Roll device for rolling metal strips, roll arrangement for use in such a roll device and method for converting a roll device

Abstract

A roll device for rolling metal strips comprises a first and a second work roll which define a roll gap therebetween, and a first and a second backup roll. In a common rolling mill stand, at least one work roll is mounted in work roll chocks and the backup rolls are mounted in backup roll chocks. The work roll chocks are designed such that the first and/or the second work roll can each be replaced by a roll arrangement having a work roll with a smaller diameter and at least one additional roll. The work roll with the smaller diameter is supported via the additional roll. The additional roll is mounted in additional roll chocks and the work roll with the smaller diameter is situated in work roll bearings of the additional roll chocks.

Claims

1.-24. (canceled)

25. A roll device (1) for rolling metal strips, comprising: a first and a second work roll (4,6,6) which define a roll gap (W) therebetween, and a first and a second backup roll (11, 12), wherein, in a common rolling mill stand (2), at least one of the first and the second work roll (4, 6) is mounted in work roll chocks (5, 9) and the first and the second backup roll (11, 12) are mounted in backup roll chocks (13, 14), wherein the work roll chocks (5, 9) are designed such that the first and/or the second work roll (4, 6) can each be replaced by a roll arrangement (10) having a work roll (6) with a smaller diameter and an additional roll (8), wherein the work roll (6) with the smaller diameter is supported via the additional roll (8), wherein the additional roll (8) is mounted in additional roll chocks (7), and wherein the work roll with the smaller diameter is situated in work roll bearings (9) of the additional roll chocks (7).

26. The roll device (1) according to claim 25, wherein a position of the work roll bearings (9) within the roll arrangement (10) is adjustable.

27. The roll device (1) according to claim 26, wherein the position of the work roll bearings can be adjusted axially and/or transversely to a longitudinal extension of the roll gap (W).

28. The roll device (1) according to claim 25, wherein the additional roll (8) has a larger diameter than the work roll (6) of the roll arrangement (10).

29. The roll device (1) according to claim 25, wherein the first or the second work roll (4, 6, 6) is designed as a work roll with a smaller or larger diameter, and in that the work roll (6) with the smaller diameter has a diameter that is smaller than or equal to half the diameter of the work roll (4, 6) with the large diameter.

30. The roll device (1) according to claim 29, wherein the diameter of the additional roll (8) is smaller than or equal to the diameter of the work roll (4, 6) with the large diameter.

31. The roll device (1) according to claim 25, wherein the additional roll chocks (7) of the roll arrangement (10) have an outer contour that approximately corresponds to the outer contour of the work roll chocks (5, 9) for a single work roll (4, 6) with a larger diameter.

32. The roll device (1) according to claim 25, wherein the work roll bearings (9) are situated in pockets (26) on a side of the additional roll chocks (7) turned towards the roll gap (W) in an installed position.

33. The roll device (1) according to claim 25, wherein the work roll (6) of the roll arrangement (10) is supported on at least one side parallel to its axis of rotation over at least part of its length by a hydrostatic support bearing (17).

34. The roll device (1) according to claim 33, wherein a position of an axis of rotation of the work roll (6) in the work roll bearings (9) of the roll arrangement (10) can be adjusted relative to a position of an axis of rotation of the additional roll (8).

35. The roll device (1) according to claim 34, wherein the work roll (6) is movably mounted in the work roll bearings (9) of the roll arrangement (10) transversely to its axis of rotation and can be positioned by a support shell (18) of the hydrostatic support bearing (17).

36. The roll device (1) according to claim 35, wherein the support shell (18) extends over a substantial part of a barrel length of the work roll (6).

37. The roll device (1) according to claim 36, wherein the support shell (18) is set and/or held against the work roll (6) via a hydraulic setting device.

38. The roll device (1) according to claim 37, wherein at least one guide element for a rolled material is provided as a setting device.

39. The roll device (1) according to claim 38, wherein the setting device comprises a plurality of adjusting cylinders (22), which act on the support shell (18) with actuating elements (23).

