EP0114793A2

EP0114793A2 - High speed rolling block

Info

Publication number: EP0114793A2
Application number: EP84830012A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luigi Danieli
Original assignee: Danieli and C Officine Meccaniche SpA
Current assignee: Danieli and C Officine Meccaniche SpA
Priority date: 1983-01-25
Filing date: 1984-01-17
Publication date: 1984-08-01
Also published as: IT1175041B; DE3463005D1; ATE26415T1; EP0114793A3; IT8383313A0; EP0114793B1

Abstract

This invention concerns a high speed rolling block (17) which comprises two groups of units (10-11) synchronized with each other, the units being arranged alternately, each with its axis perpendicular to the axis of the neighbouring unit, in which block (17) each group of units (10-11) is driven by its own motive shaft (20-25) substantially parallel to the axes of the units belonging to the respective group (10-11) thus driven.

Description

This invention concerns a high speed rolling block. To be more exact, the invention concerns an improved rolling block of a type comprising units arranged alternately with axes perpendicular to each other, for instance with alternate horizontal axes and vertical axes.
According to the invention a drive and motion-transmission system is employed for such units which is made simple to construct, has greater reliability than known embodiments and provides noteworthy constructional and running economies.
In known embodiments one or more motors transmit motion through a suitable transmission to two shafts the axes of which are parallel.
Traditional rolling blocks consist of a group of vertical units and a group of horizontal units, or else of units perpendicular to each other but otherwise oriented as required. Each unit gets its motion from one or the other of the two shafts, according to the arrangement, through a bevel gear pair. In this way there is a bevel gear pair for each unit in a block, however such unit is oriented.
This embodiment contains many drawbacks, including:

- a great number of bevel gear pairs (one per unit);
- the bevel gear pairs are hard and burdensome to construct;
- assembly has of necessity to be extremely accurate;
- bevel gear pairs are delicate and need careful maintenance and examination;
- bevel gear pairs are a hindrance to the attainment of the high rolling speeds required nowadays.

The present invention is intended to obviate the above drawbacks and yet others and to offer a drive system which enables the bevel gear pairs and parallel shafts to be eliminated.
According to the invention this is obtained by providing two independent motors, one for each group, horizontal and vertical respectively, of units; all the units in their turn are united in one single compact block according to the invention.
In one aspect of the invention each motor is given an axis parallel to that of the units connected kinematically to that motor.
In this way one train of spur gears can be employed for each group of units as there is no need to transmit motion on axes which are not parallel.
In a variant of the invention one of the motors may have its axis not parallel to the axis of the respective blocks. This may be made necessary, for instance, by overall bulk requirements or other specific requirements.
In such an event the motor having its axis not parallel to the axes of the group of units driven by it can transmit motion to that group through a transmission which includes, for example, an oblique shaft with bevel gear pairs at its ends.
In this way two bevel gear pairs, at the most, will be required for all the units served by that motor instead of one bevel gear pair for each unit, thus enabling the problems linked to such gears to be drastically reduced.
According to the invention the synchronization of the motors can be obtained through an electrical connection or through a mechanical connection.
The invention is thus embodied with a high speed rolling block which comprises two groups of units synchronized with each other, the units being arranged alternately, each with its axis perpendicular to the axis of the neighbouring unit, in which block each group of units is driven by an independent motive shaft substantially parallel to the axes of the units of the group thus driven.
We shall describe hereinafter, as a non-restrictive example, some embodiments of the invention and shall refer to the attached figures, in which:-

Fig.1 gives an overall view of a rolling block constituted according to the invention;
Figs.2 show details of a possible mechanical coupling between the motors according to the invention.

