JP2012515262A - Quenching apparatus and quenching method - Google Patents

Abstract

  The present invention is a quenching apparatus, and is provided with a chamber 2 that can be filled with quenching gas, particularly a quenching chamber and / or a flow path, having a fan wheel 9 for circulating the quenching gas. Further, the present invention relates to a type in which a drive motor 15 arranged outside the chamber 2 is assigned to drive the fan wheel. In such a type of quenching apparatus, in the configuration of the present invention, the drive motor 15 is connected to the fan wheel 9 so as to transmit torque via a non-contact clutch. The invention further relates to a quenching method.

Description

  The present invention relates to a quenching device for quenching a member to be quenched, in particular, a metal workpiece, that is, a quenching device of the type described in the superordinate concept part of claim 1, and a fan wheel for circulating quenching gas. A chamber that can be filled with a quenching gas, in particular a quenching chamber and / or a flow path, is provided, and a drive motor disposed outside the chamber is assigned to the fan wheel to drive the fan wheel. Concerning the format. The present invention is also a quenching method of the type described in the superordinate concept part of claim 9, that is, a quenching method for quenching a workpiece to be quenched, particularly a metal workpiece, using a quenching gas, The present invention relates to a quenching method in which gas is circulated using a fan wheel driven by a drive motor.

  In order to produce defined material properties, such as high hardness or sufficient wear resistance, the metal workpiece is heat treated. What is important for this treatment effect is in particular the rate at which the workpiece is cooled after preceding heating. It is known to use water, oil or quenching gas for the quenching process or rapid cooling process required for this purpose. The main advantage of using a quenching gas instead of the quenching liquid is that it is not necessary to clean the to-be-quenched member after quenching, and high quenching uniformity can be obtained in the lot.

  A quenching device used for the quenching process described above is described, for example, in EP 1154024B1. This known apparatus has a chamber filled with a quenching gas, and this chamber is formed by a quenching chamber for accommodating a member to be quenched and a flow path for forming a quenching gas circulation path. Yes. The quenching chamber is normally not charged with a quenching gas, but is normally charged and discharged with a member to be quenched under vacuum. In the known quenching apparatus, a fan wheel is provided in order to form a quenching gas flow inside the flow path, and this fan wheel is driven using an electric motor arranged outside the chamber filled with the quenching gas. Is done. Since the motor shaft of this drive motor penetrates the outer wall of the flow path, it requires a considerable cost in structure to hermetically seal the chamber filled with the quenching gas.

  In another known quenching device, the drive motor, together with the fan wheel, is arranged inside a chamber filled with quenching gas to avoid non-hermeticity. This known arrangement has the problem that the drive motor cannot be started in a vacuum. This is because an electrical flashover (electric arc) that could damage the drive motor would otherwise occur in the winding of the drive motor. This is a problem when the high power fan required to increase the quench rate requires a longer start-up time than the original quench time to obtain the nominal speed. The start-up of the drive motor is not already started during the charging of the material to be quenched into the quenching chamber in a vacuum atmosphere, but only after the quenching chamber has been filled with quenching gas. Will be added to the original quench time, which is inconvenient for cycle time or work process time. Overall, due to the above-described drawbacks, quenching of the member to be quenched requires a long time in comparison with quenching using a liquid. This is because in the case of quenching using a liquid, the maximum quenching strength is obtained immediately after the member to be quenched is immersed in the liquid bath. The quenching speed reduced in known quenching devices in which the drive motor is located inside the chamber filled with quenching gas not only affects the cycle time, but also based on the extended quenching time, It also affects the quality and, in turn, the material properties.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The problem of the present invention is that, on the one hand, problems with sealing properties can be avoided, and on the other hand, the start of a high-power drive motor for the fan, especially before filling the chamber with quenching gas. It is to provide a quenching device that enables in a chamber in a vacuum state. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method that enables the operation of a fan drive motor independent of the atmosphere in the room with the fan wheel.

  The said subject with respect to the hardening apparatus was solved by the structure of the characterizing part description of Claim 1. That is, in order to solve this problem, in the quenching apparatus according to the present invention, in the quenching apparatus of the type described at the beginning, the drive motor is connected to the fan wheel so as to transmit torque via a clutch that works in a contactless manner. Yes.

  The problem related to the method is solved by the method described in the characterizing portion of claim 9. That is, in order to solve this problem, in the method according to the present invention, the fan wheel is driven in a non-contact manner by the drive motor in the quenching method of the type described at the beginning.

  Advantageous embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims, and within the framework of the invention all consist of at least two of the features disclosed in the description, the claims and / or the drawings. Are possible.

