US1744016A - Metal rolling - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 14, 1930. A R ST-ECKEL 1,744,016

METAL ROLLING Filed June 50. 192} 6 Sheets-Sheet 1' lNVENTOR aha/Jaw METAL ROLLING Filed June 30. 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 WEM Jan. 14, 1930- p STECKEL 7 1,744,016

METAL ROLLING Filed. June 30, 192 5- 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 J an. 14, 1930.

A. P. STECKEL METAL ROLLING Filed June 50, 1923 GSheets-Sheet 4 Y all-m linilill! ill II I "sign I" FM LLNtIENiTOR METAL ROLLING Filed June 30. 192s e Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR V WMZMQ Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ABRAM P. STEGKEL, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOLD METAL PROCESS COMPANY, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, A

CORPORATION OF OHIO METAL ROLLING Application filed June 30,

This invention relates to metal rolling and is particularly valuable for cold rolling metal into thin new cold process for making economically thin sheet metal hitherto made by hot rolling in packs, notably commercial tin plate, and also contemplates a new and improved product resulting from the practice of the new method herein disclosed.

Cold rolling, as practiced hitherto, has been so expensive as to limit its'application mostly to giving to the metal the high finish which is characteristic of the cold rolling process. The high cost ofthe process accounts for the practice of producing cold rolled material of any givengage'from hot rolled material of only a slightly thicker gage, the reduction being incidental, and determined by the minimum amount of cold' rolling necessary to produce the required degree of erfeetion of finish. Cold rolling has there ore been primarily an expensive finishing process, and not a cheap reduction process.

In cold rolling as heretofore practiced it has been generally considered necessary to anneal the material after it has been reduced to half its original thickness, and as a consequence great reductions by cold rolling have always required a large number of intermediate anneals. In order to prevent such hardening of the strip with the accompanying annealing, I use a roll, or preferably a pair of rolls, of comparatively small diameter. These rolls do not have the necessary strength to be self supporting, and are therefore provided with backing rolls of large diameter and of the necessary strength to withstand 'the rolling pressure. The backing rolls have an anti-friction mounting. This perlnits the rolls to be driven principally or entirely by the tension onthe delivered strip. such tension being exerted by the winding reel or by a subsequent pair of rolls. The delivered strip may, therefore, be maintained under a constant and automatically regulated tension, which is highly desirable in cold rolling as it insures straightness of the product. This tension should be substantially constant to insure uniformity of strip form. It also relates to a,

1923. Serial No. 648,761.

gauge. The anti-friction mounting also permits the strip to be rolled at hlgh speed, it saves 'so much power that the usual mill drive may be radically simplified or even dispensed with. In the usual cold rolling mill operating on thin material, the power losses in bearing friction commonly amount to about ninety percent of the power ap-' plied, and necessitate heavy driving mechanism for the rolls.

The high power losses have made it impracticable to cold roll thin strip in a continuous mill. Because of the large bearing friction, the total power applied to a stand of rolls has been so enormously in excess of the power required to tear the strip, that the usual accidental variations in power and friction would have resulted in tearing the strip if a straightening tension were maintained on the strip between the several stands of rolls. By reducing the diameter of the rolls operating on the strip, and thereby lessening the necessary roll pressure, I can provide an anti-friction backing for the small rolls which permits the rolls to be driven largely, if not entirely, by the tension on the delivered strip. This permits a straightening tension to be applied without tearing the strlp between roll stands. The anti-friction backing of the small rolls may be provided by anti-friction bearings for the backing rolls,

or by making the backing rolls of a large diameter compared with their bearing shaft so as to resemble wheels, which construction will permit the use of plain shaft bearingswr by any other suitable way for reducing the frictional drag on the small rolls.

While in ordinary cold rolling practice, it i is necessary to re-anneal low carbon steel after rolling it out to twice the original length, I have found it possible with my apparatus employing small supported rolls of from 2 to 3 inches in diameter, to roll out low carbon steel strip to about twenty-five times its original length without re-annealing and without a final hardness greater than that known in the art as quarter hard.

