U.S. patent application number 12/699527 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-12 for method for producing elongated, peripherally contoured shaped blanks from a metal strip.
This patent application is currently assigned to Benteler Automobiltechnik GmbH. Invention is credited to Stefan Adelbert, Otto Buschsieweke, MARKUS PELLMANN.
Application Number | 20100199737 12/699527 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42212169 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100199737 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
PELLMANN; MARKUS ; et
al. |
August 12, 2010 |
Method for producing elongated, peripherally contoured shaped
blanks from a metal strip
Abstract
In the method for producing from a metal strip peripherally
contoured, elongated shaped blanks (6) having regions of different
thickness along their length (L.sub.1), starting blanks (3) are
first stamped from a metal strip having a constant thickness
wherein the starting blanks are arranged at interleaved positions
in the longitudinal direction of the metal strip. The starting
blanks are subsequently guided separately through a rolling mill
(5) with a longitudinal orientation and rolled in the rolling mill
(5) into shaped blanks (6) having regions of different
thickness.
Inventors: |
PELLMANN; MARKUS;
(Sassenberg, DE) ; Adelbert; Stefan; (Delbruck,
DE) ; Buschsieweke; Otto; (Paderborn, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HENRY M FEIEREISEN, LLC;HENRY M FEIEREISEN
708 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 1501
NEW YORK
NY
10017
US
|
Assignee: |
Benteler Automobiltechnik
GmbH
Paderborn
DE
|
Family ID: |
42212169 |
Appl. No.: |
12/699527 |
Filed: |
February 3, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
72/203 ;
29/407.05; 29/412 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B21D 28/06 20130101;
B21H 7/00 20130101; Y10T 29/49771 20150115; Y10T 29/49789 20150115;
B21B 37/26 20130101; B21D 53/88 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
72/203 ; 29/412;
29/407.05 |
International
Class: |
B21B 15/00 20060101
B21B015/00; B21B 1/30 20060101 B21B001/30 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 6, 2009 |
DE |
10 2009 007 926.2 |
Claims
1.-5. (canceled)
6. A method for producing peripherally contoured, elongated shaped
blanks with longitudinal regions of different thickness from a
metal strip, comprising the steps of: defining on the metal strip
positions of starting blanks with an interleaved arrangement, said
starting blanks having a longitudinal direction and a thickness;
stamping the starting blanks out of the metal strip; rolling the
stamped-out starting blanks separately along their longitudinal
direction in a rolling mill to form shaped blanks having regions of
different thickness along the longitudinal direction of the shaped
blanks.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the stamped-out starting blanks
have a periphery with an essentially T-shaped contour and the
interleaved arrangement of the starting blanks forms one of a
transverse or longitudinal pattern with respect to a lengthwise
direction of the metal strip.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the starting blanks pass through
the rolling mill with a pretension applied in the longitudinal
direction of the starting blanks.
9. The method of claim 6, and further comprising the step of:
measuring the thickness of the starting blanks before insertion
into the rolling mill and rolling the starting blanks in the
rolling mill to form the shaped blanks by taking into consideration
measured thickness tolerances.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein the starting blanks are stamped
from a metal tape unwound from a coil.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a method for producing elongated,
peripherally contoured shaped blanks from a metal strip according
to the features of the preamble of claim 1.
[0002] Peripherally contoured, elongated shaped blanks as a
starting material for chassis parts of automobiles are known. Such
chassis parts are used to produce, for example, A, B or C columns.
Such components are subject to different stress in different
longitudinal sections. For this reason, the wall thickness is
changed in certain regions to optimally adapt to stress present at
different heights while also minimizing material consumption.
[0003] In this context, it is known to unwind steel tapes from
coils and guide them through rolling mills. The distance between
the rollers of the rolling mills is hereby controlled so that the
steel tapes passing through are provided with different thicknesses
in different regions. The deformed steel tapes are subsequently
guided through presses where peripherally contoured, elongated
shaped blanks are stamped out and subsequently moved for additional
processing.
[0004] By taking into consideration that the shaped blanks are
stamped out after the steel tapes were rolled and the sectional
thickness regions of the steel tapes extend over the entire width,
material utilization is unsatisfactory, in particular when the
shaped blanks have pronounced peripheral contours. Material waste
is high.
[0005] Based on this conventional approach, it is an object of the
invention to provide a method for producing peripherally contoured,
elongated shaped blanks with regions of different thickness along
their length, wherein material utilization of the starting material
is significantly improved.
[0006] The object is solved with the invention by the features of
claim 1.
[0007] According to this proposal, interleaved starting blanks with
a constant thickness are initially stamped from a metal strip. The
position of the initial blanks is then selected depending on their
desired peripheral contours so as to optimize utilization of the
metal strip. Depending on the desired contour, waste can be reduced
between 10% and 30% by suitable interleaving. The economy of the
process and the yield are significantly improved.
