# US 7,950,124 B2 · Method for producing metal strips > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,950,124 B2 - Document ID: US7950124B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/661,782 - Filed: 2005-09-01 - Published: 2007-11-15 - Granted: 2011-05-31 - Earliest claimed: 2004-09-02 - Inventors: Theodor Stuth - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7950124B2 ## CPC - C22F 1/10: of nickel or cobalt or alloys based thereon - B21B 3/00: Rolling materials of special alloys so far as the composition of the alloy requires or permits special rolling methods or sequences {; Rolling of aluminium, copper, zinc or other non-ferrous metals}(altering special metallurgical properties of alloys, other than structure consolidation or mechanical properties resulting therefrom C21D, C22F) - B23K 9/00: Arc welding or cutting - H01M 8/021: Alloys based on iron - H01M 50/50: Current conducting connections for cells or batteries - B21B 1/36: by cold-rolling - B21B 15/0085: {Joining ends of material to continuous strip, bar or sheet} - B21B 45/004: {Heating the product} - B21B 2001/383: {Cladded or coated products} - B21B 2015/0028: {Drawing the rolled product} - B21B 2045/006: {in vacuum or in inert atmosphere} - B23K 2103/02: Iron or ferrous alloys - B23K 2103/08: Non-ferrous metals or alloys - B23K 2103/12: Copper or alloys thereof - B23K 2103/166: {Multilayered materials} - B23K 2103/26: {Alloys of Nickel and Cobalt and Chromium} - H01M 50/119: Metals - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product - Y10T 29/49798: Dividing sequentially from leading end, e.g., by cutting or breaking - C22F: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass, C23F17/00) - B21B: ROLLING OF METAL (auxiliary operations used in connection with metal-working operations covered in B21, see B21C; bending by rolling B21D; manufacture of particular objects, e.g. screws, wheels, rings, barrels, balls, by rolling B21H; pressure welding by means of a rolling mill B23K20/04) - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract The invention relates to a method for joining cathode metal sheets to form crude strips that can be coiled and rolled and for the production of metal strips of a constant thickness from crude strips that have been produced from cathode metal sheets of varying thicknesses. The aim of the invention is to produce metal strips of a high purity that are devoid of non-metallic inclusions. The method can be used whenever highly pure and/or inclusion-free metal in strip or foil form is required in large quantities. The application of said method is only limited by the fact that the metal is deposited electrolytically on cathodes, and if permanent cathodes are used, must be separated from said cathodes without fragmentation. This is possible with the following metals: lead, zinc, tin, copper, nickel, cobalt, cadmium, iron and gold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of making highly pure and substantially inclusion-free metal strips from whole generally rectangular cathode sheets produced by aqueous electrolysis of at least one metal, the method comprising the steps of sequentially: sorting the sheets by thickness and ordering them in a row by thickness or, when the sheets are of substantially the same width and length, sorting the sheets by weight and ordering them in a row generally according to weight; fusion-welding the sheets together in the row at leading and trailing edges of the sheets; feeding the row of fusion-welded sheets through a roll stand and thereby leveling the sheets into a continuous uniform strip. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The strip-making method defined in claim 1 wherein the row of sorted fusion-welded sheets is fed through a succession of roll stands with the thicker or heavier sheets leading and a decreasing amount of thickness reduction in each succeeding roll stand. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The strip-making method defined in claim 2 wherein in each succeeding pass the reduction amount is in part determined by the hardness of the sheet whose thickness was most reduced. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The strip-making method defined in claim 1 wherein the row of sorted fusion-welded sheets is rolled with the thinner or lighter sheets leading and an increasing amount of thickness reduction with each succeeding rolling pass. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The strip-making method defined in claim 4 wherein the reduction process starts at a point of thickness to which the remaining thicker strips will be reduced in this rolling pass. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The strip-making method defined in claim 1 wherein the row is fed back and forth through a single roll stand in a plurality of passes with a gap size of the roll stand being decreased with each pass. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The strip-making method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of: annealing the row after fusion-welding the sheets together and rolling the row. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The strip-making method defined in claim 7 wherein the annealing is effected at a temperature and for a duration sufficient to recrystallize those parts of the metal of the sheets in the row that have been rolled. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The strip-making method defined in claim 1 wherein the row of fusion-welded sheets is reduced in thickness in the roll stand in a succession of passes in each of which the thickness of the thickest sheet is reduced to that of the second-thickest sheet until all the sheets are of the same thickness. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The strip-making method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of: removing material from edges between succeeding sheets after fusion-welding the sheets together but before rolling the row to reduce sudden thickness variations. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The strip-making method defined in claim 10 wherein the material is removed by grinding. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The strip-making method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step after rolling of: transversely subdividing the strip into starter sheets for use as cathode sheets. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The strip-making method defined in claim 1 wherein the strip is carbonized to make steel. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The strip-making method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step before fusion-welding the sheets of: heat-treating the sheets to degas them. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The strip-making method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step before fusion-welding the sheets of: desulfurizing the sheets. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The strip-making method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step before fusion-welding the sheets of: recrystallizing the sheets to alter their grain or crystalline structure.