This guidance in an upward direction, twisting the strip up to 90° from its "upright" position within the coil, is accomplished by a series of rollers 15, 1 mounted at various heights on the framework of the rotatable tower 20.
5' and supported by a central column 20 extending from the base of the machine coaxially with the rolling supports of the spiral coils 12, 14, as shown in FIG. A pair of rollers 17 are mounted at the apex of the post 20 to guide the strip at the top of the transition curve following completion of the 90° twist. The strip is then directed downwardly by guide rollers 16, 16' in the same proportion as the first twist imparted by rollers 15, 15' and approximately symmetrical to its upward stroke. A series of guide rollers 15, 15'
and 16, 16' are pinch rollers 15
p, 16p and grooved edge rollers 15e, 16
Consists of e. The strip is the inner spiral coil 14
When the height is reached, the strip completes its transition curve, reversing its winding direction while following the same radius of curvature as both the incoming and outgoing spiral coils.

Thus, the purpose of joining the inner-wound portion of the first coil to the outer-wound portion of the second counter-rotating spiral coil is to (1) not deviate too much from the radius of the coil itself and not change the radius of curvature; 2) Even if the second spiral rotates in the opposite direction, as you can see by looking at the diagram,
This is achieved by having no change in the direction of curvature.

If the strips were painted red on one side and blue on the other side, the prior art accumulators of Figures 1 and 2 would have the upper coils blue and the lower coils red (or vice versa)
appear. However, the accumulator of the present invention (fourth
This is not the case in Figure), in which case both coils appear to be the same color.

Although the curve shown in FIG. 5 of U.S. Pat. This will be explained next.

The sagging portion is exactly like the applicant's new "strain curve" which replaces the "S" curve of the earlier patent.
It has a large radius and is located on the outside of the two coils. However, in the case of this patent, it is not a substitute for an "S" curve, the halves of which are located between the two ends of the inner turns or convolutions and sagging portions of each coil. The sagging portion is the same as the 19.05 mm (3/4
It does not help to reduce the size of thick strip acumulators, such as those with a 40 in. Nor will a person skilled in the art know from now on either the problem solved by the applicant or its solution. According to the definition, Applicant's relaxation curve can only exist in connection with two coaxial coils of opposite rotation.

In the above-mentioned US Pat. No. 3,310,255, the applicant also discloses two major uses for spiral loopers.

(1) Continuous processing line (column 6, line 69 in Figure 6)
Column 7, line 26, and column 8, line 4
7 to 57), the operation is completed in one pass through such a line at a continuous constant speed. FIG. 6 shows a four-stand tandem cold strip mill, and the description also describes other steps such as annealing, hot metal coating, cleaning, degreasing, etc.

(2) If the process requires several passes through the same rolling mill or equipment. The method of cold rolling the strip into an endless or closed loop through several passes is shown in FIG. ), but at the end of the process the strip is several times longer and the spiral looper occupies a much longer distance.

In column 8, lines 57 to 67, other uses such as coatings (painting, metal coatings) are mentioned, and for such purposes the loop is closed after twisting 180° and the so-called It is stated that it would be advantageous to apply the Möbius effect. The advantage is that the coating method only needs to be applied to one side of the strip;
This means that if you pass it a few times, both sides will be coated. (This is a well-known topological effect where a Möbius strip has only one side).

This explanation seems necessary because whereas the Möbius effect creates a closed loop of strips containing one 180° twist, the "semi-axis transition curve" of the present invention also A twist of 180° (but as an open coil) is required and the transition from the first coil to the second coil can be made with a semi-major axis curve, thus the
This is because it is the only known alternative to the "S" curve of No.

It should be appreciated that the applicant's solution accomplishes much more than was first attempted. Not only has the radius of curvature been lengthened,
The reverse curvature has been removed. In fact, once the strip is introduced into the first spiral coil, it connects an almost constant curvature on its way through the accumulator.

The result is a reduction in coil diameter by up to half, which allows cost savings for a given maximum strip thickness compared to the prior art. next,
Since the new curve 13 is located outside the two coils instead of inside, the interior space is now free,
The support rollers 21, 21' of each coil can then now be driven from within, each roller having a set of crowns without the need for a cumbersome external drive as shown in FIGS. gear 100,1
Connected directly to 01.

4 and 5 show the embodiment schematically shown in FIG. 7 in detail. The plane of the strip at the top of the transition curve, roller 17, is perpendicular to the axis of the coil. The outer coil 12 and the inner coil 14 are supported at each end by struts 26 that provide sufficient distance from the floor to guide the strip from the inner convolution of the coil 14 out of the accumulator and toward the next processing equipment. beam 2
5, supported by radially extending rollers 21, 21' mounted on bearings. Twelve pairs of rollers 21, 21' are shown, but the number, usually 6 to 24, depends on the size of the device, the thickness of the strip,
and other factors.

The arrangement of two coaxial coils, one in the other and oppositely oriented in the same horizontal plane, allows the development of a combined support roller and tower drive to accomplish this.

The spindle 23 of the support roller 21 (FIGS. 5 and 10) terminating in a pinion 100' meshes with a crown gear 100 keyed to the shaft of the motor reduction gear _M1 . The hollow spindle 23' of the support roller 21', which has a pinion 101' meshing with the crown gear 101, has a pinion 112 at the end.
Electric motor reduction gear having a shaft 111 keyed with
Driven by M ₂ . The pinion 112 is a gear 1 firmly fixed to the crown gear 101.
Interlocks with 13. The mating crown gear and pinion are fixed housing 2 in the center of the frame.
7.

During the installation of a new coil of strip before said accumulator, the strip feed rate is of course zero, while the feed rate to the next processing device must remain constant;
In other words, this accumulator is empty. During that period, as one convolution is removed from the coil 14, another is removed from the coil 12, resulting in one complete revolution of the relaxation curve 13 supported by the tower 20. Therefore, the tower must be rotated at half the angular velocity of the coil from which the strip was removed, unless other coils are rotated. Similarly, if the inlet and outlet velocities of the strip are equal, the angular velocity of the tower 20 is zero.

The applicant proposes to coaxially mount above the support roller drive device a rotating differential gear box 102 which connects pinions 103 and 104 to the two crown gears 100 and 101, respectively, by a keyed shaft. succeeded in providing this basic tower drive and at the top thereof a fine adjustment device to compensate for accidental slippage of the strip on the support roller. The satellite pinion 105 and the differential box 102 are the same as the box 10 of the initially mentioned differential.
A coaxially rotatably mounted box 1 serves as a base for the tower 20 and is geared to drive or rotate the tower by the interposition of a planetary differential gear train consisting of gears 115 mounted on the box 1 .
The internal gear 116 of the fine drive differential device is attached to 17 .

The free members of the planetary micro-drive differential include both gears 115, 116 whose axes lie in bushings provided in the web of a worm gear 120 rotatably mounted to the box 102 of the first differential. A group of satellite pinions 118 mesh with each other. As long as the worm gear 120 is stationary, the tower 20 rotates with an angular velocity that is half the difference in the angular velocity of the rotating accumulator coils 12, 14, which is
As explained above, this is the theoretically correct speed. However, with the independent electric motor reduction gear M ₃ ,
The rotation of said worm gear 120 through a worm attached to its shaft is such that it compensates for slippage of the strip on the strip support roll.
The speed can be changed by a small amount of change in order to increase or decrease the reference speed.

All of the aforementioned components are attached to tower 20. The tower is rotatably mounted on a fixed base 27 coaxially with the coils 12 and 14, and is supported by a double-row thrust/radial bearing 28.
rotate on top.

FIG. 5a shows a schematic illustration of another drive arrangement for the spindles 23, 23' of two roller tables, in which the hollow rollers 21' of the inner table are avoided.

In this embodiment, both crown gears 2
00 and 201 can have the same diameter, but
The driven pinions 20 are arranged so that the teeth of adjacent pinions are spaced apart from each other to provide room for all 24 driven pinions, in this example, around the circumference of the crown gear.
0' and 201' are smaller. As can be seen from the figure, the height of the spindle of the outer table is lower than the height of the spindle of the inner table by a tooth height, but this is not critical. However, the spindles of the outer table are preferably raised by a slight angle so that their inner ends are flush with the rollers of the inner table, and their outer ends are therefore only 25.4 mm (1 inch) higher. and, desirably, this is the first coil, in which case a slight tilt will tend to loosen the coil and prevent a self-binding condition. Just as in the previous embodiment, power drive can be applied to both crown gears, or, for relatively light drive as described above, the remaining 11 pinions can be applied via the crown gear. Since the pinion teeth are strong enough to be driven, the power drive can be applied directly to at least one roller of each table.

For controlling the speed of the strip in the transition curve 13, 33 and 34 proximity gauges or equivalents are provided in the ascending section and 34 in the descending section, respectively. By controlling these gauges,
The shape of the curve is maintained within the range of the dash-dotted line in FIG. 4 indicating the center line of the strip. If the rising section becomes too long, the electric motor m driving the top pinch roller 17 will be accelerated. If the descending part of the curve 13 becomes too long, the acceleration/deceleration motor M ₃ controlling the rotation of the tower 20 will correct it, so that it rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on whether the accumulator is full or empty.

