Support for depositing and/or moving a coil of metal material, in particular a strip

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a support (1) for depositing and/or moving a coil of metal material, in particular a strip, said support (1) comprising a base (10) and at least one support element (20) associated with a bracket (11) of said base (10) through a pin (12) that allows it to rotate in order to switch:
- from a first open condition, wherein the support element (20) is positioned for receiving the coil (2),
- to a second closed condition, wherein at least two portions (20A, 20B) of the support element (20) are in contact with the outer surface of the coil (2) positioned on said support element (20), and vice versa.
The invention is characterized in that said support (1) comprises a locking system (30) for keeping said at least one support element (20) in said second closed position.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a support according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] The invention is particularly applicable to the field of rolling, particularly cold rolling, the typical object of which is to reduce the thickness of a product to be rolled, generally a metal strip (e.g. made of steel, copper or alloys thereof, aluminium or alloys thereof).

[0003] A rolling mill is known in the art which comprises, in general, a rolling cage comprising at least two superimposed work rolls having substantially parallel axes; the strip, or product to be rolled in the rolling mill, passes between said at least two superimposed rolls and its thickness is thus reduced.

[0004] It is also known in the art that the rolling mill is usually equipped with at least one reel comprising a spindle for winding and/or unwinding the strip or product during the rolling operations. In particular, during the process a metal strip coil is mounted on an unwinding reel and, after passing through the rolling cage, the strip is rewound into a coil on a winding reel. It must be pointed out that said reels are also typically used for tensioning the strip during the rolling process, thus giving the strip itself a certain pulling force; furthermore, in reversible rolling mills each reel can be used for winding or unwinding the strip, and hence can be considered as an unwinding or winding reel.

[0005] It is also known in the art that, prior to being mounted on an unwinding reel and then dismounted from an winding reel (i.e. before and after processing), a strip coil must be retained to prevent it from unrolling, particularly in the case of a metal coil.

[0006] In fact, should the coil not be retained, it could unroll at least partially, especially because of the strong internal strains of the metal strip. Of course, such unrolling might cause damage to the strip, leading to a worse condition of the strip itself; moreover, the unrolling of the strip might cause damage to the rolling mill and also to the personnel and operators present in the area where the coil is located.

[0007] Therefore, according to a first solution known in the art, the metal coil can be tied up by means of at least one band, typically made of plastic material, which prevents it from unrolling.

[0008] In addition or as an alternative to said first solution, a further solution is known in the art according to which a last loop of the coil is welded to a previous loop, again to prevent the coil from unrolling.

[0009] However, such solutions are disadvantageous in that they inevitably imply the necessity of executing supplementary operations for both locking the coil, by tying it up with a band or by welding the last loop, and releasing it from the band and/or weld; such supplementary operations necessarily imply higher costs and times for producing the metal coil.

[0010] In addition, it is clear that the welding of the last loop of the coil to a previous loop may cause damage to those portions of the coil, leading to the inevitable waste of material resulting from removal and rejection of the welded portions of the coil.

[0011] European patent No. EP2516081B1 shows a further solution known in the art, since it relates to a support or pallet for depositing and/or moving a coil of metal material, in particular a strip.

[0012] Said support comprises a base and at least one support element opposite to at least one further support point, said support element being associated with a bracket of said base through a pin that allows said support element to rotate in order to switch:

• from a first open condition, wherein said support element is positioned for receiving the coil,
• to a second closed condition, wherein at least two portions of said support element are in contact with the outer surface of the coil positioned on said support element, and vice versa.

[0013] The support also comprises adjustment means adapted to adjust the distance between said support element and said at least one further support point.

[0014] The above-described support or pallet is designed in a manner such that the coil which is laid onto the support element exerts a force on a lower portion of the support element; as a result, since the support element is pivoted to the bracket associated with the pallet base, an upper portion of the support element will exert some pressure on the outer surface of the coil, preventing an undesired unrolling of the coil of metal strip. However, also the support or pallet known in the art and described above has a few drawbacks.

[0015] In fact, when the coil of metal strip is resting on the support element, it is only the weight of said coil that keeps the support element in the closed position.

