CA1037300A - Method and apparatus for changing rolls for a rolling mill - Google Patents

Abstract

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CHANGING ROLLS FOR A ROLLING MILL

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Arrangement including the use of at least two novel dual work roll supporting devices for supporting new or refinished work rolls on one device and a used work roll and mounted chock assem-blies on another device, in the same relative relationship to per-mit removal of the chock assemblies as units from the used work rolls and mounting the chock assemblies on new or refinished work rolls without requiring disengagement of the top and bottom work roll chocks.

Description

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SPECIFICATION
This invention rela-te~ to the changing of rolls of a roll-ing mill of the type in which top and ~ottom work rolls and their suppor~ing chock assemblies are removed from and returned to the rolling mill as unitary structures. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for removing chock assemblies from used top and bottom work rolls when outside the roll-ing mill and for mounting such chock assemblies on new or refin-ished top and bottom work rolls to provide a unitary structure for placement in the rolling mill, In accordance ~ith conventional practice, top and bottom work rolls and their supporting chock assemb]ies are removed from or moved into a rolling mill as unitary structures by means of ., tracks located on the operating side of the mill which extend in a direction parallel to the axes of the work rolls. In the case of used top and bottom work rolls, the unitary structure is lifted from the tracks and placed on a transport car and moved to the roll shop. In accordance with the prior art practice, the following operations are performed at the roll shbp to remove chock assem-blies from used work rolls and to mount such chock assemblies on new or refinished top and bottom work rolls to provide a uni.tary structure to be returned to and mounted in the rolling mill:
1. Disengage both chock assemblies to permit the top work roll and its chbck to be removed from the bottom work roll and its chbcks.

2. Lift the top work roll and its chocks and place on a first support wlth.the outer end portion of the working sur face on t~e top work roll supported on wooden blocks and with each chock located a~ove a path o~ mo~ement of a different chock car~

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3. L~t the ~ottom work roll and its chocks and place on a second support similar to the first support with the chocks located ahove the path of movement of the chock cars.

4. Place two new or refinished work rolls on separate supports similar to the first support with both ends oE each work roll overlying the path of movement of the chock cars.
S. By use of chock cars, remove the chocks from the used top work roll and mount the chocks on a new or refinished work roll.
6. B~ use of the chock cars, remove the chocks from the used bottom work roll and place the chocks on a new or refinished work roll.
7~ Lift from the support the new or refinished work rolls with chocks thereon and place the assembly on the transport car.
8. Lift from the support the new or refinished top work rolls with chocks the`reon and place that assembly on the new or refinished bottom work roll and assembled chocks supported by the transport car.
9. Re-engage the chocks on the new or refinished top and bottom work rolls at both ends of the work rolls to provide a uni-tary structure of new or refinished work rolls and chock assemblies , for movement to the rolling mill.
It is a primary object of the present invention to elimi- -nate many of the foregoing operational steps of the prior art prac-tice and provide essentially a four~step process which materially reduces the time required to make up a unitary structure of new or refinished woxk rolls and chock assemblies using chock assemblies from a unitar~ structure including used work rolls.

