MX2008004797A - Containers and method and apparatus for forming containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A metallurgical process involves providing an ingredient enclosure and placing a plurality of granules of a first material in the ingredient enclosure. The enclosure is formed using a blank (40) where a deformation former (28) deforms the blank against an aperture (24) in a plate (Figure 1 ). No die blank is required on the opposite side of the blank from the deformation former. The first material is added into the formed container component. In one form, two approximately symmetrical hemispherical container components are attached together to form the enclosure. A metallurgical process furnace having a chamber in which ingredients for the metallurgical process are added is provided and the ingredient enclosure and the first material are added to the chamber. The chamber is heated after the addition of the ingredient enclosure and the first material to the chamber, although it may also be heated prior to such addition.

Description

CONTAINER, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CONTAINERS FIELD OF THE INVENTION One of the inventions described herein refers to the field of the apparatus and methods for forming containers and container components, and more specifically, to apparatuses and methods for forming container components at low cost. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The processing of iron and steel generates enormous amounts of waste material consisting of small particles of iron oxide and other so-called "fine particles" and waste, the mold is typified by grains of the sand type, rich in oxide and Fragile pieces, both large and small. Some techniques have been applied to the difficult challenge of economically recycling these materials. In general, these recovery and recycling methods require the crushing of the waste to a relatively small size, mixing the ferrous material with various chemicals that may include fluxes and reducing agents that contain carbon such as the coke park, add water and bonding compounds such as cement, granulate the mixture, age and dehydrate the so-called green preform, and, in the particular process known as hot briquetting, the exposure of the preforms at high temperatures to convert the oxides. One Ref .: 192179 greater reason for these procedures are the high velocities of gas flow that the material encounters during downstream recycling operations (such as those carried out in blast furnaces and other apparatus for steel casting and processing) that produce extremely serious dust problems, if the fine particle material is not transformed into preforms or similar forms, rigid and mechanically resistant. A key feature of lamination slag is that it is widely comprised of "fine" small particles rich in iron oxide. If they simply enter the furnace, these fine particles are often carried away by the high velocity of the air stream that penetrates the blast furnace and are quickly expelled from the system. A portion of those fine particles that are not ejected, can obstruct and seriously impede the passage of gas streams up through the furnace, thus reducing its efficiency. These problems have led to the various processes that are very expensive and energy consuming, currently used to recycle the limited amounts of rolling slag. Briquetting, for example, compacts laminating slag plus binding agents in coarsely sized chipboard agglomerates that are relatively well adapted to the environment of tall ovens. But in addition to being inefficient and expensive in comparison to the system and methods described herein, that recovery processing of the rolling slag steel is generally done only with relatively clean slag. Oily and grease laden slags, which have accumulated in huge quantities after a few decades around the world, are not very suitable for these methods, because the binders do not work well with these materials. Due to these technical and costly issues, hundreds of millions of tons of rolling slag have accumulated, only in the United States. The simple cost of placing laminating slag in garbage dumps or "garbage dumps" can now reach $ 17 to $ 35 per ton. Other fine particles of metallurgical waste present the same problems. The methods described in the applications referenced above eliminate disposal or disposal costs by providing an economical method to recycle fine particles that do not use binders or sintering processes, prevent dust dispersion, avoid contamination of particulate vaporized hydrocarbons fine oily, and you can use the particles Fine containing carbon in combination with fine metallurgical particles that contribute to process energy (BTUs) and components for desirable chemical reactions such as oxide reduction. These applications describe the methods that involve the containerization of these materials and add those materials into the containers for the iron process. The applications referenced above describe a metallurgical process that involves providing an accommodation of ingredients and placing a plurality of granules of a first material in the ingredient housing. The first material contains a first ingredient in a metallurgical process. A metallurgical process oven is provided which has a chamber in which, the ingredients for the metallurgical process are added and the accommodation of ingredients and the first material are added to the chamber. The chamber is heated after adding