The small rolls not onlyelongate the material without unduly lowering its ductility, but also permit a given reduction in each roll ing tin-plate, the

pass with less rolling pressure than in the usual practice now in vogue in cold rolling with large rolls. Y, r

A further advantage of my cold rolling process, and with particular reference to the manufacture of thintin plate strip, which is used in making tin cans etc., resides in doing away with the pickling-off of the hot'mill scale from the thinfinished product. In the present practice of making. tin-plate, it is hot rolled to substantially thefinal thickness. If this thin plate is pickled thoroughly enough to insure that the tin coating will adhere perfectly at all points, it loses so much metal and uses so much acid as to make a less thorough pickling more economical. The result of this compromise is that much of the product is imperfectly tinned. In my process as applied to making tin-plate strips,

the strip is hot rolled to preferably about ten times its final thickness and then cold rolled to final thickness. The pickling off of hot mill scale may be carried out when the material is about ten times its final thickness,

- and when it has only one-tenth of its final exposed surface, so that the pickling operation is rendered much cheaper, both in the metal lost and the amount of acid used, and may be so thorough as to insure *perfect tinning throughout. The cold rolled tin-plate as thus made has a superior mechanical structure and a better finish than the usualhot rolled tin-plate. It has a smoother surface than hot rolled strip, and therefore takes less tin to coat it. In the old process of hot rollplate after having been rolled to final thickness and pickled has been 'ven a cold rolling as a burmshing operation.

his burnishing cold rolling did not materially reduce the thickness of the plate and did not produce as highly a finished surface as- I secure by reducing the stri to final thickness by cold rolling from a hot rolled strip of the thickness of two or more to ten times its final thickness.

Another advantage which is possible to secure by my process and which results in winding the cold strip on a reel under tension, is the'natural tendency of the strip to bend. In certain can-making machinery, this natural tendency to curl or bend is highly desirable, and in fact tin-plate is often put through a special operation to ut such curl into it.

The inherent resu t of the practice of my invention is a new product having numerous advantages over metals rolled by ordinary processes. Among these advantages may be mentioned the fact that the metal is flatand has no center crown as is ordinarily present, thus giving more footage of stri pound. of weight; no surface ecarboniz'ation; freedom from embrittlement; absence of edge cracking; hardness without loss of ductility; higher physical properties; and extreme accuracy of gauge. Developments in metal per examination of metals by the method of -ray analysis proved that the product inher ently resulting from the practice of the process herein disclosed may be readily distinguished from the product of other rolling methods and such methods of analysis also show superior qualities in the product of my process. I

All metals are crystalline in character and after proper treatment of a polished surface the so-called micro-grains are readily observable under a microscope. Each micrograin consists of smaller crystal cells made up of atoms disposed in definite relationship in space. The general effect of unidirectional work such as rolling or wire drawing is to cause a readjustment of the crystal cells so that they approach as alimit a definite socalled preferred orientation. The crystal cells of alpha iron are on the body centered cubical system and in rolling or wire drawing these cells tend toward orientation in which the so-called [110] directions of the crystal cells are parallel to the direction of rolling. When this condition is reached, Whether in hot or cold work, no further work ing of the metal can be attained without fragmentation and rupture. There is a further limitation infrolling, as of sheets or strips, in that the crystal cells reach as a limit a condition wherein the cube faces lie in or parallel to the surface of the sheet or strip. Further work is had only at the expense of fragmentation or rupture.

As' these limiting conditions are approached, the amount of further work which the metal will withstand is correspondingly cut down, thus limiting the commercial application of the rolled or drawn product. Neither are the physical properties of such product uniform, longitudinally, transversely, and through the cross-section.

' While it is customary to resort to heat treatment in order to eliminate the objectionable directional properties by re-crystallization of the grains, such heat treatment is invariably accompanied by grain growth, and in many cases re-c-rystallization in so-called preferred orientations. Both these conditions are uncontrollable and undesirable. All of the disadvantages of annealing are wellknown.