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~ rhis object i~ achieved by a novel method and apparatus provided by the present invention for removal of chock assemblies from the top and bottom used work rolls and placing of such chock assemblies on new or refinished top and bottom work rolls which eliminates the necessity and the attendant prior art operational steps of disengaging from each other the top work roll chock and the bottom work roll chock of the chock. assemhlies.
Thus by one aspect of this invention there is provided a supporting device for supporting a dual roll assembly includ-ing a pair of overlying generally parallel rolls having their ends mounted in a pair of chocks for handling together as a unit,the supporting device comprising, a base structure, a pair of upstanding roll end support members position-ed on the base in laterally spaced relation to one another, each upstanding member including upper and lower up- ;
wardly facing concave arcuate roll supporting surfaces having a radius of curvature corresponding to a portion of the roll to be supported~ with corresponding support surfaces on the upstand-ing members being arranged in pairs having their centers of curvature on common axes and with the common axes of the upper and lower pair of support surfaces being parallel and in a generally vertical plane, the support surfaces being dimensioned to respectively receive and support roll surface portions at opposite ends of the pair of rolls of a dual roll assembly, the upstanding members each including a projecting portion having one of said upper arcuate surfaces thereon, the projecting portions extending in the same direction and being limited in vertical dimension to laterally fit between the pair of rolls at the area thereof to be supported when the rolls are received on the arcuate supporting surfaces, whereby the device may be simultaneously placed into supporting engagement with , 1al373~
both rolls of a pair of rolls to be supported.
By another aspect of this invention there is provided a method of removing chock assemblies from used top and hottom work rolls and of mounting such chock a~semblies on new or refinished top and bottom work rolls, comp~ising the steps of:
(a) supporting as a unitary structure top and bottom used work rolls and chock assembliles mounted thereon at respec-tive opposite ends thereof by contact with surfaces of both of the rolls axially inwardly of both chock assemblies with the longitudinal axes of the work rolls positioned one above the other by a fixed distance, (b) supporting new or refinished top and bottom work rolls adapted to have chock assemblies mounted thereon, the work rolls being supported by contact with surfaces of both of the work rolls at both ends of the work rolls inwardly of the portions of the work rolls over which mounted chock assemblies extend with the longitudinal axes of the work rolls positioned one above the other by a distance equal to the fixed distance, and (c) removing the chock assemblies as unitary struc-tures from the respective opposite ends of the used work rolls maintaining adjacent upper and lower chocks of each of the chock assemblies in a relative axial position corresponding to that of the top and bottom work rolls and mounting said unitary chock assemblies on the supported new or refinished work rolls.
Other objects and features of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description considered with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic showing, parti-ally in section, of a rolling mill with the top and bottom work rolls and the chock assembly positioned to be removed from the ;` ' ' .

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rolling mill as a unitary structure;
Fig. 2 ls a diagrammatic view in side elevation of a unitary structure including top and bottom work rolls and chock assemblies positioned outside the rolling mill;
Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation, partially in section, of the dual work roll supporting device provided by the present invention in operative relation with top and bottom work rolls and a chock assembly;
Fig. ~ is an end view of a dual roll end support forming a part of the device shown in Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a view in side èlevation of the dual roll end support shown in Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is a three-dimensional view of the dual roll end support shown in Figs. 4 and 5;

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Fig. 7 is another three~dimensional view o~ the dual roll end support ~tructure shown in Figs. 4 and 5; and Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic v:iew in elevation of the dual roll end support provided by the present invention in operative relation with kop and bottom work rolls and a chock assembly.
As ment~oned a~ove, it is common practice in the art of rolling mills to provide structure that permits the top work roll ana the ~ottom work roll and the chbck assemblies at both ends of the work rolls to be removed from the rolling mill or to be moved into the rolling mill as a unitary structure. A typical arrange-ment shown in Fig. 1 includes upright housings 10 and 11 providing a windo~ 12 within which ~s mounted a chock 13 for the top backup roll, not shown~ a chock 14 for the bottom backup roll, not shown, ~ -and a chock assembly 15 including chock 16 for the top work roll 17 and chock 18 for the bottom work roll 19. The top work roll chock 16 is provided with a pair of spaced-apart, downwardly depending leg portions 20 and 21 bet~een which is nested the bottom work roll chock 18. The lower ends of the leg portions 20 and 21 are provided with downwardly opening slots 22 and 23, respectively, in each of which ls mounted a wheel 24 and 25, respectively. The wheel 24 is supported ~y a shaft 26 which extends laterally into a downwardly open end slot 27 formed in the adjacent surface of the lo~er work roll chock 18. Similarly, the wheel 25 is supported by a shaft 28 which extends laterally into a downwardly open end slot 29 formed in the opposite adjacent surface of the bottom work roll chock 18. Thus, the bottom ~ork roll chock 18 is movab]e relative to the top woxk roll chock 16 and the extent of relative downward movement is limited by engagement of shafts 26 and 28 with the closed ends of slots 27 and 29, respectively. In accordance with ~03730~:3 conventional prac-tice, line~s~~O may be provided where there is relative movement ~etween adjacent surfaces of the top and bottom work roll chocks 16 and 18 and between the housings 10 and 11 and the chocks 13, 14 and 16.
Fig. 1 shows the top and bottom work rolls and their chock ass~m~lies pos-itioned to be removed from the rolling mill as a unitary structure. Upward movement of the top backup roll chock 13 positions the top work roll chock 16 to be supported by the wheels 24 and 25 ~hich ride on rails 31 and 32, respectively, sup-ported by the housings, and by outwardly extending portions 33 and 34 of the top work roll chock 16 which ride on wheels 35 and 36, respectively, supported by the top backup roll chock 13. The bot-tom work roll chock 18 is supported by the shafts 26 and 28 in con-tact with the closed ends of respective slots 27 and 28 and is in its maximum down~ard position relative to the top work roll chock 16. Whèn the bottom work roll chock 18 is at its maximum downward position, the top surface 37 of the lower work roll chock 18 is spaced vertically a maximum distance from the adjacent bottom sur-face 38 of the top work roll chock 16.
Parallel tracks~ which are extensions of the rails 31 and 32, are provided on the operating side of the rolling mill to permit the top and bottom work rolls and each chock assembly to be removed from the mill as a unitary structure. Fig. 2 illustrates such unitary structure located outside the rolling mill, the chock assembly for the other ends of the working rolls and its component parts being designated ~y primed reference characters. As shown, the unitar~ structure is supported on track 39 by wheels 25 and 25~, the other parallel track and the supporting wheels not shown in the drawin~.