the ingredient housing and the first material to the chamber, although it can also be heated before that addition. In one form, the granules comprise laminating slag and the metallurgical process oven is a blast furnace. The above-referenced applications describe various concepts and processes related to the thermal processing of materials by various means, which includes containing the materials that are to be placed in the containers, such as capsules, with particular characteristics related to their mechanical and thermal behavior, as well as Other features. In some cases, these materials are processed, at least partially, while they are in the containers. The containers described can be used in applications that involve the thermal processing of the materials used when performing a metallurgical process. These containers can be used in the thermal processing of waste materials and, where appropriate, in other applications that do not involve thermal processing or any other metallurgical process. While in certain examples of those containers or parts of containers formed by the methods described therein (and even here) that may be reusable in whole or in part in some processes, there are some situations in which it is appropriate to allow the containers or their components are consumed during thermal processing. In particular, in these latter examples, it is desirable to make the containers and any other associated process such as handling raw material, forming the container, loading the loading container, closing the container, etc., as cheap as possible, Flexible and efficiently possible. This document describes concepts, devices and novel methods to achieve one or more of these and other objectives. In the patent applications referenced above, among other concepts described, are the various types of containers formed with materials that are capable of withstanding high temperatures, including the characteristic metal walls (for example steel). In some of the uses of the thermal processing described in my referenced inventions, the loading of a container, often a capsule, by itself will be of a relatively low economic value per unit of unprocessed volume (eg rolling slag). , process powders, fine carbon particles, recovered waste, used plastics, tires, waste oils and the like) hence, costly methods to manufacture the containers, by themselves, would potentially limit the range of application of the techniques contemplated . Containers with metal walls such as "cans" for food, beverages and the like used for other articles of commerce are known and, with suitable modifications of those containers according to the teachings of my inventions, may be used for the purposes described in my applications. above and also in the present application. These well-known containers are made in so-called two-piece shape configurations (inlaid body plus a separate upper part) or three pieces (split or stretched tubular body plus separate upper parts and lower parts). They and the manufacturing methods used to create them generally have the following characteristics: (1) The methods used to produce them are very intolerant of the wide variations of raw material. (2) They are made under very clean conditions, free of debris. (3) They are made by traditional stretching methods, continuous rolling, stamping, impact extrusion, etc., using precision forming dies, improved steel, male and female with tight closure or other parts that often must be maintained against wear. (4) Generally, they must be uniform, free of defects, and with good finishes, so that they are attractive to the final buyer. (5) They must be air and / or liquid tight. (6) They must not react with their contents beyond a reasonable time stability. (7) They must show a defect ratio of the order of 5 rejections per million. (8) High-speed formation of the bottom shapes (eg closed end cups / cylinders) with depth to diameter proportions ~ 2: 1 which in steel is problematic - the high extrusion / stretch forces required, often cause tearing. (NOTE: Aluminum can be reduced to forms with more depth, but is softer, less strong than steel, and melts at too low a temperature for some of the purposes, in which the containers described here will be used. ) (9) Due to the above characteristics and requirements, the machining requirement (for example die assemblies) are very expensive and easily reach 5 to 6 levels of the initial cost of the figure - and must be replaced or repaired frequently. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0002] In contrast to the features listed above for traditional metal container forming methods, novel apparatus and methods are described herein for producing container components that will be referred to the Fold Formation Process (WFP). The shapes, like the container components, with depths equal to or greater than the diameters (or widths) can be easily achieved, by using the WFP. In traditional, recently-used drawing processes, "clamping plates" (HDP) must be used to apply substantial and uniform forces to keep the die-cut piece of raw material flat, while stretching between male and female dies with tight closure. As the stretched ones acquire more depth and a 2: 1 approach, a very precise empirical control of these forces must be achieved, to avoid folds without tearing the raw material. This process can be relatively expensive, especially when they depend on the use to be given to the containers. Therefore, there is a need for improved containers and container components, as well as a method and apparatus for forming such containers. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES For the purposes of facilitating the understanding of the object-matter to be protected, the modalities of the same are illustrated in the accompanying figures, from an inspection which, when considered, is related to the following description, The object-object to be protected, its construction and operation, and some of its advantages must be easily understood and appreciated. Figure 1 shows a side view of a form of apparatus for forming a container; Figure 2 shows a top view of the apparatus for forming the container of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a top view of a form of a raw material that can be used with the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a form for filling the container components that are made by the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 5 shows a pre-perforated raw material sheet form, where an apparatus similar to that shown in Figure 1 is used, which induces the separation of the formed container component.; Figure 6 shows the outer surface of a shape of a container component formed by the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 7 shows the inner surface of another form of a container component formed by the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 8 shows the outer surface of the container component of Figure 7; Figure 9 shows a portion of an alternate apparatus for forming a container, including several containers and several fully formed container components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In contrast to the traditional stretching process referenced above, the Folding Formation Process often forms creases. The Folding Formation apparatus 20 is a device that is used to form containers, such as housings 48 and 50 and / or container components 26. In one form, a Fold Height Limiting Plate (WHL) 22 and an Opening Plate 24 is used in the WFP and a very small overall pressure is applied to the raw material and the folds are expressly allowed to form. Compared to the traditional manufacturing techniques of metal containers, the Folding Formation Process has almost the diametrically opposite restrictions and requirements and offers, in a corresponding way, the following advantageous characteristics: (the) the WFP can produce metallic containers and other forms at high speeds that use cheap machinery that is very tolerant to the presence of residues and to a wide variation in the shape, thickness, tempering, etc., of the raw material in sheet. (2a) The WFP can operate in very dirty and sandy environments. (3a) It is not required to involve or maintain closed tolerances. (4a) The WFP does NOT require, produce a perfectly configured and highly finished product, because first, it is intended to create containers CONSUMABLES with adequate mechanical and thermal properties, but not of a strict requirement of aesthetic uniformity.

Defect-free start material is NOT required. (5a) As they were formed, containers made with WFP components, individually, frequently will not be stagnant in perfect form. In some of its areas of application of these components, the tobacconist is NOT a requirement. However, additional optional elements such as coatings, sealants, seals and / or stapling joints can be used to make the resulting container tightness. Also the liquid, gas, and / or vapor barriers can be placed inside the containers or in the joining elements (eg ridges) of the parts formed by WFP that provide operation over a useful or initial temperature range. (6a) In one of its primary fields of use, significant storage life issues should not be found, because the required life of the vessel will normally be measured from hours to weeks or months mostly and the contents of the vessel, It will generally be inert under normal storage conditions. (7a) Due to the merciful nature of WFP, very low rejection rates must be easily achieved. (8a) The WFP can easily create sheet steel shapes (container components) that are deeper than a depth at a diameter (or width) ratio of 2: 1. In addition, the forms produced can intentionally produce complex surface features and be axially asymmetric. It is important that the WFP does not depend on any significant extrusion or a stretch of the die-cut piece of raw material in sheet; instead it creates the shape almost completely through the curled, wavy and curved. These deformations require very small forces applied to the die-cut parts. As will be described later, the features can be included in the WFP machining (for example surface features in the Fold Height Limiter (see Figure 1 below)) and / or in the preparation by pre-forming the punched piece (grooves, etc.) that can serve to form a core or remove particular curling patterns. In addition, the deformation mold 28 may have a patterned surface that is designed to guide the formation of folds in certain areas. (9a) WFP machining does not require a high degree of surface finish, it can be made of unhardened, soft steel, and it can operate without the need to maintain accurate alignments of the coupling parts. In some examples, the spaces may be 1/8 inch or more without becoming critical or deteriorating the functionality of the finished form. The variations in the dimensions of the blank and thickness are likewise well tolerated.

