US3147648A

US3147648A - Strip mill with roll cartridge

Info

Publication number: US3147648A
Application number: US205372A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sendzimir Tadeusz
Original assignee: T Sendzimir Inc
Current assignee: T Sendzimir Inc
Priority date: 1962-06-26
Filing date: 1962-06-26
Publication date: 1964-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 1981-09-08
Also published as: DE1427998A1; BE634026A; GB989047A; BR6350140D0; AT269792B

Description

Se t. 8, 1964 -r. SENDZIMIR STRIP MILL. WITH ROLL CARTRIDGE 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. TADEUSZ Ssuoz mm WWW/99w ATTORNEYS Filed June 26 1962 Sept. 8, 1964 Filed June 26, 1962 STRIP T. SENDZIMIR 3,147,648

MILL. WITH ROLL CARTRIDGE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

TADEUSZ Sauozmm,

ATTORNEYS Sept. 8,' 1964 T. SENDZIMIR 3,147,643

STRIP MILL WITH ROLL CARTRIDGE Filed June 26, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. TADEUSZ SENDZIMIR,

ATTORNEYS Sept. 8, 1964 T. SENDZIMIR STRIP MILL WITH ROLL CARTRIDGE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 26, 1962 INVENTOR. TADEUSZ Scuozmm,

ATTORNEYS Sept. 8, 1964 Filed June 26, 1962 T. SENDZIMIR 3,147,648

STRIP MILL WITH ROLL CARTRIDGE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG 8 INVENTOR. TADEUSZ Serwz mm,

7 #144 62? WM, WM)? ATTORNEYS Se t. 8, 1964 T. SENDZIMIR 3,147,648

STRIP MILL WITH ROLL CARTRIDGE Filed June 26, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR. TAoEusz SENDZ mm,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,147,648 STRIP MILL WITH ROLL CARTRIDGE Tadeusz Sendzimir, T. Sendzimir, Ina, R0. Box 1350, Waterbury, Conn. Filed June 26, 1962, Ser. No. 205,372 23 Claims. (Cl. 8tl38) The invention relates to rolling mills for metal and other strip material, and more particularly to improvements on mills characterized by the use of very thin work rolls which are supported substantially along their whole length by intermediate rolls. The intermediate rolls are supported in turn by freely rotating casters alternating on their shafts with fixed supports mounted in a very rigid mill housing. Such a mill is disclosed in applicants United States Patent No. 2,776,586.

The rigid construction of mills of this type enables metal strips to be rolled with great accuracy. The effective use of very small rolls makes it possible to reduce even relatively hard materials down to very light gauges. Such mills also permit change in the crown or profile of the mill thereby controlling the flatness of the strip produced. It has been found, however, that in mills of this type the work rolls, backing rolls, and other precision parts, as well as the guides and spraying means for coolant lubricant are exposed to severe damage upon the occurrence of a cobble, that is, when a strip, instead of passing through the mill, flat and under tension, passes instead in a folded-up state. There are several causes of cobbling, such as failure of the electric controls which causes a suddent loss of tension exerted by the unwinding or winding reels, an edge crack in the strip that causes it to fold, or local overheating due to some defect on the surface of the strip that causes a sudden heavy waviness in that portion of the strip, and consequent loss of tension. When cobbling occurs, a folded strip of at least three thicknesses passes through a portion of the roll bite. This increases locally the roll separating forces to the extent that the rolls and backing elements often cannot withstand the increased pressure without damage, such as spalling and breaking. In addition to this, the unaffected portion of the strip continues to be fed into the mill by inertia of the corresponding parts, causing it to accordion. As a result, when the mill finally comes to a halt there is an accumulation of strip material under extreme pressure within the mill, causing damage to the rolls, strip guides and lubricant sprays. Thus, there is a blocking of the rolls in the mill and the rolls must be removed. This is accomplished only with great difficulty and loss of valuable production time.

Leaving aside the problem of cobbling, the usual periodic'servicing and cleaning of mills of this type require several hours. Each roll must be removed, and the supporting casters have to be released and taken out shaft by shaft. Then they must be individually replaced by newly serviced and verified shafts which must be inserted and locked in position one by one, followed by the insertion of the rolls and the guides.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mill of the type indicated with a novel means and method for mounting the working rolls and the supporting elements therefor in such a way that they may be quickly and easily removed as a self-contained and independent unit.

