SYSTEMS, METHODS AND DEVICES FOR 3D ROLLING OF MULTI-GAUGE PARTS

Abstract

Disclosed are metalworking rollers for fabricating multi-gauge sheet metal parts, methods for making and methods for using such rollers, and rolling mill machines employing variable-radius metalworking rollers for fabricating multi-gauge metal components. A metalworking roller for a rolling mill machine is disclosed. The metalworking roller includes a cylindrical roller body that rotatably and drivingly connects to the rolling mill machine. An outer diameter surface spanning around the roller body circumference includes an outermost peak region and an innermost valley region recessed radially inward from the outermost peak region and elongated circumferentially around the roller body. During operation of the rolling mill machine, the outermost and innermost regions of the roller body's outer diameter surface sequentially press against and thereby modify the gauge of a metal workpiece. Each region has a respective transverse width and circumferential length extending across and around the longitudinal length and circumference, respectively, of the roller body.

Claims

1. A metalworking roller for a rolling mill machine operable to modify a gauge of a metal workpiece, the rolling mill machine including a drive mechanism and a roll stand, the metalworking roller comprising: a cylindrical roller body configured to rotatably attach to the roll stand and drivingly connect to the drive mechanism, the roller body including an outer diameter surface spanning continuously around the circumference of the roller body, the outer diameter surface including an outermost peak region and an innermost valley region recessed radially inward from the outermost peak region and elongated circumferentially around the roller body, wherein the outermost peak region and the innermost valley region are configured to sequentially press against and thereby modify the gauge of the metal workpiece.

2. The metalworking roller of claim 1, wherein the innermost valley region has a first transverse width extending at least 30% of a longitudinal length of the cylindrical roller body.

3. The metalworking roller of claim 2, wherein the innermost valley region has a first circumferential length extending at least 20% around the circumference of the cylindrical roller body.

4. The metalworking roller of claim 2, wherein the innermost valley region has a first surface area and a first radial thickness constant along a length and a width of the first surface area.

5. The metalworking roller of claim 1, wherein the outermost peak region has a second transverse width extending the entirety of a longitudinal length of the cylindrical roller body.

6. The metalworking roller of claim 5, wherein the outermost peak region has a second circumferential length extending continuously around the entirety of the circumference of the cylindrical roller body.

7. The metalworking roller of claim 7, wherein the outermost peak region has a second surface area and a second radial thickness constant along a length and a width of the second surface area.

8. The metalworking roller of claim 1, wherein the outer diameter surface further includes an intermediate plain region recessed radially inward from the outermost peak region and elongated circumferentially around the roller body, wherein the innermost valley region is recessed radially inward from the intermediate plain region.

9. The metalworking roller of claim 8, wherein the intermediate plain region has a third transverse width extending at least 50% of a longitudinal length of the cylindrical roller body.

10. The metalworking roller of claim 8, wherein the intermediate plain region has a third circumferential length extending at least 40% around the circumference of the cylindrical roller body.

11. The metalworking roller of claim 8, wherein the intermediate plain region has a third surface area and a third radial thickness constant along a length and a width of the third surface area.

12. The metalworking roller of claim 1, wherein the outer diameter surface further includes descending and ascending stepped segments at leading and trailing edges, respectively, of the innermost valley region, the descending and ascending stepped segments interconnecting the innermost valley region with the outermost peak region.

13. The metalworking roller of claim 12, wherein the descending and ascending stepped segments each comprises round-chamfered edges at intersection points with the innermost valley region and the outermost peak region.

14. A rolling mill machine for changing a gauge of a sheet metal workpiece, the rolling mill machine comprising: a roll stand; a drive mechanism operatively connected to the roll stand; a subjacent roller rotatably mounted to the roll stand; and a metalworking roller drivingly connected to the drive mechanism and rotatably mounted to the roll stand juxtaposed with the subjacent roller, the metalworking roller including a cylindrical roller body with an outer diameter surface spanning continuously around the circumference of the roller body, the outer diameter surface including an outermost peak region and an innermost valley region recessed radially inward from the outermost peak region, the outermost peak region and innermost valley region each having a respective surface area and a respective radial thickness constant along a length and a width of the respective surface area, wherein the outermost peak region and the innermost valley region are configured to sequentially press against and thereby reduce the gauge of the sheet metal workpiece to include first and second distinct gauges.

15. A method of changing a gauge of a metal workpiece via a rolling mill machine with a metalworking roller rotatably mounted on a roll stand and drivingly connected to a drive mechanism of the rolling mill machine, the method comprising: feeding the metal workpiece into engagement with the metalworking roller, the metalworking roller including a cylindrical roller body with an outer diameter surface spanning continuously around the circumference of the roller body, the outer diameter surface including an outermost peak region and an innermost valley region recessed radially inward from the outermost peak region and elongated circumferentially around the roller body; and rotating the metalworking roller via the drive mechanism such that the outermost peak region and the innermost valley region sequentially press against and thereby modify the gauge of the metal workpiece.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the innermost valley region has a first transverse width and a first circumferential length, the first transverse width extending at least 30% of a longitudinal length of the cylindrical roller body, and the first circumferential length extending at least 20% around the circumference of the cylindrical roller body.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the innermost valley region has a first surface area and a first radial thickness constant along a length and a width of the first surface area.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the outermost peak region has a second transverse width and a second circumferential length, the second transverse width extending the entirety of a longitudinal length of the cylindrical roller body, and the second circumferential length extending around the entirety of the circumference of the cylindrical roller body.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the outermost peak region has a second surface area and a second radial thickness constant along a length and a width of the second surface area.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the outer diameter surface further includes an intermediate plain region recessed radially inward from the outermost peak region and elongated circumferentially around the roller body, wherein the innermost valley region is recessed radially inward from the intermediate plain region.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective-view illustration of a representative rolling mill machine with a representative variable-radius 3D metalworking roller modifying the gauge of sheet metal workpiece in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective-view illustration of a select portion of the representative metalworking roller of FIG. 1.

[0013] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective-view illustration of a select portion of the representative sheet metal workpiece of FIG. 1.

[0014] The present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, and some representative embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the novel aspects of this disclosure are not limited to the particular forms illustrated in the appended drawings. Rather, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, combinations, subcombinations, permutations, groupings, and alternatives falling within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] This disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms. There are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail representative embodiments of the disclosure with the understanding that these representative embodiments are to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the broad aspects of the disclosure to the illustrated embodiments. To that extent, elements and limitations that are disclosed, for example, in the Abstract, Summary, and Detailed Description sections, but not explicitly set forth in the claims, should not be incorporated into the claims, singly or collectively, by implication, inference or otherwise. For purposes of the present detailed description, unless specifically disclaimed: the singular includes the plural and vice versa; the words and and or shall be both conjunctive and disjunctive; the word all means any and all; the word any means any and all; and the words including and comprising and having mean including without limitation. Moreover, words of approximation, such as about, almost, substantially, approximately, and the like, may be used herein in the sense of at, near, or nearly at, or within 3-5% of, or within acceptable manufacturing tolerances, or any logical combination thereof, for example.

[0016] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer to like features throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a representative rolling mill machine, which is designated generally at 10 in the Figures and represented herein for purposes of description by various select components. Many of the novel aspects and features of the present disclosure will be described herein with reference to the architecture illustrated in FIG. 1 as an exemplary application with which these aspect and features can be practiced. It will be understood, however, that the disclosed concepts are by no means limited to the particular constructions illustrated in the drawings. Rather, aspects and features of the present disclosure may be implemented for forming metal workpieces of other configurations, and may be incorporated into other metal forming apparatuses and operations without departing from the intended scope and spirit of this disclosure. Lastly, the drawings presented herein are not necessarily to scale and are provided purely for instructional purposes. Thus, the specific and relative dimensions shown in the drawings are not to be construed as limiting.

[0017] Operating as a forming apparatus for hot rolling or cold rolling metal parts, such as low carbon steel or aluminum alloy automobile body panels or BIW frame sections, the rolling mill machine 10 selectively compresses and thereby introduces multiple gauges into single-layer metal sheet stock or single-layer metal blanks, both of which are represented in the drawings by an individual sheet metal workpiece 12. According to the illustrated example, the rolling mill machine 10 is composed of a structurally resilient support frame 14, more commonly known to those skilled in the art as roll stand, for providing functional support for elements of the machine 10. Operatively connected to the support frame 14 is drive mechanism 16, which may be in the nature of a single or twin-drive system each composed of a geared-down electric stepper motor or a low-speed, high-toque hydraulic motor. A subjacent support roller 18 is rotatably mounted in a generally horizontal fashion to the roll stand 12, at the proximal end of a workpiece transfer platform 20.

[0018] Operation control of the rolling mill system 10 is provided, at least in part, by a system controller, depicted in FIG. 1 in an exemplary embodiment as a micro-processor based electronic control unit (ECU) 22 having one or more processors, including but not limited to a master processor, a slave processor, and a secondary or parallel processor, as well as a suitable amount of memory, such as a volatile memory (e.g., a random-access memory (RAM)) and a non-volatile memory (e.g., an EEPROM). Only select components of the rolling mill machine 10 have been shown and will be described in detail herein. Nevertheless, the machine 10 discussed herein can include numerous additional and alternative features, and other well-known peripheral components, for example, for carrying out the various methods and functions disclosed herein without departing from the intended scope of this disclosure. It should also be appreciated that the machine 10 may be indicative of a standalone device, a section of a larger rolling mill apparatus, or one part of a multi-stand tandem mill system.

