JP7561899B2 - Steel cleaning device and steel cleaning method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steel cleaning device and a steel cleaning method that can clean steel used to construct soil cement column walls, retaining walls, etc.

For example, in retaining earth or excavation work, when constructing the underground portion of a structure, steel materials such as sheet piles are used to construct soil cement column walls or retaining walls to secure the holes formed by excavating the ground so that they do not collapse.

After that, once the underground structure has stabilized, the steel materials used to construct the soil cement column walls and retaining walls are pulled out, cleaned, and reused at a different site. Traditionally, cleaning has been done by hand, which is a very time-consuming task, so there is a need for technology to efficiently clean such steel materials. Examples of technologies for cleaning steel materials include the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

Patent Document 1 discloses a tube bundle cleaning device that cleans a tube bundle removed from a heat exchanger by spraying high-pressure water from a nozzle. In this tube bundle cleaning device, an arm support is movably mounted on a guide rail that extends in the longitudinal direction above the tube bundle. A first arm extends diagonally downward from this arm support to one side of the tube bundle, and a second arm extends diagonally downward to the other end face, with a base movably mounted on each arm and a nozzle mounted on each base.

Then, by spraying high-pressure water from each nozzle, moving the arm support along the guide rail, and moving the position of each base along each arm at a specified pitch, the entire tube bundle can be washed with high-pressure water from two directions.

Patent Document 2 also discloses a technology for making small and lightweight pressurized water spray guns for cleaning pipe-shaped or plate-shaped construction scaffolding temporary equipment with pressurized water. The gun includes a device body supported on a support part via a rotating mechanism and rotatable around a rotating axis within a predetermined rotation angle range, multiple rod-shaped nozzle heads supported in parallel on the device body so as to be rotatable around multiple rotation axes parallel to the rotating axis and having pressurized water flow paths formed therein, multiple spray nozzles formed in the longitudinal direction of the rod-shaped nozzle heads, a rotation and water supply mechanism that rotates the multiple rod-shaped nozzle heads and supplies pressurized water to the flow paths of the multiple rod-shaped nozzle heads, and a fixing means that fixes the rotation of the device body within the rotation angle range, and the total length of the multiple rod-shaped nozzle heads when arranged in a straight line is equivalent to the width of the widest temporary equipment among the types of temporary equipment.

Patent Document 3 also discloses a cleaning device for steel plates, such as sheet piles, that includes a steel plate positioning section, a cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning water in a direction along a first direction of the positioning surface of the steel plate positioning section and toward the positioning surface, a cleaning nozzle lateral section that moves the cleaning nozzle in a second direction intersecting the direction along the first direction of the positioning surface of the steel plate positioning section, a cleaning nozzle vertical section that moves the cleaning nozzle lateral section along the first direction of the positioning surface of the steel plate positioning section, and a control section that controls the operation of the cleaning nozzle vertical section and the cleaning nozzle lateral section, in which the control section controls the repetition of the lateral movement of the cleaning nozzle along the second direction and the vertical movement that moves the cleaning nozzle a distance in the first direction that is shorter than the length of the positioning surface.

The above-mentioned cleaning device is said to be able to enhance the cleaning effect by oscillating multiple cleaning nozzles arranged in parallel, and by controlling the phase shift of the nozzles of the multiple cleaning nozzles as they move back and forth, it is easier to wash the cleaning water off the steel plate being cleaned.

JP 2013-029232 A JP 2016-107171 A Patent No. 6792594

The cleaning device described in Patent Document 1 is a device that cleans each tube bundle removed from the heat exchanger, and the device described in Patent Document 2 is intended for temporary equipment used in construction scaffolding, and is not designed to clean a large number of generally long steel materials such as sheet piles at once.

The cleaning device described in Patent Document 3 is intended for cleaning steel plates such as sheet piles, and is designed to clean many long steel plates at once. However, because the two cleaning nozzles are moved vertically and horizontally while oscillating out of phase with each other, the support mechanism for the cleaning nozzles is subjected to uneven loads, making it difficult to maintain stability.

In addition, when using only an oscillating nozzle, the height distance from the object to be cleaned increases or decreases, causing uneven cleaning results and an unstable cleaning finish. The device is difficult to stabilize due to the reaction caused by the uneven load of the oscillation, and problems such as device damage are likely to occur. An excessively large support structure is required to stabilize the device.

In addition, after cleaning one side of the steel plate, all of the steel plates must be turned over to clean the other side, and the cleaning work must be temporarily stopped while the plates are being turned over, resulting in poor work efficiency.

In light of the above-mentioned background, the present invention aims to provide a steel cleaning device and a steel cleaning method that can efficiently clean a large number of steel materials, such as sheet piles, used in construction of soil cement column walls, retaining walls, etc.

The steel cleaning device of the present invention is equipped with a steel installation section on which multiple steel pieces are laid out, a cleaning machine that sprays cleaning water for cleaning the steel pieces, and a horizontal movement means for moving the cleaning machine to any planar coordinate position on the steel installation section, characterized in that the cleaning machine is equipped with one or more fixed nozzles that spray cleaning water toward the surfaces to be cleaned of the steel pieces laid out on the steel installation section, and one or more oscillating nozzles that spray cleaning water while oscillating in an arc-shaped trajectory within a plane that intersects with the surfaces to be cleaned.