My improved process results in a product having equi-axed small uniform-sized grains with random orientation. In other words, the effect of my process is to reduce and clongate the metal far beyond the limits possible by rolling processes heretofore practiced, but without setting up the objectionable preferred orientation which limits further work and thus reduces the quality of the product. The character and orientation of the crystals in metals are readily ascertainable by X-ray analysis. 'The so-called powder method is not useful in this connection but the mono-' the crystal cells; X-rag photographs-of the product of my improve process ta en by the hromat1c p1 -hole method show concentric substantially uniformly intense continuous rings around the central undifi'racted beam. There is apparently a balance of tensile and vcompressive forces which; results in the product of my process very closely appreaching if not reaching in so far as grain sizeand crystal cell orientation is concerned. I

My invention also relates to certain other combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter more particularly pointed out, the advantages of which will be ap arent to those skilled in the ,art from the ollowing description. a My copending application, Serial n 0. 412,742, filed December 9, 1929, as a division of this application, describes and claims the mill per se herein disclosed. and independently of the feature ofapplying tension to the de livered strip. My copending applicatiomSerial No, 415,143, filed Dec. 19, 1929, as a division and continuation-inart ofithis application, more particularly ascribes and claims the ap lication of the invention to the production 0 bi-metallic articles such as tin plate.

.My copending application, Serial No. 415,144,

filed December 19, 1929, as a division of this ap lication, more particularly describes and claims the side bearin rollers for holding the working rollagamst lateral displacement. .7 o

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my -invention,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the strip being pulled through a roll' passwhich comprises'a pair of small reducing rolls.

. retaining the small supported by anti-friction backin rolls, together with a pair of reels for winding the strip; 7 I a Fi 'ure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the winding reels disposed adjacent to one another and showing a single small reducing roll instead of a pair of small rolls;

' Figure 3 is a dia rammatic showing similarto Figure 1 but s owing a mill of the continuous type having a plurality of roll stands;

Figure 4 is a vertica section through a mill embodyin my invention, the section being' transversdl'y of the direction of travel of the strip;

-. Figureb is a section on the-line V- -V of Fi re 4;

i re 6 is a detail section on the line V-I- I of Figure 4, showing one manner of reducing rolls; Figure 7 is an elevation, partly in section, ofa modified form of apparatus; I H

Figure 8 is a section on the line VII'I-VIII of Figure 7;

Figure 9;

the ideal condition y re 9 is a section on the line IX--IX of igure 8;

Figure, 10

Figure 11 is a perspective view of one of the small reducing rolls as used in the embodiment of Figure 7, together with the anti-friction device for supporting the same against longitudinal movement;

Figure 12 is a section on the line XII-XII of Figure7;

Figure'13 is an end View of Figure 12;

Figure 14 is a section, partly broken away, on'the line XIV-XIV of Figure 12;

Figures 15 and 16 are perspective views of portions of the apparatus shown in Figure 12 Figures 17 and 18 are detail views showing the manner of attaching to the winding mechanism;

Figure 19 is a perspective view of the attachment device shown in Figure 17, together witlh apparatus for stopping the action of the res Figure 20 is ner of driving Figure 7 and I Figure 21 is a view, largely diagrammatic, showing one manner of driving the reducing a diagram showing the manthe reels in the embodiment of rolls.

be reduced by cold rolling, is entered between small reducing rolls 3 and attached in any convenient manner to a pulling device, such as a reel 4. The reducing rolls 3 are smaller than would be required to withstand the spreading force due to rolling, and are supported by larger backing rolls 5 having antifriction mounting. The reducing rolls are much smaller than those commonly employed in rollin mill practice, and should for ordinary wor be less than six inches in diameter, preferably from two to four inches. The backing rolls have a diameter comparable with that of the rolls now commonly employed in steel rolling mills, which may be one or two feet or more. After the strip has been reduced, the rolls may be set closer together and the material pulled back through the mill in the other direction, as by a reel 6.

Figure 2 shows a similar mill, but with the is a section on the line X-X ot a strip; to be reduced reels 4 and 6 placed side by side'and driven from acommon motor pinion 7 through gears 8. A' suitable clutch mechanism is provided, as hereinafter set forth. An idler drum 9 serves to change the direction of travel of the strip2. In either of these embodiments, the material is preferably reduced by a number of passes by windin the material from one drum or reel to the-other, then moving the rolls closer together and pullin the material in the other direction. While a certain amount of power may be supplied to the rolls, it; is desira le that a large part ofthe work be done by pulling on the strip itself, since this insures rollingthe product straight, and accurate gauge.

