US3530701A - Strip metal rolling mill - Google Patents

Description

P 1970 I L. J.MAIALE 3,530,701

STRIP METAL ROLLING MILL Filed May 9. 1968 INVENTOR United States Patent 3,530,701 STRIP METAL ROLLING MILL Louis J. Maiale, 3831 West Point St., Dearborn, Mich. 48204 Filed May 9, 1968, Ser. No. 727,884 Int. Cl. 1021b 41/06 US. Cl. 72-229 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A strip rolling mill comprising two pair of work stock engaging rolls; a pair of counterpressure rolls disposed one adjacent each of the pairs of work stock engaging rolls; means supporting the rolls whereby the rotational axes thereof lie along a common plane; a center pressure roll disposed interjacent the pairs of work stock engaging rolls, and means for supporting the center pressure roll and for selectively urging the same toward the common plane, whereby the center pressure roll is adapted to extert outwardly directed opposed forces against the pairs of work stock engaging rolls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the rolling of strip or sheet metal, particularly ferrous metal, rolling operations are performed for the purpose of imparting certain physical characteristics to the metal. This is usually referred to as temper rolling or sometimes as skin rolling. The object of such rolling operations is to pass the metal between rotatable work rolls which effect an elongating of the metal a predetermined amount and a reduction in thickness thereof, with such working of the metal developing certain desired characteristics in order to adapt the metal for some predetermined purpose.

The amount of work which has to be done on the sheet metal varies considerably, depending upon the nature of the metal and the quality of the product to be produced. Most frequently, two and often three passes are required to achieve the desired characteristics in a metal. The most common practice is to pass the material two or more times through a single stand mill, the material being delivered to a takeup reel after each pass and thereafter being transferred to an unwinding station and repassed through the same mill. Another common practice is to have two or more stands of rolls arranged in succession so that a continuous strip material may be progressively engaged in the several stands of rolls in a single rolling operation, i.e., if three passes are required, the mill is provided with three stands of rolls arranged in succession.

In accordance with the present invention, strip metal rolling is accomplished through the use of a single stand mill having multiple work rolls so arranged as to provide for a plurality of roll passes, one adjacent the other, in multiple stand arrangement. If desired, strip work stock may be fed in one direction through a first pair of work stock engaging rolls, and another strip of work stock may be fed or engaged between another pair of work stock engaging rolls, whereby rolling operations on two strips of work stock may be accomplished simultaneously. Alternatively, a single strip work stock may be threaded through "ice the mill so as to pass between one pair of work stock engaging mills in one direction and thereafter the work stock may be reversed and passed between a second pair of Work engaging rolls in opposite direction.

As a result of the present invention, considerable time is saved over the usual methods employing a single stand mill due to the fact that a plurality of roll passes may take place simultaneously, and the strip material, in the latter described application, does not have to be passed first through the mill and wound on a coil, then transferred to the opposite side of the mill and thereafter repassed one or more times through the mill. In this respect, the invention provides all of the advantages of multiple stand mills; however, the rolling mill of the present invention requires no more floor space than the usual single stand mill since only a single roll stand is necesseary. In addition to the saving of floor space, the rolling mill of the present invention will be found to be considerably cheaper to construct and substantially more economical to operate than multiple stand mills. Not only does the present invention provide the advantages of both single stand and multiple stand mills, but a further advantage over each of these type mills is found due to the fact that there is a certain amount of cold working imparted to the work stock When a single strip of work stock is turned or reversed upon itself to travel in one direction between one pair of work stock engaging rolls and in the opposite direction when the work stock passes between another pair of work stock en gaging rolls. Still another feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the work stock takeup and supply means may be located on the same side of the rolling mill, thereby providing for universality of application, particularly where space is at a premium.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to the metal rolling art and, more particularly, to a new and improved strip metal rolling mill.

It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved strip rolling mill.

