JP6938402B2 - Heat treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus that supplies a medium for heat treatment, particularly a liquid medium, to an object to be treated.

A heat treatment apparatus for performing heat treatment on a metal part (object to be processed) or the like, for example, a gear, is known. In the quenching treatment, which is a kind of heat treatment, a cooling medium such as water is supplied to the object to be heated by high frequency heating or the like. In the heat treatment apparatus, the medium is carried to the object to be processed through the piping in the heat treatment apparatus. Here, a duct for transferring a gas is known, although it is not configured for transferring a medium for heat treatment (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The duct described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a guide member for guiding the flow of gas inside the U-shaped duct.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-163612

In the heat treatment apparatus for quenching treatment, due to the layout of the piping, the medium may be transferred in the horizontal direction and then exposed to the object to be processed while traveling in the vertical direction. In this case, the flow direction of the liquid cooling medium can be significantly changed from the horizontal portion to the vertical portion. Therefore, the flow of the cooling medium is disturbed at the position where the cooling medium advances vertically. Such turbulence causes turbulence of the cooling medium in the pipe when passing through the object to be processed. If the flow of the cooling medium exposed to the object to be processed is non-uniform, the cooling rate in each part of the object to be processed becomes non-uniform, and as a result, the strain of the object to be processed becomes large.

However, the configuration described in Cited Document 1 is not a configuration in which a medium is supplied to an object to be heat-treated, and no countermeasures against disturbance of the cooling medium at the time of being exposed to such an object to be treated are disclosed. No. Further, in the case of the configuration described in Cited Document 1, it is necessary to provide a large-scale flow rate adjusting duct on the front side (upstream side in the gas flow direction) of the guide member, and the heat treatment apparatus cannot be made compact.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heat treatment apparatus capable of making the distribution of the flow of the medium when the medium for heat treatment passes through the object to be treated more even.

( 1 ) In order to solve the above problems, the heat treatment apparatus according to a certain aspect of the present invention has an inlet pipe into which a medium for performing heat treatment on an object to be treated flows in, and a traveling direction of the medium in the inlet pipe. The inlet pipe is connected so that the medium travels in a second direction different from the first direction, and the outlet pipe in which the object to be processed is arranged and the traveling direction of the medium are set in the first direction. It is arranged in the outlet pipe to change to the second direction, and when the outlet pipe is viewed along the second direction, it is separated from the inner peripheral surface of the outlet pipe and is separated from the inner peripheral surface of the outlet pipe. A rectifying member arranged at a position advanced in the first direction from the outlet pipe side opening of the pipe is provided , and when the outlet pipe is viewed along the second direction, it is orthogonal to the first direction. In the width direction as a direction, a gap for passing the medium is formed between both ends of the rectifying member and the inner peripheral surface of the outlet pipe, and the rectifying member is formed on the bottom surface of the outlet pipe. The area wh of the surface of the first rectifying member facing the outlet pipe side opening side and the outlet pipe side of the inlet pipe. The shape index wh / d, which is the ratio of the opening area d at the opening, is set in the range of 0.5 to 6.4 .

According to this configuration, the rectifying member is separated from the inner peripheral surface of the outlet pipe when the outlet pipe is viewed along the second direction, and is separated from the outlet pipe side opening of the inlet pipe in the first direction. It is placed in an advanced location. With such a configuration, the medium that reaches the outlet pipe after traveling through the inlet pipe along the first direction bypasses the periphery of the rectifying member when the outlet pipe is viewed along the second direction. Proceed through the exit pipe and then along the second direction. As a result, the medium around the connection portion of the outlet pipe with the inlet pipe can be guided by the rectifying member so as to proceed in the second direction more smoothly. Therefore, the distribution of the flow of the medium traveling along the outlet pipe in the second direction (the distribution of the flow velocity in the cross section orthogonal to the second direction) can be made more even. As a result, the distribution of the flow of the medium when the medium for heat treatment passes through the object to be treated can be made more even. As a result, the degree to which the object to be treated arranged in the outlet pipe is heat-treated by the medium can be made more uniform in each part of the object to be processed. For example, when a metal object to be treated is quenched with a liquid medium such as water, each part of the object to be processed can be cooled more evenly, so that distortion of the object to be processed can be more reliably suppressed. Further, according to this configuration, the medium flows around the rectifying member so as to reach the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface of the outlet pipe through the gaps on both sides in the width direction of the rectifying member. As a result of such a smooth flow of the medium, the distribution of the flow of the medium flowing through the outlet pipe from the periphery of the rectifying member along the second direction can be made more even.

(2) pre-Symbol viewed along the first direction, the straightening member may overlap the entire area in the width direction and the outlet pipe side opening.

According to this configuration, the medium that travels straight in the first direction and reaches the outlet pipe from the inlet pipe may collide with the outlet pipe side opening of the inlet pipe and the opposite inner surface facing the first direction as it is. Instead, it will be once received by the rectifying member. With such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of turbulence with a large degree of turbulence at the outlet pipe, which is caused by the medium vigorously colliding with the opposing inner surfaces along the first direction.

( 3 ) The heat treatment apparatus may further include a drawing member which is arranged apart from the rectifying member in the second direction and narrows the area of the outlet pipe on a surface orthogonal to the second direction.

According to this configuration, the throttle member suppresses the instability of the flow of the medium while passing through the outlet pipe through the action of accelerating the flow of the medium. More specifically, the throttle member moves the dynamic pressure of the medium from a relatively low state to a high state so as to satisfy the continuity equation and Bernoulli's principle. As a result, the flow of the medium overcomes the resistance of the wall friction in the outlet pipe, and the occurrence of the backflow of the medium, which causes the fluid separation, is suppressed. As a result, vortices and fluid detachment that cause fluid noise can be suppressed by a simple mechanism. As a result, the flow velocity distribution in the second direction in the cross section orthogonal to the second direction becomes more uniform in the outlet pipe.

(4) the heat treatment apparatus may further include a second rectifier member that rectifies the medium flowing through the outlet pipe, along said second direction, said throttle member, said second rectifying members, and the object to be processed The objects are arranged in the order of arrangement positions, and the distance from the drawing member to the placement position of the object to be processed may be set shorter than the distance from the rectifying member to the drawing member.

According to this configuration, the medium having a sufficiently well-flowed area in the relatively long region between the rectifying member and the drawing member is given to the object to be processed after the flow is further adjusted by the second rectifying member. As a result, the distribution of the flow of the medium passing through the object to be processed can be made more even.

According to the present invention, the distribution of the flow of the medium when the medium for heat treatment passes through the object to be treated can be made more even.

It is a schematic and conceptual perspective view of a heat treatment apparatus, and is shown by cutting a part. FIG. 2A is a partial cross-sectional view of the main part of the heating device of the heat treatment device as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2B is a rear view of the cooling device of the heat treatment device. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2B, showing a cross section orthogonal to the transport direction of the object to be processed. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the main part of the medium supply part of a cooling device. It is sectional drawing which looked at the cooling device from the front side. 6 (A) and 6 (B) are diagrams for explaining the cooling process operation in the cooling device. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of a cooling operation in a cooling apparatus. FIG. 8A is a schematic graph for explaining a general quenching treatment, the upper graph shows the time course of the temperature of the object to be treated, and the lower graph shows the refrigerant. It shows the flow velocity. FIG. 8B is a schematic graph for explaining the quenching treatment when the flow velocity of the refrigerant is sufficiently high, and the upper graph shows the time course of the temperature of the object to be treated. The graph on the side shows the flow velocity of the refrigerant. FIG. 9A is a schematic graph for explaining an example of the quenching treatment when the flow velocity of the refrigerant is slow, and the upper graph shows the time course of the temperature of the object to be treated, and the lower graph shows the change with time. The graph on the side shows the flow velocity of the refrigerant. FIG. 9B is a schematic graph for explaining another example of the quenching treatment when the flow velocity of the refrigerant is slow, and the upper graph shows the time course of the temperature of the object to be treated. , The lower graph shows the flow velocity of the refrigerant. In this embodiment, it is a schematic graph for explaining an example of the quenching treatment when the flow velocity of the refrigerant is variable, and the upper graph shows the time course of the temperature of the object to be treated, and the lower graph shows the change with time. The graph on the side shows the flow velocity of the refrigerant. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for explaining the details of the refrigerant supply operation (step S2) to the object to be processed in the flowchart shown in FIG. 7. It is a schematic graph for demonstrating the example of the quenching treatment when the flow velocity of the refrigerant is variable in the modified example of 1st Embodiment, and the upper graph shows the time-dependent change of the temperature of the object to be processed. The lower graph shows the flow velocity of the refrigerant. 6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for explaining a detailed modification of the refrigerant supply operation (step S2) to the object to be processed in the flowchart shown in FIG. 7. It is a partial cross-sectional side view which shows the schematic structure of the cooling apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the main part of the cooling apparatus shown in FIG. 14, and shows the state which the main part was seen from the side. It is sectional drawing which shows the main part of a cooling device, and shows the state which the main part was seen from the heating device side. It is a top view which shows typically the bottom surface of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe, and the 1st rectifying member. FIG. 18A is a plan view of a main part of the modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. 18B shows the main part of another modification of the second embodiment. FIG. 18C shows the main part of yet another modification of the second embodiment. FIG. 18D shows a further modification of the second embodiment. FIG. 19A is a schematic side view showing the model of Comparative Example 1B and a schematic view showing the distribution of the refrigerant flow. FIG. 19B is a schematic side view showing the model of Example 1B and a schematic view showing the distribution of the refrigerant flow. FIG. 20A is a schematic side view showing the model of Example 2B and a schematic view showing the distribution of the refrigerant flow. FIG. 20B is a schematic side view showing the model of Example 3B and a schematic view showing the distribution of the refrigerant flow. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the shape index and the flow velocity variation ratio.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic and conceptual perspective view of the heat treatment apparatus 1, and is shown by cutting a part thereof. FIG. 2A is a partial cross-sectional view of the main part of the heating device 4 of the heat treatment device 1 as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2B is a rear view of the cooling device 6 of the heat treatment device 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2B, and shows a cross section orthogonal to the transport direction A1 of the object to be processed 100. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the main part of the medium supply part 22 of the cooling device 6. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cooling device 6 as viewed from the front side. 6 (A) and 6 (B) are diagrams for explaining the cooling process operation in the cooling device 6.

In the following, the horizontal direction X1 (transportation direction A1), the front-rear direction Y1, and the vertical direction Z1 are defined with reference to the state in which the heat treatment apparatus 1 is viewed from the front.

With reference to FIG. 1, the heat treatment apparatus 1 is provided for heat-treating the object to be treated 100. This heat treatment is a heat treatment and a cooling treatment. As an example of the heat treatment, carburizing heat treatment, soaking heat treatment and the like can be exemplified. Further, as the cooling treatment, a quenching treatment or the like can be exemplified. In the present embodiment, the quenching treatment will be described as an example of the heat treatment performed by the heat treatment apparatus 1. In the present embodiment, as the medium (refrigerant) used for the heat treatment, a polymer aqueous solution as a liquid refrigerant is used, but cooling water (tap water), quenching oil, or the like may be used. Further, a gas such as gas may be used as the refrigerant.

In the present embodiment, the object to be processed 100 is a metal part such as steel, for example, a gear. As the material of the object to be treated 100, a material that practically requires quenching treatment can be exemplified. Examples of such materials include SCM material (chrome molybdenum steel material), SCr material (chrome steel material), SNCM material (nickel chrome molybdenum steel material), and SUJ (high carbon chrome bearing steel material).

The heat treatment apparatus 1 suppresses variations in the cooling temperature in the object to be processed 100 by controlling the flow velocity of the refrigerant after heating, especially during cooling, in the quenching step. As a result, the strain (deformation) generated in the object to be processed 100 is made smaller. More specifically, the strain (deformation) generated in the object to be processed 100 is suppressed through the rectification of the refrigerant and the equalization of the flow velocity V of the refrigerant in the cooling device 6 described later of the heat treatment apparatus 1. In particular, in the thin (thin-walled) object 100 to be processed, it tends to be difficult to evenly cool each part of the object 100 to be processed even if the refrigerant is rectified. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the flow velocity control of the refrigerant is performed. Is also important.