  The present invention is advantageous in that the operation of the drive motor for at least one fan vehicle, advantageously formed as a standard motor, can be carried out independently of the pressure state and atmosphere in the chamber containing the fan vehicle. This is based on the recognition that only when the drive motor is arranged outside. In the prior art, since the motor shaft of the drive motor penetrates the chamber wall, the prior art inevitably has a sealing problem. In order to avoid this problem, in the present invention, the drive motor is not mechanically connected to the fan wheel as in the prior art, but is connected in a contactless manner. In other words, a clutch is assigned to the drive motor and the fan vehicle, and the clutch is configured to transmit torque from the drive motor to the fan vehicle in a contactless manner by the clutch. With this configuration, it is not necessary for the mechanical component of the drive system or the power transmission system to penetrate the chamber wall, and as a result, there is no problem with sealing performance. Based on the arrangement of the drive motor outside the chamber, which can be filled with quenching gas and advantageously evacuated, furthermore, a high-power drive motor can be used before the chamber is filled with quenching gas. Can be started already, advantageously at an early stage so that the drive motor is already at its nominal speed at the beginning of the original quenching process, ie normally when the chamber is completely filled with quenching gas. Can be started. Another advantage of a quenching device formed on the basis of the above concept is that it is not necessary to use a specially sealed motor and a relatively inexpensive standard motor can be used. In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the quenching device according to the invention, the clutch capable of transmitting drive torque from the drive motor to the fan wheel is formed as a magnet clutch capable of transmitting torque through the chamber wall.

  In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the magnet clutch comprises a drive motor, preferably a first rotor mechanically coupled to the motor shaft of the drive motor, and a fan wheel that can be driven in a contactless manner by the first rotor. A second rotor mechanically coupled, in which case the second rotor is arranged together with the fan wheel in a chamber which can be filled with quenching gas.

  In a first alternative configuration, the rotor mechanically coupled to the drive motor is an inner rotor, which is surrounded radially outwardly by a second rotor that is driven in a contactless manner. , It is rotated by a rotating magnetic field.

  However, the opposite variation is also possible. In this case, the second rotor, that is, the rotor driven in a contactless manner is the inner rotor, and this inner rotor is surrounded by the first rotor (outer rotor) on the radially outer side. Such an embodiment is more advantageous than the first configuration.

  In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fan wheel is arranged in the quenching chamber, i.e. in the chamber where the member to be quenched is supplied directly. In an alternative embodiment, the fan wheel is arranged in a flow path that is flow-technically connected to the quenching chamber. Providing the flow path is freely selectable, that is, an embodiment in which the quenching apparatus is configured as a quenching chamber without a flow path is possible, that is, the quenching gas is circulated exclusively in the quenching chamber using a fan wheel. Embodiments adapted to this are also possible.

  In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the quenching device, means are provided for filling the chamber with the fan wheel with quenching gas. Particularly advantageously, this means has a gas supply line opening into the chamber, which extends from a pressure tank filled with quenching gas.

  Furthermore, it is advantageous if means are provided for evacuating the quenching device. This evacuation means is advantageously formed so that a negative pressure can be supplied to the quenching chamber, i.e. a vacuum can be created in the chamber.

  Also in a particularly advantageous configuration, a heat exchanger is arranged in the room with the fan wheel, which is rubbed by the quenching gas circulated using the fan wheel and from the quenching gas as desired. Take away heat.

  As already described, the present invention also relates to a quenching method in which a quenching apparatus is used to quench a member to be quenched, particularly a metal workpiece, using a quenching gas. In the method according to the invention, the quenching gas is accelerated using a fan wheel in order to achieve good heat transfer between the member to be quenched and the quenching gas. A feature of the method according to the invention is that the fan wheel is driven by a drive motor in a contactless manner, in particular using a magnet clutch. This makes it possible to transmit the torque through the wall and thus to arrange the drive motor outside the chamber with the fan wheel.

  In the method according to the invention, it is particularly advantageous if the drive motor is started and / or operated while the chamber is still not filled with quenching gas. Such a method is possible using a standard drive motor that is not sealed if the drive motor is not located in a chamber filled with quenching gas.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

It is a figure showing one embodiment of a hardening device roughly.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a quenching device, but this quenching device 1 has only one chamber 2 in the illustrated example, and a quenching gas is injected into this chamber 2. be able to. There is not a chamber in the shape of a flow channel, as disclosed in EP 1154024B1, into which quenching gas can be injected, however it is possible to provide such a chamber if necessary. It is.

  The chamber 2 has a supply door 3 that can be closed with a pressure-resistant sealing action, and the member to be quenched 4 can be supplied to the chamber 2 (the quenching chamber here) through the supply door 3. In the illustrated embodiment, a to-be-quenched member 4 made of a steel member is arranged on a supply frame 5 for this purpose, and this supply frame 5 is placed in the chamber 2 under a vacuum atmosphere using a suitable conveying device. Can then be carried out of the chamber 2 again after the quenching process.

