The new Bradbury eDrive™ system (patent pending) was developed after discovering the mismatch of roll speeds as material makes its way through a leveler. This phenomenon was noticed when torque limiters on the drive shafts of the exit rolls were showing excessive wear as compared to the entry shafts. Further testing revealed that material was actually being forced through levelers from the front. With all leveler rolls of equal diameter and geared the same, material was “bunching up” internally, greatly reducing the stretching process required to equalize material shape. The plunge of the entry rolls has everything to do with yielding the material to a plastic state. Yet when the plunge was increased, the bunching would worsen, and horsepower consumption would increase with little material improvement being gained.
Bradbury research and development has unlocked new potential in an old process. By splitting the gearbox into two independent drive sections, plunge can be increased and the final product significantly improved. We focus specific horsepower to the material at the point of plastification – while the exit side of the gearbox is more concentrated on pulling the material out of the leveler.
Entry view of Bradbury Leveler – with the two independent drive sections of the eDrive™ system visible at left.
Exit view – showing “Process Flat™” metal strip.
Greater yielding of the material allows for more stretch while gaining deeper penetration – eliminating additional internal stresses. This is very important with today’s demand for “Stay Flat™” – or what Bradbury has trademarked “Process Flat™” – materials. Better management of horsepower reduces wasted energy and makes the eDrive eco-friendly and one of the lowest cost systems to operate in the world. We use the same amount of horsepower; however, the computer control constantly monitors what is required while preventing the leveler from overloading. Testing has revealed significant energy savings during the normal run cycle. This results in money savings to you and provides superior control over the flatness of the strip.