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In the case of a unitary structure including used work rolls, from the position shown in Fiq. 2 the unitary structure is lifted and placed on a tX~ns~er car where the structure is sup-ported by the lower work roll chocks 18 and 18', and moved to the roll shop where the novel method and apparatus provided by the pre-sent inVention are pract~ced.
The present invention provides a novel dua] work roll supporting de~ice for supporting as a unitary structure the top ~nd bottom work rolls and a mounted chock assembly at both ends of -the work rolls in such a manner as to permit each chock assembly to be removed Erom the work rolls as a unitary struc~ure, that is, without requiring disengagement of the top work roll chock and the bottom work roll chock, and to thereafter mount each removed chock assembly on a pair of new or refinished work rolls supported by a similar dual ~ork roll supporting device.
As sho~n in Fig. 3, the dual work roll supporting device pro~ided by the present invention includes a base structure 50 on which are mounted dual work roll end supports 51 and 52 in fixed relative relation to support the top work roll 17 and the bottom work roll 19 by contact with portions of the work rolls axially inwardly of each chock assembly in such a manner as to support the top and bottom work rolls with a chock assembly mounted on each of theix ends, to permit each chock assembly to be removed as a unitary structure and to permit each removed chock assembly to be mounted as a unitary structure on the ends of top and bottom work rolls supported b~ ~ similar device. The du~l ~ork roll end sup-port 51 includes ~ horizontal base plate 53, an upstanding member 54, a reinorcing plate 55 and a gusset plate 56 each fabricated from steel plate and joined together, such as by welding, to form , ~

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a rigid structure. In lik~ manner, the dual work roll end support 52 is a rigid structu~e including a horizontal base plate 57, an up-s~anding member SB, a reinforcing plate S9 and a gusset plate 60.
The dual work roll end supports 51 and 52 are mirror images o~ each other and details of both ~ e appreciated from Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 which illustrate details of the work roll end support 51.
As shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7, the upstanding member 54 includes a lower ox first laterally extending portion 61 termi-nating in an end 62 and an upper or second laterally extending por-tion 63 terminaking in an end 64, the extending portion 63 being located in spaced relation above the extending portion 61 to provide an opening 65 in the upstanding member which has a lateral entrance lying in a plane passing through the ends 62 and 64. The extending portions 61 and 63 have upwardly facing surfaces 66 and 67, respec-tively, and each upwardly facing surface includes a curved roll sup~
porting surface having a center of cur~ature corresponding to the curvature of a portion of the rolls to be supported so that the curved roll supporting sur~ace receives in snug supporting relation ~ -a curved surface of a roll to ~e supported. In particular, the roll supporting surface on the extension 61 lies between points 68 and 69 and has a center of curvature at point 70 while the roll support-ing surface on the upper extending portion 63 lies between points ~.
71 and 72 and has a center of curvature at point 73. The centers of curvature 70 and 73 lie in a common vertical plane 74 to permit support of the working rolls in the same relative position as .

exists when the working rolls axe mounted in the rolling mill and~er~ f 5p9c~c/
A the centers of curvature 70 and 73 are ~ to permit the woxk rolls to ~e supported when a chock. assembly is mounted on each end of the work roll~ and ~lso to permit chock assemblies to ~e mounted on a pair of work rolls supported ~y a similar device.

