IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLING MILLS
Year: 1868

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of No. 20, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLING MILLS."—A
communication from abroad by Charles Mongin, of the Firm of
Ch. Mongin and Co., of Paris, in the Empire of France, Saw
Manufacturers.
Scaled the 8th June 1869, and dated the 24th December 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th December 1868.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLING
MILLS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to convert the sliding friction of the
axles of the rolls of rolling mills in their bearings into a rolling
friction, and thus to obviate almost entirely the loss of power which
results under existing arrangements from the first-named friction. For

page_text: this purpose the rolls have gudgeons running in ordinary bearings in
the headstocks, as heretofore, but these bearings do not take any of the
upward and downward pressure exerted by the rolls, but only serve to
steady them in their motion, the pressure being taken by the following
arrangement:-At the inner side of the headstocks or framing necks
are formed on the rolls, the necks on the lower roller being made with
V grooves, while those of the upper roller are made with projecting
V surfaces. The necks of the lower roller take a bearing directly upon
corresponding projecting V surfaces on the inner circumferences of
large strong rings or hoops which pass round the necks of both rollers,
being of such a diameter however that the upper roller does not bear
directly upon their inner surface, but through the intervention of anti-
friction rollers having V grooves corresponding with the V surfaces of
the upper roller and the ring. From this arrangement it will be seen
that when reversed motion is imparted to the rolls in the ordinary
manner on the metal to be acted upon being passed between them the
pressure of the lower roller will be taken at the lowest point of the ring,
while that of the upper roller will be transmitted by the antifriction
roller to a diametrically opposite point of the rings, and as the anti-
friction rollers transfer the rotary motion of the upper roller to the
rings in the same direction as the motion imparted to them by the lower
roller, it follows that the rings will be caused to travel round as the
rolls revolve, and the necks of the lower roller will consequently roll on
their inner surfaces while the necks of the upper roller roll on the anti-
friction rollers. In place of imparting the required motion directly to
the rolls it may be imparted either by toothed gearing or by driving
belts to the revolving rings or even to the antifriction rollers. The
adjustment of the rolls nearer to or farther apart from each other may
be effected by making the antifriction rollers of two parts divided in a
direction at right angles to their axis, and connecting them by right
and left handed screws, by turning which the two parts may be either
brought nearer together, thereby forcing the upper roller nearer to
the lower roller or be moved farther apart, thereby allowing greater
play between the rollers.

page_text: SPECIFICATION.in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd June 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DENTON ABEL, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in
the thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles Denton Abel, Her
special licence that I, the said Charles Denton Abel, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Denton
Abel, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLING MILLS," (a communication to me from abroad
by Charles Mongin, of the Firm of Ch. Mongin and Co., of
Paris, in the Empire of France, Saw Manufacturers,) upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Denton Abel, my
exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and im-
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Denton Abel, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say.:-
This Invention has for its object to convert the sliding friction of the
axles of the rolls of rolling mills in their bearings into a rolling friction,
and thus to obviate almost entirely the loss of power which results unde:

page_text: existing arrangements from the first-named friction. For this purpose
the rolls have gudgeons running in ordinary bearings in the headstocks
as heretofore, but these bearings do not take any of the upward and
downward pressure exerted by the rolls, but only serve to steady them in
their motion, the pressure being taken by the following arrangement:-
At the inner side of the headstocks or framing necks are formed on the
rolls, the necks on the lower roller being made with V
grooves, while
those of the upper roller are made with projecting V surfaces. The
necks of the lower roller take a bearing directly upon corresponding
projecting V surfaces on the inner circumferences of large strong rings
or hoops which pass round the necks of both rollers, being of such a
diameter however that the upper roller does not bear directly upon their
inner surface but through the intervention of antifriction rollers having
V grooves corresponding with the V surfaces of the upper roller and the
ring. From this arrangement it will be seen that when reversed motion
is imparted to the rolls in the ordinary manner on the metal to be acted
upon being passed between them the pressure of the lower roller will be
taken at the lowest point of the ring, while that of the upper roller will
bc transmitted by the antifriction roller to a diametrically opposite point
of the rings, and as the antifriction rollers transfer the rotary motion of
the upper roller to the rings in the same direction as the motion
imparted to them by the lower roller it follows that the rings will be
caused to travel round as the rolls revolve, and the necks of the lower
roller will consequently roll on their inner surfaces, while the necks of
the
upper
roller will roll on the antifriction rollers. In place of imparting
the required motion directly to the rolls it may be imparted either by
toothed gearing or by driving belts to the revolving rings, or even to the
antifriction rollers. The adjustment of the rolls nearer to or farther
apart from each other may be effected by making the antifriction rollers
of two parts, divided in a direction at right angles to their axis, and
connecting them by right and left handed screws, by turning which the
two parts may be either brought nearer together, thereby forcing the
upper roller nearer to the lower roller, or be moved farther apart,
thereby allowing greater play between the rollers.
Figures 1 to 5 on the accompanying Drawing show the before-
described improved construction of rolling mill. Figure 1 shews a
longitudinal section of the same; Figure 2 shews a part plan and part
sectional plan on line 1-2, Figure 1; Figure 3 shews an end
clevation; Figure 4 shews a transverse section on line 3-4, Figure 1.

