IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLING MILLS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Kirk, of Workington, in the County of Cumber-
land, Iron Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLING
MILLS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL."
Sealed the 26th May 1876, and dated the 5th February 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Kirk at the Office of
the Cominissioners of Patents on the 5th February 1876.
PETER KIRK, of Workington, in the County of Cumberland, Iron Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLING MILLS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND
STEEL."
My Invention relates to rolling mills adapted more particularly to be employed
in the manufacture of iron and steel rails and of heavy bars, but is or may also be
applicable in the construction of mills for rolling other description of iron and
steel.
In a former Invention for which were granted to me Her Majesty's Lettera
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, in the year One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-six, I employed three rolls arranged one above another, and it
is to this class of mill and to other forms of mill in which three rolls are arranged
one above another that my Invention relates.
My Invention has for its object to expedite the operation of rolling, in order to
reduce the mass of iron or steel to the required form as quickly as possible. To
this end I combine two or more sets of "three-high" rolls, or of three-high and
two-high rolls, in such a manner as that the ingot or bloom is passed through a first
set of roughing-out rollers, and is received therefrom by the next set of rolls, and
having passed between all the lower rolls is returned between the upper rolls.
In the arrangement which I now prefer I employ a first set of two rolls in con-
junction with a "three-high" mill, the rolls in the latter being driven at a suitably
higher surface speed as compared with the said first set. The one set may be geared
with the other set, or each set may be separately driven.
I prefer to employ a three-high mill constructed in accordance with the aforesaid
former Invention, and provided with apparatus for returning the bar, as described
in the Specification of an Invention for which Letters Patent, dated the Twentieth
day of November One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, have been granted
to me.

page_text: In some cases I may pass the ingot, bloom, or bar, through more than two sets
of rolls before returning it between the upper rolls.
When combining two three-high mills I drive each set separately, as for example,
I drive each set by means of a separate engine or pair of engines, and I either
regulate the comparative speeds as required, or I so regulate the driving power as
that the speed of one set of rolls is regulated by the rate of motion of the bar or
bloom, as for example, I employ a weaker driving power or a power having less
momentum for one set of rolls than for the other set, so that the notion of the one
set is speeded or retarded by the passing bar which is being drawn or pushed by
the more powerful set.
In lieu of employing two engines or sets of engines I may communicate motion
from the more powerful set of rolls to the weaker set by friction, as for example,
the spur wheel which receives motion from the main driving shaft or axle may
communicate motion by means of adjustable friction blocks to a disc or boss fixed
on the axle or shaft which imparts motion to the weaker set of rolls.
I prefer to mount both sets or all the combined sets in one set of standards or
frames in order that the sets of rolls may be brought close together.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Peter Kirk in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th August 1876.
PETER KIRK, of Workington, in the County of Cumberland, Iron Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLING MILLS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND
STEEL."
My Invention relates to rolling mills adapted more particularly to be employed
in the manufacture of iron and steel rails and of heavy bars, but is or may also
be applicable in the construction of mills for rolling other descriptions of iron and
'steel.
In a former Invention for which were granted to me Her Majesty's Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, in the year One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, I employed three rolls arranged one above
another, and it is to this class of mill and to other forms of mill in which three
rolls are arranged one above another that my Invention relates.
My Invention has for its object to expedite the operation of rolling in order to
reduce the mass of iron or steel to the required form as quickly as possible. To
this end I combine two or more sets of three-high rolls, or of three-high and two-
high rolls, in such a manner as that the ingot or bloom is passed through a first set
of roughing-down rolls, and is received therefrom by the next set of rolls, and
having passed between all the lower rolls is returned between the upper rolls.
In the arrangement which I now prefer I employ a first set of two rolls in con-
junction with a three-high mill, the rolls in the latter being driven at a suitably
higher surface speed as compared with the said first set, but in some cases I may
pass the ingot, bloom, or bar through more than two sets of rolls before returning
it between the upper rolls.
I prefer to mount both sets or all the combined sets in one set of standards or
frames, in order that the sets of rolls may be brought close together.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I have appended
hereunto a Sheet of Drawings made to a scale of about three-quarters of an inch
to the foot and marked with letters of reference, to which Drawings I will now
refer.
Fig. 1 is a diagram representing the arrangement of rolls which I prefer to
employ; and Fig. 2 is an elevation of a standard or set of "housings " for the said
rolls, the arrangement being adapted more particularly to the rolling of railway
bars.