The horizontal movement means is used to move the cleaning machine to any planar coordinate position in the steel installation area, allowing cleaning to be performed while moving in a direction along the longitudinal direction of the steel or in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction. Because the horizontal movement means is provided, there is no need to move the steel until cleaning of the steel is completed.

The cleaning machine is equipped with one or more fixed nozzles, and can perform cleaning while maintaining a constant height relative to the surface of the steel materials laid out in the steel material placement area. In addition to the fixed nozzles, it is also equipped with one or more oscillating nozzles, and can clean the steel materials by oscillating in an arc-shaped trajectory within a plane that intersects with the surface of the steel materials to be cleaned.

In addition to the oscillating nozzle, it is equipped with a fixed nozzle that maintains a constant height relative to the steel material (the object being cleaned) while cleaning. This allows the cleaning water from the fixed nozzle to clean locally while generating a flow of cleaning water from the cleaning water sprayed from the oscillating nozzle. This allows it to deal with a wide range of stubborn dirt and provides stable cleaning capabilities.

There are no particular limitations on the specifications or shape of the steel installation section, but for example, it can have a mesh structure so that the cleaning water used to wash the steel material flows downward.

In the steel cleaning device of the present invention, the cleaning machine may be provided with a cleaning machine height adjustment means for adjusting the vertical height relative to the horizontal movement means.

By providing the washer with a washer height adjustment means for adjusting the vertical height relative to the horizontal movement means, it can easily accommodate different sizes of steel materials. In addition, by providing an actuator to the washer height adjustment means, for example, when steel materials are laid out on the steel installation section with a slope for drainage, it can be automatically controlled to respond to changes in the height of the slope, and by keeping the nozzle height constant relative to the steel materials, it is possible to achieve stable cleaning performance.

In addition, in the steel material cleaning device of the present invention, the cleaning machine may be provided with a fixed nozzle height adjustment means for adjusting the height of the fixed nozzle relative to the surface of the steel material to be cleaned.

By providing a fixed nozzle height adjustment means, cleaning can be performed according to the height of the steel surface to be cleaned. The height of the fixed nozzle can be adjusted to match the steel surface to be cleaned, further improving cleaning performance.

As the fixed nozzle moves horizontally, the support member for the fixed nozzle can be raised and lowered by an actuator or moved linearly depending on the shape and height of the steel material, thereby improving the cleaning effect by always keeping the nozzle at a constant height relative to the cleaning surface of the steel material.

The vertical movement can be controlled by programming the steel material deployed in a specified position to trace a predetermined trajectory. Alternatively, the height of the steel material can be detected in advance by a distance sensor, and the material can be moved up or down based on the results.

The cleaning machine may also be provided with a fixed nozzle angle adjustment means for adjusting the inclination angle of the fixed nozzle relative to the surface of the steel material to be cleaned.

The fixed nozzle angle adjustment means allows the angle of inclination of the fixed nozzle relative to the steel surface being cleaned to be adjusted, allowing stubborn localized dirt to be removed.

The fixed nozzle of the cleaning machine may also be a fixed swivel nozzle whose tip is branched into multiple nozzles, and the branched nozzles rotate around the base of the fixed nozzle.

In addition, in the steel cleaning device of the present invention, the cleaning machine may be provided with a horizontal movement means for moving the fixed rotating nozzle horizontally relative to the cleaning machine body.

Fixed nozzles can be used to expand the cleaning range and clean efficiently by rotating in a plane, or oscillating in an arc or linear motion, or by combining these motions, without changing the height relative to the steel material.

The cleaning machine may be provided with a counterweight that swings in a direction opposite to the swinging nozzle.

By providing a counterweight that swings in the opposite direction to the swinging nozzle, the recoil of the swinging nozzle can be offset, and the entire structure of the steel cleaning device that supports the swinging nozzle can be protected from the impact of the recoil, allowing the steel cleaning device to be constructed with a rational structure.

The cleaning machine may also be provided with a rotating means for rotating the entire cleaning machine around an axis. By providing the cleaning machine with a rotating means, the cleaning direction can be easily changed, for example, the cleaning direction relative to the steel materials laid out in the steel material installation section can be changed without moving the steel materials.

The horizontal movement means may comprise a lateral movement means for reciprocating the cleaning machine in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel material, and a vertical movement means for moving the cleaning machine in the longitudinal direction of the steel material, and the steel material installation section may comprise a first section and a second section arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction of the steel material.

As a means for lateral movement, a portal frame can be formed by erecting beam members between the supports on both sides, laying multiple steel members between the supports on both sides as steel installation sections, and providing a cleaning machine that sprays cleaning water on the underside of the beam members of the portal frame so that the cleaning machine can reciprocate along the beam members of the portal frame in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel members.

In addition, if the portal frame is provided with a vertical movement means, the portal frame can be moved parallel to the direction perpendicular to the beam member. As a vertical movement means, for example, a rail steel material that acts as a rail for the horizontal movement means to move vertically in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the steel material can be installed at the bottom of the pillars of the portal frame, so that the portal frame can move back and forth on the rail steel material.

