Abstract:
A recoiler/uncoiler for use in a line processing sheet material includes a segmented drum that is expandable from a contracted position to an expanded position. To enable the drum to accommodate coils of sheet material having different internal diameters, a sleeve consisting of sleeve segments which match the segments of the drum is installed on the drum and is expandable and contractible therewith. A cradle moved by a coil cart is transportable to a position circumscribing the sleeve. The cradle includes magnets which hold the sleeve in the expanded position after the sleeve is disengaged from the drum, to thereby permit removal of the sleeve. When the sleeve is reinstalled on the drum, the cradle transports the sleeve to its position circumscribing the drum, the drum is then expanded, and the sleeve is secured to the drum, whereupon the cradle is transported away from the drum and sleeve.

Description:
This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/186,749 filed Nov. 5, 1998 now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to uncoilers and recoilers used in a line for processing sheet material, such as slitting lines used for dividing sheet steel. 
     2. Review of the Prior Art 
     Sheet steel is normally provided in coils, and it is common to process such material in a slitting line to divide the material longitudinally. A coil of un-slit sheet steel is placed on an uncoiler on one end of the line, and the steel is unwound from the coil and slit in the slitting line and then rolled into coils on a recoiler at the other end of the line. As used herein, the term “coiler” generally refers to either uncoilers or recoilers. Both uncoilers and recoilers include a drum having one end of which is rotatably mounted on a fixed support. The opposite end of the coil is free so that the coiled sheet steel can be installed on the drum of an uncoiler and removed from the drum of the recoiler. To facilitate installation and removal of the coils, the drums are expandable/contractible as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,116. Sheet steel is normally wound into coils, which may have either of two standard inner diameters, and while the coilers have expanding mandrels to grip the inner coil opening, the expansion of the mandrels cannot accommodate the dimensional variance in inner diameters of the two standard diameters. The strips of slit steel may be wound on the recoiler into coils having either of the two common inner diameters. The coils with the smaller inner diameter may be placed directly upon, or removed from, the drum of the uncoiler or recoiler, but the coils with the larger inner diameter require that the drum be modified to have a larger outer diameter in order that the slit steel can be taken up. 
     There are a number of prior art methods which have been attempted, but which are inefficient for this use. Prior art adapter plates are used which are connected to the mandrel, but these are difficult and time consuming to install on the drums. To install adapter plates on the drum, the slitting line must be shut down, thereby losing production. In other versions, bands of rubber are wrapped around the mandrel which expand with the mandrel. These versions are extremely difficult, and become oil soaked after a short period of time, making them difficult to use. Another version is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,315 which shows movable elements which are surrounded by a polyurethane slit sleeve which is held on by elastic bands. Such a device would not be usable with a steel coil of the nature anticipated in the present invention. 
     It should be understood to those skilled in the art, the resultant inefficiency the prior art methods provide. In a fabrication facility of the type described, it is not uncommon to have a changeover in diameters three to four times per day, where the down time is nearly 40 minutes per changeover, primarily due to the mandrel diameter modification on the coiler. 
     According to the present invention, a sleeve having three interconnected segments is mounted on a drum having expandable segments in radial alignment with the segments of the drum, to permit the sleeve to be expanded and contracted with the drum. 
