GB2124950A - Apparatus for supporting the fixed and rotating guide shoes in a piercing or elongating rolling mill - Google Patents

Abstract

A piercing or elongating rolling mill with superimposed rolls (2)3 mounted rotatably within a stand 4 is provided with apparatus for supporting opposed guide shoes 22(23) of the fixed or rotary type on corresponding guide- shoe carriers 28 provided with pivots 29. The apparatus comprises, for each of the opposed guide shoes an arm 7 which extends, outside the stand, parallel to the rolling axis and is provided in an intermediate position with a support within which is located the pivot 29 for the guide-shoe carrier. The arm 7 has one end hinged 11 to a supporting member 9 of the stand 4, and the other end connected to an adjustable support member 15, 16. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for supporting the fixed and rotating guide shoes in a piercing or elongating rolling mill The present invention relates to apparatus for supporting both fixed and rotating guide shoes in a piercing or elongating rolling mill.

As is known, the guide-shoes are opposed members intended to retain a steel billet in position in correspondence with the rolls of the rolling mill.

They are constituted by a member, forming the guide shoes itself, in contact with the billet, and a support member, called the guide shoes carrier, connected through a suitable support structure to the rolling stand.

In accordance with the known art, the guide shoes are of a fixed or rotary type. In those of the fixed type, each guide shoe itself is constituted by a straight element maintained in sliding contact with the billet, parallel to the rolling axis defined by the rolls, and supported by one end of the corresponding guide-shoe carrier which is shaped in the form of an arm. This latter is provided with a pivot by means of which it is fixed to the support structure so as to be able to move angularly both for adjustment of its position relative to the rolling axis and for its removal from the stand for replacement of a worn guide-shoe.

With the rotary types, however, the guide shoe itself is constituted by a circular ring mounted on the periphery of a disc-shaped guide-shoe carrier provided with a central pivot by means of which it is mounted on the support structure. In the case of a rotating guide shoe contact with a billet does not occur by sliding but mainly by rolling, the guide shoe carrier being rotated continuously by appropriate drive means acting on its pivot.

In accordance with the known art, the support structures for the guide-shoe carriers, and hence for the guide shoes, of the fixed type are different from those for the guide-shoe carriers, and hence the guide shoes, of the rotary type with the consequence that it is not possible, for a given rolling mill, to change quickly from one type of guide shoes to the other, it being necessary for this purpose to make substantial and extensive modifications to the structures themselves.

The problem underlying the present invention is therefore that of providing apparatus which allows both fixed-type guide shoes and rotary-type guide shoes to be supported equally well without the need to modify the support structures fixed to the rolling stand whereby to enable the replacement of one type by the other rapidly when necessary or convenientfora rolling operation.

This problem is solved in accordance with the invention by apparatus which includes, for each of the opposed guide shoes an arm structure which extends parallel to the rolling axis outside the stand and is provided in an intermediate position with a support within which is seated the said pivot for the guide-shoe carriers, the arm being connected at one end to a support member of the stand by means of a pivot structure with an axis of rotation perpendicular to the rolling axis, and at the other end to an adjustable support member.

The invention will now be more fully described with reference to a preferred embodiment, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the appended drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus according to the invention on which fixed guide shoes are mounted; Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic transverse sectional view taken on line Ill-Ill of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a side view of the apparatus according to the invention on which rotary type guide shoes are mounted; Figure 5 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 4; Figure 6is a schematic transverse sectional view taken on line VI-VI of Figure 5.

With reference to the appended drawings, a rolling mill generally indicated 1 which may equally be a piercing or elongating mill, includes two superimposed rolls 2 and 3 rotatably mounted within a stand 4. The rolls 2 and 3 define between them a horizontal rolling axis indicated X-X along which passes a billet 5 intended to be pierced or elongated as necessary.

On opposite sides of the stand 4 the mill 1 includes two pieces of apparatus according to the present invention, which are both indicated 6 and are located opposite each other.

Each of the apparatus 6 includes an arm structure 7 which extends parallel to the rolling axis X-X outside the stand 4.

The arm structure 7 is connected at one end 8 to a support member 9 of the stand 4 by means of a pivot structure 10 having a pivot pin 11 with an axis of rotation perpendicular to the rolling axis X-X, and, at its opposite end 12 to an adjustable support member 13 fixed to a support member 14 of the stand and including a mechanical jack 15 of known type driven by a geared motor 16.

A hydraulic cylinder for rotating the arm 7 about the pivot structure 10 is indicated 33.

