CA1082049A - Sheet metal web handling method, apparatus and coil construct - Google Patents

Abstract

STEEL METAL WEB HANDLING METHOD, APPARATUS, AND COIL CONSTRUCT

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure includes method and apparatus for handling elongated webs of sheet metal, and a sheet metal construct formed as an intermediate product and comprising a parent coil pre-divided into a plurality of daughter coils. In one method sequence, separation can be completed by the end user of the coil just before it is fed into a press or the like. In another method sequence, separation is completed during wrapping of the parent coil. In still other sequences, completion of separation can be accomplished at stages intermediate these two.
Slitting may be done directly off a mill. Edge trim strip may be wound as part of the parent coil to simplify scrap handling, and may be used to protect the coil in transit.

Description

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B~C~C~OU~ OF T~ 'VINTlOi~

In the manufacture of flat rolled metal it is most convcnient and econo.mical to form Ll)e web of a rnucll great~r widLIl tllall is normally requircd by the end uscr and tllen slit tllc wcb inLo narrow~r sLrips of a suitable widtll. The metal web is coilcd as it is processed, tllcn, in a separate operation, placed on an uncoiler, unwound, trained through a slitter and tllen rewound as a number of separatc narrower strips ou thc coilee. The slltting operation may be accomplishPd at the poinL of manufacture, by middlemen, such as warehousemen, or by ~he end user of the sheet metal.
', Regardless of at what point the coil slitting takes place, $nherent characteristics of the sheet metal and convencional coil slitting processes result in a number of difficulties to whlch the industry has responded in a manner which, in many cases, only solves the problems encountered by producing other, different problems.

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For example, although the sheet of metal belng sllt is generally thought of as having a rectangular cross-sectlonal configuration, in fact, conventional sheet metal manufacturing proces~es produce a sheet which is crowned, i.e. ls thicker, at lts center tllan at its edges. Obviously, ~s such a sheet ls rewound on a coiler as a series of separate strips following slittlng, those strlps slit from the center of the sheet are thlcker and as a result are rewound more tightly thar. those strips sllt from adjacent the edges of the sheet. This in turn results in so called ~slack 6trands~ being formed by the thlnner strips betwcen the slitter and coiler. To overcome the problem of slack strands a nuslber of solutions have been adva,lced, a;~d in '~ct are found in use today thrn-_~hous mcst coil slitting operatlons.

_z_ 1)49 One approac1~ has bee11 to insert picces of cardt)oard or paper between the wraps of those coils positioned outwardly of tl-e center coil to compensate for t1-e differences in thick11ess o~ t1-e stri~s being re~ou11d.
This is often pcrforme(1 ma11ually, w11ic11 is both cw11berso~1e an(l dangerous;
and even where performed mechanically is still cun1b~rson1e al1-1 r~quires ~1 specially designed machine. In boL11 cases, tl1e card1-oard or pi1pcr piccus must be removed later as the strip is decoiled for punchin~ prcssin~
or other operations.

Two other, related approaches to the problem of s]ack strand~
are the looping and festooning of the strands intermediate the slitter and the coiler. Looping requires the provision of a deep pit, whicl1 is both inconvenient and expensive, while festooning requires the installatio11 of a series of rolls mounted in towers above the process line, an obviously costly expedient, and in bo~h looping and festooning control of thc slack stands is always a problem.
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While individual coilers could be provided for each of the strips resulting from the coil slitting operation, as a practical matter the expense Oe such provislon will usually be prohibitive. Another approach which is based upon individual treatment of the slit qtrips but which does not require separate coilers is slip core wir.ding. In thls process, the strips are wound on nonmetallic cores that are allowed through friction to wind at a speed commensurate with the thickness of the strips. However, the cores used in this operation are in themselves expensive and mus~ be retained within and shipped with the coils, and in addition ~hey may distort under load and cause irregular winding.

': --~082~49 Anotller prob]em cllaracteristic of convcntinll;ll coil s~ittingoperations whicll is indepelldcnt of the crowned configuratioll of tile n-etal sheet and would, therefore, exist cven if tlle slleet ~ere perfect]y rectangular in cross section, is interleavillg of the stril~ ~d~cs as they are rewound on the coiler. Interl~a~-ing in turn resulls in damage to the edges of coil, loss of production time rcsulting rrom tlle necessi~y of manually separating intcrlea~cd coils and dif[iculties in fccding sllcl~
coils, because of their damaged edges, tllrougll macllinery sucll 1~ puncbing presses and the like.

To prevent interleaving during rewinding, an attcmpt is gencr.llly made to kcep the individual strips separate from each other. This may bc accomplished by positioning spacer plates betwcen coils or througll thc usc of a series of discs which are mounted on a shaft separate from the coiler and allowed to penetrate between the coil edges as they are rewound.

Regardless of the particular manner in which separation is attained, it will be seen that separation requires lateral displacement of the individual strips from each other. This in turn requires that the coiler be spaced a considerable distance from the separator to allow the strips to fan out gradually from the slitter to the required spacing at the coiler. Ordinarily, to obtain a total lateral displacement of approximately two to three inches iC is necessary to provide from fifteen to twenty feet of spacing between the slitter and the coiler.

:, From the above it will be apparent that conventional coil slitting operatlons possess many inherent disadvantages and present many problems which have traditionally ither been accepted or only partially solved, often at the expense o introducing other difficul~ies and new problems into the process. A need therefore, has long existed for a new . ~

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)49 approach to coil slitting which obviates the prob]~ms of slack str.lnds and coil interlcaving and all of their atten~ant disad~anL3~s.

SU~RY 0~ lLI(~,~

In accordance witll tl~c present invelltioll coil s]it~ g is accomplislled in a two step operation wllicl) per~niLs all Or ~he sLrips slit from a single sheet to ~e rewound as a unit and tl~ereby obviates the traditional coil slitting problems of slac~ strands and coi~
interleaving.
This application, being a division of Canadian Application Serial No. 260,888 filed September 10, 1976 claims only certain aspects of the invention fully disclosed below.

Althougll cutting web material in more tllall olle CUttillg step is not unknown (see for example, U.S. Patent No. 876,008), including cutting of metal strips in more than one step (U.S. Patent Nos. 3,628,710 and 3,641,8S3), in such prior art CUttillg processcs con~pletion of cutting is accomplished before rewinding of the sheet being cut has commenced.
As a result, the same problems of slack strands and interlcaving that occur in convention~l, one step cutting processes wou~d occur in a two step process where the final cutting step is accon~plished before rewinding has commenced, to the same extent that they would have occurred had the cuttlng been accom~lished in only one step.

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1~38Zl:)49 In contrast, in accordance with the present invention, as the unslit shee~ is unwound from the uncoiler and trained through the slitter, the sheet is only partially slit or cut, or is fully slit and im~cdiately lightly reconnected to provide the equivalent of partial slits or cuts, resulting in a set of interconnected strips which are delivered to the coiler as a single slleet.
Thereafter~ after rewinding has commenced, that is, at any time between the time when the interconnected strips have begun to wrap the coiler reel and such tlme as the coils are unwound for use, the partlal cuts or equivalen~s made at the slitter m~y be completed to provide the separate, narrower coils dc3ired.

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~6~8Z049 Since, until the partial cuts or equivalellts ma(3e at ~be slit~er are co~pletcd, the intercoonected strips behavc as a single she~t, they call be treatcd as such during coilin~ without fear of slack strands, strip interleavil)g and all of their attendant problems and difficulties.

In accordance wiLh one embodiment of Lllo illVClltiOIl, co~l)].ete separation of the coils is not made until the coils are ultimately un~oull(3 by the end user as, for example, they are fed into a prcss. In accordallcc with this embodiment, an additional advantage is gained over and above those discussed above in that individual banding and handling of scparatc coils following the slitting operation are eliminate~. Or the coils may be individually broken off as units, preferably by the end user, rather than being individually unwound in whicll case individual hall~ling may both (1) be more efficient than in conventional practice and (2) require little challgc from conventional practice in utilizing ordinary handling equipment such as cranes or lift trucks to transport and position indivldual slit coils, In accordance with another embodin~cnt of the invention, completio~
of the partial cut is made during the first wrap of the coils on the coiler mandrel. In accordance witll this embodiment of the invention, final separation is made preferably as close as possible to the beginning of the second wrap, allowing the first wrap of interconnected slleets to thereby act as a wrapper for the separated coils.

Regardless of whether final separation is accomplished on the coiler or at gome later stage, the final parting arrangement can be relatively simple.

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In a conventional slitter opposed pairs of rotary cutters are used at each cut, which results in adjacent edges of the slit coils being momentarily dispiaced from each other in a dir~cti~n perpen-3icular to the plane of ~he sheet. In the practice of the present invention, the same . .. .