40. The roll device (1) according to claim 25, wherein at least one roll chock (7) and/or at least one work roll bearing (9) of the roll arrangement (10) comprises at least one media coupling (24, 25).

41. A roll arrangement (10) for use in a roll device (1), comprising: an additional roll (8); and a work roll (6), wherein the additional roll (8) is mounted in additional roll chocks (7) and wherein the work roll (6) is situated in work roll bearings (9) of the additional roll chocks (7).

42. The roll arrangement (10) according to claim 41, wherein the additional roll (8) has a larger diameter than the work roll (6).

43. The roll arrangement (10) according to claim 41, wherein the work roll bearings (9) are situated in pockets (26) on a side of the additional roll chocks (9) turned towards a roll gap (W) in an installed position.

44. The roll arrangement (10) according to claim 43, wherein the work roll (6) is supported on at least one side parallel to an axis of rotation over at least part of its length by means of at least one hydrostatic support bearing (17).

45. The roll arrangement (10) according to claim 44, wherein the work roll bearings (9) are movably mounted in the pockets (26) of the additional roll chocks (7).

46. The roll arrangement (10) according to claim 41, wherein at least one additional roll chock and/or at least one work roll bearing (9) has at least one media coupling (24, 25) or media connection.

47. A method for converting a roll device for rolling metal strips, comprising: providing a roll device, comprising a first and a second work roll (4,6) which define a roll gap therebetween, and a first and a second backup roll (11, 12), wherein, in a common rolling mill stand (2), at least one of the first and the second work roll (4,6) is mounted in work roll chocks (5, 9) and the first and the second backup roll (11, 12) are mounted in backup roll chocks (13, 14); replacing the first and/or the second work roll (4, 6) by a roll arrangement (10), which comprises an additional roll (8) supporting the work roll (6) situated in work roll bearings (9), wherein a diameter of the work roll (6) of the roll arrangement (10) is smaller than a diameter of the work roll (6) to be replaced and wherein outer dimensions of additional roll chocks (7) of the roll arrangement (10) correspond to outer dimensions of the work roll chocks (5) of the work roll (6) being replaced.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] FIG. 1 is a schematic and simplified illustration of a rolling device,

[0044] FIG. 2A is an illustration of a conventional pair of work rolls,

[0045] FIG. 2B shows a roll arrangement,

[0046] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the mounting of the work roll of the roll arrangement in accordance with FIG. 2B,

[0047] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a roll arrangement,

[0048] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the roll device in accordance with FIG. 4 as seen from the drive side,

[0049] FIG. 6 is a perspective illustration of a guide table for guiding the rolled material with a setting device, and

[0050] FIG. 7 is a further perspective illustration of the guide table in accordance with FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The roll device 1 comprises a rolling mill stand 2 with a roller stand 3, within which an upper (large) work roll 4 is mounted in upper work roll chocks 5 and a lower (small) work roll 6 is mounted in a common roll chock with an additional roll 8. A roll gap W is formed between the work rolls 4,6, through which the rolled material, which is not shown, is passed in the form of a metal strip.

[0052] In a known manner, the roll device 1 comprises both bending cylinders and balancing cylinders, with which compensation can be made for a bending of the work rolls and the weight force of the backup rolls. For reasons of simplification, such devices are not shown in the drawings. In addition, the roll device comprises means for axial displacement of the work rolls 4,6, which are also not shown in the drawings for reasons of simplification.

[0053] For the purposes of this patent application, axial displacement or adjustment means displacement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the rolls concerned. Vertical displacement or adjustment within the meaning of this patent application is to be understood as an adjustment transverse to the longitudinal extension of the roll gap W.