[0016] As a consequence, for the above-described support or pallet to operate properly, it is disadvantageously necessary that the coil of metal strip has a certain minimum weight, which is required for both counterbalancing the internal strains of the coil, so as to prevent it from undesirably unrolling, and avoiding an undesired opening of the support element; as a matter of fact, such undesired opening might occur, for example, following an accidental shock undergone by the coil or improper lifting of the coil relative to the pallet, and so on.

[0017] It is therefore apparent that the operation of the above-described support or pallet is adversely affected and conditioned by the weight of the coil placed on the support element; it follows that the coil cannot be deposited and/or moved safely and stably independently of its weight.

[0018] In this frame, it is the main object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of prior-art supports.

[0019] In particular, it is one object of the present invention to provide a support or pallet which is so designed as to ensure adequate and safe deposit and/or handling of a coil independently of its weight, i.e. so designed as to ensure optimal operation regardless of the weight of said coil.

[0020] It is another object of the present invention to provide a support which is so designed as to adequately counterbalance the internal strains of the coil, for the purpose of preventing it from undesirably unrolling, which might result in damage to the coil itself and/or to the rolling mill and/or to the personnel and operators present in the area where the coil is located.

[0021] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a support which is so designed as to prevent the support element from accidentally opening and to ensure that the coil is adequately and safely housed, in particular also in the event that the coil is accidentally hit or is improperly lifted relative to the support.

[0022] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a support which is so designed as to avoid the necessity of performing any supplementary operations in order to optimally lock the coil to prevent it from undesirably unrolling, thus reducing the costs and times required for producing, depositing, handling and processing the coil.

[0023] Such objects are achieved by the present invention through a support incorporating the features set out in the appended claims, which are intended to be an integral part of the present description.

[0024] Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and from the annexed drawings, which are supplied by way of non-limiting example, wherein:

• Fig. 1 is a specific view of a support for depositing and/or moving a coil of metal material, in particular for a rolling mill, according to the present invention;
• Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of the support of Fig. 1 in a first working condition;
• Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of the support of Fig. 1 in a second working condition. Referring now to the annexed drawings, reference numeral 1 designates as a whole a support for depositing and/or moving a coil of metal material (indicated by reference numeral 2 in Figures 2 and 3) according to the present invention.

[0025] The support 1 is particularly suitable for rolling, in particular for cold rolling, the typical object of a rolling mill being to reduce the thickness of a strip to be rolled, usually a metal strip (e.g. made of steel, copper or alloys thereof, aluminium or alloys thereof). The support 1 comprises a base 10, which can be fitted with moving means (not shown in the drawings) to allow moving the support 1; for example, said moving means may consist of wheels preferably adapted to turn on suitable rails in order to move said support 1, in particular along predetermined trajectories, for loading the coil on an unwinding reel and/or for removing the coil from a winding reel.

[0026] The support 1 according to the present invention comprises at least one support element 20 associated with a bracket 11 of said base 10 through a pin 12 that allows it to rotate in order to switch:

• from a first open condition (shown in Figures 1 and 2), wherein the support element 20 is positioned for receiving the coil 2,
• to a second closed condition (shown in Fig. 3), wherein at least two portions 20A, 20B of the support element 20 are in contact with the outer surface of the coil 2 positioned on said support element 20, and vice versa (i.e. the pin 12 allows the support element 20 to switch from said second closed condition to said first open condition).

[0027] In particular, said at least one support element 20 may be set opposite to at least one further support point (not shown in the drawings) fixedly associated with the base 10 and adapted to stay in contact with the outer surface of the coil 2 when the latter is positioned on said support element 20; as an alternative, said at least one support element 20 may be set opposite to a further support element 20, possibly fixedly associated with the base 10.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment (i.e. in accordance with the embodiment shown in the annexed drawings), the support 1 comprises at least one first pair of support elements 20 opposite to each other (as shown in the annexed drawings), each support element 20 being associated with a bracket 11 of said base 10 through a pin 12 that allows it to rotate in order to switch from said first open condition to said second closed condition, and vice versa.

[0029] Fig. 1 shows that the support 1 according to the present invention may then comprise at least a second pair of opposite support elements 20, said second pair of support elements 20 providing a larger support area for the coil 2; this provision proves to be particularly useful and effective for big coils 2, i.e. whenever a large surface is needed for supporting said coil 2.

