Cassette for a rolling mill and rolling mill equipped with such a cassette

Abstract

A cassette intended to be provided on a rolling mill, the cassette (1) forming a self-supporting unit including: a roller intended to constitute one of the two intermediate rollers of the rolling mill; two chocks (3) whereon are mounted the ends of the roller (2); at least one support arm (4) of the at least one side bearing member the support arm extending between the two chocks and being mounted pivotingly in relation thereto. The cassette includes at least one pair of support elements (5) receiving the ends of a rotating shaft (6) of the at least one support arm and the two support elements being detachably fastened, respectively, on the two chocks so as to allow the disassembly of the at least one support arm of the chocks and/or the assembly of the at least one support arm on the chocks independently of the disassembly/assembly of the roller.

Claims

1. A cassette for a rolling mill, said rolling mill comprising: a retaining stand comprising two pairs of posts spaced from one another at two ends respective of the stand, at least one of said pairs of posts defining an access window allowing said cassette to be removed from or introduced into said retaining stand, said rolling mill comprising: two working rollers, two intermediate rollers, and two bearing rollers, wherein each of said two working rollers comprises at least one side bearing member, and wherein said cassette forms a self-supporting unit comprising: a roller comprising two ends that forms one of said two intermediate rollers, two chocks with a space therebetween, whereon are mounted the ends of said roller, at least one support arm of said at least one side bearing member, which comprises a rotating shaft and which laterally supports one of the working rollers of the rolling mill, said support arm extending between the two chocks and being mounted pivotingly in relation to said chocks, said cassette further comprising: at least one pair of support elements that receives ends of the rotating shaft of said at least one support arm, wherein the two support elements, of said pair of support elements, are detachably fixed, respectively, on the two chocks and allow for disassembling of said at least one support arm of the chocks and/or assembling of said at least one support arm on said chocks, without modifying a spacing between said chocks, and independently of disassembling or assembling of said roller.

2. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein each of said chocks has a U shape, the U shape comprising: a median portion of the U shape receiving one end of said roller, and two side portions that respectively support two support arms.

3. The cassette according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the side portions of the chock is of a dimension less than said median portion, in such a way as to define with the median portion a housing for receiving and fastening said support elements.

4. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein said support elements are detachably fastened on the chocks via a screw.

5. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein said support element and said chock have a mechanical foolproof device that facilitates proper positioning of said support element on said chock.

6. The cassette according to claim 5 wherein the mechanical foolproof device comprises a pin and a hole, wherein one of the pin and the hole is located on said chock and the other of the pin and the hole is located on said support element, and wherein the pin and the hole mutually engage to provide for proper positioning of said support element on said chock.

7. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein each support element is configured to be displaced on the rotating shaft, axially, according to a limited course of travel.

8. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein said rotating shaft is mounted fixed in relation to the chocks and wherein said support arm is mounted pivoting in relation to said rotating shaft.

9. The cassette according to claim 1, comprising two support arms, each supporting a side bearing member and wherein each of the support arms is detachably fastened to the chocks by an intermediary of a pair of support elements.

10. The cassette according to claim 1, further comprising a spring and at least one abutment that maintain said at least one support arm in a position spaced outwards.

11. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the support elements has an internal duct that conveys a lubricant to members onboard the support arm or to another support element and which extends an internal duct of the body of one of the chocks.

12. A rolling mill comprising: two upper and lower working rollers, two upper and lower intermediate rollers, and two upper and lower bearing rollers, wherein each of said two working rollers comprises at least one side bearing member, said rolling mill further comprising a retaining stand comprising two pairs of posts spaced apart at two respective ends of the stand, wherein at least one of said pairs of posts defines an access window, said access window allowing for removal from or introduction into said retaining stand of an upper cassette according to claim 1 and of a lower cassette, wherein said upper cassette comprises: said upper intermediate roller, and said at least one side bearing member of said upper working roller, and wherein said lower cassette comprises: said lower intermediate roller, and said at least one side bearing member of said lower working roller.

13. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein said rotating shaft is mounted pivotingly in relation to the chocks, and the support arm is mounted fixed in relation to said rotating shaft.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention shall be better understood when reading the following description along with the drawings in the annex among which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a partial view of the upper portion of a rolling mill, and more particularly showing the upper working roller WR, the upper intermediate roller and the upper bearing roller, as well as side bearing members for the working roller, on either side of the clamping plane.

(3) FIG. 2 is a view of a hybrid cassette having, on the left side, a mechanical connection of the support arm with the chocks such as known in prior art and, on the right side, the mechanical connection of the support arm with the chocks in accordance with the invention.

(4) FIG. 3 is a view of the cassette such as shown in FIG. 2, showing the disassembling of the support arm (right side) of the chocks, according to the invention, without separating the chocks and without removing the roller, with this disassembly not being possible for the support arm on the left side,

(5) FIG. 4 is a cross-section view according to a plane perpendicular to the roller of a cassette in accordance with the invention.

(6) FIG. 5 is a partial transparent view of the cassette such as described in FIG. 4.

(7) FIG. 6 is a view according to a section, substantially vertical, passing through the axis of the support arm,

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the upper cassette, in accordance with the invention, in position in the retaining stand of the rolling mill.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(9) As such the invention first relates to a cassette 1 intended to be provided on a rolling mill of the laterally supported Sexto type.

(10) Such a rolling mill has: a retaining stand comprises two pairs of posts 12 separated from each other at the two ends of the stand, at least two posts of the same pair defining an access window allowing said cassette to be removed from or introduced into said retaining stand, two lower and upper working rollers CT, two lower and upper intermediate rollers CI, and two bearing rollers CA, as well as at least one side bearing member CP1, CP2 for each working roller CT.

(11) The two lower and upper working rollers CT, define the gap of the strip to be rolled and are provided floating in the retaining stand. They are maintained axially by axial abutments and laterally by the side bearing members CP1, CP2. The side bearing members are more preferably in the number of two per working roller CT, in order to maintain said working roller CT, on each side of the clamping plane.

(12) The side bearing members can comprise a first side bearing roller CP1 and a second side bearing roller CP2, arranged on either side of the working roller CT.

(13) The cassette 1 forms a self-supporting unit comprising: a roller 2 intended to constitute one of the two intermediate rollers CI of said rolling mill, two chocks 3 whereon are mounted rotatingly the ends of said roller 2 by the intermediary of a bearing, at least one support arm 4 of said at least one side bearing member, able to laterally support one of the working rollers CT of the rolling mill, said support arm 4 extending between the two chocks 3 and being mounted pivotingly in relation to said chocks 3.

(14) Preferably, said cassette comprises two support arms 4, on either side of said roller 2, and respectively supporting two side bearing members, in particular two side bearing rollers CP1, CP2.

(15) Each side bearing roller CP1 or CP2 can bear against two series of tracks. The tracks are mounted on two axes by the intermediary of rollers at the lower portion of the support arm 4.

(16) Such a cassette can constitute the upper cassette and/or the lower cassette of a rolling mill of the laterally supported Sexto type.

(17) Such a rolling mill conventionally has, in addition to said retaining stand and said bearing, intermediate and working rollers: means for applying clamping forces between the chocks of the bearing rollers CA, means for applying vertical forces of cambering on the intermediate rollers CI, means for applying a preloading force on the side bearing members CP1, CP2.

(18) The means for applying vertical cambering forces on the intermediate rollers, include, conventionally, for each intermediate roller CI, a set of balancing cylinders acting on the pushing on the side lugs 35 of the chocks 3 of the cassette 1. The cylinders can be single-acting cylinders, distributed above and below each lug 35 and acting solely on the pushing to camber the intermediate roller as positive or as negative. Alternatively camber blocks can be provided mobile vertically in relation to the posts in order to ensure this same function, by cooperating with said lugs 35.

