Patents by Inventor Michael Zielenbach

Michael Zielenbach 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).

  • Publication number: 20230356278
    Abstract: A device and a method for rolling a metal strip. A distance of the upper/lower backup roll at at least one point thereof from a predetermined upper/lower reference point is measured by an upper/lower sensor and the measured values of the sensors are sent to a control device. A strain of the roll stand is calculated using a mathematical model, taking into account the rolling force generated. By the control device, an absolute value of the roll gap and thus the resulting thickness of the rolling stock is determined by the control device on the basis of the measured positions of the backup rolls and the calculated strain of the roll stand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Applicant: SMS GROUP GMBH
    Inventors: Michael ZIELENBACH, Olaf Norman JEPSEN
  • Patent number: 11549168
    Abstract: An apparatus for treating a metal strip after it has exited from a coating container with a liquid coating material, for example zinc is provided. The apparatus includes a blow-off device arranged above the coating container having an air outlet gap for blowing off excess parts of the still liquid coating material from the surface of the metal strip after the passing of the metal strip through the coating container. An electromagnetic stabilizer is arranged above the blow-off device and has a plurality of individual magnets for stabilizing the metal strip after leaving the coating container and the blow-off device. In order to further increase the efficiency of the apparatus, at least some of the magnets of the stabilizer are formed as pot magnets with pot coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Pascal Fontaine, Dominique Fontaine, Thomas Daube, Michael Zielenbach
  • Patent number: 11448239
    Abstract: A hydraulic control loop controls a hydraulic adjusting cylinder. The cylinder has a cylindrical housing and a displaceable piston therein. The piston divides the housing interior into a first and a second hydraulic chamber. A first hydraulic valve supplies the first hydraulic chamber with hydraulic fluid. A hydraulic pressure of the first hydraulic chamber is adjustable by controlling the first hydraulic valve. A second hydraulic valve supplies the second hydraulic chamber with hydraulic fluid. A hydraulic pressure of the second hydraulic chamber is adjustable by controlling the second hydraulic valve. A control device controls the two hydraulic valves. In a position control state, the second hydraulic valve is controlled by a position control signal dependent on the working position of the piston and the first hydraulic valve is controlled by an adjusted position control signal, that is generated on the basis of the position control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Zielenbach, Jörn Sohler, Peter Horn, Martin Schmidt
  • Publication number: 20220082115
    Abstract: A hydraulic control loop controls a hydraulic adjusting cylinder. The cylinder has a cylindrical housing and a displaceable piston therein. The piston divides the housing interior into a first and a second hydraulic chamber. A first hydraulic valve supplies the first hydraulic chamber with hydraulic fluid. A hydraulic pressure of the first hydraulic chamber is adjustable by controlling the first hydraulic valve. A second hydraulic valve supplies the second hydraulic chamber with hydraulic fluid. A hydraulic pressure of the second hydraulic chamber is adjustable by controlling the second hydraulic valve. A control device controls the two hydraulic valves. In a position control state, the second hydraulic valve is controlled by a position control signal dependent on the working position of the piston and the first hydraulic valve is controlled by an adjusted position control signal, that is generated on the basis of the position control signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Applicant: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Michael ZIELENBACH, Jörn SOHLER, Peter HORN, Martin SCHMIDT
  • Patent number: 11255009
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for coating a metal strip with the aid of a coating device. Within the coating device, the strip first runs through a coating container with a liquid coating agent and then a stripping nozzle device for stripping off excess coating agent from the surface of the strip. After the stripping nozzle device, the strip typically runs through a strip stabilizing device with a plurality of magnets on both broad sides of the strip. A form control deviation is determined as the difference between a determined actual form of the strip and a specified desired form of the strip and this form control deviation is used for activating the magnets of the strip stabilizing device in order to transform the actual form of the strip into the desired form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Holger Behrens, Lutz Kümmel, Thomas Daube, Gernot Richter, Babak Taleb-Araghi, Pascal Fontaine, Michael Zielenbach
  • Publication number: 20220049339