It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide a new and improved strip rolling mill which will be found to minimize space requirements and attendant work stock handling apparatus to the extreme.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved rolling mill of the above character which is extremely economical to manufacture and operate.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to pro- .vide a new and improved strip rolling mill of the above character wherein the strip metal engaging work stock rolls are arranged such that multiple rolling passes may be achieved in a single stand arrangement.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved strip rolling mill of the above character wherein the work stock supply and takeup means may be located on the same side of the rolling mill, whereby to provide for universality of application.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

3 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The drawing illustrates an elevated plan view of the strip metal rolling mill embodying a preferred construction of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing, a strip metal rolling mill 10, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is shown as comprising an elongated support structure 12 which is adapted to Operatively support a plurality of work stock engaging rolls and pressure and counter pressure rolls for exerting predetermined force against the work stock engaging rolls, as will hereinafter be described. In the preferred construction of the present invention, the support structure 12 is adapted to support the aforesaid rolls in a generally vertical orientation, with the rotational axes thereof being located along a common, vertically extending plane extending longitudinally of the structure 12. It will be noted, of course, that the support structure 12, where certain operational circumstances warrant, may be generally vertically oriented, whereby the aforesaid rolls are oriented one above another with the rotational axes thereof substantially lying along a common plane which extends perpendicular to the base or lower end of the support structure 12.

As illustrated, the rolling mill of the present invention comprises a central pressure roll, generally designated 16, which is designed to be power driven by any suitable means and rotated, for example, in a counterclockwise direction, as seen by the arrow associated therewith. Operatively associated with the central pressure roll 16 is a pair of counter pressure rolls 18 and 20 that are disposed in substantial alignment with the central pressure roll 16 at the opposite sides thereof. The counter pressure rolls 18, 20 are designed to rotate in a clockwise direction, as shown by the respective arrows in the drawing, and thereby cooperate with the central pressure roll 16 in exerting cold working forces against strip metal work stock being processed by the rolling mill 10. Although the counter pressure rolls 18, 20 are shown as being of the same diameter, it will be noted that the size of said rolls may be different in accordance with various applications.

The rolling mill 10 further comprises two pair of work stock engaging rolls 22, 24 and 26, 28, the former of which pair 22, 24, are disposed interjacent the central pressure roll 16 and the counter pressure roll 18, and the latter of which pair 26, 28 are disposed between the central pressure roll 16 and the counter pressure roll 20. As illustrated in the drawing, the rolls 22, 24 and 26, 28 are arranged in substantial longitudinal alignment with the rolls 16, 18 and 20 and are adapted to be rotatably supported by the structure 12 so as to be rotatable in the direction of the respective arrows shown therewith. It will be noted that the work stock engaging rolls of each of the pairs thereof are of the same diameter, but that the pair of rolls 22, 24 may be larger or smaller in diameter than the pair of rolls 26, 28, depending upon the degree of cold working to be imparted to the strip metal work stock and the feed and takeup velocity of the work stock moving through the rolling mill 10.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the work stock engaging rolls 22, 24 and 26, 28, as well as the counter pressure rolls 18 and 20 are rotatably supported by means of the support structure 12 at a position where the rotational axes thereof lie along a common longitudinally extending, generally vertically disposed imaginary plane, representatively designated herein by the numeral 29; however, the central pressure roll 16 is adapted to be rotatably supported by the support structure 12 at a position wherein the rotational axis thereof is located parallel to the plane 29, but spaced laterally therefrom a distance D. The central pressure roll 16 is adapted to be Operatively supported on the support structure 12 by means of a suitable roller carriage assembly 30, a fragmentary portion of which is illustrated in the drawing.

The carriage assembly 30 is adapted to be selectively biased toward the imaginary plane 29 by any suitable power operated means as, for example, a pair of suitable hydraulically actuated piston and cylinder assemblies 31 and 32 which, when actuated, will cause the carriage assembly 30 to be biased toward the right in the drawing, thereby urging the central pressure roll 16 between the work stock engaging rolls 24, 26. In a preferred construction of the present invention, the rolls 24, 26 are spaced apart a distance slightly smaller than the diameter of the central pressure roll 16, with the result that as the central pressure roll 16 is biased toward the right in the drawing by means of the piston and cylinder assemblies 31, 32, the pressure roll 16 will exert opposed forces against the work stock engaging rolls 22, 24, thereby causing the rolls 24, 26 to be biased longitudinally away from one another and toward their respective associated work stock engaging rolls 22, 28. Thus, it will be seen that the single pressure roll 16 is adapted to produce sufficient cold working forces against the rolls 24 and 26 such that each of the pairs of work stock engaging rolls 22, 24 and 26, 28 may operate simultaneously to effect the cold working or rolling of strip metal work stock.

