JPS6411694B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for quenching heated tubular products, and more particularly to its use in connection with mobile induction heating of said tubular products.

One accepted method for heat treating tubular products, as best illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,908, is to transport the product through an induction coil or other heating equipment. After heating the product by passing it through the induction coil, water is ejected from a barrel-type device into the heated zone.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,230 uses a number of fixed spray rings or loops, each provided with a number of nozzles, each nozzle adapted to be placed at an angle to the path of a tube passing through it. is disclosed. Water is supplied through spaced headers, one on each side of the tube and parallel to the tube's path of travel, and curved laterally of the header. It is designed to be supplied by a main pipe and a branch pipe connected to the two ends. Rings or loops arranged approximately perpendicular to the header are provided with means adapted to fit into notches in the header and are secured integrally thereto and in equidistant relation to each other. Positioned.

To ensure uniform cooling of tubular products over a wide range of dimensions and composition, U.S. Pat.
Hardened cylinders provided with drilled holes, such as that disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,294,599, have also been used.

Such prior art devices are limited in their scope of use and adjustment.

There is a wide range of tubular products on the market that must be heat treated to obtain enhanced properties for use in many applications. Many of these heat treatments require quenching from high temperatures. The rate of quenching is determined by such things as the composition, diameter, wall thickness, and desired properties of the product being heat treated, and is further influenced by the production capacity at which the heat treatment is performed. Proper hardening is also complicated by the eccentricity of the inner diameter with respect to the outer diameter or the presence of thicker or thinner walled sections in the longitudinal direction of the product.

The present invention shows that the wide range of variables of these products is
It provides a flexible means that can be carried out within a single hardening zone.

The present invention allows use for hardening and centering tubular products of different sizes and allows for variations in the length of the spray zone and the intensity of the spray at any point inside the spray zone. A number of annular or ring-shaped hardening devices are provided that are vertically and horizontally adjustable for variation. Additionally, each annular quench ring is provided with a separate valving system to allow individual adjustment of the amount of quench fluid from each annular quench ring.

Individual positioning for individual control of the spray intensity from each of the multiple annular quenching rings allows the user to optimally apply the quenching fluid to the product.

One object of the invention is to improve the hardening conditions of heat treatment of tubular products in connection with mobile heating of the tubular products.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved hardening apparatus adapted for use with tubular products of various diameters.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide improved hardening applications for hardening carbon steel or alloy steel tubular products of various sizes and compositions and for certain annealing treatments of stainless steel. It's all about getting the equipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hardening device which provides uniform cooling in the circumferential direction of a particular tubular workpiece passing through it.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide reproducible product cooling capabilities for a wide range of product sizes and production capacities.

Yet another object of the invention is to obtain control of the hardening area provided by a number of individual spray means for the treatment of tubular workpieces of different dimensions and composition.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a means for venting quenching fluid to reduce interference with downstream quenching.

Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to have an improved means for varying the intensity of the spray applied to a workpiece passing through a separate spraying means.

Another object of the invention is the possibility of quenching the quenching fluid from any one of a number of quenching rings at any time to accommodate the shape of the product as it passes through any part of the quenching zone. It lies in acquiring sexuality.

It is believed that other objects of the invention, as well as the invention itself, will become readily apparent upon reference to the following description and accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in all the drawings, like members are given like reference numerals, and the hardening apparatus 10 according to the present invention is shown in FIG.
is shown in a typical environment in conjunction with a conveyor 11 adapted to move past a section of tubular product, such as a tube 12, and this conveyor 11 is also shown in FIG. It has a number of power-driven support rollers 13 and is adjustably mounted on a channel 15 above an overhead carriage 15' by an L-shaped bracket 16 shown in FIG. The tube 12 is adapted to be moved through a number of annular hardened tubes 14 and the nut 1 is inserted through the bracket 16.
An adjustable threaded bolt member 17 secured by 8 projects. bolt 17
The head of is seated inside the channel 15.
The annular hardening rings 14, by their connection to the carriage 15', are made to be adjusted simultaneously by the handle member 25 and have inside thereof:
It allows tubes of different diameters to be centered.

Support rollers 13 are provided to axially support, propel and rotate the tube or other tubular workpiece 12, and these support rollers 13 can also be powered. In use, the arrangement of multiple annular quenching rings 14 according to the invention can be spaced apart when the entire length of the quenching area requires that the workpiece be supported to prevent its "sagging". Note that this allows additional support to be placed in appropriate locations between the curved annular hardening rings 14. Furthermore, the annular hardening rings 14 are each provided with only one inlet 20 .
are, in the illustrated embodiment, arranged substantially tangentially to the circular axis of each ring or annular vessel 14, each with a number of outlets 21 in spaced relation thereto. and distributed around the circumference and preferably inclined in the direction of downstream movement of the workpiece or the like so that the spray impinges on the product surface at an acute angle, as shown. It should also be noted that it is equipped with a number of outlets 21, such as nozzles or the like.

Each of the annular hardening rings 14 has a diameter "A" that is substantially the same as the diameter "B" of the inlet conduit.
have.

The total area of all the spray outlets 21 placed around the periphery of each annular hardening ring 14 is preferably smaller than the area of the annular hardening ring 14 .

