Improvements in Machinery for Rolling Metals and Metallic Alloys.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 5th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 26th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Rolling Metals and Metallic
Alloys.
I HEZEKIAH HEWITT of No. 100 Charlotte Street Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Steel Pen and Penholder Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of the arrangements or combinations of the parts of
machinery hereinafter described for rolling metals and metallic alloys.
One part of my invention consists of machinery for "breaking down" or roughly
rolling the sheet, strip or wire prior to the finishing operation by which the required
thickness is given to the sheet or strip.
The said "breaking down" machinery consists of a large cylindrical middle roll
and three or other number of smaller cylindrical rolls arranged around the
periphery of the said middle roll, the said smaller rolls being capable of adjustment
to and from the larger roll. The said smaller rolls are made to rotate by gearing
or by frictional contact of the sheet or strip being rolled, and the said smaller rolls
rotate at the same surface speed as the larger middle roll. The arrangement
described consists virtually of several pairs of rolls, the larger roll making a pair
with each of the smaller rolls, the latter being adjusted at different distances from
the larger middle roll.
The plate, strip or wire to be roughly reduced in thickness passes in succession
between the several pairs of rolls, the spaces between which are of progressively
reduced width for the breaking down operation.
My invention consists further of the following arrangements of the parts of
rolling machinery for finishing sheets or strips, roughly reduced in the break down
rolls or otherwise, to the required thickness.
The object of this part of my invention is to facilitate the rolling of the sheet
or strip so that the attendant at the front of the rolls can feed the sheet into the
rolls and receive the rolled or finished or partly finished sheet at the said front of
the rolls.
I arrange in the same frame preferably three pairs of parallel cylindrical rolls
of the same diameter but at different levels. The first pair of rolls into which the
sheet is fed is higher than the second pair of rolls and the third pair of rolls,
situated between the first and second pairs is at a lower level than the second pair,
the top roll of the third or middle pair being situated at about the same level as
the bottom roll of the second pair. Between the first and second pairs of rolls is
an inclined platform for guiding the sheet as it emerges from the first pair of rolls
into the second pair of rolls; and at the back of the second pair of rolls is a guide
for guiding the sheet around the bottom roll of the second pair to the third and
lowest pair of rolls, a guide or platform being also situated between the second
and third pairs of rolls to guide the sheet to the said third pair of rolls.
The first and second pairs of rolls rotate in the same direction for carrying
forward the sheet, while the third pair of rolls rotate in the opposite direction for
giving the back or return motion to the sheet under operation.
The workman standing in front of the first and highest pair of rolls passes the
sheet between them. The reduced sheet emerging from the first pair of rolls
travels down the inclined platform and passes between the second pair of rolls by
which it is further reduced in thickness. On emerging from the second pair of
rolls it is guided by the two guides described to the third and lowest pair of rolls
by which it is further reduced in thickness and a back or return motion given to it
to convey it to the workman at the front of the rolls.

page_text: The sheet is passed as many times as are required through the sets of rolls
described to reduce the thickness of the sheet say from inch to 4 of an inch or
other required thickness.
During the rolling operation the rolls are adjusted from time to time as is well
understood and the sheet or strip is annealed as often as the metal or alloy being
operated upon requires.
Instead of using the three pairs of rolls described, the first and second pairs only
may be employed. In this case the sheet after it leaves the second pair of rolls is
delivered to the workman at, the front of the rolls, the second pair of rolls having
a motion the reverse of that of the first pair of rolls.
Dated this 25th day of January 1892.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Rolling Metals and Metallic
Alloys.
I, HEZEKIAH HEWITT, of No. 100 Charlotte Street, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Steel Pen and Penholder Manufacturer do hereby declare
the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention consists of the arrangements or combinations of the parts of rolling
machinery hereinafter described for finishing sheets or strips, roughly reduced in
the break down rolls or otherwise, to the required thickness.
The object of my invention is to facilitate the rolling of the sheet or strip so that
the attendant at the front of the rolls can feed the sheet into the rolls and receive
the rolled or finished or partly finished sheet at the said front of the rolls.
I arrange in the same frame, preferably three pairs of parallel cylindrical rolls of
the same diameter but at different levels. The first and second pair of rolls are on
the same or nearly the same level and the third pair of rolls, situated between the
first and second pairs, is at a higher level than the other pairs, the bottom roll of
the third or middle pair being situated at about the same level as the top rolls of
the first and second pairs. Between the first and second pairs of rolls is a platform
for guiding the sheet as it emerges from the first pair of rolls into the second pair
of rolls; and at the back of the second pair of rolls is a curved guide for guiding
the sheet around the top roll of the second pair to the third pair of rolls, a guide or
platform being also situated between the second and third pairs of rolls to guide
the sheet to the said third pair of rolls. The first and second pairs of rolls rotate
in the same direction for carrying forward the sheet, while the third pair of rolls
rotates in the opposite direction for giving the back or return motion to the sheet
under operation. The sheet may be first passed through the front end pair of
rolls at the lower level or first through the middle pair of rolls at the higher
level but I prefer to first pass the sheet through the front pair at the lower
level.
The workman standing in front of the first pair of rolls passes the slieet between
them. The reduced sheet emerging from the first pair of rolls travels along a
platform and passes between the second pair of rolls by which it is further reduced
in thickness. On energing from the second pair of rolls it is guided by the guides
described to the third pair of rolls by which it is further reduced in thickness and
a back or return motion given to it to convey it to the workman at the front of the
rolls.
Instead of using the three pairs of rolls described, the first and second pairs only
may be employed. In this case the sheet after it leaves the second pair of rolls is
delivered to the workman at the front of the rolls, the second pair of rolls having
a motion the reverse of that of the first pair of rolls.

