METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THERMALLY PROCESSING A STEEL PRODUCT

Abstract

 The invention relates to the field of metallurgy, in particular to thermal processing a steel product, namely rolled products of various forms, including sheet rolled products and shaped rolled products, specifically railway rails. The technical result is achieved by means of a method for thermally processing a steel product, including continuous and/or differentiated cooling a steel product following rolling heating and/or repeated heating from a temperature no lower than the austenitizing temperature; wherein cooling is carried out using cooling medium formed in nozzle apertures in a plate, which is installed on an outlet aperture of a collector, by way of ejecting water by flows of gaseous medium, which is fed from a gaseous medium pipework into a collector and then into nozzle apertures in the plate, water being fed from a water pipework into nozzle apertures in the plate through channels formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures. The method of thermally processing a steel product is realized by means of a device for thermally processing a steel product, comprising a gaseous medium pipework, a water pipework, cooling modules, each of which comprises a collector having an inlet aperture allowing for the input of gaseous medium, and having an outlet aperture which is directed to a surface of a steel product, which surface is subjected to thermal processing, and on which outlet aperture is installed the plate with the nozzle apertures. Channels are provided in the plate, through which channels water is fed from the water pipework into the nozzle apertures.

Description

Field of Invention

[0001] The invention relates to the field of metallurgy, in particular to thermal processing a steel product, namely rolled products of various forms, including sheet rolled products and shaped rolled products, specifically railway rails.

Prior Art

[0002] RU 2450877 (WO 2009/107639 MΠκ B21B45/02) describes a system for cooling a hot-rolled long steel beam, particularly a rail, the system comprising a plurality of chambers, arranged in longitudinal direction of a rolled steel beam, where each of the plurality of the chambers having a blowing hole facing the rolled steel beam and away from the chamber, and configured to blow out cooling pressed air fed into the chamber through a gas inlet port that is in fluid communication with the chamber; a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzle apertures, the nozzle plate being located on the blowing hole so that the nozzle plate faces the rolled steel beam; a nozzle feeding cooling water into the chamber; and a straightening plate located between the gas inlet port and the water-feeding nozzle and configured to prevent from a direct impact of cooing pressed air fed through the gas inlet port on the nozzle plate; a cooling system being configured to spray cooling medium obtained by mixing cooling water fed through the water-feeding nozzle with cooling pressed air fed through the gas inlet port and straightened by the straightening plate in the direction of the rolled steel beam through the nozzle apertures of the nozzle plate in order to provide uniformly cooling the surfaces of the rolled steel beam. This method is characterized in that the thermally processing a rail is effected by medium with a continual cooling ability, which fails to provide flexibly changing the cooling rate during thermally processing one rail in order to ensure optimal characteristics thereof.

[0003] It is a disadvantage of this system that its water-feeding nozzles are located downstream the straightening plate and feed water directly to the nozzle plates, which does not provide the achievement of a sufficiently uniform distribution of water in air medium due to a non-uniform spraying water through the nozzles and accumulation of water droplet fractions in certain areas in the chambers during the cooling process, as a consequence, a non-uniform distribution of cooling medium (water and air mixture) over the nozzle plate occurs, which results in the non-uniformly spraying cooling medium through the nozzle apertures and, consequently, in the non-uniformly cooling the surface of steel products, such as, for example, a rail, a steel beam etc., subjected to thermal processing.

[0004] The patent RU 2456352 C21D9/04 discloses a method and a device for thermally processing a rail. The method for thermally processing rails includes continuous cooling simultaneously both top and underside of a rail following rolling and/or repeated heating from a temperature no lower than the austenitizing temperature, wherein cooling is carried out using cooling medium with adjustable air humidity change and pressure during thermally processing by means of quasicontinuous and/or continuous injection of water into an air medium flow by ensuring change of a cooling ability of medium.

[0005] The device for thermally processing a rail comprises units for loading, unloading, positioning, and holding a rail; a turbo-compressor; a system of air-ducts and collectors with nozzle apertures for feeding cooling medium simultaneously onto both top and underside of the rail; mechanisms for positioning the air-ducts and collectors with nozzle apertures; a system for controlling the cooling medium feeding; and a temperature control system.

[0006] The device is characterized in that it has a system of pulsewise quasicontinuous and/or continuous injecting water into an air flow; the system comprising a container for water; a water pipework; water flow-rate and pressure controllers made as controlled valves and controlled regulation valves; pulse injectors governed by a control unit for water injecting in a pulsewise quasicontinuous and/or continuous mode into a flow of air medium with adjustably changeable humidity and pressure of air in order to change the cooling ability of medium, said units for loading, unloading, positioning, and holding a rail being configured to provide the upside down position of a rail during the processing thereof.

[0007] The more water is fed in the air flow in order to enhance the cooling ability of medium, the less uniform is distribution of water in air medium due to its accumulation in certain areas in the collectors

Disclosure of Invention

[0008] The technical result of the invention consists in forming uniform cooling medium in the nozzle apertures due to a uniform distribution of water between the nozzle apertures of the plate followed by a uniform distribution of cooling medium over the surface area of a thermally processed steel product subjected to cooling. At that, the cooling ability of cooling medium can be adjusted by varying the quantity of water fed through channels into the nozzle apertures by way of pulsewise quasicontinuous and/or continuous water feeding, which allows flexible adjusting the cooling rate of the steel product during thermally processing.

[0009] The technical result allows providing a method of thermally processing a steel product, which includes continuous and/or differentiated cooling a steel product following rolling and/or repeated heating from a temperature no lower than the austenitizing temperature, wherein the cooling is carried out using cooling medium formed in nozzle apertures of a plate, which is installed on an outlet aperture of a collector, by means of ejection of water by flows of gas medium fed from a gaseous medium pipework into a collector and further in nozzle apertures of a plate; and water is fed from a water pipework into nozzle apertures of a plate through channels formed in a plate with nozzle apertures.

[0010] The cooling ability of cooling medium can be adjusted by changing the quantity of water fed through the channels into the nozzle apertures of the plate installed on the outlet aperture the collector.

[0011] The cooling ability of cooling medium can be adjusted by changing the quantity of water fed through the channels into the nozzle apertures of the plate installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, wherein water is fed through the certain channels.

[0012] The cooling ability of cooling medium can be adjusted by changing the quantity of water fed through the channels into the nozzle apertures of the plate installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, by way of pulsewise quasicontinuous and/or continuous injection of water.

[0013] The cooling ability of cooling medium can be adjusted by changing the quantity of gaseous medium fed from the pipework in the collector.

[0014] The technical result allows providing a device for thermally processing a steel product, which comprises a gaseous medium pipework; a water pipework; cooling modules each of which comprises a collector with an inlet aperture for inlet of gaseous medium; an outlet aperture directed towards a surface of a steel product subjected to thermal processing, on which a plate with nozzle apertures is installed, wherein channels are formed in a plate with nozzle apertures, and water is fed from the water pipework into the nozzle apertures through the said channels.

[0015] The channels formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, have inlet apertures, which are located on an outer side of the collector and are protected by a protective housing.

[0016] The channels formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, have the inlet apertures, which are located on the outer side of the collector and are protected by the protective sealed housing, wherein at least one channel is formed to feed gaseous medium from the collector.

[0017] The channels formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, have the inlet apertures, which are located on the outer side of the collector and protected by the protective sealed housing, wherein at least one channel is formed in the outer wall of the protective housing to provide access of gaseous medium from the ambient environment into an internal cavity of the protective housing.

[0018] The channels formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, have the inlet apertures located on the outer side of the collector and protected by the protective sealed housing, wherein at least one channel having a filter is formed in the outer wall of the protective housing to provide access of gaseous medium from the ambient environment into the internal cavity of the protective housing.

[0019] The plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, may be made in form of two or more interconnected plates.

[0020] The plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, may be made in form of two interconnected plates, wherein one of the plates has channels formed in transverse direction, and the other plate has channels formed in longitudinal direction.

