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US-20260124657-A1 - METHOD, REEL DEVICE AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR OPERATING THE REEL DEVICE

US20260124657A1US 20260124657 A1US20260124657 A1US 20260124657A1US-20260124657-A1

Abstract

SUBSTITUTE SPECIFICATION CLEAN COPY A reel device has a reel mandrel for winding up a strip. The reel mandrel has a plurality of segments distributed over the perimeter thereof, which are each joined via at least two link plates to a control rod that can be axially moved in the reel mandrel, for radially extending and retracting the segment. To reliably identify wear conditions of internal components of the reel mandrel that are not visible from the outside, a method for operating the reel device provides that, during the service life of the reel device, the segments are moved multiple times into certain operating positions and in each case the respective distances of the segments in relation to a stationary operating position are determined. The distances recorded at different points in time are evaluated whether they exceed or fall below a predefined threshold value, and wear condition is inferred therefrom.

Inventors

  • Johannes Alken
  • Benjamin Viereck
  • Thomas Holzhauer
  • Johannes Leipold

Assignees

  • SMS GROUP GMBH

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20230831
Priority Date
20221005

Claims (13)

  1. 1 .- 13 . (canceled)
  2. 14 . A method for operating a reel device ( 100 ), wherein the reel device comprises a reel mandrel ( 120 ) for winding up a strip ( 20 ), wherein the reel mandrel ( 120 ) has a segment ( 124 ) arranged at a perimeter of the reel mandrel ( 120 ), the segment ( 124 ) being joined via at least two link plates ( 125 , 126 ) to a control rod ( 122 ) that can be axially moved in the reel mandrel ( 120 ), for radially moving the segment ( 124 ) into an operating position (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ), and wherein the reel mandrel ( 120 ) comprises a compression spring unit ( 150 ) for holding the segment ( 124 ) under a radial preload (FD), the method comprising: a) moving the segment ( 124 ) into the operating position (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) multiple times during a service life of the reel device ( 100 ), in each case under the radial preload (FD), and thereby subjecting the link plates ( 125 , 126 ) and/or the control rod ( 122 ) to wear; b) directly or indirectly determining and recording a radial distance (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 ) of the segment ( 124 ) in the operating position in relation to a stationary reference position (P 0 ) at different points in time during the service life; c) evaluating the radial distances (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 ) recorded at the different points in time in terms of whether they exceed a predefined upper threshold value (S 1 , S 3 ) or fall below a predefined lower threshold value (S 2 ) during the service life of the reel device ( 100 ); and d) indirectly identifying a wear condition of the reel device ( 100 ) when the radial distances (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 ) exceed the upper threshold value (S 1 , S 3 ) or fall below the lower threshold value (S 2 ) starting at one of the points in time.
  3. 15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the operating position is a pre-expanded wrapping position (P 1 ) of the segment ( 124 ) without a wrapped strip ( 20 ), wherein, in step c), an increasing enlargement in the radial distance (A 1 ) is detected during the service life of the reel device ( 100 ), and wherein, in step d), the wear condition is an undesired elongation of the link plates ( 125 , 126 ), a widening of joint bores ( 127 ) on the link plates and/or of their fastening bolts ( 121 ) and is indirectly identified if the recorded distances (A 1 ) exceed the predefined upper threshold value (S 1 ).
  4. 16 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the control rod ( 122 ) has a ramp ( 123 ) on the perimeter thereof, wherein the compression spring unit ( 150 ) has a housing ( 153 ) with an inclined lower side, and wherein the housing of the compression spring unit ( 150 ) slides with the inclined lower side along the ramp ( 123 ) when the segment ( 124 ) is moved radially during an axial movement of the control rod, wherein the operating position is a winding position (P 2 ) of the segment ( 124 ), in which a plurality of turns of the strip ( 20 ) are wound up onto the segment and the reel mandrel ( 120 ), wherein, in step c), an increasing reduction of the radial distance (A 2 ) is detected during the service life of the reel device ( 100 ), and wherein, in step d), the wear condition is undesired abrasion on a surface of the ramp ( 123 ) and/or on the lower side of the housing ( 153 ) of the compression spring unit ( 150 ) and is indirectly identified if the recorded radial distances fall below the predefined lower threshold value (S 2 ).
