COMBINATION OF A WRAPPER FOR RIBBON TYPE METAL COILS AND COIL

Abstract: The wrapping includes two front end discoidal lids with cylindrical perimetral covers, suitable to surround the coil; each of the two lids is made up of at least two parts (21, 23; 25, 27) defined by radial planes, as two half-covers, which are assembled one after the other, each resting on the top part of the coil B, and making the coil itself resting on rollers 35 rotate; the two lids are made so that they overlap when they are assembled on the coil axially opposite to one another.

Description: Wrappers of coils, which are presently hand-made at a high cost, serve to protect the contents from the action of atmospheric agents and from external blows caused by the means of lifting and transportation. A packaging for protecting sheet metal in coils is described in French patent no. 2084705. In this patent the packaging entails a very high number of pieces, each obtained through a different process. A strip of metal having the same width as the coil is provided, to protect the latter's outer surface. A similar strip is provided to protect the innser surface of the coil. Finally, the two ring-shaped ends of the coil are covered by two cylindrical elements flanged so as to protect the sharp edges of the coil. A total of six elements are envisaged, of which two are roller levelled and four are shaped with a press. All this entails high costs. According to French patent no. 2383846, a wrapping for a generic coil is envisaged, formed by an outer cylindrical wrapper, two flanged cylindrical strips to protect the sharp edges and to protect the two ends of the coil, and two flanged annular strips to protect the inner sharp edges of the coil. This means that there are a total of six components, worked in different ways. This patent is similar to the French patent no. 2084705 mentioned above, and has the sane drawbacks. In order to reduce the number of elements making up a protective wrapper for a cylindrical body, US patent envisages a cylindrical sheet for coating the outer surface and two flat circular bottoms for the two ends. The sharp edges are protected by a notched and folded strip. In this wrapper the components are only five, but a wrapper of this type may not be applied to coils of metal sheeting in which the central hole must remain open in order to allow introduction of a gripper for lifting and transportation. According to French patent no. 2553695, the packing for protecting a coil is instead made out of a single sheet of paper and/or sheet metal. According to said patent the sheet is first wrapped around the outer cylindrical surface of the coil, after which it is folded, by means of triangular pleats, over the two annular ends of the coil. However the folds in the wrappers on the two ends of the coil have to be refolded a second time into the central core of the coil. This leads to a deterioration of the edges of the coiled metal sheeting if the wrapper is also made of sheet metal. The earlier US patent no. 2919.527 uses the same criteria as French patent no. 2553695, and has the same drawbacks. It should be noted that both French patent no. 2553695 and the earlier US patent no. 2919527 indicate that the wrapper should be created around the coil; this entails extremely complex and robust equipment, and furthermore in the event of jamming of the equipment, it may be the coil which needs to be protected. According to US patent 2893191 a wrapper is created around a coil by means of two strips wide enogh not only to cover the cylindrical surface of the coil but also an annular portion of the two circular plane ends. To protect the corners at the ends of the coil, reinforcing ribbons are attached to the outer sides of said strips. This solution may be used easily only if the protective strips and ribbons are made of paper. The scope of the invention is to obtain a low-cost metal wrapper, which may be machine-made and easily applied. The invention is based on the aim of wrapping the coil in two front end half-lids of a suitable diameter, made out of metal obtained from suitably machined rejected coils, and the edges of which are overlapped so that the dimensions need not necessarily be precise but are able to guarantee an acceptable degree of watertightness. The invention is mainly defined by the subject-matter of claim 1 divided into two parts with regard to the disclosure of US-A-2919527. Each cap or lid maybe formed by two half-lids, each developed over a little more than 180 degrees. Two open half-sleeves are also formed, having flanges which develop in such a way that on assembly the flange covers the internal circular edge formed by the folds which constitute the front face of the lid. A plastic coated paper may be coupled to the strip of metal and worked together with the latter. Locally foaming plastic sealants may also be used. Figures 1, 2 and 3 show in perspective various stages of processing of a metal sheet used to form one of the lids. Figure 4 is an exploded view, shown in perspective and with a partial deformation, of the components of a wrapper for a ribbon-type metal coil. Figure 5 shows a complete wrapper, in perspective. Figure 6 is a side view and partial cross-section of this wrapper. Figure 7 is an exploded view of the components of the wrapper, according to