EP2712687B1 - Straightener - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a straightening machine for straightening a metal strip and / or flat metal parts according to the preamble of claim 1. Accordingly, a straightening machine of the present type comprises a number of upper straightening rolls mounted in an upper roll mill and a number of lower straightening rolls. which are stored in a lower roller mill. The roller mills are interconnected by means of a plurality of studs, the studs being mounted on the roller mills in such a way that the roller mills are maintained at a preselectable distance from each other. This allows a straightening gap formed between the upper and lower straightening rolls to be varied to direct material of different thicknesses in the straightening machine.

Straightening machines of the present type are known for example from the document DE 2742043 A , and serve to eliminate tensions and bumps in metal bands or metal parts. The upper and lower straightening rollers are arranged offset to one another, so that the material to be straightened is guided in a kind of serpentine through the straightening rollers, that is alternately bent upwards and downwards. The bending takes place in such a way that the material is bent beyond its yield point, at least at the first straightening rolls, so that unwanted bends and stresses in the material are eliminated as completely as possible. Usually, the material is very heavily plasticized on the first straightening roller of the straightening machine. At each further straightening roll, the material is bent a little less, and at the last straightening roll, the material is no longer plasticized, ie only elastically deformed.

In the metalworking industry metal straps are often used, which are supplied as so-called coils and processed from there to production. By winding the strip material to coils, but also by any previous thermal treatments and the like, unevenness and tension in the strip material are present, which are unfavorable for further processing. Therefore, metal strips are usually passed after their unwinding from the coil by a straightening machine of the present type, which leave it level and stress-free.

However, this is not the only field of application, because even flat metal parts that are to be freed from unwanted bends and stresses are usually addressed in a straightening machine of the present type in order to further process them. In particular, the adjustability of the aiming gap in a straightening machine of the present type is particularly advantageously used, since the parts to be straightened often have a different thickness or have to be treated with different bending moments. In both cases, it is then necessary to adjust the guide gap accordingly.

When a metal strip or a flat metal part is moved through the leveling gap and bent alternately around the upper and lower straightening rolls, naturally very high counterforces arise in the straightening machine, which want to open or widen the straightening gap. The roll mills and in particular the stud bolts which hold the roll mills in the desired position relative to one another must therefore be designed to be correspondingly resistant. Due to the opposing forces when straightening the stud bolts are loaded on train, which is noticeable at corresponding forces by an elongation of the studs.

A known way to deal with this problem is to form the studs accordingly resistant, so very solid. This has the disadvantage that the straightening machine is very heavy overall and is expensive to produce by the required material.

Another way to avoid the expansion of the straightening gap during operation, is to compensate for the elongation of the studs by shortening their effective length, thus counteracting the elongation. As far as strip material is directed, this can be quite simply effected by the stud bolts, which are usually connected by means of threads with the roll mills, are retightened and so their effective length is shortened so far until the straightening gap gets back the desired extent. Because once the strip material has run into the straightening machine and the studs have been lengthened accordingly, a single readjustment of the effective length of the same is sufficient to create conditions defined for the rest of the coil.

However, this is different for part leveling machines, because with each flat metal part that enters the straightening machine, this rears up, that is. the stud bolts lengthen and the straightening gap gives way or opens, which can not be compensated by a simple adjustment of the stud bolt suspensions. Because the guide gap would then be too narrow, if a directed part leaves the leveler, so that the next part to be straightened can not run properly in the leveler.

To solve this problem has been proposed in the art to provide the studs with adjusting devices for changing the effective length, so that changes in the effective length of the studs in operation, usually elongations, depending on the measurement results of a sensor for detecting the straightening gap can be compensated in real time. An example of this can be found in the EP-A-1 673 181 ,

Since high forces act on the studs during straightening, and correspondingly high forces are required to compensate for an increase in the effective length of these studs, the adjusting devices proposed in the prior art are equipped with hydraulic piston-cylinder units. These can provide the required forces in the required Create and hold short response time. The disadvantage here, however, that equipped with such adjusting straightening machine must be provided with an additional hydraulic system. Hydraulic systems, which are unnecessary in a straightening machine without adjustment, however, are structurally complex and energy and maintenance-intensive. Their long-term durability leaves much to be desired in comparison to the other parts of a leveler of the present type, as far as oil losses can not be tolerated.

