Continuous pickling tank with expandable seals
AssigneesAllegheny Plastics, Inc., Ecopic Corporation
InventorsWilliam H. Pugh, Dieter Kottzieper
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention discloses a continuous, shallow bath plastic pickling tank for carbon or stainless steel strip or product. The present invention provides first and second end stands spaced from each other and secured to a foundation with a trough extending between the end stands anchored at the center and adapted to receive a pickling acid therein. An expandable seal according to the present invention couples each end stand with the trough with the seal specifically allowing for the thermal expansion of the trough relative to the stands while prohibiting the escape of pickling acid or fumes. The invention includes a device to allow for cleaning of the seal with cleaning fluid such as flushing water.
Claims19
A shallow bath pickling tank comprising:
- first and second end stands spaced from each other and secured to a foundation;
- a trough extending between said end stands adapted to receive a pickling acid therein;
- and
- an expandable seal coupling each said end stand with said trough, each said seal allowing for thermal expansion of said trough relative to said stand.
A continuous shallow bath pickling tank for carbon or stainless steel products, said bath comprising:
- a first polypropylene end stand secured to a foundation and adapted to have the product pass therethrough;
- a second polypropylene end stand spaced from said first end stand and secured to said foundation, said second end stand adapted to have the product pass therethrough;
- a polypropylene trough extending between said end stands adapted to receive a pickling acid therein, said trough anchored to said foundation at a center section of said trough;
- and
- an expandable labyrinth seal coupling each said end stand with said trough, each said seal allowing for thermal expansion of said trough relative to each said end stand.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.