In Figure 1 a pair of reducing rolls 3 is illustrated, while in Figure 2- a single reducing roll is illustrated, the strip passing between the small reducing roll 3 and one of the large rolls 5. The action of a small roll or rolls in giving increased elongation with decreased roll pressure depends upon the relatiyely large angle between the roll surfaces as compared with the usuallarge rolls. This is preferably attained by using two small rolls, but it is possible to get the same effect, but to a lesser degree, by using a single small roll working against a large roll.

Figure 3 shows a plurality of mills, each employing a pair of small reducing rolls 3 and larger supporting rolls 5. This embodiment takes the form of a continuous mill,

wherein the strip 2 is supplied from a reel 4' and passes through all the mills in succession, being finally wound on the reel 6. Here successive reductions are effected by each mill, so that the strip is materially longer and thinner aftereach pass. The success of a continuous mill cold rolling very thin material is practically dependent upon keeping the material under heavy tension throughout. By employing the small diameter reducing rolls with lowered roll pressures and consequently permitted anti-friction backing, each roll stand has so little friction that it may be driven (as to the rolling done by it) largely or entirely by the pull on the delivered material exerted by the motor or motors on the winding-up reel or the mill nextahead, as the case may be. This means that the delivery reel largely drives thelast mill (as to the reduction made in the last mill) through the tension on the strip. The pull exerted by the last mill pulls the material through the next mill, and so on, so that the motor or motors on'the first mill are used to thread in the front end of the entering strip, after which much less rolling power is exerted on the roLs of the first mill by its motor or motors. By this arrangement, a sufficiently heavy tension may be kept on the strip to roll it straight. The friction on the several rolls is reduced to the point where the variations in friction are insufiicient to tear the strip. The motors may be relatively small, and it will be seen that with reasonable attention to their adjustment, the maximum torque of which they arecapable is insufiicient to tear the material between the stands. The motors on each stand have normal speeds suitable to. the respective stands and can be regulated to give desired tension to the material throughout. This mode of operation is im ssible with the ordinary cold mills in whic it is usual to Waste about 90% of the applied power in high and variable bearing friction, so that any attempt to maintain of the rolls. These motors are preferably.

compound wound, and have a drooping speed characteristic such that the motors will divide up the work among themselves after the strip is'entered in all the mills. Motors of this character, in which the torque tends to vary inversely with the speed, are of common designin the electrical industry and may be purchased in the open market, and hence their construction does not need to be described in detail. Alternating current motors may be used, but I prefer compound wound direct current motors. As illustrated inFig ure 3, the shunt winding of each motor is provided with a rheostat 12 for adjusting the motor speed as desired. The motor 13 of the same type is provided for driving the winding reel 6.

a In Figures 4, 5 and6, I have shown one form of mill which may be employed, omitting the driving mechanism. In case this mill is used as a reversing single pass mill of the type shown in Figures 1 and 2, the driving mechanism may dispensed with-and the mill driven by the pull of the strip, while if it be employed in a continuous mill, as shown in Figure 3, suitable motor connections will be made to the rolls. The reducing rolls 3 and their supporting rolls are carried in a pair of housings 14, and screw-downs 15 are provided for regulating the distance between the rolls. ,The' reducing rolls 3 are provided with necks 16 held in brasses 17 which serve to hold the rolls against hori-' zontal movement. The brasses 17 may be provided with suitable adjustments if desired. The anti-friction mounting for the backing rolls 5 is provided in this case, by making the rolls 5 of large'diameter compared .with the roll shafts 5'. The rolls and their shafts, therefore, resemblewheels more than the usual rolling mill rolls in which the roll necks are'of a diameter comparable with that of the rolls. The turning moment exerted b a wheel or roll of this character on its sha or neck is exerted through -a radius so much larger than the bearing shaft radius that it results in an anti-friction mounting for the large rolls 5, and therefore an antifriction backing for the small .rolls 3. With this construction, ordinary plain brasses 5" may be used for the bearings of the shafts or necks 5 of the backingrolls 5, and friction will be reduced to a point where with small rolls of two or, three-inch diameter, strip as thin as .005 of an inch may be rolled entirely by the power exerted through tension on the strip in pulling it through the mill.

