US2363378A

US2363378A - Spindle supporting apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2363378A
Application number: US463985A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard W Young
Original assignee: Morgan Construction Co
Current assignee: Siemens Industry Inc
Priority date: 1942-10-30
Filing date: 1942-10-30
Publication date: 1944-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 1961-11-21

Description

Nov. 21, 1944.A R. w. YouNG SPINDLE SUPPORTING APPARATUS Filed oc't. 5o, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l @wcm/bo@ MI. YOUNG Rzc'HA/m Nov. 21, 1944 R. W` YOUNG SPINDLE SUPPORTING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 50, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2y RICHARD 'WI )nwvc Patented Nov. 21, 1944 SPINDLE SUPPORTING APPARATUS Richard W. Young, Worcester, Mass., assignor to Morgan Construction Company,

Worcester,

Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts- Application October 30, 1942Serial No. 463,985

s Claims. l(c1. :so-31.1)

This invention relates toy spindle supportingv apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for supporting the universal coupling spindles of `a rolling mill in order to facilitate the changing of the rolls. p

The ordinary'rolling mill used in the production 'of metal bars, rods and the like comprises a pair of horizontal rolls which are connected to pinion shafts by means of universal coupling spindles. These spindles serve to drive the rolls without interfering with vertical adjustments vof lthe ,rolls to control Ythe size of the ',product. When aroll is changed it is necessary to support the Axt 'eight of the corresponding spindle. The use r of anv overhead crane for this purpose is common but undesirable, since suchuse ties up some very expensive equipment which is usually needed for jother purposes. .While various forms of ljacks and the like have'beenl proposed, they' have been for the most` part expensive, complicated, and

comparatively inconvenient lto operate. Itis accordingly onel object ofthe invention to providrea comparatively simple and inexpensive' spindle supporting apparatus which can be controlled in a, very convenient manner. l It 'isa further object of the invention to provide a rugged and dependable apparatus which will, support either or both of the twok coupling n spindles of a rolling mill.

With these and other-.objects in View, as will vbeapparent to those skilled in theart, the invention-resides in the combination of partsset forth in the specification and coveredfby the claims appended hereto. Y Referring to 'the drawings illustrating r'one kembodiment of the vinvention and in which like reference numerals indicate like parts,

taken on the line -3---3ro`f I parts in a different position of adjustment; and

Fig. Bis a side elevation of the apparatus inj port for4 a' pair of horizontal rolls II having roll '.necks I 2. A pairof pinion fshaftsl I4, are ar ranged in approximate alignment with the rolls,

,lel upright side walls 2I.

these shafts extending from a pinion housing I5 ,to provide a driving means for the rolls. The

`pinion shaftsare connected to the roll necks by necks I2 and the pinion shafts I4, but when the rolls are removed for replacement it becomes necessary to lsupport the adjacent ends of the spindles by other means. The present invention lis concerned with the 'construction of apparatus for this purpose.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated comprises a frame I9 in the form of an upwardly open box having a bottomwall and two paral- Asshown in Fig. 2, the side walls are connected by vtwo upright plates 23'which extend part way downrfrom the tops of the side walls and by two upright plates 24 which extend part way up from thebottom wall 20 near the` ends thereof. The plates 23 are located somewhat closer together than the plates 24.v The side walls 2I are provided A with U- shaped notches 25 (Fig. 1) yof sufiicientfsize to avoid interference with the-sleeve lI'I of the lower tically slidable carriage 2B in the form of an upwardly open box having a bottom wall 21, two parallelupright sidewalls 28, and two parallel. upright end walls A29. The side walls 28 are `provided with U-shaped notches 30 of'sufiicient size to avoid interference with the sleeve' I1 of the lower coupling spindle.A l The end walls 29 are provided withv bossesl 3I `having convex outer faces vfor engagementr with the inner surfaces ofthe adjacent plates-23. Lugs 32 project from Athe upper portions of the end walls 29 over the tops of theplates 23 to limit the downward travel ofthe carriage.- Bosses 33-extend yinwardly from the inner surfaces-ofthe side walls 2|y ofthe frame for engagement with the outer surfaces of the sidewalls 28. These side walls`28 extend downwardly below the bottom wall 21,v and between these downwardly extending portions there is provided a horizontal lever 35 which is fulcrumed vat the end on a pin 36supported by the side walls 2I of. thev frame. The other end of the lever is connected to the piston rod 38 of `,a uid motor comprising a vertical cylinder 39 having a slidable piston 40 therein. The cylinder is pivotally supported between the side walls 2| by means of trunnions 42. The movements of the piston are controlled by a four-way Valve 43 mounted on a shelf 44 projecting from one of the side walls 2|. This valve is supplied with pressure fluid from any suitable source, and it is connected to the'opposite ends of the cylinder 39 by means of tubes 45 which are sufficiently flexible to permit a slight oscillation of the cylinder in its trunnion bearings as the piston moves. The valve 43 can be actuated manually by means of an operating handle 46. On the center of the bottom Wall 21 there is provided a lug 48 which projects downwardly into a socket 49 in the upper surface of the lever 35. It will `be clear that with this construction the lever 35 and the carriage 26 may be raised and lowered as desired merely by manipulating the handle 46. e