The heat treatment device 1 includes a transfer tray 2, a first transfer mechanism 3, a heating device 4, an intermediate door unit 5, and a cooling device 6.

The transport tray 2 is a transport support member for supporting the object to be processed 100. In the present embodiment, the transport tray 2 is a member made of metal or carbon, and is repeatedly used in the heat treatment of the object 100 to be processed in the heat treatment apparatus 1. The transport tray 2 transports the object to be processed 100 along a predetermined transport direction A1 extending in the horizontal direction.

The transport tray 2 has a frame portion 2a and a support portion 2b.

The frame portion 2a is provided as a portion supported by the first transport mechanism 3. The frame portion 2a has, for example, a rectangular outer shape and is formed in a plate shape having a predetermined thickness. The frame portion 2a is formed in a size that can be accommodated in the heating device 4 and can be accommodated in the cooling device 6. A hole 2c (opening) is formed in the central portion of the frame portion 2a. The hole 2c is formed in a circular shape, for example, and penetrates the frame 2a in the thickness direction of the frame 2a. The hole 2c is provided in the heating device 4 for raising and lowering the object 100 to be processed, and is provided in the cooling device 6 for passing the refrigerant. The temperature of the refrigerant supplied by the cooling device 6 is about 20 ° C. to 25 ° C.

A plurality of beam-shaped support portions 2b extend from the inner peripheral portion of the hole portion 2c toward the center of the hole portion 2c. The support portion 2b is provided as a portion that supports the object to be processed 100. The tips of these support portions 2b are separated from each other so as not to hinder the lifting operation of the object to be processed 100 by the second transport mechanism 15 described later.

Further, each support portion 2b is provided with a positioning convex portion 2d for positioning (centering) the object to be processed 100. The convex portion 2d is arranged so as to receive the outer peripheral surface of the object to be processed 100, and extends upward. It is preferable that the object to be processed 100 is placed on the support portion 2b so as to make point contact or line contact. The support portion 2b functions as a rectifying member for rectifying the refrigerant in the medium passage 40 described later. In addition, batch processing may be performed by stacking a plurality of objects 100 to be processed on the transport tray 2.

The transport tray 2 having the above configuration is transported to the heating device 4 and the cooling device 6 along the transport direction A1 by the first transport mechanism 3.

The first transport mechanism 3 includes a heating chamber side transport unit 11, a cooling chamber side transport unit 12, and an intermediate transport unit 13 arranged between the heating chamber side transport unit 11 and the cooling chamber side transport unit 12. doing.

The heating chamber side transport unit 11 is provided for transporting the transport tray 2 in the heating chamber 7. Further, the cooling chamber side transport unit 12 is provided to transport the transport tray 2 that has passed through the heating chamber 7 in the cooling chamber 8. The intermediate transport unit 13 is provided in the intermediate door unit 5 to arrange the transport tray 2 along the transport direction A1. A more specific configuration of the first transport mechanism 3 will be described later.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 (A), the heating device 4 includes a heating chamber 7, a heating coil 14, and a second transfer mechanism 15.

The heating chamber 7 is configured to heat-treat the object to be processed 100 in a state of being evacuated by a vacuum pump (not shown).

The object to be processed 100 is arranged in the heating chamber 7 by the heating chamber side transport unit 11. The heating chamber side transport unit 11 is a belt conveyor type transport unit, and is configured to transport the transport tray 2 in the transport direction A1.

The heating coil 14 is arranged in the middle portion of the heating chamber 7 in the transport direction A1, and the second transport mechanism 15 is further arranged below the heating coil 14.

In the present embodiment, the heating coil 14 is arranged above the heating chamber side transport unit 11. The heating coil 14 is an induction heating coil in the present embodiment, and is configured to heat the object to be processed 100 by induction heating. By induction heating by the heating coil 14, the object to be processed 100 is heated to a predetermined quenching temperature Th.

The second transfer mechanism 15 is provided in the heating chamber 7 to move the object to be processed 100 up and down between the transfer tray 2 and the heating coil 14. In the heating chamber 7, the second transfer mechanism 15 lifts the object to be processed 100 through the hole 2c formed in the transfer tray 2, so that the object to be processed 100 is lifted to the heating coil 14 without lifting the transfer tray 2. The transport tray 2 and the object to be processed 100 after the heat treatment are transported to the intermediate door unit 5 side by the heating chamber side transport unit 11.

The intermediate door unit 5 is in a state in which the outlet 7h formed on the outlet wall 7b of the heating chamber 7 and the inlet 8g formed on the inlet wall 8a of the cooling chamber 8 are airtightly and liquidtightly sealed. It is configured so that it can be closed with a door, and these outlets 7h and 8g can be opened.

The outlet 7h of the exit wall 7b is opened and closed by the intermediate door 16 of the intermediate door unit 5. The object to be processed 100 that has passed through the heating chamber 7 with the intermediate door 16 open is transported into the cooling chamber 8 by the intermediate transport unit 13.

The intermediate transport unit 13 includes a belt conveyor type transport mechanism and is arranged in the cooling chamber 8. The object to be processed 100 transported into the cooling chamber 8 by the intermediate transport unit 13 is further transported in the cooling chamber 8 by the cooling chamber side transport unit 12, and is further cooled by the cooling device 6.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, in the cooling device 6, the object to be processed 100 heated by the heating device 4 is immersed in the refrigerant. As a result, a vapor film of the refrigerant is generated around the object 100 to be processed, then the refrigerant boils, and then the refrigerant causes convection. With this configuration, the object to be processed 100 is cooled.

The cooling device 6 includes a cooling chamber 8, an outlet door unit 21 including an outlet door 20, a medium supply unit 22, and a vertical displacement mechanism 23.

The cooling chamber 8 is arranged adjacent to the heating chamber 7 in order to cool the object to be processed 100. The cooling chamber 8 is formed in a vertically long substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. The cooling chamber 8 has an inlet wall 8a, an outlet wall 8b, a front wall 8c, a rear wall 8d, a top wall 8e, and a bottom wall 8f.

The entrance wall 8a is a wall portion extending vertically. An entrance 8g is formed in the entrance wall 8a, and a frame portion 5a of the intermediate door unit 5 is fixed to the entrance 8g. The object to be processed 100 that has passed through the frame portion 5a of the intermediate door unit 5 advances toward the downstream side of the cooling chamber 8 in the transport direction A1. The outlet wall 8b is formed with an outlet 8h for carrying out the object to be processed 100 from the cooling chamber 8. The exit 8h is opened and closed by the exit door 20.

The medium supply unit 22 is provided for taking in the refrigerant from the outside of the cooling chamber 8 into the cooling chamber 8 and immersing the object to be processed 100 with the refrigerant. The medium supply unit 22 is configured so that the flow velocity V of the refrigerant to the object to be processed 100 can be changed by electronic control. In the present embodiment, the medium supply unit 22 supplies the refrigerant to the object to be processed 100 stationary on the transport tray 2 at predetermined flow velocities V1 and V2.

The medium supply unit 22 includes a medium supply setting unit 24 and a medium passage forming body 25.

The medium supply setting unit 24 is provided to set the amount of the refrigerant supplied to the medium passage forming body 25 (object 100 to be processed). In the present embodiment, the medium supply setting unit 24 sets the flow velocity V of the refrigerant in the outlet pipe 42 described later of the medium passage forming body 25. The medium supply setting unit 24 may set the flow rate of the refrigerant in the outlet pipe 42 (the amount of the refrigerant passing through the outlet pipe 42 per unit time).

The medium supply setting unit 24 is a fourth unit through which the pump 26, the supply pipe 27 connected to the pump 26, the parallel pipe unit 28 provided in the middle of the supply pipe 27, and the refrigerant flowing from the parallel pipe unit 28 pass. It has a control valve 34 and a control unit 29.

The pump 26 is, for example, an electric pump. The pump 26 is connected to the refrigerant tank 30 and the supply pipe 27, and transports the refrigerant stored in the refrigerant tank 30 to the supply pipe 27. The electric motor of the pump 26 is controlled by the control unit 29 by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control or the like. By this control, the pump 26 is controlled so that the rotation speed of the electric motor, that is, the flow rate of the pump 26 becomes a predetermined value.

A parallel pipe portion 28 is provided on the downstream side of the pump 26 in the flow direction of the refrigerant in the supply pipe 27. The parallel pipe portion 28 is provided to adjust the flow velocity V of the medium supplied to the outlet pipe 42.

The parallel pipe portion 28 has a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) parallel portions, and in the present embodiment, the parallel pipe portion 28 has a first portion 28a, a second portion 28b, and a third portion 28c. doing.

The first portion 28a is provided as a baseline in the present embodiment, and is a line that is always open when the refrigerant is supplied to the supply pipe 27. The second portion 28b and the third portion 28c are portions through which the refrigerant is passed when the flow velocity V of the refrigerant supplied from the supply pipe 27 to the outlet pipe 42 is set to be relatively high.

The first portion 28a has a first control valve 31 and a first sluice valve 35. The second portion 28b has a second control valve 32 and a second sluice valve 36. The third portion 28c has a third control valve 33 and a third sluice valve 37.

The first to third control valves 31 to 33 are solenoid valves through which the refrigerant passes, respectively. The opening degrees of these control valves 31 to 33 are individually set by the control unit 29. The sluice valves 35 to 37 are manual valves in this embodiment and are usually fully opened.

The total flow rate of the refrigerant in the first portion 28a, the second portion 28b, and the third portion 28c is appropriately set by the control of the first to third control valves 31 to 33 by the control unit 29.

A fourth control valve 34 is provided on the downstream side of the parallel pipe portion 28 in the flow direction of the refrigerant in the supply pipe 27. The fourth control valve 34 is provided to switch on / off the supply of the refrigerant to the outlet pipe 42. The fourth control valve 34 is a solenoid valve through which the refrigerant passes, and the opening degree is set by the control unit 29.

The pump 26 and each control valve 31 to 34 are controlled by the control unit 29 as described above. In the present embodiment, the control unit 29 is one element of the medium supply unit 22, but may be provided as a separate element from the medium supply unit 22. The control unit 29 has a configuration for outputting a predetermined output signal based on a predetermined input signal, and can be formed by using, for example, a safety programmable controller or the like. The safety programmable controller means a publicly certified programmable controller having the safety function of SIL2 or SIL3 of JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) C 0508-1. The control unit 29 may be formed by using a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a ROM (Read Only Memory).

The downstream end of the supply pipe 27 in the flow direction of the supply pipe 27 is connected to the inlet pipe 41 of the medium passage forming body 25, which will be described later.

The medium passage forming body 25 is a unit for forming a medium passage 40 that supplies a predetermined refrigerant to the object 100 to be processed. That is, the refrigerant supply unit 22 includes a medium passage 40 in which the object to be processed 100 is installed and the refrigerant passes through. The medium passage forming body 25 extends from the outside to the inside of the cooling chamber 8.

The medium passage forming body 25 includes an inlet pipe 41, an outlet pipe 42, and a transport tray 2.

The refrigerant in the medium passage 40 travels along the first direction D1 as a horizontal direction along the front-rear direction Y1 in the inlet pipe 41, reaches the lower end of the outlet pipe 42 from the inlet pipe 41, and is vertical in the outlet pipe 42. It proceeds along the second direction D2 (vertical direction Z1) which is the upward direction.