Figures 7 to 14 illustrate a modification generally similar to that shown diagramma'tically in Figure 2. In this case, the antifriction mounting for the supporting rolls is furnished by the roller bearings 5 for the necks of the backing rolls 5. The reels .4-

and 6 are carried by a frame 18 which is spaced'from The housings bearing for the full width of the strip.

- Figures 12 and 13.

There is generally no tendency for the roll to move axially unless tapered or get out of alinement, but the extra length is provided for taking care of any such tendency which may arise.

' The reels 4 and 6 are driven through gears 8 from a. common pinion 7 which is connected to a motor 23. Each gear 8 drives a shaft 21 which carries one of the reels, as shown in Each reel is provided with a ratchet wheel 25 having a pawl 26. Such product has improved characteristics, as above set forth. An arm 27 and a spring 28 actingthereon tend to normally hold the pawl 26 in engagement with the ratchet wheel 25. The shaft 24 is hollow and is provided with a tapered slide 29 rod 30, the remote end of which is connected to the arm 27. If it is desired to disconnect the reel from the gear, the tapered slide 29 is pushed inwardly thus raising the pawl 26 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 25.

In order to'roll substantially the entirea flexible length of the strip and avoid waste,

a leader 31 of properlength is permanently attached to each of the reels. 'be fastened to the leader in any desired manner. Figure 18 shows the strip attached simply by bending it under, and fitting the bent ortion into a corresponding hook on the leader 31. Figures 17 and 19 show a jaw 32 to the end of the leader 31. In this form, the end of the strip 2 is slipped into the jaw 32 and held there by removable pins-33. ,The use of a flexible leader makes it possible to roll the strip almost to its extreme end without losing the grip thereon for pulling it back through the mill for a further reduction after the screw-downs have been operated to bring the reducing rolls 3 closer together.

the mill housings 19 byv links 2Q.-v 19 carry an idler drum 9' for changing the direction of travel of the strip 2. 7 In this embodiment of it should become slightly which engages a push The strip 2 may In order to stop the mill at the proper time, a trip 34 is provided. This trip is preferably secured to the j aw 32, but may be fastened to the leader 31 at any point, the actual position being, of course, determined by the position of the switch about to be described, the length of the leaders, and" the distance between the 'mill and the reels. In any event, it is in definite relation to the end of the strip, so that the stopping means isgoverned by the posicompletes the circuit for the winding motor 23. When it is moved to dotted line position, however, the switch arm is moved out of contact with the are 37 and the motor stops. 5 At this time the tapered slides 29 are shifted by the operator to place the reel 4 in engagement with its corresponding gear 8 and to disengage the reel pressed and the motor starts up and begins to' wind the material from the reel 6 back through the mill to the reel 4 to effect another reduction. The leader 31 is first wound on the reel 4, and as it moves back the switch arm 35 returns to normal position, at which time the contactor 38 may be released and the motor will continue to operate. At the end of'this reducin operation, a trip similar to the trip 34 on t e leader of the reel 6 strikes the lower arm 35' and again moves the switch arm out of contact with the are 37. It will be apparent that the leaders for the two reels may be of difierent length, as dictated by the design, and that the trips 34 may be differently placed also. Theoperation as above set forth is repeated until the-strip has been re duced to the desired thickness.