For certain types of installations, the counter pressure rolls 18 and 20 may be mounted on the support structure 12 in a manner so as to be immovable, although rotatable, relative to the plane 29; however, for various other types of installations, means may be provided on the rolling mill 10 for biasing the counter pressure rolls 18 and/or 20 longitudinally inwardly or outwardly, i.e., toward or away, from the central pressure roll 16, whereby to provide for wear takeup in the event the various rolls become worn after extended use, or to enable the rolling mill 10 to accommodate strip metal work stock of different thicknesses. Such means for providing for selective adjustment of the counter pressure rolls 18 and/or 20 may be of any suitable construction well known in the art, for example, a threaded or screw down type adjustment means which is adapted to selectively bias the rolls 18 and/or 20 longitudinally of the plane 29 upon threadable adjustment of a suitable threaded shaft 33 upon actuation of an associated drive means such as an electric motor or the like shown at 34 in the drawing. It will be apparent, of course, that the provision of such adjustment means is not necessary to the practice of the present invention in its broadest terms, and that the rolling mill of the present invention is not intended to be limited to a specific construction embodying such means.

In accordance with the present invention, the rolling mill 10 is adapted to perform two cold rolling operations simultaneously since strip Work stock may be cold rolled between the work stock engaging rolls 22 and 24 and also between the work stock engaging rolls 26 and 28. By virtue of the direction of rotation of the rolls 22, 24 and 26, 28, work stock is adapted to be fed in opposite directions through the rolling mill 10, i.e., work stock may be fed in the direction of the arrow 35 between the rolls 22 and 24, and in the diection of the arrow 36 between rolls 26 and 28. For certain installations, it may be desired to perform two cold rolling operations on the same strip work stock with the rolling mill 10, in which case, the work stock may be fed into the mill 10 in the direction of the arrow 35 and thereafter be reversed in direction and fed back through the mill 10 in the direction of the arrow 36. In this latter type of installation, means for delivering the strip work stock to the mill 10 may be provided by a feeding station having a feed or supply reel 37 which is rotatably mounted upon a suitable support shaft or the like 38. Similarly, a work stock receiving or takeup station may be provided which includes a work stock takeup reel 39 rotatably supported on a suitable shaft or the like 40. The feed and takeup reels 37 and 39 may be of any usual or preferred construction,

and the feed reel 37 may, if desired, be provided with some type of braking means, as is the usual practice, in order to maintain tension on the strip work stock as it is fed through the mill 10. Also, the takeup reel 39 may be power driven so as to maintain a predetermined tension on the work stock as it is being processed by the mill 10. A particular feature of the above type installation resides in the fact that the feed and takeup reels 37 and 39, respectively, are located on the same side of the rolling mill 10, whereby to consideraby reduce the floor space consumed thereby. It will be apparent, of course, that the rolling mill of the present invention will work equally as elfective in rolling work stock when the same work stock is fed through the mill 10 in the opposite directions, as shown in the drawing, or when two dilferent strips of work stock are fed in opposite directions between the rolls 22, 24 and 26, 28.

In the event the rolling mill 10 is used to effect multiple rolling of the same strip of work stock in the manner illustrated in the drawing, the mill 10 may be provided with means for elfecting the reversed feeding of the work stock through the mill 10 preparatory to the work stock being repassed therethrough. Such means may be provided by a variety of different arrangements as, for example, a looping roller, generally designated 41, which is rotatably mounted by means of a suitable support shaft 42 which is arranged parallel to the imaginary plane 29. The roller 41 may be of various sizes, depending upon the type of work stock, the relative sizes of the work stock engaging rolls 22, 24 and 26, 28, and the relative vertical spacing therebetween. Also, means may be provided for exerting an outwardly directed force against the roller 41, whereby to effect tensioning of the work stock as it is passed therearound. Such tensioning means may be in the form of a resilient spring force exerted against the rotational shaft 42 upon which the roller 41 is mounted, or alternatively, means in the form of a fluid actuated piston and cylinder assembly or the like may be used to apply the outwardly directed force against the shaft 42 to effect the desired work stock tensioning. The reverse feeding of the work stock may also be achieved, either in its entirety or in combination with the roller 41, by means of a generally arcuate shaped guide plate, a fragmentary portion of which is illustrated in the drawing and designated by the numeral 43. It will be seen that when the work stock is initially fed through the rolls 22, 24, the end of the work stock will engage the arcuate guide plate 43 and thereby be reversed in direction back toward the support structure 12 so that the end of the work stock may be fed through the rolls 26 and 28 and thereafter be properly secured to the takeup reel 34.