Previous efiorts in this direction have not been fully satisfactory. They have taken the form of providing, instead of a plurality of individual supports or saddles for each caster carrying shaft, one common cradle for the bottom part of the mill and one for the top part. This makes the removal of the casters for servicing considerice axial support of the rolls, since suitable thrust bearings and/ or plates are mounted on this door. Also, the connection with the screwdown actuating mechanism which changes the angular position of the eccentric shafts carrying the casters, is aflixed to the housing and has to be separately disconnected. See US. Patent 2,766,586, FIG URE 3, and US. Patent 2,479,974.

The control of crown or profile of the mill mentioned above, the principle of which is disclosed in U.S. Patent 2,194,212, FIGURES 7, 8, 16 and 17, and described on page 4, lines 12 and following comprises secondary eccentrics which may even be incorporated in the saddles; but their actuating mechanisms pass through the mill housing and have their motors and indicators on top of the hous: ing. These have to be individually disconnected, wheneven such saddles and other bearing elements are re moved, again involving a great loss of production time.

Consequently it is an object of the present invention to provide a mill of the type indicated wherein the working rolls and all of the pressure bearing elements are comprised in a self-contained and independent unit, including all of the necessary operating and control elements such as screwdown mechanisms and the like, which units may be easily inserted or removed from the mill housing.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rolling mill wherein the working rolls and the pressure bearing elements may be quickly and easily removed, requiring only the disconnection of the drive spindles and lubricant and oil pressure hose fittings. 1

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mill of the type described wherein the removable unit may be replaced by a similar unit or by a unit of difierentwork and support roll arrangement, thus greatly simplifying mill change-over.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mill of the type described with a novel spaced support for the guides and spray holders which will not be subject to warping, crushing or bending by the excessive pressure of accumulated strip in the case of cobbling.

These and other objects of the invention which will be describedhereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, are accomplished by that construction and arrangement of parts of which exemplary embodiments will now be described. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the lower half of a mill cartridge with the rolls and casters removed.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the mill housing with the cartridge in place.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the section line A-A of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the work rolls and supporting rolls taken along the line BB of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a lower drawer member showing the coolant jets.

ably easier, but does not help in case of a cobble. Be-

sides the structure still requires a hinged front door, for

FIGURE 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the spring means for raising the lower cradle prior to removal of the cartridge.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation of the mill with a cartridge in place. Part of the figure is in section to show a two-high roll arrangement.

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a partial sectional view taken along the line DD of FIGURE 3 showing the independent crown control means.

FIGURE 10 is a partial sectional view taken along the line E-E of FIGURE 9.

Referring to FIGURES 2 and 3, the mill of the present invention is provided with a rigid housing generally indicated at 1. It has a bore 3 extending through it from side to side, and front and rear openings 3a and 3b for the entrance and exit of the material being rolled. The housing is generally like that of the mill of the patent first mentioned above, and may have elastic deflection characteristics heretofore known in such housings. The single bore 3 extending axially through the center of the housing receives a cartridge generally indicated at 4, for mounting the work rolls and support mechanisms therefor. The cartridge is made up of two halves or cradles indicated at 2 and 2.

