Abstract: A laser processing head includes a laser irradiation part, a collimating optical system for collimating laser light from the laser irradiation part, and a collecting optical system for collecting the laser light after passing through the collimating optical system. An optical system including the collimating optical system and the collecting optical system is configured such that the laser light after passing through the collecting optical system has coma aberration.

Abstract: An operation support apparatus for a heat-treatment furnace for heat-treating a metal plate continuously includes a required time calculation unit configured to calculate, based on a current furnace temperature which is a current temperature of the heat-treatment furnace, a current line speed which is a current conveyance speed of the metal plate, and a target line speed which is a conveyance speed of the metal plate to be changed from the current line speed, an estimated required time until a temperature of the heat-treatment furnace reaches, from the current furnace temperature, a target furnace temperature which is a temperature of the heat-treatment furnace corresponding to the target line speed, and a first output unit configured to output the estimated required time calculated by the required time calculation unit.

Abstract: A pickling facility includes: a pickling tank for storing an acid solution; a conveyance part for continuously conveying a steel plate immersed in the acid solution; a measurement part for measuring at least one parameter which has a correlation with a heat transfer coefficient between the acid solution and a reference surface disposed in the acid solution so as to face the steel plate; and a conveyance speed decision part configured to decide a conveyance speed of the steel plate conveyed by the conveyance part, on the basis of a measurement result of the at least one parameter.

Abstract: A shape measurement device for a metal plate includes a plurality of distance sensors including one or more first sensors disposed on a first side and a plurality of second sensors disposed on a second side, of the metal plate with respect to a thickness direction of the metal plate, across a pass line of the metal plate. The one or more first sensors are positioned, with respect to a width direction of the metal plate, between a pair of second sensors disposed adjacent to each other in the width direction.

Abstract: Provided are a molten metal plating facility and a method with which degradation in the surface quality of a strip can be prevented by preventing the adhesion of splashes.

Abstract: A welding apparatus including: a welding unit (20) that includes a pair of electrode wheels (21A, 21B) arranged to face each other with a welding object therebetween; a pressing unit (30) that includes a pair of press rolls (31A, 31B) that are arranged to face each other with the welding object therebetween and press a welded portion of the welding object welded by the electrode wheels (21A, 21B); a cooling unit (40) that supplies a cooling medium toward the welded portion pressed by the press rolls; a heating unit (50) that heats the welded portion cooled by the cooling unit (40); and a moving body (10) that supports the welding unit (20), the pressing unit (30), the cooling unit (40), and the heating unit (50), and reciprocates in a welding direction of the welding object.

Abstract: In a gear spindle, outer cylinder gear sections (11) are each integrally formed on an inner peripheral surface of a spindle outer cylinder and inner cylinder gear sections (14) are each integrally formed on an outer peripheral surface of a spindle inner cylinder (13). An oil seal (27) that seals in the lubricating oil (20) for each of the aforementioned gear sections includes, a seal body (29) having a channel-shaped cross section and interposed in the peripheral gap between the inner peripheral surface of the spindle outer cylinder and the outer peripheral surface of the spindle inner cylinder (13), and a seal mounting member (30) that includes a band, a spring, or the like that tightens and fixes the seal body to the outer peripheral surface of the spindle inner cylinder (13) to allow expansion of the seal body in the axial direction in the aforementioned peripheral gap.

Abstract: A warpage correction apparatus for a metal strip to be used in a continuous plating facility for the metal strip includes a sink roll disposed downstream of a fixed roll, configured to change the conveying direction of the metal strip, with respect to a conveying direction of the metal strip and inside a molten metal pot for plating, and a correction roll disposed between the fixed roll and the sink roll and configured to correct warpage of the metal strip. A ratio D3/D1 of a diameter D3 of the sink roll to a diameter D1 of the fixed roll is not less than 1.5.

Abstract: Changing rolls in rolling equipment is performed more efficiently. For this purpose, a roll changing device (12) for changing a pair of top and bottom work rolls (21) provided in a rolling mill (11) for rolling a strip to be passed therethrough includes: a work roll holding unit (51) holding the pair of top and bottom work rolls (21) in an attachable/detachable manner and capable of moving the work rolls (21) in a threading direction; a roll holding device (31) including the work roll holding unit (51) and capable of moving in a roll axis direction relative to the rolling mill (11) in a state of holding the work rolls (21) by using the work roll holding unit (51); and a work roll transfer device (32) capable of moving in a direction intersecting with a moving path of the roll holding device (31) and capable of mounting the work rolls (21).

Abstract: To prevent over-pickling of a steel strip during pickling pause, and shorten the time required to switch between pickling operation and pickling pause, a pickling device includes: a pickling tank for storing acid solution and for pickling a steel strip by allowing the steel strip to travel therethrough while the steel strip is immersed in the acid solution; a heat exchanger for heating the acid solution in the pickling tank; a circulation tank for storing the acid solution, provided separately from the pickling tank; an acid-solution circulation unit configured to circulate the acid solution between the pickling tank and the acid-solution storage tank; and a control device configured to control the acid-solution circulation device to maintain a liquid level of the acid solution in the pickling tank at a level below a traveling height of the steel strip.

Abstract: A cooling device for a metal plate includes a plurality of first nozzles and a plurality of second nozzles disposed on both sides of the metal plate, respectively, in a thickness direction of the metal plate across a pass line of the metal plate. The plurality of first nozzles form a staggered array in which a pitch in a width direction of the metal plate is Xn, a pitch in a longitudinal direction of the metal plate is Yn, and an offset amount in the width direction of a pair of first nozzles disposed adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction is ?Xn. The plurality of second nozzles form a staggered array in which a pitch in the width direction is Xn, a pitch in the longitudinal direction is Yn, and an offset amount in the width direction of a pair of second nozzles disposed adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction is ?Xn.

