Rounded corrugated sheet and method and apparatus for its manufacture

(74) Representative Curo AS, Lundamo.

(30) Priority Requested 05.10.03, DE, No. 8328596 0 (54) The designation of the invention CORRECTED PLATE AND MACHINE AND PROCEDURE FOR MANUFACTURING SUCH PLATE.

(57) Summary Curved, corrugated plate (4) whose profile has back portions (5), flanks (6) and bottom portions (7). The back portions (5) are located on the concave side of the curved plate and are provided with grooves formed by pressing during the bending of the plate. The grooves form ribs (10) on the convex side of the plate. When bending the plate, the material in the back portions (5) will be distributed in a way that facilitates bending and counteracts the formation of folds or grooves in the back portions (5) and prevents other forms of damage.

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10 (56) Published publications United States (US) Patent No. 4154077, European (EP) Patent No. 31822.

This invention relates to a corrugated plate of the kind set forth in the preamble of claim 1. Don also comprises a machine and a method for making such plates. The term plate is here to be construed in the widest sense for thin materials, especially of metal.

The invention relates in particular to the treatment of corrugated metal sheets whose corrugations have a truncated shape or shape of a parallel trapeze when viewed in profile, especially sheets made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. However, it should be understood that the invention can also be applied to sheets made of steel or other materials.

Such plates are used, among other things, for the production of large diameter pipes and roofing etc.

The majority of bending machines present for this purpose are not capable of bending relatively thin plates, thus forming small bending radii and bending e.g. corrugated sheets with trapezoidal profile without creating creases or creases in the material or without creating cracks or damaging it in a way that creates errors.

WO Publication 81/00222 describes a corrugated plate and a method and a machine for making it, as stated in the preamble of claims 1, 3 and 4.

Said specification describes a cooperating roller pair with an adjustable roller behind the roller pair or an adjustable roller in front and one behind the roller pair. A corrugated plate with pre-existing edges or grooves is inserted between the rollers and bent to a rounded shape. To avoid the formation of folds or wrinkles on the concave side of the plate, the roller pair forms grooves or ridges in the flanks of the plate on its concave side. Existing grooves or ridges in both the corrugated and corrugated peaks are widened while retaining the shape. In the text of this script, nothing is mentioned about the formation of new grooves or ridges in the wave peaks and waves. Figures 1a and 1b, however, show that a new ridge can be formed in the wavy bottom or the inner part.

The structure and procedure described in this document are considered to be difficult and complicated. The formation of the hills in the flanks requires complicated equipment and can create weak deLor in the plate and starting point for fractures.

The ashes in the corrugated bottoms form only a small part of the corrugated bottom and have a very low radius of curvature.

The machine in WO publication 81/00222 has a final bending roll after the pair of rollers forming grooves in the corrugated plate. This bending roller has the function that it bends the corrugated plate and determines its final shape. A leading roller can be used to make a bend, but not to give the plate its final shape. In the machine described in this specification, the opposing rollers (6, 7) thirstily create the said grooves and after that the plate is bent

1.5 to its final form. This means that pressure is created on the concave side of the bent plate. This also happens in the newly created or expanded track parts. Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to create a corrugated plate which a) is longitudinally rigid, b) is capable of withstanding high stresses and strains, even at low radius curves and / or with very small thickness, and c) free of cracks, creases and deformations. It is a further object of the invention to provide a bending machine and a method by which corrugated sheets can be bent to small bending radii and thin sheets can be reliably formed without deformation or damage. It should be possible to bend a plate so carefully that surface-treated sheets, e.g. enameled or painted sheets can be rounded without damaging the coating.

The first object is achieved according to the invention with a rounded, corrugated plate, which is designed in accordance with the characterizing part of claim 1. The invention also comprises a bending machine according to claim 3 and a method as described in claim 4.

In contrast to the machine in WO publication 81/00222, the machine in accordance with the invention bends the corrugated plate by the first roller alone. The stress conditions on the concave side are then removed or relieved by the subsequent action of the roller pair, which creates grooves generally over the entire transverse width of the corrugated floor. Any subsequent roller is used only for A support long plates and not for the actual bend.

It is essential that the grooves, which are created in the corrugations on the concave side, really extend over the entire width of the corrugations. In this way, all the surplus material in the corrugations is redistributed during the treatment of the corrugations. This redistribution is not limited to the bottom portions, but the sheet material is also drawn around the corners of the corrugated bottoms from the nearest portions of the flanks. In this way, the excess material in the flanks on the concave side will be at least partially handled.

A further effect of the invention is that the grooves and the corresponding ridges created during bending help to stiffen and reinforce the entire corrugated plate. It is important that they extend over most of the bottom portions, since this results in a large radius of curvature. Hitherto known tracks have only a small radius of curvature. Therefore, the profiled sheet in accordance with WO publication 81/00222 tends to have reduced material thickness in the new grooves, which reduces material strength.

An important effect of the increased radius of the grooves according to the invention is that the plate becomes more flexible in this area and tends to regain its original shape after being exposed to an external scrub. When pressure is exerted on a wave peak, this pressure will be evenly distributed over a large area and result in the plate bending to a limited extent. When this pressure is removed, the plate will again take its original shape. However, a narrow wave peak with a small radius of curvature will in this case exceed its voltage limit and be permanently deformed. This also applies to wave peaks in the flanks. This is due to the fact that with a large radius of bending, the deformation created by external forces will be distributed over a larger area and longer lengths so that the stress limits are not exceeded. If the entire wave bottom is flat or a significant portion of the wave floor near the flanks is flat, the effect of an external pressure will also result in permanent deformation.

The advantage of forming grooves with a low cross-sectional profile in the bottom profiles is that the entire surplus material from the bend is plotted evenly and the plate thickness will not have to be reduced below its original thickness.

The use of a corrugated plate with a generally trapezoidal profile has the advantage of providing high inherent stiffness and thickness.

The corrugated plate can also be surface treated before bending, e.g. enameled or painted. This is of great practical and economic value and not possible when

1.5 The plate material is squeezed between rollers and the material is pressed down into a groove or when narrow grooves are formed in flanks and corrugations and corrugations, as is the case in WO publication 81/00222.

Further characterizing features of the invention and advantages obtained by it are described in more detail below, with reference to the drawings. Here are embodiments of the invention described by means of examples shown in the schematic drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a schematic front view as a rolling set according to the invention; 2 is an end view of a corrugated plate prior to its rounding; FIG. 3 is a side view of the roller set illustrated in FIG. 1 during the rounding operation of a plate, tig. 4 shows a front view of a roller pair formed in accordance with the invention; FIG. 5 is an end view of a rounded, corrugated plate made in accordance with the invention; FIG. 6 is a partial side elevation view, on a larger scale, of a rounded, corrugated plate in accordance with the invention; FIG. 7 9 illustrates various plate profiles in accordance with the invention; FIG. 10 is a partial end view of a bending apparatus in accordance with the invention, while FIG. 11 shows a cross section along line XI-XI of FIG. 1.0.

1-5, the apparatus according to the invention comprises three rollers 1,2,3, two of which mutually identical rollers 1,2 are arranged substantially horizontally in succession, as shown in more detail in FIG. 3. The rollers 1-3 have a profile substantially similar to the plate epofilament to be rounded, in particular a corrugated metal plate 4 with trapezoidal profile, as shown in.

FIG. 2. In cross-section, the trapezoidal corrugations of flat ridges 5, flanks 6 and bottoms 7. The ridges 5 and the bottoms 7 can be mutually identical, as shown in the example, to form a symmetrical profile.

As mentioned above, the circumferential barrels of the rollers have 1,2 and

3 each having a general profile corresponding to the desired shape of the plate to be rounded, the rollers 1 and 2 positioned below the roll 3 having trapezoidal ridges 5, trapezoidal flanks 6 and trapezoidal bottom 7, while the overlying roller has an inverted shape with trapezoidal bottoms 5 ' , trapezoidal flanks 6 'and trapezoidal ridges 7'. In accordance with the invention, a groove 8 is provided on each back surface along the circumference of the roller 1 and 2, which preferably has a shallow, rounded cross-section with a depth of e.g. 2-5 mm and a width of 10-40 mm. In practice, a groove depth of 3 mm and a groove width of 27 mm are preferred, the width of the remaining planar surface surfaces> on each side of the groove being four mm. The upper roller 3 engages with at least one of the lower rollers 1 and 2 and is arranged along the circumference of the bottom 5 'chamber 9 which engages with the grooves 8. Sufficient clearance is provided between the respective roller surfaces, including the engaging ridges 9 and groove 8, so that a plate can be inserted between the roller without being damaged. As can be seen from FIG. 1-3, rollers 2 and 3 are positioned close to each other at a distance corresponding to approximately the thickness of the continuous plate, FIG. 1 shows a view from the exit side of the rollers, perpendicular to a plane through the axes of the rollers 2 and 3. The roll 1, in turn, is located at a certain distance from the roll 3. Changes in the vertical alignment of the roll 1 result in varying degrees of rounding on the sheet 5 as it passes through the roll sets 1,2 and 3.

In one embodiment, only the upper roller 3. However, any number of rollers can be operated. The number of rollers used can also be greater than three. Eg. For example, five rollers or two such roll sets can be used as shown in FIG. 3, the first roller set forming a slight bend in the plate and the next a stronger bend.

The rollers are positioned such that at least one roller and preferably all rolls 1-3 can be adjusted vertically by means of adjusting screws and charging blocks or housings which can be moved along substantially vertically extending channels. The direction of the roller setting is shown by double arrows 1.2 in FIG. 3.

In the apparatus according to the invention, the ridges 5 on the plate are shown in FIG. 2 deformed by pressing out continuous grooves on the concave side of the rounded plate so as to form ribs 10, on the opposite convex side of the plate, which further stiffen and reinforce a corrugated plate rounded in accordance with the invention, preventing the pressing of the grooves the formation of unwanted stretching on the convex side of the plate, which could otherwise result in cracking or damage to the plate, at the same time, excess material formed on the concave side of the plate when processed by the formation of the ridges 10 is advantageously distributed.

otherwise cracks and creases may occur. Backing 10 formed in accordance with the invention will not only prevent collection of the material on the concave side of the plate, but distribute the material to the concave side while greatly reducing the elongation of the material on the convex side, since such extension is partly a result of resistance the concave side, which appears when the plate curves in accordance with the invention.

Therefore, when sheet metal is curved in accordance with the invention, it is possible to process a corrugated sheet very gently, without causing damage to it or to its surface coating, if it is enameled or painted. In addition, the invention makes it possible to curb relatively thin sheets, e.g. plates having a thickness of 0.5-0.7 mm. In the plate curvature illustrated in FIG. 3, the front end will preferably be supported in an appropriate manner, e.g. by lifting or carrying this end by appropriate means so that the plate does not bend back under its own weight, which can happen in long plates. Such bending can result in a different radius of curvature in relation to what is desired, or in more severe cases result in folds and grooves that render the plate unusable. The apparatus according to the invention allows curved or round plates to any radius, especially to very small radii, and the plate can be easily rounded to form a full circle.

Plates made in accordance with the invention can be used for many purposes. For example, they can is used for roofing in the construction of structures such as bicycle sheds etc., since the roofs can be made self-supporting without the need for stripes, studs or similar supports. Sheets designed in accordance with the invention are also better able to withstand heavy loads, e.g. from snowfall, storms etc. What is required is that the free ends or side edges of the plates be anchored to supporting members of the structure in an appropriate manner, e.g. by means of screws, nails or similar fasteners, the plates of the invention, because of their continuous rigidity and uniformity, are able to withstand all kinds of load to which they may be subjected in practice.

Corrugated sheets manufactured in accordance with the invention can also be used for the construction of two-ply roof structures. In this case, a second corrugated plate is placed concentrically on the concave side of a first outer corrugated plate. It is easy to adjust the rounding or radius of curvature to the two plates, since all that is required is a small adjustment of the distance between the rollers in the bending apparatus, e.g. the upper roller 3 and the lower rollers 1 and 2. Plates that are superimposed in this way may have placed between themselves profiles, insulating material etc. This makes it possible to use very thin plates and still achieve a composite structure with maximum stability, which also has good insulation properties.

The embodiment described above and illustrated in FIG. 1-5 can be modified in various ways within the scope of the invention. The shape of the corrugations is e.g. not limited to parallel trapezes, but may have sinusoidal shape or other wave profile. In addition, the transitions between

1.0 ridges 5, flanks 6 and bottoms 7 at plates with t: rapeseed profile should be rounded rather than sharp. In some cases, corrugated sheets may also comprise plastic material instead of metal, one having to provide heating of the rollers and / or other application of heat to the sheets.

The bending apparatus for rounding corrugated plates in accordance with the invention need not necessarily be designed to bend the plate upwards when rounded. The roller set illustrated in FIG. 3 can be inverted, i.e. placed in reverse with respect to that shown in the figure. This can provide certain / 0 advantages with respect to the support of the plate which is output from the rough read. Such a design of a corrugated plate rounding apparatus according to the invention is particularly suitable for curving short plates and / or making large radius curves.

2b The first roller, whose main purpose is to determine the radius by which a plate is to be curved, need not necessarily be provided with groove 8 along the circumference. Such grooves are particularly required when the roller 1 is positioned close to the roller 3, to achieve the intended bending of the plate and when the curvature of the plate occurs in two steps, i.e. when ribs 10 have already been formed on the trapezoidal ridges 5 in the first bending step.

Corrugated sheets made in accordance with the invention can be stacked and transported particularly easily and can be set 3b on edge and pushed one along the other so that any number of sheets can be brought together without damage, e.g. by deforming by bending etc.

Fig. 5 illustrates the profile of a corrugated plate which has been passed through the rollers 1-3. This profile has ribs 10 pressed into the ridges 5, with the ridges facing the concave side of the rounded plate and the curved top of the ribs 10 towards the convex side. On both sides of the ribs 10 there are again unformed back surfaces 11 of the same shape as on the ridges 5 prior to the rounding of the plate, in this case a flat shape.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a plate formed in accordance with the invention; FIG. 5. In FIG. 6, the thickness of the plate has been exaggerated to better illustrate the invention.

