US3421352A

US3421352A - Method of and apparatus for rebending strip-like material

Info

Publication number: US3421352A
Application number: US564860A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jeremiah Wagner O'brien
Original assignee: United Engineering and Foundry Co
Current assignee: United Engineering and Foundry Co
Priority date: 1965-07-27
Filing date: 1966-07-13
Publication date: 1969-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 1986-01-14
Also published as: GB1145268A

Description

J. W. O'BRIEN Jan. 14, 1969 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REBENDING STRIP-LIKE MATERIAL Filed July 13, 1966 Sheet l of 2 INVENTOR.

JA-AEM/Al/ m 022/5 BY ATTORA/EM J4 Q 7&1;

Jan. 14, 1969 .1. w. OBRIEN 3,421,352

' METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REBENDING STRIP-LIKE MATERIAL- I Filed July 13. 1966 Sheet 2 of 2 INVENTOR. JEQEM/A/a' n4 024/5.

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent Wee METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REBENDING STRIP-LIKE MATERIAL Jeremiah Wagner OBrien, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to United Engineering and Foundry Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed July 13, 1966, Ser. No. 564,860 Claims priority, application Great Britain, July 27, 1965,

32,137/ 65 US. Cl. 72146 11 Claims Int. Cl. B21c 47/02; BZld 11/14 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for rebending strip-like material after it has been uncoiled from coil form for feeding to a processing apparatus, such as a rolling mill. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for rebending a portion of the trailing end of a coil which has been uncoiled, which portion for one reason or another is to be recoiled and not passed into the processing apparatus. Without any intention to limit the present invention, and only for the sake of explanation, the invention will be explained in combination with the operation of a rolling mill.

In certain types of rolling, say, for example, in the operation of a 2-high temper pass mill, the trailing portion of the coil is considered scrap material, so that it is highly desirable to sever this portion from the prime portion of the coil which is fed into the mill and processed. One proposed method of handling the scrap trailing end portion of the coil is to feed it entirely through the mill, the mill rolls, however, being separated so as not to work the strip. The scrap portion, after passing from the mill, is coiled on an auxiliary reel arranged at the delivery side of the mill. This not only requires additional equipment, but, in addition, it necessitates lost time in requiring a complete uncoiling of the trailing end portion, its passage through the mill and then winding it up on an auxiliary reel.

The present invention is addressed to a method of and apparatus for overcoming the aforesaid numerated objections of the prior devices and, more particularly, relates to the employment of a strip rebending device at the entry side of the mill. This device is intended to be employed as follows: when the first scrap portion at the trailing end of the coil is uncoiled by an uncoiling device, the scrap portion is sheared from the prime portion of the coil. This shear may be arranged either at the delivery or entry side of the mill. After this shearing occurs, the uncoiler device is rotated in a reverse direction to wind up the scrap portion. Prior to this being done, however, a three-roll rebending device is brought into an operative position with the scrap portion that extends between the rebending device and the mill. This rebending device thus bends the material in such a manner as to put a permanent set in the strip, thereby the strip will be easily subject to recoiling. It is to be pointed out that in the absence of working the strip by rebending it, its inherent resiliency would not allow the end portion of the strip of itself to stay in coil form after the tension between the uncoiler and mill was lost so that a band would have to be placed around the residual coil.

Thus the present invention has for its primary object the employment of a rebending device for the trailing end portion of a coil of strip which will require no banding or auxiliary strip wrapping means.