[0054] In the vertical direction, the upper work roll 4 is supported against an upper backup roll 11, whereas the lower work roll 6 is supported against a lower additional roll 8. The additional roll 8 is supported against a lower backup roll 12. The upper backup roll 11 is mounted in upper backup roll chocks 13 and the lower backup roll 12 is mounted in lower backup roll chocks 14. The combination of the lower work roll 6 and the additional roll 8 form a roll arrangement 10 within the meaning of the present disclosure. The roll arrangement 10 comprises an additional roll chock 7, in which the smaller diameter lower work roll 6 is mounted. The mounting of the work roll 6 is accomplished by work roll bearings 9 of the additional roll chocks 7.

[0055] The work rolls 4, 6 reduce the thickness of the rolled material in a manner known per se. The roll device 1 is preferably designed as a device for cold rolling metal strips and is designed for a relatively high thickness reduction.

[0056] To stabilize the entire set of rolls, both the upper backup roll chock 13 and the lower backup roll chock 14 are subjected to a force parallel to their longitudinal center axes within the roller stand 3 by means of pusher cylinders 15 known per se, which counteracts lateral deflection of the backup rolls 11, 12. Such stabilization is particularly advantageous because of the odd number of rolls in the set of rolls. By means of the pusher cylinders 15, an offset (longitudinal center offset) of the longitudinal center axes of the backup rolls 11, 12 relative to the longitudinal center axes of the work rolls 4, 6 can be set in a known manner. Due to the possible variable offset directions, the effective directions of the pusher cylinders 15 must be recalculated for each application and load case. This is effected through a control unit S of the roll device 1.

[0057] In the configuration of the roll device 1 shown in FIG. 1, it is provided that the lower work roll 6 has approximately half the diameter of the upper work roll 4. The diameter of the additional roll 8 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the upper work roll 4. As will be further described below, the roll device 1 can be converted between different configurations with different pairs of rolls. This has the advantage that a roll device 1 with a pair of rolls for rolling less strong strips with relatively low thickness reduction can be converted by simple means if higher strength and thinner strips made of special alloys or with a higher thickness reduction are to be rolled.

[0058] The configuration of the various pairs of rolls of the roll device can be seen in particular in FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. 2A shows a front view of a conventional pair of work rolls comprising a first upper work roll 4 and a second lower work roll 6, wherein the upper work roll 4 is mounted in an upper work roll chock 5 and the lower work roll 6 is mounted in a lower work roll chock 9. Both work rolls 4,6 have the same diameter and accordingly form a symmetrical pair of work rolls.

[0059] It is provided that the roll device 1 can be converted in such a manner that either the upper work roll 4 with the associated upper work roll chocks 5 or the lower work roll 6 with the associated lower work roll chocks 9 is replaced by the roll arrangement 10 in accordance with FIG. 2B. Such configuration is shown in FIG. 1.

[0060] The roll arrangement 10 in accordance with FIG. 2B comprises additional roll chocks 7, whose outer dimensions and geometry correspond approximately to the geometry of the work roll chocks 4, 6 of the conventional pair of work rolls in accordance with FIG. 2A. This is made possible in particular by the fact that the additional roll 8, the diameter of which corresponds approximately to the diameter of the upper work roll 4 or is slightly smaller, is mounted in the lower additional roll chocks 7 corresponding to the upper work roll 4 in the upper work roll chocks. The lower work roll 6 is mounted in work roll bearings 9, each of which is situated in pockets 26 on the upper side of the additional roll chocks 7 turned towards the roll gap W.

[0061] With the variant of the roll device 1 in accordance with FIG. 1, it is provided that the position of the axis of rotation of the lower work roll 6 is adjustable by means of exchangeable wear plates 16.

[0062] With the variant of the roll arrangement 10 shown in FIG. 2B, it is provided that the lower work roll 6 is movably mounted transversely to its longitudinal axis and is centered within the pockets 26 by means of a hydrostatic bearing 17.

[0063] As can be seen in particular from FIG. 3, which shows a detailed view from FIG. 2B, the hydrostatic bearing 17 comprises two support shells 18 extending substantially along the entire length of the barrel of the lower work roll 6 and sealed against the lower work roll 6. Via media connections described below, the hydrostatic bearing 17 is supplied with coolant/lubricant, for example rolling emulsion, such that it is ensured that the support shells 18 enclose the work roll 6 between them in such a manner that they do not rest on the surface of the work roll 6. In addition, a lateral sealing (not shown) of the support shells 18 is provided, which is supported on the steady rest seat of the lower work roll 6, such that it is ensured that the support shells 18 do not rest against the work roll 6 if no media pressure is built up.

[0064] Furthermore, the additional roll chock 7 has receptacles for viscoelastic buffers 27 in the lower region of the pocket 26, which lift off the small work roll 6 with the associated work roll bearings 9 as soon as they are load-free. This ensures that there is no surface contact between the work roll 6 and the additional roll 8 during the roll change, which could affect the surface finish of the smaller work roll 6.

[0065] With the embodiment described, the small work roll 6 has two hydrostatic bearings 17, one on the inlet side and one on the outlet side of the roll device 1. A single-sided or double-sided supply of the support shells 18 can be optionally provided. In other embodiments, a single-sided arrangement can also be provided.

[0066] FIG. 4 shows schematic illustration of a roll arrangement 10. The additional roll chocks 7 of the roll arrangement are provided with first media couplings 24 for supplying pressure to the hydrostatic bearing 17 and second media couplings 25 for providing a coolant and/or lubricant to the rolling bearings of the lower work roll 6 and the additional roll 8.

[0067] For example, the rolling emulsion can be circulated through the hydrostatic bearing 17 at a flow rate of approximately 1000 l/min as a medium for supplying pressure.

[0068] As can be seen from FIG. 5, the roll device 1 comprises a guide table 19 at least on one side for guiding the rolled material. The guide plane of the guide table 19 extends approximately at the height of the shell surface of the lower work roll 6. Means are provided on the guide table 19 for adjusting and/or centering a support shell 18 of the hydrostatic bearing 17 in the form of an adjusting beam 20, which is situated so as to be displaceable relative to the guide table 19 by means of feed cylinders 21.

[0069] The guide table 19 is shown in enlarged perspective in FIGS. 6 and 7. Feed cylinders 21, which are situated on the underside of the guide table 19 (see FIG. 7), can be used to position the adjusting beam 20 in relation to a support shell 18. The adjusting beam 20 further comprises a plurality of adjusting cylinders 22, which act on the respective support shell 18 of the hydrostatic bearing 17 by means of slides 23. By means of the adjusting cylinders 22, the counterpressure on the support shell 18 of the hydrostatic bearing 17 can be set over the entire length of the barrel of the lower work roll 6. With the roll device 1, a guide table 19 can be provided both on the inlet side and on the outlet side.

[0070] The setting of the support shells 18 of the hydrostatic bearing 17 is effected with the adjusting beams attached to the guide table 19, such that additional adjusting means to be provided on the roll arrangement 10 are unnecessary. This allows the roll arrangement 10 to be compact and without additional adjusting means.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0071] 1 Roll device [0072] 2 Rolling mill stand [0073] 3 Roller stand [0074] 4 Upper work roll [0075] 5 Upper work roll chock [0076] 6 Lower work roll [0077] 6 Lower work roll of a conventional pair of work rolls [0078] 7 Additional roll chock [0079] 8 Additional roll [0080] 9 Work roll bearing [0081] 9 Lower work roll chock [0082] 10 Roll arrangement [0083] 11 Upper backup roll [0084] 12 Lower backup roll [0085] 13 Upper backup roll chock [0086] 14 Lower backup roll chock [0087] 15 Pusher cylinder [0088] 16 Wear plates [0089] 17 Hydrostatic bearing [0090] 18 Support shells [0091] 19 Guide table [0092] 20 Adjusting beam [0093] 21 Feed cylinder [0094] 22 Adjusting cylinder [0095] 23 Slide [0096] 24 First media coupling [0097] 25 Second media coupling [0098] 26 Pockets [0099] 27 Viscoelastic buffers [0100] S Control device [0101] W Roll gap [0102] O Offset