The carriage is provided with means adapted to engage either or both of the adjacent coupling sleeves to support the same during roll changes. For this purpose an upper pair and a lower pair of dogs or arms are'pivotally supported between the side walls 28 of the carriage by means of vpins 52 each of which is provided at one end with a handle 53. As shown in Fig. 1, one of the .side walls 2| of the frame I9 is formed with two openings 54. through which the two lower pins 52 extend. On the upper end of each arm 5| there lare Amounted two vidler rollers 56 for contact with l,the .adj ac ent coupling sleeves I1. The lower end of each arm A5 I is shaped as a lug 51 which `engages anabutment 58 on the carriage to limit the downward movement of the arm and hold it in lits operative position. Additional abutments 59 are provided on the carriage to Support the arms when they'are raised to inoperative positions, as indicated in Fig. 5, the center of gravity of each `arm being then located outwardly of its pivotal axis so that the arm will remain in the desired ing handle.

The operation of the invention will now be apparent from the above disclosure. Norm-ally the lugs 32 will rest upon the upper edges of the plates 23, thereby supporting the carriage 26 in its lowermost position, with the rollers 56 out of contact with the coupling sleeves l1. 'When one ofY the mill rolls needs changing, the corre.-

sponding pair of arms 5| will be swung inwardly` r vthen return the pilot Valve to neutral position and stop the movement of the carriage, whereupon the roll can be changed and the carriage 'thereafter lowered to its original position. Ob-

viously if only one of the rolls is to bechanged, it is necessary to lift only 'the corresponding coupling spindle, and this can readily be done with the apparatus disclosed. If by chance a careless operator' should start rotation of the spindles while one'of them is'supported by the corresponding arms'5|, the rollers 56 will turn and the spindle will remain supported in the proper position. The apparatus is comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture', and convenient to operate.

Having thus described my invention, what I .10 Aposition until moved by means of the correspondclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a rolling mill having an upper roll, a lower roll, and a pair of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to drive the rolls, a frame located beneath the spindles, a carriage movable vertically in the frame, means to raise and lower the carriage, separate devices on the carriage to engage the respective spindles and support the same while -the rolls are being changed, and means to retract the said devices independently to inoperative positions.

2. In combination with a rolling mill having a roll and a substantially horizontal coupling spindle' to drive the same, a frame located beneath the spindle, a carriage movable vertically in the frame, means to raise and lower the carriage, a

.pair of dogs pivotally mounted on the-carriage and arranged to support the spindle when the carriage is raised, and means to swing the dogs about their pivots to inoperative positions.

3. In combination with a rolling mill having an upper roll, a lower roll, and a pair of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to drive the rolls, a frame located beneath the spindles, acarriage movable vertically in' the frame, means to raise and lower the carriage, an upper pair of dogs and a lower pair of dogs pivotally'mounted on the carriage adjacent the respective spindles and arranged to support the same when the carriage is raised, andmeans to swing the dogs about their pivots to inoperative positions.

4. In combination with a rolling mill having a roll and a substantially horizontal coupling spindle to drive the same, a frame located beneath the spindle," a carriage movable vertically in the frame, means to raise and lower thecarrage, a pairof arms pivotally mounted on the carriage, idler rollers mounted on the ends of the arms and arranged to engage the spindle and to support the same when the carriage lis raised, and means to swing the arms about their pivots to inoperative positions.

5. In combination with a rolling mill having an upper roll, a lower roll, and a pair of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to drive the rolls, a frame located bene-ath the spindles, a carriage movable vertically in the frame, means to raise and lower the carriage, an upper pair of arms and a lower pair of arms pivotally mounted on the carriage adjacent the respective spindles, idler rollers mounted on the ends of the arms and arranged to engage the spindles and to support the same when the carriage is raised, and means to swing the arms about their pivots in inoperative positions.

6. In combination with a rolling mill having a roll and a substantially horizontal coupling spindle to drive the same, a frame located beneath the spindle, a carriage movable vertically in the frame, means on the carriage to engage the spindle and support the same when the carriage is raised, a substantially horizontalv lever beneath the carriage in supporting rel-ation thereto, and

.means to actuate the lever to raise and lowerthe carriage.

'7. In combination with a rolling mill having a roll and a substantially horizontal coupling spindle to drive the same, a frame located beneath the spindle, a `carriage movable vertically in the frame, means on the carriage to engage the spin- 'dle and'support the same when the carriage is raised, a substantially horizontal lever beneath the carriage in supporting relation thereto, means on the frame providing a fulcrum for the lever at one end thereof, and a fluid motor mounted on the frame above the other end of thelever and y dle, a carriage movable vertically within the box and likewiseshaped as an upwardly open box having two upright side walls which are notched to avoid interference with the spindle, a pair of dogs pivotally mounted on the carriage and arranged to support the spindle-when the carriage is raised, and means to swing the dogs about their pivots to inoperative positions.

RICHARD W. YOUNG;

lCERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,565,578. November 2l, 19h14..

RICHARD W .YOUNG It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page l, second column, line 5l, for the end" read --one end; page 2,seoond column*9 'line 55, Claim 5, OI "in" read .to; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction thereinthat the same may conform to the ree/ord of the oase 1n the Patent Giuria@a signed and sealed this 15th day of February, A. D, 19115.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents,