FLATNESS OF A ROLLED STRIP
First Claim
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1. A method of improving flatness in rolled metal, including:
- heating a strip;
selectively cooling the strip to induce a non-homogenous temperature gradient in the strip across a width of the strip, wherein selectively cooling the strip includes distributing a cooling agent to the strip through at least one nozzle of a cooling unit; and
maintaining the non-homogenous temperature gradient in the strip for an amount of time sufficient to allow the strip to yield under the non-homogenous temperature gradient by, wherein maintaining the non-homogenous temperature gradient includes keeping the strip from contacting additional equipment capable of equalizing tension or temperature across the width of the strip for the amount of time.
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Abstract
A method for improving the flatness of a rolled sheet or strip includes the application of differential cooling. A cooling agent can be selectively applied along the width of the strip. More cooling can be applied to the edges of the strip, where tension is greatest, to increase tension at the edges. The strip can be allowed to lengthen at these edges, which can improve flatness. In some embodiments, a closed loop flatness control system is used to measure the flatness of a strip and automatically adjust the differential cooling based on the measurement.
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9 Claims
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1. A method of improving flatness in rolled metal, including:
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heating a strip; selectively cooling the strip to induce a non-homogenous temperature gradient in the strip across a width of the strip, wherein selectively cooling the strip includes distributing a cooling agent to the strip through at least one nozzle of a cooling unit; and maintaining the non-homogenous temperature gradient in the strip for an amount of time sufficient to allow the strip to yield under the non-homogenous temperature gradient by, wherein maintaining the non-homogenous temperature gradient includes keeping the strip from contacting additional equipment capable of equalizing tension or temperature across the width of the strip for the amount of time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification