US3734055A

US3734055A - Apparatus for oiling continuously moving stock

Info

Publication number: US3734055A
Application number: US00184490A
Authority: US
Inventors: S Glanzer
Original assignee: Voestalpine AG
Current assignee: Voestalpine AG; Voest AG
Priority date: 1970-10-20
Filing date: 1971-09-28
Publication date: 1973-05-22
Anticipated expiration: 1990-05-22
Also published as: DE2145131B2; GB1329193A; AT298378B; DE2145131A1; DE2145131C3; IT938681B

Abstract

Chamber-defining means define a closed chamber, a sealing inlet to and a sealing outlet from said chamber. Stock-feeding means are provided for continuously moving stock to be oiled through said inlet, chamber, and outlet along a predetermined path. A row of nozzles open in said chamber and are spaced apart transversely to said path and directed toward said path and operable to discharge an oil-air mixture toward said path. Each of said nozzles comprises a needle, which is displaceable to vary the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from said nozzle. An oil conduit and a compressed-air conduit are connected to said nozzles. An automatic control system is provided to control the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from said nozzles in proportion to the speed of travel of said stock in said chamber. Said control system comprises a sensing roller engageable with said stock and adapted to be driven thereby at a speed which is proportional to said speed of travel, a tachogenerator arranged to be driven by said sensing roller and to produce an output signal representative of said speed of travel, an actuator, a controller arranged to receive said output signal and to control the operation of said actuator in response to said output signal, and a linkage operatively connecting said actuator to said needles and arranged to displace said needles in response to a change of said speed of travel resulting in an operation of said actuator.

Description

United States Patent [191 Glanzer APPARATUS FOR OILING CONTINUOUSLY MOVING STOCK [75] Inventor: Stefan Glanzer, Linz, Austria [73] Assignee: Vereinigte Osterreichische Eisenund Stahlwerke Aktiengesellschaft, Linz, Austria 22 Filed: Sept. 28, 1971 211 Appl.No.: 184,490

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Schur Mcl'lugh Primary Examiner--John P. McIntosh Attorney-Kurt Kelman et al.

[ 1 3,734,055 51 May 22,1973

[57] ABSTRACT Chamber-defining means define a closed chamber, a sealing inlet to and a sealing outlet from said chamber. Stock-feeding means are provided for continuously moving stock to be oiled through said inlet, chamber, and outlet along a predetermined path. A row of nozzles open in said chamber and are spaced apart transversely to said path and directed toward said path and operable to discharge an oil-air mixture toward said path. Each of said nozzles comprises a needle, which is displaceable to vary the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from said nozzle. An oil conduit and a compressed-air conduit are connected to said nozzles. An automatic control system is provided to control the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from said nozzles in proportion to the speed of travel of said stock in said chamber. Said control system comprises a sensing roller engageable with said stock and adapted to be driven thereby at a speed which is proportional to said speed of travel, a tachogenerator arranged to be driven by said sensing roller and to produce an output signal representative of said speed of travel, an actuator, a controller arranged to receive said output signal and to control the operation of said actuator in response to said output signal, and a linkage operatively connecting said actuator to said needles and arranged to displace said needles in response to a change of said speed of travel resulting in an operation of said actuator.

9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures APPARATUS FOR OILING CONTINUOUSLY MOVING STOCK This invention relates to apparatus for oiling continuously moved stock, particularly sheet metal in the form of strip, plate or sheet, which apparatus comprises a closed chamber, which has a sealing inlet and a sealing outlet for the stock, a plurality of nozzles disposed in said chamber and spaced apart transversely to the direction of travel of the stock and connected to an oil conduit and to a compressed-air conduit, said nozzles being arranged in rows above and/or below the stock and serving to blow an oil-air mixture onto the stock, and each nozzle comprising an adjustable nozzle needle for controlling the rate of flow of oil and compressed air through the nozzle.

The buyers of sheet metal stock in the form of strip, plate or sheet impose rigid specifications as regards the oiling of such sheet metal stock because a highly uniform lubricant layer is required in the further processing of the stock. Known apparatus for oiling continuously moved stock comprise dripping taps, nozzles or the like, which are spaced apart transversely to the direction of travel and supply the oil to the stock by means of an interposed applicator roll. The oil is applied to felt rollers, which engage the stock. The rapid wear of the felt rollers is a great disadvantage of these arrangements and requires that the felt rollers must be dressed several times and must be replaced after a certain lifetime. This results in high operating costs. Difficulties arise also in the control of the supply of oil and in the adjustment thereof in response to changes in the speed of travel. Owing to these difficulties, such apparatus have no longer been used in more recent plants.