  As usual, a furnace (not shown) is provided in front of the supply door 3 for the preceding heat treatment of the member 4 to be quenched.

  A quenching gas supply line 6 is opened in the chamber 2, and a quenching gas can be introduced into the chamber 2 from the pressure gas container 7 through the quenching gas supply line 6. In order to fill the chamber 2 with quenching gas, the valve 8 simply has to be opened automatically.

  It is advantageous if the pressure in the chamber 2 is a value of up to about 20 bar after being filled with quenching gas.

  A fan wheel (fan) 9 is rotatably supported inside the chamber 2, and the fan wheel 9 is disposed at one end of a shaft 10. The shaft 10 is on the opposite side. The second rotor 11 (here, the inner rotor) of the magnet clutch 12 is provided at the end of the magnet clutch 12. The shaft 10 is provided on the side provided with the second rotor 11 and enters the protruding portion (Ausstuelpung) 13 of the chamber 2, and this protruding portion 13 is arranged on the outer side in the radial direction on the first rotor 14 of the magnet clutch 12. (Here, outer rotor). The first rotor 14 is arranged at a distance (in the radial direction) with respect to the second rotor 11, and torque is transmitted through the wall 16 of the chamber 2 when the driving motor 15 is rotated. Transmission through the wall 16 of the protrusion 13 to the second rotor 11 in a non-contact manner, with the result that the second rotor 11 rotates together, whereby the fan wheel 9 is rotated. The first rotor 14 is disposed at the end of the motor shaft 17 of the drive motor 15 formed as a standard electric motor so as not to be relatively rotatable. What is important in this case is that the drive motor 15 is arranged outside the wall 16 of the chamber 2, that is, is arranged in a normal air atmosphere. Can be operated independently of the room atmosphere and the room pressure.

  As can further be seen from FIG. 1, a heat exchanger 18 is arranged inside the chamber 2, and this heat exchanger 18 serves to take heat away from the quenching gas circulated using the fan wheel 9.

  In the following, an advantageous quenching process will be described in detail. First, the supply door 3 is opened and a supply frame 5 with a member 4 to be hardened is introduced into the chamber 2 which is preferably under vacuum. Advantageously, the drive motor 15 is already started during the feeding process. After the supply door 3 is closed, the chamber 2 is filled with a quenching gas at a quenching pressure via a quenching gas supply line 6. At the end of the filling process of the quenching gas, the drive motor 15 and thus the fan wheel 9 has already reached the nominal speed by the increase of the rotational speed. Is obtained. After a predetermined quenching time has elapsed, the quenching gas is discharged to the surroundings or returned to the pressure gas container 7 through a compressor (not shown), and the supply door 3 carries the quenched member 4 to be quenched. Opened to remove the supply frame 5. The chamber 2 is then preferably supplied with negative pressure.

Claims (10)

A quenching device having a fan wheel (9) for circulating a quenching gas, a chamber (2) capable of filling the quenching gas, in particular a quenching chamber and / or a flow path, is provided, and the fan wheel (9 ), A drive motor (15) arranged outside the chamber (2) for driving the fan wheel is assigned,
The quenching device, wherein the drive motor (15) is connected to the fan wheel (9) so as to transmit torque via a non-contacting clutch.   The quenching device according to claim 1, wherein the clutch is formed as a magnet clutch.   The magnet clutch (12) includes a first rotor (14) mechanically coupled to the drive motor (15), a non-contact type drive by the first rotor (14), and a fan wheel (9). Hardening device according to claim 2, comprising a second rotor (11) mechanically coupled.   The quenching device according to claim 3, wherein the first rotor (14) is formed as an outer rotor that surrounds the second rotor (11) formed as an inner rotor radially outward.   The hardening device according to claim 3, wherein the second rotor (11) is formed as an outer rotor that surrounds the first rotor (14) formed as an inner rotor on the radially outer side.   The quenching device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a member to be quenched (4) can be arranged in a chamber (2) having a fan wheel (9).   A quenching device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein means are provided for filling the chamber (2) with quenching gas.   Hardening device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a heat exchanger (18) is arranged in the chamber (2). A quenching method for quenching a member to be quenched (4), in particular, a metal workpiece, using a quenching gas using the quenching apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8. In the quenching method in which quenching gas is circulated using a fan wheel (9) driven by a drive motor (15),
A quenching method, wherein the fan wheel (9) is driven in a non-contact manner by a drive motor (15).   10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the drive motor (15) is started and / or operated while the chamber (2) is still not filled with quenching gas.

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