GB735579A - Method and apparatus for removing camber from a metallic belt and/or for an endless belt from cold rolled metal strip - Google Patents

Abstract

735,579. Making belts. UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION. Sept. 9, 1952, [Feb. 13, 1952], No. 22595/52. Classes 83 (2) and 83 (4). Expanding and stretching.-A method of making an endless belt from cold-rolled metal strip comprises fastening the ends of the strip together and passing the belt so formed around a pair of spaced apart aligned automatic centring rolls arranged in parallel, applying tension to said belt, rotating one of said rolls to move the belt around the rolls and continuing the rotation until the belt is centred on the rolls so that any camber in the belt is removed. One of the self-centring rolls 2 is mounted in bearings 4 and 6 the bearing 4 being mounted on a platform 8 which is mounted on a base 14 having an arcuate guideway 16 which co-operates with a flange (not shown) on the platform 8. The position of the platform on the base is adjusted by means of a screw 22. The bearing 6 is pivotally mounted at 26 on a base 24. The roll 2 is driven from an electric motor 10 through gear-box 12. The second self-centring roll 28 is carried in bearings 30 mounted on a platform 32 slidable in a guide 34 in a base 36. The platform has tapered sides 38 which co-operate with wedges 40 mounted in the guide 34. A screw 42 operates the wedges to vary the distance between the rolls. The length of the rolls should be twice the width of the strip. In operation the ends of a length of cambered strip are fastened together to form a belt S which is placed around the rolls and tensioned by means of the wedges 40. When the belt is rotated by means of the motor 10 the belts will move laterally over the rolls such that the long edge of the belt will approach one end of the rolls and the short edge the transverse centre line of the rolls. As rotation continues the fibres adjacent the short edge of the strip are progressively elongated at a greater rate than the fibres adjacent the long edge and as the elongation of the short edge continues the belt S will move back towards the transverse centre-line of the rolls and the belt will then have straight parallel edges. When the strip is badly cambered the roll 2 is moved out of its parallel relationship with roll 28 to prevent the belt from riding too far off-centre. As the camber is reduced the roll 2 is gradually moved back until it is parallel with the roll 28. In a modification for use with wide metal belts a roller leveller 44 is inserted between the self-centring rolls. In operation the rolls of the leveller may or may not be driven and the direction of rotation of the belt S<SP>1</SP> is periodically reversed to prevent the joint J from passing through the leveller. The repeated bending of the strip over the small rolls of the leveller rapidly stretches all fibres in the width of the strip until they are equal in length and removes all camber from the strip. Specifications 709,908, 717,671, [Group XXX], and 735,561, [Group XXX], are referred to.