     The sleeve is installed and removed from the drum by way of a coil cart which is normally used to transport steel coils to and from the drum. Accordingly, the sleeve can quickly and easily be modified to accommodate coils having inner diameters of different sizes. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a slitting line incorporating both an uncoiler and a recoiler made pursuant to the teachings of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of the recoiler, coil cart, sleeve and cradle of the present invention illustrating the manner in which the cradle is transported to the recoiler for removal of the sleeve; 
     FIG. 3 is a view in perspective illustrating the cradle engaged with the sleeve while the sleeve remains mounted on the recoiler drum; 
     FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating the sleeve supported in the cradle and removed from the recoiler drum; 
     FIG. 5 is a end view of the recoiler drum, sleeve and cradle in which the cradle and sleeve are mounted on the drum as illustrated in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but illustrating the sleeve mounted on the drum with the cradle removed; 
     FIG. 7 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the recoiler drum illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 with the sleeve installed thereon; 
     FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but illustrating the sleeve partially removed from the drum; 
     FIG. 9 is a view in perspective showing the invention in the application of an uncoiler, with the adapter sleeve poised for receipt over the uncoiler mandrel; 
     FIG. 10 is a view similar to that of FIG. 9 showing the adapter sleeve in the operating position over the uncoiler mandrel; 
     FIG. 11 is an upper plan view showing the adapter sleeve mounted to the mandrel, with the end of the sleeve partially broken away through lines  11 — 11  of FIG. 12 showing the connection to the mandrel; 
     FIG. 12 is an end view of the sleeve over the mandrel in the unactivated condition; and 
     FIG. 13 is similar to FIG. 12, showing the sleeve and mandrel when activated. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As described herein, the term coiler refers to both an uncoiler and recoiler, as the invention is equally applicable to both. Referring now to the drawings, a sheet steel slitting line generally indicated by the numeral  10  includes an uncoiler  12  upon which a coil  14  of sheet steel is supported on drum  16 , which is rotatably supported on fixed support  18 . The steel strip  20  unwound from the coil  14  is processed by conventional slitting equipment generally indicated by the numeral  22  to divide the steel strip  20  longitudinally, so that two separate coils of steel  24   a ,  24   b  are wound on drum  26  of recoiler generally indicated by the numeral  28 . Drum  26  is mounted for rotation relative to conventional fixed support  30 . A coil cart generally indicated by the numeral  32  is powered for movement along tracks  34 , which extend generally transversely to the material pass line P of the slitting equipment  22 . The material pass line P is the center line along which the steel strip  20  moves through the slitting equipment  22  and is wound on drum  26 . Coil cart  32  is conventionally used for transporting the coils  24   a ,  24   b  away from the recoiler  28 . A similar cart (not shown) may be used to transport the coils  14  to the uncoiler  12 . As illustrated in FIG. 1, a cradle  36  is mounted on the coil cart  32  for movement toward and away from the recoiler  28  and, as will hereinafter be described, cradle  36  is used to support a sleeve  38  according to the present invention, to move the sleeve  38  between an active position mounted on the drum  26  and an inactive position displaced from the drum  26  to permit the drum  26  to roll coils  24   a ,  24   b  having a greater inner diameter when the sleeve  38  is installed on the drum and a lesser inner diameter when the sleeve is removed from the drum. 
     As shown best in FIGS. 4-6, the drum  26  is conventional and consists of three arcuate segments  40   a ,  40   b ,  40   c , segment  40   a  being pivotably interconnected with segment  40   b  via a hinge  42   a , and segments  40   b  and  40   c  being interconnected by a hinge  42   b . Segments  40   a ,  40   c  terminate in contiguous ends  44   a ,  44   b  opposite their ends that are hingably connected to the segment  40   b . Ends  44   a ,  44   b  cooperate to define a gap G (FIG. 6) into which the end of the sheet steel  20  is inserted. As shown in FIG. 6, contiguous ends  44   a ,  44   b  cooperate to define camming surfaces  46   a ,  46   b  which are engaged by a camming member  48  which is thrust outwardly, and retracted inwardly, by an actuating plunger  50 . Actuating plunger  50  is slidably mounted within core  52  of the drum  26  around which the drum segments  40   a - 40   c  are mounted. Sleeve  38  includes segments  54   a ,  54   b , and  54   c , segments  54   a  and  54   b  being interconnected by a hinge  56   a  and the segments  54   b  and  54   c  being interconnected by a hinge  56   b . It will be noted that the hinge  56   a  is radially aligned with hinge  42   a  and hinge  56   b  is radially aligned with the hinge  42   b  such that the sleeve segments  54   a - 54   c  expand and contract with the drum segments  40   a - 40   c . The sleeve segments  54   a ,  54   c  define contiguous ends  58   a ,  58   b , which cooperate with contiguous ends  44   a ,  44   b  for a continuation of the gap G. 
     Each of the sleeve segments  54   a - 54   c  include a radially inwardly projecting, circumferentially extending front adapter plate  60   a ,  60   b ,  60   c , which extend from the outer end of the corresponding sleeve segment and over corresponding end faces  62   a ,  62   b ,  62   c  of the arcuate drum segments  40   a - 40   c . The front adapter plates  60   a  and  60   c  are each provided with a pin  64  (FIG. 7) which is received in a corresponding aperture  66  when the sleeve is installed on the drum. A jack bolt  68  extends through the front adapter plate  60   b  and threadably engages threaded aperture  70  of the arcuate drum segment  40   b  when the sleeve is installed on the drum. The jack bolt  68  defines a shoulder  74  which is received within a recess  72  in the front adapter plate  60   b  which faces the end face  62   b  of the drum  26 . The recess  72  terminates in an end face  76  which is engaged by the shoulder  74  when the jack bolt  68  is rotated in a direction withdrawing the jack bolt from the threaded aperture  70 , to assist in removing the sleeve  38  from the drum  26  as will hereinafter be explained. 