My process may be advantageously employed in the production of a superior tin plate in strip'form and at a price to compete with hot rolled tin plate. In making tin plate by my process, the material is hot rolled in. strip form tov a thickness of double or over that of the final plate. Preferably the hot rolling is employed to reduce the thickness of the strip to about ten times that of the final plate. The hot rolled strip is then pickled to remove the mill scale and the reduction to final gage is carried out by my process of cold rolling. The roll pressures necessary for elongation are sufficiently low so that the strip is not hardened to require re-annealing. The anti-friction backin for the small rolls allows the necessary tenslon to be maintained I on the strip to keep the strip straight but 6. A contactor 38 is then dethe S111 Without tearing it, The stripalsobe 7 rolled at a highspeed since the roll pressures permit of high. speed anti-friction mountings for the backing rolls: The strip used for making the greater part of the tin can production is not over about 5 or 6 inches in width, and is particularly adapted for rolling and reeling byimy process as contrasted with rolling" in packs The action on the strip in its reduction by my cold rolling recess is the delivery side of the mill extends right 7 through the mill at least in some degree, and

' rolled stri as a result'the strip is under tension 'atthe' point of reduction.

While thgeigresent process be advantageously u for making tin p etc, because of the large demand for tin plate and the economy in making it in =stri form by my rolling P10 858, it obvious at my rellin process may be empleyed in making co p for any purpose. The present invention is not to iis'preferredembodi'ment or to the details illustrated andd'escribed, but m'av be otherwise embediet} the scope-of following 0 mm: V 1. A cold strip mill'cdmpris'in'g at least one relatively small reaming roll a roll therefor, two-reels to' which the endso the strip to be roll'ed may be means'for operating the reels to pull'the strip back'and forth through the an-autbmaticstop for stopping the reels after the strip'i's unwound from tiall'yas ds aribed,

Q.1"centin'uous 001d mi rollin comprisih a plurality of stan of re stand'havi ng 'at least one relatively. re

there 1:, web stand of rolls to be driven by the tensionon the of-rolls 39A continuous "cold strip comprising a" 'lhrfli deliveredst substantially as described.-

of-"stands 0 'rolls' some a least 0 which we a relatively mini reducing 1-011 and'an anti-friction backing mil-mentor the rolls to be by the tension on thedesubstantially as described; M 'eold 'stfip rolling rolls with the steel isso small that apparently the tension which is exerted on secured, and

111111, including,

one reel, substan-e dmlllg) roll andananti-friction backing roll,

comprising a plurality of stands of rolls,

some at least of which have relatively small reducing rolls and relatively large backing rolls therefor having anti-friction mounting,

a delivery reel, means for drivin the reels and at leastsome of the stands 0 rolls, the

7 last stand of rolls being arranged to be driven tween the delivery reel and the rolls and between the several stands of rolls, substantially as described.

The process of cold rolling strip, comprising passing it through a plurality of stands of rolls and maintaininga tension on the strip between the rollstands, substantially as described.

6. The process of cold rolling strip, comprising pulling the strip through reducing rolls by means of a reel u'ndeisufiicient tension to pull the strip "straight and impart a permanent tendenc to curl to the strip, substantially as descr ed. p 7. A continuous mill for rolling metal strip comprising a plurality'ofstands of rolls, the several stands having at least one relatively small reducing roll and anti-friction backing therefor, the several-stands of rolls being arranged to be driven principally by tension on t e delivered strip, substantially '8. A continuous mill for the rolling of metal strip comprising a plurality of stands of rolls, the several stands each be a pair of relativel .small reducing rolls and anti-friction bac g rolls therefor, the sevand stands of rolls being arranged to be driven principally by the tension on the delivered strip, substantiall 'asdescribed.

9.- A continuous mill metal 'stri comprising a plurality of stands of rolls 'aving relatively smal reducing rolls and relatively larger rolls therefor having anti-friction mounting, a delivery reel, and means for driving the reel and at least some of the stands ofrolls, the last stand of rolls being arranged to be driven principally by tension on the strip exerted y; the delivery reel, substantially as de- 10. A continuous 'mill for metal stri comprising a lplurality of stands A aving relative y small reducing rolls and relatively larger backing rolls therefor having anti-frictionmounting, reel, and means for drivin'gthe-reel and at least some of the stands of rolls the last maid of rolls-being arranged tobe driven princi 11y by tension on the etri exerted by the rolling. of

ion

or the rolling of I these ivery' 'reelg-the next to the ast'stand ofrolls being-'a'zfliiged' to be driven? principally by the tension on the strip exerted by the last stand of rolls, and so on, whereby a tension is maintained on the strip between the delivery reel and the rolls and between the. several stands of rolls, substantially as described;

