EP-4735186-A1 - A COILER FURNACE AND METHOD FOR RECOVERING A TAIL OF A METAL PRODUCT WOUND IN SAID FURNACE

Abstract

A coiler furnace (1), in particular for winding a metal product coming from a reversible rolling mill, comprising - a thermally insulated casing (2) delimiting an inner chamber (3) of the furnace; - a winding device (4) for winding the product, arranged in said inner chamber (3), comprising a winding drum (5) provided with a receiving opening (6) for receiving the head of the product; - an opening (7) for the product to enter or exit the casing, arranged at a lower part of said casing (2); - at least one carriage (8), translatable transversely to an advancement direction of the product, provided with a first working section (9) configured to occupy a working position, beneath said casing (2) at said opening (7), and a respective resting position, provided laterally to said working position, and a second emergency section (10) configured to occupy a respective resting position when the first section (9) occupies the working position, and occupy said working position when said first section (9) occupies the respective resting position.

Inventors

• BURG, SIMONE
• DORIGO, ANDREA
• FERRO, MASSIMO

Assignees

• Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche S.p.A.

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20240628

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS 1. A coiler furnace (1 ), in particular for winding a metal product coming from a reversible rolling mill, comprising - a thermally insulated casing (2) delimiting an inner chamber (3) of the furnace; - a winding device (4) for winding the product, arranged in said inner chamber (3), comprising a winding drum (5) provided with a receiving opening (6) for receiving the head of the product; - an opening (7) for the product to enter and exit said casing, arranged at a lower part of said casing (2); - at least one carriage (8), translatable transversely to an advancement direction of the product, and provided with a first section (9) configured to occupy a working position, below said casing (2) at said opening (7), and a respective resting position, provided laterally to said working position, and a second section (10) configured to occupy a respective resting position when the first section (9) occupies the working position, and to occupy said working position when said first section (9) occupies the respective resting position; wherein said first section (9) comprises - a roller table (11 ) for carrying the product along said advancement direction, when the first section (9) is in the working position; - and a deviation device (12), anchored to said roller table (11 ), for deviating, when the first section (9) is in the working position, the product from said roller table (11 ) towards the winding drum (5), or vice versa, in a first operating position of said deviation device, or for closing said opening (7) in a second operating position of said deviation device; and wherein the second section (10) comprises an arm (13) provided, at a first free end thereof, with a tilting presser component (14), and operable for contacting, when the second section (10) occupies the working position, the product wound on the winding drum (5) in a first contact position, by means of said tilting presser component (14). 2. A coiler furnace according to claim 1 , wherein said arm (13) is hinged at a second end thereof to said second section (10), and wherein actuation means (20) are provided for lifting or lowering the arm (13), which are preferably integral with said second section (10). 3. A coiler furnace according to claim 1 or 2, wherein there are provided - a further presser component (15), configured to occupy a respective resting position, at least partially outside said casing (2), and a respective working position inside said casing (2); - and a passage (16), arranged through the casing (2), configured to be crossed by said further presser component (15) for passing from the respective resting position to the respective working position and pressing on the product wound on the winding drum (5) in a second contact position above said first contact position and vice versa. 4. A coiler furnace according to claim 3, wherein said further presser component (15) is at least one motorized roller suitable for rotating about an axis thereof into said second contact position, in direction opposite to the rotation direction given to the winding drum (5). 5. A coiler furnace according to claim 3 or 4, wherein detection means (17) are provided in said inner chamber (3) for detecting the presence of a tail of the product wound on the winding drum, in order to detect when said tail is present between said first contact position and said second contact position. 6. A coiler furnace according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said presser component (14) is a body having two ends configured to contact the product wound on the winding drum (5) in two different points; preferably wherein a first end of said two ends is provided with an idle or motorized roller (18), and wherein a second end of said two ends is provided with a sharp element (19). 7. A coiler furnace according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein translation means (21 ) are provided for translating said further presser component (15) from the respective resting position to the respective working position, or vice versa. 8. A coiler furnace according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein actuation means (22) are provided for actuating the rotation of said motorized roller. 9. A coiler furnace according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second section (10) further comprises a further deviation device (23) for deviating the product wound on the winding drum (5) towards said opening (7) in a product unwinding step. 10. A coiler furnace according to claim 9, wherein said further deviation device (23) comprises an articulated lever system constrained, at a first end thereof, to the second free end of the arm (13) and, at a second end thereof, to a structure (24) of the second section (10), whereby when the arm (13) is in a lifted position, so that the presser component (14) presses on the product wound on the winding drum (5), the articulated lever system is extended, defining a slide for the product, while, when the arm (13) is in a lowered position, outside said casing (2), said articulated lever system is folded. 11 . A coiler furnace according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one carriage comprises - a first carriage (25), translatable transversely to the advancement direction of the product, comprising said first section (9); - and a second carriage (26), translatable transversely to the advancement direction of the product, comprising said second section (10). 12. A method for recovering a tail of a metal product wound on a drum inside a coiler furnace according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the following steps: a) translating the first section (9) from the working position to the respective resting position; b) translating the second section (10) from the respective resting position to said working position; c) rotating the arm (13) of said second section (10) so that the tilting presser component (14) contacts the product wound on the winding drum (5) in a first contact position; d) rotating said winding drum (5) in the same direction as the winding direction until the tail of the wound product exceeds the tilting presser component (14). 13. A method according to claim 12, wherein between step c) and step d), or during step c), a further presser component (15) passes, crossing a passage (16) arranged through the casing (2), from a respective resting position, outside said casing (2), to a respective working position inside said casing (2) until it presses on the product wound on the winding drum (5) in a second contact position above said first contact position. 14. A method for recovering a tail of a metal product wound on a drum inside a coiler furnace according to any one of claims 3 to 11 , the method comprising the following steps: a) rotating the winding drum (5) in the same direction as the winding direction until the tail of the wound product reaches a zone at said opening (7); b) moving the further presser component (15), by means of the passage (16) arranged through the casing (2), from a respective resting position, at least partially outside said casing (2), to a respective working position inside said casing (2) until said further presser component contacts the product wound on the winding drum (5) in a contact position above said tail; c) rotating the arm (13) of said second section (10) into the respective working position so that the tilting presser component (14) contacts the product wound on the winding drum (5) in a further contact position, the tail being present between said contact position and said further contact position. 15. A method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the tail of the product wound on the winding drum (5) is detected by detection means (17) arranged in said inner chamber (3).