3;Z049 momcntary displacement may occur at longitudinal locations whcrc slitting is complete, but the resulting scrles of interconnccted strips may also exl)rricnce a degree of relativc dLsplacen1ent of adjacent cdgr!s at ]ongitudillal locations where slitting is not compl~te, wllicll displacelllent may be maintaincd until the adjacrnt strips are scparate~, unless the sLrips al'C ~noc~c~ back down into a common plane wllile maintaining the conncctioll betwrell slits, as ls presently preferred. Sciving tools can then be uscd to separate the strips.
Or, the adjacent edges of the strlps may recovcr from tl-eir momcntary displacemellt at all locations in the practice of certai~ forms of the inven~ion, particu]nrly wllere the sheet ls fully slit and tllcn i~e~iately liglltly r~conllec~ed.

If the connection after partial cutting or equivalent is sufficicntly delicate, a contoured bending bar or knockdown bar can be utilized bearing on the faces of the interconnected strips, if desire~ with an endless ~elt or belts interposed between tlle bar and the faces of the strlps to elimlnate scratching and other rlamage to the strips, to break the remaining bonds bctwce ad~acent strips by pressing tlleir edges back towards a common plane or by pressing thern momentarily out of a common plane. Or sciving tools can be used ~ to separate the strlps eitller upon coiling ater slitting or upon final un-- coiling, Or, the daughter coils formed by the partial slitting or equivalent can be broken away from the parent coil, either simultaneously or one at a ; time.

Of course, other separatlng tools can also be utili~ed, including, but not llmited to, sharpened rotary cutters slitting the connections between ad~acent strips as the strips are coiled following partial slitting or at any time following commencement of coiling but before end use.

It will also be seen that under certain circumstallces an additional plece of equipment for completing the cut may be unnecessary. ~hus, where the partial cutting operation results in a series of in~erconnected strips having the stlll-connec~ed portlorls of tlleir edges displaced from each other in a .
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~8;Z~49 direction approximatcl~l)erpclldicular tl~e plane of tlle stril-s, by controllin~
rewind tension the remaining bonds bet~een tbe sllcets m~y bc fractured as they are wrapped tiglltly on tlle coiler reel. Or, thc~partial cutLillg or e4uiva~ellt may result in a connection which will maintain itscIf until tllC connectcd strips are bent around tlle winding axis, as upon windi~lg o~ tllc conncctcd strips, at which point fracture may occur ~ue to tl)e bendill~ inci(lellt to windillg. Or, tlle conncction may satisfactorily yield only to diffcrcntial ullbelldill~ aroutld tllc winding axis, as upon unwinding of onc of the connected s~ril-s wl~ilc thc oLb2r remains wound. Or, the connection may or may not resist such difLcrential unbending to an objccti~nable ~egree, but may nevcrtllclcss satisrac~or~]y ylcld to imposition of sprendin~ forces between tlle strips becaus~ of tllc ~stiEf ~lanc~
effect of the connected strips in resisting sucll spreading forces. Or, combination of such bending or unbending togetber with such spreadillg may be employed, as upon unwinding by pulling the unwinding reach in an unwind patl that has a vector component tllat is parallel to tlle axis of the coil, or by slmply tilting the roll axis away from the horizontal and toward or to a vertical position to thereby allow gravity to assert such a pull. Or, the daugther coils may be broken away from the parent coil, either slmultancously or one at a time, without the use of special tools but simply by impact or

2~ pressure, as upon being dropped on or forced against a flat or stepped surface, or upon being struck head-on or glancingly by an industrial truck fork or by a crane hook or the like, or simply by sheer weight when support by a mandrel or the like ls removed from a daughter coil in some cases where heavy coils have relatlvely infrequent and/or highly weakened tacking.

The configurations of the cuts made during the partial slitting operation or equivalent are susceptible to variations within the scope of the present invention. For example, the cutters can be provided with small, p~oflled flats ~ground into a face of the cutter adjacent its cdgc, thereby providing tacks or connections across the slits made by the cutter. Special shapes other than flats can be used to accomplisll the tacking, as describcd below.

:1~8~2049 In a variation, the cuttcrs may bc arranged to run ccccntrically very slightly an~ adjusted vertically so that alternate complete slitting and incomplete slitting is accoml)lislled. rlle incomplc~c sliLs bctwecn completely sllt scctions would thcll be scparaLed in any of ~llc diffcrcnL
separating processes ~escribcd above.

In another variation, the arbor of thc upper cuttcr could bc mounted for a slight amount of vertical movement, ordinarily on the order of a few thousandtlls of an inch, and cam or othenJise controlled to provide a periodic lifting of the arbor and cutters mounted thercon to tack across the slitting eacl~ time the arbor is lifted.

In another varlation, flats on the uppcr and lower cutters can be brought lnto and out of rotative register with each othcr to alternatcly accomplish full slitting or tacking.

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1~382~49 In still another variation, the cutters can l-e acljustcd vertically so that the sheet is sheared just short of the p~il3t o~ fractlJre in a continuous, uninterrupted fashion, or as called for when sensors indicatc incipicllt or actual nonuniformity of wrap during full slitting. This nltcrnative is applicable, for instance, when completion of separaLioll is nlade durin~ chc first wrap of the coils on the coilcr mandrel. Separation of the strips at the coiler can take place in any of tlle mcthods dcscribed at~ove.

As indicatcd above, instead of partially slitting1 thc cutter.s may be arranged to continuously comp]etely slit followed howevcl b~r ir.lm.(li.lte partial reconnection at a rolling station just beyond the slittillg cutt~r~
so as to thus, equivalently to partial slittin~, maintain the edges of a~jacnllt pre-slit strips connected together during winding.

In the present invention, the slitter and coiler of thc sliLting line can be related in a new way in which relatively close coupling ~e~wccll slltter and coiler exploits and, so to speak, "capturcs" the momentary condition of tracking in parallel wllich is imposed on the edges of the daugllter-coils-to-be by the action of the slitting rolls. Close coupling is therefore a positive characteristic o~ the preferred operation of the invention.

As noted above, one major advantage of tlle partial slltting, or equivalent, of the present invention is the elimination of the probIcDl of lnterleaving, As also noted above, the conventional approach to this problem is the use of separators between the slit s~rips, whic!l in turn necessitateS the positioning of the slitter from tile coiler at a considerable distance to allow the slit ~trips to fan out to the lateral displacement necessary to attain separation. Since lateral displacement is no longer necessary when slitting in accordance with the present invention, the require-ment that the slitter be spaced a considerable distance from the coiler is eliminated with a consequently much more compact process lln~ and a resultant .

I ) _ l;)49 substantial saving in floor space. The requirenlcl~t o con~sideral)lc spacing is not only eliMi~ tc~ but significallt operatin~ ir,l~rov(~ nts are acl~icved by tha converse of collsideral)lc spacing -- a close-co-ll)lo(l relatioll~llip beLwecn slitter and coiler. Slitting directly from a rollin~ mil] b~con~cs fcasiblc, such as at thc last sLand of a fivc-stand tall~m cold mill or ~t a tcmpcr mill.

Where final sc~araLion is perform~ by tl~O ~lld uC:er, t~ Cllc:ill.:tiOn of individual banding and handling of separate coils is a major advallLa~e of the invention. Instead, the original parcnt coil may bc fOrGlCd illtO a coil construct comprising an array of daugllter coils wtlich Call be hall~] L'~ ~O~Ctll~r until readily separated by the end user or the warehouscr or other middlula;lll.
A particular advantage is the improved handlin~ of scrap, ~lld illlplOVCd prOteCtiOII
of coils in trans-shipment. Edge trim can be wound as disc-like coils at each end of the array of regular daughter coils, rather than having to be ballcd, chopped or wound in the conventional manner. These disc-like coils thell servc to protect the edges of the endmost regular daughter coils during shipment, and can be readily broken away at the site of coll use and, in so~e applications, even handled as a unit until remelted or reclaimed.

Final separation of this construct can be accomplished by individually unwinding one after another of the daughter coils whicll can be supported together on a single mandrel or unwinding stand to be successively (or even slmultaneously) presented and fed to a working line or lines. Or, the daughter coils may be broken off as units prior to unwinding. This can optionally be done wittl breakaway grabs carried by cranes or lift trucks or by their own carria~es or the like, so that the daughter coils can be handled by the end user in an efflcient manner but in such a way as to be compatible with past procedure in handling individual coils.

Even with the complete elimination of edge interleavJng, edge overhang can occor -- a condition ~hare a turn of a daugllter coil being uncDlled ts overhu=g ~y t radlally ootuard turn ot an ~dj.lccnt daughtcr coil - . - -. ,, ~ . . - ~, - . - .

1~8Z~149 so that intcrference betweell tlle edgcs results. A feature of the present invention eliminaLes this condition by ~'step-traakillg" the d~lgllter eoils on themselves, as more fully explained below. ~ccording to anoLhcr ieature, edge overhang is elin~ ated by dishing the d~ugl-ter coils. Ilowevcr, in the presently preferred .Ipproacll in experimcntal tria]s, ncithcr "st~l)-trae~ing"
as such, nor dishing is utilized, but nacural tracklllg UpOIl wi~ ing i nevertheless sufficiellt to entirely avoi~ e~ge overh.lllg an~ providc good coil alignment with breakaBle interconnections betwe~ll daugllt~r coils ~isposed or clean shearlng action as upon lateral loading of adjaccnt da-lgh~cr co;ls in opposcd direc~ions.

