Coating control apparatus

• US 5,683,514 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 11/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ISG Technologies, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Weirton Steel Corporation (ArcelorMittal SA)
• Inventors: Loth, John L., Cox, Timothy L., Wilson, Walter A., Santilli, Anthony J., Snyder, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Czaja, Donald E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PADGETT, CALVIN F
• Application Number:
  US08/483,223
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 118/63, 118/68, 118/665, 118/712, 118/423, 427/348, 427/349, 427/9, 427/10, 427/431, 239/590, 239/590.5, 15/309.1, 927/10
• US Class Current: 118/712
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 11/06 with a blast of gas or vapour
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 3/125 the work being a web, band, strip or the like
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/20 Strips; Plates

Abstract

A coating control system is provided enabling continuous operations, free of interruption for coating control purposes, while achieving desired coating weight and thickness profile for the various gages, widths and coating specifications encountered on a given continuous strip production line. In each of a pair of elongated pneumatic dies, a pressurized gas jet is controllably shaped and directed by flow-control means internally-mounted of each pneumatic die to impinge against its respective substrate coated surface with its major directional component of force being controlled to be perpendicularly transverse to the travel path of the coated strip across its full width. Adjustment of such internally-mounted means is coordinated with control of gas pressure supply and/or adjustment of die positioning means to maintain desired coating weight and coating profile across the width of the strip. Pneumatic and other crown-control measures of the invention are exercised along the centerline of the strip enabling production of continuous-strip galvanized steel product having improved tracking and handling properties.

Claims

1. Apparatus for pneumatically controlling coating while in non-solidified form on elongated flat-rolled sheet metal continuous strip moving in the direction of its length, including control of coating profile across strip width of coating remaining to be solidified while the strip is moving substantially vertically with an excess of non-solidified coating adhering to each surface thereof, comprising

a pair of elongated pneumatic dies, each for shaping and controllably discharging a pressurized gas jet;

supporting structure for disposing one each of the pair of dies in confronting relationship with a single coated surface of the strip, with the dies being at or near opposed relationship on opposite sides of the moving strip for discharging its respective gas jet to impinge in substantially perpendicular relationship against its confronted surface as such strip is passed between and in closely spaced relationship to such confronting pair of dies;

each elongated pneumatic die having its longitudinal dimension oriented substantially horizontally across strip width so as to enable pneumatic control of non-solidified coating remaining on each such confronted coated surface across strip width,

each such elongated pneumatic die including;

chamber means extending along the longitudinal dimension of the die for receiving coating-control gas under pressure for movement within the die toward such single coated surface,

a nozzle discharge outlet extending along the longitudinal dimension of the die in substantially symmetrical relationship across the width of such strip,

such discharge outlet defining a gap having a pre-established cross-sectional configuration which is narrow in the direction in which the strip is moving so as to shape and discharge each such pressurized gas jet in a generally-planar configuration, and

variably-adjustable means internally of each such die for acting along the longitudinal dimension within such die for selectively effecting movement of the pressurized coating-control gas toward such single coated surface, including

directional-component gas movement control means for discharging each such pressurized gas jet with a primary directional component of coating-control gas movement which is substantially perpendicular to the strip across strip width of such confronted single coated surface from which excess non-solidified coating is to be removed and for selectively introducing a secondary directional component of coating-control gas movement within such generally-planar configuration pressurized gas jet as discharged, with

such secondary directional component of gas movement being in substantially right-angled relationship to such primary directional component to selectively enable a portion of the pressurized gas jet to be directed toward a lateral edge of the strip.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which such variably-adjustable means further includes:

quantitative control means for quantitatively effecting movement of coating control gas from the chamber means toward the nozzle discharge outlet, and further comprising;

selective-adjustment input means for controlling such variably-adjustable means mounted within each such die,

such selective-adjustment input means being mounted externally of each such die while in place in a continuous-strip coating production line so as to be accessibly operable without interrupting coating operations.