    Abstract: Within a coating device, a metal strip first runs through a coating container with a liquid coating agent and then a stripping nozzle device for stripping off excess coating agent from the surface of the strip. After the stripping nozzle device, the strip runs through a strip stabilizing device with a plurality of magnets on both broad sides of the strip. A form control deviation is determined as the difference between an actual form of the strip and a desired form of the strip and this form control deviation is used for activating the magnets in order to transform the actual form of the strip into the desired form. The magnets of the strip stabilizing device may be moved in the widthwise direction of the strip into a traversing position in relation to the magnets on the respectively opposite broad side of the strip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Applicant: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Holger Behrens, Lutz KÜMMEL, Thomas DAUBE, Gernot Richter, Babak Taleb-Araghi, Pascal Fontaine, Michael ZIELENBACH
  • Patent number: 11117173
    Abstract: An adjusting cylinder quick-action adjustment for a long, rapid stroke movement in an edging stand which includes an edger upright, adjustment system, balancing system and edging roll sets, comprises a piston which acts via edging roll chocks of at least one edging roll for adjustment against the rolling stock. The adjustment of the edging roll can be actuated on each side hydraulically by a fluid. The adjusting cylinder quick-action adjustment is mounted in the edger upright and exerts the force required for the edging process. The adjusting cylinder quick-action adjustment includes on each side of the edging upright at least one double cylinder which has two cylinders coupled to one another and is separately controllable and configured for rapid adjustment and for control adjustment of the edging roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: SMS GROUP GMBH
    Inventors: Stefan Wendt, Martin Schmidt, Michael Zielenbach
  • Publication number: 20210189540
    Abstract: An apparatus for treating a metal strip after it has exited from a coating container with a liquid coating material, for example zinc is provided. The apparatus includes a blow-off device arranged above the coating container having an air outlet gap for blowing off excess parts of the still liquid coating material from the surface of the metal strip after the passing of the metal strip through the coating container. An electromagnetic stabilizer is arranged above the blow-off device and has a plurality of individual magnets for stabilizing the metal strip after leaving the coating container and the blow-off device. In order to further increase the efficiency of the apparatus, at least some of the magnets of the stabilizer are formed as pot magnets with pot coils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2018
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Pascal Fontaine, Dominique Fontaine, Thomas Daube, Michael Zielenbach
  • Publication number: 20210170459
    Abstract: An adjusting cylinder quick-action adjustment for a long, rapid stroke movement in an edging stand which includes an edger upright, adjustment system, balancing system and edging roll sets, comprises a piston which acts via edging roll chocks of at least one edging roll for adjustment against the rolling stock. The adjustment of the edging roll can be actuated on each side hydraulically by a fluid. The adjusting cylinder quick-action adjustment is mounted in the edger upright and exerts the force required for the edging process. The adjusting cylinder quick-action adjustment includes on each side of the edging upright at least one double cylinder which has two cylinders coupled to one another and is separately controllable and configured for rapid adjustment and for control adjustment of the edging roll.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Applicant: SMS GROUP GMBH
    Inventors: STEFAN WENDT, MARTIN SCHMIDT, MICHAEL ZIELENBACH
  • Patent number: 10982307
    Abstract: A method for operating a coating device for coating a metal strip. The corresponding coating device has an electromagnetic strip-stabilizing device having a plurality of electromagnetic actuators or coils for applying forces to the metal strip. In order to ensure that the strip-stabilizing device is operated only within the operating limits thereof, the magnitudes of the set currents for the actuators or the coils are compared with a specified current threshold value or the forces applied to the metal strip by the actuators are compared with a specified force threshold value and the correction roller is moved into such an adjustment position that the magnitudes of the set currents are below the current threshold value or the magnitudes of the forces are below the force threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: FONTAINE ENGINEERING UND MASCHINEN GMBH
    Inventors: Lutz Kümmel, Thomas Daube, Holger Behrens, Dominique Fontaine, Michael Zielenbach
  • Publication number: 20190194791