The horizontal movement means and vertical movement means may be any means capable of moving in the longitudinal direction of the steel material laid in the steel material installation section and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and may be any means or configuration capable of smoothly moving the cleaning machine back and forth above the steel material.

The steel material cleaning method of the present invention is a method for cleaning a large number of steel materials at once using the above-mentioned steel material cleaning apparatus,
(1) A step of laying out a plurality of steel materials to be cleaned in parallel in the first section of the steel material placement section;
(2) Repeating the steps of moving the cleaning machine of the steel cleaning apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel material by the lateral movement means and moving the cleaning machine in the longitudinal direction of the steel material by a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means, cleaning the multiple steel materials laid out in the first section, and laying the next multiple steel materials to be cleaned in parallel in the second section of the steel material installation section;
(3) Repeating the steps of moving the cleaning machine of the steel cleaning apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by the lateral movement means and moving the cleaning machine in the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means to clean the multiple steel materials laid out in the second section, and flipping over the multiple steel materials in the first section after one side has been cleaned;
(4) Repeating the steps of moving the cleaning machine of the steel cleaning apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by the lateral movement means and moving the cleaning machine in the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means, cleaning the inverted steel materials in the first section and inverting the steel materials in the second section after one side has been cleaned;
(5) Repeating the steps of moving the cleaning machine of the steel cleaning apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by the lateral movement means and moving the cleaning machine in the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means to clean the multiple steel materials in the inverted second section, and removing the multiple steel materials in the first section after both sides have been cleaned;
(6) removing the steel materials from the second section after both sides have been cleaned;
The present invention is characterized in that it has the following features.

Examples of patterns for repeating the process of moving the cleaning machine of the above-mentioned steel cleaning equipment in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel material by a lateral movement means and the process of moving it in the longitudinal direction of the steel material by a predetermined distance by a vertical movement means include the following patterns.
(a) Repeated "lateral movement (forward) → lateral movement (return) → vertical movement."
(b) Repeated "horizontal movement (forward) → vertical movement → horizontal movement (return) → vertical movement."
(c) Repeating "horizontal movement (forward) and vertical movement → horizontal movement (return) and vertical movement" (simultaneous vertical and horizontal movement).

In addition, in the steel cleaning method, in step (6), the multiple steel bars in the second section after both sides have been cleaned are removed, and the next multiple steel bars to be cleaned are laid out in parallel in the first section of the steel installation section, and thereafter steps (1) to (6) are repeated the required number of times. By repeating steps (1) to (6) the required number of times, a large number of steel bars can be cleaned efficiently.

In addition to the work of flipping the multiple steel materials in steps (3) and (4) and the work of removing the multiple steel materials in steps (5) and (6), the steel materials that have been cleaned on one or both sides may be subjected to a work of removing damaged parts and/or unnecessary adherent material.

When flipping or removing steel materials, it is a good idea to use gas cutting to remove any attachments such as angles that were welded on-site, and cut off any damaged (bent, warped, etc.) parts of the steel from the end to the normal part to straighten the steel.

The steel cleaning device and steel cleaning method of the present invention are configured as described above and provide the following effects:

(1) The cleaning machine used in the steel cleaning equipment can efficiently clean a large number of steel pieces laid out in a line evenly by combining a fixed nozzle and a swinging nozzle, or a fixed rotating nozzle and a swinging nozzle.

(2) In addition to the oscillating nozzle, the device is equipped with a fixed nozzle that maintains a constant height relative to the steel material during cleaning. This allows for a one-way flow of cleaning water while also dealing with a wide range of issues, including localized, stubborn dirt, and provides stable cleaning performance.

(3) By providing a means for adjusting the height of the washer, it can be easily adapted to steel materials of various sizes.

(4) By providing a fixed nozzle height adjustment means, the support member of the fixed nozzle can be raised and lowered in an up-and-down or linear motion in accordance with the shape and height of the steel material as the fixed nozzle moves vertically or horizontally. The height of the fixed nozzle relative to the cleaning surface of the steel material can be kept constant at all times, improving the cleaning effect.

(5) By providing a fixed nozzle angle adjustment means, the fixed nozzle can be kept at a constant angle, allowing the angle to be adjusted to a particularly dirty area for localized cleaning.
(6) By providing a fixed swiveling nozzle, the nozzle can be swiveled in a plane without changing its height relative to the steel material, making it possible to further expand the cleaning range.
(7) By providing the cleaning machine with horizontal movement means for moving the fixed swivel nozzle horizontally, the cleaning range can be expanded by swinging it back and forth in a linear motion.

(8) By providing a rotating means for rotating the entire washer around an axis, the washing direction can be easily changed. For example, if the steel installation section is composed of a first compartment and a second compartment, it is preferable to designate the boundary between the first and second compartments as the upstream side in the direction of washing water flow, and to designate both ends in the direction away from the boundary as the downstream side of each compartment, since this makes it easier to avoid interference of drainage water with each compartment. When washing each compartment from the upstream side to the downstream side starting from the boundary between the first and second compartments, it is possible to smoothly switch to work in the second compartment by changing the direction of the washer after washing the first compartment.

