US3078908A

US3078908A - Method of leveling work material

Info

Publication number: US3078908A
Application number: US768991A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frederick K Maust
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-10-22
Filing date: 1958-10-22
Publication date: 1963-02-26
Anticipated expiration: 1980-02-26

Description

Feb. 26, 1963 F. K. MAUST 3,078,908

METHOD OF LEVELING'WORK MATERIAL Filed Oct. 22. 1958 FIG. I. 2 20 2| 22 |8 2s 29 2e 29 2e 29 I 7 27 7 n I2\ 1" ti} 5 l9 E3: eh -L\ J 46 3o 2 3o 30 3o 32 3| 3231 32: 32 I4 1 3g 24 25 as INVENTOR.

FREDERICK K. MAUST BY ATTORNEY 3,078,908 METHOD F LEVELENG WORK MATERIAL Frederick K. Maust, Queens Village, N.Y., Filed 0st. 22, 195s, Ser. No. 768,991 7 Claims. (Cl. 153-86) This invention relates to backedup roller levelers for flattening and straightening plate, sheet and coiled material and has particular reference to a novel arrangement of multiple adjustable supporting sections positioned in a novel way along the longitudinal axesof their associated work or straightening rolis.

In a backed-up roller leveler, the material is subjected to a succession of transverse waves by passing it between two banks of cooperating work rolls, each bank of work rolls producing a succession of half-waves in the material. Each bank of work rolls is backed-up by a series of short support or backing rolls with suitable adjusting means, also called broadly support roll sections. These are spaced along and are in contact with the work rolls. When it is desired to stretch preferentially short areas of the work material, then the support roll sections are adjusted difierentially so that the work rolls are either deflected into convex, concave or sinuous deflection or working contours or are deflected into such a contour by the work material passing between the banks of work rolls. The particular adjusted deflection contours always deepnd on the setting of the support roll sections to accomplish certain desired results on the work material. The material to be leveled is thus subjected to waves whose amplitudes vary transversely of the material corresponding to the adjusted deflection contours of the work rolls.

In order to be effective, the work rolls of roller levelers must be small in diameter. Small diameter work rolls would deflect under load, however, for which reason the work rolls must be backed-up or supported by comparatively short and stiff supporting rolls. In practice, it is frequently found that the load carrying capacity of the support roll bearings would only require comparatively few support roll sections, but the flatness requirements of the trade have steadily grown more critical. To satisfy these demands for precision leveled material, back-up roller levelers have also grown more elaborate and costly, because of the necessity of providing ever increasing numbers of support roll sections along the work rolls, usually not on account of load carryingproblems, but in order to enable the operator to concentrate the correcting pressure precisely on those portions of the work material which need correction. The high cost of present day backed-up roller levelers is directly traceable to the large number of support roll sections required along the longitudinal axes of the work rolls.

The problem of precision leveling with the least possible number of supporting sections has existed for many years. Many efforts have been made to overcome and solve this problem. The solutions previously presented have not proved successful. It has been suggested, for instance, to employ one small diameter deflectable work roll in groups of larger work rolls and to provide the small diameter work roll with laterally adjustable supports. The lateral displacement has proved impractical and, in addition to the mechanical difiiculties, the deflection of only one single work roll has a very limited effectivness as far as mill shape correction is concerned, because the portions of the work material to be corrected must be subjected to a multiplicity of successive tensile and compressive stresses in order to be effective.

The accepted general practice has been heretofore to locate the support roll sections for the upper and lower banks of work rolls one directly above and in line with the other, namely, in the same vertical plane. FIG. 3 of Patented Feb. 26, 1963 my United States Patent No. 2,638,143 shows this usual arrangement in that the three upper and three lower flights of support roll sections are in vertical symmetry. Therefore, only three areas across the work material can be preferentially treated by applying more or less pressure.

One object of this invention is to provide a novel support roll arrangement by positioning at least two support roll sections of one work roll bank in staggered relation to three support roll sections of the other work roll bank, so that the respective center lines through said two first named support roll sections pass between adjacent bearing blocks of said three last named supoprt roll sections.

