US1987204A - Rolling mill and control mechanism therefor - Google Patents

Description

. Jan. 8, 1935. H. c. MOSLEY 1,987,204 3 ROLLING MILL AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed oct. 27;1951 4 Sheets-Shgeet 1 INVENTOR L H. c. MOSLEY ROLLING MILL AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed 001;. '27, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 8, 1935.

H. c.' MOSLEY ROLLING MILL AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed Oct. 27, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan. 8,1935.

H. c. MOSLEV ROLLING MILL AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed Oct. 27, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4" INVENTORY- Patented Jan. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-O ROLLING MILL AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR Application October 2 7,

11 Claims.

trolmechanism of such nature that the characteristic operation of the apparatus is controlled automatically by the material being worked upon.

While thepresent invention is adaptable to a wide variety of different types of metal work- 'ing apparatus for controlling the characteristic operation of adjacent units working continuous- 1y on a piece of metal, it is herein illustrated and described as applied to a continuous mill 0! the type utilized in the rolling of rods, bars and the like.

In mills of the general character referred to; it is customary to provide, somewhere in the mill train, one or more intermediate mills and one or more finishing mills. The intermediate mill or mills constitute an intermediate stand, and the finishing mill or mills constitute either a finishing stand or spaced finishing stands to which the rods or bars may be selectively fed. It is well recognized that it is necessary to properly correlate the speed of operation of an intermediate stand with a given finishing stand, in order to effect feeding of the material at a proper rate of speed. If the speed of operation of the finishing stand is too high, relatively to the speed of operation of the intermediate stand supplying metal thereto, the metal is subjected to an undue stretching, while if the speed of the finishing mill is too low, objectionable looping or buckling of the metal takes place. 'It-has heretofore been customary in the art to which the invention relates' to drive stands of the character referred to with variable speed motors, and to control the speed of the motors manually, in accordance with the characteristics of the metal intermediate adjacent stands.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to obviate the necessity for such amanual control, and efieot an'automatic control of the speed of a finishing stand, in accordance, with the length of the material between an intermediate stand and a finishing stand.

It is a further object of'the present invention to provide a control stand of the general character referred to, which is automatically operable to prevent an-excess body of metal between adjacent stands, and also to prevent the possibility of an operation such that any metal therebetwe' in will be subjected to an undesired tension or stretching. r

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated the invention, more or less diagrammati- 1931, Serial No. 571,308

cally, as applied to a continuous rod mill of the general character referred to, it being understood, however, that the utility of the invention is not thus limited.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view, largely diagrammatic, of a rolling system embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view, on an en arged scale, along the line II--1I of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the structure illustrated in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the dial switch shown in side elevation in Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a partial wiring diagram employed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring first to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a portion of a rolling mill comprising an intermediate stand 2, herein shown as composed of two intermediate mills, adapted to feed rods, bars or the like, either to a finishing stand 3 or a finishing stand 4. Each of these finishing stands is shown as comprising four individual mills, although the number of mills may be varied at the pleasure of the operator.

Extending between the intermediate stand 2 and the finishing stand 3 is a regulator 5 of generally curved construction so as to provide a length materially greater than the straight line distance between the two stands, a similar regulator 6 extending between the intermediate stand 2 and the finishing stand 4. As will be apparent more particularly from Figure 2 of the drawings, wherein the regulator 5 is shown in transverse section, it comprises, in general, a channelshaped body of metal having an upwardly and inwardly extending opening or throat '7 through which material may pass inwardly into the'chain line positiomfor example, illustrated in Figure 1. This movement of the metal will be occasioned under such conditions of operation as the speed of a finishing stand exceeds, beyond a predetermined amount, the speed of; the intermediate stand. Should the speed difterence become too great, it is obvious that the metal will tend to assume a position. as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 1, this representing an approximation, as nearly as permitted by the regulator construcv tion, of a straight line condition between the stands. As soon as the dotted; line position is it, thus resulting in undersized rods, which must be rejected.

- In accordance with the present invention, I provide at a suitable point intermediate the adjacent stands, an automatic control mechanism, by

means of which the motor 8 driving the finishing stand3orthemotor9drivingthefinishingstand 4 may have its speed automatically varied. This control mechanism is illustrated, as to its mechanical construction, in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, as comprising a control lever 10 carried by a horizontally extending shaft 11 below the repeater table 12, and as projecting upward- 1. line position, it will swing the roller 15 and thus ly through a slot 14 therein. It is to be understood that one of these mechanisms is provided for each of the regulators, the mechanisms being of similar construction. At its upper end, the lever carries a roller 15 projecting upwardly a sufiicient distance above the table 12 so as tobe'engaged by the metal in moving from the regulator'toitschainlinepositiomandtobeswung by the metal in moving from its chain line to its dotted line position. In Figure 2, the lever 10 is shown in its extreme position toward the regulator, with a rod 16 in contact with the roller 15. Should the rod tend to assume a straight the lever 10 to the. right, as viewed in Figure 2,

thusrotatingtheshattllinaclo'ckwisedirection. This shaft is normally urged in the opposite direction by counterweights 17 and 17' and fluid pressure cylinder 18 to cause the parts to return to the position shown in Figure 2, should the tension on the rod decrease.

Carried by the shaft 11 is a contact arm 19 constituting a part oi. a dial switch, illustrated moreparticuIarIyinFigureQandcomprisInga series of individual contacts 20 over which the dial arm is adaptedto be moved when the shaft 11 is rotated. These contacts 20 are illustrated in Figure 5 as being each connected to oneside oi! acoil21 adaptedtobesuccessivelyenergizedor deenergized as the contact arm 19 moves in one direction or the other over the contacts- As they are successively energized, they attract arms 22, of magnetically operated contactors, and thus successively cut into or out oi! circuit predeterand'the tension on the material relieved, there mined amounts of resistance in a field rheostat 23, bymeans of which the speed of either the motorii or the motor 9 may be regulated,.there being oneoi these field rheostats or each motor. 'lhernovementotthedialswitchesinacoordance with the position otits respective control lever, thus automatically varying the speed or! themotordrivingtherollsoithefinishingstands,

the construction being such that the motors are progressivelydecreasedinspeedasthematerial assume a more nearly straight -,line position, and

It will be understood that the field rheostats may be the same as those ordinarily employed-tor eiiecting manual control oi'speed conditions, such intermediate two predetermined points tends to control being rendered unnecessary by thepi'ese'ntinvention.v P 'lhespeedoithemotors drivingthefinishing standshaving been automatically varied by the tension on the material, the relative speeds o! th'eintermediatemilland thefinishingmillare bmughtmorenearly into the desired synchronism by permitting, it tomove from its dotted line I position chain line position. During this movement, the'lever 10 is, caused to iollowthe material under the infiuence .oi the iiuid pressure cylinder 18 counterweight 1'1, thus the parts position in which they are ready for a succeeding operation, should the speed of the mills age-hi go out of step. 'Whilethedialswitchbeioredescribedmaybe 20inaccordancewiththepositionoitheannl The particular construction of however, constitutes no essential present invention, it being same as required to meet encountered.

travel of the material intermediate succeed roll stands.

Further advantages of the invention arise from the provision of a control mechanism adapted to beutilizedwithmillsiortherdlingoirodaben and the like and automatically controlled by the material being rolled, whereby the desired rolling speeds of successive tained.

whilelhavehereinillustrat edanddeecribed a preferred embodiment of my invmtion, it will beunderstoodthatchangesintheeonstructim arrangement and operation 01 the parts may be made without departing either-iron: the spiritot or my broader clai m the invention or the scope I claim: -1.Arollingmiil comprisingstandsolrolisbetween which material is adapted to pass, means mounted for generally horizontal movement transversely of the direction or movement-o! the material and adapted to engage the rlmtes'ial possible to m theoperatingeuuiitiom .go

millstaudsaremainof such material, said to saidiirstmeniionedmeam soconstructedand arrangedasto'regulatethespeedot'atleastme oisaidstandsinaccordancewiththetensionon"' the material.

amamnmzmmymmamuauma standagenerallyhorilontfllyeuned finishing regulator intermediate said stands. and

having a portionwithin thecurveotlaidlfelll- .iator mounted for generally transversely .1. said regulator (automatically vii-171 8 the speed of one oi said standsinaecord-z;

ance with the tension on the material sum.- yi sspacedstands,oiagenerailyhorisontalcunbination in a continuous IIImIIII- Y said stands, and a speed controlling mechanism having a portion mounted for generally horizontal movement transversely of said regulator within the curve of said regulator and in cooperative relation to the metal in said regulator. 5. In a rolling mill, spaced stands adapted to perform successive operations on a piece of metal, a generally horizontally curved guide intermediate said stands, and a speed control mechanism having a portion projecting upwardly within the curve of said guide and mounted for generally horizontal movement transversely of said guide and so as to be engaged by metal moving laterally out of and away from the guide.

6. The combination with a guide having a throat opening upwardly and toward one side thereof, of a lever normally inclined toward saidthroat and adapted to be engaged by material passing out of the throat, and a regulator for con-,

control mechanism below said table operated by said lever.

8. The combination in a rolling mill of spaced roll stands, generally horizontally disposed means intermediate said stands having an upwardly and laterally directed opening adapted normally to cause material being rolled therein to follow a generally horizontally curved path therebetween,

and speed control mechanism having a portion mounted for generally horizontal movement transversely of said means adapted to be actuated by said material when the material tends to travel in a substantially straight line from one mill to the other and passes through said opening.

9. The combination with an intermediate roll stand providing a rolling pass, of a finishing roll stand providing a rolling pass whose axis is horizontally out of alinement with the axis of said first mentioned rolling pass, a motor for driving each of said stands, a curved guide disposed in the path of travel oimaterial from one stand to the other, and means having a portion mounted for generally horizontal movement so constructed and arranged as to control the speed of one of said stands when the material travels in a predetermined path shorter than that of the curved control mechanism.

10. The combination with. spaced roll stands,

of a generally horizontally curved guide extending between said stands, a motor for driving each of said stands, and a control mechanism having a portion generally horizontally spaced from said guide and mounted for generally horizontal movement transversely of the path of travel ofmaterial moving out of said guide and adopted to be engaged by said material for regulating the HARLEY c. Meeting.

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