(19) The means for applying a preloading force can include, for each side bearing member CP1, CP2, conventionally, at least one preloading cylinder 10 acting on the pushing on one of the support arms 4 to constrain the side bearing member CP1 or CP2 on the working roller CT. Conventionally these means are provided on a corresponding load distributing beam 11. This beam 11 extends between two corresponding posts 12 at the two ends of the stand. The position of this load distributing beam 11 can be adjusted, horizontally, in order to come close to the support arm 4, or on the contrary to move away from said support arm 4 for example by means of a screw/nut actuator 13.

(20) According to the invention, said cassette 1 comprises at least one pair of support elements 5 receiving the ends of a rotating shaft 6 of said at least one support arm 4. Advantageously, the two support elements 5 are detachably fixed, respectively, on the two chocks 3 of the cassette and in such a way as to allow for the disassembly of said at least one support arm 4 of the chocks 3 and/or the mounting of said at least one support arm 4 on said chocks 3, without modifying the spacing between said chocks 3, and independently of the disassembling/mounting of said roller 2.

(21) FIG. 2 shows, for the proper understanding of the invention a cassette comprising on the right, a support arm 4 fixed to the chocks in accordance with the invention by the intermediary of a pair of support elements 5, and on the left, a support arm 4 fixed to the chocks according to prior art, thanks to a rotating shaft of which the ends are threaded directly into the holes of the bodies of the two chocks.

(22) Such as shown in FIG. 3, note that, according to the invention, the support elements 5, removable, allow for the disassembling and the removal of the support arm 4, right, without having to modify the spacing of the chocks 4, and as such, without having to disassemble the roller 2.

(23) Then, the support elements 5 allow for the mounting of the support arm 4, although the ends of the roller 2 are already received in the bearings of the chocks 3. The invention as such allows for the assembling/mounting of the support arm 4, independently of the assembling/mounting of the roller 2.

(24) On the contrary, the support arm 4, left, according to prior art, requires separating the chocks in order to extract the ends of the rotating shaft 6 from the bores of the chocks, as such requiring a simultaneous disassembling of the roller 2. The mounting of the support arm 4 on the chocks also requires mounting the roller 2 on the chocks.

(25) Such as shown by way of an non-restricted example in FIG. 5, each chock 3 can have, seen from above, a U shape, with a median portion 30 receiving one of the ends of said roller 2 by the intermediary of a bearing (i.e. a hydrostatic bearing or a roller), and two side portions 31 for the respective support of two support arms 4.

(26) The one at least, and even more preferably the two side portions 31 of the chock 3 are each of a dimension less (according to the height) than said median portion 30, in such a way as to create with the or each median portion 30 a housing 32 for the receiving and the fastening of said support element 5. The housing is created, in particular by the bearing surface which is defined in what follows.

(27) The support element 5 is a body that has a bore 50, in particular of the through type, intended to receive one of the ends of the rotating shaft 6, to the nearest nesting play, possibly by the intermediary of two slide rings 53. The body of this support element 5 can have a bearing surface 51, intended to bear on a bearing surface 33 of said side portion 31 of the chock. According to an embodiment, this bearing surface 33 is oriented substantially parallel to the axis of the roller 2, and can be horizontal.

(28) Possibly, in order to provide for the proper positioning of the support element 5 on the chock 3, said support element 5 and said chock 3 have a mechanical foolproof device 34, 52.

(29) This mechanical foolproof device 34, 52, can comprise, as a non-restricted embodiment, a complementary pin 34/hole 52 pair belonging respectively to said chock 3 and to said support element 5, or inversely and oriented according to the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface 33. The pin 34 engages in the hole 52, to the nearest nesting play, in order to provide the proper positioning of said support element 5 on said chock 3, at least according to the two directions of the space contained in a plane parallel to the bearing surface.

(30) The support element 5 can have threaded bores, facing the bores of the body of the chock 3, allowing for the insertion of screws 7 and the tightening by screwing of the support element 5 onto the bearing surface 33 of the chock 3.