page_text: I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in end elevation, partly in vertical section, rolling machinery
constructed according to my invention in which three pairs of rolls are employed.
a, a; b, b and c, c are the three pairs of cylindrical parallel rolls between which
the sheet or strip to be reduced in thickness is passed in succession and fed auto-
matically from one pair of rolls to the next pair and through the series. The said
three pairs of rolls are supported in the same pair of housings d, d.
The first pair
of rolls is marked a, a; the second pair, on the same or nearly the same level, is
marked b, b and the third and higher pair of rolls is marked c, c. The first and
second pairs of rolls a a and b b, on the same level, rotate in the direction proper to
carry forward the sheet or strip to be rolled through the said first and second pairs;
and the third and middle pair of rolls c, c rotates in the reverse direction or in the
direction proper to return the partially rolled sheet or strip to the workman at the
front of the rolls. The directions in which the three pairs of rolls rotate are
indicated by the arrows near the said rolls and the direction in which it is preferred
to pass the sheet or strip, marked e, through the three pairs of rolls is indicated by.
arrows.
In front of the first pair of rolls a, a is a guide f for guiding the sheet or strip to
the said first pair of rolls; and between the first and second pair of rolls a, u and.
b, b is a platform g and guides h, for receiving and guiding the sheet or strip from
the first pair of rolls a, a to the second pair of rolls b, b. At the back of the
higher roll of the second pair b, band between that pair and the middle pair of
rolls C is a curved guide i for guiding the sheet or strip in a return or reverse
direction to the said third pair of rolls, by which third pair of rolls the strip or
sheet is operated upon and travelling on the platform k at the front of the said pair
of rolls cc is delivered to the workman at the front of the rolls.
a,
a
The several pairs of rolls are capable of independent adjustment by the adjusting
screws, and their sliding blocks or bearings as usual and the two pairs of rolls
and b, bare rotated in the direction to give the advance motion to the sheet or strip
and the pair of rolls c, c rotated in the reverse direction for returning the sheet or
strip to the workman by gearing of the ordinary kind.
The action of the rolling machinery is as follows:-
The workman standing at the front of the rolls marked P passes the sheet or
strip to be reduced through the guide and between the first pair of rolls a, a.
The reduced sheet or strip emerging from the said first pair of rolls is by their
action made to travel on the platform and between the guides h, hand is
delivered between the second pair of rolls b, b by which it is further reduced
in thickness. On emerging from the second pair of rolls, the sheet or strip
is guided by the curved guide i, i to the third pair of rolls c, e by which it is
further reduced and a back or return motion given to it to return it to the
workman at the front P of the rolls as indicated by the arrows.
The sheet or strip is passed as many times as are required through the sets of
rolls described and represented to reduce the sheet or strip to the required
thickness.
During the rolling operation the rolls are adjusted from time to time by the
adjusting screws 1, las is well understood; and the sheet or strip is annealed as
often as the metal or alloy being operated upon requires.
Although I prefer to pass the sheet or strip first through the lower pairs of
rolls a, a and b,b and return it through the higher pair of rolls c, c yet the direction
of the sheet or strip through the rolls may be reversed by modifying the gearing
and guides: that is to say, the sheet or strip may be first passed through the upper
or middle pair of rolls cc and returned through the lower pairs of rolls b, b and a, a
to the workman in front of the rolls.
Figure 2 represents in end elevation, partly in vertical section and Figure 3 in
front elevation, rolling machinery constructed according to my invention in which
two pairs of rolls at different levels are employed. In this arrangement the first or

page_text: lower pair of rolls is marked m, m'and the higher pair of rolls is marked n, n, the
two pairs of rolls rotating in opposite directions, that is, the rolls of the first
pair in, m rotate in the direction proper to give the advance motion to the sheet or
strip and the rolls of the second pair n, n rotate in the direction proper to give the
return motion to the sheet or strip as indicated by the arrows. The sheet or strip
being rolled is marked : the front guide is marked, and the curved end guide
between the two pairs of rolls, is marked i. The return platform in front of the
second or return pair of rolls is marked k; 1, are the adjusting screws and d, d are
the housings carrying the rolls. The workman stands at the front P of the rolls
to feed the strip or sheet to and to receive the rolled strip or sheet from the rolls.
The action of this arrangement is the same as that first described, the sheet
or strip being passed through two pairs of rolls instead of through three pairs
of rolls.
Three or more pairs of rolls at the level of the pair of rolls m, m Figures 2 and 3
and the pairs of rolls a, a and b, b Figure 1 may be employed; and instead of a
single pair of rolls at the higher level, two or more pairs at the level of the said
single pair may be employed.
The several pairs of rolls may be of varying diameters or made to rotate at
different speeds in order to compensate for the increasing length of the sheets or
strips as they pass through the several pairs of rolls.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention of "Improvements in machinery for rolling metals and metallic
alloys":
:-
The arrangement or combination of two or more pairs of parallel rolls situated
at different levels, one pair or set of rolls rotating in a direction the reverse of that
in which the other pair or set of rolls rotates, in conjunction with a curved end
guide, whereby the sheet or strip to be reduced and finished is fed from the front
of the rolls into and through the first pair of rolls and automatically passed in
succession through the other pair or set of rolls and delivered to the workman at
the front of the rolls substantially in the manner herein before described. and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Twentieth day of September 1892.
HEZEKIAH HEWITT,