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~37300 The arcuate dimensions of the roll supporting surfaces are suffi-cient to stably support the wor]c rolls to permit chock assemblies to be removed from and mounted on supported work rolls. Roll sup-porting surfaces extending a~out 4~ degrees from both sides of the plane 74 of the centers of curvature are adequate for supporting twenty-four inch diameter work rolls. ~lowever, the p~ovision of the roll supporting surface 68-69 with the terminating point 69 lying in a horizontal plane passing through the center of curva-ture 70 aids in moving the lower work roll into supporting relation with the roll supporting surface 68-69.
The opening 65 in the upstanding member 54 is defined by the roll supporting surface extending between points 68 and 69 and by an upper non-roll supporting surface e~tending between the termi-nating end of the roll supporting surface at point 69 and point 75 at the end 64 of the extending portion 63. In order to permit the portion of the roll to be supported to pass through the entrance ;~.
and enter the opening 65 and move into snug relation with the roll supporting surface of the extending portion 61, the non-roll sup- ;
porting surface between points 63 and 75 is sp~ced from the center of curvature 70 ~t all points along the non-roll supporting surface a distance greater than the rad~us of curvature of the roll support-ing surface 66-68 with the distance gradually increasing in a direction toward the point 75 to facilitate entrance of the surface of the roll to be supported into the opening 65 and into snug sup-porting relation ~ith the roll supporting surface 68-69.
As shbwn in Fig. 3, conventional work rolls include a concave circumferential:surface 76 outwardly of both ends of the ~orking suxf~ce 77 of the rolls. In accordance with the prin-ciples of the present in~ention, the roll supporting surf~ces 68-69 ; ~ ~ ' ' . ' ' ' 7'3~
and 71-72 compri~e conVex surfaces curved to snugly contact a por-tion of the conca~e surface 76 of t~e rolls to be supported and the width of the supporting surfaces 68-69 and 71-72 bekween the sides 78 and 7~ of the upstanding member 54 corresponds to the axial dimension of the concave surfaces 76 of the rolls. This feature provides support for the rolls in an axial direction which aids in removing and mounting chock assemblies as described below.
In Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the convex roll supporting surface on the extending portion 61 is designated by re~erence character 80 and the convex roll supporting surface on the upper extending portion 63 is designated by the reference character 81. In Fig. 4, the dotted lines 82 and 83 identify the large diameter edges of the convex roll supporting surfaces 80 and 81, respectively. The convex surface extends throughout the arcuate dimension of the roll supporting surfaces 68-69 and 71-72 and, as seen in Fig. 4, extends into the non-roll supporting surface 69-75 at least to the verti-cal plane 74 to permit free movement of the rolls to be supported into the opening 65. ~ig, 3 shows the top and bottom work rolls 17 and 19 supported by the dual work roll end supports 51 and 52 with roll supporting surfaces in contact with the concave circum- -ferential surf.aces 76 at both ends of the rolls. In particular, a circumferential portion of the concave surface 76 at the left-hand end of the rolls r as viewed in Fig. 3, is supported by the convex roll supporting surfaces 80 and 81 and a circumferential portion of the concave surf.~ce 76 at the right-hand end of the rolls, as viewed in the drawing, is supported by convex roll sup-porting surf.~ces on the upstanding member 58 of the roll end sup-porting device 52; a convex roll supporting surface 82 being formed on the lo~er extension portion 83 of the upstanding member 58 and _ 9 _ ~03~3~
a convex roll suppoxting ~urface 85 being formed on the upper extending port.~on 86.
As shown in Fig. 3, the roll end supports 51 and 52 are secured to the ~ase structure 50 with their ups~anding members 54 and 58, respectiveIy, lying in parallel planes which are spaced from each other ~y a distance equal to the ~xial length of the working surface 77 of the rolls 17 and lg. Also, the roll end supports 51 and 52 are positioned relative to each other so that the centers of curvature of the roll supporting surface on the 10 lower extensions of both roll end ~Supports lie on a common axis . .
and so th.at the centers of curvature of the roll supporting sur~
faces on the upper extensions of both roll end supports lie on a --,: .
second common axis paralleI to and spaced above the common axis of .~ ` .
the centers of curvature of the lower roll supporting surfaces.
; For a purpose that will become apparent belowr the vertical spacing between the parallel axes passing through the centers of curvature is less than .the maximum vertical distance between the top sur~
face 37 of the lo~er work roll chock 18 and the bottom surf~ce 38 of the top work roll chock 16 which occurs when the chock assembly 2~ is supported b~ the upper work roll chock 16. As seen in Fig. 3, .
the reinforcing plates 55 and 59 extend from their respective up- .
standing members 54 and 58 to~ard each other and, as seen from Fig. 4, the reinforcing plates 55 and 59 lie in a plane displaced .
¦ from the plane 74 of the centers of curvature to provide space for the working surface portion of the rolls to be supported between the upstanding members 54 and 58.
In accordance w~th the principles of the present inven-. tion, a plurality of dual work ~oll supporting devices constructed in the manner described abbve and shown in Fig. 3 are mounted on a , , -- 1 0 -- ' `