Proximity gauges 33, 34 are instruments well known in the industry. Gordon Products, Inc., Brookfield, Connecticut
The "Reel Control" model PC251, marketed by Reel Products, Inc., has been found to be extremely practical. This model is designed to automatically maintain a predetermined amount of slack between either the material supply or material take-off reel and the processing machine. The device has no moving parts and a fixed sensor creates a sensing field across which the strip generates a control voltage when the strip deviates from a predetermined trajectory relative to the sensor. This control voltage is applied to an electric motor which controls the feed of the strip to return the strip to its proper course.

The accumulator shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is
Although it is a matter of selection, the axis is not vertical,
It differs from that shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in that it is horizontal. U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,042 shows such a design, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are improvements thereto.

Pre-process coil unwinding equipment and post-process processing equipment are generally designed for strips in a horizontal position, so if "twisted" sections are undesirable, such horizontal axis type An accumulator is preferred.

The coils 42, 44 of the strip 1 are supported by a gauge consisting of two rotors 51, 51' joined together by a distance rod or spacer rod 52. The rotor is supported and driven by a pair of wheels 53 joined in pairs by an axle 53'. The two axles are connected by a chain and sprocket and are driven together by a geared electric motor 55.

There are eight coil support rollers 56 for each coil. They are equally spaced around the periphery of the cage. They are mounted on a fixed shaft 56';
Each shaft has two rollers, one on the left for coil 42 and one on the right for coil 44. Each roller is provided with a pulley 61 to cause or slow down the rotation of the coil. To this end, a pulley 68 has a belt 64 that encircles and engages more than half of the circumference of the pulley 66 and is sufficient to control the force acting on said coil.
is provided. The other coils are also equipped with similar drives, independent of the first coil.

The mounting of each type 56' is such that the distance of its axis from the axis of the gauge can be controlled as the inner diameter of the coil is increased or decreased. For this purpose, the shaft is supported at both ends and in the center by links 72 keyed to rigid tubes 73 carried on the spacer rods 52 mentioned above. In order to change the distance of all eight roller shafts 56 from the central axis,
Said links 72 are allowed to change their angular position, which connects them by means of rods 74 to eight pins arranged around the periphery of a flange 75 mounted on a hollow shaft 76. It is done by certain things. The hollow shaft 76 is rotatably mounted in a bearing block 77 which is held on its central axis by a support 78. A worm gear drive 79 attached to the other end of the shaft 76 is attached to the flange 7
This is provided to control the angular position of 5. Link 7 located at the left end of each shaft 56'
2' extends to become a lever connecting the rod 74 to the corresponding pin or flange 75.

The above mechanism is provided only at one (left) end of the device.

The tube 60 is mounted within the bore of said shaft 76, while its opposite end is supported by a bearing 60' which is held in position on the central axis by a platform 80. This serves as a base for mounting several guiding devices for connecting the transition parts of the strip 1 in the form of a curve 43 in order to join the strips of coils 42, 44 into one continuous web. They are preferably supports 85
a grooved edge roll 85e and a pinch roll 85p attached to and disposed along the path of the curved strip of the delivery portion 43';
, a grooved edge roll and a pinch roll on a support 86 attached to the end as a gate of the tube 60, and a grooved edge roll and a pinch roll on a support 87 of the return section 43''. This is desirable.

Support 86 is controlled by controlling both electric motors that advance the strip and rotate the cage.
Upper outer pinch roll and closest guide 85,8
In order to keep the curvature of the strip 1 between it and 7 within acceptable limits, proximity gauges 82, 82' are provided, similar to those of FIGS. 4 and 5.

In operation, strip 1 coming from an unwind reel (not shown) enters the outer convolution of coil 42. On reaching the inner convolution of the convolution, the strip is guided into the connecting curve 43 and then later back into the inward convolution of the coil 44, then following that convolution and exiting the coil 44, usually via an exit pinch roll.
leaves the outer convolution and reaches the next processing device.

If the feed strip stops, for joining the next coil after the end of the preceding coil, the cage and with it the coupling curve 43 will move at half speed, i.e. the two coils, as long as the exit velocity remains the same. The accumulator is gradually emptied while the curve 43 rotates at a rate of one revolution for each unwinding of .

The inner diameters of the two coils increase as the inner convolution is removed, always symmetrically, one from each coil. Therefore, in order to ensure contact with the inner diameter of the coil of support roller 56, flange 75 is rotated and rod 74 turns all levers 72', thereby increasing the diameter of the circle circumscribed to the support roller. let The opposite occurs if the accumulator is filled with more strips, ie the velocity of the incoming strips is greater than the velocity of the strips leaving the accumulator.