(9) According to the steel cleaning method of the present invention, a steel installation section consisting of the first and second compartments as described above is provided, and a steel cleaning device equipped with lateral and vertical movement means for moving the cleaning machine is used. By performing the installation and cleaning of steel in the first and second compartments, the flipping of steel after one side has been cleaned, and the removal of steel after both sides have been cleaned, in parallel with shifted steps, it is possible to perform economical and efficient cleaning work, such as reducing the manpower required for the work.

1 is a plan view showing the overall structure of a steel material cleaning apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1; 1A is a side view of a cleaning machine in a steel cleaning apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a side view of a cleaning machine in a steel cleaning apparatus in a diagonal forward position, and FIG. 1C is a front view of the cleaning machine. In the embodiment of FIG. 4(c), (a) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line AA, (b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line BB, and (c) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line CC. 1A and 1B show another embodiment of the cleaning machine of the steel cleaning equipment used in the present invention, in which (a) is a side view when the swinging nozzle is downward, (b) is a side view when the swinging nozzle is diagonally forward, and (c) is a front view. FIG. 2 is a side view of the steel material cleaning device of the present invention when moved in the longitudinal direction of the steel material. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing how a fixed nozzle adjusts its height relative to the surface of a steel material to be cleaned in the steel material cleaning device of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing how a fixed swiveling nozzle adjusts the height of the steel material relative to the surface to be cleaned while rotating the nozzle in the steel material cleaning apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a cleaning machine equipped with a fixed swiveling nozzle in the steel material cleaning apparatus of the present invention. 1A and 1B are views showing a steel material cleaning device according to the present invention, showing a cleaning machine equipped with a revolving nozzle that moves back and forth, in which FIG. 3A, 3B, and 3C are enlarged views of the tip of a fixed swiveling nozzle in the steel material washing apparatus of the present invention, where FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a procedure for the steel material cleaning method of the present invention;

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below.

Figure 1 is a plan view showing the overall structure of the steel cleaning device 1 of the present invention, Figure 2 is a front view, and Figure 3 is a side view. A plurality of steel materials 40 (objects to be cleaned) are arranged in parallel in the steel material installation section 41. A gate-shaped frame 2 is formed as one of the horizontal movement means of the cleaning machine 10. The gate-shaped frame 2 has a support 3 provided on both sides of the steel material installation section 41 and a beam member 4 installed between the support 3. A vertical movement means 5 is provided below the support 3, and the vertical movement means 5 is placed on rail members 5b provided on both sides of the steel material installation section along the longitudinal direction of the steel materials and with a length exceeding the length of the steel materials arranged in the steel material installation section, via a running roller (not shown) driven by a vertical movement motor 5a provided in the vertical movement means 5, and moves the gate-shaped frame 2 in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the beam member 4.

The lateral movement means 6 is placed on the beam member 4 of the portal frame 2 via running rollers 6b, and the cleaning machine 10 is suspended from the lateral movement means 6. The lateral movement means 6 is equipped with a lateral movement motor 6a that drives a sprocket 6d that engages with a chain rack 6c fixed to the beam member 4 along the movement direction of the lateral movement means 6 over a length that exceeds the movement range of the lateral movement means 6, and moves the cleaning machine 10 along the beam member 4.

The washer 10 is equipped with a swinging nozzle 30 and a fixed nozzle 20. The swinging nozzle 30 swings at a certain angle as shown in Figure 3 to generate a flow of cleaning water, and the fixed nozzle 20 performs cleaning while maintaining a constant height relative to the steel material 40, allowing it to deal with a wide range of stains, including localized and stubborn stains, and to clean efficiently.

When the steel material 40 is a steel sheet pile 40a, for example, it is installed with the concave portion facing up, and after cleaning, the steel sheet pile 40a is turned over so that the convex surface faces up as shown in the figure, and then cleaned again. When cleaning H-shaped steel 40b, first lay them out so that one concave portion faces up and clean them, and after cleaning one side, flip the H-shaped steel 40b over so that the other concave portion faces up and clean again.

Figure 4 shows the cleaning machine 10 in the steel cleaning device 1 of the present invention, where (a) is a side view when the oscillating nozzle 30 is downward, (b) is a side view when the oscillating nozzle 30 is diagonally forward, and (c) is a front view. Also, Figure 5 shows the embodiment of Figure 4(c), with (a) showing an A-A cross-sectional view, (b) showing a B-B cross-sectional view, and (c) showing a C-C cross-sectional view.

A swivel device 14 and a swivel motor 15 are provided under the lateral movement means 6, allowing the orientation of the washer 10 to be easily rotated. A lifting device 11 is provided under the swivel device 14, and a lifting handle 12 is attached to allow the washer 10 to be manually raised and lowered. By providing the lifting device 11 to the washer 10, it can accommodate steel materials 40 of various sizes.

Two fixed nozzles 20 are provided on the outermost side of the bottom of the washer 10. The fixed nozzles 20 can clean at a constant angle to the steel material 40. Two oscillating nozzles 30 are provided inside the fixed nozzles 20. In addition to the oscillating nozzles 30, the fixed nozzles 20, which clean while maintaining a constant height relative to the steel material 40, generate a flow of cleaning water in one direction while being able to deal with a wide range of localized and stubborn stains, and have stable cleaning performance. Inside the oscillating nozzle 30, there is a nozzle oscillating link 32 and a counterweight oscillating link 34, and a counterweight 33 and an oscillating motor 31 are provided in the center.

