GB1103952A - Improvements in or relating to methods and apparatus for reducing the thickness of metal - Google Patents

Abstract

1,103,952. Rolling. IMPERIAL METAL INDUSTRIES (KYNOCH) Ltd. 24 Feb., 1966 [8 March, 1965], No. 9739/65. Heading B3M. The apparatus for reducing metal plate strip or slab as described in Specification 889,662 is modified by the addition of means to increase the resistance to displacement of the rolls 1, 2 from their arcuate path during the oscillating movement of the rolls. In one embodiment a pair of leaf-springs 25 is positioned adjacent the frame beam 8 of each pendulum. The leafsprings 25 are each housed with their ends in engagement with concave bearing surfaces 26 of a screw 27. During the movement of each pendulum in a direction opposite to the direction of feed of the strip, the rolls 1, 2 are displaced from their arcuate path. This displacement is progressively resisted by the springs 25 which are bent by projections 29 on the beams 8. Each spring comes into greater area of contact with the bearing surface resulting in a reduction of its effective spring length so that the springs progressively stiffen and increase the resistance to displacement. The resultant paths of the rolls are substantially parallel straight lines and reduce the metal to a substantially uniform gauge. In an alternative embodiment, Fig. 5 (not shown), the springs (40) are arcuate and are fixed to straight bearing surfaces (41) at their centres and abutted by a pair of projections (42). In a further embodiment, Fig. 6 (not shown), the beams 8 each have a block (48) fixed thereto. Three tubes (43)-(45) are fitted one within the other between the block (48) and the bearing surface at the end of the screw 27. The bearing surfaces on the block (48) and the screw (27) are stepped so that the inner tube (43) abuts both surfaces, the middle tube (44) is spaced from the upper surface and the outer tube (45) is spaced further from the upper surface. The increasing load as the pendulum swings gradually compresses the tube (43) axially until the tube (44) abuts both bearing surfaces whereupon the both tubes (43, 44) begin to be compressed, until the tube (45) abuts both surfaces, whereupon all three tubes are compressed together. In a modification of this embodiment the tubes are replaced by compression springs. The means for increasing and decreasing the resistance to roll displacement as the pendulums swing could alternatively be hydraulic or pneumatic.