Abstract:
An arrangement for cooling heat-treated wires comprises at least one cooling nozzle, which directs cooling fluid in a direction opposite to the travel direction of the wire, which along with the corresponding coolant channels are embodied in the form of perforations disposed in a planar parallelepiped, forming a central section. Side plates are arranged at both sides to laterally enclose the perforations. Coolant can be introduced into and extracted from the channels through apertures drilled in the side plates. A nozzle directing a separate fluid channel in the direction of wire travel can be embodied in the central region for pre-cooling of wires having a fluid coating.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The invention relates generally to an arrangement for cooling heat-treated wires, and more particularly wherein such wires are cooled by a stream of coolant exiting form a nozzle.  
         [0003]     2. Background Art  
         [0004]     An arrangement is known from DE 100 58 369 C1 for cooling heat-treated wires. It contains a cooling nozzle that is penetrated by a wire bearing channel, whereby a coolant is supplied to the cooling nozzle via a lateral supply channel, and whereby the coolant runs through a tapering coolant channel in the nozzle and exits the nozzle in the form of a stream, which is directed obliquely toward the wire and against the running direction thereof, and is then drained off through a lateral drainage channel.  
         [0005]     It is also known from DE 24 34 109 A1 that the wire can be led through two conical nozzles of which the first directs a coolant onto the wire in the running direction thereof, whereas the second operates in the form of a counter-current nozzle, i.e., it allows the coolant stream to flow toward the wire and against the running direction thereof. A wire cooling device which operates in accordance with this co-current and counter-current principle is also known from DE-AS 1 602 356.  
         [0006]     The problem that forms the basis of the invention is to create a cooling device which is especially suitable for cooling flattened wires, whereby this cooling device provides good cooling efficiency even in the case of a compact structure, and it can be manufactured in a problem-free manner, and installed simply, and operated with ease.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     This problem is solved by the characterizing features that include the coolant is supplied to the cooling nozzle via a lateral supply channel, and whereby the coolant runs through a tapering coolant channel in the nozzle and exits from the nozzle in the form of a stream, which is directed obliquely toward the wire and against the running direction thereof, and a nozzle element being in the form of a longitudinally extended parallelepiped, in which, from one longitudinal side, a wire bearing channel and the nozzle together with the coolant supply and drainage channels are incorporated, and openings for the supply and removal of the coolant are cut through, and including a cover plate that is joined to the longitudinal side of the nozzle element and that is capable of being taken off in order to insert the wire.  
         [0008]     The construction in accordance with the present invention provides for the configuration of all essential parts, such as the nozzles, the wire bearing channel and the coolant channels, in one single relatively flat parallelepiped-shaped part, whereby they are incorporated therein from one side, or they are preferably configured in the form of apertures in this flat part, and whereby a wire erosion process is especially suitable for this purpose. However, cutting out by means of a laser beam would also be conceivable. Plates, of which one is provided with openings for supplying and removing the coolant, can be joined to both sides of this flat part, whereby these apertures lead to appropriate recesses in the parallelepiped part, and are expediently provided with connecting screw threads for the coolant hoses, whereas the other plate can merely be a cover plate that can be configured in a way such that it can be taken off in order to insert the wire, e.g., using a suitable sealing device.  
         [0009]     It is practical in this regard that the supply and removal of the coolant take place from one side—e.g., from the rear, whereas the wire is inserted from the front—without the hoses being interfered with during handling. Alternatively, however, the supply and removal lines for the coolant can also proceed in the form of drilled out holes that are directed upward and downward in the nozzle element and that open out into appropriate channels in the interior of the nozzle element so that the connecting hoses are connected from above or below, but not from the rear. The directions are altered correspondingly in the case of a different orientation (rotation of the entire arrangement through 90°).  
         [0010]     In the interests of uniform cooling action on a flattened wire, the supply of coolant to the wire expediently takes place from both sides and over the full breadth thereof. An appropriate double nozzle contains two coolant channels for this purpose, whereby these are tapered in order to increase the flow velocity in the direction of the wire and they lead obliquely to it, so that the two coolant streams impinge on the wire at a small angle. In order to achieve an adequate coolant flow in the case of a compact structure, double coolant supply channels are provided on each side in accordance with the invention, whereby these are fed in parallel and open out, in each case, into a communal chamber, whereby these channels continue in the form of tapering channels that are directed obliquely onto the wire. Correspondingly, two channels are also provided in each case in order to remove the coolant, whereby these channels proceed to the outside from a coolant collection chamber through which the wire bearing channel is led.  