The counterweight 33 swings in a direction opposite to that of the swinging nozzle 30, counteracting the recoil of the swinging nozzle 30 and protecting the steel cleaning equipment from the impact of the recoil.

The nozzle swing link 32 and counterweight swing link 34 each connect the swing nozzle 30 and counterweight 33 to a rotating plate 35 that is driven to rotate by a swing motor 31, and convert the rotational motion of the rotating plate 35 into reciprocating motion, swinging the swing nozzle 30 and counterweight 33 back and forth along the cleaning direction in opposite directions.

The relative positions of the pivot of the oscillating nozzle 30 and counterweight 33, the center of rotation of the rotating plate 35, and the respective connection fulcrums of the nozzle oscillating link 32 and counterweight oscillating link 34 are configured so that the timing of the forward and backward turns (forward and backward limits) of the reciprocating motion of the oscillating nozzle 30 and counterweight 33 is the same, thereby canceling out the recoil caused by the oscillation.

Figure 6 shows another embodiment of the cleaning machine 10 of the steel cleaning device 1 used in the present invention, where (a) is a side view when the oscillating nozzle 30 is downward, (b) is a side view when the oscillating nozzle 30 is diagonally forward, and (c) is a front view. The main components are the same as in Figure 4, but the cleaning machine 10 in Figure 6 is provided with a lifting motor 13 instead of a lifting handle 12.

The upper part of the steel cleaning equipment 1 is equipped with a lateral movement means 6, which is provided with a lateral movement motor 6a. A swivel device 14 and a swivel motor 15 are provided below the lateral movement means 6, allowing the orientation of the cleaning machine 10 to be easily rotated. A lifting device 11 and a lifting motor 13 are provided below the swivel device 14, and the lifting motor 13 enables automated control of the lifting position of the cleaning machine 10. By providing the lifting device 11 and the lifting motor 13 to the cleaning machine 10, it can easily accommodate steel materials 40 of various sizes.

Two fixed nozzles 20 are provided on the outermost side of the bottom of the washer 10. The fixed nozzles 20 can clean at a constant angle to the steel material 40. Two oscillating nozzles 30 are provided inside the fixed nozzles 20. In addition to the oscillating nozzles 30, the fixed nozzles 20, which clean while maintaining a constant height relative to the steel material 40, generate a flow of cleaning water in one direction while being able to deal with a wide range of localized and stubborn stains, and have stable cleaning performance. Inside the oscillating nozzle 30, there is a nozzle oscillating link 32 and a counterweight oscillating link 34, and a counterweight 33 and an oscillating motor 31 are provided in the center.

However, the greater the distance between the surface to be cleaned and the nozzle, the weaker the cleaning power of the nozzle on the surface to be cleaned. Figures 6 to 11 show an example of a cleaning machine equipped with a lifting motor 13 that raises and lowers the oscillating nozzle 30 and the fixed nozzle 20 or the fixed swiveling nozzle 21 described below.

While moving the cleaner horizontally, the lift motor 13 can change the height of the nozzle up and down in response to the change in height of the surface to be cleaned due to the shape of the steel material 40 that accompanies the horizontal movement of the cleaner. By keeping the nozzle height constant relative to the surface to be cleaned of the steel material 40, a high cleaning effect can be maintained without weakening the cleaning power.

The nozzle may move up and down in a linear motion as shown in the figure, or it may be configured to move up and down along an arc. The nozzle may also be controlled automatically by programming it to move along a predetermined path relative to the steel material 40 laid in a specified position in the steel material installation section 41, or the height of the surface to be cleaned may be detected in advance by a distance sensor, and the nozzle may be automatically controlled to move up and down depending on the result.

When cleaning steel materials 40, if the steel materials 40 are laid out on a flat surface, the cleaning water and dirt that has been removed will not flow away and will accumulate, making it difficult to work smoothly. To perform cleaning work efficiently, it is preferable to determine a uniform direction in which the cleaning water is drained together with the dirt. The flow direction of the cleaning water can be created by setting an angle in the spray direction of each nozzle of the cleaning machine 10 and by providing a gradient to the steel materials 40 laid out on the steel installation section 41.

Figure 7 is a side view showing an example in which the steel material cleaning device 1 of the present invention moves steel materials 40 laid out in a steel material installation section 41 with their longitudinal direction aligned with the movement direction of the vertical movement means while cleaning the steel materials 40 along their longitudinal direction. The steel materials 40 are provided with an incline toward the direction in which the longitudinal direction of the steel materials 40 is drained.

The cleaning machine 10 performs cleaning with the nozzle angled so that the cleaning water flows from the upstream side to the downstream side, with the side where the surface to be cleaned is higher due to the inclination of the steel material 40 being the upstream side and the side where the surface is lower being the downstream side. During this process, as the cleaning machine 10 moves downstream, the distance between the nozzle and the steel material 40 increases, and the cleaning power weakens.