The inlet pipe 41 is a pipe into which a refrigerant for performing a heat treatment (quenching treatment) on the object to be processed 100 flows in, and the refrigerant is introduced into the cooling chamber 8 from the outside of the cooling chamber 8. The inlet pipe 41 is a cylindrical pipe extending horizontally along the front-rear direction Y1. The inner diameter D41 of the inlet pipe 41 is set to be less than the inner diameter D42 of the outlet pipe 42 (D41 <D42). In the present embodiment, the inlet pipe 41 extends from the rear to the front of the cooling chamber 8. One end of the inlet pipe 41 is arranged outside the cooling chamber 8. The intermediate portion of the inlet pipe 41 penetrates the rear wall 8d of the cooling chamber 8.

The outlet side opening 41a as the other end of the inlet pipe 41 is connected to the lower member 43 of the outlet pipe 42, which will be described later. With this configuration, the inside of the inlet pipe 41 is open to the inside of the outlet pipe 42. The refrigerant that has entered the inlet pipe 41 from the supply pipe 27 travels along the first direction D1, which is the extending direction of the inlet pipe 41. That is, the first direction D1 is the traveling direction of the refrigerant in the inlet pipe 41. In the cross section orthogonal to the first direction D1, the connection portion of the supply pipe 27 with the inlet pipe 41 and the inlet pipe 41 are aligned so that the medium in the inlet pipe 41 has a more uniform flow velocity distribution. It is preferable to be

In the present embodiment, the outlet pipe 42 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The outlet pipe 42 may be a pipe member having a polygonal cross section such as a quadrangular cross section.

The outlet pipe 42 includes a lower member 43 and an upper member 44 as a plurality of refrigerant passage forming members. The transport tray 2 is arranged between the lower member 43 and the upper member 44 when the object to be processed 100 is cooled. That is, in the present embodiment, the transport tray 2 has both a function of transporting the object to be processed 100 and a function of forming a part of the medium passage 40, and has an inlet pipe 41, a lower member 43, and an upper side. The medium passage 40 is formed in cooperation with the member 44 (outlet pipe 42). It can be said that the transport tray 2 constitutes a part of the outlet pipe 42. The inner diameter D42 of the outlet pipe 42 is set to be larger than the diameter D100 (outer diameter) of the object to be processed 100.

In the present embodiment, the lower member 43, the transport tray 2, and the upper member 44 of the outlet pipe 42 are relatively displaced so as to approach each other along the vertical direction Z1 (intersection direction) intersecting the transport direction A1. The medium passage 40 is formed in a state where the object to be processed 100 is accommodated, and the medium passage 40 is relatively displaced so as to be separated from each other along the vertical direction Z1 so as to be separated from each other along the transport direction A1 with respect to the medium passage 40. It is configured to allow the material to be processed 100 to be taken in and out. The medium passage 40 is provided in the cooling chamber 8 to supply the refrigerant to the object to be processed 100.

The outlet pipe 42 is formed by stacking the lower member 43, the transport tray 2, and the upper member 44 in this order. Then, the transport tray 2 and the upper member 44 are displaced upward with respect to the lower member 43, so that the outlet pipe 42 is divided, and the transport tray 2 and the object to be processed 100 placed on the transport tray 2 are passed through the medium passage. It can be taken in and out for 40.

The outlet pipe 42 is connected to the inlet pipe 41 so that the refrigerant travels in the second direction D2 (vertically upward in the present embodiment), which is different from the first direction D1, and is inside the outlet pipe 42. The object to be processed 100 is arranged. After passing through the inlet pipe 41, the refrigerant enters the lower end of the outlet pipe 42 from the outlet side opening 41a of the inlet pipe 41 while proceeding in the first direction D1 and directs in the second direction D2 at the lower end. It is changed and proceeds in the second direction D2 in the outlet pipe 42.

The lower member 43 is provided as a cylindrical pipe extending upward from the bottom wall 8f of the cooling chamber 8. The lower member 43 is a cylindrical tube extending along the vertical direction Z1 and has a constant inner diameter. The lower end of the lower member 43 has a closed shape. In the vertical direction Z1, the height position of the bottom surface of the lower member 43, that is, the bottom surface 42a of the outlet pipe 42, is aligned with the height position of the bottom portion 41b of the inlet pipe 41. That is, there is no step between the bottom portion 41b of the inlet pipe 41 and the bottom surface 42a of the outlet pipe 42.

A step may be formed between the bottom portion 41b of the inlet pipe 41 and the bottom surface 42a of the outlet pipe 42. In this case, the height position of the bottom surface 42a of the outlet pipe 42 may be higher or lower than the height position of the bottom portion 41b of the inlet pipe 41.

The inner diameter of the lower member 43 is also the inner diameter of the outlet pipe 42, and is larger than the inner diameter D41 of the inlet pipe 41. The height of the lower member 43 is set to be larger than the inner diameter of the lower member 43, and the flow of the refrigerant traveling in the second direction D2 in the lower member 43 becomes larger as it advances to the downstream side of the second direction D2. It will be evenly distributed. The height position of the upper end portion of the lower member 43 is set in the vicinity of the predetermined cooling position P1. In other words, the upper end portion of the lower member 43 is arranged in the vicinity of the cooling chamber side transport portion 12, and is located below the transport tray 2. An annular flange portion 43a is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the upper end portion of the lower member 43. An annular groove is formed on the upper surface of the flange portion 43a, and an annular sealing member such as an O-ring is fitted in the annular groove. The frame portion 2a of the transport tray 2 is placed on the flange portion 43a of the lower member 43. Further, the upper member 44 is placed on the frame portion 2a of the transport tray 2.

The upper member 44 is provided as a cylindrical movable tube extending in the vertical direction Z1. The inner diameter of the upper member 44 is set to be the same as the inner diameter of the lower member 43 and the inner diameter of the hole 2c of the transport tray 2. With this configuration, when the upper member 44, the transport tray 2, and the lower member 43 are overlapped to form the outlet pipe 42, a step is substantially not generated on the inner peripheral surface of the outlet pipe 42. An annular flange portion 44a is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the lower end portion of the upper member 44.

An annular groove is formed on the lower surface of the flange portion 44a, and an annular sealing member such as an O-ring is fitted in the annular groove. The flange portion 44a of the upper member 44 is pressed against the upper surface of the frame portion 2a of the transport tray 2. When the object to be processed 100 is cooled, the upper member 44 surrounds the object to be processed 100 over the entire circumference. In the present embodiment, the length of the upper member 44 in the vertical direction Z1 is set to be equal to or less than the inner diameter D42 of the outlet pipe 42, but may be longer than the inner diameter D42. The height position of the upper end portion 44b of the upper member 44 is set higher than the height position of the object to be processed 100 at the time of heat treatment of the object to be processed 100. The upper member 44 is supported by a rod 47 of the fluid pressure cylinder 46 via a bracket 45, and moves up and down according to the displacement of the rod 47. The fluid pressure cylinder 46 is supported by the top wall 8e of the cooling chamber 8. The refrigerant that has passed through the upper member 44 of the outlet pipe 42 is discharged to the outside of the outlet pipe 42 in the cooling chamber 8. The refrigerant discharged to the outside of the outlet pipe 42 is discharged to the outside of the cooling chamber 8 through the discharge pipe 48.

The discharge pipe 48 is formed at the lower end of the rear wall 8d of the cooling chamber 8 at a position adjacent to the inlet pipe 41, and is continuous with the inside and the outside of the cooling chamber 8. The discharge pipe 48 is connected to a drain tank (not shown) and is stored in this drain tank.

The transport tray 2 is transported by the cooling chamber side transport unit 12 to a predetermined transport position P2 located between the upper member 44 and the lower member 43.

The cooling chamber side transport unit 12 is arranged in the cooling chamber 8. The cooling chamber side transport unit 12 is a belt conveyor type transport mechanism.

The cooling chamber side transport unit 12 is rotated by a cooling chamber side motor 51 which is an electric motor attached to the cooling chamber 8, an output transmission member 52 for transmitting the output of the cooling chamber side motor 51, and an output transmission member 52. It has a drive shaft 53 and a driven shaft 54, and a pair of chains 55 and 55 arranged inside the cooling chamber 8 that displace the transport tray 2 in the transport direction A1 by receiving power from the output transmission member 52. There is. Then, a chain unit 56 including a drive shaft 53, a driven shaft 54, and chains 55, 55 is formed. The chain unit 56 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction Z1 and can be displaced to the transport position P2 and the cooling position P1. As a result, the transport tray 2 can be displaced downward toward the cooling position P1 when the transport tray 2 is coupled to the upper member 44 and the lower member 43, and the transport tray 2 is displaced below the upper member 44 and the lower member 43. When the coupling with the side member 43 is released, it can be displaced upward toward the transport position P2.

The output transmission member 52 is a shaft-shaped member having a pair of universal joints. Since the output transmission member 52 has a pair of universal joints, the relative positions of one end and the other end of the output transmission member 52 can be changed.

A drive shaft 53 is connected to the output transmission member 52. A driven shaft 54 is arranged in parallel with the drive shaft 53. A lower member 43 is arranged between the drive shaft 53 and the driven shaft 54. A sprocket is integrally rotatably connected to a pair of ends of a drive shaft 53 in the front-rear direction Y1 and a pair of ends of a driven shaft 54 in the front-rear direction Y1. Then, the chains 55 and 55 are wound around a pair of sprockets arranged in the transport direction A1. The chains 55 and 55 are arranged apart from each other in the front-rear direction Y1 so that the frame portion 2a of the transport tray 2 can be placed on the chains 55 and 55. Further, the upper end portion of the lower member 43 is arranged between the chains 55 and 55.

With the above configuration, the output transmission member 52 rotates with the driving of the cooling chamber side motor 51, and this rotation is transmitted to the drive shaft 53. Then, the drive shaft 53 drives the chains 55 and 55 to rotate the driven shaft 54. As a result, the transport trays 2 on the pair of chains 55, 55 move in the transport direction A1.

Next, the outline of the cooling operation in the cooling device 6 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the cooling operation in the cooling device 6. In the following, when the explanation is made with reference to the flowchart, the drawings other than the flowchart will be described as appropriate.

With reference to FIG. 7, when the object to be processed 100 is cooled in the cooling device 6, the object to be processed 100 is first accommodated in the outlet pipe 42 (step S1).

In the operation in step S1, as shown in FIG. 3, when the transport tray 2 reaches the predetermined transport position P2, the chain 55 stops with the stop of the cooling chamber side motor 51, and the transport tray 2 moves to the transport position P2. Stop. Next, the rod 47 of the fluid pressure cylinder 46 is displaced downward. As a result, the upper member 44 is displaced. The chain unit 56 is displaced downward in conjunction with the downward movement of the upper member 44, and the chain unit 56 reaches the cooling position P1 as shown in FIGS. 4, 6 (A) and 6 (B). .. At this time, the transport tray 2 is received by the lower member 43.

As the upper member 44 is displaced downward, the upper member 44 pressurizes the transport tray 2 downward. Then, the transport tray 2 is sandwiched between the lower member 43 and the upper member 44, and the outlet pipe 42 (medium passage 40) is formed by the lower member 43, the transport tray 2, and the upper member 44. NS. That is, the object to be processed 100 is housed in the outlet pipe 42.

The medium passage 40 is an L-shaped passage. The medium passage 40 is formed by the inner peripheral surface of the inlet pipe 41 and the inner peripheral surface 42c of the outlet pipe 42, and is opened upward in the cooling chamber 8. With this configuration, the downstream end portion (upper end portion 44b of the upper member 44) of the medium passage 40 in the flow direction of the refrigerant is opened to the outside of the medium passage 40 set to a pressure lower than the pressure in the medium passage 40. There is.

In the medium passage 40, the refrigerant is flowed from the lower side to the upper side toward the object to be processed 100 supported by the transport tray 2 (step S2). The second direction D2 in the region of the medium passage 40 in which the object to be processed 100 is installed is from the lower side to the upper side in the vertical direction. More specifically, the operation in step S2 will be described. Driving the pump 26 set to a predetermined rotation speed while the opening degree of the first control valve 31 to the fourth control valve 34 is set by the control unit 29. The refrigerant passes through the supply pipe 27. The refrigerant that has passed through the supply pipe 27 passes through the inlet pipe 41 along the first direction D1 and reaches the outlet pipe 42 through the outlet side opening 41a. The refrigerant that has reached the outlet pipe 42 turns in the second direction D2 and rises in the outlet pipe 42.