The arm structure 7 is constituted by a pair of spaced beams 17 and 18 parallel to each other and centrally provided with respective lugs 19 and 20 which extend towards the rolling axis X-X. The lugs 19 and 20 together form a support 21 for supporting a respective guide shoe. An opposing guide shoe is supported by an opposing support 21 belonging to the opposing device 6.

These guide shoes which may be of the fixed type as illustrated in Figures 1,2 and 3, where they are indicated 22, or of the rotary type, as illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6, where they are indicated 23, retain the billet 5 in correspondence with the rolls 2 and 3 along the rolling axis X-X.

In particular (see Figures 4, 5 and 6) each rotating guide shoe 23 is mounted on a respective guideshoe carrier 24 provided with a pivot 25 which is housed in a pivot seat 26 formed in the support 21 and is rotatable in this seat.

Reference 27 indicates drive members for rotating the guide-shoe carrier 24 and hence the guide shoe 23, these drive members being mounted on the arm structure 7 in correspondence with the free end of the lug 19 of the beams 17.

With reference to Figures 1,2 and 3, in which the rolling mill 1 is provided with fixed guide shoes, each fixed guide shoe 22 is mounted on a guideshoe carrier 28 which is provided with a pivot 29 located in the pivot seat 26 of the support 21.

References 30 and 31 respectively indicate a mechanical jack, driven via a gear box of known type, and a cylinder, the operative ends of the jack and cylinder engaging part of the guide-shoe carrier 28; the jack 30 and the cylinder 31 respectively constitute members for adjusting the angular position and for locking the guide-shoe carrier itself.

Advantageously, a second fixed guide shoe 32 is mounted on the guide-shoe carrier 28 in a position diametricaily opposite the first guide shoe 22 relative to the pivot 29; the guide-shoe carrier 28 may be angularly displaced by the drive members 27 to bring the second guide shoe into the position of the first member.

With the guide-shoe support apparatus of the invention, the replacement of the fixed guide shoes by the rotating members or vice versa is carried out as described below. For this purpose it is sufficient to free the end 12 of the arm structure 7 from the support member 13, to rotate the arm structure 7 about the pivot 10 thereby removing the guide shoe from the stand, and then to remove the existing guide-shoe carrier from the support 21, replacing it by the desired one. Finally the arm structure 7 is brought back into its initial position and its position is adjusted by means of the support member 13.

In the case of fixed guide shoes, the position of these may also, advantageously, be adjusted in a direction substantially parallel to the rolling axis, the angular position of the guide-shoe carrier 28 being varied about its pivot 29 by means of the mechanical jack 30 and its opposing cylinder 31.

The main advantage achieved by the apparatus according to the invention is that it makes possible the rapid replacement of fixed guide shoes by rotating members and vice versa without any structural modification to the rolling mill.

Afurther advantage lies in the fact that the adjustment of both the fixed and rotating guide shoes to bring them closer to, or distance them from, the rolling axis can be carried out with great precision and rapidity.

Finally, in the case of fixed guide shoes the possibility is also afforded of effecting rapid and accurate adjustment in a direction substantially parallel to the rolling axis.

Obviously numerous variations and modifications may be made to the apparatus described above by an expert in the art, in accordance with specific requirements, all of which are contained within the scope of protection of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims (7)

1. Apparatus for supporting the opposing guide shoes, both fixed and rotary, in a piercing or elongating rolling mill with superimposed rolls rotatably mounted within a stand and defining between them a horizontal rolling axis, the guide shoes being mounted on respective guide-shoe carriers provided with pivots, characterised in that it comprises, for each of the opposing guide shoes, an arm structure which extends parallel to the rolling axis, outside the stand, and is provided in an intermediate position with a support within which is located the pivot of the guide-shoe carrier, the arm being connected at one end to a support member of the stand by means of a pivot structure with an axis of rotation perpendicular to the rolling axis and at the other end to an adjustable support member.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that the arm structure is constituted by a pair of beams which are parallel to each other and spaced apart, the support for the pivot of the guide-shoe carrier being formed on a lug which is formed centrally on each of the said beams and extends towards the rolling axis.

3. Apparatus according to Claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the adjustable support to which one end of the arm structure is connected, comprises a mechanical jack of a type known per se driven by a geared motor fixed to a supporting member of the stand.

4. Apparatus according to Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the arm structure is provided at each end with adjusting and locking members the operative ends of which engage a part of the corresponding guide-shoe carrier for a fixed guide shoe.

5. Apparatus according to Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the arm structure has drive members for angularly displacing the guide-shoe carrier of a fixed guide shoe or for rotating the guide-shoe carrier of a rotating guide shoe, the drive members being disposed in correspondence with the free end of the lug of one of the component beams of the arm structure.

6. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

7. A mill including apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims.