Apparatus for controlled cooling hot rolled steel rod in direct sequence with rod mill

Abstract

Apparatus for conveying an elongated hot-rolled steel rod in overlapping off-set ring form over a controlled cooling conveyor. The conveyor is provided with a plurality of nozzles through which cooling air is supplied to the edges of the rings and with a lesser number of nozzles through which cooling air is supplied to the centers of the rings. The center and edge nozzles are supplied through independent air plenums each of which is supplied with air from independently controlled air blowers. The blowers are independently adjustable to adjust the quantity of cooling air to the center and edges of the rings. The nozzles are configured to direct high velocity streams of air along non-intersecting paths through the rings. The apparatus provides means for carrying out a process in which, by properly controlling the independently adjustable blowers, the rings may be made to cool along a predetermined time cooling curve with all parts of the rings cooling at the same rate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.