In the preferred form of the present invention there is provided an uncoiler which may take the form of a cone- Patented Jan. 14, 1969 type uncoiler or a pay-off reel, which feeds a coil to a processor for processing thereby. Between the uncoiler and the processor there is arranged a three-roll strip rebending device, at least one of which rolls is adapted to be displaced away from the other two so as to render the rebending device inoperative during the processing of the prime portion of the coil. There is also provided either on the entry or delivery side of the processor, but after the rebending device, moving in a direction towards the processor, a shear which is employed to sever the trailing scrap end of the coil from the prime portion thereof. Means is provided for reverse operation of the uncoiler or reel so that once the trailing end of the portion of this coil has been severed from the leading portion, the portion of the strip extending from the uncoiler or reel to or through the processing device, in case the shear is mounted on the delivery side of the device, is adapted to be recoiled on the uncoiler or reel. During the recoiling, the rebender rolls are caused to assume a nested relationship so as to cause a permanent set to be put in the strip whereby the portion being subject to rebending will allow itself to be recoiled without necessitating any banding. After the trailing end of the portion of the strip has been completely recoiled on the uncoiler or reel, the residual scrap coil can be removed by any convenient device, such as a commercial jib crane.

Drawings These and other features of the present invention will become more apparent when the following description is read along with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view illustrating the present invention used in conjunction with a Z-high temper pass mill, and

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the arrangement shown in FIGURE 1.

Description of invention With reference to the drawing there is illustrated a rolling mill 10 consisting of two work rolls 11 and 12 between which a strip or sheet of material is passed for temper rolling. The rolling mill, as previously noted, is not considered a part of the present invention and in view of the fact that it follows well-known designs, a detailed explanation of its various components will not be given.

Turning now to the entry side of the mill 1Q, there is provided a coil conveyor 13 which is adapted to receive a series of coils A and bring them into a position for uncoiling. In the uncoiling position there is provided an elevator 14 which removes the coils from the conveyor and centers them relative to cones 15 and 16 of the uncoiler 17. The uncoiler and the elevator 14 are of wellknown conventional design, and the specific details thereof will not be given herein. It should be mentioned, however, that the elevator 14, once a coil supported thereby has been transferred to the cones 15 and 16 of the uncoiler, will be lowered so as to permit the uncoiler 17 to feed the leading end of the coil into the mill. The cones 15 and 16, of course, are traversed towards and away from the coil, for example, by a piston cylinder assembly according to the usual practice. In addition they are driven by

electrical motors

18 and 19, which are of the reversible type so as to either pay 0d or rewind the strip supported by the cones 15 and 16.

Above the cones when in their operative position, there is provided a strip guiding device 21 employed for guiding the leading end of the coil being uncoiled into the mill 10. Before leaving the uncoiler 17, it is important to call attention to the jib crane 22, shown only in FIG- URE 2, provided for removing the residual scrap coil from the uncoiler. This jib crane may follow the designs of well-known commercial units. An example of one of these is illustrated in the general catalog of Manning, Maxwell and Moore, Inc., Muskegon, Mich., U.S.A., Bulletin No. 383, August 1947, entitled Shaw-Box-Load Lifter, Self-Supporting Jib Cranes. This entire assembly will be mounted on a support, not shown.

Moving in a direction towards the mill from the strip guiding device 21 there is provided an adjustable platen 25 which is extendable in a direction towards the coil A by a piston cylinder assembly 26 and it is pivotally secured at its end adjacent the mill. The platen is also vertically adjustable by a piston cylinder assembly 27 so as to accommodate the various elevations of the strip being uncoiled from the uncoiler 17 and to close the gap between the mill and the equipment to be now described.

Positioned between the platen 25 and a coil A is a strip rebending device 28 and, as shown, consists of three rolls 31, 32 and 33, the rolls 31 and 32 being arranged above the normal path of the strip and the roll 33 being arranged below the path of the strip. It is important to note, as shown in FIGURE 1, that the rolls 31, 32 and 33 are closely positioned to the coil scrap end B when the rolls are operatively positioned. The lower roll 33 is supported on a pair of rigidly interconnected arms 34, only one arm being shown, that are pivotally mounted on a support frame 35. A piston cylinder assembly 36 is mounted on the frame and has its rod end connected to the arm 34. Operation of the piston cylinder assembly pivotally displaces the arm 34, hence, the roll 33 from the operative position shown in FIGURE 1 to an inoperative position indicated by phantom lines. The rolls 31 and 32 are supported on a pair of rigidly interconnected arms 37 that are also pivotally mounted on the frame 35. A piston cylinder assembly 38 is mounted on the frame 35 and has its rod end connected to an actuating lever 39 which is in turn secured to the arms 37. Displacement of the lever 39 by actuation of the piston cylinder assembly displaces the arm 37, hence, the rolls 31 and 32 from the operative position shown in FIGURE 1 to an inoperative position indicated by phantom lines. The piston cylinder assemblies 36 and 33, in another arrangement, could be replaced by other force activating devices such as mechanical jacks. In either case, the relative distances and relationships of the rolls 31, 32 and 33 will be adjustable to produce the desired bending action for any particular physical characteristics of strip being processed.