In the embodiment of Fig.1 units having vertical axes 10 and units having horizontal axes 11 are arranged alternately on a casing 12.
The units 10 and 11 could be tilted as required and would therefore not be necessarily vertical and horizontal respectively provided that their respective axes were substantially perpendicular to each other.
In the text hereafter, however, for the sake of simplicity we shall refer only to "horizontal" units and "vertical" units and shall mean by such words any other spatial position.
The rolling axis is shown with 13. Two electric motors 14 and 15 drive the units 10 having a vertical axis and units 11 having a horizontal axis respectively.
All the vertical units 10 are connected to each other kinematically by means of a train of spur gears having vertical axes, the train getting its motion from the output shaft of the motor 14.
Likewise, all the horizontal units 11 get their motion from the motor 15 through a train of spur gears having horizontal axes.
Such transmissions with spur gears are not shown in the figures as they are of a known type and can be variously embodied to suit requirements.
These mechanical transmissions ensure the synchronization of units belonging to the same group, namely belonging to the group of units 10 or to the group of units 11.
Synchronization of the two groups of units 10 and 11 is obtained, instead, by synchronizing the motors 14 and 15.
Such synchronization may take place, for instance, through an electric axis 16, which is shown diagrammatically with lines of dashes in Fig.1.
In this way it is possible to obtain a synchronized whole of units as required and to produce a compact block 17 driven by two motors 14 and 15 respectively.
The innovatory concept of 'the invention is thus clear and envisages that each group of units 10 or 11 is driven by means of a motion input shaft, 20 or 25 respectively, parallel to the axis of rotation of each individual unit forming the group.
This concept, therefore, enables evolutive variants to be embodied which are able to meet the special requirements of users.
As an alternative to the embodiment of Fig.1, therefore, the motors 14 and 15 can be synchronized also by means of a mechanical connection.
In Figs.2a and 2b there are still two motors 114 and 115 respectively which in this case have their axes 23 and 25 respectively shown as being parallel.
The positioning of the motors 114 and 115 according to the method shown may be determined, for instance, by considerations of overall bulk whenever it is not desired or is not possible to position the two motors 114-115 with their axes perpendicular to each other.
It is not intended to restrict the methods of positioning by the above description, since the invention visualises that the motors can be positioned as required in relation to each other.
In the example shown the motor 114 drives the units 10 having a vertical axis in the following way: a bevel gear pair 18 drives a shaft 19 having another bevel gear pair 118 at its other end; the bevel gear pair 118 transmits the motion about a vertical axis 20 to a kinematic distribution system 21 feeding motion to the units 10 having a vertical axis.
Mechanical connection between the motors 114-115 for their synchronization is provided by a transmission of gear wheels 22 on axes 23-24 and lastly on the axis 25.
Appropriate reduction gears or gearing up means can be included in correspondence with each unit, or else the gearing up or reduction gear means can be provided upstream from the unit, for instance in correspondence with the motion inputs on the axes 20 and 25 respectively.
Where the motors are not parallel, it is possible to envisage a synchronization transmission which comprises the transmission of motion through an oblique shaft with bevel gear pairs, this remaining within the concept of the invention.
It is possible to embody the mechanical synchronization connection 23-24-25 in a disconnectible manner, for example by providing a disengageable joint 26, shown with lines of dashes in the figures, on the output axis 23 of the motor 114 downstream from the bevel gear pair 18.
The electrical synchronization 16 too can be disconnectible as required.
This may be determined, for instance, by special rolling requirements which necessitate the elimination of the coupling between the motors.
We have described here some preferred embodiments of the invention, but variants are possible for a person skilled in this field without departing thereby from the scope of the basic idea of the invention.

INDEX

10 - vertical units
11 - horizontal units
12 - casing
13 - rolling axis
14 - motor
114 - motor
15 - motor
115 - motor
16 - electric axis
17 - rolling block
18 - bevel gear pair
118 - bevel gear pair
19 - transmission shaft
20 - motion input shaft or axis of vertical units
21 - distribution group
22 - train of synchronization gears
23 - axis
24 - axis
25 - motion input shaft or axis of horizontal units
26 - disengageable joint.

Claims

1 - High speed rolling block (17) which comprises two groups of units (10-11) synchronized with each other, the units being arranged alternately, each with its axis perpendicular to the axis of the neighbouring unit, in which block (17) each group of units (10-11) is driven by its own motive shaft (20-25) substantially parallel to the axes of the units belonging to the respective group (10-11) thus driven.

2 - High speed rolling block (17) as claimed in Claim 1, in which the axis of at least one motor (14 or 15) is at least parallel to the respective motive shaft (20-25) that drives the respective group of units (10-11).

3 - High speed rolling block (17) as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which the motors (14-15) are positioned with their axes parallel.

4 - High speed rolling block (17) as claimed in any claim hereinbefore, in which the motors (14-15) are synchronized electrically (16).

5 - High speed rolling block (17) as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3 inclusive, in which the motors (14-15) are synchronized mechanically (22).

6 - High speed rolling block (17) as claimed in any claim hereinbefore, in which the synchronization (16-22) can be disconnected as required.

7 - High speed rolling block (17) as claimed in Claims 1 and 5, in which the mechanical synchronization transmission (22) includes at least one disengageable joint (26).