From the above and from the ollowing detailcd dcscl-iption, it will be seen that tl~e present invention provides an entirely new apl~roacll to coil slitting operations and eliminates many difficulties, disadv3ntages and problems associated with conventional processes by noc atten~ptillg to combat these problems, but by simply obviating their source. Further sdvantages of the invention will appear from the following description.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TIIE DI~I~INCS

Flgure 1 is a perspective view of a prlor art slitting line;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view on line 2--2 of Flgure l;

Flgure 3 ls a perspective view showing a slitting line in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the plane of line 4--4 of Figures 3 and 5;

Figure 5 ls a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of line 5--5 of Figure 4;

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~0~;~049 Figure 6 is a diagram of the momcntary posiLions at tlle slittinr, nip of thc edges seen in Figurcs 4 and 5 aL dirfcrent rot~lLivc l~ositions of the slitting rolls;

Figure 7 is a fragmelltary view Or the ed~c oS a tclievc~ cuLLer which th~ invelltioll may employ;

Figure 7a shows the cdge of anotller relieve~ cutter whi.cll Lile invention may cmyloy;

Figure 8 is a side elevation of an array of daugllter coils;

Figure 9 is a schematic fragmentary cross-sectional view, i~noring sheet crowning, of the upper left edge of the coil array seen in Figurc 8, taken on the plane of the paper;

Figure 10 is a view similar to F$gure 8 with one of the dauEhtcr colls partially removed;

Figure 11 ls a side elevation of another array of daughtcr coils;
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Figure 12 ls a schematic fragmentary cross-sectional view, iEnoring sheet crowning, of the upper left edge of the coil array seen in Figure 10, taken on the plane of the paper;

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Figure 13 is a schematic side elevation, partly in section, lllustrating a means for separation of daughter coils at the point of use;

Figure 13a and 13b are respectively fragmentary plan and elevational views of a rart of the apparatus seen il~ Figure 13;

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~8Z~49 Figure 14 is a scll~matic side el~vatioll, part]y in cros~-scction, showing an operaLion ln accordance with tl~c pr~sent invclltioll~llere separatlon i6 completcd at the coiler;

Figure 15 is a view similar to Fi~ure 14 I-ut sl~owing a modifi~d operation for completing separatioll;

Figure 16 is an end elevational view of a sli~Lin~ oy(ralion sllowing another opcration for comp]eting separation;

Figure 17 is a side elevational view illustraLin~ the u~ac o~ thc invention at the outfeed end of a tandem mill;

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Figure 18 is . perspective view of a working model of tl,e invention;
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Figure 19 is a perspective view of a coil construc~ conLelrpl;ltcd by tlle invention;

Figure 20 is a fra~mentary dctail of Figure 19;

Figures 21 and 22 are schematic cross-sectional view~ ta~en across the straight reach of slit strip seen in Figures 18 and 23 at different points prlor to the wrapping thereof to form the coil construct;

Figure 22a ls a schematic cross-sectional view taken across the straight reach of slit strip seen in Figure 23 prior to the wrapping thereof, but whe the machine is set up somewhat differently than when it produces strip having the cross-sections schematically illustrated in Figures 21 and 22;
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Figure 23 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the working model of the invention;

~ Figure 24 is an end elevation thereof, partly broken away;

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g9 Figure 25 is a vic~ of a sclving tool us~d in tlle ~odcl;

Figure 26 is a sid~ eleva~ioll, partly brol;ell al!ay, of a n~o~lification of the worklng model seen in ~igllres 18, 23 and 2ll;

f orcsllol- Lelled Figure 27 is a scllema~ic ~rugmentary/view ol~ a slit ~tr;p or unwound daughter coll containing ca~l~er;
foresllorLened Figure 27a is a/view on a smallcr scale SllO~illg an elong;lt~d web of sheet material with serpentine or rcvcrsing camber;

Flgure 28 is a scllelllatic fragDlentary cross-s.ction~l vi~w, igllorillg par~ of sheet crowning, oL/a coil array con~ainillg tlle strip of 1ig-lrc 27;

Figure 28a is a very schematic cross-sectional view, igllorillg shcct part of crowning, of/a coil array containing the web of Figure 27a.

Figure 29 is a plan view, partly broken away, of a slitting line wiLh automated threading cont~lplated by the invention;

Figure 30 is a side elevation, partly in section, taken on the plane of line 30--30 ~n Figure 29;

Figure 31 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one form of coil breakaway device contemplated by the invention;

Figure 32 is a side elevation, partly in cross-section, of another .:
breakaway device in the form of a coil breakaway grab;

Flgure 33 is an end elevation of the device seen in Figure 32; and Figures 34 and 35 are side and end elevations oE another breakaway grab.
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DESCRIPTION OF Tl~ ILI.USTI~TED E~I~ODI.II.NTS
For purposes of background, Figure 1 of the drawings discloses, some-what schematically, a n~ore or less conventional slitting line including an un-eoiling station lO, a sll~lng ~tatioll 12, and a colling station 14. In accordance with accepted practice, a .oil of sheet metal or tlle like 16 ls placcd upon an unwind mandrel 18 and trained througll tlle slltting station 12.

- , . ~ - ~-: -1~ 049 At the slitting station upper rotary ~u~L(Is, as at 20, eoopcr~te with like cutters, not shown, disposcd belleatl) Llle ~trip .~nd orfstt ~iLb respect to thc cutters 20 to slit the incoming stril- ;nto a series of narrower strips 22. The strips 22 are thell rewou~ a rei/in(l ~and~-~]
24 and a scparating device 26 includin~ scparatil~ ;es 2~ SPI~'CS to prevent interleaving or overhang of thc edges of th~ re.~.~ollnd sLr.ips 2~.

It will be noted from Figure 1, that in order to yrovide (hc necessary separation at the coiling station 14, tlle s~i~ting ~nd COi]illg stations must be positioned a substantial disLallce from eacll o~hcl. -Add-ltionally and with reference to Figure 2 of the dra.;illgs, lt will be noted that the cross-sectional configuration of the shuct 16 varies considerably from an ideal rectangular configuration, sho-n in dashed lines in Figure 2, with the center of the slleet actually much thicker than the edges thereof. As a result, strips cut from tl~e ccnter of the sheet are thicker than those cut from areas displaccd outwardly from the center and the center strips are, therefore wrapped more ~iglltly than the outside strips.

This results, as seen in Figure 1 of the drawings, in thc outer strips saggjng between the slitter and the coiler. Altllou~ll only a relatlvely small amount of sag is shown in the drawings, it wLll be apparent that as the slitting and coiling process proce~ds, the resulting sag will be substantial, requiring pits formed between the slitter and coller or a system of rollers for festooning the outer striys above tlle slitting line.

~3Z~49 - All of the above problems ar~ obviated wi th thc presellL invcnLion by maintaining limited conllection bctween the slit strips at the slitting station and completil-g Lhcir sep3ratioll aft:cr tllc sllceL has comi.~llc~d coiling on the rewind man(lrel. Thus, as secn in Fig~lre 3 of thc clrawin&s, as sheet 16 is unwound from the man(lrcl 18 and traincll tllrough a slitcing station 30, thc shcet: ls predividcd in~:o strips 32 wlli le maintailling limited conncction, as indicated by thc dash-dot lines 3~m lhcluf(,ru, as the interconnectcd strips 32 arc rewoulld upon thc manclrcl 3G LliL,, in effect, behave as a single sheet.

As a result, there is no necessity of maintail~illg separlt'on between the edges of adjacent strips, nor do the tl-inller stril)s sag but~ecn the slitter and the coiler. As will be particularly apparcllt fror: Figure 3 of the drawings, because the necessity for lateral displacemellt of the strips at the coiler is ellminated the coiler may be positionecl adjacenL Lhc slitter, ~- providing a much more compact slitting line and, as will be discussed in detail below, rendering possible the use of a single piece of cquipmellt for both partial slitting and final separation.

Compactness of t:he slitting line is however only one benefit of the relative adjacency between slitter and coiler. ~lore significant is the achieve-20 ment of constraints on the strips during coiling to cause them to wind with almostperfect tracking into daughter coils separated by flat side faces. It has been discovered that momentary constraints imposed by the slitting cutters on the side edges of the slit strips can be "extended," so to speak, by causing the sllt strips -to behave as a single sheet (by tying the edges of adjacent strips to$~:tllcr, durlng or immediately following slitting, as herein described), and that such con-straints can be "capLured," so to speak, to be made part of the coiling operation by taking up the slit strips on a coiler before such constralnts have disslpated with continulng travel of the strips away from the slitt:ing cutters. The result is daughter coils separated by flat interfaces through ~hich extend the break-30 able ties disposed for clean breakaway shearin~ action. The constraints canaccomplish such flat ir.terfaces despit:e the almost inevitable occurrence of camber .