another type of embodiment. Figures 8 and 9 illustrate summarily two phases of a procedure for composing the wrapper around the coil. Figure 10 is an axial view, in perspective. Starting from a ribbon type material - possibly and preferably consisting of lengths of rejected metal sheeting from a lot of coils to be wrapped - rectangular elements 1 are made (fig. 1), the longest side of which is slightly in excess of the outer circumference of the transverse cross-section of coil B to be wrapped. The shorter side may correspond to the width of the strip forming the coil to be wrapped. Element 1 is folded in three lengthwise as shown in figure 2, to obtain a semifinished piece 5; wing 5A measures little more than half the width of the strip forming the coil, while wing 5B measures about the same or slightly less than the radial thickness of coil B to be packed, that is to say the difference between the outer radius and the inner radius of the coil as it is normally prepared for shipment. Wing 5B is pleated with folds perpendicular to the line of folding 3 and practically with triangular pleats, so as to reduce the length of element 5 along the outer longitudinal edge which defines wing 5B; with the deformation in triangular pleats 7 of wing 5B, progressive curving of the folding line 3 is obtained, and the deformation in a cylindrical direction of wing 5A, consequent to the progressive working of the material of wing 5B with the folds described. Once the pleating operation with folds 7 has been completed, a lid is obtained having an approximately disc-like shape, it being formed by a little over one turn; the deformations of wing 5B will be such as to obtain this result, which corresponds to a sizing of the cover such as to allow it to be inserted onto coil B; the lid consists of the front end 7₁, a substantially circumferential sharp edge 3₁ and a substantially cylindrical cover 5A₁ , with the edges overlapping slightly. The lid is open, which makes it easier to insert on the suspended coil. With two lids as described above and placed opposite each other, a coil B may be packed having the two covers 5A₁ sized to that they overlap slightly one another, as shown in detail in figures 5 and 6, so as to enclose completely the coil B; the front ends 7₁ cover the ends of the coil almost up to the internal opening radius Ro. To complete the packing and form a wrapper able to protect even the innermost parts of the coil, two open half-sleeves 9 are used. Each of these has a cylindrical cover 9A of a radius slightly smaller than radius Ro, and an external flange on one end. The radial dimension of the outside perimeter of the flange is greater than the radial dimension of the inner edge 7₂ of the pleated discoidal front end 7₁. The two half-sleeves 9 are inserted into the central holes of the pleated discoidal front ends 7₁ so that the covers 9 penetrating into the central opening in the coil B and the flanges 9B reach and exceed the inner edge 7₂ of the front ends 7₁. The wrapper is thus complete and may be secured by means of inner and outer fastenings. In order to complete the wrapper, the formation of an internal protective plastic-coated paper wrapper may be provided, created by coupling the paper to the metal so that assembly is achieved in one sole operation. The use of protective materials in foam plastic may also be provided, even applied so that they foam locally, after assembly. The size of coils is variable, and has to be taken into account when making the wrappers. Standard measurements are in general : diameter of central hole 610 to 740 mm, outer diameter 900 to 2000 mm, width 600 to 1500 mm, weight 500 to 20,000 kgs. The two-lidded wrapper may be made out of sheets 1 about 200 mms longer than the circumference of the coil, and wide enough to form by means of the central lengthwise fold 3 a right angle with the side 5B equal to the height of the rim of the coil and the other 5A greater than half the width of the coil. The metal folded at a right angle lengthwise may be inserted into a special pleating machine able, by a die process, to produce along one side of the right angle the triangular folds 7 which reduce the length of the metal along its edge and create the circular rim, while the other side becomes curved and forms the cover for the circumference of the coil. The triangular folds 7 on the rim are sized in such a way that side 5B of the right-angle which will become the circumference 7₂ of the central hole is reduced in length as compared to the sharp edge 3 of the right angle itself, with a ratio such that the two required circumferences are obtained, that is to say the circumference of the hole 7₂ and the outside cicumference 3₁ of the coil. The depth and the frequency of the folds, therefore, are the parameters to be taken into account in order to obtain the outside diameter and the diameter of the hole. The wrapper formed by the two lids is completed in the hole by means of the two half-sleeves 9 inserted as packings into each metal lid. These half-sleeves have a raised edge which covers the sharp edge of the hole 7₂, protecting it. While at the moment, as far as sealing is concerned, the coil to be packed in a metal wrapper is first wrapped in plastic-coated paper, with considerable practical difficulties, using the metal wrapper according to