Another object is to provide the aforementioned stag gered upper and lower support roll sections with means for selectively and independently deflecting their associated work rolls into the desired working contours, so that the material is subjected to a multiplicity of waves transversely to the direction of passage of the material through cooperating banks of straightening rolls, forming a first series of alternate half-waves of varying transverse amplitude in the material by selectively deflecting one bank of straightening rolls to correct a first group of spaced apart localized areas across the width of the material and forming a second series of alternate half-waves of varying transverse amplitude by selectively deflecting the other bank of straightening rolls to correct a second group. of spaced apart. localized areas across the width of the material, the localized areas of said first group alternating across the width of the material with the 10'- calized areas of the second group in line with the aforementioned staggered positioning of the upper support roll sections relative to the lower support roll sections.

With these and other objects in view who pointed out in the specification and in the appended claims, several forms in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice have been illustrated on the accompanying drawings, in which: 1 FIG. 1 is a partial front view of a backed-up" roller leveler, partly in section, showing three upper support roll sections in staggered relation to four lower support roll sections.

FIG. 2 is a. partial section along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a modification with six upper adjustable support support roll sections and seven lower support roll sections in staggered relation thereto; and

FIG, 4 illustrates seven upper support roll sections and six lower support roll sections, both upper and lower support roll sections being adjustable towards and away from their associated work rolls.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper straightening or work rolls 11 are journalled at their ends in suitable bearing

blocks

12 and 13. The lower work rolls 1'4 are similarly journalled in

bearing blocks

15 and 16. These bearing blocks, in turn, are suitably located in left and righthand

housings

17 and 18. The upper and lower work rolls may be driven in the usual manner by means of universal joints and drive spindles 19 from a gear-box (-not shown) and prime mover (not shown), as is well known in the art.

The three upper

support roll sections

20, 21 and 22 are identical to the four lower support roll sections 23, 24-, 25 and 26. As the construction of these support roll sections and their adjustment is well known in the art, only support roll section 23 is shown in more detail, as an example. It consists in a multiplicity of short support or backing rolls 3%? arranged to nest their associated work rolls 14 for the purpose of preventing them from any undesired vertical or horizontal deflection, as best seen in FIG. 2 of the drawing. The ends of the short backing rolls 3% are rotatably mounted in

bearing blocks

31 and 32. The support rolls 3% are usually rotated by frietional contact with their work rolls 14.

Bearing blocks

31 and 32 are secured to cradle 37, which is supported on saddle 38. Cradle 37 and saddle 38 have matching curvilinear sliding surfaces 39 to permit support rolls 30 to f ollowthe deflection contour of the work rolls. The cradle 37 and saddle 38 are connected by spring rods 41 threaded in the cradle 37 and springs 40. Adjusting screws 42, wormwheels 43, worms 44 and shafts 45 may be employed to adjust the support roll section toward or away from the work rolls 14 for the deflection of the latter into any desired deflection contour. By adjusting each one of the upper and lower support roll sections selectively, the patterns of transverse variation of the amplitudes of the half-waves produced in the material by the upper and lower work rolls may be changed to produce the best leveling results for a given mill shape of the distorted material. Instead of the adjusting means shown, wedges or similar means may be employed for the displacement of the support roll sections and reference is made to my United States Patent No. 2,638,143, column 6, Deflection of upper straightening rolls.

The upper

support roll sections

20, 21 and 22 with their support rolls 27, including

bearing blocks

28 and 29 may be adjustable by similar means, as above described, to displace them vtowards and away firom their associated upper work rolls 11.