1~3Z0~9 in the shect material being slit and dcspitc thc rcsllltlnt calrl)~r in the slit strips, and even dcspitc a sligllt de~ree o~ yaw in ~ fccd roll supl)lyi-)g ~he sheet material to the slitter.

The close coupling between the slittcr alld coiler conteml)lated by important aspects of tlle invention can le e]iminated, InlL only nt n cost in reduction of tracking accuracy that will oftcn bc nnacccp~aljl~ or a~ least pointless.

Partial pre-slitting, or the equivalent, can be acco;lplisllcd periodically or non-periodically, and intermittcntly or noll-illLeru~ ently.
An example of periodic non-intermittent pre-slitting is th2 usc oL flats on slitting cutters to periodically produce tacks (upon ev2ry rcvolu~ioll Or the eutters) without skipping tacks during some revolutions. ~n exa~)le of periodic intermittent pre-slitting is a similar arrangclDent in ~îhicll the slitting cutters are positioned so that tacking does not occur, buc in whicll such slitting cutters are internittently shifted to cause periodic tackin~ to occur. An example of non-periodie non-intermittent pre-slitting is Lhe pro-vision of slitting cutters which continually eompletely slit followed by lmmediate partial reconnection by the continuous or non-periodic ac;ion of rollers positioned just beyond the slitting cutters, wi~hout any interruption of such action of the rollers that accomplish reconnecting. An example of non-periodic intermittent pre-slitting is a similar arrangement in whicll the rollers that accomplish reconnecting are positioned so that such recollneccing does not oceur, but in which such rollers arc-intermittently shiftcd to cause such reconnection to occur, As noted above, pre-division ean be accomplished in aceordance wlth the present invention in a number of different ways. For example, the ; strlp ean be provlded with alternating fully separated and less than fully ~eparated seetions. Separa~ed sections of say, a few feet in lenp.th, or a few inches in length in the case of thinner materlal, are joined by less than ^n fully separated sections of relatively short lengLh. Alternatively, the strlp ~18-.
:~ . ~ ., , - : . .-~38ZC~49 can be continuously s~parated and then rcjoined, a~ m~nLiolled al)ove. In somc applications it may be possible that the ol)posed cutLers 31 (li~nlre 3) can be provided ~ithout flat~ or reli~fs and adjusted to pr(>~ide a collLinlJous sbear line between adjacent strips 32 wlth the strip si~e2re(l to a poin~ just shor~
Oe complete fracturin~ alld the fraccure completed after r(~ nlillg b:ls colr~ ced.

lhe alt~rnative separated and unseparace-l arcas ~a)~ I~e rroduced in a number of ways, including mounting one or both o tl~e cuCLers solr.ewllaC
eccentrically, providing onc or both of the cutters with flats or oLher relicf shapes on their peripheries or on the faces ncar their CUttillg ed~es, providillg a cam action or the like for adjustment of one or both of thc cutLers re]ative to each other in directions perpendicular to the face of tlle sh~ct 16. Thc reliefs on each cutter may be each insufficient to prevent full scparatioll alone, but capable of doing so if in registration with the relief on tlle associatcd cutter, and the reliefs may be brought into and out of register by advancing or retarding the angular position of one cutter relatlve to the other, by mealls of a differential drive or the like, as they both continue to rotate througl the cutter nip. Combinations of these arrangements may be provided.

All of the above arrangements for provlding partial pre-slitting, or the equivalent thereoe, can be referred to as "tacking" arrangements. The slit strips are caused to continue to move together by being tacked togetller, perlodically or non-periodically, and intermittently or non-intermlttently.

~ ' ' .
Both periodic and non-periodic cr continuous tacking involve maintaining connection between the slit strip edges sufficient to cause the slit strips to wind together. Such malntaining of connection may itself be non-intermittent or it may be made intermittent by interruptions elther on a pre-programmed or on a demand basis.

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Z~)49 As an examl)le of a demalld control, as sec~ll in ~igure 3, scl-sor means 33 may be provided hetween the slitting statioll 30 and Willdillg mandrel 36 for sensing saggin~ or tension differences or oLhcr differcn~es or in-CipiCIIt differenccs in ~!inding of tl~e sli.t stril)s. llle scllsor may be any appropriate dcvice sucll as a tcnslon scnsor or, as ~IIOWII~ a ~)hotoel.ecLric sensor.

Cutter 31 and its companion are positioncd close enollgll for continuous slitting until suct- time as tlle sensor 33 detects difrrrellccs or incipient diferences in the winding of the strips 32 whereul~oll ~hc cutters are moved apart or otherwise adjusted by automatic means (llOt shown) sufficiently to commence maintaining periodic tac~ing betwcen tlle edges of the strips 32 sufficient to cause them to wind togetller. This conditi.on may be terminated after a given time, in terms of distallce or time units, or may ~e terminated after winding differences or incipient differences are no longer detected, .
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the configuration tllat may rcsult in the region of a "tack" or periodic partially separated area. The at~acent strips 32 are displaced vertically with respect to each other when they engage the cutters, and spring back togetller when they are fully separated. Ilowever in an area of partial separation, the adjacent ~trlps coneinue to be joined by a brldge 48 ot the paren~ met:l connectlDg ~ . ' ~ ' ' .'~ , ' ' ' , , . . .

.. ..

~082~49 the metal of thc adjaccnt coils and mailltainin~ the vcrtical displacement of the adjacent stril)s 32 witll respect to each othcr as secn in Fi~llre 5, thereby maintaining an increascd ovcrall thickllcss of the adjac~llt strips (considercd togcthcr us a Ullit) and thcreby an inclcasc(l ovcra]l ~I)ickncss at the locations of thc brid~cs in the turns of tlle Irray of d.lllgllt~r coils formed upon coilin~.

Figure 6 diagrams the mom~ntary positions ~t thc cuttcr nip of the edges a, b, c, d seen in Figure 4 plotted against diffcl-cnt ~otative positions of the cutters. The rotative positions of tllc cuttcrs thc corresponding to passage througll the nip of/flats on Lhe cutters are -between positions e and f. The vertical locations g and h on tlle di.)lram represent the hei~l)t of the top and bottom surfaces of thc met~l shect prior to close approach to the cutter, and of the fully slit por~ions following passage through the cutter.
, ~ .

Even if only one cutter is relieved, the cutting action will be sim~lar to tllat illustrated in Fig~re 6. Althou~h the correspollding curves would nnt be exactly symmetrical about a horizontal axis, they would be roughly similar to the illustrated curves because the adjacent not-yet-purted strips 32 tend to center themselves vertically bct~een cutters even if only one cutter is relieved.
~' ~;~ Figure 7 illustrates the relief of a single cutter 61 designed ~ .
~ to operate with a corresponding unrelieved cutter (not shown). The . .
circular periphery at 62 is relieved by a flat 63 wllicl) is faired into the periphery of the cutter at ends 64 and 65.

, . , ' ~ .

-. , . -. :

1~8Z~49 When the metal is coiled af~er passing tllrougll tll~ cutters, a plurality of daugllter coils 71 are formed, as seell in Figure 8. The transverse profiles of the turns of the array coml)ri~e raiscd l)ortions 72 and notched portions 73, as seen in ligure 9.

The notchetl portions sucll as 73 may be s]iglltly downwardly penetrated by a succeeding wrap of the corresponding daugllter coil. Thus in Figure 9 each notch 73 is slightly penetratcd by the first succcedinz wrap 74 of its corresponding daugllter coil 75. (Similar]y th~ sccond succeeding wrap may penctrate the slight gap 76 left by wrap 74, and so forth in respect of still later wraps, but the occurence of sucll pcnctration beyond the first succeeding wrap is not illustratcd.) Corresponding upward penetration may also occur with respect to the reliefs under the raised portions 72, as shown, although any such upward penetra~ion will tend to be minimized by the effect of winding tension.

The edges of the daughter coils arc thercby kept in alignment to prevent edge overhang in circumstances where edge overhang might otherwise occur due to the particular circumstances of coiling. Tllus as a daughtcr coil 71a is uncoiled as in Figure 10, there is no interference with the face 77 comprising the edges of the turns of the adjacent daughter coil 71b.

The array of daughter coils may be formed in a dished configuration as seen in Figure 11. This may be done by shifting the coiler axially in one direction throughout the coiling operation. Each oL the daugllter coils 81 and e~ch of the interfaces 86 between daughter coils is dished.
The edges of adjacent daughter coils are thereby stepped in a uniform dlrection, as seen in Figure 12, whereby edge overhang is avoided and no edge interference occurs when tl,e daughCer cvils are individually uncoiled.

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: ., .

~ . .. ., _ . . . . . . .