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platform in spaced parallel relationship, that is, with the commonaxes passing through the centers of curvatures of the roll support-ing surfaces of each dual work roll supporting device lying in parallel planes which are spaced from each other by a distance suf-ficient to provide space for operations performed to remove chock assemblies from and mount chbck assemblies on the supported top and bottom work rolls. Each of the plurality of dual work roll support-ing devices have similar critical dimensions to support the top and bottom work rolls of a family of top and bottom work rolls having similar shapes and dimensions. In particular, each of the plurality of dual roll supporting devices have; roll supporting surfaces of !~ ' similar radius o~ curvature comparable with the curvature of sup-ported surfaces of the top and bottom work rolls; the same vertieal distances between the center of curvature of the bottom roll sup-porting surface and the top roll supporting surface, and similar axi~l distances between the facing sides 78 and 79 of the upstand-ing members which coxrespond to the axial dimension of the working surface 77 of the rolls. At both sides of the platform, outwardly of and at an elevation below the roll end supporting devices 51 and 52 of each of the plurality of dual roll supporting devices, tracks are provided for supporting a chock car that is movable to posi-tions adjacent each of the plurality of dual roll supporting devices such as a position beneath a chock assembly mounted on suppor'ced top and bottom work rolls for use in removing the chock assembly or a position out~ardly from the ends of supported work rolls for use in mounting on the work rolls a ehock assembly carried by the chock car. In Fig. 8 of the drawings, ~hich is an enlarged view of the right~hand end of the dual work roll supporting device of Fig. 3 with the chbck assembly 15 shown partly in cross section, a ~373~
chock car 90 is shown mounted on rails 91 and located beneath the chock assem~ly 15 in a positlon to be moved upwardly to support the chock assembly 15 by en~aging the lower work roll chock 18.
In practic~ng the methbd of the present invention, new or refinished work rolls are supported on one of the dual work roll supporting devices in the manner shown in Fig. 3 with the excep- ;
tion that the chock assembly 15 would not be present. This is accomplished by lifting the work rolls separately by use of a suit-able sling into supporting engagement with the roll supporting sur-faces; the lower work roll being mo~ed laterally and downwardly into the opening 65 with the inclined surface between points 69 and 75, Fig. 4, aiding in guiding the lower work roll into suppork- `
ing relation with the lower roll supporting surfaces. When a uni- ~ -tary structure comprising a pair of used work rolls with a chock assembly mounted at both ends, such as shown in Fig. 2, arrives from the rolling mill on the transport car, the unitary structure ,3 iS lifted from the tr~nsport car by use of a suitable sling and mounted on ~nother of the plurality of dual work roll supporting ; devices as shbwn in Fig. 3 with the exception that the chock assem~ly 15' would be mounted on the left-hand ends of the work rolls 17 and 18. The mounting operation is performed in a manner similar to the mounting of the new or refinished rolls on a dual roll supporting device, as described above; however, the top and ~ottom work rolls and the mounted chbck assemblies 15 and 15' are lifted and mounted as ~ unitary structure.
When the unitary structure is mounted on a dual work roll supporting de~ice, as shown in Fig. 3, since the roll supporting suxfaces 80-82 and 81~85 snugly receive in supporting relation a portion of the concave surf~ces 76 of the top and bottom work rolls, , . . ' ' .' ' ' .' ~ , !, , , ' ~ . ' ~37~
respectively, the longitudinal axis oL the top work roll 17 and the ; central axes of the bearing surfaces of the top work roll chocks 16 and 16' pass through the centers of curVature of the work roll supporting surfaces 81 and 85 and the longitudinal axis of the lower work roll 19 and the central axes o:E the lower work roll chocks 18 and 18' pass through`the centers of curvature of the work roll sup-porting surfaces 80 and 82, Furthe:rmore, the t.ongitudinal axes of the work rolls are spaced vertically ~rom each other by a fixed distance determined by the vertical spacing between the centers of 10 curvature 70 and 71 of the roll supporting surfaces. In each chock assembly, the lo~er work roll chocks are supported in fixed rela-tion to the top work roll chock determined by the vertical distance between the centers of curvature 70 and 73. Since the vertical space between the centers of cur~ature is less than the vertical space between the central axes of the bearings of the upper and , lower work roll chocks 16 and 18 wh.en the lower chock is supported only by the upper chock, the vertical space ~etween the top sur-face 37 of the bottom work roll chock 18 and the bottom surface 38 of the top work roll chbck 16 is less than the vertical spacing that would exist if the lower work roll chock was free to reach its maximum downward position relative to the top work roll chock :
16. This is shown in Fig. 8 wherein the dotted outline 92 repre-sents the relative maximum downward position of the lower work roll chock if it was permitted to move freely relative to the top work roll chock.
After the unitary assembly is moved to be supported by a dual woxk roll supporting de~ice, a spacer or shim 94 is inserted in snug relation bet~een the top surface 37 of the lower work roll chock 18 and the ~ottom surface 38 o~ the top work roll ' 30 chock 16 in order to maintain constant the relative positions ' . - 13 --: - , ~: . : : .

