Patents by Inventor Gerald Zwickel

Gerald Zwickel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9506377
    Abstract: A method and a configuration recover thermal energy in a thermal treatment of cold-rolled steel strip in an annealing furnace. The steel strip is heated up in a protective gas atmosphere to a temperature above the recrystallization temperature, and is subjected in a first, slow cooling phase and a second, fast cooling phase to a protective gas. The temperature of the protective gas is reduced during the first phase down to an intermediate temperature and in the second phase from the intermediate temperature to a final temperature. A first heat exchanger transfers the thermal energy of the protective gas by an oil circuit and a second heat exchanger to a working medium, and which evaporates and is fed to a steam motor, which converts the thermal energy contained in the working medium into energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: BILSTEIN GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Gerald Zwickel
  • Patent number: 9297585
    Abstract: A hood-type annealing furnace for the thermal treatment of cold-rolled steel strip includes a base, a protective hood which can be placed on the latter and under which a protective gas heated by a gas burner is circulated by a blower, to heat the steel strip, rolled up particularly into a coil, under the protective hood to a temperature of at least 500° C. in a protective gas atmosphere. An electric heater fed by the public power network has a heating capacity correspondingly substantially to the heating capacity of the gas burner. The protective gas can be independently heated with the electric heater, alternatively to the gas burner, with the gas burner switched off, to a temperature above the recrystallization annealing temperature. A method for operating a hood-type annealing furnace is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Bilstein GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Gerald Zwickel
  • Patent number: 9045829
    Abstract: A process produces a coated metal strip from a semi-finished strip, in which the semi-finished strip is reeled off a coil. A corrosion protection layer is then applied to the semi-finished strip and the coated semi-finished strip is then reeled up to form a coil. The semi-finished strip is a cold-rolled strip obtained by cold rolling, cooling and recrystallization annealing. A medium containing metallic particles is applied to form the corrosion protection layer. The medium is a wet-chemical solution which is applied by spraying, dipping, squirting, flooding or rolling. The corrosion protection layer is dried on the cold-rolled strip by supplying heat at a temperature below the recrystallization annealing temperature of the cold-rolled strip after application of the medium and before reeling-up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignees: Bilstein GmbH & Co. KG, Nano-X GmbH
    Inventors: Dieter Krech, Gerald Zwickel, Stefan Sepeur, Stefan Geodicke
  • Publication number: 20140151941
    Abstract: A hood-type annealing furnace for the thermal treatment of cold-rolled steel strip includes a base, a protective hood which can be placed on the latter and under which a protective gas heated by a gas burner is circulated by a blower, to heat the steel strip, rolled up particularly into a coil, under the protective hood to a temperature of at least 500° C. in a protective gas atmosphere. An electric heater fed by the public power network has a heating capacity correspondingly substantially to the heating capacity of the gas burner. The protective gas can be independently heated with the electric heater, alternatively to the gas burner, with the gas burner switched off, to a temperature above the recrystallization annealing temperature. A method for operating a hood-type annealing furnace is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: BILSTEIN GMBH & CO.KG
    Inventor: GERALD ZWICKEL
  • Publication number: 20130318970
    Abstract: A method and a configuration recover thermal energy in a thermal treatment of cold-rolled steel strip in an annealing furnace. The steel strip is heated up in a protective gas atmosphere to a temperature above the recrystallization temperature, and is subjected in a first, slow cooling phase and a second, fast cooling phase to a protective gas. The temperature of the protective gas is reduced during the first phase down to an intermediate temperature and in the second phase from the intermediate temperature to a final temperature. A first heat exchanger transfers the thermal energy of the protective gas by an oil circuit and a second heat exchanger to a working medium, and which evaporates and is fed to a steam motor, which converts the thermal energy contained in the working medium into energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: BILSTEIN GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Gerald Zwickel
  • Publication number: 20130000372
    Abstract: A process produces a coated metal strip from a semi-finished strip, in which the semi-finished strip is reeled off a coil. A corrosion protection layer is then applied to the semi-finished strip and the coated semi-finished strip is then reeled up to form a coil. The semi-finished strip is a cold-rolled strip obtained by cold rolling, cooling and recrystallization annealing. A medium containing metallic particles is applied to form the corrosion protection layer. The medium is a wet-chemical solution which is applied by spraying, dipping, squirting, flooding or rolling. The corrosion protection layer is dried on the cold-rolled strip by supplying heat at a temperature below the recrystallization annealing temperature of the cold-rolled strip after application of the medium and before reeling-up.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicants: NANO-X GMBH, BILSTEIN GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Dieter Krech, Gerald Zwickel, Stefan Sepeur, Stefan Geodicke
  • Publication number: 20060113353
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a metallic composite material for use as building material, the metallic composite material including an aluminium core sheet and a titanium clad layer on at least one side of the core sheet. The aluminium core sheet and titanium clad layer are bonded to one another by roll-bonding wherein only the aluminium core sheet prior to roll bonding is preheated to a temperature in the range of 50 to 200° C. The use of such metallic composite material and to a metallic composite material as such are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2002
    Publication date: June 1, 2006
    Inventors: Gerald Zwickel, Karl Fick