[0030] Figures 2 and 3 show that the coil 2 is positioned on the support 1 according to the present invention in such a way as to have (when viewed in a cross-section, i.e. in a plane extending perpendicularly to an axis of rotation A of the coil 2) an outer surface with a substantially circumferential shape; as a result, in said second closed condition (shown in Fig. 3) the two portions 20A, 20B of the support element 20 are in contact with the outer circumference of the coil 2.

[0031] Preferably, said portions 20A, 20B of the support element 20 that provide contact with the outer circumference or surface of the coil 2 are each so realized as to comprise a roller, in particular rotating and/or rotatably controllable by a suitable member (not shown in the drawings); said rollers are particularly visible in Fig. 1. This permits the switching from said first open condition to said second closed condition, and vice versa, without causing any damage to the outer portion of the coil 2, since the rotation of the roller prevents friction against the outer surface of the coil 2 from occurring when the latter is laid onto the support element 20.

[0032] The side views of Figures 2 and 3 show that said support element 20 has a substantially C-like shape; in particular, said portions 20A, 20B (including a roller) of the support element 20 that provide contact with the outer circumference of the coil 2 are positioned at the opposite ends of said substantially C-like shape. This provision allows the portions 20A, 20B to be positioned in contact with a long part of the outer circumference of the coil 2, wherein said long part may even exceed 180° of the outer circumference of the coil 2, if the support 1 is realized to comprise a pair of opposite support elements 20 (as shown in Figures 2 and 3).

[0033] Consequently, it is apparent that the support 1 according to the present invention allows depositing and/or moving coils 2 of different dimensions even though it lacks any adjustment means for adjusting the distance between said support element 20 and at least one further support point, as on the contrary happens is the case according to the teachings of document EP2516081B1.

[0034] In accordance with the present invention, the support 1 comprises a locking system (designated as a whole by reference numeral 30 in the annexed drawings) for keeping said at least one support element 20 in said second closed position.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, said locking system 30 comprises a hydraulic circuit, in particular of the closed-loop type.

[0036] In particular, said locking system 30 comprises:

• a cylinder 31 associated with the base 10 and with said at least one support element 20;
• a duct 32 adapted to put a first chamber 31A and a second chamber 31B of the cylinder 31 in communication with each other;
• a non-return valve 33 associated with said duct 32, which allows a fluid to flow in the duct 32 from the first chamber 31A to the second chamber 31B only, so as to keep the support element 20 in said second closed condition.

[0037] As a result, the non-return valve 33 prevents said fluid from flowing in the reverse direction, i.e. it prevents the fluid from flowing in the duct 32 from the second chamber 31B to the first chamber 31A.

[0038] Preferably, said first chamber 31A corresponds to a piston side of the cylinder 31, and said second chamber 31B corresponds to a rod side of said cylinder 31.

[0039] The cylinder 31 is shown in Figures 2 and 3 to remain in a substantially vertical position when it is associated with the base 10 and with said at least one support element 20; also, in said Figures the cylinder 31 is shown to have the first chamber 31A (piston side) positioned above the second chamber 31B (rod side); it is however clear that the cylinder 31 according to the present invention may also be positioned differently and, as a consequence, have the first chamber 31A (piston side) and the second chamber 31B (rod side) positioned in a different manner than in the annexed drawings.

[0040] Fig. 2 shows how the locking system 30 according to the present invention operates when the coil 2 is loaded onto the support 1.

[0041] When said at least one support element 20 is in said first open condition, the coil 2 is loaded onto said at least one support element 20, in particular the coil 2 is laid onto a lower portion 20A of said support element 20.

[0042] Because of its weight, the coil 2 generates a first force F1 (indicated by dashed-dotted arrows in Fig. 2) onto said lower portion 20A of the support element 20; following the rotation of the support element 20 about the pin 12, an upper portion 20B of said support element 20 generates, in its turn, a corresponding second force F2 (indicated by dashed arrows in Fig. 2) against the outer surface of the coil 2, such that the coil 2 is locked onto the support 1, and such that the internal strains thereof are adequately counterbalanced to prevent it from undesirably unrolling.

[0043] Furthermore, the weight of the coil 2 and the rotation of the support element 20 cause the fluid to flow from the first chamber 31A to the second chamber 31B of the cylinder 31, while the non-return valve 33 does not allow the fluid to follow a reverse path, thus keeping said at least one support element 20 in the second closed condition; it should be noted that the arrows in Fig. 2 show the flow of the fluid in the above-described hydraulic circuit, such flow being caused by the loading of the coil 2 onto the support 1. Consequently, the particular provision of the locking system 30 according to the present invention allows to provide a support 1 which is so realized as to ensure adequate and safe deposit and/or handling of a coil 2 independently of the weight of said coil 2, said support 1 being so realized as to operate in an optimal manner regardless of the weight of said coil 2.