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between the upper work roll chock 16 and the lower work roll chock 18 when the chock assembly 15 is supported by the lower work roll chock 18 and removed ~rom t~e work rolls 17 and 19. In particular, with reference to Fig. 8, the chock car 90 is moved upwardly in contact with the lower work roll chock 18 to support the load of the chock assembly. Thereupon, a~ter the thrust rings 9S are removed~ the chock car is moved axially away from the work rolls while at the same time a lateral force is applied to the chock ~ assembly by means not shown to move the chock assembly from the 1~ work rolls. The removed chock assembly is then moved by the chock car to a position adjacent the ends of the new or refinished rolls supported by the dual work roll supporting device discussed above.
Since the longitudinal axis of the new or refinished work rolls and the central axes of the bearings of the chock assembly are equally vertically spaceds due to the presence of the spacer 94, : an inward lateral force is applied to the chock assembly and the chock car is moved inwardly to mount the chock assembly on the new or refinished work rolls. Thereafter, the spacer 94 i5 removed and the thrust rings 95 replaced and, when a chock assembly is 2~ mounted on the other ends of the work rolls, the unitary assembly is lifted from the dual work roll device, placed on the transport car and moved to the rolling mill.
The present invention thus provides a four-step process for changing chock assemhliesS i.e., (1) mounting new or refinished work rolls on a dual work roll supporting device; (2) mounting as a unitary structure used ~ork rolls and chock assemblies on a dual work roll supporting device; ~3) remo~ing chock assemblies as uni-tary structu~es ~rom the used work rolls and mounting such chock assemblies on the supported new or refinished work rolls; and (4) .

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~37;30~
removing from the dual work roll supporting device the new unitary structure comprising new or refinished work rolls and mounted chock assemblies.
There i5 thus provided by the present invention a novel method and apparatus which greatly simplifies the operations and materially reduces the time previou~ly required for changing chock assemblies from used work rolls to new or reinished work rolls.
It will be appreciated that features and details of the preferred embodiment disclosed and described herein may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention~ For example, the roll supporting surf~ces of the dual roll supporting device may be shaped to conform to Qther surfaces of the work rolls such as the marginal edges of the working surface of the rolls or the constant diameter portion of the rolls between the chock ~ssemblies and the concave circumferential surface. Accordingly, reference will be had to the accompanying claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

Claims (23)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A supporting device for supporting a dual roll assembly including a pair of overlying generally parallel rolls having their ends mounted in a pair of chocks for handling to-gether as a unit, the supporting device comprising:
a base structure, a pair of upstanding roll end support members position-ed on the base in laterally spaced relation to one another, each upstanding member including upper and lower upward-ly facing concave arcuate roll supporting surfaces having a radius of curvature corresponding to a portion of the roll to be support-ed, with corresponding support surfaces on the upstanding members being arranged in pairs having their centers of curvature on common axes and with the common axes of the upper and lower pair of support surfaces being parallel and in a generally vertical plane, the support surfaces being dimensioned to respectively receive and support roll surface portions at opposite ends of the pair of rolls of a dual roll assembly, the upstanding members each including a projecting por-tion having one of said upper arcuate surfaces thereon, the projecting portions extending in the same direction and being limited in vertical dimension to laterally fit between the pair of rolls at the area thereof to be supported when the rolls are received on the arcuate supporting surfaces, whereby the device may be simultaneously placed into supporting engagement with both rolls of a pair of rolls to be supported.