1~8Z~49 The arrays of daug~Ler coils are removed from the rc~ d mal1~rcl and sl~ipped to tl-e en(1 user or tl-e warc11ousel1la1l or other mid~1e~,an still interconnected. Fina] separation takes placc as tl1c strips are l~ led, using ally of the final separating processes menti~l1e~ 1~er~i11.

One particular arrangement for final cutting is shown in ~i~ure 13. Here a daughter coil 88 is being unwound from its parellt coil 89, the unwrap reac11 being indicated by reference num~er 90. In this case, to aid separation of the daughter coil, a prizing b1ade 91 is provi~ed as most clearly illustrated in Figures 13a and 13b. This blade is boltcd to and held by a wedge finger 92 over which the unwra1) reac11 90 sli~es and under whicl1 the wound turns of the daughter coil 8~ pass. The unwrap reach 90 slides on top face 93 of finger 92. Finger 92 ls supported on a flange 97 by a pivot bolt 94 provided with a spring '35 adapted to yleldingly center finger 92 in the illustrated horizontal positlon. Flange 97 projects from crosshead 98 which slides vertically on four columns (two of which are shown) protruding from a pair of spaced pedestal supports (one of whic1~ i~ shown). Raising and lowering is done by actuatin~cylindcr 96. The underside of finger 92 can ride directly on the still wrapped portion of daughter coil 88.

The leading edge of prizing blade 9l may, as illustrated, depend - sli~htly below top face 93 of finger 92, so that the blade projects partly lnto the shear line assoc1ated with the next succeeding wrap of the daughter coil to pre-initiate separation a~ the turn that precedes actual unwrapping :
or at least to~aid in maintaining the positioning of the prizing blade 9l immediately next to the edge of the ad~acent layer of still wrapped coil that corresponds to the then-unwrapping layer of the daughter coil. In ; some cases such pre-initiation or positlon-maintaining aid is unr.eC?ssary and the depending portion of blade 9l can be omitted.

3-1~8'Z~)49 The prizin~ bla~e 91 acts to latera]l~ wed~c or pri7,c tlle.tol-turn of the daugllter coil that is being unwral~pcd aw.ly from the cnrrcspondillr, layer of the adjacent still-wrapped coil to a sufficient e~tellt to hreak the remaining connection between thc two. As inLiim~Lc(l in ~lle foregoing description, the action may be one more of we~ ; or pri.7.ill~ th;ln of cutting.

It will be appreciated that various combinations of partial slitting techniques and separating techniques may be utilizcd in accordancc with the present invention. For example, ~fter partial slitti.ng is accomplished by any of the various methods discussed abovc, the cut may be completed at any time after rewinding has commenccd by any of the methods described herein.

In anotller aspect of the invention, final separation may be accomplished upon rewi.nd. As shown in Figure 14, one possible mcthod of completing the cut formed at the slitter 30 ls througl~ the use of a contoured bending bar 38 bearing against che interconnected strips 32 ~ust as they approach the second wrap in the coil being built on the rewind mandrel 36. Because of the increased thickress at'the connectlng bridges, the pressure of the bar 38 bearing against the stripg.fractures the remaining bond between adjacent strips and completes the cut ~ust before the strips enter the second wrap of the coil. Preferably -endless belts 39 are interposed between the bar 38 and the coil being.
built to prevent scratching or other damage to the faces of the strips being rewound, and the belts can idle or be driven from pulleys 40 which are in turn dFiven by gears 41 in mesh with like gears 42 fixed.to the arbor of the lower cutters.

_24-~C~8Z~)49 Alternatively, as sho~ in Figure 15,~a roller 43 c~n be used in place of the contoured bar 38 to complete C~lttillg of tllc strips as they enter the secotld coil. In tl-is regard, a se~lenLed rol]er 43 can be provided having rclatively larger diameter ~re~, /.4 in contact with the strip~ adjacent their longitudinal edges and wi Lh Lllc ]~lrger diameters 44 interconllectcd by smaller diameter portions 45.

.

In another alternative, sharpened ro~ary cutters (not sho~
driven by motors may simply be positioned at thc rcwind mandrel to complete the cuts between adjaccnt strips 32 after they hav2 bc~un to rewind on the mandrel. Of course, the unfractured areas betwecn adjacent strips can,particularly where the material being slit is some~hat brittlc, be fractured by simply controlling the rewind tension.

, The compactness of the slitting line that results ~rom the partial slitting tecllniqucs of the present invention permits the incorporation into the partial slitting system of special slitting and separating mechanisms. Thus, as seen in Figure 16 of the drawin~s, sheet 16 is uncoiled from the mandrel 18 and passed through a cutting - station 50 before being réwound on the mandrel 49. At the cutting station 50 pairs of opposed cutters 52 and 54 are positioned above and ; 20 :below the sheat similarly to the opposed cutters 31.

However, cutter 54 includes a satelllte cutter 56 at its periphery, spring loaded radially outwardly of the cutter 54. ~andrèl 49 is mounted for movement in the direction indicated by the arrow 58 such that the relative positions o the cutter 54 and the ad~acent surface of the roll being built on a mandrel are maintained during the rewinding process. T11us, as the strip 16 passes between cutters 52 and 54 it will be slit into a plurality of narrower strips except at those areas wllere the strip 16 is contacted by the spring loaded satellite cutter 56.

_. .. ...

`
~8;~)49 The pressure of sprin~ 60 is selected to b~ insu~ici~nt to force cutter 56 completely througll the strip 16 duril~g Lhe pass of the strip between the cutters 52 and 54. ~lowever wllcn tlle partially cut areas thus produced in the strips are again en~a~ed hy the sat~llite cutter 56, the now partially cu~ area's have beell weakellcd sufficiolltly that the cutter 56 may complete the cut initiatc~ at the slittil~ statio 50. Because the distance beh~een partially slit areas created by the satellite cutter 56 i.s a function of the diameter of the cutter 54, thcrc is an automatlc syncllronization whicll permits the partial cut areas to be presented precisely to the satellite cutters after rewilldillg of ~:he strips has commenced.

Coillng and uncoiling between milling and partial or total slitting can be avoided altogether in the practice of the invcntion. :~
In Figure 17 partial slitting is accomplished at cutter head 100 which carrles a guide roll 102 and a pair of cutters 101 which, on a periodlc basis, partially pre-slit the outfeed from the mill prior ~o coiling on thc mandrel 103. The head 100 may also carry suitable conventional stripper flngers (not shown) on the lnfeed slde of the cutters, alld guldc boards (not shown) on the outfeed side immediately beyond the stripper fingers.
The cutter head is moved on an lnclined track 105 by cylinder 106 as the coil ls built to its full dimension shown in phantom. The retracting cylinder 107 moves the entire slitting assembly out of the way on slideways 108 when it ls not to be used. ~e partially slit coil can be started on the mandrel by a conventional beltwrapper 109 and can be supported anù removed after winding by a conventional coll car and lift 110. The stand on which the slitter is mounted may for example constltute the last stand of a five-stand tandem cold mlll. ~ llke arran8ement may be used on a ~emper mill constitutlng only a single stand, Instead of being partly sllt, the roll ln Fi~ure 17 may be fully sllt by completlon of slltting by any of the means previously described as winding on mandrel ]03 occurs.

-~6-:. ' . - , ' ~Z~)49 In a present:ly preferred form of the invention, thc "tacks" arc not allowed to remaln wil:h the increased overall thickllcss as seen in Figure 5, but are instead knocked down by passing the sli t strips betwcen a pair of knock-down rolls spaced apart a distance approximately cgual to or s]i~htly less than or, less preferably, greater t:han the thicl;ness of tllc shect mctal prior to slitting. The bridge 48 is thercl7y causc~l to parti311~ slle~r as the adjacent slit strips at the "tack" are brought back to levcl wi th cacll othcr.
I have discovered that in at least some if not many applicatio--s the daughtcr coils will wind with good tracking and no edge overlappin~ even in the abscnce 10 of the tracking arrangements described earlier herein due to the "capture" upon winding of constraints imposed by the slitting rolls on the side edges of the daughter-coils-to-be, as previously mentioned.

In one particular experimental set-up illustrated in Figures 18, 23, snd 24 2 steel coil 121 (Figure 23) of .015 lnches thickness i9 unwound through guide 122, rotary 3-inch slitting cutters 123, and knock-down rolls 124 to a winding mandrel 125 driven by a motor 126 (~igure 18) through a suitable re~lucer and coupling. A control handle 127 operates through the illustrated gear train to change the rotative position of an eccentric mounting for the upper cutter 123, thereby adjusting the 20 spacing between the cutters. Each wheel of the lower cutter 123 is provlded with a flat as lllustrated ln Figure 7, the flat being .125 inch from edge to edge and of a maximum "depth" (maximum chor~l-to-arc spacing) of .006 lnches from the cutter circumference.