The present invention is therefore based on the object to simplify a leveler of the type mentioned in terms of their structure and their need for maintenance without sacrificing functionality.

This object is achieved by a leveler with the features of claim 1. Preferred embodiments and further developments of the straightening machine according to the invention are set forth in claims 2 to 10.

According to the present invention, the adjusting devices for the studs are therefore no longer operated hydraulically, but mechanically or electromechanically by the effective length of the studs is changed with a mechanically movable spline. Such a sliding wedge is capable of generating very high vertical forces necessary for a stud adjusting device with relatively small horizontal forces displacing the wedge.

A hydraulic system for actuating the adjustment of the studs is therefore superfluous. The mechanically movable sliding wedge is preferably actuated by an electric motor, for example a three-phase servo drive. This electric motor acts expediently via a gear on the sliding wedge, in particular a worm gear is used, which cooperates with a spindle, which in turn moves the sliding wedge.

An electric servomotor has the advantage that it can interact directly with a preferably existing sensor or a monitoring device which detects the changes in the effective length of the studs. This detection of a change in the effective length of the studs can be done on the stud itself, for example, with strain gauges; however, preferably the directivity gap is monitored directly, the undesired change of which is proportional to a change in the effective length of the studs. An electric motor for actuating the sliding wedge can carry out the compensation of the elongation of the effective length of the studs detected by the monitoring device in a structurally uncomplicated manner via a conventional electrical control with control electronics.

The "effective length" of the studs is not to be equated with the actual length thereof in the context of the present invention. For even if a stud bolt is elongated, its effective length, which is defined with respect to the aiming gap, remain the same, for example by the change in length of the stud is compensated by a sliding wedge caused relative movement between the stud bolt mounted on the roller mill and the stud.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an increase in the effective length of the studs is prevented only up to a maximum length by moving the sliding wedge. If the extension of the studs beyond this maximum length, this is an indication that prevail in the aiming gap too large forces that not only the studs length, but also the straightening rollers, the roller bearings and in particular the drives of straightening rollers, which usually contain propeller shafts, claim. An overuse of the roller drive and in particular the drive shafts must be avoided, however, to avoid expensive and expensive to repair damage. If the stud bolts, as provided according to the present invention, are designed to be relatively slender and consequently yield relatively easily - which is achieved by the leveling control according to the invention is compensated by sliding wedge in operation - results with this embodiment of the invention, an overload protection for the straightening machine.

In threatening overuse of the straightening machine, however, this must not be turned off in principle in the context of the present invention: Even if the forces in the guide gap threaten to become so high that damage to the machine and in particular the drive shafts is to be feared, the plasticization of the material after a appropriate algorithm, for example, based on material-specific computational models, are withdrawn by the increase in the effective length of the studs is no longer fully compensated. It is advantageous if the sliding wedges of the individual studs can be moved independently. The straightening result of a currently running in the directional gap sheet is not optimal in such a case, but in many cases still useful or still good, and the leveler was effectively protected against overload. If the straightening machine had been stopped by a conventional overload circuit, the currently oriented sheet would have been scrap, as a rule.

Preferably, the movable slide wedge together with a fixedly connected to the stud or with one of the roll chocks counterwedge forms a known wedge adjustment mechanism according to the invention is arranged on the suspension of the stud bolt on one of the roll mills. The combination of a wedge and a fixed counter wedge with identical wedge angle allows a defined change in the distance between two plane-parallel planes to each other: When the sliding wedge is inserted, move the first plane of the wedge and the second plane of the counter-wedge planparallel away from each other while they are facing each other move when the slide wedge is pulled out of the assembly. Preferably, in this case, the sliding wedge is arranged on one of the roll mills, while the counter wedge is firmly connected to the stud; because then the sliding wedge along the roll mill is movable and the preferred existing electric motor with Transmission can be fixed firmly on the roller mill. The sliding wedge then does not move in height relative to the roller mill.

The sliding wedge and the counter-wedge are preferably arranged in a housing or frame, which is preferably filled with a friction-reducing fluid and mounted on one of the roll mills.

In order to facilitate the insertion and withdrawal of the sliding wedge from the wedge adjustment mechanism and to reduce any wear, it is particularly preferred in the context of the present invention for the sliding wedge to be provided with a roller shoe on at least one of its two wedge surfaces. This roller shoe is preferably made of a number of rollers which are mounted with needle bearings in a cage. With such roller shoes moving the sliding wedge is relatively easy and virtually wear-free even under the highest load possible. The electric motor and the transmission for actuating the sliding wedge can be kept correspondingly inexpensive.

In order to prevent the roller shoe from moving out of the rolling surfaces after a plurality of operations of the sliding wedge due to the oblique planes involved, the cage of the roller shoe is preferably positively guided on the surfaces involved. This positive guide preferably consists of a rack and a corresponding gear, wherein the gear is suitably arranged on the cage of the roller shoe, while the racks sit in the wedge surfaces.

Figur 1

eine seitliche Ansicht einer erfindungsgemäß ausgestalteten Richtmaschine;

Figur 2

einen Schnitt entlang der Linie A-A aus Figur 1;

Figur 3

eine perspektivische Ansicht der Richtmaschine aus den Figuren 1 und 2;

Figur 4

eine Draufsicht auf eine Verstellvorrichtung von oben;

Figur 5

einen Schnitt entlang der Linie A-A aus Figur 4;

Figur 6

einen Schnitt entlang der Linie B-B aus Figur 4;

Figur 7

eine seitliche Ansicht eines Rollenschuhs;

Figur 8

eine Draufsicht auf den Rollenschuh aus Figur 7.

Further advantageous features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a specific embodiment of an inventively designed straightening machine, which will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

FIG. 1

a side view of an inventively designed straightening machine;

FIG. 2

a section along the line AA FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3

a perspective view of the leveler from the FIGS. 1 and 2 ;

FIG. 4

a top view of an adjustment from above;

FIG. 5

a section along the line AA FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 6

a section along the line BB FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 7

a side view of a roller shoe;

FIG. 8

a plan view of the roller shoe FIG. 7 ,

The in the FIGS. 1 . 2 and 3 straightening machine shown comprises at its core a number of lower straightening rollers 1 and a series of upper straightening rollers 2, which are arranged one above the other such that a straightening gap 3 is formed, which extends from an in FIG. 1 on the left side of the straightening machine up to one in FIG. 1 Right side outlet shown in a kind of serpentine line between the lower and upper straightening rollers 1, 2 runs. A flat metal part or metal strip (not shown) to be straightened is thus bent down around the first lower straightening roll 1, then bent upwards around the first upper straightening roll 2, around the second lower straightening roll 1 again bent downwards and thus alternately further.

The lower straightening rollers 1 are mounted in a lower roller frame 4 and are supported by a plurality of support rollers 5 in the roller mill 4. In a corresponding manner, the upper straightening rollers 2 are mounted in an upper roller mill 6 and are supported against the directional pressure by upper support rollers 7 in the roller mill 6.

The lower roll mill 4 and the upper roll mill 6 are interconnected in their four corners by means of four stud bolts 8. These stud bolts 8 are firmly anchored in the lower roller mill, while they are adjustably mounted on the upper roller mill 6: At the upper end 9 of the stud bolt 8 each sits a worm gear 10, via which the stud bolt 8 is connected to a mounted on the upper roller mill 6 abutment 11. The worm gear 10 is used to set the straightening gap 3 when setting up the straightening machine: By means of the worm gear 10 and a drive 12, the height of the upper roll mill 6 can be adjusted relative to the lower roll mill 4.

Between the abutment 11 for the stud bolts 8 and the upper roller mill 6, the adjusting devices 13 according to the invention for changing the effective length of the studs 8 are now arranged. These adjusting devices 13 are on the one hand firmly connected to the upper roller mill 6 and on the other hand support the counter bearing 11 for the stud bolts 8. The height of the thrust bearing 11 relative to the upper roller mill 6 can be changed by means of adjusting 13, so that an elongation of the studs 8 by a Upward displacement of the abutment 11 can be compensated, since thus the storage of the stud bolts 8 on the upper roller mill 6 can be "lengthened" in a corresponding manner. In this respect, the adjusting device 13 does not change the length of the stud bolts 8, but only their effective length, which is proportional to the aiming gap 3.

During the passage of a part to be straightened by the aiming gap 3 between the upper and lower straightening rolls 1, 2, the force flow of the opposing forces from the upper roll mill 6 passes through the stud bolts 8 in the lower roll mill 4. The stay bolts 8 are elongated, the elongation being all the more pronounced is, the less expensive and thinner the studs 8 are formed. As a result of the elongation of the stud bolts 8, the straightening gap 3 expands, which can lead to an incorrect or poor straightening result. Therefore, a control unit (not shown) is activated by four monitoring devices 14, which detect the expansion of the directional gap 3 in the height of the four studs 8, which controls the four adjusting devices 13, so that this increases the distance between the upper roller mill 6 and the abutments 11. The upper roller mill 6 is hereby again moved against the lower roller frame 4, so that the guide gap 3 is reduced again to its nominal size and the elongation of the stud 8 is compensated. The effective length of the studs 8 is therefore, despite a successful elongation of the studs 8, remained unchanged in the result, so that even the effective length proportional to the correcting gap 3 has not changed.

Since a monitoring device 14 is arranged in the vicinity of each stud bolt 8, the four adjusting devices 13 can also be controlled individually, depending on the individual elongation of the respective stud bolt 8.

The structure of the adjusting is based on the FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 clarified, with the FIG. 4 is a plan view of an adjusting device 13, while the Figures 5 and 6 Sectional views AA and BB off FIG. 4 are.

The adjusting device 13 according to the invention comprises a housing 15 with a passage 16 for the stud bolt (not shown here), which is supported on the counter bearing 11. The counter-bearing 11 is in turn supported on a counter wedge 17, which cooperates with a sliding wedge 18. The sliding wedge 18 is horizontally movable by means of a spindle 19 and a worm gear 20 by an electric motor 21, whereby in cooperation with the counter wedge 17, the distance between a bottom 22 of the housing 15 and the counter bearing 11 can be changed. By inserting the sliding wedge 18, that is, by a pulling movement of the spindle 19, the counter wedge 17 is pushed upward, whereby the abutment 11 is also pushed up and the effective length of the stud bolt 8 is thus shortened. Pulling out the sliding wedge 18, which in the present case is associated with a sliding movement of the spindle 19, leads to a lowering of the counterwedge 17, so that the counterbearing 11 also lowers and thus the effective length of the stud bolt 8 is increased.

Since the sliding wedge 18 is horizontally movable flat on the bottom 22 of the housing 15 or on the slide rail 26 thereon, there are no height changes for the drive 20, 21 of the sliding wedge relative to the upper roller frame 6 when the sliding wedge 18 is actuated Sliding wedge 18 and the counter-wedge 17 are matched to each other, so that each facing away from the other wedge wedge surfaces of the two wedges 17, 18 are plane-parallel to each other and can be moved plane-parallel to each other or away from each other.

The wedge angle of the slide wedge 18 and the counter-wedge 17 is further selected so that a high power transmission is given by the horizontal movement of the slide wedge 18 for vertical movement of the anvil 11. Thus, and with a suitable translation of the worm gear 20 necessary for compensating for an elongation of the stud bolts 8 forces of a relatively small and inexpensive servo motor 21 are applied.

