Apparatus for supporting two universal joint shafts and equipment comprising a strip-treating stand adapted to be driven by said universal joint shafts

Two universal joint shafts for driving a pair of working shafts of a strip-treating stand are arranged one over the other and adapted to be shortened so as to be uncoupled from said working shafts. For a replacement of one or both working shafts, the unversal joint shafts which are uncoupled from the working shafts and are supported by respective seating structures, which are adjustable in height. To enable an automatic coupling of the universal joint shafts to the working shaft and to permit of the use of interchangeable strip-treating stands, which can only be lifted, the seating structures comprise upwardly facing bearing surfaces, which are adapted to support and to clear said universal joint shafts. Said seating structures are mounted in a carrier, which is adjustable in height and carries also means for adjusting said bearing surfaces in height relative to said carrier only by equal distances in opposite directions.

This invention relates to apparatus for supporting two universal joint 
shafts for driving a pair of working shafts of a strip-treating stand, 
which universal joint shafts are to be supported during a replacement of a 
working shaft. The apparatus comprises two seating structures, which are 
adjustable in height and serve to support the universal joint shafts, 
which are arranged one over the other and are adapted to the shortened for 
an automatic disengagement of couplings which connect the universal joint 
shafts to the working shafts. 
To enable a quick replacement of the working shafts of a strip-treating 
stand, it is known from Austrian Patent Specification No. 272,245 to 
support a bearing for the coupling head of the universal joint shafts so 
that the working shafts, which may consist, e.g., of the working shafts of 
a rolling mill stand or of the knife shafts of a shearing machine, can be 
axially pulled out of the couplings, which are held in position by 
retaining jaws, which are moved into engagement with the universal joint 
heads so that the latter are rotatably mounted between said jaws. The 
pairs of retaining jaws are jointly adjustable to a proper elevation by 
hydraulic actuators. That known design has the disadvantage that it 
involves a relatively large structural expenditure and, above all, that 
the heads of the universal joint shafts are held in position by the 
retaining jaws so that the heads of the universal joint shafts cannot be 
freely connected to the working shafts unless the latter are exactly in a 
predetermined relation to the universal joint shafts. For this reason 
these known apparatus do not permit of an automatic coupling. Besides, the 
working shafts must be pulled out axially so that interchangeable stands, 
i.e., stands which are replaced entirely, must be shifted in the direction 
of the working shafts. Moreover, the retaining jaws can be adjusted only 
in height so that there is no allowance for a horizontal adjustment of the 
working shafts although this would be required, e.g., for working shafts 
which are adjusted by an eccentric. The plane of travel of the strip to be 
worked upon is defined by roller conveyors, and the working shafts are 
adjusted symmetrically with respect to that plane of travel so that the 
retaining jaws must be correspondingly adjusted too. For this reason the 
known design has the disadvantage that the pairs of retaining jaws for the 
upper and lower universal joint shafts must be individually adjusted in 
height. 
Similar disadvantages are encountered in conjunction with another design, 
which is known from Opened German Specification No. 2,027,920 and in which 
the universal joint shafts are supported by rollers carried by a bell 
crank lever, which is pivoted to a frame and operable to adjust the 
rollers in height. Because the inclination of the coupling heads of these 
universal joint shafts can be adjusted and each universal joint shaft is 
provided for this purpose with a slidable sleeve, which is shifted by a 
fork mounted in the frame, there is a predetermined relation between the 
universal joint shafts and the frame in the axial direction so that the 
working shafts can again be pulled off only in an axial direction. 
Besides, an adjustment is enabled only in height whereas an adjustment in 
the horizontal plane is impossible and each universal joint shaft must be 
individually adjusted. 
In order to enable an automatic uncoupling and coupling of working shafts 
and universal joint shafts, Austrian Patent Specification No. 221,460 
teaches to use couplings which have a coupling member forming a 
funnel-shaped opening for another coupling member, which is provided with 
a guide pin. That design ensures that the coupling members will 
automatically interfit when they are pushed together even when the shaft 
ends to be coupled are not exactly in register. Because the interengaging 
parts are convex, the shafts to be connected may extend at an angle. When 
it is desired to disengage these known couplings, the telescopic universal 
joint shaft is shortened against the force of a return spring so that the 
two coupling members are pulled apart. Under the restoring force of the 
spring, the two coupling members are caused to interfit when the shafts 
are to be connected so that the automatic finding device ensures a 
reliable interengagement even when the two coupling members are not 
exactly in register initially. 
It is an object of the invention to simplify the replacement of the working 
shafts of strip-treating stands with the aid of such self-finding 
quick-release couplings and thus to enable an automatic coupling 
operation. Besides, a simple use of interchangeable stands which can only 
be lifted off is to be enabled. 