Each annular hardening ring 14 has a bracket 16
Adjustable but rigidly mounted on the bracket 16, however, the bracket can be moved inside the channel 15 by loosening the bolt member 17 securing the bracket 16. I would like to draw your attention to what I am doing. each ring 1
The flow of fluid into the conduit or fluid inlet 20 for 4 is controlled by suitable separate fluid control members or valves 26 such that each control member or valve 26
can be individually adjusted to vary the intensity of the spray dispensed from the nozzles of the separate rings 14. Therefore, each ring of the multiple ring assemblies or loop assemblies is individually adjusted horizontally along the carriage 16 to provide the length of the hardening area as desired for the tube or tubular workpiece being passed therethrough. and as mentioned above, the spray intensity is varied by adjusting separate valve means provided for each ring at any point located inside the hardening zone. can be Since the products to be hardened span a wide range of dimensional and composition variations, the hardening area can be adjusted to provide cooling that is tailored to the requirements of the particular workpiece being processed. It is.
Horizontal individual adjustment of the annular hardening ring 14 mounted on the carriage 15' results in a richer analysis (higher hardening capacity) and/or less intense hardening for workpieces with uneven wall thickness. forgive. This means, for example, that for lighter tubular workpieces running at higher speeds,
The quenching area may be allowed to be spread out, as shown in FIG. 5, or more densely packed, as shown in FIG. Allow to be spaced out. Due to the horizontal mounting of the individual spaced rings 14 on the carriage 15', the "deflection" or straightness of the traveling workpiece is reduced, as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. This allows the insertion of additional support rolls inside the hardening area when necessary to prevent loss of heat.

The annular quenching rings 14 can also be placed in close proximity, as shown in FIG. As shown, relatively short spans can also be allowed between the support rolls 13 that are external to the annular hardening ring 14 at both the front and rear of the hardening zone.

Similarly, the spacing of the annular quench ring 14 may be varied to provide workpiece cooling rates that are reproducible at different production capacities for a wide range of different sized workpieces.

Consequently, the annular quenching rings 14 are individually supplied with quenching fluid, the volume of which is determined by the individual valves, i.e., each ring 14 as indicated by 26.
is adjustable by a valve installed at the inlet of the valve. This adjustment requires less quenching for workpieces with a richer texture (higher hardenability) than is required for workpieces with lower hardenability.
This is allowed by less intense cooling.

In the case of a hardened workpiece with an eccentric inner diameter, the longitudinal portion of the annular hardening ring 14 and/or the intensity of the spray therefrom can be adjusted to achieve the desired properties with minimal distortion of the workpiece. can be adjusted as necessary to do so.

In mobile hardening of tubular workpieces by conventional hardening means, the hardening fluid moves as the rear end of the workpiece passes through the hardening zone.
It is possible to enter into the tubular workpiece.
In contrast, in the multiple individually opening and closing annular hardening rings 14 of the present invention, this
Particular annular hardening ring in critical area 1
4, and the arrangement can also be suitably programmed to achieve this.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments thereof, it will be obvious that numerous and extensive modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a front view of the improved annular hardening ring of the present invention and the tangential inlet therefor; FIG.
The Figure is a front view showing a number of annular quenching rings in conjunction with the present invention, the rings of Figure 1 showing a stream of spray ejected therefrom. Third
The figure shows the conveyor and the annular quenching ring hardening device of Figures 1 and 2, and Figure 4 shows the conveyor of Figures 1 and 2.
5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the ring shown in FIG. 6 is a front view similar to FIG. 3 showing multiple quench rings in surrounding relationship spaced around the workpiece, but with multiple quench rings in closely spaced relationship to each other; FIG. A front view showing the ring, FIG.
FIG. 6 is a front view similar to FIGS. 10...Quenching device; 11...Conveyor; 12
... Tubular workpiece; 13 ... Support roller; 1
4...Annular hardened tube; 15...Groove-shaped material; 15'...
...carriage; 16...bracket; 20...inlet; 21...exit.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. An apparatus for spray hardening a continuously moving substantially horizontal induction heated tubular workpiece, comprising a plurality of annular rings arranged concentrically around the workpiece. a quenching ring is provided, each of said annular quenching rings having a quenching fluid inlet and a number of fluid outlets spaced around the body of the annular quenching ring for transferring the quenching fluid to the workpiece. each of said annular quenching rings is provided on the outer surface of the workpiece in a direction oriented at an acute angle thereto; individual control means are provided for isolating quenching fluid from the annular quenching ring, and further the said annular quenching ring is configured to individually vary the spacing between each of the plurality of annular quenching rings. each annular quenching ring is individually adjustable mounted on the carriage for individual longitudinal movement of the rings and for adjusting the intensity of the stream of quenching fluid spray ejected therefrom; are provided with individual control members, further for adjusting the vertical positioning of the annular quenching ring for centering the annular quenching ring around tubular workpieces of various dimensions passing therethrough; A device characterized in that it is provided with means for. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the tubular workpiece is adapted to be rotated continuously. 3. Provide support for the workpiece between selected adjacent variably spaced annular hardening rings to maintain the straightness of the toroidal workpiece passing through the spaced hardening zones. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that means are interposed therein. 4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inlet for the quenching fluid is arranged tangentially to the body of the annular quenching ring. 5. The total area of the quenching fluid outlet in the body of each annular quench ring is smaller than the area of the quench fluid inlet opening into the body of said annular quench ring. The device according to paragraph 1.