FIGURE 1 shows a schematic representation of the basics of a WFP 20 apparatus adapted for the manufacture of some types of shapes, such as a container component 26 configured somewhat hemispherically. The formation of the flanged hemispheres 26 was illustrated here, only as an example. Approximately spherical containers (see Fig. 9) can be made by joining a pair of these hemispherical shapes 26 to basically form a complete sphere. Usable containers for some applications can be made by using a flat piece of sheet stock to close the simple hemispheres after loading them with cargo. Nevertheless, the spherical containers are the most efficient of all the forms of re-quantity of wall material required against the contained volume of the container loading. The deformation mold 28 defines the basic configuration of the resulting part 26. It only requires applying and resisting sufficiently, the deformation forces for bending and crimping the essentially stamped, unsupported and loosely forced die piece (see 40 in FIGS. , 3 and 5). The deformation mold 28 may have a simple circular cross section as illustrated or may be more complex with cross sections which are combinations of various basic configurations. The deformation mold 28 can be axially grooved or else it can be of different cross sections over its entire length. Because the forming forces involved in the WFP 20 are relatively small, the deformation mold 28 can easily be made from an assembly of sub-parts that are supported in place, during the formation of internally applied forces (eg hydraulics). ) or mechanical restrictions, such as adjusted parts. In those cases, the mold 28 can be disassembled in place, after the forming raw material is completed and extracted into pieces. The mold 28 may also be designed to change its configuration in the form of parts through its raw material by, for example, extending or retracting a sub-mold element, such as a star-shaped element 30 which is used to promote the crease or ripple occurring at specific locations in the form 26 (see forms 26 of figure 7 and 8 and the star pattern 32 therein, which promotes creases 34 that form at specific locations in the form 26 ). The openings in the WHL 22 and the opening plate (AP) 24, both of which must be thick enough to withstand the forces applied to the mold without significantly large deviations, couple approximately the maximum cross-section of the mold 28 with all the spaces to the round well in excess of the thickness of the die-cut pieces of the products of unformed die-cut pieces. The WHL 22 can be flat or patterned on its lower surface with small variations in thickness, in a fold nucleation pattern 36. This modeling (exaggerated for clarity in Figure 1) can form a nucleus in the formation of controlled curling areas and therefore repeatable of the sheet. The opening in the AP 24 can be designed with a radius around its perimeter (as shown) to facilitate the travel of the product sheet, while deforming and curling to the desired final configuration. In addition, the upper surface of the AP 24 may incorporate crease nucleation patterns 36 (instead of or in addition to those in the WHL 22) which call for controlled curling (e.g., the radially extending outwardly extending slots of the AP 24) especially in the vicinity of regions with ridges. The fold height control mechanism 38 can be as simple as a passive spacer and fastener or equivalent devices that fix the maximum separation of the WHL 22 and the AP 24 and which can be adjusted by adding or removing the separate ones, etc. The separator mechanism 38 can be designed to allow the reduction of the maximum acceptable height, while the last stages of formation occur. This can promote the formation of flanged regions that are substantially flatter than otherwise would be the case. The fold height control separation 38 may also be varied dynamically during any other portion of the training cycle to improve or reduce the effect, for example, of any of the plate characteristics described above or of the configuration and other characteristics of the die-cut pieces by themselves. For example, plate WHL 22 can be hydraulically depressed towards the end of the formation and the separation system that can allow for this, a movement down. FIGURE 2 shows a schematic top view of the apparatus 20. The blank shown is hexagonal and results in a minimum amount of waste, but the initial configuration is not very critical, for example, the circular blanks can be used. If the waste material is generated by processing die-cut pieces of processing that involve the recovery of the blistering, ferrous content from the slag rolling, any excess waste (ie, steel) can simply be included in the waste. the same container cargo and the iron units in it, are completely recovered. An inherently useful feature of containers made by the WFP method is that the folds 34 in the containers, impart some expansion and relax efforts and gracefully produce the capacities in the walls of the container if / when they are subjected to high impact forces, including those that are potentially found by the containers that are going to be used in the recovery of rolling slag, by means of an injection to the High Furnaces and other processes of production of iron metal / hot steel. FIGURE 3 shows some additional features that can be used to surpass the use of WFP techniques. These are illustrated in hexagonal die-cut parts, but can be applied to other start configurations. The recesses 42 and the grooves 44 in the flat blank die-cut piece 40 can be used to cause the WFP