The lifting motor 13 attached to the cleaner 10 raises and lowers the cleaner 10 in accordance with the change in height caused by the gradient of the steel material 40 as the cleaner 10 moves, and the distance between the surface of the steel material 40 to be cleaned and the nozzle is controlled to be kept constant, allowing cleaning work to be performed while maintaining cleaning power.

Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the fixed nozzle 20 cleaning along the surface of the steel material 40 in the steel material cleaning device 1 of the present invention.

By providing the lifting motor 13 shown in Figures 6 and 7, the height of the fixed nozzle 20 relative to the surface of the steel material 40 to be cleaned can be adjusted, so that as the cleaner 10 moves horizontally, the fixed nozzle 20 can be raised and lowered or moved horizontally along the cleaning surface of the steel material 40 while maintaining the height of the fixed nozzle 20 relative to the cleaning surface of the steel material 40, and cleaning power can be maintained even in low parts of the steel material 40 due to its shape, as shown in the figures.

The control by the lift motor 13 associated with the horizontal movement of the cleaner 10 can also be applied when moving in either the lateral or vertical direction, or both at the same time, and the cleaning effect can be improved by cleaning while maintaining a constant distance between the fixed nozzle 20 and the cleaning surface in accordance with the shape of the steel material 40, etc.

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing how the fixed swivel nozzle 21 is rotated and adjusted to adjust its height relative to the surface of the steel material 40 to be cleaned in the steel material cleaning device 1 of the present invention. As in the case of Figure 8, by controlling the lifting motor 13, the cleaning machine 10 can clean by moving up and down or horizontally while maintaining the height of the fixed swivel nozzle 21 relative to the surface of the steel material 40 along the cleaning surface of the steel material 40 as the cleaning machine 10 moves horizontally.

The fixed swivel nozzle 21 has two nozzles attached to the fixed nozzle support member 23, and because the nozzles rotate around the nozzle support member 23, cleaning water is sprayed in a circular shape, which can effectively clean the flange portion in particular, as shown in the figure. The angle of this nozzle portion can also be adjusted relative to the nozzle support member 23.

In the examples shown in Figures 6, 7, and 11, the fixed nozzle 20 or the fixed swiveling nozzle 21 is configured to be raised and lowered by the lifting motor 13 together with the oscillating nozzle 30, but it may also be configured so that only the fixed nozzle 20 or the fixed swiveling nozzle 21 is raised and lowered while maintaining the distance between the surface to be cleaned and the nozzle.

In addition to raising and lowering the oscillating nozzle 30 and the fixed nozzle 20 or fixed swivel nozzle 21 using the lifting motor 13, a separate actuator may be provided to raise and lower only the fixed nozzle 20 or fixed swivel nozzle 21 individually, allowing a different axis of movement to be used to accommodate various factors that cause changes in the distance between the surface to be cleaned and the nozzle, such as differences in size of the steel material 40, cross-sectional shape, and installation gradient, thereby increasing the variety of cleaning operation patterns.

Figure 10 is a side view showing an example of a cleaning machine 10 in which the fixed swivel nozzle 21 and lifting motor 13 are provided in the steel cleaning device 1 of the present invention, and which further includes a lifting motor 27 as an example of an actuator for individually lifting and lowering the fixed swivel nozzle 21 described above.

The cleaning machine 10, which is provided under the swivel device 14, is provided with a lift motor 13, which allows the height of the oscillating nozzle 30 and the fixed swivel nozzle 21 to be adjusted. Furthermore, the fixed nozzle 21 can be raised and lowered individually by the lift motor 27 to adjust its height. This allows, for example, the lift motor 13 to handle the change in height of the surface to be cleaned due to the gradient of the steel material 40, and the lift motor 27 to handle the change in height of the surface to be cleaned due to the shape of the steel material 40 by raising and lowering the fixed swivel nozzle 21. By using different operating axes corresponding to the cause of the change in height of the surface to be cleaned, cleaning work can be performed with more flexible operation while maintaining cleaning power.

The washer 10 is provided with an oscillating nozzle 30 and a counterweight 33, which oscillates in a direction opposite to the oscillating nozzle 30 to counteract the recoil of the oscillating nozzle 30 and protect the device from the impact of the recoil.

In addition to the oscillating nozzle 30, a fixed swiveling nozzle 21 is also provided. The fixed swiveling nozzle 21 in Figure 10 is a different type from that in Figure 9, with arms horizontally extending in two directions centered on the fixed nozzle support member 23, and nozzles provided at the tips of the arms. The fixed swiveling nozzle 21 swivels around the fixed nozzle support member 23, drawing an arc whose radius is the length of the arms from the center.

This allows the cleaning range of a fixed nozzle per plane coordinate position to be expanded by the horizontal movement means of the cleaning machine 10 performing the cleaning work, and for example, cleaning efficiency can be improved by adopting a fixed rotating nozzle 21 depending on the nature of the dirt adhering to the steel material 40.

