JP7497706B2 - Rolling equipment, spindle support device, spindle monitoring method, and method for attaching and detaching roll and spindle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to rolling equipment capable of monitoring the state of a spindle that transmits the driving force of a drive unit (e.g., a main motor) to a rolling mill, a spindle support device that supports the spindle and can monitor the state of the spindle, a method of monitoring the spindle using the device, and a method of attaching and detaching the spindle to and from the rolling roll.

In a rolling equipment line, the rolling mill rolls the material being rolled by sandwiching it between a pair of upper and lower rolls. If an abnormality occurs in the rotation of the spindle that connects the rolls to the drive unit, it will have a direct effect on the rolls, which will also have a negative effect on the product precision of the material being rolled. In addition, the spindle is constantly subjected to the torque of the drive unit, and is connected to the rolls that roll the material being rolled with a load of up to 4,000 tons, so it must be extremely durable. In the event of damage, the spindle will continue to swing around with inertia in the direction of rotation, so an emergency stop will not be enough, and there is a very high risk of damaging surrounding equipment.

In addition, the rolling mill or rolling rolls are replaced to accommodate changes in the size of the material to be rolled. In this case, the spindle connecting the rolling roll and the drive unit must be separated from the rolling mill, and the spindle must be reconnected to the rolling roll after the rolling mill or rolling roll is replaced. When there is a deviation in the connection position between the rolling roll and the spindle, conventionally, the height was adjusted by inserting a plate material such as a position adjustment liner into the spindle support device.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of attaching a vibration meter to a roll bearing or the like to measure vibration velocity and vibration acceleration, and detecting abnormalities from the analyzed vibration waveform, i.e., changes in amplitude and the occurrence of shock vibrations.

Patent document 2 discloses a technology that incorporates an ultrasonic sensor in the cross joint that constitutes the connecting shaft of the spindle, and monitors the condition of the bearing sliding surface by detecting the disturbance of the ultrasonic waveform.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-199505 JP 2005-325978 A

However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques still have the following problems to be solved.
The techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are effective when a unique phenomenon such as localized abnormal vibration occurs due to deterioration caused by scratches or corrosion on the sliding surface of the bearing or the like of the spindle connection part, or when seizure occurs due to insufficient lubrication. On the other hand, even if the sliding surface of the bearing is sound, there is a problem that it is difficult to detect rattling caused by loose bolts or external corrosion, and to detect the whirling of the entire spindle at a large period.

There is also a position detection method that uses a laser sensor to monitor the condition of the entire spindle from the outside. However, the temperature of the rolled material around the rolling mill is high at around 500°C, large amounts of water are sprayed to cool the equipment, reducing visibility, and the scale of the rolled material scatters during rolling, creating an extremely harsh environment. For these reasons, laser sensors, which use light as a medium and are affected by steam and fine particles, are not suitable. And while there is an eddy-current distance sensor as a measurement sensor that is resistant to the environment, the applicable distance is very short, and there is an issue that it is difficult to apply as is to a spindle whose position varies greatly depending on the rolling conditions of the rolled material.

The present invention has been made to advantageously solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide rolling equipment capable of monitoring the state of a rolling mill spindle during operation and when changing rolls, a spindle support device capable of supporting the spindle and monitoring the state of the spindle, a method of monitoring the spindle using said device, and a method of attaching and detaching the rolling rolls and spindle.

The rolling equipment of the present invention, which was developed to solve the above problems and achieve the above objectives, is characterized by comprising a rolling mill installed at a predetermined position and having rolling rolls, a spindle that transmits a driving force to the rolling rolls, and a detection mechanism that can detect the surface position of the spindle in a non-contact manner.

In addition, the rolling equipment according to the present invention is as follows:
(a) the apparatus further includes a spindle support device having a spindle support mechanism that supports the spindle in an up-down direction, and the detection mechanism is included in the spindle support device; (b) the detection mechanism is provided in a pair on either side of the spindle;
(c) the detection mechanism has a proximity sensor and is controlled so that a predetermined distance is maintained between the proximity sensor and the spindle;
(d) the spindle support mechanism has a receiving portion which moves up and down to a retreat position during rolling and which moves up and down so as to support the spindle to a replacement position when the rolling mill or rolls are replaced;
(e) the rolling rolls and the spindles are plural and connected to each other;
This is thought to be a more preferable solution.