[0044] In fact, the locking system 30 allows to keep the support element 20 in the closed position against the outer surface of the coil 2 even should said coil 2 be inadvertently hit or improperly lifted relative to the support 1.

[0045] Since the support element 20 is not held in the closed position only by the weight of the coil 2, but by the action exerted on said support element 20 by the locking system 30, the support 1 according to the present invention can operate optimally regardless of the weight of said coil 2.

[0046] Furthermore, the provisions of the support element 20 and of the locking system 30 according to the present invention allow to provide a support 1 that can adequately counterbalance the internal strains of the coil 2 for the purpose of preventing it from undesirably unrolling, which might cause damage to said coil 2 and/or to a rolling mill and/or to personnel and operators present in the area where the coil 2 is located.

[0047] In particular, the provision of the locking system 30 according to the present invention allows to provide a support 1 which is so realized as to prevent the coil 2 from undesirably unrolling without requiring any supplementary operations, such as, for example, tying the coil 2 with bands or welding a last loop of the coil 2. As a result, the provisions of the present invention allow to reduce the costs and times needed to manufacture, deposit, handle and process the coil 2.

[0048] In addition, the provisions of the locking system 30 according to the present invention also allow to obtain the locking of said at least one support element 20 in the second closed condition (shown in Fig. 3) without requiring the use of suitable additional tools or components (e.g. feeding pumps).

[0049] In Fig. 3, one can see that the locking system 30 according to the present invention comprises at least one release valve 34 associated with said duct 32 and adapted to allow the fluid to flow in the duct 32 from the second chamber 31B to said first chamber 31A of the cylinder 31; preferably, said release valve 34 is associated with a first branch 32A of the duct 32, in particular said first branch 32A being substantially so realized as to connect sections of the duct 32 upstream and downstream of the non-return valve 33. As a consequence, the release valve 34 can be operated to cause said at least one support element 20 to switch from the second closed condition (shown in Fig. 3) to the first open condition (shown in Figures 1 and 2); it is therefore clear that said release valve 34 allows loading the coil 2 onto the support 1 even in a situation in which said at least one support element 20 is in said second closed condition, because by operating the release valve 34 it will be possible to open said at least one support element 20 in order to be able to load the coil 2 onto it.

[0050] In a preferred embodiment, the first chamber 31A of the cylinder 31 has a larger hydraulic area than the second chamber 31B of said cylinder 31, said larger hydraulic area causing the fluid to flow from the second chamber 31B to the first chamber 31A of the cylinder 31 through the duct 32; preferably, the larger hydraulic area of the first chamber 31A compared to the second chamber 31B is due to the fact that said second chamber 31B corresponds to a rod side of the cylinder 31 and, as a consequence, a part of the hydraulic area of said second chamber 31B is occupied by the rod of the cylinder 31.

[0051] Fig. 3 shows how the locking system 30 according to the present invention operates when releasing the coil 2 from said at least one support element 20 and unloading the coil 2 from the support 1.

[0052] When said at least one support element 20 is in said second closed condition and the coil 2 is resting against a lower portion 20A and an upper portion 20B of said support element 20, the actuation of the release valve 34 (possibly in addition to the larger hydraulic area of the first chamber 31A compared with the second chamber 31B) allows the fluid to flow from the second chamber 31B to the first chamber 31A of the cylinder 31. As a result, the pressure of the fluid in the first chamber 31A will exert a force on the piston (not shown) of the cylinder 31 that will cause the support elements 20 to open (through a movement in a first direction D1, shown by dashed arrows in Fig. 3), thus freeing the coil 2 from the clamping action exerted by the support 1. The coil 2 can then be extracted from the support 1 through a movement in a second direction D2, shown by dashed-dotted arrows in Fig. 3. It must be pointed out that the arrows in Fig. 3 show the previously described flow of the fluid in the hydraulic circuit, such flow being caused by the actuation of the release valve 34.