this invention it is possible to eliminate manual application of the paper by gluing the paper itself to the sheet of metal with a few spots of adhesive before working it, and pleating the metal rim and the paper rim at the same time. The paper applied is of a larger size than the sheet of metal, and the excess part will serve for the overlapping of the two half-lids and for folding into the hole of the coil, In some cases, an expedient to keep in mind is to obtain in the hole in the metal cover an outlet for any rain water or other water to be found at the bottom of the holds of a ship, and which might enter through the joints. In order to avoid this, it is possible, when forming the pleated circular rim, to make a cut at the root of each fold for a small length near to the outer circumference. These cuts, drawn outwards, greatly limit the entry of rain water, while they make it easier for it to run out. The wrapping described above offers the possibility of being machine made by suitable machines, as well as being very resistant to blows, in particular due to the fact that the two circular rims on the ends are reinforced by the dense pleating, thus protecting the most vulnerable parts of the coil. The continuity of the covering constituted by the two lids offers no catches for the chains or cables used for transportation, and in addition coils packed in this way have a clearly businesslike appearance. According to figures 7 and 11, a wrapper for a coil of sheet metal, for protecting against blows and atmospheric agents and with an internal lining of plastic-coated paper or other material is formed (see in particular fig. 7) by four parts, 21, 23, 25 and 27. The two parts 21 and 23 form a lid which is made to cover over half the cylindrical surface of the coil, and one of the ends, that is to say one of the circular faces; the two parts 25 and 27 are used to form the other lid to complete the protection, which is further formed by two half-sleeves 31 and 44; these are flanged, as in the previous case, in order to protect the innermost turn of the coil in correspondence with the through hole formed by the coil when it is rolled. The half-sleeves 31 and 33 may be closed or open, but their assembly is particularly easy as they are relatively light and can be inserted into the coil while it rests on a means of support and is already completely wrapped in parts 21, 23, 25 and 27. As in the preceeding case, said parts 21, 23, 25 and 27 may be made with a covering including a partial cylindrical wall and an end portion formed by radial pleats in the metal sheeting of which the whole wrapper is made up. Each of the two half-lids may be made up of two parts such as 21 and 33, 25 ans 27 respectively, which develop each for a little over 180 degrees, so that on assembly the two parts overlap slightly, and ensure the continuity of the protection. It may not be excluded, on the other hand, that each lid may be made up of more than two parts, of the same or different sizes from one another, but forming all together a cylindrical lid, and with the front parts pleated in order to protect the front ends formed by the edges of the turns of metal of the coil. The configuration of a lid in two or more parts may be advantageous above all for the handling required to assemble the wrapper on the coil, making the operations easier than those necessary for forming the wrapping with the system described in the preceding case. With particular reference to figures 8 and 9, it can be seen that the coil B to be fitted with a wrapper may - as is usually the case - rest on two rollers 35, which make it possible to support the coil, formed and possibly fastened circumferentially, and to manoevre it by rotation. On the rollers 35, a coil may be transferred by means of a pilgrim system or another suitable system, by which a coil is transferred to various stations in succession for the various stages of packing. With the packing system as per this invention, the two parts such as 21 and 25 - when for example a system with four parts such as 21, 23, 25 and 27 is used - are brough to rest on the back of the coil, that is to say on the upper part of the coil resting on the rollers 35, as shown in figure 7. Immediately afterwards, and very easily, it is possible to rotate the coil and the parts of the wrapper such as 21 and 25 as per arrow f10 by about 180 degrees, so that these two parts 21 and 25 came to be on the lower part of the coil resting an the rollers 35. At this point (see fig. 9), the other two parts of the wrapper, such as 23 and 27, are positioned, so as to complete the wrapper itself, which is shown in figures 10 and 11. From these figures it may be seen that the wrapping is complete, as the two parts of a lid made up of parts 21 and 23 may be slightly overlapped, while the two lids made up of the pairs of parts 21 and 23 and 25 and 27 respectively completely cover the cylindrical body of the outermost turn of the coil B, since the width of the coil is smaller than the sum of the widths of the cylindrical covers formed by parts 21, 23, 25 and 27 of the wrapper. After having completed the outer wrapper, the half-sleeves 31 and 33 are easily inserted, and the finished package is ready for further processing, such as fastening or further handling and shifting for shipment and so on.