The spindle support device of the present invention, which was developed to solve the above problems and achieve the above objectives, is a rolling equipment equipped with a rolling mill having a rolling roll installed at a predetermined position and a spindle that transmits a driving force to the rolling roll, and is characterized by having a spindle support mechanism that supports the spindle in an elevating manner and a detection mechanism that can detect the surface position of the spindle in a non-contact manner.

In addition, the spindle support device according to the present invention is as follows:
(f) the detection mechanism is provided in pair with the spindle in between;
(g) the detection mechanism has a proximity sensor and is controlled so that a predetermined distance is maintained between the proximity sensor and the spindle;
(h) the spindle support mechanism has a receiving portion which moves up and down to a retreat position during rolling and which moves up and down so as to support the spindle to a replacement position when the rolling mill or rolls are replaced;
(i) the rolling roll and the spindle are plural, and each spindle is individually supported;
This is thought to be a more preferable solution.

The spindle monitoring method of the present invention, which was developed to solve the above problems and achieve the above objectives, is characterized in that it uses any of the spindle support devices described above to move the spindle support mechanism to a retracted position during rolling, and monitors the state of the spindle using the detection mechanism.

As for the spindle monitoring method according to the present invention, it is believed that a more preferable solution would be for the detection mechanism to have a proximity sensor and to monitor the state of the spindle by controlling the proximity sensor to maintain a predetermined distance from the spindle.

The method of attaching and detaching a rolling roll and a spindle according to the present invention, which was developed to solve the above problems and achieve the above objects, is characterized in that, using any of the spindle support devices described above, the spindle is supported to be raised and lowered while the position of the spindle is detected by the detection mechanism when the rolling roll is replaced.

The rolling equipment and spindle support device of the present invention have a detection mechanism that can detect the surface position of the spindle without contact, allowing the state of the spindle to be understood during operation and when changing the rolling machine or rolling rolls, making it possible to take the necessary measures depending on each state.

It is also preferable to use a proximity sensor in the detection mechanism and control the proximity sensor to maintain a specified distance from the spindle. By analyzing the amount of displacement of the spindle during operation in terms of period and amplitude, any abnormalities in the spindle can be detected at an early stage.

In addition, when changing rolls, etc., the spindle height position can be monitored while connecting to the rolls, reducing the time required for connection work, improving productivity and providing industrial usefulness.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a rolling facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a schematic enlarged view of the spindle support device according to the above embodiment, where (a) is a left side view seen from the rolling roll side, (b) is a front view showing the positional relationship of the spindle support device when the rolling rolls are replaced, and (c) is a front view showing the positional relationship of the spindle support device during operation. 1A is a schematic enlarged left side view of the spindle support device according to the embodiment, seen from the rolling roll side, in which (a) is a view showing an example during rolling, and (b) is a view showing a state in which the spindle 3 has moved from the state shown in (a). 1A and 1B are schematic side views showing how the spindle is supported during roll replacement using the spindle support device of the above embodiment, in which (a) shows the normal connection state between the roll and spindle, (b) shows an example in which the upper spindle is higher than the normal connection position, and (c) shows the upper spindle in (b) corrected to the connection position. 4 is an example of a graph obtained by monitoring a displacement amount of a spindle using the rolling equipment according to the embodiment. 4 is an example of a graph obtained by analyzing the displacement amount of a spindle using the rolling equipment according to the embodiment.

The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention. Note that the drawings are schematic and may differ from the actual product. The following embodiments are illustrative of devices and methods for embodying the technical ideas of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the configuration to those described below. In other words, the technical ideas of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope described in the claims.

Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a rolling facility 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. A pair of upper and lower work rolls (rolling rolls) 1, 1 press down the material 2 to be rolled by sandwiching it from above and below. A pair of upper and lower spindles 3, 3 each have one end connected to the work rolls 1, 1, and the other end configured to transmit the driving force (torque) of a main motor (not shown) as a driving device to the work rolls 4 via a pinion stand 4.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the spindle lifting unit 5 (spindle support device) used in this embodiment. Figure 2(a) shows a schematic diagram of the spindle lifting unit 5 as seen from the rolling roll 1 side. A pair of spindle lifting units 5 are installed near the connection part of the spindle 3 on the work roll 1 side, at the inlet side IL and the outlet side OL of the rolled material 2. It is preferable to arrange them symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane including the spindle axis. Each spindle lifting unit 5 consists of a support column as a spindle support mechanism 5a and a detection mechanism 5b that are individually driven.

