Cooling apparatus and method for cooling a continuous strip

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11654606-B2
Application number	US-201815733119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2018
Priority date	Nov 20, 2017
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooling apparatus and a method for cooling a continuous strip, wherein the cooling apparatus comprises a cooling drum and a guiding device for guiding the strip in a plurality of windings around the cooling drum, wherein the guiding device comprises first and second guiding elements, wherein each one of the first guiding elements forms a set with one of the second guiding elements, wherein the first guiding element of the set receives the strip from a first winding in a first winding direction and directs the strip in a first transition direction towards the second guiding element which receives the strip in a second transition direction and directs the strip into a consecutive winding in a second winding direction, wherein the first transition direction is different from the first winding direction and the second transition direction is different from the second winding direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cooling apparatus for cooling a continuous strip,
wherein the cooling apparatus comprises a cooling drum with a cylindrical cooling surface that extends in a circumferential direction and has a rotation axis concentric to the cooling surface and extending in an axial direction,
wherein the cooling apparatus further comprises a guiding device for guiding the continuous strip in a plurality of windings around the cooling surface,
wherein the guiding device comprises a plurality of first guiding rollers and a plurality of second guiding rollers,
wherein each one of the plurality of first guiding rollers respectively forms a set with an associated one of the plurality of second guiding rollers to guide the continuous strip in a transition from a first winding to a consecutive winding of the plurality of windings,
wherein at least one of the plurality of the first guiding rollers of each set is arranged for receiving the continuous strip from the first winding in a first winding direction and for directing the continuous strip in a first transition direction,
wherein at least one of the plurality of the second guiding rollers of each set is arranged for receiving the continuous strip in a second transition direction and for directing the continuous strip into the consecutive winding in a second winding direction,
wherein the at least one of the plurality of second guiding rollers of each set is offset with respect to the at least one of the plurality of first guiding rollers of the respective set in the axial direction and in the circumferential direction,
wherein the first transition direction is different from the first winding direction and the second transition direction is different from the second winding direction.

2. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first guiding roller of each set is arranged for directing the continuous strip in the first transition direction towards the second guiding roller of the respective set, and
wherein the second guiding roller of each set is arranged for receiving the continuous strip from the first guiding roller of the respective set in the second transition direction,
wherein the second transition direction is the first transition direction.

3. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guiding device comprises one or more third guiding rollers between the first guiding roller and the second guiding roller of each set,
wherein the one or more third guiding rollers are arranged for receiving the continuous strip in the first transition direction from the first guiding roller and for directing the continuous strip towards the second guiding roller in the second transition direction.

4. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the continuous strip has a longitudinal direction,
wherein the first guiding rollers and the second guiding rollers are arranged for twisting the continuous strip about the longitudinal direction thereof prior to directing the continuous strip from the first winding direction into the first transition direction and from the second transition direction into the second winding direction.

5. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first winding direction and the second winding direction are tangent to the cooling surface.

6. The cooling apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the first guiding rollers are at a first distance from the cooling surface in the first winding direction, wherein the first distance is the same for all first guiding rollers.

7. The cooling apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the second guiding rollers are at a second distance from the cooling surface in the second winding direction,
wherein the second distance is the same for all second guiding rollers.

8. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first winding direction extends in a first winding plane and the second winding direction extends in a second winding plane parallel to yet spaced apart from the first winding plane.

9. The cooling apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the first winding plane and the second winding plane extend perpendicular to the rotation axis.

10. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first guiding roller and the second guiding roller of each set are spaced apart in the circumferential direction over a spacing angle in the range of twenty to sixty degrees.

11. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first guiding roller and the second guiding roller of each set define a linear transition path for the continuous strip,
wherein the first guiding roller and the second guiding roller of each set are positioned relative to the cooling surface so that the transition path is completely spaced apart from the cooling surface.

12. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second guiding roller of each set is aligned in the circumferential direction with the first guiding roller of a consecutive one of the sets.

13. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first guiding roller and the second guiding roller of each set are arranged for deflecting the continuous strip about a first deflection axis and a second deflection axis, respectively,
wherein the first deflection axis is tilted at an oblique first angle to the rotation axis and
wherein the second deflection axis is tilted at an oblique second angle to the rotation axis, opposite to the first angle.

14. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first guiding roller and the second guiding roller of each set are arranged for deflecting the continuous strip about a first deflection axis and a second deflection axis, respectively,
wherein the first deflection axis is perpendicular to the first winding direction and the first transition direction or wherein the second deflection axis is perpendicular to the second winding direction and the second transition direction.

15. The cooling apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein the first deflection axis and the second deflection axis correspond to the axes of the first guiding roller and the second guiding roller, respectively.

16. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first guiding rollers are arranged side-by-side in the axial direction.

17. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second guiding rollers are arranged side-by-side in the axial direction.

18. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling apparatus comprises a base for rotatably supporting the cooling drum about the rotation axis,
wherein the guiding device is supported relative to said base in a stationary angular position about the rotation axis.

19. The cooling apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the angular position is at a stationary angle within a range of zero to sixty degrees with respect to a horizontal plane.

20. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guiding device further comprises one or more first alignment elements for aligning the continuous strip at one or more of the first guiding rollers along an entry line.

21. The cooling apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein the one or more first aligning elements are one or more first alignment rollers,
wherein each of the one or more first alignment rollers is arranged alongside one of the first guiding rollers for abutting the continuous strip in the axial direction at the entry line.

22. The cooling apparatus

Assignees

• Vmi Holland Bv

Inventors

• Teunissen Theodorus Gijsbertus Gerardus
• Van Beek Willen Marinus

Classifications

• B29C48/914 Primary

  Cooling drums · CPC title

• B29C35/16

  Cooling {(cooling extruded material B29C48/911; cooling preforms for blow moulding B29C49/6427; cooling blown articles B29C49/66; cooling tyres during post cure inflation B29D30/0643)} · CPC title

• B29C48/07 Primary

  Flat, e.g. panels · CPC title

• B29C48/92

  Measuring, controlling or regulating · CPC title

• B29C48/885 Primary

  External treatment, e.g. by using air rings for cooling tubular films · CPC title