         [0011]     In order to seal off the wire bearing channel at the inlet and outlet locations of the wire, hydraulic retarders are expediently provided in the vicinity of these locations, whereby flow eddies are produced in the region of these hydraulic retarders and these reduce the pressure at the introduction and removal locations of the wire in order to counter leaks there. Moreover, additional drainage channels can also be provided—in the form of pressure-relieving “overflows”—between these hydraulic retarders and the ends of the cooling device.  
         [0012]     A special form of embodiment of the invention comprises the upstream serial connection of a co-current nozzle, in the form of a pre-cooling nozzle, to the nozzle which operates in the counter-current mode for guiding the wire, whereby, in the case of coated wires, e.g., tin-plated wires, this is to prevent the coating which is still liquid from the heat treatment from being allowed to undulate by the coolant flow that is being directed in the opposite direction to the wire. The coolant, which is flowing with the wire here, builds up a counterpressure and cools the coating sufficiently such that it solidifies and is no longer deformed by the other nozzle&#39;s counterflow that then follows. Such a combination of co-current and counter-current nozzles together with the associated coolant channels can be configured in a problem-free manner in one and the same nozzle element in the case of the invention, especially when this nozzle element is configured with a central part that is bilaterally covered with plates, whereby even complicated aperture patterns can be manufactured relatively simply in this central part. It is also possible to adapt the thickness of this central part to the breadth of the flattened wires that are to be cooled in each case, i.e., to provide central parts of differing breadth in accordance with the breadth of the wire, and then, accordingly, to exchange these central parts, whereby the rearward plate with the hose connections is maintained, and the front cover plate can remain the same as well. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
       [0013]     The invention may now be explained in detail by reference to several embodiment examples, of which the following aspects are shown.  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  shows a first embodiment of the invention, with a counter-current nozzle, in the form of a schematic plan view ( FIG. 1   a ) and a schematic cross section ( FIG. 1   b );  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  shows detailed views of another embodiment with co-current and counter-current nozzles, whereby  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  respectively illustrate a plan view and a lateral view of a cover plate, and  FIG. 2   c  illustrates a plan view of the central part with two end pieces, and  FIG. 2   d  illustrates the second cover plate, and  FIG. 2   e  illustrates a plan view of the central part with the recesses. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     The plan view of a first form of embodiment of the invention in accordance with  FIG. 1   a  shows a relatively narrow central part  2  that flares out in a T-shaped manner at the ends, whereby side plates  4  and  6  are joined to the central part on both sides, and whereby these side plates are closed off by the T-shaped flared regions  8 . The indicated screw-threaded elements  10  hold the three parts together. The bilateral end pieces  12  complete the device that can be screwed onto an installation component via drilled-out attachment holes  14 .  
         [0017]     The wire bearing channel  16 , which longitudinally penetrates the central part, can be seen in  FIG. 1   b , whereby the wire which is not illustrated here runs through the wire bearing channel in the direction of the arrow  18 . In this way, the wire runs through a nozzle  20  that permits it to be flushed from all sides with a coolant in a direction that is opposite to the running direction of the wire, that is the direction in which the wire is traveling through the system. The coolant is supplied in the direction of the small arrows via four supply channels  22   a,b  and  24   a,b , of which the two channels  22   a  and  24   a  open out into a flat chamber  26   a , and the two other channels  22   b ,  24   b  open out into an additional flat chamber  26   b . These two chambers are located on either side of the wire bearing channel  16 , and open out into tapering coolant channels  28   a  and  28   b , respectively, which run obliquely toward the wire bearing channel  16 . The flow velocity of the coolant increases as a consequence of such tapering, and this serves to improve the nozzle effect. The wire bearing channel  16  is provided with a hydraulic retarder  30  between the two chambers  26   a,b , whereby the hydraulic retarder inhibits leakage on the wire-exiting side of the agent that is flowing through.  