to create a controlled overlap that conforms the wall regions in the resulting object instead of in the regions comprised of some folds small or collapsed per se. The long cuts 44 in the punched pieces can be used, advantageously, to form axially oriented overlaps when making deep shapes 26, The forming overlaps associated with the grooves or recesses can be facilitated by introducing small curvatures in the axial direction, in the opposite sides, of the slots or recesses. These curvatures can be easily created by the grooving or recessing mechanism or by small height variations (patterns) on the surfaces of the WHL 22 and / or AP 24 (or possible the deformation mold) as discussed for the first time. These strategies are optional and generally do not require, in a necessary form, forms with hemispheric proportions or similar aspect. The re-entered WFP objects can be made by the methods described herein, by arranging the primary deformation mold 28 having an open cavity of the desired configuration at its bottom end that loosely engages with the secondary complementary mold 46 extending upwards from below and towards the opening plate in the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1. In one form, the secondary mold 46 is lifted during at least part of the forming process, while the deformation mold 28 is lowered. In another form, the secondary mold 46 remains fixed and makes contact with the shape 26, while being deformed by the primary deformation mold 28. In any case, the resulting form 26 has a larger surface area that may be beneficial in certain applications that they involve the heat treatment of the material that will be placed in the form 26. Under certain circumstances, for example with thick raw material, it may be desirable to soften the die-cut pieces 40 by pre-heating them and by providing heating means for the deformation mold. 28 (and / or 46), plate WHL 22 and / or AP 24 or any other combination thereof. The mold 28 (and 46) and other parts, as necessary, can be made of materials for high temperatures resistant to oxidation. The complete WFP 20 mechanism can be operated in, for example, a nitrogen atmosphere. The vibratory, sonic or ultrasonic excitation forces can be applied to the deformation mold (28 and / or 46), the WHL 22 and / or the AP 24 reduce frictional drag forces between the raw material and the plates, during formation. The creation of complete containers, such as capsules 48 and 50, which contain cargoes to be processed, generally involve a filling step followed by some type of assembly / closing operation. A useful method of rapidly filling the hemisphere with the shapes of the container component 26 is shown schematically in FIGURE 4. Note that the mass loading (eg, slag rolling, process powders, fine carbon particles, recovered waste) , used plastics, tires, waste oils and the like), can be inaccurately measured through the moldboard 54 and stacked in the loading system 60 and in the container components formed 26. The excess material passes through the filter 56 or the conveyor belt of the grid type, such as a conveyor belt 58 directly or because a suitable content leveling device 62 acts on the components of open container to remove scraping, the excess material and level the loading in the container component 26. Any of that material is simply returned to the raw material by any suitable means that is loaded again. The same technique can be used with porous positioners but without movement (for example, the open grid high tables) for the containers to be filled. After the cargo is loaded, the hemispheres must be closed to a sufficient degree to retain the contents. As noted in my first referenced descriptions, sintering and internal friction in the cargo, allow sandy materials, such as lamination slag, to be well retained while gases and vapors can escape from the containers through small openings and / or thermally elongated air outlets. The container assembly and closure operations may comprise, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: stapling, riveting, folding, crimping, rolling, spot welding, sewing, and in some situations, adhesive melting or welding, etc. For example, in the case of the hemisphere example, illustrated above, the manufacturer may choose to form an approximately complete spherical container 50 by spot welding on the flanges formed by the WFP of a pair of full, joined hemispheres. The flange folds can also be flattened, if necessary, before or during spot welding, stapling, riveting, etc., to ensure a proper plan. The content of the hemispheres (before joining) can be retained by temporary cover sheets (those cover sheets can be consumable and fixed by adhesive glue and other adhesives), moving gates, magnetic forces (in the case of a ferrous cargo) or by other gaps. In general, the Fold Formation Process is adaptable to a wide range of sizes - for example the hemispheres of much less than 5"(12.7 cm.) To greater than 12" - 15"(30.48 - 38.10 cm.) In diameter can be easily made, as well as at a cheap price.For example, a hemisphere with flanges of diameter of 7 inches (17.78 cm.), 3.5 inches deep (8.89 cm.) can be formed by hand from a sheet steel of the cold rolled type of 0.012"(0.03048 cm.) not annealed in a few seconds, when using simple machining and force generated manually with an ordinary workshop screw press machine (total force applied, estimated , is less than one ton). An advantage over the above methods is that the Fold Formation Process uses a lower pressure and therefore die-cut pieces do not need to be held, or they