Figure 2(b) shows a schematic front view of the spindle lifting unit 5 when changing the work roll 1. The spindle support mechanism 5a has a spindle receiving part 6 that can support the weight of the connection part of the spindle 3 on the work roll 1 side and hold it at any position. The detection mechanism 5b has a proximity distance sensor 7. For example, a non-contact laser type distance sensor or an eddy current type distance sensor can be used as the proximity distance sensor 7. In addition, when the environment in which the proximity distance sensor is used is high temperature, high humidity, and dusty, an eddy current type distance sensor that has excellent environmental resistance and can measure the distance to a metal object with high accuracy is preferable. The spindle support mechanism 5a and the detection mechanism 5b are connected to hydraulic cylinders 8a, 8b for driving and distance sensor integrated cylinders 9a, 9b for position detection, respectively. With this configuration, the receiving part 6 can be moved to any position by external operation. Therefore, even if the connection of the spindle 3 deviates from the arrangement of the work roll 1 when changing the work roll 1, causing a connection failure, the height of the spindle 3 can be fine-tuned by external operation, which reduces dangerous work within the rolling equipment, such as shim adjustments, which have previously been performed by the installer, ensuring safety, shortening adjustment time, and reducing costs.

As shown in FIG. 2(c), during rolling, for example, the surface of the spindle 3 can be positioned within the measurable range of the proximity sensor 7 by moving the proximity sensor 7 in accordance with the calculated position of the spindle that moves in conjunction with the driving of the work roll 1 that rolls the rolled material 2 of different thicknesses. This makes it possible to measure minute fluctuations in the spindle 3 during rolling operations and monitor abnormalities such as whirling.

Next, an example of operation during rolling is shown in FIG. 3 as a schematic side view seen from the pinion stand side. As shown in FIG. 3(a) and (b), the receiving part 6 is fixed by the hydraulic cylinder 8a at a position where it does not interfere with the rotating spindle 3 by the lifting function of the spindle support mechanism 5a. On the other hand, the proximity distance sensor 7 acquires the position of the spindle 3, which varies with the position of the work roll 1 during rolling, and drives the hydraulic cylinder 8b based on the position information obtained from the distance sensor integrated cylinder 9b to maintain the vertical distance between the average surface position of the spindle 3 and the detection mechanism 5b at a predetermined value A. In the example of FIG. 3, the vertical distance between the lowest surface position of the spindle 3 and the lower end of the detection mechanism 5b is set to A. Here, A is preferably determined from the size within the detectable range of the proximity sensor 7. For example, since the detectable range of the eddy current distance sensor is at an upper limit of about 10 mm, it is preferable to determine A so that the gap between the spindle 3 surface and the end face of the eddy current distance sensor is 10 mm or less.

Furthermore, an example of operation when changing the work roll 1 is shown in Figure 4 as a schematic side view seen from the rolling roll side. As shown in Figures 4(a) to (c), the spindle 3 is in a state where its weight is completely resting on the receiving part 6. Therefore, the height of the spindle is determined by the position of the receiving part 6. In the normal state, as shown in Figure 4(a), the spindle support mechanism 5a is controlled to the connection position between the work roll 1 and the spindle 3. If the position of the proximity sensor 7 is set depending on the position of the work roll 1 as described above, the normal position of the spindle 3 can be grasped.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4(b), when the upper spindle 3a is supported by the receiving part 6 with the position of the lower spindle 3b as a reference, the position of the upper spindle 3a detected by the proximity sensor 7 is different from the normal value, so the hydraulic cylinder 8a of the spindle support mechanism 5a is operated to raise and lower the receiving part 6 and the upper spindle 3a so that the position is correct. Even if it is outside the detection range of the proximity sensor 7, the amount of lift can be determined by knowing the positional relationship between the spindle support mechanism 5a and the support pillars that constitute the detection mechanism 5b in advance. FIG. 4(c) shows a method of correcting the spindle height using a proximity sensor. For example, if the distance between the end face of the eddy current distance sensor as the proximity sensor 7 and the surface of the upper spindle 3a is B' in FIG. 4(b) and is greater than the normal distance B, the upper spindle 3a is lowered as shown in FIG. 4(c) to be adjusted to B.

Figure 5 shows an example of the results of applying the above embodiment to the finishing mill of a rolling facility with a production volume of 15,000 t/day and monitoring the displacement of the spindle surface position while the facility is in operation. The period indicated by A in Figure 5 is during rolling, and the period indicated by B is during idling when the rolled material is not threaded. It can be seen that the average surface position of the spindle fluctuates for each rolled material. This displacement data can be analyzed using statistical methods such as frequency, displacement width, and moving average to monitor the state of the spindle.

Figure 6 shows an example of spindle displacement analysis. The transition of the displacement width of the upper and lower spindles is shown in a graph together with the rolling load (load relay) when it is loaded (ON) and released (OFF). When the displacement width during rolling exceeds a specified value, it can be determined that the roll condition is abnormal. For example, if the spindle bolts are loose, the displacement width of the spindle during rolling significantly exceeds the level during normal rotation, and it becomes possible to determine that an abnormality has occurred when the displacement width during rolling exceeds a specified value (level during normal rotation).

100 Rolling equipment 1 Work roll (rolling roll)
2 Rolled material 3 Spindle 3a Upper spindle 3b Lower spindle 4 Pinion stand 5 Spindle lifting unit (spindle support device)
5a Spindle support mechanism 5b Detection mechanism 6 Spindle receiving portion 7 Proximity distance sensor 8a, 8b Hydraulic cylinder 9a, 9b Distance sensor integrated cylinder

Claims (12)

A rolling mill is provided at a predetermined position and has a rolling roll, a spindle that transmits a driving force to the rolling roll, and a detection mechanism that can detect a surface position of the spindle in a non-contact manner ,
The detection mechanism has a proximity sensor and is controlled so that a predetermined distance is maintained between the proximity sensor and the spindle . The rolling facility according to claim 1 , wherein the detection mechanisms are provided in pairs with the spindle in between. The spindle support device further includes a spindle support mechanism for supporting the spindle in an up-down direction,
The rolling facility according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the detection mechanism is included in the spindle support device . 4. The rolling facility according to claim 3 , wherein the spindle support mechanism has a receiving portion which moves up and down to a retreat position during rolling and which moves up and down so as to support the spindle to a replacement position when the rolling mill or the rolling rolls are replaced. The rolling facility according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein a plurality of the rolls and the spindles are provided, and each of the rolls and the spindles is connected to each other. A rolling mill installed at a predetermined position and having rolling rolls;
A spindle that transmits a driving force to the rolling roll;
In a rolling facility comprising:
a spindle support mechanism that supports the spindle so as to ascend and descend, and a detection mechanism that can detect the surface position of the spindle in a non-contact manner ;
The detection mechanism has a proximity sensor, and is controlled so that a predetermined distance is maintained between the proximity sensor and the spindle . 7. The spindle support device according to claim 6 , wherein the detection mechanisms are provided in pairs with the spindle in between. 8. The spindle support device according to claim 6 , wherein the spindle support mechanism has a receiving portion which moves up and down to a retreat position during rolling and which moves up and down so as to support the spindle at a replacement position when the rolling mill or rolls are replaced. The spindle support device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein there are a plurality of said rolls and a plurality of said spindles, and each spindle is supported individually. Using the spindle support device according to any one of claims 6 to 9 ,
moving the spindle support mechanism to a retracted position during rolling;
A spindle monitoring method, comprising: monitoring a state of the spindle by the detection mechanism. 11. The method for monitoring a spindle according to claim 10 , wherein the detection mechanism has a proximity sensor, and the state of the spindle is monitored by controlling the proximity sensor to maintain a predetermined distance from the spindle. Using the spindle support device according to any one of claims 6 to 9 ,
the detection mechanism detects the position of the spindle while supporting the spindle in an upward and downward direction when changing the roll.

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