The cutters 123 eacll may include the spaced discs or cutters proper 130, coacting palrs of which on the upper and lower cutter roll~

ace to shear tl~e metal, and the strippers or elastomeric slee~es 131 arranged to push the sheared metal away from the shearing edges as the metal leaves the nip. A cranh 132 1s provided for manually driving the upper cutter 123 durlng set-up.

, . . . .
~ - .

108Z~)49 With the dimellsions given, the tacking e~st.lblislled by tllc flats remains sufficiently conllecLcd even after passing thro-lgl- thc knock-down rolls to cause the slit strips to wind togctl-er into a plurality of daughter coils 140 (Fi~ure 19) constiLutin~ a parellt coil 141. In the illustrated examplc the two endmost dauL~ er coils 140a constitute edge trim strip and are therefore consider~l)1y n.l~o~-r than the otller daughter coils. I have used pre-trimmed unwind rolls in experiments, giving them narrow edge cuts to simulate edgc trim~ lg.

When the handle 127 is shifted to lowcr the u~)per cuttcr 123, tacking ceases and the slitting is continuous. The slit strips continue to track nicely as they wind into the daughter coils being formed. As soon as a slight fluttering or looseness of one or both of the outer~ost or next-to-outermost daugllter coils is detected, the llandle ls reshifted to raise the upper cutter and re-establish tacking. The flut~cring or looseness immediately disappears as the slit strips are constraincd by the tacking to wind together.

Figures 21 and 22 are schematic cross-sections of the slit strips immediately downstream of the knock-down rolls. Figure 21 shows a region of tacking, the bridges between the adjacent strips being shown as more or less sheared but not completely parted. Figure 22 shows a fully slit region.

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Because of the crown seen in Figures 21 and 22, the edgeward daughter coils forming the parent coil 141 are wrapped more loosely than the more central daughter coils. However because the daughter coils are constrained to wrap together they all have the same number of turns per unlt length. The "tacks~ are such that the connections .

; .
-~&-1~8;~49 between adjacent daugl~Lcr coils are contained en~ire]y beLw~.n tl~e front and~back faces or surfaces of the shect metal. The front or back faces are not uninterrupted across the "tacks," as would bc the case if slittillg were entirely discontinued at tlle connecting regio;ls. The orl)~site edgc faces of adjacent daugllter coils creatcd by the sliLtin2 OpCl aLiOI~ eacl~
have a continuous corner edge througllout the length of tlle daulhter coils, including the "tacked" portions thereof.

The "tac~sl' or connections between the slit strips may be established in such a manner as to seek only a minimal constralnt to cause the slit strips to wind togetller. lhus in the above example, when fluttering or looseness of any of the daughter coils is dctected, the upper cutter 123 is not abruptly raised but instead the handle 127 - is shifted enough to initiate a minimal degree of tacking whicll is usually too weak to both survive the knock-down bars and hold the strips together until thcy wind on the mandrel 125. Shifting of the handle 127 is continued until the tacking is just strong enough to re-establish the constraint of forcing tlle slit strips to wind together.
When this contraintis established, the upper cutter may be maintained in its position or, preferablyj it may again be loweted to repeat the cycle. Such lowering may be gradual and may be conLinued only until the looseness or fluttering is again detected. This manually controlled system can obviously be replaced by an automatic system wllich in effect "hunts" back and forth between a condition of being just barely able to maintain the constrailt and a condition of being just barely unable to maintain th~e constraint.

Instead of employing the illustrated flat of a depth of .006 Inches, I colitetliplace empl~ying coacting flats on the upper an~ lower cutters 123, each .003 inches deep for a similar but more symmetric ~acking !~; . . . .
.`'. ` , '' ' " ' ' . , ~L~82049 :, action. In such case thc upper and lower cuL~e~ 3 ~roulc1 b~ ~e;1re~
togetl1er for rotation to maintain the propcr rc~iste1- oL t1c flats.
The cutters 123 are not geared together in the i1]ustrated em1)o~1imc1lt.

For better control of tacking strengt11 as a r ncLiun of roll adjustment I proposc to use shapes otler tha1l a flat. l`hus iu 1igurc 7a the relief ground onto the cutters by a suitable grin~ g ro]l is in the form of gullwings formed by a pair of arcs whose poi11Ls of tangency with the circumference oL the 3-incl1 diamcter cuttcr arc .125 incl1es apart. The centers and radii of these two arcs are SllCh that they intersect .OOG inches below the roll periphery.

'~
More preferably two similarly configured reli~fs can he providcd on a pair of cutters geared to rotate togetl1er each relief having an arc-intersect that is .003 inches deep.

.
Witl1 these shapes the cross-sectional area of thc conneccing bridges formed by the relief varies with roll spacing in a more definite manner making for more precise control. With both rolls being relieved with such a shape as the cutters are brought togetl1er the mirror-image "gullwings" of the two reliefs increasingly overlap to - provide a diamond s1~ape of diminishing size which will finally disappear although presumably the degree of tacking necessary for winding constraint ceases before such point of disappearance is reached.

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' ~ .

' ' , .

'~:

~ ~3~~
.. .. . . .

1~8Z~49 If one of tlle upper and lower cuttcrs is adv;illced all~u~arly relative to the othcr while they turn together with the rcliefs in reglstcr, such advance llas the effect of l'tilting" the diamolld silape. rhis tilt can be either "forward" or "backward" depencling on the rclativc ~irectioll of the angular advancc. Such rclative al~gular advallcc call l,e accomp~l~llcd by any conventional control means whlcll allows a diffcr-lltial an~ular movement to be introduced bctwecn two counter-rotatin~ rolls turni together.

The two cutters can be both movcd toward al~d away from cacll ;
other and advanced an~ularly relatively to each othcr for differellt tacking effects.

As increasing familiarity with a given sheet material is ~aincd, a pre-set degree of tacking may be selected. A feature of tl-e invention is that the degree of cohesion between daughter coils can actually be modificd, from parent coil to parent coil, by adjustlng the stren~tll and frequency of the tacks, as for example by adjusting the slitting cutters to make the cross-sectional extent of the individual tacks greater or less, and/or adjusting the frequency of tacking or degree of lntermittent opcration.

In the apparatus of FiGure 3 a knock-down roll 35 may be provided together with a simllar roll underneath the strip. With thc provision of the knock-down rolls, it will be understood that the configuration of the coil wound on ~landrel 36 is similar to coil 141.

In Flgure 17, knock-down rolls 111 may be provided i~nediately beyond the cutters lOl.

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-, ' . ` ' .. ~ ~ .. . . . . . .

8;~049 Instead o~ functioning as l;nock-(lo~n rolls, rolls such as 124 Or ~igurcs 18 and 23, and 35 of Figure 3, may bc set by approl)lia-e ~hirls or the lilce (not shown~ to a spacing about tl-e thicl<l~ess of the sheet mtterial heillL~ slit, or preferably slightly under such tllickllcss, ancl he slitting cutLcrs ~ay be set to slit continuously. I have found that, under at least cer~:til- conditlons, wl-en the slits pass under the rolls 124 or 35 Lollowing Lhcir forlmatioll by the slitting cutters, they are rejoilled to accoluplisll non-pcrio-lic La(kinO~ In one partielllar e~cperimental set-up or tlle apparatus ill~JsLrated in ~`igures .~, 23 and 24 dcnd soft copper of .005 incl~es Lhickness is slit and passcd I)eL~eet~ Lhe rolls l24 whicl 10 are shimuted apart by shim plates (not sl-own) of .004 incl-c:; thicl;ness to giv~: a nominal reduction of .001 inch or 20%. Ilowever any act~lal reductiotl is difEicu]t to observe in terms Or sheet width growth, and is not believ~d Lo be sis~niLic.ult.
The slits are tacked or rejoined by the rol1iug operaLiotl, and tlle connection appears to be stronger in the direction of travel thatt in a direction pcrl-etldiclllar to the sheet. The rejoining is not preselltly clearly undcrstood an~l n~ay be a pressure welding phenomcnon or the like, and/or result from mecl-anical interctlgagemetlt of burrs or the like formed by the slitting operation. In Figure 22a I have schematically illustrated burrs as small curved lines at the tops and bottoms of the slits seen in Figure 22a, whicll is a schematic cross-section of a sheet whicl 20 has been non-periodically tacked as just described, althougll if burrs form part or all of the interconnection they may occur at other locatiolls withitl thc lnterfaces formed by the slits as well as or rather than, as sho~n, toward the outer extremities of the interfaces. Such operation as described is non-intermittent since the shiuts cannot be changed during slitting.

Ir. Figure 26 I illustrate a modification of the apparatus showtl in Flgures 18, 23 and 24 whlch includes a control handle 127a which opera~es through a gear train, similarly to the handle 127, to change the r~ La~iVe position of an eccentric mounting (not shown) for the upper roll 124, thereby adjustlng the spacing between the rolls 124. Such handle can be shifted 30 fro~t a tacking position at which the rolls 124 are fairly close together to --a non-tacking position a~ which the rolls are spaced apart to thereby give an intermittent type opcration. To some de~ree, adjustment of tacl;in,, strength may be possible by adjustment of spacing of the rolls 124 througlt a ran~;e, from lC~8Z049 relatively strong at relatively close spacing to l~rogl-~ssively woakcr at progressively less close spacing.