[0021] The device for thermally processing a steel product is equipped with a control system, which controls feed of gaseous medium and/or water into the nozzle apertures of the plate, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector.

[0022] The device for thermally processing a steel product comprises a distributor to provide uniform water feeding from the water pipework into the channels formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector.

[0023] The device for thermally processing a steel product is equipped with the control system, which controls the water feed through the distributor into the channels of the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector.

[0024] The device for thermally processing a steel product is equipped with the control system, which controls the temperature of the steel product along its length using at least one temperature sensor, and controls the water feed into the channels of the plate with the nozzle apertures to provide temperature equalization along the entire length of a steel product prior to start of pearlitic transformation, and further thermally processing a steel product in a preset mode.

Brief Description of Drawings:

[0025] 

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an arrangement of cooling modules

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of an arrangement of collectors relative to sheet products

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a cooling module

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a collector

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a side collector

Fig. 6 is a view of a plate of a collector

Fig. 7 shows the preferred embodiment of a collector

Fig. 8 is a view of plates 9a, 9b

Fig. 9 is an additional view of plates 9a, 9b

Fig. 10 is a schematic sectional view of a nozzle aperture

Fig. 11 depicts schematically water feeding into an inlet aperture 12 of a channel 11

Summary of the Invention

[0026] Cooling modules 2 containing collectors 3 are arranged in series along a steel product (its surface) 1 subjected to thermal processing (Fig. 1). The number of the collectors 3 in the module 2 and their position (above, below, sidewise) relative to the product 1 are defined such that to provide simultaneous uniform or differentiated cooling the respective surfaces of the thermally processed product 1 of intended (required) size, as shown in Fig. 1, 2. Each cooling module 2 comprises a collector 3 (Fig. 3), which is in communication with a gaseous medium pipework 4, a water pipework 5 and a control system 6 with units 6a for gaseous medium feed control and units 6b for water feed control.

[0027] In the most general case, the collector depicted in Fig. 4 has an inlet aperture 7, which provides inlet of gaseous medium from the pipework 4, and an outlet aperture 8, which may be directed to the thermally processed surface of the steel product 1 (is not shown in Fig. 4).

[0028] Geometrical configuration of the collector is not of crucial importance, and it may be any suitable configuration as regards the thermally processing, wherein dimensions and the configuration of the collector shall provide the flattering of the gas flow fed from the gaseous medium pipework 4 over the area of the outlet aperture 8 of the collector. On the outlet aperture 8 a plate 9 is installed (Fig. 4, 5); the plate comprising nozzle apertures 10 (Fig. 6). Channels (not shown in Fig. 6) with inlet apertures 12 are formed within the plate 9. The plate 9 may be formed from several interconnected plates.

[0029] In the preferred embodiment of the device for thermally processing a steel product, the collector (Fig. 7) has the inlet aperture 7 and the outlet aperture (not shown), on which a plate is installed, that is made in form of two interconnected plates 9a, 9b. On the surface of the plate 9a (Fig. 8) facing the plate 9b channels 11 are formed in transverse direction, and on the surface of the plate 9b facing the plate 9a channels 11 are formed in longitudinal direction and coupled with the nozzle apertures 10. The channels 11 may be formed on one of the plate 9a and the plate 9b, as shown in Fig. 9.

[0030] The device for thermally processing a steel product may comprise a distributor 13 (Fig. 7, 11) for uniform water feeding through apertures 14 from the water pipework into inlet apertures 12 (Fig/ 11) of channels formed in the plate 9 with the nozzle apertures 10.

[0031] It may be an embodiment of the device for thermally processing a steel product, wherein the inlet apertures 12 of the channels 11 located in the outer side of the collector 3 may be closed with a protective housing 15 (Fig. 7), for example, with a sealed one. In this embodiment of the device in order to avoid vacuum in the protective housing at least one channel 16 may be formed for feeding gaseous medium from the collector 3, or a channel (not shown in Fig. 7) may be formed in the outer wall of the protective housing, which provides the access of gaseous medium from the ambient environment into an internal cavity of the protective housing. These channels may be equipped with filters.

[0032] The device for thermally processing a steel product is equipped with a control system 6 (Fig. 3, 11), which controls feed of gaseous medium into the collector 3, feed of water into the channels of the plate 9 through the apertures 12, i. e., through the distributor 13, for example using a sensor 17, a batch meter 18 and a valve 19, during thermal processing, as well as controls feed of water from the distributor 13 into the apertures 12 using a sensor 20 (Fig. 11).

[0033] A method for thermally processing a steel product is realized through the proposed device.

[0034] The steel product 1 (Fig. 1), subjected to thermal processing, is delivered into the device, positioned and fixated relative the cooling modules 2.

[0035] The control system 6 (Fig. 3) with the units 6a for gaseous medium feed control and the units 6b for water feed control, controls thermally processing the steel product, i. e., the rail, according to the programmed mode providing correction of the mode by controlled parameters, for example, such as pressure of gaseous medium, pressure of water, consumption of gaseous medium, water consumption, temperature of gaseous medium, temperature of water, temperature of a steel product/rail, and humidity of gaseous medium.

[0036] Cooling down of the steel product 1 is carried out continuously and/or quasicontinuously, and/or differentially and/or uniformly starting from a temperature not lower than the austenitizing temperature using a cooling medium, which is formed in the following manner.

[0037] Gaseous medium is fed through the pipework 4 (Fig. 3, 4) into the collector 3 through the inlet aperture 7, which is sized and shaped to provide smoothing of the gaseous flow over the area of the outlet aperture 8 of the collector 3, and enters the nozzle apertures 10 (Fig. 10) of the plate 9.

[0038] Water is fed from the water pipework 5 (Fig. 7) through the apertures 14 located in the distributor 13 into the inlet apertures 12 (Fig. 11), and it is fed through the channels 11 (Fig. 8) into the nozzle apertures 10 of the plate 9.

[0039] Due to the high velocity of gaseous medium in the nozzle apertures 10 (Fig. 10), water is ejected from the channels 11 as a result of which cooling medium, comprising air and water mixture, is formed within the apertures 10. This method of forming of cooling medium prevents water from being accumulated within the collector.

[0040] The cooling ability of this medium is adjusted by changing the quantity (substantially by batching) of water, which is fed from the water pipework 5 into all channels 11 through the apertures 12 or into the certain channels 11 through the corresponding apertures 12, for example, by way of pulsewise quasicontinuous and/or continuous water injection, as a result of which cooling medium is formed either within all nozzle apertures 10 or within the certain nozzle apertures 10. Furthermore, the cooling ability is adjusted by changing the quantity of gaseous medium, which is fed from the pipework 4 into the collector 3. Changing the quantity of water is controlled by the control system 6 in a programmed mode. Cooling medium (Fig. 10) formed within the nozzle apertures 10 is directed (sprayed) to the thermally processed surface of the product 1, wherein changing the cooling ability of the medium allows achieving a cooling rate necessary for quenching.

[0041] The control system 6 (Fig. 3, 11) provides controlling and adjusting water feed into the distributor 13 (Fig. 7, 11) using the sensor 17, the batch meter 18 and the valve 19, as well as controlling the water feed from the distributor 13 into the channels 11 using the sensor 20.

[0042] The control system 6 provides controlling and adjusting water feed into the distributor 13 taking into account temperature, humidity and pressure of fed gaseous medium, which can be changed using corresponding sensors (not shown in figures).

[0043] The control system 6 provides temperature control along the length of the steel product using at least one temperature sensor (not shown in fig.), and adjusts water feed into the channels 11 of the plates 9 with the nozzle apertures 10 providing the temperature equalization along the entire length of the steel product prior to start of pearlitic transformation, and further thermally processing a steel product in a preset mode.

Industrial Applicability

[0044] The claimed method and device for thermally processing a steel product allow forming cooling medium directly within the nozzle apertures of the collectors, which results in equal distribution of water in the gaseous medium flow and further equal distribution of obtained cooling medium over the thermally processed surfaces, wherein metered water feed directly into the nozzle apertures of the collector through the channels facilitates more precise controlling the cooling ability of cooling medium and prevents water from being accumulated in the collectors. The invention relates to the field of metallurgy, in particular to thermal processing a steel product, namely rolled products of various forms, including sheet rolled products and shaped rolled products, specifically railway rails. Furthermore, railway rails may be positioned both with top upwards and with top downwards during thermal processing.

Claims

1. A method for thermally processing a steel product, including continuous and/or differentiated cooling a steel product following rolling heating and/or repeated heating from a temperature no lower than the austenitizing temperature; wherein cooling is carried out using cooling medium formed in nozzle apertures in a plate which is installed on an outlet aperture of a collector, by way of ejection water by flows of gaseous medium fed from a gaseous medium pipework into a collector and further in nozzle apertures of a plate; and water being fed from a water pipework into nozzle apertures in a plate through channels formed in a plate with nozzle apertures.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling ability of cooling medium is adjustable by changing the quantity of water fed through the channels into the nozzle apertures of the plate, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling ability of cooling medium is adjustable by changing the quantity of water fed through the channels into the nozzle apertures of the plate, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, wherein water is fed into the certain channels.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling ability of cooling medium is adjustable by changing the quantity of water fed through the channels into the nozzle apertures of the plate, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, by way of pulsewise quasicontinuous and/or continuous water injection.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling ability of cooling medium is adjustable by changing the quantity of gaseous medium fed from the pipework into the collector.

6. A device for thermally processing a steel product comprising a gaseous medium pipework, a water pipework, cooling modules, each of which comprises a collector with an inlet aperture providing inlet of gaseous medium, an outlet aperture, which directed to a thermally processed surface of a steel product, and on which a plate with nozzle apertures is installed, characterized in that channels are formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures, and water is fed through the said channels from the water pipework into the nozzle apertures.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the channels formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, have inlet apertures, which are located on an outer side of the collector and protected by a protective housing.

8. The device according to claim 6, wherein the channels formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, have the inlet apertures, which are located on the outer side of the collector and protected by the protective sealed housing, in which at least one channel is formed to feed the gaseous medium from the collector.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein the channels formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, have the inlet apertures, which are located on the outer side of the collector and protected by the protective sealed housing, in which at least one channel is formed in an outer wall of the protective housing to provide access of gaseous medium from the ambient environment into an internal cavity of the protective housing.

10. The device according to claim 6, wherein the channels formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, have the inlet apertures, which are located on the outer side of the collector and protected by the protective sealed housing, in which at least one channel with a filter is formed on an outer wall of the protective housing to provide access of gaseous medium from the ambient environment into the internal cavity of the protective housing.

11. The device according to claim 6, wherein the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, may be made in form of two and more interconnected plates.

12. The device according to claim 6, wherein the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector, may be made in form of two and more interconnected plates, wherein one of the plates has channels formed in transverse direction, and the other plate has channels formed in longitudinal direction.

13. The device according to claim 6, wherein the device is equipped with a control system, which controls feed of gaseous medium and/or water into the nozzle apertures of the plate, which is installed on the outlet aperture, during thermal processing.

14. The device according to claim 6, comprising a distributor for uniform water feed from the water pipework into the channels formed in the plate with the nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector.

15. The device according to claim 6, wherein the device for thermally processing a steel product is equipped with the control system, which provides controlling feed of water through the distributor into the channels of the plate with nozzle apertures, which is installed on the outlet aperture of the collector.

16. The device according to claim 6, wherein the device is equipped with the control system, which controls temperature of a steel product along its length using at least one temperature sensor; and adjusts feed of water into the channels of the plate with the nozzle apertures providing the temperature equalization along the entire length of the steel product prior to start of pearlitic transformation, and further thermally processing a steel product in a preset mode.

Drawing