In an apparatus of the kind described first hereinbefore, this object is 
accomplished in accordance with the invention in that the seating 
structure have upwardly facing bearing surfaces for supporting the 
universal joint shafts, which can be lifted off, the bearing surfaces are 
adjustable in height by equal distances in opposite directions, and the 
seating structures mechanism are mounted in a carrier, which is adjustable 
in height. Because the upwardly facing bearing surfaces cannot be adjusted 
independently of each other but are adjustable in height only by equal 
distances in opposite directions, a symmetrical movement of the two 
universal joint shafts with respect to the plane of travel of the strip 
metal through the strip-treating stand is ensured so that a single drive 
unit will be sufficient and only that drive unit must be properly 
controlled. The use of seating structures having upwardly facing bearing 
surfaces, from which the universal joint shafts can be lifted, in 
conjunction with the measure that these upwardly facing bearing surfaces 
and the drive means for adjusting them are mounted in a carrier which is 
adjustable in height, enables a lowering of the upwardly facing bearing 
surfaces from the universal joint shafts during the operation of the stand 
so as to avoid an undesired friction. Even after such lowering, the 
universal joint shafts can simply be moved into registry with new working 
shafts which are to be coupled because it is sufficient for that purpose 
to return the carrier to its working position, in which the coupling heads 
of the universal joint shafts can be adjusted only symmetrically with 
respect to the strip plane. 
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, each of the upwardly 
facing bearing surfaces forms a slideway, which extends transversely to 
the axis of the associated universal joint shaft and is slidably 
engageable therewith. This feature permits of a simple horizontal 
adjustment of the working shafts in case of need because the self-finding 
means of the couplings which are used can shift the universal joint shafts 
when this is required. 
In accordance with the invention, a particularly simple arrangement will be 
obtained if a power screw mechanism is provided, which comprises two 
shafts, each of which has two series of oppositely handed screw threads 
for adjusting the upper and lower universal joint shafts, respectively, so 
that the upwardly facing bearing surfaces will be positively adjusted in 
opposite directions by a rotation of said shafts. 
Because the seating structures and the mechanism for adjusting their 
upwardly facing bearing surfaces are mounted in a carrier which is 
adjustable in height, it would be obvious to support the means for driving 
the adjusting mechanism also by said carrier. But such an arrangement 
would require relatively heavy means for moving the carrier. For this 
reason, a further feature of the invention resides in that the means for 
driving the power screw mechanism are stationary and are connected to the 
screw-threaded shafts by couplings which permit of an axial displacement 
of the screw-threaded shafts. These couplings may consist, e.g., of 
splined members and ensure a simple transmission of torque. 
A particularly simple design will be obtained if the carrier consists of a 
yoke and is adjustable by a fluid-operable actuator and together with the 
power screw shafts and the seating structures constitutes a closed frame. 
This eliminates the need for providing a a carrier consisting of a closed 
frame in itself so that a structure which is particularly light and 
inexpensive can be used. 
To enable an automatic coupling operation, the means for driving the power 
screw mechanism for adjusting the upwardly facing bearing surfaces may be 
controlled in dependence on the center distance between the working 
shafts, which distance is measured by a suitable sensor, so that the 
distance between the upwardly facing bearing surfaces is automatically 
adjusted to the center distance between the working shafts. An automatic 
control in dependence on a measurement of the actual distance between the 
upwardly facing bearing surfaces can also be provided of course. It will 
be understood that this automatic control requires that the proper 
position of the upwardly facing bearing surfaces relative to the plane of 
travel of the strip is reliably maintained by the positive adjustment in 
height of the upwardly facing bearings by equal distances in opposite 
directions. This can be ensured in a simple manner in that the operating 
position of the carrier is defined by adjustable stops.

The shearing machine stand 1 shown in FIG. 1 constitutes an interchangeable 
stand, which can be lifted as a whole by a suitable hoist. The shearing 
machine stand 1 is driven by a motor 3 via a power-dividing transmission 4 
and two universal joint shafts 2. The latter are telescopic so that they 
can be shortened to disengage the couplings 5, which connect the universal 
joint shafts 2 to respective working knife shafts 6 of the stand 1. For 
this purpose the coupling member secured to each universal joint shaft 2 
must be pulled out of the coupling member secured to the associated 
working shaft 6. This is accomplished by an uncoupling plate 8, which is 
slidably mounted in a frame 7 and can be horizontally moved by means of a 
hydraulic actuator 9 and engages abutment flanges 10 provided on the 
universal joint shafts 2. When pressure in the proper direction is applied 
to the hydraulic actuator the latter will act via the uncoupling plate 8 
on the abutment flanges 10 to push the telescopic universal joint shafts 2 
to a shorter length against the force of re-turn springs 11 so that the 
couplings 5 are disengaged. 