         [0018]     The stream of coolant, which flows against the wire travel direction, finally arrives in a collection chamber  32  from which, in each case, two drainage channels  34   a ,  36   a  and  34   b ,  36   b  lead away toward the two sides, whereby the coolant exits from these drainage channels in the direction of the small arrows. On this side, and following on from the collection chamber  32 , the coolant channel  16  also has a hydraulic retarder  38  for sealing-off purposes. Moreover, overflows  40   a, b  in the form of additional drainage channels are provided as well.  
         [0019]     The central part  2  with its different channels and drilled-out holes can be manufactured in a relatively problem-free manner since it is initially freely accessible, and it is only closed off by the bilateral side plates  4  and  6 .  
         [0020]      FIGS. 2   a - 2   e  illustrate a different embodiment of the invention. The coolant supply to, and its removal from, the central part  2  does not take place from top to bottom here as was the case in the first embodiment, but rather from the side or rear, via the side plate  4  that contains appropriate drilled-out holes for this purpose in the form of coolant channels. In addition, two nozzles are provided here of which one operates in the co-current mode and the other in the counter-current mode. As can be seen from  FIG. 2   e , the arrangement is configured symmetrically here, whereby, since the wire-running direction is in the direction of the arrow  18 , the left-hand nozzle operates as a pre-cooling nozzle in the co-current mode, and the right-hand nozzle operates in the counter-current mode, that is, with the and against the travel direction of the wire.  
         [0021]     As shown in  FIG. 2   c , the central part  2  is once again configured in the form of a flat parallelepiped with T-shaped flared out regions  8  at the ends between which the side plates  4  and  6  fit in. For the sake of visual clarity, the screw-threaded elements are not illustrated here.  
         [0022]     The arrangement of the individual elements can be seen best of all from  FIG. 2   e . The wire, which runs through the device, namely within the wire bearing channel  16  and in the direction of the arrow  18 , first runs through the co-current nozzle  42  where it is pre-cooled from both sides. The coolant respectively enters the supply channels  23   a  and  23   b  through the openings  23   c  and  23   d  in the side plate  4 , and then it runs through the tapering coolant channels  28   a ,  28   b  from which it exits in the running direction of the wire. A hydraulic retarder  30  and overflow channels  40   a ,  40   b  are once again provided at the inlet end in order to counter any coolant leakage, whereby these overflow channels communicate with openings  40   c ,  40   d  in the side plate  4 , and whereby the coolant can be removed from these openings. The pre-cooling that takes place at this nozzle is recommended in the case of coated wires whose coating has not yet solidified as a result of the high temperature of the wire. The stream of coolant, which exits from the nozzle  42  and which is led in the travel direction of the wire, cools the coating sufficiently such that it is no longer deformed by the nozzle  20  during subsequent counter-current cooling.  
         [0023]     Here, the structure of the two nozzles and the associated channels is symmetric as each is a mirror image of the other. The coolant enters the bilateral supply channels  22   a ,  22   b  through the openings  22   c ,  22   d  in the side plate  4 , and runs through the coolant channels  28   a  and  28   b , which are once again tapering in form, in order then to flow bilaterally onto the wire, which is arriving in the wire bearing channel  16 , in order to cool this wire in the counter-current mode, as in the case of the first embodiment example. In the case of the embodiment example that is illustrated here, only single supply channels are shown for the sake of visual clarity, but double channels can also be provided, just as was the case in the first embodiment example. However, three coolant drainage channels  35   a  and  35   b  in each case are drawn on each side, whereby the coolant can exit from these channels via the openings  35   c ,  35   d  in the side plate  4 , and whereby it can then be recycled back into the circuit. A hydraulic retarder  30  and overflow channels  40   a ,  40   b  are also provided at the outlet end of the wire. The form of attachment, which is not shown here, of the individual parts to one another can take place in any appropriate manner so that, for example, the anterior side plate  6  can readily be taken off in order to insert the wire into the central part  2 , and then it can be reattached. A suitable rapid acting closure device could be provided here. The attachment of the central part  2  to the side plate  4 , at which the coolant connections are provided, could also be configured in such a way that the central part can be exchanged without difficulty, e.g., if central parts of differing thickness are provided for wires of differing breadth.