In another known apparatus for oiling strip metal the difficulties which are mainly involved in the requirement for an adjustment of the oil supply rate to different speeds of travel are avoided substantially in that the oil is sprayed to an applicator roll, which contacts the moving strip and is adapted to be driven in synchronism therewith. The spraying device is operated with intervals of time, which depend on the speed of the strip. The actual spraying period, however, is constant so that oil in an amount which depends on the speed of travel of the metal strip is sprayed onto the applicator roll and transferred by the latter onto the strip. The applicator rolls of such apparatus consist again of felt rolls, which are not satisfactory, as has been mentioned. Besides, the atomization of the oil gives rise to difficulties and it has been attempted to avoid such difficulties by the use of injection pumps, such as are employed in engines of motor vehicles. The use of such pumps, however, has failed to give the desired success, namely, an improved atomization of the oil, because the oil which is used to oil the metal strip has a much higher viscosity than a fuel for engines of motor vehicles. Small air bubbles trapped in the oil result in an accumulation of air in the injection pumps so that the latter must often be vented. All known apparatus for oiling strip metal which have been described hereinbefore have the disadvantage that in spite of a high oil consumption they fail to apply the oil to the strip metal as uniformly as desired.

Another apparatus has been disclosed, which comprises nozzles that are disposed in a closed chamber and blow an oil-air mixture onto the strip metal moving through the chamber and through inlet and outlet openings thereof. This results in an oil film which is as uniform as desired. The apparatus: has the disadvantage that the resulting oil mist, which emerges from each nozzle in the form of a spray cone hardly permits of a change of the thickness of the oil film in dependence on the speed of travel although it enables the application of a highly uniform oil film to the strip metal. In such apparatus for oiling sheet metal it has been found highly satisfactory to use nozzles such as are employed in commercially available spray guns because they are troublefree in operation and do not require special maintenace. The rate of flow of oil and compressed air through each nozzle is controlled by an adjustable nozzle needle, which inherently does not involve any difficulty. When it is frequently required, however, to readjust a large number of such nozzles, e.g., in an oiling apparatus to higher or lower oil flow rates as quickly as possible, the adjustment of the individual nozzle needles takes excessively long time. Besides, the adjustment must be carried out by hand so that a nonuniform oil film will be applied to the stock.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate these disadvantages and to provide an apparatus which serves to oil continuously moved stock and in which the rate of flow through the nozzles is automatically controlled in response to the speed of travel of the stock so that the thickness of the oil film on the stock remains constant.

In an apparatus of the kind defined first hereinbefore, the above-mentioned object is substantially accomplished according to the invention in that the nozzle needles of the nozzles of one row are adjustable in unison by a lever system or the like, which is operatively connected to an actuator, and a freely rotatable roller engageable with the stock drives a tachogenerator, which is connected to a controller, which controls the operation of the actuator in response to changes of the speed of travel. In this apparatus according to the in vention, the rate of oil sprayed by the nozzles can be controlled with relatively simple means so as to ensure the formation of a uniform oil film having a constant thickness on the stock. Upon an increase of the speed of travel, the controller energizes the actuator for an adjustment of the lever system so as to open the nozzles. Oil and compressed air at a higher rate are then blownonto the stock moving at a higher speed so that the thickness in which the oil film is applied is maintained constant. Upon a decrease of the speed of travel, the lever system is operated by the actuator to move the nozzle needles in the opposite direction so that oil at a lower rate is blown onto the stock.

According to another feature of the invention, the lever system or the like comprises an actuating lever, which is freely rotatably mounted on a shaft, which is operable to adjust the nozzle needles of a row of nozzles in unison, and another lever, which is secured to the shaft for rotation therewith, is connected to the actuating lever by detent means permitting of an angular adjustment of the two levers relative to each other. In this arrangement, the lever system is connected to a shaft, by which the nozzle needles of a row of nozzles are adjusted in unison. The actuator is not connected directly to the shaft but to an actuating lever, which can be fixed in any of several positions relative to the lever which is secured to the shaft. The detent means provided for this purpose enable a basic setting of the nozzles.

In a particularly simple embodiment of the invention, the detent means comprise a toothed element, which is firmly connected to or formed by the actuating lever, and a springloaded pin or the like, which is engageable with any of the gaps between the teeth of said toothed element and mounted in the lever which is secured to the shaft. When the pin has been moved against the spring force out of its locking position, the two levers can be rotated relative to each other. When the two levers. have been rotated to the desired position, the spring-loaded pin is spring-urged to its locking position to hold the two levers in their relative position.

