Compact continuous annealing solution heat treatment

• Main Authors: Custers, David Michael, Eddie, Curtis, Gaensbauer, David Anthony, Kosmicki, Michael, Hobbis, Andrew James
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 24.11.2020
• Subjects: ALLOYS; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKINGWITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; BLASTING; CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS ANDNON-FERROUS ALLOYS; CHEMISTRY; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; CONVEYING; DETAILS OR ACCESSORIES OF FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS, OR RETORTS,IN SO FAR AS THEY ARE OF KINDS OCCURRING IN MORE THAN ONE KINDOF FURNACE; ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC MACHINES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; FURNACES; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUSMETALS OR ALLOYS; GENERATION; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS,CABLES; HEATING; KILNS; LIGHTING; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE BY DECARBURISATION, TEMPERING OR OTHERTREATMENTS; MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES,OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVINGMATERIAL; METALLURGY; METALLURGY OF IRON; MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; OVENS; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS; PUNCHING METAL; RETORTS; ROLLING OF METAL; SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS; STORING; TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING ORTIPPING; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS; WEAPONS; WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS ORPROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL

A compact heat treatment line can include a short heating zone capable of rapidly bringing a metal strip to a suitable solutionizing temperature through the use of magnetic rotors, such as permanent magnet magnetic rotors. A fast and efficient soaking zone can be achieved as well, such as through the use of magnetic rotors to levitate the metal strip within a gas-filled chamber. Magnetic rotors can further levitate the metal strip through a quenching zone, and can optionally reheat the metal strip prior to final coiling. Magnetic rotors used to heat and/or levitate the metal strip can also provide tension control, can facilitate initial threading of the metal strip, and can cure coatings and/or promote uniformity of coatings/lubricants applied to the metal strip without overheating. Such a heat treatment line can provide continuous annealing and solution heat treating in a much more compacted space than traditional processing lines.