  5. 17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein a transition from a wrapping position (P 1 ) to a winding position (P 2 ) comprises: wrapping the strip ( 20 ) with one to seven coil turns on the reel mandrel ( 120 ) with the segment ( 124 ) in the wrapping position (P 1 ), as a result of which a radial compression force is exerted on the compression spring unit ( 150 ) and the segment ( 124 ) is moved into a compression position, and moving the segment up against the compression force from the compression position into the winding position for further winding of the reel mandrel with the strip ( 20 ) to form a coil.
  6. 18 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the operating position is a discharge position (P 3 ) of the segment from the reel mandrel, wherein, in step c), an increasing enlargement in the radial distance (A 3 ) of the segment ( 124 ) in relation to the radially further inward reference position (P 0 ) is detected during the service life of the reel device ( 100 ), or vice versa, and wherein, in step d), the wear condition is an undesired elongation of the link plates ( 125 , 126 ), a widening of joint bores ( 127 ) on the link plates and/or of their fastening bolts ( 121 ) and is indirectly identified if the recorded distances (A 3 ) exceed the predefined upper threshold value (S 3 ), or vice versa.
  7. 19 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the upper and lower threshold values (S 1 , S 2 , S 3 ) and the operating position (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) are in an elastic spring range of the compression spring unit ( 150 ).
  8. 20 . The method according to claim 14 , further comprising: e) initiating maintenance of the reel mandrel ( 120 ) if the wear condition is indirectly identified in step d).
  9. 21 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein moving the segment ( 124 ) into the operating position and determining and recording the radial distance (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 ) of the segment ( 124 ) in the operating position are carried out multiple times a day, multiple times a month, or multiple times a year, and wherein evaluating the distances (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 ) is carried out with a same or a lower frequency as the recording of the distance.
  10. 22 . A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that can be loaded into an internal memory of a digital computer and comprises sections of software code with which steps in accordance with the method according to claim 14 are executed when the product is running on a computer.
  11. 23 . A reel device ( 100 ), comprising: a reel mandrel ( 120 ) for winding up a strip; a rotary drive device ( 130 ) for driving the reel mandrel ( 120 ) in rotation for a coiling operation of the reel device ( 100 ); a push/thrust drive ( 110 ) for axially moving a control rod ( 122 ) in the reel mandrel ( 120 ); a control device ( 140 ) for controlling the rotary drive device ( 130 ) and the push/thrust drive; a segment ( 124 ) arranged radially expandable on a perimeter of the reel mandrel ( 120 ); at least two link plates ( 125 , 126 ) connecting the segment ( 124 ) to the control rod ( 122 ) for radially extending and retracting the segment ( 124 ) into at least one operating position in accordance with a respective axial movement position of the control rod ( 122 ); at least one compression spring unit ( 150 ) arranged between the segment ( 124 ) and the control rod ( 122 ) for holding the segment ( 124 ) under a radial preload; a distance sensor ( 160 ) for the multiple direct or indirect determination of the radial distance (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 ) of the segment ( 124 ) in the at least one operating position (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) relative to a stationary reference position (P 0 ); and a recording device ( 170 ) and an evaluation device ( 180 ) for recording and evaluating a plurality of the measured distances (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 ) in terms of their change during a service life of the reel device ( 100 ) with regard to whether the measured radial distances (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 ) exceed a predefined upper threshold value (S 1 , S 3 ) or fall below a predefined lower threshold value (S 2 ) over a course of time.
  12. 24 . The reel device ( 100 ) according to claim 23 , further comprising an inner stop for compression of the compression spring unit ( 150 ) when wrapping the strip, wherein the inner stop is formed by an upper edge of a housing ( 153 ) which partially surrounds the compression spring unit ( 150 ) in a non-compressed state.