[0053] Consequently, the provisions of the present invention allow to automatically determine the switching of said at least one support element 20 from the second closed condition to the first open condition by simply operating the release valve 34, i.e. without requiring the use of any systems (e.g. feeding pumps) for causing the fluid in the duct 32 to flow from the second chamber 31B to the first chamber 31A.

[0054] The locking system 30 according to the present invention may then comprise a safety valve 35, in particular of the manually controlled type, associated with said duct 32 and adapted to allow the fluid to flow in the duct 32 from the second chamber 31B to the first chamber 31A of the cylinder 31 also in the event of a failure of the release valve 34; preferably, said safety valve 35 is associated with a second branch 32B of the duct 32, in particular said second branch 32B being substantially so realized as to connect sections of the duct 32 upstream and downstream of the non-return valve 33.

[0055] Furthermore, the locking system 30 according to the present invention preferably comprises an accumulator 36 associated with the duct 32, in particular said accumulator 36 being in turn associated with a tank 37.

[0056] The provision of said accumulator 36 allows the support element 20 to switch from the first open condition to the second closed condition; in fact, as shown in Fig. 2, when the coil 2 is pressing with its own weight against the support element 20, the fluid exits the first chamber 31A of the cylinder 31 and flows partly into the second chamber 31B and partly into the accumulator 36 (see dashed arrows in Fig. 2).

[0057] Moreover, the accumulator 36 also allows the support element 20 to switch from the second closed condition to the first open condition; in fact, as shown in Fig. 3, when said at least one release valve 34 is operated, the fluid exits the second chamber 31B and the accumulator 36 (see dashed arrows in Fig. 2) and flows into the first chamber 31A of the cylinder 31.

[0058] The locking system 30 according to the present invention further comprises at least one draining device 38 for removing used-up fluid from the hydraulic circuit of the locking system 30.

[0059] Preferably, the support 1 according to the present invention comprises a feeding system 40 for charging the locking system 30 with a fluid, in particular said feeding system 40 comprising:

• a connection element 41, in particular of the quick-coupling type, associated (whether directly or indirectly) with the duct 31;
• a filter element 42,
• a valve 43, in particular of the manually controlled type.

[0060] The advantages of a support 1 according to the present invention are apparent from the above description.

[0061] Such advantages are due to the fact that the advantageous provision of the locking system 30 according to the present invention allows to provide a support 1 which is so realized as to ensure adequate and safe deposit and/or handling of a coil 2 independently of the weight of said coil 2, said support 1 being so realized as to operate in an optimal manner regardless of the weight of said coil 2.

[0062] In fact, the locking system 30 allows to keep the support element 20 in the closed position against the outer surface of the coil 2 even should said coil 2 be inadvertently hit or improperly lifted relative to the support 1.

[0063] Since the support element 20 is not held in the closed position only by the weight of the coil 2, but by the action exerted on said support element 20 by the locking system 30, the support 1 according to the present invention can operate optimally regardless of the weight of said coil 2.

[0064] A further advantage of the present invention is that the provisions of the support element 20 and of the locking system 30 according to the present invention allow to provide a support 1 that can adequately counterbalance the internal strains of the coil 2 for the purpose of preventing it from undesirably unrolling, which might cause damage to said coil 2 and/or to a rolling mill and/or to personnel and operators present in the area where the coil 2 is located.

[0065] In particular, the provision of the locking system 30 according to the present invention allows to provide a support 1 which is so realized as to prevent the coil 2 from undesirably unrolling without requiring any supplementary operations, such as, for example, tying the coil 2 with bands or welding a last loop of the coil 2. As a result, the provisions of the present invention allow to reduce the costs and times needed to manufacture, deposit, handle and process the coil 2.

[0066] A further advantage of the present invention is that the provisions of the locking system 30 (in particular, the release valve 34 and the dimensions of the chambers 31A, 31B of the cylinder 31) allow to cause said at least one support element 20 to automatically switch from the second closed condition to the first open condition by simply operating the release valve 34, i.e. without having to use any further suitable tools or components (e.g. feeding pumps) for causing the fluid in the duct 32 to flow from the second chamber 31B to the first chamber 31A.

[0067] In addition, the provisions of the locking system 30 according to the present invention also allow to obtain the locking of said at least one support element 20 in the second closed condition (shown in Fig. 3) without requiring the use of suitable additional tools or components (e.g. feeding pumps).

