Positioning of edge rolls

A positioning device for rollers in an edging stand includes two hydraulic cylinder piston adjusting drives being laterally offset from each other and from a vertical plane; further included are two spindle drives each with a spindle and a nut, the spindles being arranged one above the other in that plane, the stand further includes a cross head and a coupler plate which holds the nuts and is articulated to the pistons of the cylinder piston adjusting drives while the cylinders are articulated on the cross head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to the control of positioning of and within 
vertical upset edging devices ultimately for purposes of controlling the 
width of flat rolled stock. The device is to include electrical spindles 
and spindle drives combined with hydraulic, servo-valve controlled piston 
cylinder arrangement to work against the load of the rolling process. 
Generally speaking vertical edging devices are known for purposes of 
correcting the width of rolled stock. Herein controls are used which, on 
one hand, offset width variations of the rolled stock in the direction of 
rolling including certain deviations from a desired width as well as from 
a mean or actual actual width values. Known controllers of vertical upset 
edging or stands include combined electric spindle drive and hydraulic 
adjusting mechanism. The spindle drives establish a zero and starting 
position in the idle situation and in terms of defining the rolling gap. 
The hydraulic piston cylinder drives will take up those adjustments which 
of course have to be carried out against the load of the rolling process. 
This position control is, as far as construction details are concerned, 
coupled directly to the nut of the threaded spindle system, or even 
establishes by itself that nut which then is moved through the cylinder 
and in a sliding fashion within the rolling stand. This particular 
approach serves the purpose to protect the hydraulic cylinder against 
direct heat radiation of the rolling process and to avoid negative 
interference of the descaling process. 
The known approach is disadvantaged by the fact that the enhanced 
protection against outer interference causes unfavorable conditions as far 
as accessibility of various pieces of equipment are concerned. This has 
directly a bearing on removal and replacement for purposes of maintenance 
or the like. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved 
positioning device of the type generally referred to above which is to be 
simplified from a point of view of construction so that, on one hand, the 
protection of important parts against external interference is not 
compromised while various parts which have to be accessed are in fact more 
easily accessed for purposes of maintenance or the like. 
It is a specific object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved positioning control for vertical edging mill stands and used for 
purposes of width control of flat rolled stock under utilization of an 
electric spindle drive combined, and coacting, with hydraulic servo-valve 
controlled, piston cylinder drive means that operates and acts against the 
rolling load. 
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention it is 
suggested to position the cylinder or cylinders of the aforementioned 
piston cylinder drive means such that they are laterally displaced from 
the spindle or spindles that are connected with the respective operating 
nut or nuts of the threaded spindle drive means by means of a coupler 
plate being arranged on the front side of the stand head or on the rear 
thereof. The coupler plate could be made by two crosswise linked parts 
details of which will be described more fully below.

Proceeding now to the detailed description of the drawings, FIG. 1 
illustrates schematically a major portion of a vertical upsetting stand S 
in cross section whereby the cross section plane runs through a hydraulic 
drive that includes a cylinder 4 and a piston 4a, for purposes of 
positioning the rolls such as W and holding them under rolling pressure. 
The roll W and others rotate on vertical axes. Also included is an 
electrically operated adjusting spindles 3. A stand cross head is 
designated in FIG. 1 with reference numeral 5, and provides for a mount of 
threaded slide nuts 2 which respectively ride on the spindle 3 (see FIG. 
2). The nuts 2 do not rotate but as the respective spindle 3 rotates it 
moves also axially because it (the spindle) is held by the nuts. The nuts 
are held in a neutral portion of cross head 4. 
As shown in FIG. 2 the hydraulic adjusting cylinders 4 are supported on 
both sides with regard to a plane that runs through the center of the two 
threaded spindles 3. Support of the cylinders 4 is needed on the cross 
head 5 through the cylinders 4 are laterally offset and outside of the 
central portion of the cross head that holds nuts 2. The specific support 
for each cylinder includes a pressure element 6 in each instance, which 
has a curvature to. correspond to the bottom of the respective cylinder. 
Specifically, concave bulging or barrel shaped and spherically shaped 
heads of elements 6 matchingly engage concave recesses in cylinders 4. 
This configuration permits, within a limited range, a certain oblique 
position of the respective cylinder 4. 
As can be seen specifically, the pistons 4a of the hydraulic drives have 
their ends 7 articulated to a coupler plate 1. These ends 7, of course, 
project from the cylinders 4 in the direction towards the rolls W. The 
plate 1, on the other hand, serves as actual support for the nut 2 at the 
specific location 8. Thus, the spindles 3 hold the rolls W; the nuts 2 on 
the spindles hold plate 1 which in turn is acted upon by piston rods 4a. 
The coupler plate 1 is also shown in FIG. 2 and is shaped corresponding to 
the requirements and conditions of space between the stand and the cross 
heads 5 of the stand, whereby the hydraulic cylinders 4 will always be 
freely accessible owing to their laterally displaced positions- This is a 
principal feature for facilitating removal and insertion. 
The invention offers an approach in which the cylinders cannot only be 
disconnected from the threaded spindle drive but owing to the laterally 
displaced position they are easily accessible even when mounted and 
therefore can be mounted or disconnected without problems. The connection 
between the electrical spindle drive and the nuts 2 thereof on one hand 
and the cylinders 4 on the other hand is, as per the principal feature, 
carried out by means of that coupler plate which does not only provide for 
this coupling function but owing to its particular physical dimension and 
position it protects the cylinder against any interference from the 
rolling area such as large radiation or the like. 
FIG. 3 illustrates a similar construction as shown in FIG. 1 with a 
difference however in that in this case the particular coupler plate 1 is 
situated on the cross heat 5 at a side facing away from the rolls W. 
However, also here there is articulation (4b) of the hydraulic cylinders 4 
to the cross heads 5. The connection of the plate 1 to the pistons 4a is 
one of the same articulated configuration outlined above and again a 
limited skew of the plate 1 can be compensated for. 
The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above but all 
changes and modifications thereof, not constituting departures from the 
spirit and scope of the invention, are intended to be included.