The upper rolls 31 and 32 are driven by a motor 41 through a gear unit 42, as best shown in FIGURE 2. The lower roll 33 may be either driven or idle. In the arrangement shown, this roll is not driven. As shown in FIG- URE 1, it will be appreciated that in the inoperative position of the roll 33 and rolls 31 and 32, shown by phantom lines, these rolls are arranged a sufficient distance below and above the coil A and the pass line of the strip so as to avoid contact therewith. From these positions, when the piston cylinder assemblies 36 and 38 are operated, the roll 33 will assume a nested relationship with the rolls 31 and 32 and impose a permanent set in the strip being fed between the three rolls.

Moving towards the mill 10 on the right-hand side of the strip rebender device 28 there is provided a pair of pinch rolls 43 and 44 between which the strip passes to and from the mill. These pinch rolls are motor driven in a conventional Way and in addition, the upper roll 43 is vertically adjustable by a piston cylinder assembly 45.

The next important element to note is the shear 46 which is mounted at the delivery side of the mill. This shear consists of a stationary upper head 47 arranged above the path of travel of the strip adapted to cooperate with a lower knifehead 48, the knifeheads having raked knives and when brought into a cutting relationship sever the strip fed between them. The lower knifehead 48 is vertically movable by a piston cylinder assembly 49 which is mounted on the mill 10.

The equipment that follows the shear 46 may take a number of different forms and does not compare a part of the present invention. In one form, it may consist of a tension reel in combination with a belt wrapper which are well known in the art.

A brief description of the operation of the present invention will now be given. Let it be assumed that a coil is being uncoiled from the cones 15 and 16 by the uncoiler 17 and the prime portion thereof has been'fed through the mill 19. Upon the operators detecting the commencing of the trailing scrap end portion of the coil, the mill It) will be deeelerated and the trailing end of the strip sheared from the remainder of the coil by operating the piston cylinder 49 of the shear 46. Thereafter, the operator will either reverse the rotation of the rolls 11 and 12 of the mill or open them up so as to allow the portion of the strip extending from the coil to the shear to be rewound on the uncoiler 17 upon the operation of

motors

18 and 19 and, hence, to reverse the rotation of the cones 15 and 16. Before this occurs, however, the rolls 31 and 32 of the rebending device 28 are positioned closely adjacent the strip and the lower roll 33 is brought into its operative nested position with respect to the rolls 31 and 32. The upper pinch roll 43 also will be raised so as to allow the strip to freely pass into the uncoiler 17. The reverse operation of the uncoiler 17 and motor 41 of the rebender rolls 31 and 32 will feed that portion of the strip extending between the rebender 28 and the shear 46 through the rebender and subject it to a permanent set which will allow the rebent strip to be rewound on the uncoiler without necessitating any banding of the residual scrap coil. Once the complete trailing portion of the strip has been rewound, the jib crane 29 will be brought into operation and will remove the coil from the uncoiler 17 to a suitable place where it can be taken away from the mill at a convenient time.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, I desire to have it understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. An apparatus to facilitate recoiling of an uncoiled portion of strip material comprising:

an uncoiler for rotatably supporting a coil of strip to be uncoiled incident to processing thereof;

drive means associated with said uncoiler for rotating a coil supported by said uncoiler in at least one direction to cause recoiling of a length of uncoiled strip;

shear means spaced from said uncoiler and adapted to sever said length of uncoiled strip while a portion of the strip remains in coil form and supported by said uncoiler; and

strip bending means arranged between said shear means and said uncoiler and adapted to induce a permanent set into at least a portion of said length of uncoiled strip in a manner that in recoiling, a substantially self-sustaining coil is formed.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said strip bending means comprises:

a first roll disposed transversely of the strip material and adapted to engage one surface of said uncoiled strip;

second and third rolls disposed substantially parallel to said first roll and engageable with the opposite surface of the strip,

the relationship between said rolls being such that a permanent set is imparted to the strip while passing between the rolls.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said strip bending means further comprises drive means adapted to drive to at least one of said rolls incident to passage of the strip between said first roll and said second and third rolls.

4. An apparatus to facilitate recoiling of an uncoiled portion of strip material comprising in combination with a processing apparatus:

an uncoiler for rotatably supporting a coil of strip material to be uncoiled and fed into said processing apparatus;

said uncoiler being loacted a predetercined distance from said processing apparatus and through which distance the uncoiled strip passes;

drive means associated with said uncoiler for rotating a coil in at least one direction when supported by said uncoiler to cause recoiling of a length of uncoiled strip;

shear means to sever the uncoiled strip associated with said processing apparatus whereby a predetermined length of uncoiled strip extends between said uncoiler and said shear means; and

strip bending means positioned between said shear means and said uncoiler and adapted to induce a permanent set into at least a portion of said predetermined length of uncoiled strip whereby recoiling said predetermined length of strip by said uncoiler produces a substantially self-sustaining coil form.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said strip bending means includes:

a first roll disposed transversely of the strip material and engageable with one surface of said uncoiled strip;

second and third rolls disposed substantially parallel to said first roll and engageable with the opposed surface of the strip;

drive means adapted to drive at least one of said rolls incident to the strip passage between said first roll and said second and third rolls.

'6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said strip bending means is positioned in close proximity to said coil of strip material when rotatably supported by said uncoiler.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

an arm for carrying at least one of said rolls;

means secured to said arm for positioning said roll relative to the coil from an inoperative to an operative position.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

guide means arranged between said strip bending means and said shear means and adapted to guide strip being uncoiled from said uncoiler;

means connected to said guide means for positioning the guide means relative to a coil of strip carried by the uncoiler.

9. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said strip bending means comprises:

a first roll extending transversely of the strip and ar ranged to engage the lower surface of the strip; second and third rolls arranged transversely of the strip and adapted to engage the upper surface of the strip; movable arm means carrying said first roll; movable arm means carrying said second and third rolls; power means associated with said :arm means for positioning said rolls from an inoperative position to an operative position Where said rolls are located in a nested relationship whereby strip passing between said first and said second and third rolls causes a permanent set to be induced into the strip; and means for driving at least one of said rolls. 10. A method of feeding strip-like material to a processing apparatus comprising the steps of:

uncoiling strip from a coil form and passing the strip into the processing apparatus; processing a first portion of the strip; discontinuing said processing prior to a second successive portion of the strip being passed into the processing apparatus and while at least a portion of said second portion of strip is in coil form; shearing the first portion from the second portion of the strip; rewinding the uncoiled second portion of the strip on the coil; and simultaneously with said rewinding, inducing a permanent set into at least a portion of the second portion of the strip in a manner that, upon recoiling, a selfsustaining coil is formed. 11. In a method according to claim 10, wherein said processing includes:

passing the first portion of the strip through a rolling mill; said second portion being unprime scrap material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,179,011 11/1939 Hudson 72-146 2,739,763 3/1956 Silfverlin et a1 72-148 3,150,706 9/1964 OBrien 72-183 3,174,699 3/1965 Sciaky 242-78.1 3,328,989 7/1967 Stephan 72-146 MILTON S. MEHR, Primary Examiner.

US Cl. X.R. 72-371