Description

A COILER FURNACE AND METHOD FOR RECOVERING A TAIL OF A METAL PRODUCT WOUND IN SAID FURNACE ★★★★★★★★★★★ Field of the invention The present invention relates to a coiler furnace, preferably usable upstream and downstream of a reversible hot rolling mill, such as a Steckel rolling mill, and to a relative method for recovering the tail of a metal product wound inside said coiler furnace. Background art Different coiler furnaces are known, used in reversible rolling plants for storing a hot-rolled metal product between successive rolling operations. Generally, the reversible rolling plant comprises at least one reversible rolling stand, e.g. with working cylinders and support cylinders, and coiler furnaces arranged on both sides of the at least one reversible rolling stand for alternately winding and unwinding the hot-rolled product that crosses the at least one rolling stand in a varying rolling direction. Each coiler furnace comprises a casing, with an outer metal wall and an inner thermal-insulation wall, delimiting an interior of the furnace, to preserve, as much as possible, the heat of the material being rolled. A selectively sealable opening is provided in the lower zone of the coiler furnace, for the gradual entrance and the gradual exit of the hot-rolled product, said opening facing the reversible rolling stand or the reversible rolling stands. Said opening can be selectively closed by means of guide flaps during the step of heating the coiler furnace and during the pauses in operation. The guide flaps are usually adjusted by means of an actuation system, e.g. hydraulic actuation. Each coiler furnace is provided internally with a device for winding the metal product, such as a strip. Such winding device comprises a winding drum, coaxially coupled to the exterior on a shaft the ends of which pass through the front and rear walls of the casing and are rotatably supported outside the coiler furnace on support bearings. The shaft is connected to a reversible rotating actuation. The winding drum has, in the zone of the winding surface thereof, a substantially slit-shaped receiving opening for the entrance of the head of the hot-rolled product, which, coming from the rolling stand, crosses a roller table, and then, by means of the tilting guide flaps, passes inside the furnace up to the winding drum: the head of the product enters the slit inside the cavity between the shaft and the winding drum, after which, the shaft begins to rotate so that the successive stretches of strip begin to wind outside the winding drum, locking the head of the product inserted between the shaft and the strip being wound. The guide flaps can preferably be hinged to each other, with both flaps connected by means of a common hinge and made rotatable about the hinge. During the winding and unwinding operations of the hot-rolled product, a first guide flap cooperates with the roller table, while a second guide flap is directed towards the receiving opening of the winding drum. Therefore, these two guide flaps form a deviation device for deviating the product, thus determining the path of the hot- rolled product from the roller table to the receiving opening of the winding drum, and vice versa, from the winding drum to the roller table. During the winding and unwinding operations of the hot-rolled product, in order to perform the reversible rolling passages of the product in the at least one rolling stand, by alternating the product between the two coiler furnaces, one upstream and one downstream of the at least one rolling stand, respectively, the tail of the product remains conveniently gripped in pinch rolls proximal to the furnaces, so as to recover the strip and send it to the next rolling passage. Disadvantageously, when the product entering the coiler furnace is wound, defining a coil, the tail of the product may pass beyond the pinch roll and freely enter the furnace, blocking the production, as said tail cannot be recovered by the corresponding pinch roll. In order to try to unwind the product, it is possible to rotate the winding drum in a rotation direction opposite to the winding rotation direction, seeing whether the tail unwinds and manages to return to the pinch roll by itself. Often, however, the tail is not in a favorable position for the unwinding and exit of the product from the furnace, possibly getting stuck in the inner carpentry of the coiler furnace. The attempts made to correctly recover the tail for the product to come out can result in entanglements inside the furnace and/or also in the undesired exit of the head of the product from the receiving opening, and thus, from the inside of the winding drum, this resulting in a spring effect, widening the coils of the product, making the product reduce friction with the winding drum and thus making it necessary for operators to intervene to empty the coiler furnace. In any case, this results in an interruption of rolling and winding, and causes considerable diff