Like those of FIGS. 4 and 5, the embodiments of FIGS. 8 and 9 exhibit valuable features for wide strips, even if not very thick.

Looking at Figures 1 and 2, we see that
For very wide strips, such as 1.524 m (60 in), the wide angle of the descending portion of the S curve indicates that it is very steep for a given coil diameter. Angles of up to approximately 10° are permitted in this example. This imposes a very large diameter for a coil of such width. for example,
Thickness 3.175mm (0.125in) to 0.508mm (0.020in),
2438.4m of 1.524m (60in) wide strip
(8000ft) The storage accumulator has an outer diameter of 7.62m.
(25 ft) of coil, for a 2438.4 m (8000 ft) strip, this would result in an S-curve descent angle of 14°. According to the present invention, there is no such constraint since the relaxation curve of the strip is derived entirely from the space between the two coils. Furthermore, 7.62m
The cost of an accumulator with an outside diameter of (25ft) is
Less than half the cost of an acumulator with an outside diameter of 30 ft, as required by prior art acumulators.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an accumulator showing the prior art, FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of FIG. 1, and FIG.
A diagram showing the details of the figure, Figure 3a is the same as Figures 1 to 3.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the accumulator shown in FIG. 7 in detail, and FIG. 4 is a front view, FIG. 5a is a schematic elevational view of another drive device for the spindle of the roller table shown in the lower part of FIG. 5, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of an accumulator equipped with two coaxial coils of the type shown in FIG. 6 implementing a relaxation curve according to the invention as shown in detail in FIG. The figure shows a partially elevational longitudinal section of another embodiment of the invention applied to an accumulator operating on a horizontal axis;
Fig. 9 is an end view of Fig. 8 with a slight cross section;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the lower part of FIG. 5 showing more clearly the planetary gear drive of the support rollers of both coils. 1... Strip, 12... First spiral coil,
13... Transition curve, 14... Second spiral coil, 1
5...Guide roll, 15'...Guide roll, 16
...Guide roll, 16'...Guide roll, 15e
... Grooved roller, 16e... Grooved roller, 1
7... Guide device, 20... Rotating tower structure, 2
1...Support roller, 21'...Support roller, 23
...Axis, 23'...Axis, 33...Proximity gauge, 3
4... Proximity gauge, 42... Spiral coil, 44...
... Spiral coil, 51 ... Rotor, 51' ... Rotor, 52 ... Distance rod, 53 ... Device (wheel), 56 ... Rotating roller, 56' ... Fixed shaft, 72 ... Link, 73 ...Pipe, 75...Flange, 100...Crown gear, 100'...Pinion, 101...Crown gear, 101'...
Pinion, 102... Differential transmission, 118...
Free member, 200... Annular crown gear, 20
0'... Pinion, 201... Annular crown gear,
201'...pinion, _M3 ...acceleration/deceleration motor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A continuous elongate variable variable as a plurality of turns between the innermost and outermost turns of two adjacent concentric spiral coils with opposite directions of turns. In a storage device for strip material having a transition curve between the coils storing advancing strip material and reversing the direction of convolution, (a) the innermost convolution of a first outer spiral coil is connected to both coils; a guiding device for drawing away from said coils substantially beyond the inner space of said coils into a transition curve of substantially the same radius of curvature as said convolution and simultaneously and gradually at its furthest point; (b) following a path substantially symmetrical to said outward path, i.e. substantially opposite to the starting point of said strip from the first coil; a return that imparts an additional 90° twist to connect the strip to the outermost turn of the second coil within the first coil at a point that ultimately results in withdrawal from within the second coil; (c) the guiding device for guiding the strip through the transition curve comprises a pair of pinch rollers engaging opposite sides of the strip, at least some of which a drive for controlling the degree of torsion as well as the longitudinal advancement of said strip, and further comprising a grooved roller adapted to contact the edges of said strip; (d) a frame for supporting said coil; a set of support rollers; (f) a set of radial support rollers disposed in an annular manner at equal intervals to support the second coil upright; drives for driving each set of support rollers disposed in opposite directions, each drive having a circumferentially spaced pinion coupled to said support rollers by a shaft. (h) a rotary tower structure with support rollers for both said coils mounted and coaxial with said coils, so as to guide all the guiding devices of the transition curve; a rotating tower structure extending toward and supporting the transition curve; (i) an adjustable speed motor coupled to the rotating tower structure; a differential transmission associated with the drive, the free member of which is coupled to the rotating tower structure and actuated by the motor to compensate for the slippage of the strip on the support roller; Strip storage device.