The refrigerant immerses the stationary object 100 supported by the transport tray 2 when passing through the outlet pipe 42, and cools the object 100 to be processed. After reaching the upper end of the medium passage 40 (the upper end portion 44b of the upper member 44), the refrigerant is discharged to the outside of the medium passage 40 and then falls toward the bottom wall 8f of the cooling chamber 8. The refrigerant that has fallen on the bottom wall 8f of the cooling chamber 8 is discharged from the discharge pipe 48 to the outside of the cooling chamber 8. In step S2, the flow velocity V of the refrigerant in the medium passage 40 is controlled by the control unit 29, so that the variation in the thermal strain of the object to be processed 100 can be reduced.

After the supply of the refrigerant to the object to be processed 100 is completed in step S2, the object to be processed 100 is carried out from the outlet pipe 42 (step S3). Specifically, the rod 47 of the fluid pressure cylinder 46 of the vertical displacement mechanism 23 is displaced upward as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. As a result, the upper member 44 is displaced upward. With the displacement of the upper member 44, the chain unit 56 rises from the cooling position P1 to the transport position P2. As a result, the transport tray 2 is returned to the transport position P2 and can move along the transport direction A1.

Next, the cooling chamber side motor 51 is driven to rotate the chains 55 and 55 of the chain unit 56, and the transport tray 2 moves to the outlet door 20 side. Then, when the outlet door 20 is opened, the transport tray 2 and the object to be processed 100 are carried out from the cooling chamber 8.

[Explanation of state during cooling process in quenching process]
FIG. 8A is a schematic graph for explaining a general quenching treatment, the upper graph shows the time course of the temperature of the object to be treated 100, and the lower graph shows the refrigerant. The flow velocity V of is shown. With reference to FIG. 8A, in the quenching treatment of the object to be processed 100, the object to be processed 100 is heated to the quenching temperature Th and then cooled by the refrigerant. At the time of cooling, the flow velocity V = a predetermined value Vα, and the object to be treated 100 usually goes through three stages of (1) steam film stage, (2) boiling stage, and (3) convection stage.

The vapor film step (1) is a step immediately after the high-temperature object 100 to be treated is immersed in the refrigerant, and a vapor film of the refrigerant is generated around the object 100 to be processed. This stage has the slowest cooling rate among the above three stages. After passing through this vapor film step, the process proceeds to the boiling step of (2) above. In the boiling stage, bubbles are violently generated from the refrigerant on the surface of the object to be treated 100, and the cooling rate is the fastest among the above three stages. Then, when the surface temperature of the object to be treated 100 reaches about 400 ° C., the process shifts to the convection step of (3) above. In the convection stage, the object to be treated 100 is cooled at a relatively slow cooling rate. In such a heat treatment, the time from when the object to be treated 100 starts to be immersed in the refrigerant until the entire object to be processed 100 is immersed in the refrigerant becomes long, and as a result, the degree of cooling of each part of the object to be processed 100 is increased. Becomes non-uniform. Therefore, the strain generated in the object to be processed 100 becomes large.

On the other hand, when the flow velocity V of the refrigerant when the refrigerant is immersed in the object to be processed 100 is set to a flow velocity Vβ sufficiently larger than that in the case of the above general treatment shown in FIG. The process shown in FIG. 8B is followed. FIG. 8B is a schematic graph for explaining the quenching treatment when the flow velocity of the refrigerant is sufficiently high, and the upper graph shows the time course of the temperature of the object to be treated 100. The lower graph shows the flow velocity V of the refrigerant. As shown in FIG. 8B, even if a steam film is generated around the object to be processed 100 as a result of the refrigerant colliding vigorously with the object to be processed 100 due to a sufficiently high flow velocity V of the refrigerant, the vapor is generated. The membrane collapses (breaks) instantly. In this way, the time from when the object to be treated 100 starts to be immersed in the refrigerant until the entire object to be processed 100 is immersed in the refrigerant can be shortened. However, when the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is high, the mass effect that the quenching effect changes depending on the size of the object to be processed 100 cannot be ignored. As a result, in the convection stage, the cooling rate of the object to be processed 100 varies depending on the shape of the object to be processed 100 as shown in the graphs Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3, and the plurality of objects 100 to be processed are uniformly cooled. It's hard to do.

On the other hand, when the flow velocity V of the refrigerant when supplying (spraying) the refrigerant to the object to be processed 100 is a flow velocity Vγ smaller than the flow velocity Vα in the case of the general treatment, the object to be processed 100 is shown in FIG. Follow the process shown in A). FIG. 9A is a schematic graph for explaining an example of the quenching treatment when the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is slow, and the upper graph shows the time course of the temperature of the object to be treated 100. The lower graph shows the flow velocity V of the refrigerant. As shown in FIG. 9A, when the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is slow, the timing at which the refrigerant starts to come into contact with the object 100 to be processed tends to vary from object to object 100 to object 100. As a result, in the boiling stage, the cooling rate in the object to be processed 100 becomes non-uniform, and the object to be processed 100 is distorted.

FIG. 9B is a schematic graph for explaining another example of the quenching treatment when the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is slow, and the upper graph shows the time course of the temperature of the object to be treated 100. The lower graph shows the flow velocity V of the refrigerant. As shown in FIG. 9B, when the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is slow, especially when the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is slow, there are places where the vapor film is not broken even by the force of the flow of the refrigerant. Occurs. As a result, the cooling mode of the object to be processed 100 by the refrigerant is not uniform (the vapor film collapse cannot be controlled), the cooling rate in the object to be processed 100 becomes non-uniform, and the object to be processed 100 is distorted. It ends up.

Regarding the above-mentioned cooling of the object to be treated 100, in particular, when the object to be processed 100 is steel, the factors influencing the deformation in cooling are the heat shrinkage of the object to be processed 100 due to cooling and the martensite of the object to be processed 100. It is possible to increase the transformation expansion accompanying the transformation. Then, by optimizing these heat shrinkage / transformation expansion, the object to be processed 100 is uniformly cooled, and the strain of the object to be processed 100 can be made smaller.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the cooling device 6 suppresses the strain generated when the object to be processed 100 is cooled by changing the flow velocity V of the refrigerant according to the cooling stage of the object to be processed 100. FIG. 10 is a schematic graph for explaining an example of the quenching treatment in which the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is variable in the present embodiment, and the upper graph shows the change with time of the temperature of the object to be treated 100. The lower graph shows the flow velocity V of the refrigerant.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 10, in this embodiment, the control unit 29 controls at least one of the pump 26 and the control valves 31 to 34. As a result, the control unit 29 sets the flow velocity V of the refrigerant to the predetermined first flow velocity V1 in the predetermined first step when the object to be processed 100 is cooled, and the second step after the first step during cooling. In the two steps, the flow velocity V is set to the second flow velocity V2, which is lower than the first flow velocity V1. In the present embodiment, the flow velocity V at the start of immersion of the object to be processed 100 in the refrigerant is set to the first flow velocity V1, and the flow velocity V when the refrigerant causes convection around the object to be processed 100 is set to the second flow velocity. Set to V2.

For example, the control unit 29 opens all of the first to fourth control valves 31 to 34 when the first flow velocity is V1, and opens the first control valve 31 and the fourth control valve 34 when the second flow velocity is V2. The 2 control valve 32 and the 3rd control valve 33 are closed. The control unit 29 sets the flow velocity V to the first flow velocity V1 or the second flow velocity V2 by controlling the rotation speed of the pump 26 with the first to third control valves 31 to 33 open. May be good.

The first step is from the start of supplying the refrigerant to the inlet pipe 41 to at least the entire object 100 on the transport tray 2 being immersed in the refrigerant, during which the flow velocity V is the first flow velocity V1. Is set to be. In particular, in the present embodiment, when the cooling of the object to be processed 100 shifts from the boiling stage to the convection stage, the first stage (first flow velocity V1) shifts to the second stage (second flow velocity V2). That is, the control unit 29 sets the flow velocity V to the first flow velocity V1 until convection of the refrigerant is generated around the object to be processed 100.

The first flow velocity V1 is set to be twice or more the second flow velocity V2, and in the present embodiment, it is set to five times. In other words, V1 ≧ 2 × V2 is set, and in this embodiment, V1 = 5 × V2 is set. By setting the first flow velocity V1 to a sufficiently large value in this way, the vapor film formed around the object to be processed 100 can be rapidly disintegrated by the kinetic energy of the refrigerant. Therefore, in the graph shown in FIG. 10, the vapor film step does not substantially occur. That is, at the same time when the object 100 to be treated begins to be immersed in the refrigerant, the formation and collapse of the vapor film occur instantly. As a result, the timing of breaking the vapor film, which causes the cooling rate to be slow and the cooling to be unstable, can be made earlier, and more even cooling of each part of the object to be processed 100 can be promoted. Then, substantially at the same time that the object to be processed 100 begins to be immersed in the refrigerant, the entire object to be processed 100 is immersed in the refrigerant, and the process shifts to the boiling stage. In this boiling stage, the flow velocity V is constant at the first flow velocity V1.

Then, when the boiling of the refrigerant around the object to be processed 100 has subsided and the process shifts to the convection stage, the control unit 29 controls at least one of the pump 26 and the control valves 31 to 34 to set the flow velocity V to the second. Change to the flow velocity V2. By switching the flow velocity V from the first flow velocity V1 to the lower second flow velocity V2, the cooling rate of the object to be processed 100 can be slowed down when the object to be processed 100 in the convection stage is cooled. By such gentle cooling, it is possible to suppress the influence of the flow of the refrigerant on the cooling of the object to be processed 100. As a result, the entire object 100 to be processed can be cooled more evenly in the convection stage. The second step is continued until the object 100 to be processed reaches a predetermined cooling completion temperature Te.

The flow velocities V1 and V2, the time L1 at which the first stage is executed, and the time L2 at which the second stage is executed are set (stored) in advance in the memory in the control unit 29, respectively.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for explaining the details of the refrigerant supply operation (step S2) to the object to be processed 100 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 7. With reference to FIGS. 4, 10 and 11, when supplying the refrigerant to the object to be processed 100, the control unit 29 first controls at least one of the pump 26 and each of the control valves 31 to 34 to outlet the control unit 29. The flow velocity V of the refrigerant passing through the pipe 42 is set to the first flow velocity V1 (step S21). Then, after the lapse of time L1 from the start of supplying the refrigerant to the object 100 to the execution of the first step, the control unit 29 controls at least one of the pump 26 and each of the control valves 31 to 34 to exit the outlet. The flow velocity V of the refrigerant passing through the pipe 42 is reduced to the second flow velocity V2 (step S22). Then, after the lapse of the time L2 at which the second step is executed, the control unit 29 closes the control valve 34 to stop the supply of the refrigerant to the outlet pipe 42 (step S23).

As described above, according to the cooling device 6 of the heat treatment apparatus 1, in the first step at the time of cooling the object to be processed 100, the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is set to the first flow velocity V1 as a high velocity. In other words, according to the cooling device 6, at the time when the object to be processed 100 is immersed in the refrigerant at the start of cooling the object to be processed 100, the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is set to the first flow velocity V1 as a high velocity. Therefore, the object to be treated 100 can be quickly immersed in the refrigerant. As a result, the timing at which the object to be processed 100 begins to come into contact with the refrigerant can be made more even at each portion of the surface of the object to be processed 100. As a result, each part of the object to be processed 100 can be cooled more evenly. Further, the refrigerant is applied to the object to be processed 100 at a high speed (first flow velocity V1), so that the vapor film formed around the object to be processed 100 can be broken at the vapor film stage. Therefore, it is possible to quickly shift from the steam film stage where the cooling rate of the object 100 to be processed is slow and the cooling state is unstable to the boiling stage where the cooling rate is more stable. In this way, by setting the speed at which the refrigerant is supplied to the object to be processed 100 to the first flow velocity V1, each part of the object to be processed 100 can be cooled more evenly in the first step (steam film step and boiling step). Further, by setting the flow velocity V of the refrigerant in the second stage (convection stage) to the second flow velocity V2, it is possible to suppress the variation in the cooling degree of the object to be processed 100 due to the flow of the refrigerant in the convection stage. Therefore, even in the second stage, each part of the object to be processed 100 can be cooled more evenly. Further, the refrigerant is supplied to the stationary object 100 to be processed. As a result, the timing at which each part of the object to be treated 100 starts to come into contact with the refrigerant can be made more even. As a result of being able to cool the object to be processed 100 more evenly in both the first stage and the second stage, it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of distortion in the object to be processed 100.

