Abstract:
An improved roll bending system is described for the work rolls and intermediate rolls in a six high mill. New bending blocks apply improved roll bending forces to the roll chocks, and additionally, are designed to move vertically and rotate, which provide important benefits to maintenance and enhance the rolling operation. Additionally, important related details to the mill operation and bending blocks provide operational improvements during roll changing.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/281,900 filed on Oct. 26, 2011. The prior application just described is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING 
       [0003]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    (1) Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    This invention is directed to vertical stack (2,4,6 high) rolling mill stands used to roll out flat rolled metal products, particularly metals such as steel and aluminum, to a reduced gauge using a pair of work rolls that are between intermediate rolls, which in turn are between backup rolls. Vertical stack rolling mill stands include work rolls, and optionally, intermediate rolls and backup rolls. It is also directed to mills where the rolls are used for controlling the shape of the metal during rolling by applying significant bending forces on the roll ends. 
         [0006]    (2) Description of Related Art 
         [0007]    Currently, in the art, there is a need for improvement in roll bending design so that the bearing and hydraulic cylinder maintenance is lowered for a vertical stack rolling mill. Process needs for roll bending have caused higher bending forces with subsequent higher roll end deflections. Also, operating practices have changed which have caused the work rolls and intermediate rolls to be shifted perpendicular to the rolling direction for improved shape and edge performance, and these practices have raised important issues with regard to the placement of end bending forces. Current designs for work roll and intermediate roll chocks generally constrain them to vertical movement which causes the bearing raceways to pinch, gouge, or otherwise behave in ways that reduce the bearing life since the resultant force is not at the bearing center when the roll is shifted. There is also higher roll end maintenance when the ends have to be re-machined. Also, some current designs apply hydraulic forces in the positive bending direction only, which is less desirable. 
         [0008]    Additionally, there is the need to provide for a rapid method of inserting rolls into the mill, which will also accommodate the need for a roll to be driven, but allow the use of a shifting mechanism to be the means by which the rolls are kept in the mill. In a typical, non-shifting mill arrangement, keeper plates are used to ‘lock in’ rolls into the mill window. In a shifting roll arrangement, it is important that the rolls maintain their engagement in the drive system at all times, and that the shifted position of the rolls is highly positive and precise. 
         [0009]    Improved designs for inserting rolls into the mill without the need for electrically actuated clamping or lock in plates are of benefit if the rolls utilize a mechanical system rigid enough to hold the rolls in place during the rolling operation. There are production benefits to locking in rolls mechanically, rather than by a sequence of hydraulic/electronic actuators, due to the need to verify actual lock in and motion to ensure successful operation. 
         [0010]    Others have worked on rolling mill designs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,057, for example, describes a six high rolling mill and certain features to reduce edge cracks in the sheet during rolling.  FIGS. 4 and 5  in particular show improved mill window equipment and methods to apply rolling force to the metal strip work piece. The disclosed method, however, requires a large number of hydraulic cylinders to create the roll bending effect in the work roll and intermediate rolls, which causes maintenance issues and complicated control/operational problems. The bending effect ends up being applied to the work roll chocks less effectively, by use of a machined area in the chocks in a way that creates un-needed high stress points. The end result is that the work roll and intermediate roll chocks require a lot of machining, and therefore a high expense due to the complicated geometry required. Finally, the roll changing method is not described as to efficiency. Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 7,004,002 has similar issues. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,235 incorporates push/pull hydraulic cylinders to provide backup roll and work roll bending forces. It also includes compact designs for the work roll and intermediate roll chocks. It includes complicated horizontal hydraulic cylinders to steady and clamp the work rolls into position which adds to maintenance and complicates the operation of the overall system. The roll bending design causes significant moments in the roll chocks as well as end rotations. There is no allowance for this in the design causing the hydraulic cylinders to carry the resultant stresses and therefore incur significant maintenance. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,264 describes a six high mill stand with rolls that are inserted into the mill with a release able connection using a clutch type arrangement. This type of arrangement is suitable for a rotating connection, but not adequate for a rapid connection where the rolls shift perpendicular to the rolling direction. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,646 describes a hydraulic keeper system where shiftable rolls are kept in a mill stand. However, the hydraulic means of actuation to keep the rolls connected to the shifting mechanism is a less desirable method due to the need for portable hydraulics, hoses, maintenance, etc. 
         [0014]    These designs and attempts by others are lacking in important technical aspects, especially in light of current trends in the industry, and improvements in mill design to address these issues is greatly desirable. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    The present invention incorporates an integrated hydraulic cylinder design that improves bearing life by allowing the roll chock to rotate along with the end shaft of the roll. Also, the design includes improvements in bending cylinder design by utilizing multiple cylinders on the end, so that the center of force application on the end is neutral and applied to the roll end with a torque that allows the bearing to naturally rotate. The design further includes an improved cylinder design which allows use of a standardized double acting cylinder which is bolted into the project block on the window housing, and therefore allows for rapid and easy maintenance in the event of a problem. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         [0016]      FIG. 1A-1B  show an elevated view of the mill window design for a six high and a four high rolling mill stand. 
           [0017]      FIGS. 2A-2E  illustrate roll shifting and the advantage of the invention by the use of dual inline bending cylinders, including chock rocking to reduce stress concentration. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 3A-3B  illustrate how the bending block incorporates design features which allow for small rotations. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3C  shows a free body diagram of a Bending Block illustrating how the Guide Pins counter balance the applied bending force. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4-5  illustrate how the hydraulic circuit is designed to provide good bearing life by balancing the placement of the bending force on the ends of the shifted roll. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6A-6B  illustrate a latching in mechanism which allow for the work roll or intermediate rolls to be readily inserted into the mill. 
           [0022]      FIGS. 6C-6E  illustrate how the latching mechanism is designed to release the work roll or and intermediate rolls from the mill. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]      FIG. 1  is one embodiment of the mill window as conceived in the present invention. For convenience, Table 1 lists the features in the mill window as particularly directed to the roll bending. Other features of the mill are not shown. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 FIG. 1 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 101a, b 
                 Back Up Roll (Lower and Upper) 
               