Abstract: Continuous annealing equipment (1) including a cleaning device (11, 12) for performing a cleaning treatment on a steel strip (S) and an annealing device (12) for performing an annealing treatment on the steel strip (S) comprises an exhaust gas passage (31, 41) through which an exhaust gas discharged from the annealing device (12) flows, a solution circulation passage (32, 51) through which a cleaning solution used in the cleaning device (11, 12) circulates, and a heat exchanger (53) which forms a part of the solution circulation passage (32, 51) and contacts with the exhaust gas.

Abstract: In a decision control device of a control system, a predetermined pass schedule is decided by adjusting the rolling force per unit width at a last stand of a hot finishing tandem rolling mill to cause the edge profile on the outlet side of the last stand to fall within an allowable range based on the relationship between a strip crown and the edge profile on the outlet side of the last stand with respect to the rolling force per unit width and a strip shape control parameter, obtained regarding the last stand, and adjusting the strip shape control parameter of the last stand to cause the strip shape on the outlet side of the last stand to fall within an allowable range and cause the strip crown to become a predetermined value or smaller.

Abstract: A crossbow correction device 16 for correcting crossbow of a steel strip S by a magnetic force during conveyance includes a plurality of electromagnets 57a to 57d, 67a to 67d arranged in a strip width direction of the steel strip S and facing each other so as to sandwich the steel strip S in a strip thickness direction, a moving mechanism 51 to 54, 61 to 64 capable of moving the electromagnets 57a to 57d, 67a to 67d relative to the steel strip S, and a controller 17 configured to operate the moving mechanism 51 to 54, 61 to 64, based on a current value flowing through the electromagnets 57a to 57d, 67a to 67d.

Abstract: The purpose is to determine occurrence of expulsion in seam welding with high accuracy. A welding determination device includes: a measurement unit configured to measure temperature of a joint portion between strip-shaped sheets (for example, steel strips) to be joined by seam welding; and a determination unit configured to, based on a measurement result by the measurement unit, calculate an average temperature Tave and a temperature difference ?T of the joint portion and, when the average temperature Tave is more than or equal to a first threshold value that is set according to the sheet thickness of each of the strip-shaped sheets and the temperature difference ?T is more than or equal to a second threshold value, determine that expulsion has occurred at the joint portion.

Abstract: When a portion for measuring the plating adhesion amount reaches an upstream side position, plating adhesion amount estimation values are calculated by using a plating adhesion amount estimation expression at positions away from a position that faces the distance sensors, that is, the upstream side position, by strip-width direction distances, of the surfaces of the steel strip. When the portion for measuring the plating adhesion amount reaches a downstream side position, the strip-width direction distances of the plating adhesion amount meters are matched to the strip-width direction distances, and the plating adhesion amount actual measurement values are obtained. The plating adhesion amount estimation expression is corrected on the basis of the differences between the plating adhesion amount estimation values and the plating adhesion amount actual measurement values. Accordingly, the control accuracy of the plating adhesion amount is improved.

Abstract: A strip edge detection device includes a line illumination 16 disposed so as to face a plated strip 1 and configured to emit a marking light extending along the strip width direction to the vicinity of an edge 1a of the plated strip 1, a camera 17 configured to capture an image of a region including the edge 1a of the plated strip 1 and a regular reflected light 16A of the marking light reflected by the plated strip 1, an analysis unit 18A configured to determine the edge position x and calculate real coordinates of the edge position x, based on the image I captured by the camera 17, a camera driving unit 19 configured to move the camera 17 along the strip width direction, and a control unit 18B configured to control the camera driving mechanism 19 so that the edge position x is centered in the image I in the strip width direction, based on the edge position x determined by the analysis unit 18A.

Abstract: A rolling mill includes: work rolls configured to roll a rolling material; intermediate rolls supporting the work rolls from above and below, respectively; back-up rolls supporting the intermediate rolls from above and below, respectively; position adjusting means for adjusting the positions of the intermediate rolls relative to the work rolls and the back-up rolls in the direction of conveyance of the rolling material; detecting means for detecting horizontal forces on the work rolls; offset-amount calculating means for calculating the offset amounts of the intermediate rolls based on the horizontal forces on the work rolls detected by the detecting means; and controlling means for controlling the position adjusting means such that the positions of the intermediate rolls are offset by the offset amounts calculated by the offset-amount calculating means.

Abstract: This gate device is provided with a guide unit having a guide section that is disposed at the downstream side of pinch rollers at a path line along which a metal sheet is conveyed, opens/closes a coil-up line that is curved from the path line, and guides the upwards-facing surface side of the metal sheet led in to the coil-up line. A configuration is adopted such that the guide unit has a main body frame and a liner that is attached to the main body frame, forms at least a portion of the second guide surface that guides the metal sheet, has a lower coefficient of friction than the main body frame, and has a lower hardness than that of the metal sheet.

Abstract: A coiler device (1), provided with a chute roller (50), has: pinch rollers (10a, 10b) that lead a metal sheet carried in along a path line (L1) to a coil-up line (L2) that is curved from the path line (L1); a mandrel (20) that coils the metal sheet and is disposed ahead of the coil-up line (L2); and a chute roller (50) that exposes at least the leading end of the metal sheet to the coil-up line (L2) when being wound to the mandrel (20), and suppresses curving of the metal sheet toward a surface of the metal sheet facing the chute roller (50).