Two seating structures 12 are provided. Each seating structure comprises a 
roller 13, which is mounted on an associated axle 15, which is held in two 
bearing bodies 14. The outside peripheral surface of each roller 13 forms 
an upwardly facing bearing surface. These bearing surfaces serve to 
support the universal joint shafts 2 when they are uncoupled. The 
universal joint shafts 2 can be adjusted in length even when they are 
supported by the rollers 13 because the latter are freely rotatably 
mounted on the axle 15. 
The seating structures 12 are adjustable in height by a power screw 
mechanism, which comprises two shafts 18, each of which has two series of 
screw threads 16 and 17, which are oppositely handed and in screw-threaded 
engagement with female screw threads of respective bearing bodies 14 for 
the upper and lower seating structures 12 so that the shafts 18 can be 
rotated to positively effect an adjustment of the bearing bodies 14 and of 
the seating structures 12 by equal distances in opposite directions. As a 
result, the upwardly facing bearing surfaces of the seating structures 12 
can be only symmetrically adjusted with respect to the plane of travel 19 
of the strip metal to be acted upon. By means of an eccentric, which is 
not shown, the working shafts 6 are also only symmetrically adjustable in 
height with respect to said plane. 
Because the adjustment of the working shafts 6 by the eccentric influences 
not only the vertical center distance between the shafts 6 but adjusts 
them also in a horizontal direction, the universal joint shafts 2 must be 
horizontally adjustable too so that they moved into registry with the 
working shafts 6. For this purpose, the upwardly facing bearing surfaces 
of the seating structures 12 constitute slideways for the universal joint 
shafts. In the embodiments shown by way of example, the rollers 13 are so 
designed that these slideways are constituted by the outside peripheral 
surfaces of the rollers 13. To prevent a slipping of the universal joint 
shafts 2 from the rollers 13, the same are provided with radial stop 
flanges 20 adjacent to their ends. 
By means of the seating structures 12 which are adjustable in height by 
equal distances in opposite directions, the couplings at the ends of the 
universal joint shafts can be adjusted in a simple manner and with 
adequate precision for adaptation to the elevations of the two working 
shafts 6 of a new shearing machine stand 1 so that the self-finding 
couplings 5 can interengage when the uncoupling plate 8 has been 
retracted. As the universal joint shafts 2 are transversely slidable on 
the seating structures 12, the universal joint shafts 2 can be moved into 
registry with the working shafts 6 even when the latter have been 
horizontally moved during their adjustment by the eccentric because the 
required horizontal movement will be imparted to the universal joint 
shafts 2 by the self-finding couplings 5 as the latter are engaged. 
To ensure that the universal joint shafts 2 do not chafe on the seating 
structures 12 during the operation of the stand 1, said seating structures 
12 can be lowered. This cannot be accomplished by the power screw 
mechanism, which can impart only equal and opposite movements to the 
seating structures. For this reason the shafts 18 are rotatably and 
axially immovably mounted in a carrier 21, which consists of a yoke and 
can by adjusted in height relative to the frame 7 by a hydraulic actuator 
22. Because the carrier 21, the screw-threaded shafts 18, and the seating 
structures 12 constitute a closed frame, a very simple structure is 
obtained, which combines adequate stability with low structural 
expenditure. 
To eliminate the need for adjusting in height also the means 23 for driving 
the screw-threaded shafts 18, the latter are connected to the drive means 
23 by splined sleeves 24 and bevel gear trains 25. The splined sleeves 24 
permit of an axial adjustment of the screw-threaded sleeves 18 and provide 
for a transmission of torque. 
To ensure that any backlash will be compensated and the upwardly facing 
bearing surfaces of the seating structures 12 will always be in a correct 
position relative to the plane of travel 19 stop rods 26 are provided, 
which are adjustably mounted by means of screw threads in the frame 7 and 
define the operating position of the carrier 21. 
The structure which is illustrated can also be used when new stands are to 
be automatically coupled because the means 23 for driving the 
screw-threaded shafts 18 can readily be controlled in dependence on the 
center distance of the working shafts 6 of the shearing machine stand 1. 
This can be accomplished in that the center distance between the working 
shafts 6 is measured by a suitable sensor 27, which in the embodiment 
shown by way of example consists of an inductive displacement pick-up and 
which delivers a desired-value signal to a controller 28 for controlling 
the drive means 23. To ensure that a correct adjustment will be effected, 
this control system can be supplemented to form a closed-loop control 
system in that the distance between the upwardly facing surfaces of the 
seating structures 12 is monitored by a sensor 29 and the actual-value 
signal delivered by the sensor 29 is applied to the controller 28 and 
compared therein with the desired-value signal.