Patents by Inventor Mervin W. Brower

Mervin W. Brower 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: 6708077
    Abstract: A method and system for furnace pacing in a mill are disclosed herein. Billets are extracted from a furnace and provided in an alternating fashion to two or more strands of a multistrand stand. The timing of the extraction of each of the billets from the furnace, i.e., the furnace time, is based at least in part on a prediction of the rolling times of a previously extracted billets at the strands of the multistrand stand and a desired gap between the billets. Likewise, the actual rolling time of each billet is measured and compared with the predicted rolling time of the billet to generate a correction factor associated with the billet. The furnace time of a subsequent billet intended for a same strand as a previously extracted billet is adjusted by the correction factor associated with the previously extracted billet to regulate the gaps between billets at each strand of the multistrand stand, thereby increasing the productivity of the mill while reducing the potential for collisions between billets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mervin W. Brower, Alan H. Deger
  • Patent number: 6698266
    Abstract: A method for controlling a bar processing mill having an exit and a cooling bed to produce bars of a predetermined cold length. The method includes, for a first bar in a processing order, calculating a long hot cut length based, at least in part upon a predetermined cold length. In addition, the method includes adjusting the long hot cut length based on a total length of bar exiting the exit, if the long hot cut length is greater than a minimum cooling bed length, and if a number of layers of bars to be processed on the cooling bed is less than a predetermined number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Mervin W. Brower
  • Publication number: 20040034442
    Abstract: A method and system for furnace pacing in a mill are disclosed herein. Billets are extracted from a furnace and provided in an alternating fashion to two or more strands of a multistrand stand. The timing of the extraction of each of the billets from the furnace, i.e., the furnace time, is based at least in part on a prediction of the rolling times of a previously extracted billets at the strands of the multistrand stand and a desired gap between the billets. Likewise, the actual rolling time of each billet is measured and compared with the predicted rolling time of the billet to generate a correction factor associated with the billet. The furnace time of a subsequent billet intended for a same strand as a previously extracted billet is adjusted by the correction factor associated with the previously extracted billet to regulate the gaps between billets at each strand of the multistrand stand, thereby increasing the productivity of the mill while reducing the potential for collisions between billets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2002
    Publication date: February 19, 2004
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mervin W. Brower, Alan H. Deger
  • Publication number: 20030033913
    Abstract: A method for controlling a bar processing mill having an exit and a cooling bed to produce bars of a predetermined cold length. The method includes, for a first bar in a processing order, calculating a long hot cut length based, at least in part upon a predetermined cold length. In addition, the method includes adjusting the long hot cut length based on a total length of bar exiting the exit, if the long hot cut length is greater than a minimum cooling bed length, and if a number of layers of bars to be processed on the cooling bed is less than a predetermined number.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2001
    Publication date: February 20, 2003
    Inventor: Mervin W. Brower