Further, according to the cooling device 6, the yield of the object to be processed 100 can be further increased as a result of being able to more reliably suppress the occurrence of distortion in the object to be processed 100. Further, since the thermal strain of the object to be processed 100 is small, the work for correcting this thermal strain can be reduced or omitted. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the object to be processed 100 can be further reduced.

Further, according to the cooling device 6, the control unit 29 sets the flow velocity V of the period L1 including at least the time when the vapor film is generated after the immersion of the object 100 to be treated in the refrigerant is started to the first flow velocity V1. do. According to this configuration, the vapor film generated around the object to be processed 100 can be broken more quickly with a refrigerant having a sufficient flow rate V1.

Further, according to the cooling device 6, the control unit 29 sets the flow velocity V to the first flow velocity V1 at least until the entire object 100 to be processed is immersed in the refrigerant. According to this configuration, the timing at which the refrigerant starts contacting the object to be processed 100 can be made more uniform in each part of the object to be processed 100.

Further, according to the cooling device 6, the control unit 29 sets the flow velocity V to the first flow velocity V1 from the start of supplying the refrigerant to the outlet pipe 42 to the start of the generation of convection. According to this configuration, the state in which the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is high can be maintained at the stage where it is preferable that the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is high.

Further, according to the cooling device 6, the control unit 29 sets the flow velocity V by controlling at least one of the pump 26 and the control valves 31 to 34. With this configuration, it is possible to realize a configuration for controlling the flow velocity by the control unit 29.

Further, according to the cooling device 6, the upper end portion 44b of the upper member 44, which is the downstream end portion of the medium passage 40 in the flow direction of the refrigerant, is outside the medium passage 40 set to a pressure lower than the pressure inside the medium passage 40. It is open to the public. According to this configuration, in the medium passage 40, the pressure of the refrigerant that has passed through the object 100 to be processed is released to the outside of the medium passage 40. As a result, it is possible to easily cause an intentional change in the flow velocity in the medium supply unit 22.

Further, according to the cooling device 6, the flow direction D2 in the region of the medium passage 40 in which the object to be processed 100 is installed is from the lower side to the upper side in the vertical direction. According to this configuration, particularly in the present embodiment in which the refrigerant is a liquid, the distribution of the refrigerant in the cross section orthogonal to the flow direction D2 in the medium passage 40 can be made more even. As a result, the refrigerant can be more evenly supplied to the object 100 to be processed.

Further, according to the heat treatment apparatus 1, the support portion 2b of the transport tray 2 functions as a rectifying member for rectifying the refrigerant in the medium passage 40. According to this configuration, the refrigerant can be supplied to the object to be processed 100 more evenly.

In the above-described first embodiment, a configuration in which the flow velocity V is set in two stages of the first flow velocity V1 and the second flow velocity V2 has been described as an example. However, this does not have to be the case. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 29 may set the first flow velocity V1, the second flow velocity V2, and the third flow velocity V3 as three types of flow velocities.

FIG. 12 is a schematic graph for explaining an example of quenching treatment when the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is variable in the modified example of the first embodiment, and the upper graph shows the object 100 and the object to be treated. The change with time of the flow velocity V is shown, and the lower graph shows the flow velocity V of the refrigerant.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 12, in this modification, the control unit 29 controls the pump 26 and at least one of the control valves 31 to 34. As a result, the control unit 29 sets the flow velocity V to the first flow velocity V1 from the start of supplying the refrigerant to the immersion of the entire object 100 to be processed in the refrigerant, and sets the flow velocity V after the start of convection generation to the second. The flow velocity V is set to the flow velocity V2, and the flow velocity V is set to the first flow velocity V1 and the second flow velocity V2 from the time when the entire object 100 to be treated is immersed in the refrigerant to the start of the generation of convection (during the period L3). Set to a different third flow velocity V3.

More specifically, the flow velocity V is set to the first flow velocity V1 from the start of supplying the refrigerant to the object to be processed 100 to the time when the entire object to be processed 100 is immersed in the refrigerant. Then, after the entire object 100 to be processed is immersed in the refrigerant, the flow velocity V is set to the third flow velocity V3 in the vapor film step and the boiling step. Then, at the time of transition from the boiling stage to the convection stage, the flow velocity V is set to the second flow velocity V2.

Although it is preferable that the first flow velocity V1> the third flow velocity V3> the second flow velocity V2, the first flow velocity V1> the second flow velocity V2> the third flow velocity V3 may be satisfied. When the first flow velocity V1> the third flow velocity V3> the second flow velocity V2, the velocity change from the first flow velocity V1 to the third flow velocity V3 is relatively gentle, so that the flow of the refrigerant is disturbed in the outlet pipe 42. Can be further suppressed.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for explaining a detailed modification of the refrigerant supply operation (step S2) to the object to be processed 100 in the flowchart shown in FIG. With reference to FIGS. 4, 12 and 13, in this modification, when the refrigerant is supplied to the object 100 to be processed, the control unit 29 first presses at least one of the pump 26 and each of the control valves 31 to 34. By controlling, the flow velocity V of the refrigerant passing through the outlet pipe 42 is set to the first flow velocity V1 (step S31). Then, after the time L1 in which the first stage is executed has elapsed from the start of supplying the refrigerant to the object to be processed 100, the control unit 29 controls at least one of the pump 26 and each of the control valves 31 to 34 to exit the outlet. The flow velocity V of the refrigerant passing through the pipe 42 is reduced to the third flow velocity V3 (step S32). Then, after the time L3 at which the third stage is executed has elapsed, the control unit 29 controls at least one of the pump 26 and each of the control valves 31 to 34 to reduce the flow velocity V of the refrigerant passing through the outlet pipe 42. The second flow velocity is changed to V2 (step S33). Then, after the time L2 at which the second step is executed has elapsed, the control unit 29 closes the control valve 34 to stop the supply of the refrigerant to the outlet pipe 42 (step S34).

According to this modification, since the flow velocity V of the refrigerant is set to the high first flow velocity V1 until the object to be processed 100 is immersed in the refrigerant, the refrigerant can quickly immerse the object 100 to be processed. Further, since the flow velocity V of the refrigerant in the convection stage is set to the low second flow velocity V2, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of turbulent flow in the refrigerant. As a result, the object to be processed 100 can be cooled more evenly in the convection stage. Further, after the immersion of the object 100 to be treated in the refrigerant is completed and before the transition to the convection stage, for example, in the vapor film stage and the boiling stage (period L3), the third flow velocity V3 as a more suitable flow velocity V Can supply the refrigerant to the object to be processed 100. In this way, the flow velocity V of the refrigerant can be set to a value more suitable for each stage.

In the first embodiment and the modified example described above, a mode in which the flow velocity V is set in two or three stages has been described as an example. However, this does not have to be the case. The flow velocity V may be set to four or more steps.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment and modified example, a mode in which one pump is provided in the medium supply unit 22 will be described as an example. However, this does not have to be the case. For example, pumps may be provided in each portion 28a to 28c of the parallel pipe portion 28. In this case, a plurality of pumps are controlled by the control unit 29.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment and the modified example, a mode in which the refrigerant is supplied to the object to be processed 100 through the inlet pipe 41 and the outlet pipe 42 having an L shape as a whole will be described as an example. However. It does not have to be this street. The shape of the refrigerant passage for supplying the refrigerant to the object to be processed 100 is not limited to the shape described in the first embodiment and the modification described above, and may be any shape. For example, the refrigerant may be supplied to the object to be processed 100 through the refrigerant passage having a polygonal cross section.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment and the modified example, a mode in which the refrigerant rises from the lower side to the upper side in the outlet pipe 42 and is supplied to the object to be processed 100 has been described as an example. However, this does not have to be the case. The refrigerant may be exposed to the object to be processed 100 while falling. In this case, the initial flow velocity of the refrigerant can be increased, and the time from when the object to be processed 100 begins to come into contact with the refrigerant until the entire object 100 to be processed is immersed in the refrigerant can be further shortened. Further, the refrigerant may be exposed to the object to be processed 100 while traveling horizontally.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment and modification, the downstream end portion (upper end portion 44b of the upper member 44) of the medium passage 40 is opened to the cooling chamber 8 having a pressure lower than the pressure in the medium passage 40. As explained in the example, this does not have to be the case. For example, the refrigerant passage may form a closed circuit.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following, configurations different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same configurations as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of the cooling device 6A according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the cooling device 6A shown in FIG. 14, showing a state in which the main part is viewed from the side surface. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the cooling device 6A, showing a state in which the main part is viewed from the heating device 44 side. FIG. 17 is a plan view schematically showing the inlet pipe 41, the bottom surface 42a of the outlet pipe 42, and the first rectifying member 61.

With reference to FIGS. 14 to 17, the cooling device 6A includes a first rectifying member 61, a throttle member 62, and a second rectifying member 63 in addition to the configuration of the cooling device 6. That is, the cooling device 6A includes a cooling chamber 8, an outlet door unit 21, a medium supply unit 22, a vertical displacement mechanism 23, a first rectifying member 61, a throttle member 62, and a second rectifying member 63. Have.

The first rectifying member 61 is arranged in the outlet pipe 42 in order to change the traveling direction of the refrigerant from the first direction D1 to the second direction D2, and the outlet side opening 41a of the inlet pipe 41 and the facing inner surface of the outlet pipe 42. It covers at least a portion of the area between 42b. When viewed along the first direction D1, the first rectifying member 61 covers at least a part of the outlet side opening 41a. The flow of the refrigerant is schematically illustrated by the arrow F1.

The facing inner surface 42b is a part of the inner peripheral surface 42c of the outlet pipe 42, and is a surface facing the outlet side opening 41a of the inlet pipe 41 and the first direction D1. That is, when viewed along the first direction D1, the region of the inner peripheral surface 42c of the outlet pipe 42 that overlaps with the space surrounded by the outlet side opening 41a is the facing inner surface 42b.

The first rectifying member 61 is configured to suppress the occurrence of turbulent flow in the refrigerant when the direction of the refrigerant is changed from the first direction D1 to the second direction D2. The first rectifying member 61 is formed of a high-rigidity material such as metal or reinforced fiber plastic (FRP), and has rigidity to such an extent that displacement and deformation do not substantially occur due to the impact of the flow of the refrigerant. doing.

In the present embodiment, the first rectifying member 61 is installed on the bottom surface 42a of the outlet pipe 42 and is fixed to the bottom surface 42a. The first rectifying member 61 is formed of a rectangular flat plate-shaped member and has a uniform thickness E1. Although the thickness E1 of the first rectifying member 61 is not particularly limited, it is preferably set within the range of several mm to several cm. In the present embodiment, when viewed along the first direction D1, all the four corners of the first rectifying member 61 are formed in a right-angled pointed shape of 90 degrees, and chamfering is not formed.

The first rectifying member 61 extends so as to be orthogonal to the first direction D1, and in the present embodiment, extends along the vertical direction Z1. The first rectifying member 61 has one side surface 61a facing the outlet side opening 41a side of the inlet pipe 41 and another side surface 61b facing the opposite inner surface 42b side of the outlet pipe 42. Each of these side surfaces 61a and 61b extends along the second direction D2 and is orthogonal to the bottom surface 42a of the outlet pipe 42. With this configuration, the first rectifying member 61 and the bottom surface 42a of the outlet pipe 42 intersect at right angles and are not provided with a curved shape.