If the overall widths of the top and bottom support roll sections are all substantially alike as shown, the top and bottom support roll sections may be said to be unifiormly staggered. Hence, the distances between the vertical center lines through any two adjacent support roll sections are the same, both for the top group of

support roll'sections

20, 21, 22, as well as for the bottom group of

support roll sections

23, 24, 25 and 26. Consequently, the vertical center lines through the two

adjacent'roll sections

21 and 22 pass midway between the three associated staggered

support roll sections

24, 25 and 26. While this uniform stagger is usually desirable, the overall widths of adjacent support roll sections may differ, if it is so desired. However, according to the present invention, the condition must still be met that two adjacently positioned support roll sections, such as 21 and 22 of the upper work roll bank, must be so staggered with respect to three cooperative

support roll sections

24, 25 and 26 of the lower work roll bank that the respective vertical center lines through

support roll sections

21 and 22 pass between

adjacentbearing blocks

32 and 31 of

support roll sections

24 and 25 and

adjacent bearing blocks

32 and 31 of adjacent

support roll sections

25 and 26, respectively. Inasmuch as the vertical center lines through adjacent adjustable support roll sections are equivalent to the respective positions of the available pressure points along the work rolls, the vertical center lines through the short areas of the work material, which may be given preferential pressure, coincide with the before mentioned vertical center lines through the several support roll sections. The required relation of staggering of associated support roll sections may also be defined by stating that the total width of two adjacent support roll sections, such as 21 and 22, must be substantially equal to the distance between the vertical center lines of the first and third

support roll sections

24 and 26 of the three staggered associated

support roll sections

24, 25 and 26. The width of a support roll section may be said to be substantially equivalent to the width of the support area which may be stretched by the adjustment of the support roll section relative to its work roll bank.

The new supporting arrangement for the vertically spaced apart upper and

lower work rolls

11 and 14 may be described as consisting of a plurality of what may be termed supporting trios located in predetermined fixed positions along the longitudinal axes of the work rolls. Each supporting trio comprises one support section or support unit, such as 20, for one roll bank-11 in com bination with two coacting support sections or-support units, such as 23 and 24, for the other roll bank 14. Support or back-up

rolls

27 and 30 contact and support their

respective work rolls

11 and 14 against undesired deflection. Coacting

support sections

23 and 24, FIG. 1, are positioned immediately below support section 20 and are symmetrical thereto, the vertical center line through support section 20 being located between the vertical center lines of said associated

support sections

23 and 24. In the closely spaced support section arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the group or series of

upper support sections

20, 21, 22 are located in oifset positions with respect to the lower series or group of

support sections

23, 24, 25, 26 so that the back-up rolls 27 of upper support section 20, for instance, overlap adjacent ends of the back-up rolls 30 of lower coacting

support sections

23 and 24.

With three upper and four lower support roll sections as shown in FIG. 1, the operator of the leveler has the possibility of applying preferential stretching pressure to seven distinctly different areas across the width of the work material. In levelers of previously known designs, seven upper and seven lower support roll sections would have been required to obtain similar flexibility.

A very substantial part of the cost of the leveler is thus saved without sacrificing leveling etiiciency. Furthermore, in case of need, it is physically impossible to provide the same number of pressure application points with previously known designs in the same space between the housings as it is with. the staggered arrangement of the present'invention. The reason is that a given width between the leveler housings permits a certain limited maximum number of support sections along the longitudinal axes of the upper and lower work rolls 11 and 14, respectively. Therefore, in critical applications which may re quire the maximum possible points of pressure application, my new arrangement permits twice the number of such pressure application points-minus one--as compared with presently known backed-up roller levelers.