The lower cradle 2' is illustrated in FIGURE 1. The

cradles 2 and 2 may be identical, but only the lower cradle 2' need be provided with the slots 60 and openings 38 which will be more fully described hereinafter. As will be noted from FIGURE 1, the cradle 2 is in the form of a hollow half-cylinder shell 4 with a plurality of spaced ribs 5 perpendicular to its axis. The elements 2 and 2' with the ribs are preferably but not necessarily formed as an integral casting. Certain surfaces will be machined as hereinafter pointed out. The spaced ribs 5 have a plurality of perforations 7, the axes of which are parallel to the axis of the cradle, corresponding perforations in the several ribs being coaxial. The perforations 7 house the double eccentric bearings as shown at 81 and 70 in FIGURE 9. These are the bearings for the caster supporting shafts 82, later described. The number of such backing shafts will determine the number of groups of coaxial holes in the ribs, the cradle illustrated in FIG- URE 1 having in each rib four such groups for four such bearings. Each rib is also provided with a cut-away portion indicated at 7 to accommodate the working rolls and first and second intermediate backing rolls. The cradles, being held apart at their corners, are configured to have surfaces 8 which will be separated when the cradles are in assembly, to provide throats for entrance and exit of the strip. As will be more fully described hereinafter, the cartridge 6 will house the working rolls, the intermediate backing rolls, the backing bearings, the casters, lubricant jets and screwdown and crown adjustment means. While the cartridge 6 may be removed from the housing 1 in any suitable manner, FIGURE 3 illustrates convenient means for such removal. Adjacent the bore 3, the mill is provided with a short bridge 22. The end of the bridge 22 which extends away from the bore 3 leads to an adjacent cradle carriage 23 which rides on rails indicated at 23'. A hydraulic or mechanical moving means such as a straight line actuator or' its equivalent (indicated generally at 21) may be used to shove the cartridge 6 out of the bore 3, across the bridge 22, and onto the cradle carriage 23 by which the cartridge may be transported to the maintenance shop for necessary overhaul or repair. Similarly, the same or different cartridge may be brought into position by means of the cradle carriage and immediately inserted into the bore 3 by means of the same straight line actuator 21.

It is important in a mill of the type described that the cartridge assume a proper bearing against the walls of the bore in the mill housing. 1. Means are therefore provided which tendto move the two cradles away from each other and press them firmly against the bore 3 in the housing. While any suitable positive jacking means maybe used for this purpose, FIGURES 2 and 7 illustrate the cradle 2 as being provided with screw jacks 50 at each of its corners. When the cartridge 6 is properly inserted into the bore 3, the jacks are actuated to separate the cradles 2 and 2' thereby assuring adequate bearings of the cradles against the bore, while at the same time locking the cartridge within the housing. It is also within the scope of the present invention to provide pins 51 at diagonally opposite corners of one of the cradles and cooperating perforations in the other cradle to assure proper alignment of the cradles with respect to each other. Prior to removal of the cartridge from the housing, the jacks 50 are released.

4 This will lower the cradle 2, disengaging it from the bore 3.

Means may also be provided for raising the cradle 2' to disengage it from the bore 3 once the cradle 2 has been lowered. One such means is illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 6 at 52. The cradle 2 is provided with longitudinal channels or slots 60 of T-shaped cross-section. Referring to FIGURE 6, a bar 53, is located within the channel 68. The bar is provided with a plurality of recesses 54- extending along its entire length. Springs or spring discs 55, the total force of which is calculated to be such as to exceed the weight of the cartridge 6 with all of the rolls, etc., are located within the recesses E4 and are held in place by means of screws 57 and nuts 56. It will be noted that two such lifting means are provided on the cradle 2', one to the right and one to the left of the center of the outside periphery of the cradle. When the cartridge is located and locked in place in the bore 3, the bar 53 in each of the lifting means is depressed so as to lie wholly within the slot 60, the nuts 56 in each of the lifting means being depressed into the recesses 54, so that there is a clearance between the face 58 of the bar 53 and the surfaces 59 of the slot 6%). In the process of removal of the cartridge from the bore 3, when the jacks 50 have been released and the cradle 2 lowered, the lifting means are free to raise the cradle 2, and the cartridge may be removed as described above.

In the preferred embodiment, the bore 3 as well as the cartridge 6 are made with a slight longitudinal taper, for example between 25:1 and 50:1. When this is done, the housing may be provided with suitable openings 15 for the injection of oil under high pressure into the interface between the bore and the cartridge. This tends momentarily to separate the two surfaces and to create a thin film of oil therebetween. Static friction is reduced, and the linear actuator 21 can easily and safely push the cartridge out of the housing and onto the carriage 23.

When the bore and cartridge are so tapered, the cartridge can be made in one piece, or in a plurality of pieces but without the jacks 59. This is true because the taper is so calibrated that the cartridge will fit the bore snugly when pulled into place by the actuator 21, while the friction is reduced by the above mentioned oil injection. It has been found that even when a cobble has occurred which has expanded a single piece cartridge or separated a two piece cartridge, the rigid housing may suffer some elastic distortion of a magnitude of a few thousandths of an inch. Nevertheless, when oil is injected under pressure through the openings 15, the surfaces of the cartridge and the bore will be caused to separate for the formation of the oil film aforesaid, providing such fluid friction conditions that the linear actuator can eject the cartridge for cleaning and repair after the cobbled strip has been cut off or withdrawn. A new cartridge may then be placed in the housing, with a total interruption of work time of only a few minutes.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the cartridge of the present invention is provided with upper and lower drawer-type slides 24 and 24', hereinafter referred to as drawers. FIGURE 5 shows a perspective view of the lower drawer 24'. As will be noted, the drawer comprises an open frame-like structure with two

elongated portions

24a and 24b and end portions 25a and 2519. As shown in FIG- URE 5, the drawer 24' is slidably mounted in the lower cradle 2 with the outer edges of the

portions

24a and 24b of the drawer supported by notches 5a in the ribs 5 of the cradle.

As above mentioned, applicants structure presents another surprising advantage in the fact that the crossribs 5 of the cradles provide jointly a strong support for the

drawers

24, 24 housing rolls and coolant jets 13, 13', FIGURE 4. This is a source of considerable trouble on mills not using this invention where the strip guides which also carry the coolant jets are built in the form of bridges across the mill. These bridges (see e.g. 66, FIGURE 4 of US. Patent 2,776,586) are located close to the roll bit where there is not enough depth left for a heavy bridge section; and the bridges would be deformed under the pressure of a cobble. On the other hand, mill saddles (see 4, FIGURES 1 and of Patent 2,776,586) are excellent for transmission of roll pressure from the caster shafts to the housing but, again owing to obvious space limitations are not capable of supporting any load applied to the top of the thin ring of the saddle, such as is frequently present if an accordion is formed. Consequently, damage by a cobble includes usually deformed bridge guides and coolant jets and sometimes even saddle rings.

In order to better take advantage of the availability of such spaced supports across the width of the mill, applicant is providing drawer-type slides 24, 24, FIGURES 4 and 5, one for the lower and one for the upper half of the mill, which carry thrust faces 25a and 25b for

intermediate rolls

10 and 10, similar to those disclosed in copending application Serial No. 756,574, filed August 22, 1958, in the name of the present inventor, and now US. Patent 3,076,360.

The end portions 25!) of drawers 24 and 24' are provided with outwardly extending threaded members 26 and 26'. As illustrated in FIGURE 3, the threaded member 26' is engaged by an internally threaded sleeve 27 which in turn is rotatably mounted in a framework 27a mounted on the cartridge 6. The internally threaded member 27' is provided with a crank 28' by which it may be turned. This structure enables the mill operator to control the axial position of the intermediate support rolls 10', even during the operation of the mill, by .axial movement of the drawer 24. The upper drawer 24 is similarly slidably mounted in the upper cradle 2 and serves as thrust bearing means for the upper pair of first intermediate rolls 10. The upper drawer is provided with a threaded member 26 engaged by an internally threaded sleeve 27 which in turn is provided with a crank means 28. Thus it will be seen that the upper intermediate rolls of the first series may be separately controlled as to their axial position. Such control of the axial positions .of the intermediate support rolls is necessary to obtain accurate control over the shape of the strip and especially the edge portions thereof, by aligning the strip edge with certain tapers or reliefs provided on the said intermediate rolls as described in the above mentioned copending application or in US. Patent 2,778,586.

The

portions

24a and 24b of the drawer 24' are provided with longitudindal bores 29' which serve as ducts for coolant fluid jet nozzles 13 (see FIGURE 4) located in holes 30. These nozzles are directed chiefly against the surface of the work roll 9 so as to abstract heat therefrom as Well as from the strip passing above it. As will be understood by one skilled in the art, the upper drawer 24 is provided with similar coolant fluid ducts and nozzles 13,

which nozzles are directed primarily toward the surface of the work roll 9.

The cartridge structure of the present application has obviated the need for a door or end plate on the side of the mill which is faced by the operator. Instead, a bracket-like bridge element 16 forming an integral or removable part of the cartridge is used. A tubular element 33 is fitted to a central bore in the bridge 16 and carries thethrust bearing 32 for the work rolls 9 and 9'. The thrust bearing 34 at the opposite end of the work rolls 9 and 9' is carried at the end of a plunger 35 actuated by a hydraulic cylinder or the equivalent (not shown) and slidably mounted in a centrally located bore in a fixed back plate 36. With this arrangement, upon removal of the tubular bracket 33, the plunger 35 may be caused to moveiforwardly which in turn pushes both rolls at least part way out through the bridge 16 where they can be easily extracted by hand.

The more or less open construction of the mill of the present application has a further important advantage. Modern mills of this type are capable of reductions in the order of 50% even on highly work-hardening metal strips of, for example, .040 inch by 50 inch section, and speeds in excess of 3000 f.p.m. Such a mill calls for a fiow of coolant liquid at from 500 to 1000 g.p.m. The mill of the present application with its open sides makes such flow possible.

In the past, in mills requiring such a heavy flow of "coolant liquid, a problem was presented in the evacuation of such liquid from the bottom of the mill. The construction of such mills often presented pockets where dirt and metal chips had a tendency to accumulate. These pockets and this accumlation of dirt impeded the flow of the coolant liquid. This has been completely remedied in the mill of the present application. As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the lower cradle 2' is provided at its lowermost point with a plurality of coaxial perforations 38 in each of the cross ribs 5. Due to the taper of the cradle, the liquid collected therein will have a tendency to run from right to left as seen in FIGURE 3. A suction connection generally indicated at 39 may be provided in order to further accelerate evacuation of the spent coolant liquid.

In a mill of this type it is necessary to provide means for regulating the distance between the work rolls 9 and 9', and the pressure with which they bear upon the work piece. Such control means are usually referred to as screwdown means. The screwdown means used on the mill of the present invention is similar to that disclosed in the patents to the same inventor set forth above. That is to say, screwdown is effected by rotating, i.e., changing the angular position of, one or more of the caster carrying shafts, which have eccentric portions. In the preferred embodiment, the two upper shafts are so rotated, and, in order to increase the accuracy of the control and minimize torsional deflection on wider mills, rotating means are provided at both ends of such shafts.

At will be noted from FIGURE 4, the work rolls 9 and 9 are backed by first series intermediate backing rolls It] and 10' which, in turn are backed by second series intermediate backing rolls 11 and 11. The second series intermediate backing rolls are themselves backed by a plurality of casters 12 and 12' mounted on shafts indicated at 82 and 82' (FIGURES 4 and elsewhere). As stated above, the number of caster carrying shafts is ,not limiting. The exemplary cradle illustrated in FIGURE 1 has provision for four such shafts, and FIGURE 2 illustrates four such shafts 82 in the upper cradle and four similar shafts 82 in the lower cradle. As will be clear from FIGURES 1 and 3, the caster shafts are supported at intervals throughout their length by the cradle ribs 5, with the casters themselves located between the ribs.

While any suitable means may be used to actuate the screwdown mechanism, since it is an object to provide in this invention a completely self-contained cartridge, a preferred form of actuating mechanism is a hydraulic rotary actuator, one of which is mounted and keyed on each end of the upper two caster shafts. One type of such actuator is known under the trade name of Rotac made by the Ex-Cell-O Corporation, of Detroit andes sentially consists of an oil tight housing with a shaft in the center and a fixed vane with a sliding seal against said shaft. Another vane is attached to the shaft and is slidably sealed against the two inner faces and the outer periphery of said housing. An admission of hydraulic fluid under pressure on one side of the fixed vane,

while the space on the other side of the said fixed vane is connected to drainage, causes rotation of the shaft up the ends ,of the eccentric caster-carrying shafts, the actuators are subject to reaction proportional to the hydraulic fluid pressure. Applicant has devised a novel arrangement whereby the reaction torque of two adjacent actuators cancel each other. As shown most clearly in FIG-

URES

2 and 3, suitable grooves 1 are machined n the outer faces of the actuator housings 17. These grooves are at the top and bottom of the housings and are parallel to each other. A slide member 18 is inserted in the space between these parallel grooves on two adjacent housing members. This arrangement allows lateral displacement of the housing members 17 with respect to each other due to the eccentricity of the caster carrying shafts, but will not permit the housings to rotate about their respective shafts. The use of hydraulic actuating means has the further advantage of assuring a symmetrical rotation of both eccentric shafts. This is accomplished by control of the flow of hydraulic fluid, as for example, by the use of Well known flow-splitting valves. Thus the screwdown mechanism is self-contained with the cartridge, and requires only connection to and disconnection from a source of hydraulic pressure and pressure control means when cartridges are changed.

The mill of the present invention is also provided with means for controlling the crown, contour or flatness of the work piece. Such control means are shown in FIG- URES 9 and 10. This adjustment also is accomplished by means operating on the shafts 82. While such contour control means may be provided on any one or all of such shafts, in the preferred embodiment the upper two shafts in the upper cradle are provided with such means. As shown in FIGURE 9, the caster bearing shafts 82 are keyed to eccentrics 81 by which screwdown is attained as described above. Eccentric rings 70 are located in the proper bores 7 in the ribs of the cradles. The eccentric rings 70 are free to rotate within the bores 7. Each eccentric ring 70 is provided with a gear segment 71 riveted thereto, one on either side of the ring. The gear segments 71 mesh with a double rack 72 which may form an integral part of a screw 73. The screw 73 is engaged by a nut 74 which is rotatably mounted in the peripheral portion of the upper cradle, but is held against axial movement. The nut 74 carries about its periphery gear teeth 75. A horizontally mounted worm 77 engages the teeth 75. The worm 77 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 76. The shaft 76 runs across the width of the mill and carries a plurality of worms 77 thereon to actuate the crown control mechanisms located at each rib. The shaft 76 may be turned in either direction by motor means (not shown but mounted on the cartridge) in control of the mill operator. A magnetic clutch, or equivalent, generally indicated at 78 is keyed to the shaft 76 whereby worm 77 may be engaged to rotate with the shaft. Rotation of the worms 77 will cause movement of the teeth 75, which in turn through .the nut 74 will actuate the screw 73 and the double rack 72. In this way, the ececntric rings 70 will be rotated thereby changing the relative heights of the bearing supports for the shaft 82. In this way, the crown of the work piece may be controlled to insure the desired flatness, irrespective of the screwdown.

As described above, FIGURES 1 through 4 show an embodiment with working rolls, backing rolls and casters in what is known as a l234 cluster. That is, each working roll is backed by two first series intermediate rolls, which in turn are backed by three second series intermediate rolls, which, are in turn backed by four rows of casters I2 and 12 It will be understood by one skilled in the art, that cartridges with various roll arrangements, such as 1-2, 123 and l2-34, or others may be used. It is one of the advantages of the mill of the present application that one and the same mill may be converted from one roll arrangement to another by simply inserting cartridges of diiferent design, which conversion may be accomplished in a matter of minutes. FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrated the mill of the present invention with a twohigh cartridge, i.e., a cartridge containing two plain rolls with their chocks. The interchangeability of cartridges is of far reaching significance. For example, the mill of this invention is particularly suitable for either skin-pass rolling or polishing of strip or sheet steels in wide widths. Such steels are often rolled in relatively small production units designed for a modest production, often sufficient to operate the mill only one shift a day. However, in such production, it is necessary to have either a twohigh skin-pass or polishing finishing mill in order to give the material the surface texture required after a final annealing and pickling operation. This represents a serious capital outlay which may not be remunerative because, while the main reduction mill works one shift or eight hours a day, the finishing mill can handle the strips produced in an eight hour day in less than one hour. Thus, the savings obtained by the ability to combine both the reducing and finishing mills in one is manifest.

In the two high mill of FIGURES 7 and 8, a cartridge is provided consisting of an upper cradle 61 and a lower cradle 61. Each cradle consists of two longitudinal box section beams connected by necks and 90 respectively to form one continuous body, and further reinforced by bolted

ties

62 and 62. The upper and lower cradles house work roll chocks 63 and 63 and standard rolls 64 and 64' respectively.

These rolls are mounted on bearings 65 and 65' respectively at their necks. Upper chocks 63 are connected to piston rods 66 of vertical screwdown cylinders 67. The cylinders 67 by exerting a suitable downward pressure provide the necessary screwdown action. The cylinders are also used to lift the upper rolls by pulling upwardly on their chocks when required. The lower roll 64 is connected through a universal joint 68 to a drive means not shown. The upper and lower cradles aligned by the pins 51 may be expanded against the bore 3 by means of jacks 50 as described with respect to FIGURES 1 through 4. Means for inserting and removing the cartridge may also be identical with those described with respect to FIGURES 1 through 4.

Other elements or appurtenances of rolling mills of this general type, being conventional have not been illustrated, or if illustrated have not been described. Among these may be mentioned a motor drive for the mill, a pinion stand, coolant-lubricant circulating and filtering means, a lubricant sump or the like. It will be understood that the mill will be connected to a suitable pinion stand by disengageable driving connections, and that in mills of the type in which the first series intermediate rolls are mounted in drawers, the drive Will preferably be applied to one or more of the second series intermediate rolls.

Modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit of it. The invention having been described in certain exemplary embodiments, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a rolling mill structure a housing having a transverse cylindrical bore and front and rear openings for the entrance and exit of a strip to be rolled, and a cartridge located within said bore, said cartridge being made up of at least two parts with semi-cylindrical outer surfaces, and containing rolls and pressure bearing elements therefor, said cartridge being insertable and withdrawable from said bore as a unit, a linearly acting power means connected with said cartridge for moving it within said bore, means for forcing the said parts of said cartridge away from each other so as to lock said cartridge in said bore, and means effective within said cartridge and independent of said forcing means for varying the screwdown of said mill.

2. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said cartridge contains bearings for the necks of the rolls of a Z-high mill, said bearings being movable toward and away, from each other within the confines of said cartridge.

3. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said cartridge has a body characterized by a plurality of spaced transverse ribs, wherein said ribs have a plurality of axially aligned perforations therein, shafts extending through and mounted in said perforations, casters located on said shafts and lying between said ribs, said rolls comprising a pair of working rolls, and at least one set of intermediate rolls located between said working rolls and said casters.

4. In a rolling mill structure a housing having a transverse bore and front and rear opening for the entrance and exit of a strip to be rolled, and a cartridge located within said bore, and containing rolls and pressure bearing elements therefor, said cartridge being insertable and withdrawable from said bore as a unit, a linearly acting power means connected with said cartridge for moving it within said bore, saidcartridge having a body characterized by a plurality of spaced transverse ribs, said ribs having a plurality of axially aligned perforations therein, shafts extending through and mounted in said perforations, casters located on said shafts and lying between said ribs, said rolls comprising a pair of working rolls, and at least two sets of intermediate rolls located between said working rolls and said casters and forming a first and second series of intermediate rolls, drawer means mounted for transverse sliding movement on said ribs, said drawer means having end portions, the intermediate rolls of the first series being located within said drawer means and having thrust bearings against said ends, and means on said cartridge. for selectively moving said drawer means and for fixing the relative positions thereof.

5. The structure claimed in claim 4 in which the last mentioned means comprises a bracket having screw means for adjusting the positions of said drawers, a portion at least of said bracket means being movable and adapted to form a thrust bearing for one end of said working rolls, and means for providing a thrust bearing for the other end of said working rolls, said last mentioned means being a power means capable of moving said working rolls in the direction of their axes for removal thereof.

6. The structure claimed in claim 4 wherein at least two adjacent ones of the shafts on which said casters are mounted are provided with eccentric portions for screwdown purposes, and wherein means are provided on the cartridge for adjusting the angular positions of said shafts.

7. The structure claimed in claim 4 wherein at least two of the shafts on which said casters are mounted are provided with eccentric portions for screwdown purposes, and wherein means are provided on the cartridge for adjusting the angular positions of said shafts, said last mentioned means comprising power means attached to the ends of said shafts, the eccentric portions of said shafts respectively being arranged so that screwdown is effected by equal and opposite angular movements of said shafts, and interconnections between the said power means such that they may slide with respect to each other in a direction transverse to the axes of the shafts but cannot rotate with respect to each other.

8. The structure claimed in claim 7 wherein said shafts having bearing means within the perforations of said ribs, wherein eccentric collars are provided between said bearing means and said shafts, and wherein means are provided in the cartridge for rotating said eccentric collars whereby to control the contour of a work piece being rolled.

9. The structure claimed in claim 8 wherein the means for rotating the eccentric collars of each shaft comprise gear teeth on said collars, a rack engaging said gear teeth and having a screw threaded portion, nuts engaging the screw threaded portions of the racks and a common shaft means mounted in said cartridge and having driving connections with said nuts, there being with respect to each g 10 such driving connection a magnetic clutch electrically operable from a position outside said cartridge.

10. The structure claimed in claim 8 in which said drawers have longitudinally extending elements perforated for the passage of coolant-lubricant, said elements having at intervals throughout their lengths jet means for delivering coolant-lubricant against said working rolls.