  13. 25 . The reel device ( 100 ) according to claim 23 , wherein the stationary reference position (P 0 ) is formed by an upper edge of a guide ( 128 ) in which the compression spring unit ( 150 ) is radially guided.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a national stage application, filed under 35 U.S.C. § 371, of International Patent Application PCT/EP 2023/073877, filed on Aug. 31, 2023, which claims the benefit of German Patent Application DE 10 2022 210 533.8, filed on Oct. 5, 2022. TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure relates to a method for operating a reel device, wherein the reel device has a reel mandrel for winding up a strip, preferably a metal strip. The reel mandrel has at least one, typically a plurality of segments distributed over the perimeter thereof, which are in each case joined, via at least two link plates, to a control rod that can be axially moved in the reel mandrel, for radially extending and retracting the segment into at least one operating position. The disclosure also relates to the reel device itself. BACKGROUND Reel devices are known and are subject to high mechanical loads in the everyday operation of a rolling mill. Accordingly, wear of the moving parts of the reel mandrel is unavoidable. A distinction must be made between wear conditions that are visible from the outside and wear conditions that are not visible from the outside. The Japanese patent application JP 2000-226141 A deals with wear that occurs on the outer side of the segments on which the strip/metal strip is wound up. In contrast, there is currently no way of detecting wear on the link plates or the housing of the compression spring unit in the installed state of the reel mandrel. There are, however, soft indicators, such as a “rattling” of the segments during idle operation or indirect measurements using pressure rollers, which indicate wear of the aforementioned internal components of the reel mandrel. Regular maintenance of the reel mandrel is also typically carried out if the “wound tonnage” has exceeded a predefined weight threshold value. However, the specified methods do not allow for a precise determination of the optimal point in time of replacement for wear parts. In this respect, a service life that is optimized for wear of the reel mandrel is not possible. This results in unnecessary costs due to non-optimal lifetime utilization of the reel mandrel. SUMMARY The disclosure is based on the object of further developing a known method and computer program for operating a reel device along with a corresponding known reel device itself, in such a way that wear conditions of internal components of the reel mandrel that are not visible from the outside are also reliably identified, without the reel mandrel having to be disassembled into its components. This object is achieved by a method that includes the following steps: b) Directly or indirectly determining and recording the radial distance of the segment in the operating position in relation to a stationary reference position at different points in time during the service life; c) Evaluating the distances recorded at the different points in time in terms of whether they exceed a predefined upper threshold value or fall below a predefined lower threshold value during the service life of the reel device; and d) Indirectly identifying a wear condition of the reel device if the measured radial distances exceed the upper threshold value or fall below the lower threshold value starting on one of the points in time. If individual internal components of the reel mandrel are subject to wear during the service life thereof, this leads to the fact that different predetermined operating positions for the segments of the reel mandrel, which could still be approached at an initial point in time of use, can no longer be approached precisely at a later point of time of use after interim use and wear. In particular, the controlled operating positions at the later point in time of use no longer correspond to the operating positions as they were controlled at the first point in time of use, e.g. when the reel mandrel was in a like-new state. The difference in the controlled operating positions can be seen in the changing distances of the controlled operating positions in relation to stationary reference positions during the service life of the reel mandrel. The present disclosure provides for determining the change in the controlled operating positions during the service life of the reel mandrel in order to be able to draw inferences about wear of internal components of the reel mandrel. The term “determining . . . the radial distance . . . ” is to be interpreted broadly. “Determining” includes, in particular, measuring and/or simulating the radial distance. In the phrase “directly or indirectly determining and recording the radial distance . . . ,” “directly determining” means the actual determination of the specific radial distance. In contrast, “indirectly determining” means the determination of a physical quantity representing the radial distance. The term “determining and recording the radial distance of the segment . . . at different points in time during the se