Figure 11 shows a cleaning machine 10 equipped with a forward/backward moving swivel nozzle 22 in the steel cleaning device 1 of the present invention, (a) being a side view and (b) being a front view. As in Figure 10, a lateral movement means 6 moved by a lateral movement motor 6a is provided at the top, and a swivel device 14 is provided below it. The cleaning machine 10 has a lifting motor 13, which can easily accommodate different sizes of steel material 40. The lifting motor 13 can also automatically control the displacement of height during vertical movement when a gradient is applied, for example as in Figure 7, and the height of the nozzle relative to the steel material 40 is kept constant, stabilizing cleaning performance.

It also has a swing nozzle 30 and a swing motor 31 for moving the swing nozzle 30. It also has a counterweight 33 for offsetting the reaction of the swing motor 31, a nozzle swing link 32, and a counterweight swing link 34.

In addition to the oscillating nozzle 30, a forward/backward moving swivel nozzle 22 is provided. The forward/backward moving swivel nozzle 22 is provided with a nozzle forward/backward moving device 24 and a nozzle forward/backward moving motor 25, enabling a combined forward/backward movement in addition to the rotation of the fixed swivel nozzle as shown in FIG. 11(a). While the oscillating nozzle 30 sprays cleaning water that oscillates at a certain angle, the forward/backward moving swivel nozzle 22 further sprays cleaning water while performing a combined action of forward/backward movement and rotation, thereby further expanding the cleaning range per one plane coordinate position where the cleaning work of the fixed swivel nozzle 21 is performed.

Figure 12 shows an enlarged view of the tip of the fixed swivel nozzle 21 in the steel cleaning device 1 of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. As shown in the figure, if the lengths of the arms 26 extending from the swivel axis are made different on the left and right, the fixed swivel nozzle 21 with the longer arm 26 can generate a large arc of flow, and the fixed swivel nozzle 21 with the shorter arm 26 can generate a small arc of flow inside it.

The arms 26 of the fixed swivel nozzle 21 may be the same length, or the lengths of the arms 26 may be different as shown in the figure to shift and disperse the trajectory of the cleaning water, thereby reducing uneven cleaning. Also, the number of arms 26 may be one on each side, or may be branched into multiple arms.

The rotating means for the fixed swivel nozzle 21 may be a motor, or the fixed swivel nozzle 21 may be angled and supported so that it can rotate freely, and the momentum of the cleaning water sprayed from the two nozzles causes the reaction force of the nozzle spray to become a rotational force, so that each nozzle is tilted in the same direction to generate a rotational force, and rotated. The fixed swivel nozzle 21 attached to the tip of the arm 26 is fixed at a certain angle, but the fixed angle can be adjusted.

Figure 13 is a plan view showing an outline of the procedure for the steel cleaning method of the present invention, which is steps 1 to 6 as follows. In the example, the steel installation section 41 is divided into a first section 42 and a second section 43 and laid out, but the sections do not have to be separated.

Step 1
First, the steel material cleaning device of the present invention is installed around the center of the site, and the steel material installation section 41 is divided into a first section 42 and a second section 43. In the first section 42 of the steel material installation section 41, a plurality of steel materials 40 to be cleaned are laid out in parallel with each other with their longitudinal directions aligned in a direction perpendicular to the beam members 4 of the portal frame 2 of the steel material cleaning device 1.

Step 2
The process of moving the gate-shaped frame 2 in parallel a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means 5 while reciprocating the cleaning machine 10 of the steel material cleaning apparatus 1 along the beam members 4 by the horizontal movement means 6 with respect to the steel materials 40 laid out in the first section 42 is repeated to clean the multiple steel materials 40 laid out in the first section 42. Furthermore, the next multiple steel materials 40 to be cleaned are laid out in parallel in the second section 43 of the steel material installation section 41.

Step 3
The process of moving the gate frame 2 in parallel a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means 5 while reciprocating the cleaning machine 10 of the steel cleaning device 1 along the beam member 4 by the horizontal movement means 6 is repeated to clean the multiple steel materials 40 laid out in the second section 43. While the steel materials 40 laid out in the second section 43 are being cleaned, the multiple steel materials 40 in the first section 42, one side of which has been cleaned, are turned over. In addition, of the steel materials 40 laid out in the first section 42, those with attachments such as angles welded at the construction site are removed by gas cutting, and the damaged (bent, warped, etc.) parts of the steel materials 40 are cut from the end to the normal part.

Step 4
The process of moving the gate frame 2 in parallel a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means 5 while reciprocating the cleaning machine 10 of the steel cleaning device 1 along the beam members 4 by the horizontal movement means 6 is repeated to clean the multiple steel materials 40 in the inverted first section 42. While the steel materials 40 laid out in the first section 42 are being cleaned, the multiple steel materials 40 in the second section 43, one side of which has been cleaned, are inverted. Furthermore, of the steel materials 40 laid out in the second section 43, those with attachments such as angles welded at the construction site are removed by gas cutting, and the damaged (bent, warped, etc.) parts of the steel materials 40 are cut from the end to the normal part.

Step 5
The process of moving the gate frame 2 in parallel a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means 5 while reciprocating the cleaning machine 10 of the steel cleaning device 1 along the beam member 4 by the horizontal movement means 6 is repeated to clean the multiple steel materials 40 in the inverted second section 43. Furthermore, of the steel materials 40 laid out in the first section 42, those with attachments such as angles welded at the construction site are removed by gas cutting, and damaged (bent, warped, etc.) parts of the steel materials are cut from the ends to normal parts to finish the process. After cleaning of both sides and gas cutting work are completed, the multiple steel materials 40 in the first section 42 are removed.

