Complex Operation Description

Revamping of Wheels and Tires Thermal Processing Line includes two stages.

There are two ways of delivering tires or traction gear wheels (hereafter "wheel") to the conveying line: The first one is handling from hot charging. In this case in order to be hardened the wheel will be heated with residual heat from rolling heat. The second way is handling from cold charging. Here, the wheel will be heated starting from the ambient temperature.

Using the first way of handling wheels are passed with the outer side up (for railroad wheels and tires - flange down) right after rolling, then they are moved alongside the existing mechanical cooling beds to one of two lifters (L). The lifter hoists the wheel over the transporter to the sufficient level for the wheel being fixed in the wheel receiver (WR) and lowers at the waiting position. The wheel is taken from WR by themanipulator М1 and moved to one of the empty carriages of the mechanical cooling bed (MCB1) that is in the loading position within the area served by manipulator М1. Then, according to the predetermined cycle and due to alternate operation of two push bars and two transborders that are the part of MCB1 the carriage with the wheel moves step by step to the unloading position where the wheel is taken by the manipulator М5.

Using the first way of handling (from cold charging) the wheels by six pieces for each stack, with the outer side up, are passed to the line by the workshop portal cranes. The cranes put the wheel stacks into the sections of stack carriers (SC(1...6)) that are joined into blocks (two sections in one block) and located at the beginning of cold charging line (three left rows - see Flow Chart). After two stacks are placed into SC section the carriages move to the unloading position that is within the area served by the manipulator М6 Unloading SC section takes several stages: first one wheel stack is unloaded, then the carriages move to the position unloading the second stack. When SC section moves to the unloading position the manipulator М6 takes hold of one wheel from the relevant stack and passes it to the first single-place carriage for cold charging (SPC(CC)(1)) that is in the unloading position at this stage. After being loaded the carriage transports the wheel to the identifier (I). Here, the wheel is taken off from the carriage by the conveyor table (CT(CC)) and passed to the number identifying chambers, and SPC(CC)(1) returns to the loading position.

After identifying the number the table drops and the wheel falls into the second single-place carriage SPC(CC)(2) that moves to the post of defective products transfer to М6 in case of number identifying problem. Then the manipulator М6 moves the wheel to the stack carriage SC(7...10), (two right rows). When the carriages are loaded with two stacks with 6 wheels in each or when the range of wheels is changed, the section with two SCs moves to the loading position where the wheel stack is unloaded from the carriages by the workshop portal crane and moved to the visual identification unit for undefined numbers.

If the identifier identifies the number correctly, SPC(CC)(2) moves the wheel to the next position to be transferred by the manipulator М5.

If the identifier identifies the number correctly, SPC(CC)(2) moves the wheel to the next position to be transferred by the manipulator М5.

The manipulator М5 unloads the wheel from the carriage of MCB1 or SPC(CC)(2) and loads it to the empty carriage of MCB2 that is in the loading position at this stage. Then the carriage of MCB2 with the wheel moves to the unloading position step by step. MCB2 operating principle is similar to the one of MCB1.

When the carriage of MCB2 reaches the unloading position the turn-over (T(1)) grasps the wheel and transfers it to the single-place carriage of the hot line (SPC(HL)(1)). When the wheel transferred it is turned over half way and set on SPC(HC)(1) with the outer side down (for wheels and tires - flange up).

Then SPC(HC)(1) moves the wheel from the turn-over to the stacking table (ST(1)). SPC(HC)(1) transfers the wheels by one in the to-and-fro mode and put them. According to the given diagram for arrangement of the wheels with different standard sizes for the heating furnace carriages there shall be two, three or four wheels in the ST(1).

After the wheel set is ready on ST(1) the stacking carriage (SC(1)) approaches it, the table drops and the full blank stack is transferred to the carriage. Then, SC(1) moves to the unloading position where the operating area of the manipulator М2 is located. Here, the manipulator М2 makes several holds and takes all wheels from SC(1) and transfers them to the empty furnace carriage.

The furnace carriage with stacked wheels moves to the heating furnace. When the carriage goes out from the furnace to the unloading position, the manipulator М3 makes several holds and takes the wheels from the carriage, and transfers them to one of three rows of the hardening furnaces. Furnaces of that row shall be free, i.e. they shall be free of any wheels. The manipulator М3 puts hot unhardened wheels into free hardening machines and moves to the row of hardening machines where hardening process is over. М3 takes the hardened wheels from furnaces (after that this row is considered to be free and during the next manipulator М3 cycle they will be filled with the wheels). The maximum manipulator's M3 rate for the whole rail track is 2 m/sec.

At the first stage of revamping the hardened wheels are transferred by the manipulator M3 to the furnace carriage from which hot unhardened wheels are removed at the beginning of the cycle. After the hardened wheels are stacked into the carriage the manipulator M3 grips return to the waiting position of the next carriage and the loaded carriage moves to the rail track to the unloading position.

The manipulator М2 takes off the hardened wheels from the furnace carriages and moves them to the stacking carriage of the unloading line (SC(2)); having taken the next batch of the unhardened wheels from SC(1) it loads them to a free furnace carriage.

The hardened wheels move along the unloading line of the first stage of revamping from SC(2) to the turnover (T(2)) by analogy with blanks handling along the unloading line from T(1) to SC(1) but in reverse order. SC(2) moves the complete wheel set to ST(2) from where SPC(HC)(2) transfers the wheels by one to the T(2) grip in a to-and-fro mode. Next, the turnover moves the wheel to SPC(HC)(3) that transfers it to the manipulator М7. Here, the manipulator М7 grasps the wheel from SPC(HC)(3) and puts it to one of the stack carriages (SC(11...16)) that is in the unloading position in the operating area of the manipulator. The principle of joint operation of М7 and SC(11...16) is analogous to the one of М6 и SC(7...10) when a blank number is identified incorrectly by the identifier. Wheel stacks are moved by the portal crane from SC(11...16) to the available workshop wells for heating blanks.

The Second Stage

After running the second stage of the line the manipulator М3 unloads the wheels into the carriages of the tempering furnace. The furnace with the wheels goes through all transborders and tempering furnaces. At this moment the wheels are being tempered. The carriage reaches the unloading area of the manipulator М4. One grip with the centering function is installed on M4. It takes 144 seconds for M4 to unstack a wheel set by one wheel (two-, three-, four-wheel stacks depending on their standard size). M4 takes the wheel from the furnace carriage, transfers it to the receiving frame (RF) and returns for the next wheel. After M4 operating area above RF gets free the turnover grasps the wheel, gives a half turn and puts it to SPC(HC). SPC(HC) transfers the wheel to the position under the manipulator М8. By analogy with M7, M8 takes the wheels from SPC(HC) and puts them by one in stacks in SC. After two stacks are completed with six wheels in each the carriage moves to the working area of the workshop crane where SC is unloaded.