US2958525A

US2958525A - Bearing-chock balance

Info

Publication number: US2958525A
Application number: US779091A
Authority: US
Inventors: Barney J Dubsky
Original assignee: United States Steel Corp
Current assignee: United States Steel Corp
Priority date: 1958-12-09
Filing date: 1958-12-09
Publication date: 1960-11-01
Anticipated expiration: 1977-11-01

Description

Nov. 1, 1960 B. J. DUBSKY BEARING-CHOCK BALANCE Filed Dec. 9, 1958 INVENTOR. MIQA/EV J. 0065/0 States Patent Ofiice 2,958,525 Patented Nov. 1, 1969 BEARING-CHUCK BALANCE Barney J. Dubsky, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 9, 1958, Ser. No. 779,091

3 Claims. (Cl. 267- 1) This invention relates to rolling mill balances of the type comprising a balance hanger rod in the form of a screw bolt and a spring for supporting the top bearingchocks of a roll stand, especially 4-high roll stands, on a mill housing. More particularly it relates to an auxiliary support for suspending the balance hanger rod in an elevated position on its supporting spring during roll changes.

Bearing-chock balances are commonly used to furnish a support for the top roll assembly that maintains a predetermined clearance between the work rolls during the time intervals when work is not passing through the mill, and to take up play in the roll-neck hearing assemblies and screwdown mechanism. In the spring balance type referred to above, the balance rods or hangers must be disconnected from the bearing-chocks and moved upwardly to a position clearing the roll housing windows when roll changes are to be made. For this purpose, props in the form of sticks of wood or other material are used to hold the balance rods in an elevated position. Such props are sometimes lost and, because of the grease and dirt encountered in the area where they are used, frequently slip from their operative holding positions thereby permitting the hangers to fall. In addition to the possibility of accident as the result of this practice, falling hangers increase the time required for changing rolls.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide an auxiliary support for holding bearing-chock hanger balance rods in an elevated position that will eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages of conventional practices. A further object is to provide an auxiliary support which is mounted on the balance spring for movement between operative and inoperative supporting positions with respect to the balance rod to be held in an elevated position. To these and related ends, the invention contemplates an L-shaped supporting member that is pivotally mounted on the upper end of the balance spring for movement to a position in which one leg thereof extends along the balance rod and operates to hold it in an elevated position in a manner to be described.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

In the drawings, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

Figure l is a fragmentary end elevation of a 4-high roll stand showing a spring balance for its top bearingchock which is provided with an auxiliary support according to the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation looking from the right of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the auxiliary support of this invention in its operative position holding a balance rod elevated with respect to its supporting spring; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line IVIV of Figure 3.

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings show a fragmentary portion of a mill housing 1 for a 4-high strip mill, and illustrate the conventional arrangement of a top bearingchock 2 mounted for vertical movement in a housing window 3 and a screwdown 4 for adjusting its vertical position therein. The bearing-chock 2 forms part of an assembly for the upper back-up and work rolls (not shown) and has a spring balance for suspending it on the housing 1 during intervals when work is not passing through the mill. Such spring balance comprises a pair of pins 5 that extend through the chock 2 and four hangers or balance rods 6 of identical construction, which have eyelets at their lower ends in which the ends of the hanger pins 5 are received. Each of the rods 6 extends vertically through a notch 7 in a supporting ledge 8 forming an integral part of the housing 1 and axially through a coil spring 9 by which it is supported on the ledge 8. Washers 10 furnish a support for the lower ends of the springs 9 on the housing ledges 8 and washers 11 at their upper ends furnish a support for shoulders in the form of nuts 12 threaded on the upper ends of the rods 6. When a roll change is required, the hanger pins 5 must be removed and the balance rods 6 elevated and supported in a position in which their lower ends are arranged above the bearing-checks 2 to permit their removal and replacement by endwise movement through the housing window 3.

The auxiliary support of this invention for holding the balance rods 6 in their elevated roll changing positions comprises L-shaped supporting members 13 respectively mounted on each of the upper balance spring supporting washers 11. Each of the L-shaped members 13 has a short horizontal leg 14 pivotally connected to the outer edge of an upper balance spring washer 11 by a hinge 15, and a longer vertical leg 16 that furnishes a support for the hanger rod 6 when it is pivoted through an angle of from its inoperative position shown in Figures 1 and 2 to its operative position shown in Figure 3. In its inoperative position shown in Figure 2, the leg 16 depends vertically from the washer 11 along the outer edge of the spring 9, and in its operative position shown in Figure 4, the leg 16 extends along the outer surface of the rod 6 for supporting engagement with a shoulder nut 12. The outer end of each supporting leg 16 has a U-shaped collar 17 that is adapted to have a snug fi-t about the rod 6. The length of the shorter leg 14 corresponds to the radial spacing of the hinge 15 with respect to the rod 6, so that the longer leg 16 will extend vertically along the rod when swung to the operative holding position illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.

After removal of the pins 5 and elevation of the balance rods 6 according to conventional roll changing procedures, the auxiliary support members 13 are pivoted through an angle of 180 from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 3 in which their supporting legs 16 operate to engage the nuts 12 and hold the rods 6 in their suspended positions. In the latter position, the weight of the rods 6 resting on the collars 17 tends to rotate the members 13 about the hinges 15 in a direction toward the rods 6 (counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 3) and thus prevents accidental downward movement of the rods suspended thereon.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A supporting assembly comprising a coil spring, a rod extending axially of said spring, cooperating parts re spectively on said spring and rod normally having abutting engagement with each other for holding said rod in a normal position relative to said spring, and means insertable between said parts for holding said rod in a position spaced axially outwardly from said normal position comprising an L-shaped spacing member, and a hinge connecting the outer end of one leg of said member to one of said parts for pivotal movement through an angle of 180 from an inoperative holding position to an operative position in which its other leg extends along said rodand is arranged between said parts.

2. In a balance for top back-up and work*oll bearingchocks including a coil spring having a washer supported on its upper end, and a bearing chock balance rod extending axially of said spring and having a nut on its upper end for supporting engagement on said washer, the combination therewith of an auxiliary support for holding said rod in an elevated position relative to said spring comprising an L-shaped spacing member having a pair of legs of unequal length, a hinge connecting the outer end of the shorter one of said legs to said washer in a horizontal position extending radially outwardly with respect to said rod and the longer one of said legs depending vertically therefrom and in a position radially outwardly with respect to said spring, said member being pivotally movable through an angle of 180 to a position in which said shorter leg extends inwardly from said hinge and said longer leg extends vertically upwardly along said rod for supporting engagement with said nut,

and an outwardly opening collar on the outer end of said longer leg for embracing engagement with said rod when said longer leg is in said nut supporting position.

3. In a balance for top back-up and work-roll bearing chocks including a coil spring having a washer supported on its upper end, and a bearing chock balance rod extending axially of said spring and having a nut on its upper end for supporting engagement on said washer, the combination therewith of an auxiliary support for holding said rod in an elevated position relative to said spring comprising an elongated supporting member, and a hinge connecting one end of said supporting member with said washer for movement from an inoperative holding position in which it is out of the space between said washer and nut to an operative holding position in which it extends vertically upwardly along said rod and its other end has supporting engagement with said nut.

References Cited' in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,904,102 Thompson Apr. 18, 1933 2,698,752 Cole Jan. 4, 1955 2,703,907 Newell Mar. 15, 1955 2,793,869 Braun May 28, 1957