Weirton Steel Corporation

William T Saunders, Deceased

William H Dalrymple

William L Johnston

Jon F Grubbs

New composite-coated flat-rolled steel product and new methods of manufacture in which low-carbon steel, as received in cold-reduced continuous strip form is prepared for plating, a corrosion-prevention plating is applied, and a selected polymeric coating with lubricant is applied as the finish surface. The resulting composite-coated steel substrate is cold-rolled to decrease the composite-coated steel substrate gage. Selection of cold rolling steps, with non-use or selected use of stress-relief type of heat treatment before and/or after an initial cold-rolling of the steel substrate as received prior to surface preparation, provides for selective tin mill manufacture of composite-coated steel of various weights per unit area, for example, in the range of about 35 to about 100 lb/bb, produced by cold rolling of the composite-coated flat-rolled steel.

Light-gage composite-coated flat-rolled steel manufacture and product

Scoreline, profiling and reinforcing features are provided for an easy-access sheet metal end closure (20) and an integral opener (44). An endwall panel (28) is formed so as to substantially eliminate flexing of the sheet metal during rupture of residual metal of scoreline means defining a U-shaped tear strip (30). Such tear strip is oriented with its arcuately-shaped closed end (32) contiguous to the periphery of such endwall panel -with scoreline legs (34, 35) directed toward a portion at its geometric center (26). The opener is fabricated with a chisel-point (92) at its working end (66) to initiate puncture of such arcuate-shaped scoreline by Class I lever action. Rupturing of the scoreline is followed by pivoting of the opener about a pair of fulcrum points, (82, 83) which contact the panel one each external to a, side of opening 62, with movement of the opening about such fulcrum points rupturing the scoreline legs by Class; II lever action. The opener and tear strip are retained and stored externally on the panel without obstructing the opening (62).

Easy-access sheet metal container structures

Draw processing flat-rolled sheet metal substrate preselectively precoated on each surface with organic coating and draw lubricant into one-piece can bodies ready for assembly into sanitary can packs free of any requirement for applying organic coating or adding organic coating for repair purposes after fabrication and before such direct usage. Cupping of precoated flat-rolled sheet metal can stock using preselected tooling configurations and clearance avoids any increase in side wall metal thickness gage. Tension elongation during redraw is controlled over side wall height by clamping solely between planar clamping surfaces, tooling configurations and preselected clearances to decrease thickness gage uniformly over side wall height between flange metal open end of can body and curved transition zone at closed end. High production rate blanking and cupping is achieved with out-of-phase simultaneous movement of cupping die and punch which provides for rapid discharge cup-shaped work product, open-end-down on flange at open end of cup. Surface area of the cavity entrance zone for each die is fabricated about multiple radii forming sharp edge about which coated can stock is drawn into each die cavity. Curved surface transition zone for each punch is maintained large in relation to sheet metal substrate starting gage which facilitates change of configuration of metal from planar state into cylindrical side wall.

Draw-processing of can bodies for sanitary can packs

Draw processing flat-rolled sheet metal substrate preselectively precoated on each surface with organic coating and draw lubricant into one-piece can bodies ready for assembly into sanitary can packs free of any requirement for applying organic coating or adding organic coating for repair purposes after fabrication and before such direct usage. Cupping of precoated flat-rolled sheet metal can stock using preselected tooling configurations and clearance avoids any increase in side wall metal thickness gage. Tension elongation during redraw is controlled over side wall height by clamping solely between planar clamping surfaces, tooling configurations and preselected clearances to decrease thickness gage uniformly over side wall height between flange metal open end of can body and curved transition zone at closed end. Surface area of the cavity entrance zone for each die is fabricated about multiple radii forming sharp edge about which coated can stock is drawn into each die cavity. Curved surface transition zone for each punch is maintained large in relation to sheet metal substrate starting gage which facilitates change of configuration of metal from planar state into cylindrical side wall.

Scoreline, profiling and reinforcing features are provided for an easy-access sheet metal end closure (20) and an integral opener (44). An endwall panel (28) is formed so as to substantially eliminate flexing of the sheet metal during rupture of residual metal of scoreline means defining a U-shaped tear strip (30). Such tear strip is oriented with its arcuately-shaped closed end (32) contiguous to the periphery of such endwall panel with scoreline legs (34,35) directed toward a portion at its geometric center (26). The opener is fabricated with a chisel-point (92) at its working end (66) to initiate puncture of such arcuate-shaped scoreline by Class I lever action. Rupturing of the scoreline is followed by pivoting of the opener about a pair of fulcrum points (82,83) which contact the panel one each external to a side of opening 62, with movement of the opening about such fulcrum points rupturing the scoreline legs by Class II lever action. The opener and tear strip are retained and stored externally on the panel without obstructing the opening (62).

Growing community of inventors

Weirton, WV, United States of America

William T Saunders, Deceased