GB1373950A - Shearing of metal billets into pieces of equal length - Google Patents

Abstract

1373950 Feeding and shearing billets LAMBERTON & CO Ltd 13 Nov 1972 [6 Dec 1971] 56644/71 Heading B3W In a method of shearing billets into pieces of equal length, the discard is sheared from the leading end of a billet diminished by such shearing so as to leave a piece of length equal to the required length L, Fig. 2. A billet supplied from a transfer bank 22 is fed by driven roller conveyer 21 through a reciprocatory shear comprising blades 12, 14 a holddown 15 and a counterhold 16 against an adjustable gauging stop 23 and sheared into pieces of length L until the trailing end of the billet trips a switch 32. The stop produces a signal each time the billet engages it. Actuation of the switch 32 causes an hydraulic cylinder 31 to move a pusher 30 down behind the billet trailing end. A carriage 25 supporting the pusher 30 is located so that the pusher when fully extended, lies at a distance from the front stop 23 of 2 x L + a small constant C, Fig. 2. A trip bar 33 moves with the pusher for engaging a trip switch 34, when the pusher is spaced from the stop 23 by 2 x L + the minimum length which can be sheared by the machine, i.e. the minimum discard length Dmin. A switch 35 is positioned to be tripped by the bar 33 when the pusher 30 is fully extended from its actuating cylinder 29. In operation, if the actual discard is of a length (d) Figs. 3-5 (not shown), less than the length Dmin, the trip bar trips the switch 34 and at the next signal from the stop 23 a piece L is sheared leaving a piece L + d, the pusher 30 is retracted, the cyliner 29 is raised, a deflector 18 is set to direct discharge into a discard bin 19 and the end of a new billet knocks the discard into the bin 19. If the actual discard is at least the minimum discard length Dmin, the switch 34 is not tripped, the penultimate piece L is sheared, the pusher is extended to its fullest amount causing switch 35 to be tripped and the motor 28 driving carriage 25 to slow down for the predetermined constant distance C to place the billet accurately for shearing of the discard D. Should the discard remain balanced on the counterhold 16 the carriage 25 is advanced to cause the pusher 30 to knock the discard into the bin 19. The operation described may be controlled by a computer; for hot shearing, the switch 32 may be omitted and the cylinder 31 operated directly by the computer which calculates from the billet weight the number of pieces L to be cut, counts the shearing strokes and lowers the cylinder 31 when the trailing end of the billet is just clear of the pusher 30.