               
                 102a, b 
                 Intermediate Roll (Lower and Upper) 
               
               
                 103a, b 
                 Work Roll (Lower and Upper) 
               
               
                 104a, b 
                 Left Intermediate Roll Bending Block (Lower and Upper) 
               
               
                 105a, b 
                 Left Work Roll Bending Block (Lower and Upper) 
               
               
                 107a, b 
                 Right Intermediate Roll Bending Block (Lower and Upper) 
               
               
                 106a, b 
                 Right Work Roll Bending Block (Lower and Upper) 
               
               
                 110a, b 
                 Left Lower Intermediate Roll Bending Block Cylinders 
               
               
                 111a, b 
                 Left Lower Work Roll Bending Block cylinders 
               
               
                 112a, b 
                 Left Upper Work Roll Bending Block Cylinders 
               
               
                 113a, b 
                 Left Upper Intermediate Roll Bending Block Cylinders 
               
               
                 114a, b 
                 Right Lower Intermediate Roll Bending Block Cylinders 
               
               
                 115a, b 
                 Right Lower Work Roll Bending Block Cylinders 
               
               
                 116a, b 
                 Right Upper Work Roll Bending Block Cylinders 
               
               
                 117a, b 
                 Right Upper Intermediate Roll Bending Block Cylinders 
               
               
                 120 
                 Left Project Block 
               
               
                 121 
                 Right Project Block 
               
               
                 122 
                 Mill Housing 
               
               
                 123 
                 Flat Rolled Metal Product, Rolling Passline 
               
               
                 124 
                 Cylinder Housing (typical example) 
               
               
                 125 
                 Bolts 
               
               
                 130a, b 
                 Intermediate Roll Chocks (Lower and Upper) 
               
               
                 131a, b 
                 Work Roll Chocks (Lower and Upper) 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0024]    In  FIG. 1A , the backup rolls  101   a,b  are shown on the left and right side of the mill window elevation view in their maximum and minimum diameter respectively. This is a common way of illustrating a mill window. As is seen, the intermediate rolls  102   a,b  and work rolls  103   a,b  are also similarly shown. This provides perspective on typical maximum motions of the mill window equipment in normal operation. For a roll change, the pistons will move more to create clearance between the rolls.  FIG. 1A  is only one embodiment of the invention; other arrangements could be adapted and used, such as a two high (i.e. two work rolls) or a four high (two work rolls and two backup rolls). 
         [0025]    The work roll ends have bearings which are inside work roll chocks  131   a,b . Similarly, the intermediate rolls have chocks  130   a,b  as well. In this design, bending blocks  104   a,b ,  105   a,b ,  106   a,b,  and  107   a,b,  also called bending project blocks or chock holding blocks, are used to guide the work roll or intermediate rolls into the mill as well as provide the force needed to bend the rolls for roll crown management and for strip shape control. When a roll is bent in a way that causes the roll to appear thicker in the middle, it is called ‘crown in’ or positive bending. This would occur when the ends of the upper work roll, for example, are pushed upwardly and the middle of the roll bows into the strip. The opposite way of bending it is called ‘crown out’ or negative bending. 
         [0026]    The force needed to create roll bending effects in the present invention is developed by hydraulic cylinders that are rigidly attached to project blocks  120 ,  121  that are, in turn, attached to the mill housing  122 . The roll bending hydraulic cylinders are explained further in  FIG. 2 . There are sixteen cylinders per mill side, or a total of thirty two per mill stand. The Work roll lower left bending block cylinders  11   a,b,  for example, on the operator side of the mill, comprise two cylinders in line, and attached to the mill left project block  120 . They are used to push the lower work roll bending block  105   a  up and down to provide both crown out and crown in roll bending respectively. 
         [0027]    Similarly, the roll bending hydraulic cylinders  110   a,b ,  112   a,b , and  113   a,b  are also attached to the left project block  120 . They are used to push the lower intermediate roll bending block, upper work roll bending block, and upper intermediate roll bending block up and down to provide crown management. Similarly, the roll bending hydraulic cylinders  114   a,b ,  117   a,b ,  115   a,b , and  116   a,b  are also attached to the right project block  121 . They provide lower/upper intermediate roll bending block movement, and lower/upper work roll bending block movement respectively. 
         [0028]    The force needed to create roll bending effects in the present invention is developed by hydraulic cylinders that are designed with maintenance in mind. In one embodiment, the cylinders are double rod, and designed in a manner that allows for easy maintenance and replacement by utilizing a standard cylinder or a modularized cylinder design. This provides for rapid replacement and repair as opposed to custom design and repair where in place repair is complicated. Methods of attachment to the project block, consider such things as power tools and accessibility. The bending block design is such that the cylinders can be unbolted, removed, and replaced easily. 
         [0029]    A typical cylinder housing  124  is rigidly attached to the project block  120 , though the method of attaching is not illustrated. A mechanical attaching method is preferred, such as by bolts or a hardware method. 
         [0030]    The project blocks  120 ,  121  are rigidly attached to the mill housing  122  in this illustration by a bolt method  125 , though other rigid methods could equally be used. The flat metal product  123 , such as steel or aluminum, is aligned to the rolling mill centerline, i.e. strip passline, or rolling passline, and is defined location (typically a specific elevation or a small range of elevations) for a particular mill housing pair  122 . Typically, only one housing is illustrated and a second mill housing on the other side of the rolling passline is implied by the illustration for a rolling mill stand unless otherwise explained. Both mill housings for a rolling stand are typically set on a rigid foundation. 
         [0031]    Similarly,  FIG. 1B  shows a four high mill stand arrangement with a pair of work rolls and supporting backup rolls. The intermediate rolls and back up rolls in  FIG. 1A  (and backup rolls in Fig. lb) could also be called support (or supporting) rolls. The associated equipment such as chocks, etc. are called associated supporting chocks, etc. 
         [0032]      FIGS. 2A-2D  illustrate a shifting work roll  201   a - d , but would also illustrate a shifting intermediate roll. In  FIG. 2A  the forces created by the bending cylinders, F 1  and F 2  are shown through the bending blocks  202   a,    203   a,  which result in the forces and applied torsion in  FIG. 2B . The hydraulic cylinders are interconnected by piping in a manner so that the forces F 1  and F 2  are created as shown (and will be discussed in  FIG. 4 ). In consideration of the bending and deflection of the ends of the actual work roll, the two torsions shown in  FIG. 2B  will actually improve the bearing mounting on the work roll end, and avoid issues with higher maintenance caused by the shifting work roll. Also, the torsion will also counteract the shifting location of the applied overall bending force location. 
         [0033]    Similarly,  FIGS. 2C ,  2 D illustrate a work roll that has shifted somewhat to the left of the mill center. Even though the roll is close to center, the same issue of roll bearing and mounting still applies, even if the torsion amount is relatively smaller. 
         [0034]      FIG. 2E  shows how the bending moments affect the rotation of the end bearing blocks for a crown in bending force when the roll is above the metal strip (in an exaggerated illustration). The applied bending force is ultimately resisted by the inherent stiffness of the roll itself. As shown, the chocks ‘rock’, that is, they are allowed to rotate slightly with the roll ends to avoid bearing stress concentrations. 
         [0035]      FIGS. 3A-3B  illustrates a method where the work roll chock  301   a,b  (or alternately, intermediate roll chock) along with a right bending block  303   a,b  and left bending block  302   a,b , are designed to provide a small amount of rotational movement with respect to the mill housing face. To this end, Guide Pins  304   a,b  are rigidly attached to the bending blocks (along with an alternative guide plate  305  as illustrated in  FIG. 3A  only) to allow the bending block to move vertically, but allow rotational freedom of movement so that the work roll chock  301   a,b  rotates when the bending force is applied, which in turn, will allow the work roll bearing (not shown) to rotate with the bending work roll end shaft. Matching machined grooves for the guide pins are added to the mill housing faces, as well as a machined surface for the guide plate with suitable vertical side plates along the edges of the guide plate to capture it next to the mill housing face. This design is only one embodiment. The Guide Pins  304   a,b  (and guide plate  305 ) might be a variety of geometric shapes, or, might be a different number such as a minimum of three to a large number of pins, such as sixteen so as to allow an even distribution of surface stress. 
         [0036]    In one embodiment, the interface between the work roll chock and the bending blocks is a dovetail arrangement  306   a,b  and a particular dovetail design may be adapted as is suitable to the task. Such interface designs include standard rectangular to a base with sides angled up to 15 degrees. 
         [0037]      FIG. 3C  shows a free body diagram of a Bending Block to illustrate how the Guide Pins counter balance the applied bending force. Bending Cylinders (not shown) oriented vertically apply bending forces  310   a,b  to the Bending Block (in this example downward direction). The force is applied to the Work Roll Chock  314  along an edge of the Bending Block resulting in an edge pressure  313 . These forces create a moment which is counter balanced by the Upper Guide Pin forces  312   a,b  and lower Guide Pin Forces  311   a,b . A force applied to the Guide Pins may be in either direction due to the method by which the Guide Pins are held against the project block—a slot with a groove, which allows the head of the pin to carry either a tensile or a compressive load. The slot is wide enough to allow the bending block to rotate along with the work roll chock rotation due to roll end deflection, but the slot is narrow enough to keep the head of the Guide Pins captured. 