Step 6
Among the steel materials 40 laid out in the second section 43, those with attachments such as angles welded at the construction site are removed by gas cutting, and damaged (bent, warped, etc.) parts of the steel materials 40 are cut from the ends to normal parts to finish the work. After both sides have been cleaned and the gas cutting work has been completed, the multiple steel materials 40 in the second section 43 are removed.

In the above embodiment, the step of moving the cleaning machine of the steel cleaning device in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel material by the lateral movement means and the step of moving the cleaning machine in the longitudinal direction of the steel material by a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means are repeated.
(a) Repeated "lateral movement (forward) → lateral movement (return) → vertical movement."
corresponds to the pattern
(b) Repeated "horizontal movement (forward) → vertical movement → horizontal movement (return) → vertical movement."
(c) Repeating "horizontal movement (forward) and vertical movement → horizontal movement (return) and vertical movement" (simultaneous vertical and horizontal movement).
Steel materials can also be cleaned in this manner.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1...Steel cleaning device 2...Gate-shaped frame 3...Support 4...Beam member 5...Vertical movement means 5a...Vertical movement motor 5b...Rail member 6...Horizontal movement means 6a...Horizontal movement motor 6b...Travel roller 6c...Chain rack 6d...Sprocket 10...Cleaning machine 11...Lifting device 12...Lifting handle 13...Lifting motor 14...Rotation device 15...Rotation motor 20...Fixed nozzle 21...Fixed swivel nozzle 22...Forward/backward movement swivel nozzle 23...Fixed nozzle support member 24...Nozzle forward/backward movement device 25...Nozzle forward/backward movement motor 26...Arm 27...Lifting motor (for individually lifting and lowering fixed nozzle and fixed swivel nozzle)
30: Swinging nozzle 31: Swinging motor 32: Nozzle swing link 33: Counterweight 34: Counterweight swing link 35: Rotating plate 40: Steel material (object to be cleaned)
40a... Steel sheet pile 40b... H-shaped steel 41... Steel material installation section 42... First section 43... Second section

Claims (3)

A steel material cleaning device comprising: a steel material installation section in which a plurality of steel materials are laid out; a cleaning machine which sprays cleaning water for cleaning the steel materials; and a horizontal direction moving means which moves the cleaning machine to an arbitrary planar coordinate position of the steel material installation section,
the cleaning machine includes one or more fixed nozzles that spray cleaning water toward the surfaces to be cleaned of the steel materials laid out in the steel material installation section, and one or more oscillating nozzles that spray cleaning water while oscillating in an arc-shaped trajectory within a plane in a direction intersecting the surfaces to be cleaned,
The horizontal movement means comprises a lateral movement means for reciprocating the cleaning machine in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel material, and a vertical movement means for moving the cleaning machine in the longitudinal direction of the steel material, and the steel installation section is composed of a first section and a second section arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction of the steel material, using a steel cleaning apparatus for cleaning a large number of steel materials at once,
(1) A step of laying out a plurality of steel materials to be cleaned in parallel in the first section of the steel material placement section;
(2) Repeating the steps of moving the cleaning machine of the steel cleaning apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel material by the lateral movement means and moving the cleaning machine in the longitudinal direction of the steel material by a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means, cleaning the multiple steel materials laid out in the first section, and laying the next multiple steel materials to be cleaned in parallel in the second section of the steel material installation section;
(3) Repeating the steps of moving the cleaning machine of the steel cleaning apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by the lateral movement means and moving the cleaning machine in the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means to clean the multiple steel materials laid out in the second section, and flipping over the multiple steel materials in the first section after one side has been cleaned;
(4) Repeating the steps of moving the cleaning machine of the steel cleaning apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by the lateral movement means and moving the cleaning machine in the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means, cleaning the multiple steel materials in the first section that have been inverted, and inverting the multiple steel materials in the second section after one side has been cleaned;
(5) Repeating the steps of moving the cleaning machine of the steel cleaning apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by the lateral movement means and moving the cleaning machine in the longitudinal direction of the steel materials by a predetermined distance by the vertical movement means to clean the multiple steel materials in the inverted second section, and removing the multiple steel materials in the first section after both sides have been cleaned;
(6) removing the steel materials from the second section after both sides have been cleaned;
A method for cleaning a steel material, comprising the steps of: 2. A method for cleaning steel materials as described in claim 1 , characterized in that in step (6), the multiple steel materials in the second section after both sides have been cleaned are removed, and the next multiple steel materials to be cleaned are laid out in parallel in the first section of the steel material installation section, and thereafter steps (1) to (6) are repeated the required number of times. 3. A method for cleaning steel materials according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that, in addition to the work of flipping the multiple steel materials in steps (3) and (4) and the work of removing the multiple steel materials in steps (5) and (6), a work of removing damaged parts and/or unnecessary adherent matter is carried out on the steel materials after cleaning on one or both sides has been completed.