Patent Publication Number: US-8540070-B2

Title: Coil shift transfer car

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to systems for handling vertical coils of hot rolled products produced by a rolling mill, and more particularly to a system for transferring the coils between axially aligned horizontally disposed stems. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In modern day rolling mills producing hot rolled bars or rods, the finished products are formed into rings which are deposited on vertical stems where they accumulate into cylindrical coils weighing 1000 kg or more. The front and tail end product segments are typically off gauge and/or metallurgically deficient, and must be trimmed and removed from the tops and bottoms of the coils before the coils are compacted, tied, and readied for shipment. 
     Front and tail end trimming is typically performed manually by mill personnel in the course of transferring the coils between axially aligned horizontally disposed stems. In the past, this procedure has proven to be overly time consuming, with the coil interiors being prone to scratching as a result of sliding contact with the stems. 
     SUMMARY 
     A system of the present invention is designed to transfer a coil suspended on a first stem projecting horizontally from a first base to a remotely positioned and axially aligned second stem projecting horizontally from a second base. When suspended on the first stem, the coil has an exposed top end and a bottom end in contact with the first base. Mill personnel may thus remove and trim product rings from the top end of the coil before the coil is shifted to the second stem. 
     In one exemplary embodiment, this shifting can be performed by a system comprising a track extending between the first and second stems. A carriage is movable along the track, and a conveyor having a receiving end and delivery end is mounted on the carriage. 
     A first operating means moves the carriage along the track to a first location at which the receiving end of the conveyor underlies and is spaced beneath the coil suspended on the first stem. 
     A second operating means raises the conveyor to an elevated position at which the coil is lifted from the first stem and supported on the receiving end of the conveyor. The conveyor is then operable to shift the coil to the delivery end of the conveyor. The first operating means then moves the carriage to a second location at which the coil is axially inserted on the second mandrel, with the previously trimmed top end of the coil in contact with or directly adjacent to the second base. The second operating means then serves to lower the conveyor, resulting in the coil being deposited on the second stem. The carriage is then moved along the track out from under the second stem, leaving the bottom of the coil exposed for trimming by mill personnel. 
     In a further exemplary embodiment, containment means are provided for axially confining the coil during its transfer from the first stem to the second stem. The containment means preferably comprises finger elements movable into and out of engagement with opposite ends of the coil. Preferably, the finger elements are mounted for movement with the coil as the coil is shifted from the receiving end to the delivery end of the conveyor. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the first operating means comprises a rack extending along the track, with the track being engaged by a driven sprocket carried by the carriage. 
     In still another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the second operating means comprises an elevator platform vertically adjustable by linkage means on the carriage. 
     These and other embodiments, objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a system, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of a carriage depicted in  FIG. 1 , in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial cross sectional view of the carriage depicting an exemplary embodiment of the first operating means; 
         FIGS. 4-6  are views similar to  FIG. 1  showing successive stages in the transfer of a coil from the first stem to the second stem; 
         FIGS. 7-9  are views similar to  FIG. 2 , again showing successive stages in the transfer of a coil from the first stem to the second stem; 
         FIG. 10  is a diagrammatic illustration showing the receiving end of the conveyor spaced beneath a coil supported on a stem; and 
         FIG. 11  is a diagrammatic illustration similar to  FIG. 10  showing the coil lifted from the stem and supported on the receiving end of the conveyor. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     To facilitate an understanding of embodiments, principles, and features of the present invention, they are explained hereinafter with reference to implementation in illustrative embodiments. 
     The components and materials described hereinafter as making up the various embodiments are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many suitable components and materials that would perform the same or a similar function as the materials described herein are intended to be embraced within the scope of embodiments of the present invention. 
     Referring now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the views, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. 
     With reference initially to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary embodiment of a system in accordance with the present invention is shown at  10 . The system is designed to transfer a cylindrical coil “C” suspended on a first stem  12  projecting horizontally from a first base  14  to a remotely positioned ( FIG. 1A ) and axially aligned second stem  16  projecting horizontally from a second base  18  ( FIG. 1B ). The coil C had originally been formed about stem  14  when it was vertically oriented as indicated by the broken lines at  14  ( FIG. 1A ). 
     The system comprises a track  20  extending between the first and second stems  12 ,  16 . A carriage  22  is movable in opposite directions along the track  20 . A conveyor  24  is supported on the carriage. The conveyor  24  has a receiving end  24   a  and a delivery end  24   b.    
     With reference additionally to  FIG. 3 , the carriage  22  can be moved in opposite directions along track  20  by a first operating means comprising a toothed rack  26  extending along the length of the track  20 . The track  26  is engaged by a sprocket  28  rotatably driven by a conventional power train (not shown) carried by the carriage. Optionally, the first operating means may comprise other functionally equivalent systems for propelling carriage  22  in opposite directions along track  26 , one example being a cable and pulley system. 
     The conveyor  24  is vertically adjustable by a second operating means comprising an underlying linkage system  32 . 
     As can be best seen in  FIG. 2 , the carriage  22  is equipped with containment means comprising laterally extending outriggers  34  having tracks  36  along which mini carriages  38  are movably mounted. Pivotally adjustable finger elements  40  are carried by the mini carriages. 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the carriage  22  is located midway between the first and second stems  12 ,  16 . Although not shown, it will be understood that at this stage, mill personnel will have already trimmed and removed scrap rings from the exposed top end of the coil. 
     In a typical coil transfer sequence, the carriage  22  is shifted by the first operating means along track  20  to a first location as depicted in  FIG. 4 . At this location, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the receiving end  24   a  of conveyor  24  underlies and is spaced beneath the coil C suspended from stem  12 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , the conveyor can be raised by the second operating means to lift the coil off the stem  12 . With the coil now carried on the conveyor  24 , and as shown in  FIG. 7 , the finger elements  40  are adjusted to operatively engage the opposite ends of the coil, thus axially confining the coil to thereby prevent endmost rings from falling over. 
     The carriage  22  moves along track  20  away from stem  12  and towards stem  16 , resulting in the coil being axially removed from stem  12 . Coil removal is accomplished without sliding contact of the coil interior with stem  12 , thus avoiding any scratching of interior rings. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 8 , at some stage during the transfer of the coil towards stem  16 , the conveyor  24  can shift the coil to a second intermediate position supported on conveyor delivery end  24   b . Coil shifting along the conveyor is accompanied by the movement of the operatively engaged finger elements  40  in the same direction. 
       FIGS. 6 and 9  show the carriage  22  moved to a second location at which the coil is axially inserted on stem  16 , with the previously trimmed top end of the coil directly adjacent to and preferably in contact with the second base  18 . As with the previously described removal of the coil from stem  12 , insertion of the coil on stem  16  is achieved while the coil remains supported on the conveyor  24 , thus avoiding frictional contact of the coil interior with stem  16 . 
     The conveyor  24  is then lowered to deposit the coil on stem  16 , the finger elements  40  are disengaged from the opposite ends of the coil, and the carriage  22  is moved along track  20  away from stem  16  and towards stem  12  in preparation for the next coil handling cycle. At this stage, the bottom end of the coil is accessible for trimming by mill personnel. 
     In light of the foregoing, it will now be appreciated by those skilled in the art that use of the system of the present invention gives rise to several important advantages. Most importantly, coil transfer from one stem to the other is accomplished without potentially damaging sliding contact between the stems and the coil interiors. In addition, the coils are axially confined during transfer between the stems, thus insuring that coil integrity is maintained.