     As shown in FIGS. 7-8, rear adapter plates  78   a ,  78   b ,  78   c  project radially outwardly from each of the arcuate drum segments  40   a - 40   c  at the end thereof adjacent the fixed support  18 . Each of the rear adapter plates  78   a ,  78   b ,  78   c  are provided with apertures  80  which are adapted to receive pins  82  projecting from the end of each of the sleeve segments  54   a - 54   c . Accordingly, each of the pins  82 ,  64  and the jack bolt  68  assure that the sleeve segments  54   a - 54   c  expand and contract with the drum segments  40   a - 40   c , the pins and jack bolt permitting slight pivoting between the sleeve segments and the drum segments to accommodate the expansion and retraction. Furthermore, the pins  82 ,  66  and jack bolt  68  also assure that the sleeve  38  rotates with the drum  26 . 
     During installation and removal of the sleeve  38  on the drum  26 , the sleeve is supported in the cradle  36 , as shown in FIGS. 3-5. Cradle  36  includes axially separated, circumferentially extending members  84 ,  86  which circumscribe the sleeve  38  when the sleeve is supported by the cradle. Circumferentially extending members  84 ,  86  are interconnected by longitudinally extending struts  88 . Each of the struts  88  carry longitudinally extending magnets  90  (FIG.  5 ), which are secured to the struts  88 . The cradle  36  is supported on surfaces  92  of the cart  32 , when the cradle is moved between the positions of FIGS. 2-4. 
     In operation, when the sleeve  38  is to be removed from the drum  26 , the drum  26 , with the sleeve  38  attached thereto as described above, is retracted to permit the coil cart  32  to move the cradle  36  from the FIG. 2 position, in which the cradle  36  is displaced from the drum  26 , into the FIG. 3 position, in which the cradle  36  is moved over the sleeve  38  with the circumferentially extending members  84 ,  86  of the cradle  36  circumscribing the outer circumference of the sleeve  38 . The drum  26  is then expanded into the expanded position, in which the outer circumference of the sleeve is adjacent the struts  88 . An appropriate tool (FIG. 3) is then applied to the jack bolt  68 , which is turned in the direction to advance the jack bolt  68  out of the cavity  72 . Accordingly, the shoulder  74  first engages the shoulder  76 , and further rotation of the jack bolt  68  then draws the sleeve  38  outwardly relative to the drum  26  away from the fixed support  18 . It will be noted that the length of the threaded section of the jack bolt  68  within the cavity  70  is longer than the length of the pins  66 ,  82  within their corresponding apertures  80 . Accordingly, before the jack bolt  68  is fully backed out of the threaded aperture  70 , the sleeve  38  will have been pulled axially to a distance sufficient to withdraw the pin  64 ,  82  from their corresponding apertures. The magnets  90  on the struts  88  then expand the sleeve relative to the drum a small distance, the sleeve then being free of the drum. The coil cart  32  is then used to move the cradle  36  with the sleeve  38  to the FIG. 4 position. Accordingly, the cradle with the sleeve supported therein may be lifted off of the coil cart  32  by a crane, to permit feeding a new coil  14  at the uncoiler for a new cycle. 
     When the sleeve  38  is to be reinstalled on the drum  26 , the drum segments  40   a - 40   c  are contracted to permit the coil cart to transport the sleeve  38 , which is supported in its expanded condition by the magnets on the struts  88  of the cradle  36 , over the drum  26 . The drum is then expanded, to permit alignment of the pins  64 ,  82  with their corresponding apertures  66 ,  80 . The sleeve is transferred to a position in which the end of the jack bolt  64  is engaged with the aperture  70 . The bolt is then cranked in the clockwise direction, thereby threadably engaging the threaded portion of the jack bolt  68  into the threaded aperture  70 , to thereby urge the sleeve  38  axially relative to the drum  26  toward the fixed support  30 . Accordingly, the pins  64  are installed in the aperture  66  and the pins  82  are installed in the apertures  80 . The drum, with the sleeve  38  secured thereto, is then retracted, to permit removal of the cradle  36  by movement of the coil cart back to the FIG. 2 position. 