(31) According to an embodiment, said rotating shaft 6 is mounted fixed in relation to the chocks 3. Each end of the rotating shaft 6 can be inserted into a bore made in the mass of the body of the support element 5. A washer 60, or another equivalent blocking element can make it possible to limit to a short course of travel, for example between 2 mm and 8 mm, (i.e. + or 2 mm) the axial displacement of the rotating shaft 6 in the support element 5. In order to facilitate these small axial displacements, said slide rings 53, for example made of bronze can be provided between the rotating shaft 6 and the body of the support element 5.

(32) Such axial displacements allow for a slight adjustment in the spacing between the two support elements 5 in relation to the actual dimensions between the chocks 3, and as such facilitate the mounting of the support arm to the chocks, in particular when the engaging portions (i.e. pin 34, hole 52) of the mechanical foolproof device must be nested.

(33) The rotation of the support arm 6 in relation to the chocks 3 can be obtained by the pivoting of said support arm 4 in relation to the rotating shaft 6. To this effect, the support arm 4 can be provided with slide rings 40, for example made of bronze, between the body of the support arm 44 and the rotating shaft 6. Alternatively the rotation of the support arm in relation to the chocks can be obtained, according to an example not shown, by the rotation of the rotating shaft in relation to the chocks.

(34) Possibly, the body of at least one of the support elements 5 can have an internal duct (not shown) for a lubricant fluid, which in particular extends an internal duct on one of the chocks 3, with the duct opening onto an opening 36 on the second bearing surface 33. This fluid circuit can be used to conduct a lubricant and then convey it by means of one or several hoses or pipes in the support arm 4, for example to lubricate guiding members such as track rollers bearing against the side bearing roller CP1 or CP2, or to the other support element 5 in order to lubricate the rollers of the other chock.

(35) According to the observations of the inventor, such a circuit, independent of the rotating shaft 6, is more reliable and has a better seal than that known in prior art and which uses the hollow shaft, marked 17. According to the observations of the inventor such a circuit such as disclosed by document U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,636, has wear and tear, and is subject to leaks at the articulations of the hollow shaft.

(36) Advantageously, the disassembling of said at least one support arm 4 of the chocks 3 and/or the assembling of said at least one support arm 4 on said chocks 3 does not require any intervention on the pipes or the hoses of this fluid circuit, as the latter are onboard the non-dissociated unit comprising the support arm 4, the rotating shaft 6 and the two support elements 5.

(37) According to an advantageous embodiment, said cassette 1 can have spring means and abutments that maintain said at least one support arm 4, or the two support arms 4 in a position spaced outwards. These spring means, in particular in the form of a torsion or pressure spring, can be provided between the support arm 4 and the chocks 3, or between the support arm 4 and the support element 5, in order to constrain the support arm, and as such the side bearing member CP1 or CP2 that it carries at a distance from the working roller CT, when the cassette is in the stand.

(38) The support arms 4 retract as such against the abutments, when they are not constrained by the preloading cylinders, at a distance from the working roller CT, in a position that facilitates the removal of the working roller from the stand.

(39) Naturally other embodiments of the invention could have been considered without however leaving the scope of the invention such as defined by the claims hereinafter.

NOMENCLATURE

(40) 1. Cassette, 2. Roller, 3. Chocks, 4. Support arm (fixed to the chocks according to the invention), 4. Support arm (fixed to the chocks according to prior art), 5. Support elements, 6. Rotating shaft (Support arm 4 according to the invention), 6. Rotating shaft (Support arm 4 according to prior art), 7. Screw, 10. Preloading cylinder, 11. Load distributing beam, 12. Stand posts, 13. Screw/nut actuator, 30. Median portion (Chock 3), 31. Side portions (Chock 3), 32. Housing (Chock 3), 33. Bearing surface (Chock 3), 34. Centring pin (Chock 3), 35. Lugs (Chock 3), 36. Opening (Chock), 40. Slide ring, 50. Bore (Support element 5), 51. Bearing surface (Support element 5), 52. Centring hole (Support element 5), 53. Slide ring (Support element 5). 60. Lock washer (Rotating shaft), CA. Bearing roller, CI. Intermediate roller, CT. Working roller, CP1. Lateral bearing roller, CP2. Lateral bearing roller. ET. State of the art, INV. Invention.