US3555872A

US3555872A - Device allowing for the variation of the stresses on the operating chocks in multicylindrical rollers

Info

Publication number: US3555872A
Application number: US741719A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lucien Robert Bournez; Robert Fabre
Original assignee: Societe Nouvelle Spidem
Current assignee: Societe Nouvelle Spidem
Priority date: 1967-06-29
Filing date: 1968-07-01
Publication date: 1971-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 1988-01-19
Also published as: GB1224534A; DE1752652C3; DE1752652B2; ES355585A2; DE1752652A1

Abstract

DEVICE ALLOWING FOR THE VARIATION OF THE STRESSES EXERTED UPON THE WORKING CHOCKS OF ROLLERS, WITH THE AID OF JACKS DISPOSED OUTSIDE THE SUPPORT HOUSING OF THE SAID ROLLERS AND MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING THE STRESSES TO THE CHOCKS BY MEANS OF APPROPRIATE AXLES AND ACTUATING ARMS CONNECTED TO THE JACKS.

Description

Jan; 19, 1971v L. RjBoURNEz ET AL DEVICE ALLOWING FOR THE VARIATION OF THE STRESSESON THE OPERATLNG CHOCKS IN MULTICYLINDR'ICAL ROLLERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July l, 1968 Y d VIVE DEvIc LLowTNG FOR THE VARIATION oF THE sTR'EssEs 0N THE ERATING CHOCKS IN MULTICYLINDRICAL ROLLERS Filed July 1, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 jan. 19., 1971 L, R, BOURNEZ ETAL 3,555,872

DEVICE ALLOWING FOR THE VARIATION OE THE sTREssEs ON THE OPERATING OHOOKS IN MULTIOYLINDRICAL ROLLERS Jan. 19, 1971 L. R, BOURNEZ ET ALv 3,555,872

DEVICE ALLowING FOR THE VARIATION 0F THE sTREssEs oN THE OPERATING CEO D AL ROLLE FIC-3.6

United States Patent O im. ci. Bzib 31/32 U.S. Cl. 72-245 18 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Device allowing for the variation of the stresses exerted upon the working chocks of rollers, with the aid of jacks disposed outside the support housing of the said rollers and means for transmitting the stresses to the chocks by means of appropriate axles and actuating arms connected to the jacks.

In French Pat. 1,489,069, iiled on Apr. 22, 1966, there is disclosed a combination of means which allow for the equilibration or balancing and regulation, in the course of rolling, of the stresses to which the chocks of the working cylinders in multicylindrical rolling mills are subjected. With the present invention, a certain number of simplifying steps and improvements for the devices disclosed in the afore-mentioned patent are proposed.

In the previously disclosed arrangement the different jacks, whether they be pre-stressing or `balancing jacks, are all disposed inside the support housing for the rollers. Since the space available therefor is general-ly very limited at the point where these diierent jacks must be mounted, a certain limitation of the capacity, and therewith of the force or power, of these jacks is of necessity imposed on their design.

In accordance with the present invention, it is advantageous that a specific num-ber of jacks from among those which are part of the entirety of the device described in the afore-mentioned known arrangement be disposed outside of the support housing of the roller mill. The jacks in question are those which act or engage at the outer ends of the respective chocks to form equalizing or balancing means for the working rolls. For this purpose it suices to suitably lengthen the horizontal pivot axles of the four balancing means in a manner such that, at least at one side of the support housing, each axle projects to a sufficient extent toward the outside of the corresponding post so as to be adapted to support a transverse actuating arm being likewise disposed essentially horizontal and upon which the corresponding jack will come to act.

These actuating arms are accordingly disposed entirely at the outside of the housing or cage of the roller, parallel to the wall of the posts and very close thereto, upon which wall, on the other hand, the jacks are secured in a substantially vertical position prior to acting upon the arms. One is thus at liberty with such an arrangement to choose standard jacks which are available on the market whose capacity will be judiciously brought into conformity with and adapted to the length of the acting or engaging lever, and may therefore be of a higher capacity than heretofore usable with such an arrangement.

Furthermore, other jacks of the prior art system could be entirely dispensed with in the device as proposed by the present invention. As a matter of fact, the prior art construction of the device comprised a single-effect or singleaction jack at each end of a balancing means and the oscillating movements thereof were assured by the alternative pushes or thrusts of these two jacks.

Patented Jan. 19, 1971 According to the present invention, the acting or engaging arms of the pivoting axles of the balancing means are hingedly connected, for example with the aid of a pivot connection, at the end of the piston rod of the corresponding driving jack. Since this jack is one that has a double-effect or double-action, such a provision makes it possible that the jack assures by itself not only the ascending movements but also the descending movements of the end of the balancing means with which it is hingedly disposed.

In the embodiment being considered, the device does not comprise more than eight jacks, as compared to the presence of twelve jacks in the prior art device, not counting the main tightening jack of the roller.

According to another embodiment it is possible to reduce by half the number of exterior jacks to be provided. This may be accomplished simply by interconnecting, or coupling with each other, the two outer actuating arms disposed on the same side of the longitudinal central plane of the roller with the aid of a single jack whose cylinder will be pivota-lly secured to the end of one of these arms while the rod of the same jack is, in turn, secured in the same manner to the end of the arm being coupled to the iirst one. In this second embodiment, there remain only four prestressing jacks and two regulating jacks, besides the tightening jack.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for varying the stress exerted on the chocks of working rolls which provides for more simplified and accurate control than heretofore attainable.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device of the type described which permits the use of jacks of increased capacity while providing an e'icient and economical construction.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of the type described which eliminates or otherwise altogether avoids the diiculties inherent in similar known arrangements.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of the illustration only and by no means in a limitative manner, a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a roller equipped with an arrangement for positional control of the chocks as proposed by the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, at an enlarged scale, taken along line I-I of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view, at an enlarged scale, of the device in question, taken along line II-II of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, at a larger scale, taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a -ball and socket joint for securing a fluid jack to an actuating lever.

In the various figures, the same elements have been identified with like reference numerals wherever possible to aid in understanding the invention. The posts of the support housing, such as post 1 in FIG. l, are substantially rectangular in shape being provided with a window within which the

chocks

2 and 3 of the upper and lower supporting rolls or cylinders, and the

respective chocks

4 and 5 of the upper and lower working rolls or cylinders are supported at either end of the rolls. The lower chock 3 of the lower supporting cylinder is supported on a main gripping or tightening jack 50 positioned in the bottom of 3 the window with the

chocks

2, 6 and 7 being supported thereon.

Two

blocks

4 and 5 are permanently secured to the inner surfaces of the window in any known manner in each of the two posts, each block containing hollowed portions or cavities provided therewithin so as to accommodate an arrangement in accordance with this invention designed to assure the equilibration of the stresses exerted upon the cylinders by effecting positional control over the

chocks

4 and 5 of the working rolls, and, if needed or desired, to control also the pre-stress, as will not be described. The

blocks

6 and 7 are also provided with pre-stress jacks 55 to provide basic spacing and positioning between the chock '3, the

blocks

6 and 7, and the chock 2 in the window of the posts.

Two

cavities

8 and 9 having an elongated shape are provided in each of the

blocks

6 and 7 at the respective levels of the horizontal planes through the axles of the two upper and lower working cylinders, the two cavities extending perpendicularly to these axles and each accommodating a bearing arm 17 extending out of the respective block into engagement with one of the working

chocks

4 or 5.

Disposed perpendicularly to each of the

cavities

8 and 9, that is to say, in a direction parallel to the axle of the corresponding working cylinder and within the same horizontal plane including these cavities is a second hollowed portion or cavity provided to accommodate an axle 14 for effecting pivotal operation of the bearing arms 17. As seen in FIG. 2, each second cavity may have a different diameter on either side of the

cavities

8 and 9 which correspond thereto, the larger one of the diameters in question being situated at the side of the bearing arm17 where the actuating lever 21 of the exterior ljacks forming the balancing means for the stresses will be installed. In FIG. 2 the bores having the larger diameter are designated 10 and the extension thereof having a smaller diameter on the side opposite the hollowed

portions

8 and 9 is designated 11.