Different numbers of support roll sections maybe employed. FIG. 3 shows, as an example, six support roll sections 33 for the upper work rolls located in staggered relation to seven support roll sections 34 for the lower work roll's. This results in thirteen pressure points across the width of the work material. Similarly, the greater number of support roll sections may be located along the upper straightening rolls, as shown in FIG. 4, where seven support rolls 35 in a row are shown along the longitudinal axes of the upper straightening rolls, while six support rolls 36 are plac'ed'along the longitudinal axes of the lower straightening rolls, as to alternate with the spaces between the upper support rolls 35. In other words, the upper support rolls 35 are said to be staggered with respect to the lower support rolls 36 along the longitudinal axes of their respective work rolls 11 and 14. It is thus seen that my new arrangement produces as many spaced apart pressure points across the width of the material as the number of support roll sections employed for both banks or rows of work rolls, namely thirteen in the arrangements shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The correction of the work material is accomplished by increasing or decreasing the amplitude of certain portions of the waves across the width of the material. Thus considering the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the amplitude of the half-waves formed in the material by the deflection of lower work rolls 14 is controllable at four points coinciding with the vertical center lines through each of the four

support roll sections

23, 24, 25 and 26. By raising or lowering each one of these support roll sections with respect to their associated work rolls 14, the amplitudes of portions of the transverse halfwaves directly above these supporting sections may be increased or decreased, respectively. This holds similarly for the variation of the amplitudes of the half-waves formed by the deflected upper work rolls 11 due to the displacement of

support sections

20, 21 and 22. The portions of the half-waves whose amplitude can be varied are spaced apart along the work rolls equivalent to the center distance between support roll sections. In the present arrangement, the actual available spacing is reduced to onehalf said center distance on account of the staggered relationship of upper support roll sections 24' 21 and 22 with respect to lower

support roll sections

23, 24, 25 and 26, or it may be said that the group of short areas which may be corrected by the selective deflection of the lower Work rolls is staggered with respect to the group of short areas which may be corrected by the selective deflection of the upper work rolls.

The principle of staggering support roll sections of one work roll bank with respect to the support roll sections of the other work roll bank may be applied to any of the support roll arrangements known in the art. It is convenient, but not essential, to provide an odd number of support roll sections for one bank of straightening rolls and an even number of support roll sections for the other bank of straightening rolls. Various other changes and modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art. I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed upon my invention as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of treating sheet and strip material in backed-up roller levelers, comprising bending the material in a multiplicity of Waves transversely to the direction of movement of the material between two cooperating banks of straightening rolls, forming a first series of alternate half-waves of varying transverse amplitude in the work material by selectively deflecting one bank of straightening rolls to stretch a first group of spaced apart localized areas across the width of the material, forming a second series of alternate half-waves of varying transverse amplitude in the work material by selectively deflecting the other bank of straightening rolls to stretch a second group of spaced apart localized areas across the width of the material, the localized areas of said first group alternating uniformly across the width of the material and longitudinally of the axis of the straightening rolls with the localized areas of said second group, and arranging back-up rollers of the first and second banks of straightening rolls in such manner as to collectively operate to form the material the full Width thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the variation of the transverse amplitude of said first series of half-waves is different than the variation of the transverse amplitude of said second series of half-waves.

3. The method of leveling Work material in backed-up roller levelers between two banks of cooperating straightening rolls, which comprises subjecting the work material to a first series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude by deflecting one bank of straightening rolls to increase the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said half-waves for stretching a first group of short areas across the width of the work material, subjecting the Work material at the same time to a second series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude by deflecting the other bank of straightening rolls to increase the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said second series of half-waves for stretching a second group of short areas across the width of said material, and said first group of short areas being staggered with respect to said second group of short areas longitudinally of the axis of the straightening rolls in such a manner that arrangement of back-up rollers of the first and second banks of straightening rolls will collectively operate to form the material the full width thereof and that the total width of two adjacent short areas of said first group is substantially equal to the distance between the vertical center lines through the first and third short areas of three associated short areas of said second group.

4. The method of claim 3, in which the pattern of transverse variations of the amplitudes of the first series of half-waves is different from the pattern of transverse variations of the amplitudes of the second series of halfwaves.