[0068] The provisions of the present invention and the substantially "C" shape of each support element 20 also allow the support 1 to be used for depositing and/or moving coils 2 of different dimensions, even though the support 1 lacks any adjustment means for adjusting the distance between said support element 20 and at least one further support point (unlike the device shown in document EP2516081B1).

[0069] The support described herein by way of example may be subject to many possible variations without departing from the novelty spirit of the inventive idea; it is also clear that in the practical implementation of the invention the illustrated details may have different shapes or be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

[0070] It can therefore be easily understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described support, but may be subject to many modifications, improvements or replacements of equivalent parts and elements without departing from the inventive idea, as clearly specified in the following claims.

Claims

1. A support (1) for depositing and/or moving a coil of metal material, in particular a strip, said support (1) comprising a base (10) and at least one support element (20) associated with a bracket (11) of said base (10) through a pin (12) that allows it to rotate in order to switch:

- from a first open condition, wherein the support element (20) is positioned for receiving the coil (2),

- to a second closed condition, wherein at least two portions (20A, 20B) of the support element (20) are in contact with the outer surface of the coil (2) positioned on said support element (20), and vice versa,

characterized in that
said support (1) comprises a locking system (30) for keeping said at least one support element (20) in said second closed position.

2. A support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said locking system (30) comprises a hydraulic circuit, in particular of the closed-loop type.

3. A support (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said locking system (30) comprises:

- a cylinder (31) associated with the base (10) and with said at least one support element (20);

- a duct (32) adapted to put a first chamber (31A) and a second chamber (31B) of the cylinder (31) in communication with each other;

- a non-return valve (33) associated with said duct (32), which allows a fluid to flow in the duct (32) from the first chamber (31A) to the second chamber (31B) only, so as to keep said support element (20) in said second closed condition.

4. A support (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said first chamber (31A) corresponds to a piston side of the cylinder (31) and said second chamber (31B) corresponds to a rod side of said cylinder (31).

5. A support (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said locking system (30) comprises at least one release valve (34) associated with said duct (32) and adapted to allow the fluid to flow in the duct (32) from the second chamber (31B) to said first chamber (31A) of the cylinder (31).

6. A support (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that said release valve (34) is associated with a first branch (32A) of the duct (32), in particular said first branch (32A) being substantially so realized as to connect sections of the duct (32) upstream and downstream of the non-return valve (33).

7. A support (1) according to one or more of claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the first chamber (31A) of the cylinder (31) has a larger hydraulic area than the second chamber (31B) of said cylinder (31), said larger hydraulic area causing the fluid to flow from the second chamber (31B) to the first chamber (31A) of the cylinder (31) through the duct (32).

8. A support (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said locking system (30) comprises a safety valve (35), in particular of the manually controlled type, associated with said duct (32) and adapted to allow the fluid to flow in the duct (32) from the second chamber (31B) to said first chamber (31A) of the cylinder (31) also in the event of a failure of the release valve (34).

9. A support (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that said safety valve (35) is associated with a second branch (32B) of the duct (32), in particular said second branch (32B) being substantially so realized as to connect sections of the duct (32) upstream and downstream of the non-return valve (33).

10. A support (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said locking system (30) comprises an accumulator (36) associated with the duct (32), in particular said accumulator (36) being associated with a tank (37).

11. A support (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said locking system (30) comprises at least one draining device (38) for removing used-up fluid from the hydraulic circuit.

12. A support (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support (1) comprises a feeding system (40) for charging the locking system (30) with a fluid, in particular said feeding system (40) comprising:

- a connection element (41), in particular of the quick-coupling type, associated with the duct (31),

- a filter element (42),

- a valve (43), in particular of the manually controlled type.

13. A support (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support (1) comprises at least one first pair of support elements (20) opposite to each other, each support element (20) being associated with a bracket (11) of said base (10) through a pin (12) that allows it to rotate in order to switch from said first open condition to said second closed condition, and vice versa.

14. A support (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said portions (20A, 20B) of the support element (20) that provide contact with the outer circumference of the coil (2) are each so realized as to comprise a roller.

15. A support (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support element (20) has a substantially C-like shape, in particular said portions (20A, 20B) of the support element (20) that provide contact with the outer circumference of the coil (2) being positioned at the opposite ends of said substantially C-like shape.

Drawing