11. A continuous mill for rolling metal strip comprising a plurality of stands of rolls, the several stands having at least one relatively small reducing roll and an anti-friction backing roll therefor, the several stands being arranged to successively engage the material and maintain it under tension between stands, a substantial part of the power required for driving the several stands being supplied by such tension. 12. A continuous mill for the rolling of metal strip comprising a plurality of stands of rolls having relatively small reducing rolls andrelatively, larger backingrolls therefor with anti-friction mounting, a delivery reel,

and means for driving the reel and at least some of the stands of rolls, the reel being adaptedto supply a substantial part of the power, through tension on the delivered strip,

required for the last stand of rolls, said last stand of rolls being arranged to supply,

through tension on the strip, a substantial part of the power required for operating the next'to the last stand of rolls, and so on, whereby a tension is maintained on the strip between the delivery reel and the last stand of rolls and between the several stands of rolls.

13. In a process of working metal the steps consisting in subjecting the metal to combined rolling and tension and maintaining a balance between the roll and. tension forces such as to substantially inhibit preferred orientation of the crystal cellsin the metal being worked, whereby the product has substantial random orientation.

14. In the process of working metal, the

steps consisting in subjecting the metal to combined rolling and tension, and maintaining a balance between the-rolling and tension forces such as to substantially inhibit a preferred orientation of the crystal cells in the metal being worked with their [110] directions in the direction of working, whereby the product has substantial random orientation.

15. As a new manufacture, worked metal which has been subjected to combined rolling and tension forces so related as to inhibit the arrangement of the crystal cells in preferred orientation, the metal having small grains arranged in random orientation.

16. As a new manufacture worked metal which has been subjected to combined rolling and tension forces so related as to inhibit the arrangement of the crystal cells in preferred orientation, the metal having small grains arranged in random orientation, said random orientation being such as to produce, in the solid form, an X-ray pattern having substanstantially uniform intensity, about the central undiffracted beam.

1 8. As a new manufacture worked metal which has been subjected to combined rolling and tension forces so related as to inhibit the arrangement of the crystal cells in preferred orientation, the metal having small grains arranged in random orientation, said random orientation being such as to produce, in the solid form, an X-ray pattern having substantially continuous rings about the central undiffracted beam, such rings being substantially free of localized bright spots.

19. As a new manufacture, strip metal 'which has been subjected'to combined rolling ,and tension forces so related as to inhibit the arrangement of the crystal cells in preferred orientation, the metal having small grains arrangedjin random orientation.

20. As a new manufacture, strip metal which has been subjected to combined rolling and tension forces so related as to inhibit the arrangement of the crystal cells in preferred orientation, the metal having small grains arranged in random orientation, said random orientation being such as to produce, in the solid form, an X-ray pattern characterized by having substantially continuous rings about the central undifiracted beam and by the sub- 22. The process of cold rolling thin strip metal, comprising pulling a strip past a relatively small reducing roll having an anti-friction backing roll, with a tension sutiicient to furnish the principal driving power for the roll.

23. The process of cold rolling thin metal strips, comprising nulling the strip past a relatively small reducing roll. provided with an anti-friction backing roll and maintaining a sufiicient tension on the delivered strip to insure its delivery in an unwrinkled state.

24. A mill for rolling strip-like material having at least roll having an antifriction backing roll and means for engaging the issuing material in such manner that the same may be maintained under tension, the mill being arranged to be driven largely by such tension on the delivered materia w 25. A mill for rolling strip-like material having relatively small reducing rolls with anti-friction backing rolls and means for en' gaging the issuing material in such manner that the same may be maintained under ten sion, the mill being arranged to be driven largely by such tension on the delivered mam terial 7 26. A mill for rolling strip-like material I having relatively small reducing rolls with anti-friction backing rolls and a reel for en-' gaging the issuing material in such manner I that; the same may be maintained under tension, the mill being arranged to be driven largely by such tension on the delivered materlal.

In testimony whereof I have. hereunto set a my hand.

ABRAM P. STECKEL.

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