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for coating a metal strip with the aid of a coating device. Within the coating device, the strip first runs through a coating container with a liquid coating agent and then a stripping nozzle device for stripping off excess coating agent from the surface of the strip. After the stripping nozzle device, the strip typically runs through a strip stabilizing device with a plurality of magnets on both broad sides of the strip. A form control deviation is determined as the difference between a determined actual form of the strip and a specified desired form of the strip and this form control deviation is used for activating the magnets of the strip stabilizing device in order to transform the actual form of the strip into the desired form.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventors: Holger Behrens, Lutz Kümmel, Thomas Daube, Gernot Richter, Babak Taleb-Araghi, Pascal Fontaine, Michael Zielenbach
  • Publication number: 20190062887
    Abstract: A method for operating a coating device for coating a metal strip. The corresponding coating device has an electromagnetic strip-stabilizing device having a plurality of electromagnetic actuators or coils for applying forces to the metal strip. In order to ensure that the strip-stabilizing device is operated only within the operating limits thereof, the magnitudes of the set currents for the actuators or the coils are compared with a specified current threshold value or the forces applied to the metal strip by the actuators are compared with a specified force threshold value and the correction roller is moved into such an adjustment position that the magnitudes of the set currents are below the current threshold value or the magnitudes of the forces are below the force threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Lutz KÜMMEL, Thomas DAUBE, Holger BEHRENS, Dominique FONTAINE, Michael ZIELENBACH
  • Patent number: 8304029
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for hot-dip coating a metal strand (1), especially a steel strip, in which the metal strand (1) is vertically guided through a container (3) accommodating the molten coating metal (2) and through a guide channel (4) disposed upstream thereof. The inventive device comprises at least two inductors (5) disposed at both sides of the metal strand (1) in the area of the guide channel (4) that are used to generate an electromagnetic field for retaining the coating metal (2) in the container (3), and at least one sensor (6, 6?) for detecting the position (s) of the metal strand (1) in the area of the guide channel (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: SMS Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Rolf Brisberger, Bernhard Tenckhoff, Holger Behrens, Bodo Falkenhahn, Walter Trakowski, Michael Zielenbach, Robert Jürgens
  • Publication number: 20100285239
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of stabilizing a strip guided between stripping dies of a hot-dip coating installing and provided with a coating, and also to a corresponding hot-dip coating installation. In this context, stabilizing forces are applied to the strip on the basis of the detected strip position by coils which are arranged downstream of the stripping dies in the strip displacement direction and act electromagnetically and in a contactless manner on the displaceable steel strip. In order to improve the stabilization of the strip in the region of the stripping die, the invention proposes that the distance between the line of action of the strip-stabilizing means and the stripping dies be adjusted to a value?a distance threshold value which is determined as a function of the strip width taking into account a coefficient ?, wherein the coefficient ? is calculated as a function of the strip thickness and the strip tension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Inventors: Holger Behrens, Michael Zielenbach, Hans-Georg Hartung, Pascal Fontaine
  • Publication number: 20100112238
    Abstract: A method for hot dip coating a metal strand includes passing the metal strand vertically through a coating tank that contains molten coating metal and through a guide channel upstream of the coating tank. A electromagnetic field is generated by inductors on both sides of the metal strand and an electromagnetic field superposed on the electromagnetic field of the inductors is generated by supplementary coils on both sides of the metal strand. A center position of the metal strand in the guide channel is stabilized by: (a) measuring the position of the metal strand in the guide channel; (b) measuring the induced current in the inductors; (c) measuring the induced current in the supplementary coils; and (d) influencing the induced current in the supplementary coils as a function of all of the parameters measured in steps (a) to (c).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventors: Rolf Brisberger, Bernhard Tenckhoff, Holger Behrens, Bodo Falkenhahn, Walter Trakowski, Michael Zielenbach, Robert Jürgens
  • Publication number: 20100050937