The interconnections betweell the dau,llter coils such as tlle coils 140 are breakable eiLher by unwinding s~lch as tha~ descril)e~ in conncc~i with Figure 13 or by simultalleous brea'ainG away of al] conncctionr. In the experimental apparatus of Figures 18, 23 and 24, unwilldin~ se;)aration can be accomplislled by removing mandrel 125 with roll 141 on it from the wind-up station, turnill~ it end for end, and substitutillg iL for tllc~
original unwind mandrel (for the original ullslit roll 121) at the unwilld station. A single edgemos~ daugllter coil 1409 or 140a if tlle orl~illal roll 121 was not pre-trin~led, is trained over a wedge fingcr 13!l pivoted on a slide 135 (Figure 25) carried in a frame 136 (Fi~ures l8, 23, 25) ant through any suitable ~uide such as the knock-do\n rolls (thc cuttcrs may be moved apart if in the way). The leading ends of the reDIaillin~
daughter coils 140 are taped down to the parent coil 141 to prevellt them from flapping and snagging. The wedgc finger 134 may be thinllest at its inboard side and increase in thickness toward its outboard side, as indicated by the flare of tlle stem portion of the finger seen in Figure 25, - to provide good lifting or prizin~ action. Unwlnding may be done manually by pulling on the unwinding strip. As the daughter coil unwinds, the slide 135 allows the finger 134 to follow the diminishing ycriphery.
A slight drag is applied to the parent coil 140 to prevcnt it from overrunning. Tlle unwinding strip breaks readily and clearly from the parent coil. Subsequent daugllter coils can be similarly unwound by shlftlng the frame bracket in which the slot 136 is formed laterally by the widtl ; of a daughter c~oil in order to establish the proper lateral posltion for the finger 134. The bracket is held in ad~usted posltion on the fixed frame by the illustrated hold-down bolts.

I have foulld that in many cases a prizing dcvice such as wedge finger 134 is unnecessary and the aaughter colls will unwind readily in rcsponse ~C~8'~(~49 to an unwinding pull, even that iDlpOSC~I only l~y the ullsul~por~e(l weigllL of a just-unwoulld reacll or fall of dauglltcr coil maLerial.

~ s previously indicated, the cons~raillts ~n Lhe strirs during coiline that can be accomplislled by the invellLion provi(le flat illLcrfaces ~etheen daughter coils despite aln)ost inevitable camberill~ of tll~ sheeL r~aterial and the slit strips formed therefrom. The camber is accomlllod;ltcJ 1" ~ari.ltiolls in tiglltness of wrap as schematically illustrated iu ligure 2~. Figure 27 sl~ows on a reduced scale one of ttle strips resulting from uncoilill~ 0112 of the daUs~llter coils of Figure 28, with camber clearly present. Nevertlleless, Ll,~ lnterfaces between daughter coils are substantially planar as seen in Figure 28.
Thus, although in a general sense "tacking" according to the i--Ycution causes all daughter coils to wind together at the same uniform lengllts per unit turn despite variation in their thicknesses, there are specific sligllt variations from one daughter coil to the other of turns per unit lengttl, SUCtl variations being a function of the degree of camber being encountered. ~lore precisely, there are very slight differences in ~ightness of wrap of the o~posite side e~ges of each daughter coil, beyond that incident to sheet cro~ling, just sufficlent to accommodate the camber in each coil. It appears that the invention can force these slight variations in turns per unit length and these slight differences in tightness of wrap of opposite side edges of each dau~hter coil to occur to just the extent necessary to accomplish the substantially planar interfaces between daugther coils.
' , ' Figures 27a and 28a illustrate, even more schematically, the situation when the camber is serpentine or reversing, as may be caused for example by slight variations in the feed to ~he slitting cutters. In Figure 28a the interfaces between adjacent pairs of daugtlter coils are flat despite the camber, and the two side edges of each daugllter coil and of the parent coil incremen~ally along their lengths differ from e3CIl in tightness of wrap, '', ' : ~ - - , , ,. . ' .

l~Z049 beyond the differcnces incident to crowning of t1-c sheet fro1n whicll tl-c coils are formed, as a function of the degree and direction of ca1i1bcr of the strip material incrcmentally along its length. Figure 27a shows on a rcducc~ soalc the development of thc coil sho~m in Figure 28a, il]l1strating t11c scrpentine or reversing nature of L11e c~bcr. In such a situa1io11 t11e oul idc cnds of the parent coil may be vcry uneve1l, as seen in 1ig11rc 28a, yet t1)c interaces between adjacent daugllter coils are flat, as shol;n.

Figure 28a also illustrates parts of the disc-like coi~ of scrap, indicated at 34a,that can be used to protect the edgcs of tl-c parent coil in trans-ship3ent, as previously mentioned, and that can be bro~cn off or un~ound from the parent coil either prior to trans-shipment or by the final uscr. Suc discs of scrap are not specifically illustrated in Figure 3 duc to the small scale thereof.

.
Th~ outer ends of the parent and daughter coils may be sccurcd a~ainst ; unwinding by being taped down to the next turn of material. For trans-s11ipmc11t it may be desirable to band the parent coll through the coll core say Wit}1 three bands spread 120 degrees apart. The disc-llke coils 3~of scrap or edge trim protect against the blte of the banding.

Althougl1 the outside edges of tl1e edge trim coils may be quite lrregular~ as shown, the internal interfaces are fla~, as also shown in Figure 28a.

A slltting line embodying novel self-threading concepts ls illustrated in Plgures 29 and 30. The pass line is relatively constantly l1orizontal. A
slitter carria~e 176 ls vertically movable on the posts 177 by a cylinder 178, the carrla~e being further constrained in a well-known manner a~ainst cocking to one side or t~e other by the illustrated fixed rac~ and coacting linked pinlons carried Jt each side of the carriage.

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1C~8'~149 The coil stands arc driven by DC motols ~ icll c~n al~o act as back drag generators. lhe leadills erld of tlle off-ieed coil l79 is slowly drivcn forward to be initially ~eeled by a retracta~lc peelin~ mem~er 180, and to be guided by a fixed rise surface 181 to pinch rolls 18~. Thelower pillch roll is on a fixed mounting wllile the upper one is moullted on c~rria~e 176 wl~ich is raised slightly a~lcl then lowered to accepL and Ll~n tizhtly ~n~age the ~e~dlng end to the slitter cutLers 184 of the tacking typc contenll~laLed ~ Llle lnvell-ion.
~n auxiliary slittcr drive ineluding a eylinder (not sl~own), a vertically movin~
rack 185 and a spur gear 186 enclosing a one-way o~errunllillg cl~ltch (not sl~owl~) powers the slitters, tlle "threading" stro~e of the rack 1~5 beill~ just surfic~llt to advanee the leading end, which is now "tacked" as will be scen below, froin its point of first engagement witll the slitters througll the illustraLcd knocl;-do~n rolls and to the take-up mandrel, and into position as shown to ellgage or be readily brought lnto engagement with the lip 187 whicll ha.s been ~ormed in a eonventional manner by the initially collapsed segments of the tal~e-up mandrel.
The mandrel is then expanded to cause the lip 187 to grip tlle "tacked" leadillg end to complete threading.

The flats (not shown due to small scale) on the slitter euCters are positioned to place "tacks" at or very near tlle leading end of tho strip when it first enga~es and ls driven through the slitter cutters. This positionillg of the flats may be automatically accomplished by any suitable means, 9uch as an index cam (not shown) assoeiated with one of the slitter eutters and adapted to control a solenoid to deactivate the advanee of the aetuator for t!le raek 185 at the proper position during an "indexing" stroke prior to the "threading" stroke previously described.

. ' - In the illustrated apparatus, the handwheel 188 may aetuate a gear linkage (not shown) to control spacing between the slitter cutters 184 and thereby control the depth of tacking and to also perhaps only apply taeking lntermittently.

~, .

1~3Z0~9 As slitting proceeds, a microswitcll or otller scnsor (not sl~own~
at corner 189 on the slitter carriage senses buildul) of Llle coil 011 tlle take-up mandrel an~ actuates cylinder 178 011 a demand basis. Tllc carri~ge 176 thereby continues to rise during the slitting operatioll, and the pass line continues to be gellerally horizontal until sli~ting is coc:pleted.

The off-feed coil is originally carried onto its malldr~l by the coil car illustrated in Figure 30.

The ready threadillg just described is to bc contrasLc~ with the difficulties of setting up for conventional slitting, pdrticul3rly the necessity to properly start, thread and clamp to the mandrel cach scparate strip belng slit.