As shown in FIG. 17, when the outlet pipe 42 is viewed along the second direction D2 (when the outlet pipe 42 is viewed in a plane, hereinafter, also simply referred to as a plane view), the first rectifying member 61 It is arranged at a position separated from the inner peripheral surface 42c of the outlet pipe 42 and advanced from the outlet side opening 41a of the inlet pipe 41 in the first direction D1.

More specifically, in the width direction (front-back direction Y1) of the first rectifying member 61, which is a direction orthogonal to the first direction D1 in a plan view, both ends of the first rectifying member 61 and the inside of the outlet pipe 42. Spaces 64 and 65 for passing the refrigerant are formed between the peripheral surface 42c and the peripheral surface 42c. In the present embodiment, the first rectifying member 61 is arranged at the center of the left-right direction X1 and at the center of the front-rear direction Y1 on the bottom surface 42a of the outlet pipe 42. With this configuration, the outlet pipe 42 and the first rectifying member 61 are formed in a shape symmetrical to the left-right direction X1 in a plan view. Further, in a plan view, the outlet pipe 42 and the first rectifying member 61 are formed in a shape symmetrical to the front-rear direction Y1.

In the present embodiment, in the width direction (front-rear direction Y1), the length k64 of the gap 64 between the inner peripheral surface 42c of the outlet pipe 42 and one end of the first rectifying member 61 is the inner peripheral surface of the outlet pipe 42. The length of the gap 65 between the 42c and the other end of the first rectifying member 61 is set to be the same as the length k65.

The length k64 of the gap 64 and the length k65 of the gap 65 in the width direction (front-back direction Y1) may be different from each other, or one of them may be zero. That is, any one of the pair of ends of the first rectifying member 61 in the width direction (front-rear direction Y1) may be in contact with the inner peripheral surface 42c or may be integrated with the inner peripheral surface 42c.

The width w of the first rectifying member 61 is preferably at least 50% or more (w ≧ 0.5 × D41) of the inner diameter D41 in the outlet side opening 41a of the inlet pipe 41, and is 100% or more (w ≧ D41). Is more preferable. When the width w is 50% or more of the inner diameter D41, the effect of suppressing the refrigerant that has entered the outlet pipe 42 from the inlet pipe 41 along the first direction D1 directly collides with the opposite inner surface 42b of the outlet pipe 42 can be obtained. It can be fully demonstrated. When the width w is 100% or more of the inner diameter D41, the refrigerant that has entered the outlet pipe 42 from the inlet pipe 41 along the first direction D1 is prevented from directly colliding with the opposite inner surface 42b of the outlet pipe 42. The effect can be enhanced more reliably. By setting the width w to be less than the inner diameter D42 (w <D42) of the outlet pipe 42, the gaps 64 and 65 can be secured. More preferably, the width w is set to 50% or less (w ≦ 0.5 × D42) of the inner diameter D42 of the outlet pipe 42, so that the gaps 64 and 65 can be sufficiently secured.

The width w is set, for example, in the range of 100% to 187.5% of the inner diameter D41.

The height h of the first rectifying member 61 in the second direction D2 is preferably at least 50% or more (h ≧ 0.5 × D41) of the inner diameter D41 of the inlet pipe 41, and is 100% or more (h ≧ D41). Is more preferable. When the height h is 50% or more of the inner diameter D41, the effect of suppressing the refrigerant that has entered the outlet pipe 42 from the inlet pipe 41 along the first direction D1 from directly colliding with the opposite inner surface 42b of the outlet pipe 42 can be obtained. , Can be fully demonstrated. When the height h is 100% or more of the inner diameter D41, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant that has entered the outlet pipe 42 from the inlet pipe 41 along the first direction D1 from directly colliding with the facing inner surface 42b of the outlet pipe 42. The effect can be enhanced more reliably. The height h is preferably set to a distance k1 or less from the bottom surface 42a of the outlet pipe 42 to the throttle member 62 (h <k1). By setting h <k1, it is caused by the collision between the refrigerant passing through one side surface 61a side of the first rectifying member 61 and rising and the refrigerant passing through the other side surface 61b side of the first rectifying member 61 and rising. , It is possible to prevent the turbulent state of the flow of the refrigerant from continuing to the object to be processed 100.

Further, when the height from the lower end of the first rectifying member 61 (bottom surface 42a of the outlet pipe 42) to the lower end of the object to be processed 100 (object to be arranged) is H, the height h of the first rectifying member 61. The ratio h / H between the height H and the height H is preferably 0.1 ≦ h / H ≦ 0.5. When 0.1> h / H, the distance from the first rectifying member 61 to the object to be processed 100 becomes long, and the rectifying effect of the refrigerant by the first rectifying member 61 tends to be low around the object to be processed 100. Further, when h / H> 0.5, the distance between the first rectifying member 61 and the object to be processed 100 becomes too close, and as a result, the refrigerant from the inlet pipe 41 to the outlet pipe 42 is sufficiently rectified. There is a risk that the refrigerant will be supplied to the object to be processed 100 without being done.

The height h is set, for example, in the range of 75% to 187.5% of the inner diameter D41.

The width w and the height h are both 100% or more of the inner diameter D41 (w ≧ D41 and h ≧ D41), that is, the first rectifying member 61 is viewed along the first direction D1. A configuration that covers the entire area of the outlet side opening 41a (the entire area of the facing inner surface 42b) is preferable. With this configuration, it is almost certain that the refrigerant that has reached the outlet pipe 42 from the inlet pipe 41 along the first direction D1 directly collides with the facing inner surface 42b straight along the first direction D1. Can be done.

The width w is set, for example, in the range of about 50% to 200% of the height h.

In particular, it is preferable that the width w is 100% to 250% of the inner diameter D41 of the inlet pipe 41 for uniform the flow of the refrigerant around the object 100 to be processed in the outlet pipe 42.

Further, when the opening area (the area of the opening portion in the cross section orthogonal to the first direction D1) in the outlet side opening 41a of the inlet pipe 41 is d, the first rectifying member in the cross section orthogonal to the first direction D1. The ratio wh / d of the area 61 (the area of one side surface 61a) w × h and the opening area d is preferably set within a predetermined range. This ratio wh / d is preferably set in the range of 0.5 to 6.4 (0.5 ≦ wh / d ≦ 6.4).

If the ratio wh / d is less than 0.5, the size of the first rectifying member 61 cannot be sufficiently secured. As a result, it is difficult for the first rectifying member 61 to sufficiently exert the effect of preventing the refrigerant that has passed through the inlet pipe 41 and entered the outlet pipe 42 from directly colliding with the facing inner surface 42b along the first direction D1. .. Therefore, the degree to which the refrigerant that has reached the outlet pipe 42 from the inlet pipe 41 directly collides with the opposite inner surface 42b along the first direction D1 becomes large. As a result, turbulence is likely to occur in the refrigerant rising in the outlet pipe 42. As a result of such turbulent flow, the object to be processed 100 is not evenly applied to the refrigerant, which causes a large distortion of the object to be processed 100.

Further, when the ratio wh / d exceeds 6.4, the refrigerant on the one side surface 61a side of the first rectifying member 61 becomes difficult to flow to the other side surface 61b side. As a result, the rising speed of the refrigerant on the one side surface 61a side of the first rectifying member 61 and the rising speed of the refrigerant on the other side surface 61b side of the first rectifying member 61 tend to be non-uniform. For this reason, the variation in the ascending speed of the refrigerant rising in the outlet pipe 42 becomes large, and turbulence is likely to occur in the refrigerant rising in the outlet pipe 42.

A diaphragm member 62 is provided above the first rectifying member 61 having the above configuration. The drawing member 62 is arranged apart from the first rectifying member 61 in the second direction D2, and is provided as a member for narrowing the area of the outlet pipe 42 on the plane orthogonal to the second direction D2. The throttle member 62 is a member that rectifies the refrigerant traveling along the second direction D2 through the outlet pipe 42. The throttle member 62 is a tubular member that can be attached to and detached from the inner peripheral surface 42c of the outlet pipe 42. The outer diameter of the drawing member 62 is set to be substantially the same as the inner diameter D42 of the outlet pipe 42. The inner peripheral surface of the drawing member 62 is formed in a truncated cone shape whose diameter decreases as it advances in the second direction D2. It is preferable that the central axis of the inner peripheral surface (tapered cone shape) coincides with the central axis of the outlet pipe 42.

The thickness of the drawing member 62 (the length of the inner peripheral surface of the drawing member 62 in the second direction D2) is set to be less than the inner diameter D42 of the outlet pipe 42, and in the present embodiment, is set to less than half of the inner diameter D42. ing. In the present embodiment, the thickness of the throttle member 62 is set to be substantially the same as the thickness of the second rectifying member 63. The inclination angle of the tapered surface of the inner peripheral surface of the drawing member 62 with respect to the second direction D2 (vertical direction Z1) is appropriately set according to the shape of the object to be processed 100 and the like. The second rectifying member 63 is arranged above the diaphragm member 62, that is, at a position advanced from the diaphragm member 62 in the second direction D2.

The second rectifying member 63 is provided to rectify the refrigerant that has passed through the drawing member 62. In the present embodiment, the second rectifying member 63 is a member fixed to the inner peripheral surface 42c of the outlet pipe 42, and is formed in a grid pattern in a plan view. The outer diameter of the second rectifying member 63 is set to be substantially the same as the inner diameter D42 of the outlet pipe 42. When the second rectifying member 63 is viewed in a plan view, the second rectifying member 63 is formed with a grid-like portion having a large number of, for example, quadrangular holes. More specifically, the second rectifying member 63 includes a plurality of first partition walls extending in a predetermined first horizontal direction, and a plurality of second partition walls extending in a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction. Is provided. The plurality of first partition walls are arranged at equal pitches in the second horizontal direction, and the plurality of second partition walls are arranged at equal pitches in the first horizontal direction.

The size of the holes formed in the grid-like portion of the second rectifying member 63 is appropriately set according to the shape of the object to be processed 100 and the like.

In the present embodiment, when the object to be processed 100 is cooled by the refrigerant, the drawing member 62, the second rectifying member 63, and the object to be processed 100 (transport tray 2, the object to be processed) are along the second direction D2. They are arranged in the order of 100 arrangement positions). The distance k2 from the drawing member 62 to the object to be processed 100 (position of the object to be processed 100) is set shorter than the distance k3 from the first rectifying member 61 to the drawing member 62 (k2 <k3). ..

More specifically, the distance k2 is the distance from the upper end of the drawing member 62 to the lower end of the object to be processed 100. Further, the distance k3 is the distance from the upper end of the first rectifying member 61 to the lower end of the diaphragm member 62. In the present embodiment, the distance k2 is less than the inner diameter D42 of the outlet pipe 42, whereas the distance k3 is larger than the inner diameter D42 of the outlet pipe 42.

As described above, according to the cooling device 6A according to the second embodiment, the first rectifying member 61 is at least a region between the outlet side opening 41a of the inlet pipe 41 and the facing inner surface 42b of the outlet pipe 42. It covers a part. As a result, the refrigerant that has reached the outlet pipe 42 from the inlet pipe 41 is prevented from vigorously colliding with the opposing inner surface 42b along the first direction D1. As a result, it is possible to prevent the outlet pipe 42 from being turbulent with a large degree of turbulence caused by the refrigerant vigorously colliding with the opposing inner surface 42b along the first direction D1. Therefore, the distribution of the flow of the refrigerant traveling along the second direction D2 through the outlet pipe 42 (the distribution of the flow velocity in the cross section orthogonal to the second direction D2) can be made more even. As a result, the distribution of the flow of the refrigerant when the refrigerant for heat treatment passes through the object 100 to be treated can be made more even. As a result, the degree to which the object to be treated 100 arranged in the outlet pipe 42 is heat-treated by the refrigerant can be made more uniform in each part of the object to be processed 100. In the present embodiment, when the metal object to be processed 100 is quenched with a liquid refrigerant, each part of the object to be processed 100 can be cooled more evenly, so that it is more certain that the object to be processed 100 is distorted. Can be suppressed.