In order to reduce the frictional forces between the two wedges 17, 18 as well as between the sliding wedge 18 and a running rail 26 arranged on the bottom 22 of the housing 15 and thus to enable an actuation of the sliding wedge 18 with as small forces as possible, between the involved surfaces 23, 24 and 26 respectively provided roller shoes, in the FIGS. 7 and 8 are shown in more detail. These are each a number of identically designed rollers 27, which are mounted by means of needle bearings 28 in a cage 29. This cage 29 is inserted into the wedge surfaces 23, 24 or the running rail 26, so that the two wedge surfaces of the sliding wedge 18 each run over the rollers 27 on the mating surfaces, the wedge surface 24 of the counter wedge 17 and the running rail 26 of the housing 15.

In particular FIG. 8 clarifies, carries the cage 29 for the rollers 27 also has two gears 30 which engage in the assembled state respectively in racks 31 in the wedge surfaces of the sliding wedge 18 and the counterwedge 17 and in the running rail 26. By means of these gears 30 and the racks 31st the cage 29 is forcibly guided with the rollers 27 to the participating surfaces, so that he can not move out of its position laterally about.

Claims (10)

1. Levelling machine for levelling a metal strip and/or planar metal parts, comprising a number of lower levelling rolls (1), which are mounted in a lower roll seat (4), and a number of upper levelling rolls (2), which are mounted in an upper roll seat (6), and also spacer bolts (8) which connect the upper and lower roll seats (4, 6) at a preselectable spacing, there being associated with the spacer bolts (8) adjusting devices (13) for altering an effective length of the spacer bolts (8) that defines the preselectable spacing and for compensating for changes in that effective length during operation,
   characterised in that
   the adjusting devices (13) contain a mechanically movable sliding wedge (18) which alters the effective length of the spacer bolts (8).
2. Levelling machine according to claim 1,
   characterised in that
   the sliding wedge (18) is movable with an electric motor (21).
3. Levelling machine according to claim 2,
   characterised in that
   the electric motor (21) co-operates via a gear mechanism (20), especially a worm gear, with a spindle (19) which moves the sliding wedge (18).
4. Levelling machine according to at least one of claims 1 to 3,
   characterised in that
   the movable sliding wedge (18), together with a counter-wedge (17) rigidly connected to the spacer bolt (8) or to one of the roll seats (4,6), forms a wedge adjustment mechanism (13) which is arranged on the mounting (11) of the spacer bolt (8) on one of the roll seats (4, 6).
5. Levelling machine according to claim 4,
   characterised in that
   the sliding wedge (18) and the counter-wedge (17) are arranged in a housing (15) or frame attached to one of the roll seats (4, 6), the sliding wedge (18) being movable along that side (26) of the housing (15) or frame which faces the roll seat (4, 6), and the counter-wedge (17) being rigidly connected to the mounting (11) of the associated spacer bolt (8).
6. Levelling machine according to claim 5,
   characterised in that
   the housing (15) or the frame is filled with a friction-reducing fluid.
7. Levelling machine according to at least one of claims 1 to 6,
   characterised in that
   the sliding wedge (18) is provided on at least one of its two wedge faces (23) with a roller shoe which consists of a plurality of rollers (27) mounted in a cage (29).
8. Levelling machine according to claim 7,
   characterised in that
   the cage (29) is positively guided on the sliding wedge (18) and/or on the counter-wedge (17).
9. Levelling machine according to at least one of claims 1 to 8,
   characterised in that
   a monitoring device (14) for detecting a change in the effective length of the spacer bolts (8) is provided and co-operates with the adjusting devices (13).
10. Levelling machine according to claim 9,
    characterised in that
    the monitoring device (14) is arranged to co-operate with the adjusting devices (13) in such a way that an increase in the effective length of the spacer bolts (8) is compensated, up to a maximum elongation, by movement of the sliding wedge (18).

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