A HYDRAULIC OPENING MEANS FOR SLITTERS AND THE LIKE

Abstract: A slitter for steel strips comprises two mutually co-operating arbors (12, 13) on which there are threaded pairs of mutually co-operating disc shaped cutters and intervening spacers. A frame end wall (11) for rotatable journalling of the arbors at one end is, by means of hydraulic piston, pivotable outwardly into a position wherein the arbor ends are freed in such a manner that an assembling means (29) may be docked against the arbor ends.

Description: A HYDRAULIC OPENING MEANS FOR SLITTERS AND THE LIKE The present invention relates to a hydraulic opening means for slitters and the like, particularly slitters for strip steel. The invention is generally useful also in connection with certain rolling mills, but, as it has been created in connection with works on a slitter of steel strips it will, for convenience, be disclosed hereinafter essentially with special reference to a steel strip slitter, without being restricted to slitters... . Hereinafter, the term steel strips, of course, should be concieved to include also other materials, such as brass, copper and other metals, for instance, and some¬ times also plastic materials. The work performed by a slitter as contemplated here is sometimes called "slit¬ ting" in that the stock material is slitted longitudinal¬ ly, as contrasted to cutting, where the stock material is cut transverse to its longitudinal direction. Typically, a slitter for steel strips comprises two mutually parallel arbors on which there are threaded pairs of mutually co-operating, ring shaped cutters and inter¬ vening spacers. The width, i.e. the axial measure o,f the cutters and the spacers depends on the strip width, or widths of the strip steel in each case. On shifting to other widths the cutters and spacers have to be shifted, which is usually called re-assembling. Of course, the corresponding applies to co-operating rolls in a rolling mill, a contour rolling mill or the like. To permit cutter assembly and re-assembly, respecti¬ vely, of a slitter, it is, of course, necessary to free one end of each arbor, whereas the other end remains sit¬ ting in a cantilever fashion. It will then be possible to draw off cutters and spacers from the freed arbor end, and then to thread on other cutters and spacers on the arbor in question. The freing of the arbor ends for re-assembly is com¬ paratively elaborate and time consuming, and is further¬ more a very heavy work. To avoid the said problems, at least to some extent, it has been proposed to use two or more sets of arbors, so that one set may be assembled while another set is in operation. O course, a certain improvement is. gained in this way, but this solution is costly and offers only a partial solution. The present invention has aimed at providing a hy¬ draulic opening means or slitters and the like which reme¬ dies the above mentioned problems. To the just mentioned end the hydralic opening means for slitters and the like according to the present inven¬ tion has been designed in such a manner that one frame end wall for rotatable journalling of one of the arbor ends is, by means of at least one hydraulic piston, outwardly pivotable around a shaft disposed perpendicularly to the centre line direction of the arbors in order to free the ends of the arbors in such a manner, that an assembly means carrying cutters and spacers may be axially moved up against the said arbors in order to disassemble and as¬ semble the cutters and spacers. The proposed opening means is simple and sturdy in its construction and reliable in operation. Further, the hydraulic opening means according to the invention affords some additional advantages, such as, in connetecion with other development steps, a possibility to a close to comp¬ lete automatization of the re-assembling job. The hydraulic opening means according to the present invention is useful irrespective of how the cutters and spacers per se are arranged on the arbors and irrespective of how they are locked against axial movements thereon, but according to the invention it is particularly advanta¬ geous to use, together with the hydraulic opening means, also a locking means for cutters and spacers, which is characterized essentially in that there at each arbor end is disposed a hydraulic piston for axial displacement of means within the arbor end, which means are adapted, at their axial displacement, to axially displace a ring threaded on the respective arbor end, so as to clamp cut¬ ters and spacers between said axially displaceable ring and a similar, axially stationary ring at the other end of the arbor . The invention will be disclosed in more details below with reference had to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagra atical end view of one embodiment of a slitter, picked as an example, having an opening means according to the invention to illustrate the envi¬ ronment within which the opening means according to the invention is intended to work; Fig. 2 is a plan view from above of the slitter, corresponding to fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an axial longitudinal section showing the end of a cutter arbor, having a special locking means, wherein the locking means is shown in two different posi¬ tions; Fig. 4 is a very diagrammatic plan view of a slitting line according to the invention. In the drawings there is shown, in end view, a part of a strip slitter comprising two frame portions 10, 11 between which there are rotatably journalled two arbors 12, 13, on which there are threaded a plurality of mutu¬ ally co-operating disc shaped cutters with intervening spacers. The arbors and the drives therefore are known per se and do not need any detailed description. The material . is intended to pass through the slitter in the direction of the arrow R in fig. 2. According to fig. 3 there is disposed on the arbor 13 a thrust ring 14 , which is axially movable by means of pistons 15, each one of which has an inclined surface which is adapted to co-operate with a corresponding in¬ clined surface on the thrust ring 14. The pistons 15 are radially movable in relation to the arbor 13 in that they, by means of keygrooves or the like, are interconnected with axially movable keys 16, which are adapted to be axially displaced by displacing a thrust rod 17. At its right hand end this rod has a head 18. The head 18 is displaceable leftwardly by means of a rod 20 that is mov¬ able by means of a hydraulic piston 19, and the rod 20 has pivotable hooks 21 which may engage behind the head 18 and pull the head outwardly, towards the right, when the pis tons 15 are to be displaced outwardly to axially lock th cutters and spacers on the arbor 13. Portions of the right frame wall 11 are outwardl pivotable around a vertical shaft 22, viz. by means of hydraulic cylinder 23, one end of which is pivotally con nected to a bracket 24 on the frame, and the other end o which is pivotally connected to a stationary bracket 25 o the slitter frame, fig. 1 and 2. The just mentioned pivot able frame wall portions have a locking lug 26 which, b means of a hydraulic piston 27, may be locked to a fram portion 28 to lock the end wall in operative position. corresponding locking means is disposed at the other en of the frame. According to fig. 4 a slitter having an automatic re assembly feature according to the invention comprises th slitter S per se, which has a hydraulically openable fram end wall 11. Adjacent to the slitter S there is disposed re-assembling means 29, comprising four pairs of arbor 30, one above the other, which arbors are adapted to b disposed with their ends opposite the ends of the slitte arbors 12, 13 to thread on thereto cutters and spacers i the desired arrangement. On assembly the cutters and spa cers are pushed on by means of a pusher 31, and on de assembly from the slitter arbors the cutters and spacer are pushed off by means of an off-pusher 32 of the slit ter. Normally ' , the cutters and spacers are stored in on or more stores 33, from where they are picked by means o a robot 34 to be placed on the assembling means 29. Whe the cutters are dismounted from the slitter they may ad vantageously be brought to a brushing device 35 for clean ing, before they are again placed in the store 33. The control of the choice of the cutters and spacer having the correct dimensions for each particular case t be put on the assembling means 29, the opening of th frame end wall 11 and the movements of the assemblin means 29, both the turning motion and the docking movemen towards and away from the slitter, as well as the contro of the locking means, is performed by a computer in ac¬ cor d ance with the program determined for each particular case. A plurality of modifications and alterations as to d etails may be carried out within the scope of the inven ¬ tion.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A hydraulical opening means for slitters and th like, particularly slitters for strip steel, viz. slitter of the type which comprises two arbors (12,13), dispose mutually parallel, on which there are threaded mutuall co-operating cutters and intervening spacers, characteri zed in that one frame end wall (11) for rotatable journal ling of one of the arbor (12,13) ends is, by means of a least one hydraulic piston (23) , outwardly pivotable a round a shaft (22) disposed perpendicularly to the centr line direction of the arbors in order to free the ends o the arbors (12,13) in such a manner, that an assembl means (29) carrying cutters and spacers may be axiall moved up against the said arbors (12,13) in order to dis assemble and assemble the cutters and spacers. 2. An opening means as claimed in claim 1, characte rized in that the frame end wall (11) is adapted to b tightened up by means of a hydraulic piston (27) against stationary portion of the stripper frame in order to loc the frame end portion in operative postion.

Inventors: FORSSLING HANS, FORSSLING, HANS
Applicants: AKV I KOPPARBERG AB
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B23D35
IPC codes: B23D19, B23D35