Claims: In combination, an individual ribbon coil of metal sheeting and a protective wrapper to protect the coil from damage and from atmospheric corrosive agents, said protective wrapper having a cylindrical band (5A1), defining a sleeve, and annular, radially inwardly projecting, end flanges (71), each end flange having flexible corrugations disposed radially from the center of the coil, the depth of which increases progressively toward the center of the coil, characterized in that said protective wrapper comprises two separate discoidal end caps (5A1,71) for completely enclosing the coil (B) circumferentially and axially and each having said cylindrical band (5A1) and said annular radially inwardly projecting end flange (71); an opposite end of the band being open and the discoidal end caps (5A1,71) being disposed on the coil (B) on opposite ends thereof with the corresponding cylindrical bands (5A1) extending towards each other, each band having a width greater than half the axial length of the coil (B) and a circumferential length greater than the circumferential length of the coil (B) so that the marginal edges at the open end of the cylindrical bands (5A1) disposed on the coil (B) overlap circumferentially and axially, the end flange (71) of each cap (5A1,71) having a radial extent inwardly toward the center of the coil at least equal to the radial thickness of the coil (B), and the protective wrapper discoidal endcaps (5A1,71) being made of metal sheeting from rejected ribbon coil metal sheeting similar in dimension to the metal sheeting of the individual coil being protected, whereby the coil (B) is housed internally of the two cylindrical bands (5A1) each with one end open and an opposite end partially closed by a corresponding flange (71) capping the opposite ends of the coil (B) to effectively project the turns of the coil. In combination, an individual cylindrical ribbon coil of metal sheeting and a protective wrapper of metal sheeting to protect the coil from damage and from atmospheric corrosive agents, according to claim 1, characterized in that each said cylindrical band is split and one half the band (21,23,25,27) has a circumferential extent over 180° of the coil, the flange of each split cylindrical band having a circumferential extent corresponding to that of the cylindrical band so that the two halves of each cylindrical band and the flange thereon overlap circumferentially of the coil. In combination, an individual cylindrical ribbon coil of metal sheeting and a protective wrapper of metal sheeting to protect the coil from damage and atmospheric corrosive agents, according to claim 1, characterized in that each discoidal end cap is split into two halves (21,23,25,27). In combination, an individual cylindrical ribbon coil of metal sheeting and a protective wrapper of metal sheeting to protect the coil from damage and from atmospheric corrosive agents, according to claim 1, characterized in that a treated paper wrapping on the coil is disposed underlying the protective discoidal end caps (5A1,71). In combination, an individual cylindrical ribbon coil of metal sheeting and a protective wrapper of metal sheeting to protect the coil from damage and from atmospheric corrosive agents, according to claim 4, characterized in that said paper comprises a lining bonded on the inner surfaces of the discoidal end caps (5A1,71). In combination, an individual cylindrical ribbon coil of metal sheeting and a protective wrapper of metal sheeting to protect the coil from damage and from atmospheric corrosive agents, according to claim 1, characterized in that two half inserts (9) are included for positioning each in the center opening of the coil (B), each insert (9) comprising a tubular sleeve (9A) open at both ends and having a radial flange (9B) extending outwardly of the tubular sleeve (9A), each, sleeve having an axial extent less than half the width of the coil (B), and the two inserts (9) being disposed in the coil with the corresponding sleeve (9A) thereof extending inwardly into the center of the coil and the radial outward flange (9B) thereof overlapping a corresponding end cap flange (71) on the coil, whereby the coil is completely enclosed in the protective wrapper. In combination, an individual cylindrical ribbon coil of metal sheeting and a protective wrapper of metal sheeting to protect the coil from damage and from atmospheric corrosive agents, according to claim 1, characterized in that each discoidal end cap is split into two halves (21,23,25,27) the cylindrical band of each half having a circumferential extent greater than 180° of the circumference of the coil to be protected, and the annular flange of each discoidal end cap having the same circumferential extent as the corresponding cylindrical band thereof.

Inventors: BERTOLOTTI, LUIGI
Applicants: BERTOLOTTI S.P.A., ITALSIDER SPA
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B65D85
IPC codes: B65D85