In operation, the rolling mill 10 is adapted to have a supply of strip work stock provided on the feed reel 37, with the end of the work stock being fed interjacent the work stock engaging rolls 22 and 24 and thereafter reversed and fed back through the rolls 26, 28 and operatively engaged or secured to the takeup reel 39, as previously mentioned. After the mill 10 has been thus threaded, the means 33, 34 is properly adjusted in accordance with the type of work stock being processed, and the piston and cylinder assemblies 31, 32 are energized so that the central pressure roll 16 exerts a predetermined outwardly directed compressive force against the pairs of work stock engaging rolls 22, 24 and 26, 28. Thereafter, the central pressure roll 16 is drivingly actuated, and for certain applications, the counter pressure rolls 18, 20 may also be suitably driven. Upon actuation of one or more of the pressure rolls 16, 18 or 20, the work stock, which is representatively designated herein by the numeral 44, is unrolled from the reel 37 and moved in the direction of the arrow 35 in the drawing, whereby the work stock 44 will be cold worked some predetermined amount as it passes interjacent the work stock engaging rolls 22 and 24. The work stock is then reversed in direction and passed interjacent the lower work stock engaging rolls 26, 28, as shown by the arrows 36, with the result that the work stock is cold worked some additional predetermined amount and is thereafter rolled on the takeup reel 39. By virtue of the fact that the work stock will be elongated some predetermined amount as it is cold Worked by the rolls 22 and 24, it is desirable to apply some outwardly directed force to the looping roller 41 so that the work stock is maintained under a state of tension or is retained taut as it is repassed between the rolls 26 and 28.

It will be apparent, of course, that the direction in which the work stock 44 travels back and forth through the mill 10 is not important and that the feed and takeup reels 37 and 39 and looping roller 41 and/ or guide plate 43 may be disposed on the opposite sides of the support structure 12 from which they are shown in the drawing.

It will also be noted that the rolling mill 10 of the present invention may be provided with various numbers of pressure applying rolls of different sizes depending upon the desired feed and delivery velocity of the work stock and the desired applied pressure characteristics, without departing from the principles of the present invention.

As hereinabove indicated, the rolling mill 10 of the present invention requires no more floor space than a conventional single stand mill and is only slightly more complicated in construction and operation than such a single stand. At the same time, the mill 10 will provide for substantial time and cost saving and choice of surface finishes as compared with multiple stand type rolling mills of the type heretofore known and used. Moreover, the rolling mill 10 of the present invention may be operated at tremendously lower costs and requires considerably less floor space and attendant work stock handling equipment than such multiple stand mills.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment illustrated herein is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the present invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination in a strip metal rolling mill,

two pair of work stock engaging rolls,

a pair of counter pressure rolls disposed one adjacent each of said pairs of rolls,

means supporting said rolls whereby the rotational axes thereof lie along a common plane,

a central pressure roll disposed interjacent said pairs of work stock engaging rolls, and

means for supporting said central pressure roll and for selectively urging the same toward said common plane, whereby said central pressure roll is adapted to exert outwardly directed opposed forces against said pairs of work stock engaging rolls.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 which includes work stock supply and takeup means disposed on the same side of said plane, whereby strip work stock may be delivered from said supply means on one side of said rolls and pass between one of said pairs of work stock engaging rolls to the opposite side of said plane, and thereafter be reversed and passed between the other of said pair of work stock engaging rolls and be received by said takeup means.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein said work stock supply and takeup means comprises supply and takeup stations spaced away from said plane and on the same side thereof and including rotatable supply and takeup reels.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 1 which includes pressure applying means for exerting a compressive force against said rolls.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for urging said central pressure roll toward said pairs of work stock engaging rolls is power operated.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pairs of work stock engaging rolls are spaced apart from one another a distance smaller than the diameter of said central pressure roll.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plane is substantially vertically oriented.

8. The combination as set forth in claim 1 which in cludes tensioning means for exerting a tension force against the Work stock as it is reversed and repassed through the mill.

9. The combination as set forth in claim 1 which includes a guide plate and cooperable roller means for References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1929 Mattei 72232 4/ 1941 Sendzimir 72230 X MILTON S. MEHR, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 72-23 0

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