can be held using less force and less precision than in the previous methods and they are not it requires a punch on the opposite side of the blank from the deformation mold 28. FIGURE 1, allows for a final downward movement of the plate WHL 22, to flatten more, the folds 34 which are already limited in height over the ridges, but this can be completed in a variety of ways. For example, simply by using retaining clips that hold the WHL plate 22 that does not allow you to remove more than the maximum, desired fold height, but which allows it to be lowered while the deformation mold 28 terminates its raw material, from this mode by applying a downward pressure to plate WHL 28. This is only an example of the use of a WHL space that can be controlled and made variable while the training proceeds, using at least a portion of the Height Control Mechanism. Given the required low forces, the simple machines (a portion shown in Figure 9) equipped with arrays of multiple (2 to 9) openings in the opening plate 24, simultaneously activate the deformation molds 28 which can be easily designed for production in large quantities and will require only a small bolting press or rapid oscillation hydraulics (10 to 60 tons). It is important that these presses are low cost and have small reception areas. Together with CR coil handling machines, sheet straightening machines plus automated shearing and positioning stations, they can form an efficient, compact and agile in situ vessel manufacturing system, for example the processing of slag from lamination. The well-known technique of progressive and / or multiple-drive die design can be applied when using a WFP 20. A key difference is that expensive die parts are not required for a closed coupling, with the possible exception of the die making step. cutting of cut pieces. This die, normally can be a circle cutter or simple hexagon in the case of the formation of hemispheres. Because, in some examples, burrs in die-cast pre-form pieces can be tolerated by the WFP method (which simply compresses some of the burrs that are raised), this way, even this cutting die can be of relatively low precision. With respect to Figure 5, the WFP formation can be completed by using a continuous feed of the die blank 70 in the form of an intermittently advanced strip, a separation line 72 ("here tear") of the die stage that can precede the WFP stage. This may comprise a weakened region of die production, such as a series of perforations 72 closely spaced, but not very continuous at the boundary or perimeter of the desired effective configuration of die blank 40. As the deformation die 28, subsequently performs its stage of formation in a given die-cut piece, the following pieces die-cut in the line of formation (or outer material of the desired limit of the die-cut pieces that are processed) can be momentarily, fastened in simple form, to allow small deformation forces WFP separate the forming objects 74 from the raw material of the blank 40, in such a way that the formation can continue not influenced by the detached material. The strip sheet can be perforated in hexadecimal waste patterns close to zero and formed in multiples in this shape, as shown schematically in FIGURE 5. Note that, in contrast to the traditional stretch used in progressive dies, the WFP 20 inherently applies the lateral forces necessary to perform the required separations. The matter established in the previous description and in the accompanying figures, in this way an illustration is offered only and not as a limitation. While the particular modalities have been shown and described, it will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the more extensive aspects of the applicant's contribution. The current scope of the sought protection is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in its proper perspective based on the prior art. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (6)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property: 1. A process for forming a container, characterized in that it comprises: providing a deformable blank on an opening; providing a first deformation mold opposite the die cut from the opening; moving the first deformation mold in a direction towards the blank and the opening;; apply a force to the die-cut piece, using the first deformation mold; deform the blank through the opening using the deformation mold. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that it additionally comprises: providing a second deformation mold on the opposite side of the opening from the first deformation mold; contacting the punched piece with the second deformation mold, while deforming through the opening; deforming a portion of the blank with the second deformation mold. 3. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that it additionally comprises: folding or curling the punched piece, while this is deformed. The process according to claim 3, characterized in that it additionally comprises: providing a fold height limiter which controls the height of the fold along the edges of the blank. 5. The process according to claim 3, characterized in that it additionally comprises: controlling the areas of curling while the die is deformed. 6. An apparatus for forming a container, the apparatus characterized in that it comprises: an opening; a first deformation mold designed to be loosely coupled with the opening; wherein the first deformation mold is movable towards and at least part through the opening and applies a force to a blank, thereby deforming the blank through the opening.