2. A supporting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the roll surface portions received by the arcuate support sur-faces are located adjacent the chock units and have a diameter less than the diameter of the rolls intermediate the ends of the rolls thereby forming recesses adjacent the chock units, and wherein said projecting portions of the upstanding members are dimensioned to fit within said recesses to limit axial movement of the rolls relative to the device when supported on the arcuate supporting surfaces of the device.

3. A supporting device as defined in claim 2 wherein said roll surface portions have a concave cross section, and wherein the arcuate supporting surfaces are convex in cross section to snugly receive in complementary fashion the concave surfaces of the rolls.

4. A supporting device as defined in claim 2 wherein the upper pair of arcuate supporting surfaces have the same radius of curvature and wherein the lower pair of arcuate sup-porting surfaces have the same radius of curvature and wherein the centers of curvature of all supporting surfaces lie in the same vertical plane.

5. A supporting device as defined in claim 4 wherein said projecting portions have outer free extremities spaced from the outer limit of the lower pair of supporting surfaces a distance greater than twice the radius of curvature of the lower supporting surfaces to provide an enlarged entrance to the lower supporting surfaces and wherein the upstanding members are unencumbered above the upper pair of supporting surfaces whereby receipt of the rolls on the supporting surfaces is facilitated.

6 . A supporting device as defined in claim 5 wherein the outer limit of the lower pair of supporting surfaces is at an elevation below the highest elevation of the lower pair of supporting surfaces.

7. A supporting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the outer limit of the lower pair of supporting surfaces is at an elevation below the highest elevation of the lower pair of supporting surfaces.

8. A supporting device as defined in claim 1 wherein each upstanding member includes:
(a) first and second laterally extending portions having terminating ends, the second extending portion being located in spaced relation above the first extending portion to provide an opening in the upstanding member having a lateral entrance located in a plane passing through the terminating ends, the second extending portion having a limited vertical dimension at its terminating end to laterally fit between a pair of overlying parallel rolls of a dual roll assembly to be supported by the device, (b) the first extending portion having an upwardly facing surface defining the upper arcuate roll supporting sur-face and the second extending portion having an upwardly facing surface defining the lower arcuate roll supporting sur-face terminating adjacent the terminating end of the second extending portion at an elevation below the highest elevation of the second curved roll supporting surface, (c) the opening in the upstanding member being de-fined by the roll supporting surface on the first extending portion and by a non-roll supporting surface extending between the terminating end of the second extending portion and the roll supporting surface on the first extending portion, all points on the non-roll supporting surface being spaced from the center of curvature by a distance greater than the radius of curvature.

9. A supporting device as defined in claim 8 wherein the roll supporting surfaces of the first extending portion of both of the upstanding members are mirror images of each other having the same radius of curvature and extending along the same cylindrical surface of revolution, and wherein the roll supporting surfaces of the second extending portion of both of the upstanding members are mirror images of each other having the same radius of curvature and extending along the same cylindrical surface of revolution.

10. A supporting device as defined in claim 8 in which the non-roll supporting surface of each of the upstanding members includes a portion inclined downwardly from the end of the second extending portion in a direction away from the entrance to the opening.

11. A supporting device as defined in claim 8 adapted to support rolls of the type including a concave circumfer-ential surface located outwardly of the working surface of the roll at both ends of the roll, in which each roll supporting surface of both upstanding members comprises a convex surface shaped to snugly receive a portion of the concave circumferential surface of a roll.

12. A supporting device as defined in claim 11 in which each convex roll supporting surface has a dimension measured along the first axis corresponding to the axial dimen-sion of the concave circumferential surfaces of the roll to be supported, and in which the distance measured along the first and second axes between the convex roll supporting surfaces of both upstanding members corresponds to the Axial distance be-tween the concave circumferential surfaces at opposite ends of the roll to be supported.

13. A supporting device as defined in claim 8 wherein all of said curved roll supporting surfaces have the same radius of curvature.

14. A supporting device as defined in claim 8 wherein the outer limit of the curved roll supporting surfaces of the first extending portions of the upstanding members is positioned approximately 40° from the vertical plane of their centers of curvature when measured from their centers of cur-vature.

15. A supporting device as defined in claim 1, further comprising tracks for a chock supporting car located adjacent the sides of the base structure outwardly of both roll end supports.