     With respect now to FIGS. 9 through 13, the invention will be described in relation to an adapter for use with the uncoiler  12  as viewed in FIG.  1 . With respect first to FIG. 9, the uncoiler  12  includes a drum or mandrel  100  supported on fixed support member  18  where the mandrel includes a plurality of arcuate segments  102   a  through  102   d . Each of these segments is radially expandable through the contraction of plate  104  and rod  106 , see FIGS. 9 and 11. As also shown in FIG. 9, the free end of each segment  102   a - 102   d  includes receiving slots  108  as will be described in further detail. With respect now to FIG. 9, the expansion sleeve  110  will be described in greater detail. 
     As shown in FIG. 9, the expansion sleeve  110  is comprised of a like plurality of arcuate segments  112   a - 112   d , which overlie respective arcuate segments  102   a - 102   d  of the mandrel. The arcuate segments  112   a - 112   d  are held in a cylindrical fashion by expansion rings  114  and  116  as shown best in FIG.  13 . Expansion ring  114  includes an outer peripheral surface  118  and an inner diameter  120  characterized by a plurality of tangential surfaces  122   a - 122   d . As shown in FIG. 13, each of the tangential surfaces  122   a - 122   d  is radially aligned with the arcuate segments  112   a - 112   d , respectively. As also shown in FIG. 13, the arcuate segments  112   a - 112   d  are attached to the retaining ring  114  by way of bolts  126  slidably movable within apertures  128  and which are threadably received in threaded aperture  130 . It should be appreciated that a compression spring  132  is trapped between the tangential surface  122   a  and the head  134  of the bolt  126 , which spring loads the arcuate segments in the normally retracted position. As the apertures  128  are perpendicular relative to the tangential surface  122   a , the outward movement of the segment  112   a  is along a radial line, as shown by a comparison of FIGS. 12 and 13. 
     In a like manner, the arcuate segments  112   a - 112   d  are spring loadably retained to the rear retaining ring  116  by way of an assembly of compression spring nuts  142 ,  144 , and studs  146 , which pass through clearance apertures  148  and are threadably engaged in threaded apertures  150 , as shown best in FIGS. 12 and 13. Lock nuts  144  are secured against the retaining ring  116  and against tangential surfaces  140   a  to secure the assembly together. In a similar manner to tangential surfaces  122   a - 122   d , the tangential surfaces  140   a - 140   d  also have a clearance aperture  148  which is perpendicular thereto, such that studs  146  move radially, together with and upon the expansion of the arcuate sections  11   2   a - 112   d.    
     In this manner, not only are the arcuate sections  112   a - 112   d  movable relative to their respective retaining rings  114  and  116 , but the sleeve assembly  110  is self-contained, and can be retained together in an assembly. To mount the sleeve assembly  110  over the mandrel  100 , the sleeve assembly  110  is slidably received over the mandrel as discussed relative to FIGS. 1 through 8, whereupon the sleeve assembly  110  is fixed to the uncoiler  12 . In this regard, the uncoiler  12  includes a rear flange  160  including along its outer periphery a plurality of mounting apertures  162  (only one of which can be viewed in FIG.  9 ). As viewed in FIG. 11, the inner side of the retaining ring  116  includes a mounting bracket  166  which is slidably receivable between mounting guides  168  whereupon a capscrew such as  170  can be threadably engaged to secure a retaining ring  116  and associated arcuate sections  112   a - 112   d  to the uncoiler  12 . On the front side thereof, and still with respect to FIG. 11, the arcuate sleeves include threaded apertures at  172  for receiving capscrews  174  whereupon the head  176  of the capscrew can be slidably received within the slots  108 , for alignment of the sleeve  110  with the mandrel  100 . 
     Advantageously, in both instances, that is, with both the uncoiler  12  and the recoiler  28 , the sleeves  38  and  110  are stand-alone assemblies which can be stored in an assembled manner and be removed from the mandrels as a unit. As such, the sleeves can be easily applied to their respective mandrels and easily fixed thereto. As mentioned above, it is common to change over the coil diameter sizes between three to four times per day, and it has been found that, using the sleeve assembly in accordance with the invention, the changeover time for each change can be reduced by one-half hour, by using the coilers of the present invention.