page_text: in the example selected for 1шustration a set of two roughing-out rolls a and b is
combined with a set of three rolls c, d, and e, which are mounted in accordance
with the Specification of the aforesaid previously granted Letters Patent, that is
to say, the rolls o and e are adjustable upwards and downwards to and from the
central roll d, this being the arrangement I prefer to employ when carrying my
present Invention into effect.
In Fig. 2 the standard is represented as being cast in two parts, f and g, the
central casting g being bolted to the sole of the other casting, but the standard
may be cast in one piece. A bolt passing through distance blocks i connects
together the upper ends of the castings. The plummer blocks to which the
" brasses" are fixed, are adjusted by means of double wedges inserted at and
drawn together by means of right and left hand screws or by any other suitable
means which may be preferrod.
This
The arrangements for driving the rolls may be varied. The roll d may be coupled
up directly to the engine crank shaft and be geared with the roll b, the gearing
being proportioned to impart a suitably decreased speed to the last-named roll, as
compared with the speed of the roll d, as for example, in some cases the rolls b may
be driven at about three-quarters of the rate of revolution of the roll d.
method of driving may be reversed, the roll b being coupled up to the engine shaft
and being geared with the roll d in such a manner as to impart a suitably increased
speed to the last-named roll, or each of the two rolls may be coupled up to a separato
engine crank shaft.
When the two sets of rolls are driven by separate engines, the two rolls may be
connected together by gearing in order to preserve their relative proportionate
speeds, or not be so connected, as preferred or found or thought to be most suitable
or effective.
The method of adjusting the rolls may be varied without departing from the
main intent of my Invention, and the rolls c and d may be arranged to be adjust-
able with relation to a stationary lower roll, as in three-high mills which were in
use before the date of the aforesaid previously granted Letters Patent.
I prefer to provide the mill with the apparatus for handling and receiving the
bar, and for returning it between the upper rolls, as described in the Specification
of an Invention for which have been granted to me Letters Patent bearing date the
Twentieth day of November, in the year One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
The bloom or ingot is passed first between the "roughing-down" rolls a and b,
and thence between the rolls and c. The partly formed bar or rail is then
returned between the rolls c and d to the front of the mill.
In some cases the mill may consist of two sets of three-high rolls combined, or of
a pair of rolls combined with two sets of three-high rolls.
In the case of a mill consisting of two sets of three-high rolls, that is to say, of
six rolls arranged in two sets combined together, I prefer to drive each set by means
of a separate engine or pair of engines, and I prefer to couple the crank shaft
of each engine to the central roll in a set corresponding to the roll in the
Drawings.
To regulate the relative speeds the speeds of the two engines may be governed
and regulated to impart the desired relative speeds to the two sets of rolls, or the
bar or bloom, may be caused to regulate the speeds of the rolls, as for example, one
set of rolls may be driven by a weaker power or by a power having less momentum
than the other set, so that the motion of the set which is driven by the weaker
power is speeded or retarded by the passing bar which is being drawn or pushed by
the more powerful set. To render this more clear I will suppose the rolls c, d, and c,
in the Drawings to be driven by an engine furnished with a heavy fly wheel, and
the rolls a and b by an engine not furnished with a fly wheel. In such a case the
three-roll set having the greatest momentum would govern the speed of the bloom
or bar, and the bloom or bar would regulate the speed of the two-roll set.
It will be understood that by the terin engine, I do not confine myself to single

page_text: cylinder engines. A similar result may be obtained by communicating motion from
one set of rolls to the other by friction, as for example, the spur wheel which
receives motion from the set which is directly coupled with the engine may
transmit the motive power through friction blocks, which can be set up by means
of wedges or screws, and which bear upon a boss or disc which is fixed or formed
on the axle or shaft which imparts motion to the other set. In such a case the
said friction blocks are so set up or adjusted as that the set driven by friction
becomes the weaker set of rolls and is governed by the speed of the passing bar,
as in the case of the rolls having the least momentum in the example previously
given herein-before.
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of my said Invention,
and means whereby the same may be carried into effect, I would have it to be
understood in conclusion, that I claim,―
First. Combining together two or more sets of three-high rolls, or of three-high
and two-high rolls in such a manner as that the ingot, bloom, or bar is passed
by one movement in one direction between two or more pairs of rollers, and is
returned in the contrary direction by another movement between the upper rolls
in the three-high set or sets.
Secondly. Mounting the said combined sets of rolls in one set of standards or
housings, substantially in the manner set forth and indicated herein-before and in
the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. The methods of and arrangements for driving the combined sets of
rolls, substantially as herein-before set forth and indicated.
And, lastly. The combinations and arrangements of parts, substantially as and
for the purposes set forth and indicated herein-before and by the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Kirk, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Third day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-six.
JOHN G. OLDFIELD,
Book-keeper,
Belle Isle Place,
Workington.
Witness.
PETER KIRK. (L.S.)