Further, according to the cooling device 6A, the first rectifying member 61 is separated from the inner peripheral surface 42c of the outlet pipe 42 when the outlet pipe 42 is viewed along the second direction D2, and the inlet pipe 41 is separated from the inner peripheral surface 42c. It is arranged at a position advanced from the outlet side opening 41a of the above in the first direction D1. With such a configuration, the medium that reaches the outlet pipe 42 after traveling through the inlet pipe 41 along the first direction D1 is the first rectifying member when the outlet pipe 42 is viewed along the second direction D2. Proceed in the outlet pipe 42 so as to bypass the circumference of 61, and then proceed along the second direction D2. As a result, the refrigerant around the connection portion of the outlet pipe 42 with the inlet pipe 41 can be guided by the first rectifying member 61 so as to proceed in the second direction D2 more smoothly. Therefore, the distribution of the flow of the refrigerant traveling along the second direction D2 through the outlet pipe 42 (the distribution of the flow velocity in the cross section orthogonal to the second direction D2) can be made more even. As a result, the distribution of the flow of the refrigerant when the refrigerant for heat treatment passes through the object 100 to be treated can be made more even. As a result, the degree to which the object to be treated 100 arranged in the outlet pipe 42 is heat-treated by the refrigerant can be made more uniform in each part of the object to be processed 100. In the present embodiment, when the metal object to be processed 100 is quenched with a liquid refrigerant, each part of the object to be processed 100 can be cooled more evenly, so that it is more certain that the object to be processed 100 is distorted. Can be suppressed.

Further, according to the cooling device 6A, the cooling device 6A can be made smaller because a more uniform flow of the refrigerant in the outlet pipe 42 can be realized by a compact configuration in which the first rectifying member 61 having a simple configuration is provided.

Further, according to the cooling device 6A, the refrigerant passes through the gaps 64 and 65 on both sides in the width direction (front-rear direction Y1) of the first rectifying member 61 around the first rectifying member 61 and is the inner peripheral surface of the outlet pipe 42. It flows so as to reach the entire circumference of 42c. As a result of such a smooth flow of the refrigerant, the distribution of the flow of the refrigerant flowing from the periphery of the first rectifying member 61 along the second direction D2 can be made more even.

Further, according to the cooling device 6A, the first rectifying member 61 includes a flat plate-shaped member arranged so as to be orthogonal to the first direction D1. According to this configuration, the first rectifying member 61 can be realized by using a flat plate-shaped member having a simple configuration. Further, the distribution of the flow of the medium flowing through the outlet pipe 42 from the periphery of the first rectifying member 61 along the second direction D2 can be made even more uniform.

Further, according to the cooling device 6A, it is preferable that the first rectifying member 61 overlaps the outlet side opening 41a over the entire width direction (front-rear direction Y1) when viewed along the first direction D1. According to this configuration, the refrigerant that travels straight in the first direction D1 and reaches the outlet pipe 42 from the inlet pipe 41 is the opposite inner surface of the outlet pipe 42 that faces the outlet side opening 41a of the inlet pipe 41 and the first direction D1. Instead of colliding with 42b as it is, it will be temporarily received by the first rectifying member 61. With such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of a turbulent flow having a large degree of turbulence in the outlet pipe 42, which is caused by the refrigerant vigorously colliding with the opposing inner surface 42b along the first direction D1. ..

Further, according to the cooling device 6A, the throttle member 62 suppresses the flow of the refrigerant passing through the outlet pipe 42 from becoming unstable through the action of accelerating the flow of the refrigerant. More specifically, the drawing member 62 moves the dynamic pressure of the refrigerant from a relatively low state to a high state so as to satisfy the continuity equation and Bernoulli's principle. As a result, the flow of the refrigerant overcomes the resistance of the wall friction of the inner peripheral surface 42c of the outlet pipe 42, and the generation of the backflow of the refrigerant which causes the fluid separation is suppressed. As a result, vortices and fluid detachment that cause fluid noise can be suppressed by a simple mechanism. Therefore, in the outlet pipe 42, the flow velocity distribution in the second direction D2 in the cross section orthogonal to the second direction D2 becomes more uniform.

Further, according to the cooling device 6A, the drawing member 62, the second rectifying member 63, and the object to be processed 100 are arranged in this order along the second direction D2, and the distance k2 from the drawing member 62 to the object to be processed 100 is determined. , The distance from the first rectifying member 61 to the diaphragm member 62 is set to be shorter than the distance k3 (k1 <k3). According to this configuration, the refrigerant having a sufficiently well-flowed region in the relatively long region between the first rectifying member 61 and the drawing member 62 becomes the object 100 to be processed after the flow is further adjusted by the second rectifying member 63. Given. As a result, the distribution of the flow of the refrigerant passing through the object to be treated 100 can be made more even.

Further, according to the cooling device 6A, in addition to the effect of cooling each part of the object to be processed 100 more evenly by controlling the flow velocity of the refrigerant by the control unit 29 described in detail in the first embodiment, the first rectifying member 61, Due to the rectifying effect of the refrigerant by the drawing member 62 and the second rectifying member 63, the effect of cooling each part of the object to be processed 100 more evenly can be exhibited. As described above, the synergistic effect of the control of the flow velocity V of the refrigerant and the members 61 to 63 for guiding the flow of the refrigerant can remarkably enhance the effect of uniformly cooling each part of the object to be processed 100. ..

In the second embodiment described above, the case where the control unit 29 controls the flow velocity V in the manner described in the first embodiment or the modified example of the first embodiment has been described as an example, but this is not the case. good. In the second embodiment, the control of changing the flow velocity V during the cooling process of the object to be processed 100 may not be performed.

Further, in the second embodiment, at least one of the throttle member 62 and the second rectifying member 63 may be omitted.

Further, in the second embodiment, the treatment of heating the object to be treated 100 may be performed using a liquid or gaseous medium.

Further, in the above-mentioned second embodiment, a mode in which the first rectifying member 61 covers the entire outlet side opening 41a of the inlet pipe 41 when viewed along the first direction D1 has been illustrated and described. However, this does not have to be the case. For example, the first rectifying member 61 may be arranged in parallel with the first direction D1 with reference to FIG. 18A, which is a plan view of the main part of the modified example of the second embodiment. Also in this case, the refrigerant flowing through the inlet pipe 41 along the first direction D1 can be guided so that the first rectifying member 61 faces the second direction D2. The direction of the first rectifying member 61 around the circumferential direction of the outlet pipe 42 when viewed from the second direction D2 is not limited to the above-described form, and any direction can be adopted.

Further, when viewed from the first direction D1 with reference to FIG. 18B showing the main part of another modification of the second embodiment, the first rectifying member 61 is in the width direction (front-back direction Y1). Although it covers the entire outlet side opening 41a, it may be arranged so as not to cover a part of the upper end side of the outlet side opening 41a in the second direction D2.

Further, in the above-described second embodiment and its modification, although the embodiment in which the first rectifying member 61 is a flat plate-shaped member has been described as an example, this may not be the case. For example, instead of the first rectifying member 61, curved guide surfaces 61c and 61d are provided at the lower end portion with reference to FIG. 18C showing the main portion of still another modification of the second embodiment. The first rectifying member 61A may be used. The difference between the first rectifying member 61A and the first rectifying member 61 is that the lower portions of the pair of curved guide surfaces 61c and 61d are separated from each other as they proceed downward (in the direction opposite to the second direction D2). It is at the point of extension. The lower portions of the curved guide surfaces 61c and 61d are formed in an arcuate shape and have a predetermined radius of curvature R. With such a configuration, the refrigerant can be turned in the second direction D2 along the curved portion below the curved guide surfaces 61c and 61d.

Further, in the above-described second embodiment and its modified example, a mode in which the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 intersect at right angles has been described as an example. However, this does not have to be the case. The angle at which the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 intersect may be an angle other than a right angle. For example, referring to FIG. 18D showing a further modification of the second embodiment, when the outlet pipe 42 extends so as to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction, the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 The intersection angle θ (plumb angle) of the above may be set to several degrees to less than 90 degrees. The lower limit of the crossing angle θ may be 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, or 75 degrees.

Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration. The present invention can be modified in various ways as described in the claims.

<Verification of the difference in the uniformity of cooling of the object to be processed due to the presence or absence of flow velocity control of the refrigerant>
A test for cooling the object to be processed 100 was performed using the cooling device 6 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The object to be treated 100 was cooled by using cooling water as a refrigerant from the state of being placed on the transport tray 2 in the outlet pipe 42 in a state of being heated to the quenching temperature Th. Cooling was performed until the object 100 to be treated completed the vapor film step, the boiling step and the convection step. The object to be treated 100 is a columnar steel material. The test conditions in the cooling device were the same except for the flow velocity of the refrigerant.

The test conditions are as follows.
Example 1A: (with flow velocity control): The flow velocity V of the refrigerant passing through the outlet pipe 42 is set to the first flow velocity V1 from the start of immersion of the object 100 to the completion of the boiling step. Then, the second flow rate V2 was set in the convection step after the boiling step. The ratio of the first flow velocity V1 and the second flow velocity V2 is V1: V2 = 5: 1.
Comparative Example 1A (low speed): The flow velocity V of the refrigerant passing through the outlet pipe 42 was set to a fixed value of the second flow velocity V2 (V = V2).
Comparative Example 2A (high speed): The flow velocity V of the refrigerant passing through the outlet pipe 42 was set to a fixed value of the first flow velocity V1 (V = V1).

The material of the object to be treated in Example 1A, Comparative Example 1A and Comparative Example 2A is an SCM material (chromium molybdenum steel material).

In the evaluation, Example 1A, Comparative Example 1A, and Comparative Example 2A were carried out a plurality of times, respectively, and the roundness of the object to be treated 100 before and after the quenching treatment in each of Example 1A, Comparative Example 1A, and Comparative Example 2A was evaluated. The average value of the amount of change was measured.

When the average value of the amount of change in roundness in Comparative Example 2A is 1, the average value of the amount of change in roundness is as follows.
Comparative Example 2A: 1.0
Comparative Example 1A: 0.6
Example 1A: 0.2

As is clear from the above, the average value of the change in roundness before and after the quenching treatment of the object to be treated (hereinafter, also referred to as the average roundness) is the largest in Comparative Example 2A, followed by Comparative Example. 1A was large, and Example 1A was significantly smaller. As described above, the average roundness value in Example 1A is only 1/3 of that of Comparative Example 1A, and further is only 1/5 of that of Comparative Example 2A.

Next, the conditions are the same as in Example 2A except that the material is SUJ material (bearing steel) and the same conditions as in Comparative Example 2A except that the material is SUJ material (bearing steel). For Comparative Example 3A, the average roundness was measured.

When the average roundness value in Comparative Example 3A is 1, the average roundness value is as follows.
Comparative Example 3A: 1.0
Example 2A: 0.1

As described above, the average roundness value in Example 2A is only 1/10 of that of Comparative Example 3A, which is extremely small.

Based on the above, it was demonstrated that the thermal strain when cooling the object to be treated 100 heated to the quenching temperature Th was extremely small in Examples 1A and 2A. That is, with respect to Examples 1A and 2A, the refrigerant is highly rectified in the outlet pipe 42 and an even flow velocity distribution is realized, and the ability to evenly supply the refrigerant to the object 100 to be processed is extremely high. Demonstrated.

<Verification of the difference in the degree of uniformity of the refrigerant flow due to the presence or absence of the first rectifying member and the shape of the first rectifying member>
A computer simulation modeling the configuration of the cooling device 6A according to the modified example of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 18C was performed.