[0008] The starting blanks are stamped and subsequently guided
separately through a rolling mill in their longitudinal direction
and rolled into shaped blanks with regions of thickness that vary
over the length of the shaped blanks. The fact that the material is
elongated when the starting blanks are rolled into the shaped
blanks has to be taken into account when planning the interleaved
positions of the starting blanks on the metal strip.
[0009] The invention has proven to be particularly advantageous
when the shaped blanks have a substantially T-shaped periphery.
According to claim 2, starting blanks with a periphery having a
substantially T-shaped contour are arranged with interleaved
transverse or longitudinal positions in relation to the
longitudinal direction of the metal strip and stamped out. The
stamped-out starting blanks are then separately rolled into shaped
blanks, before they are shaped in an additional contouring step
into shaped bodies, such as for example A, B or C columns of an
automobile chassis.
[0010] To prevent undesirable contour deviations of the finished
rolled shaped blanks, the starting blanks are according to claim 3
guided through the rolling mill with an effective pretension along
their longitudinal direction. This can be accomplished with
suitable devices.
[0011] To take into account potential thickness tolerances in a
provided metal strip, the thickness of the stamped starting blanks
is measured according to claim 4 before insertion into a rolling
mill. The starting blanks are then rolled in the rolling mill into
shaped blanks by taking into account the measured thickness
tolerances.
[0012] With the invention, starting blanks can be stamped from
individual metal strips, such as sheet metal, or the stamping
process can be integrated into a continuous production sequence. In
this context, the features of claim 5 provide that the starting
blanks are stamped from a steel tape unwound from a coil. The
starting blanks are then guided through a rolling mill separately
and along their longitudinal orientation, where they are rolled
into shaped blanks having different thickness regions.
[0013] The invention will now be described based on an exemplary
embodiment illustrated in the drawings.
[0014] FIG. 1 shows in a top view a longitudinal section of a steel
tape;
[0015] FIG. 2 shows in a top view a starting blank stamped from the
steel tape;
[0016] FIG. 3 shows schematically in a side view a starting blank
before, during and after passage to a rolling mill;
[0017] FIG. 4 shows a top view on the illustration of FIG. 3;
and
[0018] FIG. 5 shows in a top view a shaped blanks rolled from the
starting blank.
[0019] In FIG. 1, the reference symbol 1 indicates a metal strip as
component of a steel tape 2 of unspecified length and constant
thickness D over its entire length. The steel tape 2 can be drawn
from an unillustrated coil. The steel tape 2 is moved through an
unillustrated stamping tool, where contoured starting blanks 3
having an essentially T-shaped periphery are stamped from the steel
tape 2, as illustrated in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the stamping
operation is performed in that the starting blanks 3 are stamped
out from the steel tape 2, wherein the starting blanks 3 are
arranged on the steel tape 2 in an interleaved pattern oriented
transverse to the longitudinal direction of the steel tape 2. The
amount of residual material 4 left behind, i.e. waste material, is
significantly reduced compared to a stamping operation in which the
starting blanks are cut out parallel to the longitudinal direction
of the steel tape 2. The planned interleaved position of the
starting blanks 3 before stamping is indicated in FIG. 1 by
hatching.
[0020] According to an unillustrated embodiment, the starting
blanks 3 can also be arranged on the steel tape 2 so as to be
interleaved in the longitudinal direction of the steel tape 2,
whereafter they are stamped out.
[0021] After the starting blanks 3 are stamped out, they are guided
through the roiling mill 5 with a longitudinal orientation, as
shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, where they are rolled into shaped blanks 6
commensurate with the respective predefined dimensions with regions
A, B, C of different thickness that vary over the length L (see
also FIG. 5).
[0022] When the starting blanks 3 are rolled, they are guided
through the rolling mill 5 with an effective pretension that varies
in the longitudinal direction of the starting blanks 3. This is
done using conventional equipment which are not illustrated in
detail in the Figures.
[0023] In addition, the thickness D.sub.1 of the starting blanks 3
is measured before their insertion in the rolling mill 5,
whereafter they are rolled in the rolling mill 5 into shaped blanks
6, taking into consideration the measured thickness tolerances, as
indicated in FIGS. 3 to 5.
[0024] The shaped blank 6 of FIGS. 3 to 5 is different from a
starting blank according to FIGS. 2 to 4 in that the starting blank
3 has a length L that is shorter than the length L.sub.1 of the
shaped blank 6, because the starting blank 3 is elongated as a
result of the rolling operation.
REFERENCE SYMBOLS
TABLE-US-00001 [0025] 1 Metal strip 2 Steel tape 3 Starting blank 4
Residual material 5 Rolling mill 6 Shaped blank A Thickness region
of 6 B Thickness region of 6 C Thickness region of 6 D Thickness of
2 D.sub.1 Thickness of 3 L Length of 3 L.sub.1 Length of 6 V
Pretension of 3
* * * * *