Patent GB-1496497-A (GB)
Title: Roll racks for continuous casting machines with extractors for rolls thereof
IPC: B22D11/128
Filed: 1974-12-19
Abstract: 1496497 Continuous casting USS ENGS & CONSULTANTS Inc 19 Dec 1974 [26 Dec 1973] 54925/74 Heading B3F [Also in Division B8] A roll rack with an extractor 31 for removing or inserting the rolls 21, 22 of the rack comprises a portable frame 37 having means 42 on one end for engaging fixed parts 28 of the rack to afford a purchase of the frame thereon, an extensible and retractable carriage 46 carried by the frame, motive means 52 carried by the frame and operatively connected with the carriage, roll engaging means 66 carried by the carriage, and operating means 60 on the carriage for engaging and disconnecting the means 66 with the rolls. As described, the roll rack is curved and has lower, middle and upper idler roll support sections 10, 12, 13 which extend between a bending unit 19 and a straightener 18 and are supported by fabricated base members 14, 15, 16 by a structure 17. The sections carry roll supports 20 having bottom and top roll clusters 21, 22 of opposed idler rolls, the rolls being mounted in chocks 23, 24. Between the idler roll support section are bottom and top driven rolls 26, 27. Each idler roll support 20 carries a knob 28. The extractor 31 is suspended by hoists 33, 33a from an overhead crane 32 and consists of a rigid frame having side members 37 and transverse members 38, 39, the front ends of the side members having downwardly open hooks 42 which, in use, engage the knobs 28 on the roll support 20. The carriage 46 is provided with rollers 47 engaging rails 45 on the side members of the frame and is movable along the frame by hydraulic cylinders 52 connected to pumps 54 driven by motors 55. The carriage 46, which has side members 49 and transverse members 50, 51 carries a pair of frames 59 each of which supports a spindle 65 rotatable through 90 degrees in a bearing 67 by a rotary actuator 60 driven from a common pump 61. The ends of the spindle have roll-engaging heads 60 consisting of spaced apart flanges 68, 69, flanges 68 being continuously circular and flanges 69 having diametrically opposed flats 70 whereby, in one position of the spindles the flanges 69 can be inserted between the pairs of rolls of a cluster while in their other position 90 degrees therefrom, they engage the rolls. The hooks 42 are provided with latches 73  which automatically open the hooks when the carriage 46 is retracted along the frame. In operation, the crane is moved to engage the hooks 42 of the extractor with the knobs 28 on the roll support and fasteners 25 securing the roll cluster to the rack-are disengaged. The cylinders 52 are actuated to advance the carriage 46 so that the latches 73 retain the hooks on the knobs and the flanges 69 of the heads 70 pass between the rolls. The actuators then rotate the spindles 65 to engage the flanges with the rolls. The carriage is then retracted to withdraw the roll cluster, the latch being automatically withdrawn so that the crane can carry the roll cluster to a work area. Both top and bottom roll clusters are withdrawn at the concave side of the rack. In another embodiment in which the roll clusters are removed from the convex side of the rack, the frame has hooks 104, Fig. 5, for engaging knobs 89 on the roll clusters, the frame having a movable part locatable in one or other of two positions by pins on the movable part engaging alternative holes in the fixed part of the frame depending on whether the upper or lower roll clusters 85, 86 are to be extracted. A carriage is movable by an hydraulic cylinder and is connectible to the cluster by engagement of pins thereon with holes 90 in the clusters.