(Regarding Comparative Example 1B Actual and Example 1B)
With reference to FIG. 19A, which is a schematic side view showing a model of Comparative Example 1B and a schematic view showing the distribution of the flow of the refrigerant, Comparative Example 1B is not provided with the first rectifying member 61. Has substantially the same configuration as the cooling device 6A.

Further, with reference to FIG. 19 (B), which is a schematic side view showing the model of Example 1B and a schematic view showing the distribution of the refrigerant flow, Example 1B is the cooling device shown in FIG. 18 (C). It has a configuration corresponding to a modified example of 6A. That is, curved guide surfaces 61c and 61d are formed below each of the pair of side surfaces 61a and 61b of the first rectifying member 61. In Example 1B, when the value of the width (length in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface) w of the first rectifying member 61 is 1, the height h = 2.5w and the radius of curvature R = w of the curved shape portion are set. Has been done.

For each of Comparative Example 1B and Example 1B, the flow velocity of the refrigerant in the horizontal cross section at the place where the object to be processed 100 is arranged when the refrigerant flows from the inlet pipe 41 to the outlet 42 pipe with the flow velocity V constant. The distribution was calculated. The results are shown in FIGS. 19 (A) and 19 (B).

In FIGS. 19A and 19B, the hatching interval is narrowed as the flow velocity V is higher. Specifically, the flow velocity V in the horizontal cross section is shown in four stages Q1 to Q4. The flow velocity Q1 is the fastest among the four-step flow velocity V, and the flow velocity Q4 is the slowest. The hatching interval at the fastest flow velocity Q1 is zero and is filled.

In Comparative Example 1B, the flow velocity V is high above the region on the opposite inner surface 42b side of the outlet pipe 42 at the location where the object to be processed 100 is arranged, and the distribution of the refrigerant flow in the horizontal cross section is greatly biased. ing. On the other hand, in the first embodiment B, the flow velocity V above the regions at both ends in the width direction of the first rectifying member 61 is slightly higher at the location where the object 100 to be processed is arranged, but the flow of the refrigerant in the horizontal cross section. The bias of the distribution is small.

Regarding the difference (deviation) between the maximum value (maximum flow velocity) of the flow velocity V and the average value (average flow velocity) in the horizontal cross section at the location where the object to be processed 100 is arranged, the deviation in Comparative Example 1B is set to 1. , It becomes as follows.

Deviation of Comparative Example 1B: 1.000
Deviation of Example 1B: 0.589

That is, it was demonstrated that the deviation of the flow velocity in the horizontal cross section at the place where the object to be processed 100 is arranged is reduced by 40% or more (41.1%) in Example 1B as compared with Comparative Example 1B. As described above, it has been demonstrated that by providing the first rectifying member 61A, the deviation of the flow velocity V in the horizontal cross section at the place where the object to be processed 100 is arranged can be remarkably reduced.

(About Example 2B and Example 3B)
Next, with reference to FIG. 20 (A), which is a schematic side view showing the model of Example 2B and a schematic view showing the distribution of the flow of the refrigerant, in Example 2B, the width of the first rectifying member 61A ( When the value of (length in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface) w is 1, the height h = 2.5w, and the radius of curvature R = 0.75w of the curved shape portions 61c and 61d. Example 2B has the same configuration as that of Example 1B except that the radius of curvature R = 0.75w of the curved shaped portions 61c and 61d of the first rectifying member 61.

Next, with reference to FIG. 20 (B), which is a schematic side view showing the model of Example 3B and a schematic view showing the distribution of the flow of the refrigerant, in Example 2B, the width of the first rectifying member 61 ( The height h = 2.5w is set when w (the length in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface) w is 1, and the curved shape portion is not provided. Example 3B has the same configuration as that of Example 2B except that the first rectifying member 61 is formed of a flat plate-shaped member and is not provided with a curved portion.

For each of Example 2B and Example 3B, the flow velocity of the refrigerant in the horizontal cross section at the place where the object to be processed 100 is arranged when the refrigerant flows from the inlet pipe 41 to the outlet pipe 42 with the flow velocity V constant. The distribution was calculated. The results are shown in FIGS. 20 (A) and 20 (B).

In FIGS. 20 (A) and 20 (B), the flow velocities are schematically shown by the four-step flow velocities Q1 to Q4, as shown in FIGS. 19 (A) and 19 (B). In Example 2B, although the flow velocity V is slightly higher above the region on the opposite inner surface 42b side of the outlet pipe 42, the distribution of the refrigerant flow in the horizontal cross section is less biased. Further, in the third embodiment, the region where the flow velocity V is large is small above the region on the opposite inner surface 42b side of the outlet pipe 42, and the distribution of the refrigerant flow in the horizontal cross section is extremely small in bias.

For each of Examples 2B and 3B, the difference (deviation) between the maximum flow velocity and the average flow velocity in the horizontal cross section is as follows, assuming that the deviation in Example 2B is 1.

Deviation of Example 2B: 1.000
Deviation of Example 3B: 0.944

That is, it was demonstrated that the deviation of the flow velocity in the horizontal cross section at the place where the object to be processed 100 is arranged is reduced by 5% or more (about 5.6%) in Example 3B as compared with Example 2B. By providing the first rectifying member 61A in this way, the deviation of the flow velocity in the horizontal cross section at the place where the object to be processed 100 is arranged can be remarkably reduced, and further, the first rectifying member 61 is made into a flat plate-shaped member. This proved that the bias could be further reduced.

<Verification of the relationship between the ratio of the opening area of the inlet pipe to the area of the first rectifying member and the variation in the flow velocity distribution in the outlet pipe>
A computer simulation modeling a configuration corresponding to the configuration of the cooling device 6A of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 14 was performed.

A simulation was performed in which cooling water as a refrigerant was flowed from the inlet pipe 41 of the cooling device 6A. Specifically, the variation value σ of the flow velocity V of the refrigerant in the horizontal cross section at the downstream position of the second rectifying member 63 (the place where the object to be processed 100 is arranged) (the maximum value of the flow velocity V in the horizontal cross section). The difference from the average value) was calculated. In the following, the variation value of the flow velocity V of the refrigerant in the horizontal cross section at the place where the object to be processed 100 is arranged is referred to as the “flow velocity variation value”.

As the simulation condition, the shape index wh / d was set, and in the case where the shape index wh / d was different, the cooling water having the same flow velocity was flown from the inlet pipe 41 as a refrigerant. Note that w is the width of the first rectifying member, h is the height of the first rectifying member, and d is the opening cross-sectional area of the outlet side opening 41a of the inlet pipe 41.

Then, the ratio σ / σb of the flow velocity variation value σ in the predetermined shape index wh / d is set with reference to the flow velocity variation value σb when the shape index wh / d is zero, that is, when the first rectifying member 61 is not provided. Calculated. Hereinafter, this ratio is also referred to as a flow velocity variation ratio σ / σb. The relationship between the shape index wh / d and the flow velocity variation ratio σ / σb is shown in the table in Table 1 below and in the graph in FIG. The contents shown in Table 1 and the contents shown in FIG. 21 are the same. In FIG. 21, a tendency line showing the relationship between the shape index wh / d and the flow velocity variation ratio σ / σb is shown.

As is clear from Table 1 and FIG. 21, when the shape index wh / d is 0.1 or 0.2, the flow velocity variation ratio σ / σb is 100% or more. This indicates that the area of the first rectifying member 61 is too small, so that the rectifying effect of the refrigerant by the first rectifying member 61 is not sufficiently exhibited. On the other hand, when the shape index wh / d is 0.5 or more, the flow velocity variation ratio σ / σb is less than 100%. In this embodiment, the maximum value of the shape index wh / d is 8.6. When the shape index is 0.5 to 6.4, the flow velocity variation ratio σ / σb is less than 90%, and the degree of uniformity of the flow velocity V is particularly high in the outlet pipe 42. Depending on the above, the flow velocity variation ratio σ / σb significantly decreases between the shape index wh / d of 0.2 and 0.5, and further, the shape index wh / d is 0.5 to 6.4. It was demonstrated that the flow velocity variation ratio σ / σb was a sufficiently low value (less than 90%).

<Verification of the difference in the uniformity of cooling of the object to be processed due to the presence or absence of the first rectifying member>
A test for cooling the object to be processed 100 was performed using the cooling device 6A of the second embodiment shown in FIG. The object to be treated 100 was cooled by using cooling water as a refrigerant from the state of being placed on the transport tray 2 in the outlet pipe 42 in a state of being heated to the quenching temperature Th. Cooling was performed until the object 100 to be treated completed the vapor film step, the boiling step and the convection step. The object to be treated 100 is a steel material. The test conditions in the cooling device 6A were the same except for the presence / absence of the first rectifying member 61.

That is, in the first embodiment, the cooling process is performed by the cooling device provided with the first rectifying member 61, and the comparative example 1C has the same configuration as the cooling device 6A except that the first rectifying member 61 is not provided. The cooling process was performed by the cooling device.

The amount of strain of the object to be treated due to the quenching treatment was measured in each of Example 1C and Comparative Example 1C.

When the strain amount in Comparative Example 1C was 1, the strain amount in Example 1C was only 0.4. That is, the ratio of the amount of strain in Comparative Example 1C to the amount of strain in Example 1C is as follows.
Comparative Example 1C: 1.0
Example 1C: 0.4

Based on the above, it was demonstrated that the thermal strain when cooling the object to be treated 100 heated to the quenching temperature Th was extremely small in Example 1C. That is, with respect to the first embodiment, since the first rectifying member 61 is provided, the refrigerant is highly rectified in the outlet pipe 42 and an even flow velocity distribution is realized, and the refrigerant is supplied to the object 100 to be processed. It has been demonstrated that the ability to supply evenly is extremely high.

The present invention can be widely applied as a heat treatment apparatus.

1 Heat treatment device 41 Inlet pipe 41a Outlet pipe side opening 42 Outlet pipe 42b Opposing inner surface of outlet pipe 42c Inner peripheral surface of outlet pipe 61 First rectifying member (rectifying member)
62 Squeezing member 63 Second rectifying member 64,65 Gap 100 Object D1 First direction D2 Second direction k2 Distance from the drawing member to the placement position of the object to be processed k3 Distance from the rectifying member to the drawing member Y1 Front-back direction ( Width direction)

Claims (4)

An inlet pipe into which a medium for heat treatment is applied to the object to be treated, and
An outlet pipe in which the medium is connected to the inlet pipe so that the medium travels in a second direction different from the first direction as the traveling direction of the medium in the inlet pipe, and the object to be processed is arranged. ,
It is arranged in the outlet pipe to change the traveling direction of the medium from the first direction to the second direction, and when the outlet pipe is viewed along the second direction, the inner peripheral surface of the outlet pipe. A rectifying member that is separated from the inlet pipe and is arranged at a position that advances in the first direction from the outlet pipe side opening of the inlet pipe.
Equipped with a,
When the outlet pipe is viewed along the second direction, the outlet pipe is located between both ends of the rectifying member and the inner peripheral surface of the outlet pipe in the width direction as a direction orthogonal to the first direction. A gap is formed for the medium to pass through,
The rectifying member is fixed to the bottom surface of the outlet pipe and is arranged so as to extend at the same angle as the length direction of the outlet pipe. A heat treatment apparatus , wherein the ratio wh / d of the inlet pipe to the opening area d at the outlet pipe side opening is set in the range of 0.5 to 6.4. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1.
A heat treatment apparatus, characterized in that the rectifying member overlaps the outlet pipe side opening over the entire width direction when viewed along the first direction. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.
A heat treatment apparatus further comprising a drawing member which is arranged apart from the rectifying member in the second direction and narrows the area of the outlet pipe on a surface orthogonal to the second direction. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3.
A second rectifying member for rectifying the medium flowing in the outlet pipe is further provided.
Along said second direction, said throttle member, said second rectifying member, and are arranged in the order of the arrangement position of the object to be processed,
A heat treatment apparatus, characterized in that the distance from the drawing member to the arrangement position of the object to be processed is set shorter than the distance from the rectifying member to the drawing member.

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