In an arrangement which comprises two rows of nozzles disposed above and below the stock, respectively, it will be desirable if two shafts are provided for adjusting the nozzle needles of the nozzles of respective rows and are firmly connected to respective levers, which are operatively connected by means of a link. In this embodiment of the invention, simple means are provided to ensure that the two rows of nozzles disposed above and below the stock, respectively, are adjustable in unison to the same extent so that an oil film of uniform thickness is applied to the upper and lower surfaces of the stock.

An embodiment of the invention is shown diagrammatically on the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical sectional view taken on a line extending in the longitudinal direction of the stock and shows apparatus according to the invention for oiling continuously moving stock.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation showing the apparatus and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line IIIIII of FIG. 1.

A metal strip 4 is moved through a closed chamber 1 and through an inlet 2 to said chamber and an outlet 3 from said chamber. Two pairs of

rollers

5 and 6 are disposed in the chamber and operable to move the strip. These pairs of rollers can be adjusted in height for an adjustment of the roller nip to the thickness of the strip. Two rows of

nozzles

7 and 8 are disposed above and below the strip 4, respectively. The nozzles of each row are connected to a common oil conduit 9 and a common compressed air conduit 10. The rate of flow is adjustable by means of nozzle needles 11, which are adjustable by means of forked levers 14, which are clamped to

respective shafts

12 and 13. The

shafts

13 and 12 are rotatably mounted in the chamber 1. A lever 15 is secured to the shaft 12 for rotation therewith. A spring-loaded detent pin 16 is mounted on the lever 15. An actuating lever 17 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 12 and provided with a toothed segment 18, which is engaged by the detent pin 16 to interconnect the two levers l5 and 17.

A tachogenerator is driven by a freely rotatable roller 19 engaging the strip 4 and is connected to a controller 21, which switches an actuator 22 in response to changes of the seed of the strip. The displaceable screw 23 of the actuator 22 is articulatedly connected to the actuating lever 17. Upon a change of the speed of the strip 4, the tachogenerator 20 and the controller 21 switch the actuator 22 so that the actuating lever 17 is pivotally moved by the

detent means

16, 18 to the lever 15 and the latter is secured to the shaft 12 for rotation therewith, the shaft 12 is rotated at the same time and the nozzle needles 11 are uniformly adjusted by the forked levers 14. The shaft 13 carries a lever 24, which is operatively connected to the lever 15 by a link 25. As a result, a rotation of the shaft 12 is transmitted by the lever 15, link and lever 24 to the shaft 13 to result in a synchronous rotation thereof so that the nozzles 8 below the strip 4 are also adjusted in response to the change of the speed of the strip.

The basic setting of the

nozzles

7 and 8 will provide for the desired thickness of the oil film formed on the stock. For this purpose, the detent means are disengaged and the

levers

15 and 17 rotated relative to each other. In the new position, the detent pin mounted on the lever 15 snaps into the appropriate tooth gap of the toothed segment 18 so that the lever 15 is fixed in position relative to the lever 17. This setting results also in the setting of the nozzles below the strip because the two

shafts

12 and 13 are operatively connected by the link 25. A change of the speed of the strip 4 during the operation of the apparatus, e.g., to a higher speed, results in an energization of the actuator 22 so that its screw 23 imparts to the actuating lever 17 a pivotal movement in a direction to increase the rate at which oil is sprayed by the nozzles onto the strip. Oil at a higher rate is now blown onto the strip moved at a higher speed so that the thickness of the oil film is maintained constant.

What is claimed is:

1. An oiling apparatus, which comprises chamber-defining means defining a closed chamber, a sealing inlet to and a sealing outlet from said chamber,

stock-feeding means for continuously moving stock to be oiled through said inlet, chamber, and outlet along a predetermined path,

a row of nozzles opening in said chamber and spaced apart transversely to said path and directed toward said path and operable to discharge an oil-air mixture toward said path, each of said nozzles comprising a needle, which is displaceable to vary the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from said nozzle,

an oil conduit connected to said nozzles, and

a compressed air conduit connected to said nozzles,

the provision of an automatic control system for controlling the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from said nozzles in proportion to the speed of travel of said stock in said chamber, said control system comprising a sensing roller engageable with said stock and adapted to be driven thereby at a speed which is proportional to said speed of travel,

a tachogenerator arranged to be driven by said sensing roller and to produce an output signal representative of said speed of travel,

an actuator,

a controller arranged to receive said output signal and to control the operation of said actuator in response to said output signal, and

a linkage operatively connecting said actuator to said needles and arranged to displace said needles in response to a change of said speed of travel resulting in an operation of said actuator.

2. An oiling apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said stock-feeding means are operable to move sheet metal stock along said path.

3. An oiling apparatus as set forth in claim 2, in which said stock-feeding means are operable to move sheet metal stock in the form of discrete elements along said path.

4. An oiling apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said stock-feeding means are operable to move strip metal along said path.

5. An oiling apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said row of nozzles open on one side of said path,

an additional row of nozzles are provided, which open in said chamber on the other side of said path and are spaced apart transversely to said path and directed toward said path and operable to discharge an oil-air mixture toward said path, each of said nozzles of said additional row comprising a needle, which is displaceable to vary the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from said nozzles, and

said control system comprises means arranged to displace said needles of the nozzles of said additional row so as to control the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from the nozzles of said additional row in proportion to the speed of travel of said stock in said chamber.

6. An oiling apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said control system comprises a shaft operatively connected to said needles and rotatable to displace said needles in unison,

said linkage comprises a first lever secured to said shaft for rotation therewith, a second lever freely rotatably mounted on said shaft adjacent to said first lever, and detent means for coupling said first and second levers in any of a plurality of angular positions relative to each other, and

said actuator is operatively connected to said second lever and operable to impart a pivotal movement thereto in response to said output signal.

7. An oiling apparatus as set forth in claim 6, in which detent means comprise series of indentations rigid with one of said first and second levers and a spring-loaded male detent element mounted in the other of said first and second levers and engageable with any of said indentations.

8. An oiling apparatus as set forth in claim 7, in which said male detent element comprises a detent pin mounted in said first lever and said indentations are defined by a series of teeth rigid with said second lever.

9. An oiling apparatus as set forth in claim 6, in which said row of nozzles open on one side of said path,

said control system comprises an additional shaft operatively connected to the needles of the nozzles of said additional row and rotatable to displace the needles of the nozzles of said additional row in unison, a third lever secured to said additional shaft for rotation therewith, and a link operatively con necting said first and third levers to rotate said

Claims

1. An oiling apparatus, which comprises chamber-defining means defining a closed chamber, a sealing inlet to and a sealing outlet from said chamber, stock-feeding means for continuously moving stock to be oiled through said inlet, chamber, and outlet along a predetermined path, a row of nozzles opening in said chamber and spaced apart transversely to said path and directed toward said path and operable to discharge an oil-air mixture toward said path, each of said nozzles comprising a needle, which is displaceable to vary the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from said nozzle, an oil conduit connected to said nozzles, and a compressed air conduit connected to said nozzles, the provision of an automatic control system for controlling the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from said nozzles in proportion to the speed of travel of said stock in said chamber, said control system comprising a sensing roller engageable with said stock and adapted to be driven thereby at a speed which is proportional to said speed of travel, a tachogenerator arranged to be driven by said sensing roller and to produce an output signal representative of said speed of travel, an actuator, a controller arranged to receive said output signal and to control the operation of said actuator in response to said output signal, and a linkage operatively connecting said actuator to said needles and arranged to displace said needles in response to a change of said speed of travel resulting in an operation of said actuator.

5. An oiling apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said row of nozzles open on one side of said path, an additionaL row of nozzles are provided, which open in said chamber on the other side of said path and are spaced apart transversely to said path and directed toward said path and operable to discharge an oil-air mixture toward said path, each of said nozzles of said additional row comprising a needle, which is displaceable to vary the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from said nozzles, and said control system comprises means arranged to displace said needles of the nozzles of said additional row so as to control the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from the nozzles of said additional row in proportion to the speed of travel of said stock in said chamber.

6. An oiling apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said control system comprises a shaft operatively connected to said needles and rotatable to displace said needles in unison, said linkage comprises a first lever secured to said shaft for rotation therewith, a second lever freely rotatably mounted on said shaft adjacent to said first lever, and detent means for coupling said first and second levers in any of a plurality of angular positions relative to each other, and said actuator is operatively connected to said second lever and operable to impart a pivotal movement thereto in response to said output signal.

9. An oiling apparatus as set forth in claim 6, in which said row of nozzles open on one side of said path, an additional row of nozzles are provided, which open in said chamber on the other side of said path and are spaced apart transversely to said path and directed toward said path and operable to discharge an oil-air mixture toward said path, each of said nozzles of said additional row comprising a needle, which is displaceable to vary the rate at which said oil-air mixture is discharged from said nozzles, and said control system comprises an additional shaft operatively connected to the needles of the nozzles of said additional row and rotatable to displace the needles of the nozzles of said additional row in unison, a third lever secured to said additional shaft for rotation therewith, and a link operatively connecting said first and third levers to rotate said shafts in unison.