5. The method of leveling Work material in backed-up roller levelers between two banks of cooperating straight ening rolls, which comprises subjecting the work material to a first series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude by deflecting one bank of straightening rolls to increase the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said half-Waves for stretching a first group of short areas across the width of the work material, subjecting the Work material at the same time to a second series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude by deflecting the other bank of straightening rolls to increase the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said second series of half-Waves for stretching a second group of short are-as across the Width of said material, said first group of short areas being uniformly staggered with respect to said second group of short areas longitudinally of the axis of the straightening rolls, and arranging backup rollers of the first and second banks of straightening rolls in such manner as to collectively operate to form the material the full width thereof.

6. The method of leveling work material in backedup roller levelers between two bank-s of cooperating straightening rolls, which comprises subjecting the work material to a first series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude by deflecting one bank of straightening rolls to increase the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said half-waves for stretching a first group of short areas across the width of the work material, subjecting the work material at the same time to a second series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude by deflecting the other bank of straightening rolls to increase the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said second series of half-waves for stretching a second group of short areas across the width of said material, and said first group of short areas being uniformly staggered with respect to said second group of short areas longitudinally of the axis of the straightening rolls in such a manner that arrangement of back-up rollers of the first and second banks of straightening rolls will collectively operate to form the material the full width thereof and that the distances between successive center lines through adjacent short areas are substantially the same for said first and second groups.

7. The method of leveling Work material in backed-up roller levelers between two banks of cooperating straightening rolls, which comprises subjecting the work material to a first series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude by deflecting one bank of straightening rolls to increase the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said half-waves for stretching a first group of short areas across the width of the work material, subjecting the work material at the same time to a second series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude by deflecting the other bank of straightening rolls to increase the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said second series of half-waves for stretching a second group of short areas across the width of said material, and said first group of short areas being uniformly staggered with respect to said second group of short areas longitudinally of the axis of the straightening rolls in such a manner that arrangement of back-up rollers of the first and second banks of straightening rolls Will collectively operate to form the material the full width thereof and that the vertical center lines through two adjacent short areas of said first group of short areas pass substantially midway between the center lines through three staggered associated short. areas of said second group.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jernberg Nov. 21, 1899 Mallett June 9, 1903 Ungerer Jan. 2, 1940 Maussnest Feb. 17, 1942 Greulich n May 2, 1944 8 Trudeau Mar. 23, 1948 Maust May 12, 1953 Whittum Sept. 27, 1955 Todd Feb. 7, 1956 Kusters Mar. 24, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Sept. 7, 1942

Claims

1. THE METHOD OF TREATING SHEET AND STRIP MATERIAL IN BACKED-UP ROLLER LEVELERS, COMPRISING BENDING THE MATERIAL IN A MULTIPLICITY OF WAVES TRANSVERSELY TO THE DIRECTIONOF MOVEMENT OF THE MATERIAL BETWEEN TWO COOPERATING BANKS OF STRAIGHTENING ROLLS, FORMING A FIRST SERIES OF ALTERNATE HALF-WAVES OF VARYING TRANSVERSE AMPLITUDE IN THE WORK MATERIAL BY SELECTIVELY DEFLECTING ONE BANK OF STRAIGHTENING ROLLS TO STRETCH A FIRST GROUP OF SPACED APART LOCALIZED AREAS ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE MATERIAL, FORMING A SECOND SERIES OF ALTERNATE HALF-WAVES OF VARYING TRANSVERSE AMPLITUDE IN THE WORK MATERIAL BY SELECTIVELY DEFLECTING THE OTHER BANK OF STRAIGHTENING ROLLS TO STRETCH A SECOND GROUP OF SPACED APART LOCALIZED AREAS ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE MATERIAL, THE LOCALIZED AREAS OF SAID FIRST GROUP ALTERNATING UNIFORMLY ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE MATERIAL AND LONGITUDINALLY OF THE AXIS OF THE STRAIGHTENING ROLLS WITH THE LOCALIZED AREAS OF SAID SECOND GROUP, AND ARRANGING BACK-UP ROLLERS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND BANKS OF STRAIGHTENING ROLLS IN SUCH MANNER AS TO COLLECTIVELY OPERATE TO FORM THE MATERIAL THE FULL WIDTH THEREOF.