Bearings

12 and 13 provided as separate bearings are mounted inside each of the

respective bores

10 and 11.

Four axles 14 are mounted in the second cavities in each of the

blocks

6 and 7 and turn respectively in each of the bearings 12 (two complete bearings) and 14 (also two complete bearings). The central portion of each of the axles 14, that is to say, that part which is comprised at the inside of the hollowed-out

portions

8 or 9, comprises means for connecting and driving the respective arm 17 in rotation, which arm moves inside the

cavities

8 or 9 thereof, driven by the oscillations of the axle |14 which supports it. In the case being considered, as particularly seen in FIG. 3, these driving means consist of gear teeth and corresponding grooves 15 on the respective parts by means of which the driving connection is established. Of course, other known connecting means could be used as Well without sacrifice of advantage. The arm 17 bearing at the free end thereof a supporting bushing 18 will come to be positioned in a longitudinal groove 19 provided for this purpose on the side of the working chock 4 or '5 which faces it. A piece 20 made from treated metal is preferably slipped into the groove 19 for preventing the wear and tear thereof.

During its oscillating movements, the arm 17 will come to bear first upon one and then upon the other of the edges of 'groove 19 lined with the piece or element 20, thus causing-in correspondence with the arm 17 which engages with it-ascending or descending vertical movements of the chock.

The end of the axle 16 which projects out from the vertical wall of the corresponding post comprises, quite like the central portion of the same axle, means for connecting and driving the outer arm 21, which again may comprise any known arrangement connecting a lever to a crank arm.

The actuating arm 21 is secured, with the free end there- 4 of, to the end of the piston rod of its driving jack 23 by means of a bearing slot 22 and pin 24, or other pivotal connector, such as a ball-and-socket joint as shown in FIG. 6.

The arm 21 is provided with a cylindrical bore A125 terminating toward the inside in a spherical socket 126. A ball '124 is located in this socket and has a cylindrical, threaded bore for the reception of the end 122 of jack 23, which end is likewise threaded. The conical opening 128 through which jack 23 extends allows the jack to conform to the movements of the ball 124. An end regulating member 221 is threadably received in the end of the arm 21 and is provided, at one end, with a spherical seating portion adapted to the diameter of ball 124 and, at the other end, with a square cross-section socket. By removing cap member 121, a square key can be placed in the square socket for regulating member 221 into its working or operating position. Thereafter, the cap member 121 can be replaced on the extremity of arm 21.

A bracket or other fastening element 25 being suitably secured to the post of the support housing is connected to an axle 32 around which the cylinder of the corresponding jack 23 may pivot.

Pipes

26 and 27 are provided for the supply of liuid pressure to operate the jacks 23, which control is effected from the central control desk or stand.

A stationary block or wedge 33 having a constant thickness is interposed between the lower horizontal face of post 1 and the upper horizontal face of chock 2 so as to prevent the movable equpiment from abutting against the transverse portion of post 1 due to the pressure of jack 50.

The operation of the invention lshould be apparent from the foregoing description. Control of the jacks 23 through selective application of fluid thereto via

lines

26 and 27 results in a rotation or cranking of the respective actuating arm 21 about the axis through the axle 14 connected thereto. This in turn results in a raising or lowering of the end of the arm 17 secured to the axle 14 to provide for upward or downward pressure on the chock supporting the work roll in proportion to the force exerted by the jack 23. Coordinate control of the four jacks 23 thereby results in desired stress control ofthe rolls.

It is thus apparent that, without the limitation regarding space, it is possible to provide for large-dimensioned jacks and, consequently, obtain stresses on the chocks of the working cylinders that are as significant as is desired.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 relates to a device having six jacks instead of the 12 jacks required in the prior art or the 8 jacks required in the embodiment of FIG. 1, not including the tightening jack 50.

This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment only in that the jacks 23, instead of being pivotally secured to bracket elements 25 fastened to the support housing are entirely independent thereof, each jack cylinder being mounted pivotally at the end of the one of the arms 21 with the end of the corresponding piston rod being mounted likewise in a pivoting manner at the end of the other arm 21 situated on the same side of the roller with respect to the axle line of the cylinders.

As a result of the novel connecting of the jacks in accordance with this embodiment, stress control of the rolls is greatly simplified. Since a single jack provides the control for two arms 17 on a common side of the two

chocks

4 and 5, a coordination of the pressure and direction of control occurs automatically. As compared to separate control over four such jacks, this arrangement is far simpler and provides for much more accurate control.

It should be noted in passing that in both cases the embodiments proposed by the present invention moreover afford the advantage of simplification with respect to the machining of the blocks being designed to support the rocker arms, the axles and the jacks thereof.

Finally, the devices according to the present invention, both those disclosed in the prior art patent and those described hereinabove, allow for bringing the

arms

17 and 21 into a perfectly horizontal position, which is the position for the disassembly and re-assembly in a rapid and easy manner.

We have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with the present invention. It is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to a person skilled in the art and we, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein, but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a multiroll rolling mill including a support frame having a window within which lthe chocks for the support rolls and the pair of working rolls are supported, an arrangement for effecting variation of the stresses exerted on the working chocks comprising a pair of blocks each disposed on a respective side of said working chocks in said window and being supported by the support frame.

oscillating levers supported by at least one block for pivotal movement about horizontal axes parallel to the working rolls, said levers extending into engagement with the working roll chocks for effecting vertical displacement thereof, and

jack means including at least one uid jack secured to the support frame at a point spaced from said blocks for effecting rotation of said oscillating levers to thereby regulate the stress on the chocks of said working rolls.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein both of said blocks support a pair of oscillating levers engaging with respective working roll chocks from opposite sides thereof.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said jack means includes a fluid jack for each oscillating lever and linkage means connecting said jacks to the respective oscillating levers for actuation thereof.

4. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said jack is a double-action jack.

5. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said jack means includes a single jack for the oscillating levers supported by each block and linkage means pivotally connecting respective ends of each jack to respective pairs of oscillating levers for actuation thereof.

6. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said blocks contain cavities within which said oscillating levers o and part of said linkage means are disposed.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein said blocks each contain a pair of first cavities at the levels of the upper and lower Working rolls, respectively, and disposed transversely to the axis of said rolls, said oscillating levers being positioned within said first cavities.

8. The combination defined in claim 7 wherein said blocks each contain a pair of second cavities at the levels of said first cavities and disposed transversely thereto so as to intersect with said first cavities, said linkage means including an axle in each second cavity connected to the oscillating le-ver in the first cavity intersecting therewith.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 wherein said second cavities have a first portion of one diameter and a second portion of larger diameter on opposite sides of the oscillating lever, said second portion being connected to an actuating arm forming part of said linkage means.

10. The combination as defined in claim 9 wherein said axle in each cavity is connected to an actuating lever which is connected to one end of a fluid jack.

11. The combination as defined in claim 9 wherein said axle in each cavity is connected to an actuating lever, said fluid jacks having respective ends connected to respective actuating levers.

12. The combination as defined in claim 9 wherein said actuating arms are connected to said axles by way of engaging grooved surfaces.

13. The combination as defined in claim 12 wherein said axles are connected to said oscillating levers by way of orthogonal return arms disposed Within the cavities in said blocks.

14. The combination as defined in claim 13 wherein said orthogonal return arms are secured to said axles by way of engaging grooved surfaces.

15. The combination as defined in claim 14 wherein supporting bushings are provided on the free end of said oscillating levers engaging with the working roll chocks.

16. The combination defined in claim 15 wherein said oscillating levers extend into respective horizontal grooves in said working roll chocks to effect engagement therebetween for purposes of vertical movement.

17. The combination defined in claim 15 wherein one end of said fiuid jacks are pivotally secured to said support frame and the other end is pivotally secured to an actuating lever.

18. The combination defined in claim 17 wherein said fluid jacks are secured to said actuating levers by way of ball and socket joints.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,898,007 2/ 1933 EWart 72-243 1,935,091 11/1933 Iversen 72-239 FOREIGN PATENTS 644,874 9/1962 Italy 72-245 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner B. J. MUSTAIKIS, Assistant Examiner