         [0038]      FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate an abbreviated piping schematic of the hydraulic pressure system that provides the needed pressure in the bending cylinders for the work roll and intermediate rolls. As seen in  FIG. 4 , the pressure P 1 + is commonly interconnected by piping to the cylinders as shown in a manner that will develop the forces as previously illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The applied bending force between the left and right sides as viewing the mill window is carried out by repetition of the pattern shown in  FIG. 4 . The bending pressure P 2 +, is applied similarly to the positive bending pressure P 1 + as shown. Similarly, the negative bending pressures P 1 −, and P 2 −, are applied as illustrated. The piping schematic illustrates the odd-even counting method of connecting the cylinders together, where the cylinders  1  and  3  (when counting in line from the left) are connected, and the cylinders  2  and  4  are connected together. The net result is that the odd numbered bending cylinders in the bending blocks are operated with a common pressure (and also the even numbered cylinders). By similarly designing bending block cylinders, the applied forces are the same. The cylinders in the bending blocks are set at a predetermined distance apart based on rolling mill parameters, such as the rolling width, gauge, material to be rolled, work roll diameter, intermediate roll diameter, and roll shifting dimensions. 
         [0039]    As seen in  FIG. 5 , the pressures P 3 +/− and P 4 +/− are interconnected to the bending cylinders as shown in a manner similar to  FIG. 4 , so that forces will develop in the manner as previously illustrated in  FIG. 2 . It should be noted that the hydraulic pressures for the intermediate bending block cylinders are connected separately from the work roll system sufficiently so as to allow the intermediate rolls to develop different pressures and bending forces. 
         [0040]      FIGS. 6A-6E  show a latching method whereby a roll is easily and readily inserted into the mill, and also withdrawn when it is time to pull the roll out of service. The method applies to either a work roll or intermediate roll. This latching system is particularly useful for rolling mills where the rolls are shifted for the rolling operation, and devices like keeper plates have little use for containing the rolls in place. 
         [0041]    In  FIG. 6A , a roll  606  with associated chock  605 , is being pushed into the mill. The equipment being used to latch the roll into its operating position includes: a hydraulic cylinder  601 , C-Frame stop blocks  602 , a C-Frame  603 , Latch frames  604   a,b,  and Latch Frame Open Block  607 . These elements are used to capture the roll chock and hold it for the rolling operation. The C-Frame  603  is already fully retracted against the stop blocks  602  by use of the hydraulic cylinder  601 . 
         [0042]    In  FIG. 6B , the roll is pushed by the roll changer further against the latch frames, which rotate due to the end of the roll contact, and this causes the latch frames to rotate enough to lock one protrusion into a machined groove in the roll chock. This allows the latch frame to capture the chock, and, only allows the chock to leave when the hydraulic cylinder is actuated. This is also the minimum shifting position. 
         [0043]    In  FIG. 6C , the normal operational position of the work roll and C-Frame is shown. The work roll shifts horizontally in normal operation and the C-Frame will shift along with it because it is engaged/latched. To remove the roll and chocks, the hydraulic cylinder  601  is activated. In  FIG. 6D , the C-Frame is additionally pushed by the hydraulic cylinder until the latch frame is pressed into the latch frame stop block. Additional push will generate a reaction from the stopper  607 , which will introduce a large moment to open the latch frame. This mechanism releases the roll chocks from the latch frame by causing the latch frames to rotate as illustrated in  FIG. 6E .  FIGS. 6C-6E  shows the cylinder pushing the latching frame to open. Alternately, the cylinder is an auxiliary device which allows the roll changer to pull out the roll and to open the latching frame. 
         [0044]    This method applies to individual non-driven rolls, but could easily be adapted to a driven roll (i.e. motor with coupling on the end of the roll), by varying the geometry of the C-Frame in three dimensional space to provide room for the motor shaft and coupling, and alternately, any mill stand gearing. Another possibility is to provide a shaft connection between the Latch Frames and C-Frame rather than a simple pivot point so as to allow the C-Frame and Latch Frames to be at different elevations. Another method is to make the Latch Frame three dimensional so that the groove capture comes from extended arms from a higher (or lower) elevation. The latching mechanism is also locatable to the operator side of the mill, that is, the opposite side of the mill from where the motor/coupling are. 
         [0045]    While various embodiments of the present invention have been described, the invention may be modified and adapted to various operational methods to those skilled in the art. Therefore, this invention is not limited to the description and figure shown herein, and includes all such embodiments, changes, and modifications that are encompassed by the scope of the claims.