    Abstract: A method for hot dip coating metal strip includes guiding the strip obliquely or vertically through a molten coating metal. The coating thickness is controlled after the strip has emerged from the coating bath, and thin metal strip, which has a tendency to vibrate, is sealed towards the bottom by an electromagnetic traveling field that acts as a sealing field while the coating is laterally guided to compensate for ferromagnetic attraction. The electromagnetic field of one or more main coils in each inductor generates the electromagnetic traveling field as a blocking field or as a pump field, and several correction fields are arranged within the magnet yoke surface. The correction fields are individually determined according to width levels of the metal strip and are distributed according to a production program, and the correction fields are activated by separate pieces of power supply equipment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Inventors: Holger Behrens, Rolf Brisberger, Bodo Falkenhahn, Hans Georg Hartung, Bernhard Tenckhoff, Walter Trakowski, Michael Zielenbach
  • Patent number: 7662438
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for hot-dip coating a metal strand (1), especially a steel strip, according to which the metal strand (1) is vertically guided through a container (3) accommodating the molten coating metal (2) and through a guide channel (4) disposed upstream thereof. An electromagnetic field is generated in the area of the guide channel (4) by means of at least two inductors (5) disposed at both sides of the metal strand (1) to retain the coating material (2) in the container (3). In order to stabilize the metal strand (1) in a center position in the guide channel (4), an electromagnetic field, superimposing the electromagnetic field of the inductors (5), is generated by means of at least two additional coils (6) disposed at both sides of the metal strand (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: SMS Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Rolf Brisberger, Bernhard Tenckhoff, Holger Behrens, Bodo Falkenhahn, Walter Trakowski, Michael Zielenbach, Robert Jürgens
  • Publication number: 20090280270
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the hot dip coating of a metal strip (1), in particular a steel strip, according to which the metal strip (1) is fed vertically through a container (3) that holds the molten coating metal (2) and a guide channel (4) that is connected upstream. According to the invention, to retain the coating metal (2) in the container (3) in the vicinity of the guide channel (4), an electromagnetic field is generated by means of at least two inductors (5) that are situated on either side of the metal strip (1) and to stabilise the metal strip (1) in a central position in the guide channel (4), the electromagnetic excitation of the inductors (5) is modified and/or an electromagnetic field that overlaps the electromagnetic field of the inductors (5) is generated by means of at least two correction coils (6) that are situated on either side of the metal strip (1). The aim of the invention is to control the centring of the metal strip in a manner that is not susceptible to interference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Inventors: Holger Behrens, Rolf Brisberger, Olaf Norman Jepsen, Michael Zielenbach
  • Patent number: 7601221
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for hot-dip coating a metal bar (1), particularly a steel strip, in which the metal bar (1) is vertically directed through a container (3) receiving the molten coating metal (2) and a directing channel (4) that is arranged upstream thereof. Said device comprises at least two inductors (5) which are disposed on both sides of the metal bar (1) in the zone of the directing channel (4) and generate an electromagnetic field for retaining the coating metal (2) within the container (3). In order to better control the coating process, the inventive device is characterized by a sealing means (7, 7?) which is arranged above the directing channel (4) in the bottom area (6) of the container (3) and alternatively releases or interrupts the flow of molten coating metal (2) to the metal bar (1) and/or the directing channel (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: SMS Demag AG
    Inventors: Rolf Brisberger, Bodo Falkenhahn, Holger Behrens, Michael Zielenbach, Bernhard Tenckhoff
  • Patent number: 7476276
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for hot dip coating a metal bar (1), especially a steel strip, in which the metal bar (1) is directed vertically through a container (3) accommodating the molten coating metal (2) and through a guide channel (4) mounted upstream thereof. The inventive device comprises at least two inductors (5) which are arranged on both sides of the metal bar (1) in the area of the guide channel (4) and generate an electromagnetic field for retaining the coating metal (2) inside the container (3). In order to relax the coating bath, the distance (d) between the walls (6) that delimit the guide channel (4) is not kept constant in a direction (N) extending perpendicular to the surface of the metal strip (1) in the zone (H) of the vertical extension of the guide channel (4), which is located between the bottom side (7) thereof and the bottom area (8) of the container (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: SMS Demag AG
    Inventors: Holger Behrens, Rolf Brisberger, Hans-Georg Hartung, Bernhard Tenckhoff, Walter Trakowski, Michael Zielenbach