An experimental breakaway device for simultaneously breaking away all the connections of a daughter coil is schematlcally illustrated itl Figure 26.
A parent coil is clampecl on a frame 151 by a clamping membcr 152 releasably fixed to the frame at parting line 156 by clamping bolts or otll2r clamping fasteners (not shown). The endmost daughter coil is received on a mandrel 155 which is initially aligned with the open core 150 of the parent coil.
The mandrel 155 is eccentrially mounted in the frame 151 and has a s~uared end 153 which reccives a wrench 154. Turning the wrench turns the mandrel 155 in itq eccentric mounting and twists the endmost duu~hter coil relative to the ad~acent daughter coil, causlng the endmost daughter coil to break away, The hreak is clean and the points of former conncction betwecn the coils are barely discernable, if at all. To break off a succeeding daugh~er coil, the clamp is looscned and the parent coil is advanced to the left by the~width of one daughter coil and reclamped.

A breakaway grab device such as illustrated in Figures 32 and 33 cail be utili~ed by the end user of the pre-slit yarent oil in ~ manner Lhat .

l~Z049 can be more e~icient tl~an conventional pl'aCtiCe ~ d requirl: littlc Cllall~C
from conventional practice in utilizing ordillary h.~ ing c(lui p~iC!Ilt SUCIl as cranes or lift trucks to transport and position individ-lal coils brokcll away from the parent coil. Thc illustraLed grab includes an upllcr fral;-e lGl wllich includes a suspcnsion eyc 162, a slidcway 163 all(l a yol;c 164. I~n uppcr gripping strap 165 of solnewllat flexiblc matcrial ,uch as a fle~ .c stccl strap is pivoted on small stubs carricd at: cacb el)(l of tlle ~o~ ].(~, in tl)c manner sho~

., .

A lowcr framc 166 includes a slideway 167 and an srcuate lower 10 ~ripper 168. The uppcr and lowcr frames slidc with rcspect to c.~ch other along a slideway 169. ~ clampine linkage includin~ thc motor 170 and scrcw 171 is associated witll a clamp drive frame 172 receivcd in thc slidcway 169 and a screw nut 173 received ill the slideway 163.

~ .
l'he tevice n~ay be suspendcd from a cranc in thc manncr shown. To break away a daughter coil the member 168 is slippcd into the coil and undcr the endmost daughter coll with the strap member 165 positioned just bcyond the endmost daughtcr coi:L and over the next daughter coil, so tl~zlL the members 165 an~l 168 engage the coil on opposite sides of thc plalle of the interfsce 174. The motor 170 is then actuated to close the clamp whcreby 20 the endmost daughter coil breaks away but rests on the mcmber 168 with the outer side face of its upper half perhaps liglltly eng.lgcd or at least reta.ined by slight interference with one side of the stra~ member 165. Thc scparated daughter coil can then be trans~,)orted to its particular place of use by the crane and can be released by actuating the motor 170 to open the cla~Gp to the point where the strap 165 no longer interferes wltll the outer side face of the daughter coil.

The slideways 163 and 167 allow the clamping linkage to be adjusted la`terally for.acco~r.modatlon of daughter coils ~ differerlt wi.dtlls, since lt i . . .

l~Z~)49 is generally desirable to po~ition the linkage as clo~e as possiblc to the endmost daugllter coil prior to breakaway.

Instead of or in additioll to the eye 162, nloulltillg brlcl~eLs (not shown) can be provided to fix tl~e framc melrber lo1 or 166 to tbc ~ifting membcr of a lift truck. Or ally special carriage or rhe li~e (noL sllowll) may be provided for the grab.

~ lotller form of grab is shown in Figures :3~, and 35. .~ pair of clamping members 191 and 192 are shaped to penetrate che core o~ a parcnt coil and engage different segments thcreof. ~lembcr 191 cn~ages the coil at arcuate face 193 and member 192 engages the coil at arcuate face 194.
~lembers 1~1 and 192 may be tapered forwardly as shown to aid in ~uidin~
the insertion of the grab. Tbe members are urged apart by the illustrated hydraulically powered frustro-conical wedging member 196 against the biasing of springs associated with draw rods or bolts which guide mcmbers 191 and 192 in the1r relative motion ln the manller lllustrated.

A stop member 197 defines the depth of penetration of the grab, and its position may be adjusted along a marked scale (not shown) by loosening and retightening a tie-bolt in a T-slot, as illustrated, to thereby set the depth of penetration of the grab according to tl-e thickness of the daughter coils.

Surfaces 193 and 194 terminate in slightly spaced relationship from each other so that they may be spaced slightly to each side of the interface 198 between the adjacent segments they are grabbing, as shown In Figure 34. This reduces the criticality of tlle magnitude of the depth of penetration of the members 191 and 192.

~ ' ' ' ' .

1C~8Z~49 Means (not SllOh~l) iS provided to fix Lh~ bac~ end of the mem~er 191 to the lifting member of a lift truck, or to suspend it frolll a crane or mount it on a special carriage for the grab.

When the el~dlllost daugllter coil is brok~n off by exl)ansiol) of the members 191 and 192, tllis coil remaills supported on the surface 193. ~t this point the grab may be slightly contracted nnd backecl out of the core far enough to clear mell)ber 192 from the daughter coil whictl it enga~ed.
The members 191 and 192 may be then expanded again, to a further degree, untll the relief surface 195 engages tlle core of the bro~en off daugllter coll. The coil is now securely grasped and may be tilted in handling, if desired.

It may be noted that when a daugllter coil is unwoulld from the parellt coil, rather than being broken away as just described, the unwindin~ may be arranged to give a spreading action whereby the path of movement of the separating strip has a vector component parallel to the roll axls. (One example of such an arrangement is shown in Figure 13 and involves use of ; the prizing blade 91.) ~lovement along such vector cannot be accommodated by flexing of the strip material around the axis of the roll but rather is stiffly resisted by reaction forces acting parallel to the axis and to the surface of thc strip material. Unwinding arrangements involving a separatin~ movement with such a vector component tllerefore can be very effective in subjecting the tacks to concentrated tensile stresses for good breakir.g action. In some instances this can be accomplished by gravity `alone, as when a startlng end of an endmost daughter coil is dropped from the lower end of a parent coil which is tilted toward a vertical position so that the starting end continues to unwind by its own weight. I have unwound hand-held experimental coils in this manner, allowing the endmost daughter coil to rapidly unwind in a falling helix and accumulate as loose strip on the floor, with the remainder of tihe parent coil remaining ~ntact and the exposed side of the next-to-endmost daughter coil remaining a smooth U _ , .

and well-deflned surface.

It may also be noted that the compactness of the slitting line contemplated by the present invention increases the practicality of shielding the fast-moving slit edges for the protection of the operator (although no such shielding is shown in the drawings). This is therefore one respect in which the invention offers substantial safety advantages.

From the above it will be apparent that the present lnvention provides a fresh approach to the solution of problems associated with conventional slitting operations.

While the methods and forms of apparatus and constructs herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventlon is not limited to these precise methods and forms of apparatus and constructs, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

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Claims (11)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A construct of wound elongated sheet metal web material having a plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending parting lines in the surface thereof forming severably interconnected coiled strips defining daughter coils therebetween, each of said parting lines being cut in the sur-face of said web material continuously along its length to expose uninterrupted oppositely facing edge faces of adjacent strips, and residual portions of web material of less thickness than the thickness of the web material bridging the interstice between said opposed edge faces forming frangible connecting means between adjacent strips.

2. A construct as recited in claim 1 in which the coiled strips in corresponding turns are disposed in substantial coplanar relation.

3. A construct as recited in claim 1 in which said residual por-tions are intermittently spaced along the length of said parting lines.

4. A construct as recited in claim 1 in which said residual por-tions are at least partially sheared.

5. A construct as recited in claim 4 in which said residual por-tions are sheared to the point of breakthrough, opposed edge faces of adjacent strips being frangibly interconnected by the interengagement between upset imperfections in said opposed edge faces.

6. A construct as recited in claim 5 in which the turns of said strips and the parting lines therebetween are disposed in radial alignment throughout the thickness of the construct whereby each respective daughter coil is detachable from the construct by the concurrent fracture of the inter-engagements between opposed edge faces along the associated parting line.

7. A construct as recited in claim 3 in which said sheet metal web material is sheared to the point of breakthrough along a portion of the length of said parting line and sheared to a point short of breakthrough at inter-mittent locations to form said residual portions.

8. A construct as recited in claim 7 in which the turns of said strips and the parting lines therebetween are disposed in radial alignment throughout the thickness of said construct whereby each respective daughter coil is detachable from said construct by the concurrent fracture of said residual portions.

9. A construct as recited in claim 1 in which said sheet metal web material is crowned and the tightness of wrap of adjacent daughter coils is unequal.

10. A construct as recited in claim 9 in which the tightness of wrap of the respective daughter coils decreases from the axial midpoint of said construct.

11. A construct as recited in claim 1 in which the endmost daughter coils on opposite ends of said construct define edge trim coils.