16. Arrangement for removing chock assemblies from the ends of used top and bottom work rolls and for mounting such chock assemblies on new or refinished top and bottom work rolls, comprising a plurality of dual work roll supporting devices as defined by claim 1 mounted in laterally spaced relation with the common axes of the devices being in parallel relation and tracks for a chock supporting car located adja-cent the sides of the base structures outwardly of both roll end supports of each of the plurality of dual work roll sup-porting devices.

17. In combination with a dual roll assembly including a pair of generally parallel overlying rolls and a pair of chock units supporting opposite ends of the rolls for rotation about horizontal axes, the rolls having main body portions and reduced diameters at their opposite ends which are received in the chock units forming recesses be-tween the main body portions and the chock units, the chock units being axially removable from and insertable on the rolls for permitting repair or replacement of the rolls in the chock units; support means comprising, a base structure, a pair of upstanding roll end support members posi-tioned on the base in laterally spaced relation to one another, each upstanding member including upper and lower arcuate roll supporting surfaces having a radius of curvature corresponding to a portion of the roll to be supported, with corresponding support surfaces on the upstanding members being arranged in pairs having their centers of curvature on common axes and with the common axes of the upper and lower pair of support surfaces being parallel and in a generally vertical plane, the support surfaces being dimensioned to respectively receive and support roll surface portions at opposite ends of the pair of rolls of a dual roll assembly, the upstanding members each including a projecting portion having an upper arcuate surface thereon, the project-ing portions extending in the same direction and being limited in vertical dimension to laterally fit between the pair of rolls at the area thereof to be supported when the rolls are received on the arcuate supporting surfaces, whereby the device may be simultaneously placed into supporting engage-ment with both rolls of a pair of rolls to be supported.

18. The combination defined in claim 17 wherein said upper and lower arcuate roll supporting surfaces are dimensioned to conform to the curvature of the reduced diameter end portions of the rolls.

19. The combination defined in claim 18 wherein said arcuate surfaces are convex in cross-section and wherein the recesses at the opposite ends of the rolls are concave in profile to complement the arcuate surfaces.

20. Method of removing chock assemblies from used top and bottom work rolls and of mounting such chock assemblies on new or refinished top and bottom work rolls, comprising the steps of:
(a) supporting as a unitary structure top and bottom used work rolls and chock assemblies mounted thereon at respective opposite ends thereof by contact with surfaces of both of the rolls axially inwardly of both chock assemblies with the longitudinal axes of the work rolls positioned one above the other by a fixed distance;
(b) supporting new or refinished top and bottom work rolls adapted to have chock assemblies mounted thereon, the work rolls being supported by contact with surfaces of both of the work rolls at both ends of the work rolls inwardly of the portions of the work rolls over which mounted chock assemblies extend with the longitudinal axes of the work rolls positioned one above the other by a distance equal to the fixed distance; and (c) removing the chock assemblies as unitary struc-tures from the respective opposite ends of the used work rolls maintaining adjacent upper and lower chocks of each of the chock assemblies in a relative axial position corresponding to that of the top and bottom work rolls and mounting said unitary chock assemblies on the supported new or refinished work rolls.

21. Method of removing and mounting chock assemblies as defined in claim 20 in which the chock assemblies are removed from the used work rolls by use of a chock car and transported by the chock car to the supported new or refinished work rolls and mounted on the new or refinished work rolls by use of the chock car.

22. Method of removing and mounting chock assemblies as defined in claim 21 in which each chock assembly is of the type including a top work roll chock and a bottom work roll chock which is movable downwardly a predetermined extent relative to the top work roll chock so that the bottom surface of the top work roll chock is spaced above the top surface of the bottom work roll chock by a predetermined distance when the chock assembly is supported by the top work roll chock, including the further steps of inserting a shim between the top surface of the bottom work roll chock and the bottom surface of the top work roll chock of both chock assemblies when the top and bottom work rolls and mounted chock assemblies are supported as a unitary structure by step (a), the shim being of a thickness to snugly fit between the bottom surface of the top work roll chock and the top surface of the bottom work roil chock, thereafter performing step (c) by using a chock car which supports a chock assembly by contact with the bottom work roll chock, and removing the shim from between the bottom surface of the top work roll chock and the top surface of the bottom work roll chock of each chock assembly after the chock assembly is mounted on the new or refinished work rolls

23. Method of removing and mounting chock assemblies as defined in claim 22 in which the fixed distance between the longitudinal axes of the work rolls when supported according to steps (a) and (b) is less than the predetermined distance between the bottom surface of the top work roll chock and the top surface of the bottom work roll chock when each chock assembly is supported by its top work roll chock.