11. In a roll mill structure a housing having a transverse bore and front and rear openings for the entrance and exit of a strip to be rolled, and a cartridge located within said bore and containing rolls and pressure bearing elements therefor, said cartridge being insertable and withdrawable from said bore as a unit, and a linearly acting power means connected with said cartridge for moving it within said bore, and wherein said cartridge contains bearings for the necks of the rolls of a 2-high mill, said bearings being movable toward and away from each other within the confines of said cartridge by means mounted on said housing and automatically engageable and disengageable with a pair of said roll bearings upon insertion and removal of said cartridge.

12. In a rolling mill structure a housing having a transverse bore and front and rear openings for the entrance and exit of a strip to be rolled, and a cartridge located within said bore and containing rolls and pressure bearing elements therefor, said cartridge being insertable and withdrawable from said bore as a unit, and a linearly acting power means connected with said cartridge for moving it within said bore, and in which the body of said cartridge is formed of two parts having means at both ends for aligning the parts with respect to each other, and means also at both ends for urging the parts away from each other.

13. The structure claimed in claim 12 wherein the lowermost of said parts is provided with means for resiliently urging said part away from the interior surface of said bore.

14. In a rolling mill structure a housing having a transverse cylindrical bore and front and rear openings for the entrance and exit of a strip to be rolled, and a cartridge located within said bore, said cartridge being made up of at least two parts with semi-cylindrical outer surfaces, means for forcing the said parts of said cartridge away from each other so as to lock said cartridge in said bore, and containing rolls and pressure bearing elements therefor, said cartridge being insertable and withdrawable from said bore as a unit, and a linearly acting power means connected with said cartridge for moving it within said bore, and wherein said housing is provided with passageways intersecting said bore, whereby lubricant can be forced into the space between the outer surface of said cartridge and the inner surface of said bore.

15. A cartridge element for a mill of the class described comprising opposed body parts, means at the ends of said body parts for maintaining axial alignment thereof, means at the ends of said body parts for urging said parts away from each other, said body parts each comprising an outer shell and a plurality of ribs in spaced relationship, said ribs having axially aligned bores, shafts having bearings in said bores, caster members mounted on said shafts in spaced relationship and lying between said ribs, a pair of Working rolls, and at least one series of intermediate rolls lying between said working rolls and said casters.

16. The structure claimed in claim 15 in which at least two series of intermediate rolls lie between said working rolls and said casters, drawer means slidably mounted on said ribs, said drawer means containing and forming end thrust bearings for the first series of intermediate rolls.

17. The structure claimed in claim 16 including a bridge attached to the lower part of said cartridge, and means on said bridge for selectively moving said drawer means.

18. The structure claimed in claim 17 wherein the said bridge means forms thrust bearing means for end por- 1 l tions of the intermediate rolls of the second series, certain at least of said rolls having at their opposite ends means for separable connection to. a power source for driving said mill.

19. The structure claimed in claim 18 wherein certain at least of the shafts on Which said: castersare mounted have eccentric portions. for screwdown purposes, and means located on said cartridge for adjusting the. angular positions of said shafts.

20. The structure claimed in claim 19 wherein said last mentioned means are hydraulic positioning means mounted upon the ends of said shafts, and include means for preventing the rotation of said hydraulic positioning means With respect to said cartridge.

21. The structure claimed in claim 20 including means in connection with said ribs for producing selectively a deflection of said last mentioned shafts for contour control purposes.

22,. The structure claimed in claim 21 wherein the ribs of the lower cartridge part have coaxial perforations adjacent the inner surface of the shell for the drainage of coolant-lubricant.

23. In aroll mill structure a housing having a transverse bore and front and rear openings for the entrance and'exit of a strip to be rolled, and a cartridge located within said bore and containing rolls and pressure hearing elements therefor, said cartridge being insertable and withdrawable from said bore as a unit, and a linearly acting'power means connected with said cartridge, for moving it within said bore, the outer surface of the said cartridge and the surface of said bore having corresponding tapers.

References Cited in the file. of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 749,745 Von Philp Ian. 19, 1904 2,037,210 Guente Apr. 14, 1936 ,479, 74 Sendzirnir t al. Aug. 23, 1949