Figures 7-9 illustrate, partly in cross-section, and partly from the concave side, the profiles of various corrugated plates which have been rounded in accordance with the invention.

According to FIG. 10 and 11 comprise a bending apparatus according to the invention for creating rounding on corrugated sheets, generally designated by reference numeral 14, with side walls 16 connected in the lower part by two parallel longitudinal beams 18. An open square profile beam 20 is supported for vertical movement in the upper part of the carrier 14, in the longitudinal groove 22, and can be locked in a predetermined position in this groove 22 by means of an adjusting screw 24 and a locking nut 26 thereon. Adjusting screw 24 extends through a smooth hole provided in a lab 28 extending from the upper portion of each side wall 16 (only one of which is shown) at right angles thereto and down into a threaded hole disposed on the top of the beam 20.

Located in the sidewalls 16 of the carrier 14 are seats for bearing blocks or bearing housings 34, 36 for the respective rollers 1, 2 and 3. Each of the bearing blocks 34, 36 is provided with horizontal adjustment screws 38 and vertical adjustment screws 40. The need to make settings on the roller positions may vary depending on the design of the device. The need to make vertical settings can e.g. only available for the upper storage block 36, while

1.0 the need for horizontal settings can only apply to the lower bearing blocks 34.

In the illustrated embodiment, the upper roller 3 is driven by a drive 42 comprising a shaft mounted gear 44 and a gear motor 46. A locking rod (not shown) for the gear 44 is attached to a lab 48 located on the adjacent side wall 16.

When the curvature of the plate can be accomplished without any particular pressure being exerted, it may be sufficient to place the rollers only on the sidewalls 16 of the carrier 14. However, when the curvature of the plate requires more stress, it may be necessary to provide support rollers which can counteract the rollers out in its central area. Fig. 10 shows a bending machine according to the invention, which is 1b sectioned up along a vertical center line. The upper driven roller 3 is supported by two pairs of support rollers 50, while the lower rollers 1 and 2 are supported by a pair of support rollers 58. The upper support rollers 50 are mounted on horizontal shafts 52, the adjustment of which can be done horizontally by means of adjusting screws 54. The shafts 52 are held in their fixed vertical position by means of rockets 56 attached to the beam 20.

When the carrier roll 50 is pressed against the roller 3, it will be pressed outwardly against the adjustment nuts 54 'on the adjustment screws 54. The carrier rolls 50 can be brought into contact with the upper roller 3 by a predetermined force, by tightening the nuts 54' the vertical position of the upper roller 3. The position of the carrier rolls 50 can be roughly adjusted by the aforementioned

The adjusting screw 24 used to adjust the vertical position of the beam 20.

The lower rollers 1 and 2 of the illustrated roller set are supported centrally by two outer carrier rolls 58 and by an additional carrier roll 60 disposed therebetween.

The outer support rolls 58 are supported on horizontal shafts 62, the adjustment of which can be adjusted horizontally by means of adjusting screws 64 and adjusting screws 66 on the beams 18 (Fig. 10). The central support roll 60 is mounted on a shaft 60 which is stored vertically adjustably in a groove 70 by means of an adjusting screw (not shown). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10 and 11 there are means primarily for adjusting the lower rollers 1,2 in a horizontal direction. Although the adjustment of the beam in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10 and 11 can be effected by means of setting screws 24, should it be clear that other means can be used for the same purpose. Eg. For example, the adjusting screws can be replaced with a linkage mechanism designed to allow small adjustments in the adjustment of the beam. In addition, the beam may be supported for horizontal movement in addition to the illustrated and described vertical movement. The adjusting screws can be affected during the processing of a plate, so that shapes other than parts of a circle are formed.

As mentioned above, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10 and 11 are just one example of a bending apparatus designed in accordance with the invention. The various components of the bending apparatus may be of any desired size and the bearing blocks and their adjusting means may have designs other than those shown and described. The storage blocks can e.g. having larger dimensions and the means for adjusting the alignment of the blocks may be designed to cooperate appropriately with the support of the apparatus, especially with the side walls thereof.

The support rolls 58, 60 must have a width corresponding to the entire back surface 5, so that they can abut the non-deformed outer sides 72 of the back surface, these flat parts corresponding to the remaining non-deformed back surfaces 11 of the curved plate. The support roll 50, in turn, abuts flat surfaces and can be made narrower or axially shorter than the rollers 58 and 60. Alternatively, the diameter of the support rollers can be made so large that they abut a bottom 7 instead.

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