page_text: Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in each of the
Figures.
The lower roll G rests with its trunnions and g' in the brasses k, k',
fixed in the guides of the side frames R, R', while the upper roll H rests
upon the lower roll. The trunnions h, h, of the upper roll carry
brasses L, L', situated between the guides of the side frames, and the
upper roll carries furthermore the rollers O, O', resting upon the
parts n, n, of the roll, which rollers carry on their trunnions the
brasses P, P, also working between the guides of the side frames.
Lastly two strong rings Q, Q', rest upon the rollers O, O¹.
As shown in Figure 1 the inner surfaces of the rings Q, Q', are
V shaped, and fit accurately into the peripheries of the rollers O, O',
formed with V grooves, into which fit also the V surfaces of the
parts n, n', of the roll H, while the peripheries of the parts m, m³, of
the roll G are formed with V grooves fitting accurately upon the
V surface of the rings Q, Q', these latter are consequently prevented
from altering their position laterally upon the rolls. The rollers O, O',
are made in halves connected together by the right and left handed
screw spindles v, v', by turning which by means of the hand wheels V V',
the two parts of the rollers may be brought closer together or moved
farther apart, thus allowing greater or less play between the parts m, ni',
of the roll G and the inner circumference of the rings Q, Q. If now
the metal to be rolled be introduced between the rolls these will be
forced asunder until the inner surfaces of the rings Q, Q', are pressed
against the parts m, m', of the lower roll, whereupon, if rotary motion
be imparted to the latter in the direction of the arrow, Figure 4, it will
impart motion in the same direction to the rings Q, Q', and these
will in their turn impart motion in the same direction to the rollers O, O',
which will consequently impart to the upper roll H the requisite rotary
motion in the reverse direction to that of the roll G. The space between
the rolls is regulated for rolling different thicknesses of metal by
screwing the two parts of the rollers farther apart or nearer together, as
before described. In the arrangement of screw spindles shown for this
purpose it will be seen that the screw spindles and their wheels V, V',
revolve with the rollers, and consequently it might be difficult to
regulate these while in motion; in place, therefore, of this arrangement
that shown in sectional plan at Figure 5 may be used, in which the two
halves of the rollers bear against two crossheads, through which work

page_text: two right and left handed screw spindles carried by the framing P, P,
whereby the wheels V, V', and consequently the rollers, can readily be
operated, and thus the thickness of the metal be reduced while the
rolling mill is in motion.
In either arrangement of mechanism for regulating the distance of the
rolls an oblique position may be imparted to the latter so as to roll the
metal of a greater thickness on the one side than on the other by screwing
the two parts of the one roller nearer together than the parts of thre
other roller, which may be readily effected by rendering the screw
spindles independent of each other by disengaging the clutch S.
From the above described arrangement it will be seen that the pressure
exerted by the rolls instead of being transmitted to their bearings in the
headstocks, as is usually the casc, is transmitted through the rollers O, O',
to the revolving rings Q. Q', whereby the great loss of power arising
ordinarily through the sliding friction in the bearings is almost
entirely obviated by substituting rolling friction for such sliding
friction.
This system may be readily applied by means of slight modifications
to all existing rolling mills; and where it is not desired to render the
gauge of the rolls adjustable, the arrangement may be simplified by
making the rollers O, O', of one piece and without the adjusting
mechanism. In this case these rollers might with advantage be replaced
by a third roll formed similarly to the roll II, so as to constitute a three-
roll mill.
The motion may be imparted to the mill either through a coupling on
the trunnion of the one roll, as indicated at T, or by driving the
rings Q, Q', cither by driving belts or by forming teeth on their
periphery in gear with spur driving gear.
Having thus set forth the nature of this Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details of mechanism shewn on the accompanying
Drawing, as these may be variously modified without departing from the
nature of the Invention; but what I claim is,-
First. The before described improved construction of rolling mills,
wherein rolling friction is substituted for sliding friction by the appli-
cation of revolving rings Q, Q', and rollers O, O', or their eqivalents,
arranged and operating substantially as herein-before set forth.

page_text: Second. The before described mechanism for regulating the gauge
of the rolls, wherein the rollers O, O', are made of two separate parts
capable of being moved nearer together or farther apart by adjusting
screws.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denton Abel, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Twenty-second day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
CHAS. D. ABEL. (L.S.)