[0019] To generate multi-gauge metal parts, the rolling mill machine 10 employs a variable-radius (3D) metalworking roller 24 that is rotatably mounted to the roll stand 14, e.g., via counterposed bearing blocks and a mating keyed shaft (not shown), juxtaposed with and generally parallel to the subjacent roller 18. The metalworking roller 24 includes an elongated, right-circular cylindrical roller body 26 that is drivingly connected to the mill's drive mechanism 16, e.g., via gear train, drive shaft, drive belt/chain (not shown) or other operative connection. For at least some applications, it is desirable that the roller body 26 be fabricated from a wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant material with sufficient structural resilience to cold/hot roll a continuous feed of metal sheet stock or metal blanks, e.g., at operating pressures in a range of approximately 1,500 to 4,500 psi. By way of non-limiting example, the roller body 26 may be cast and precision machined from ultra-hard, alloyed, chrome-plated or ceramic-coated steel with a smooth (mirrored) or texturized (roughed) exterior. Optionally, the illustrated rollers may take on other geometries, dimensions, and/or orientations from that which are shown in the drawings. For practical purposes, it may be pragmatic to employ a series of variable-radius metal forming rollersprogressive rollers operating in stagesfor a single part to achieve a requisite set of gauges.

[0020] With collective reference to both FIGS. 1 and 2, the metalworking roller 24 has an outer diameter (OD) surface 28 that spans continuously around the circumference of the cylindrical roller body 26. Fabricated as a variable-radius construction, this metalworking roller 24 is molded, machined, or otherwise fashioned such that the OD surface 28 is an aggregation of various surface regions each having a distinct radial thickness with respect to the roller body 26. In accord with the illustrated example, the total surface are of the OD surface 28 is defined by three distinctly shaped and distinctly sized regionsan outermost peak region 30, an intermediate plain region 32, and an innermost valley region 34. Recognizably, the number, shape, size, orientation and location of each region can be varied from what is portrayed in the drawings. As shown, a portion of the outermost peak region 30 has a distinct transverse width W.sub.OR that extends the entirety of (i.e., is substantially coextensive with) the longitudinal length L.sub.RB of the cylindrical roller body 26. In this regard, a portion of the outermost region 30 has a distinct circumferential length L.sub.OR extending continuously around the entirety of the outermost circumference C.sub.RB of the roller body 26. Lastly, the outermost region 30 has a distinct surface area A.sub.OR and a distinct radial thickness R.sub.OR that is constant along the length and width of this surface area A.sub.OR. When the metalworking roller 24 is operatively engaged with and compresses a blank 12, as discussed further below, outermost region 30 will generate a correspondingly shaped thin gauge region 36 with the overall smallest gauge.

[0021] Innermost valley region 34 is recessed radially inward from both the outermost peak region 30 and the intermediate plain region 32, extending circumferentially around a portion of the roller body 26. By way of example, and not limitation, the innermost region 34 has a distinct circumferential (arc) length L.sub.IR that extends, e.g., about 10-50% or at least 20% or approximately 25% around the circumference C.sub.RB of the roller body 26. Moreover, the innermost region 34 has a distinct transverse width W.sub.IR that extends, e.g., about 20-70% or at least 30% or approximately 50% of the longitudinal length L.sub.RB of the cylindrical roller body 26. The surface area A.sub.IR of the innermost region 34, which is less than the surface area A.sub.OR of the outermost region 30, has a distinct radial thickness R.sub.IR that is less than the outermost radius R.sub.OR and is constant along the length and width of surface area A.sub.IR. When the metalworking roller 24 is operatively engaged with and compresses a blank 12, the innermost region 34 will generate a correspondingly shaped thick gauge region 38 with the overall largest gauge. It may be desirable, for at least some embodiments, that the length L.sub.IR and width W.sub.IR of the innermost region 34 be sufficiently sized to ensure that the thick gauge region 38 covers a sufficiently sized portion of the workpiece 12 to exhibit isotropic properties, rather than being a mere discrete indentation or surface texturization exhibiting anisotropic properties.

[0022] The roller body's OD surface 28 may be formed or precision machined to include one or more additional or alternative recessed regions, such as the intermediate plain region 32 that is recessed radially inward from the outermost peak region 30, but offset radially outward from the innermost valley region 34. Like the valley region 34, the plain region 32 extends circumferentially around some, but not all, of the roller body 26. In the same vein, the plain region 32, like the valley region 34, extends transversely across some, but not all, of the roller body's longitudinal length. According to the illustrated example, the intermediate region 32 has a distinct circumferential (arc) length L.sub.ITR that extends, e.g., about 30-80% or at least 40% or approximately 50% around the circumference C.sub.RB of the roller body 26. Additionally, the intermediate region 32 has a distinct transverse width W.sub.ITR that extends, e.g., about 40-90% or at least 50% or approximately 75% of the longitudinal length L.sub.RB of the cylindrical roller body 26. This intermediate plain region 32 has a distinct surface area A.sub.ITR that is greater than the surface area A.sub.IR of the innermost region 30, but less than the surface area A.sub.OR of the outermost region 28. Plain region 32 has a distinct radial thickness R.sub.ITR that is greater than the innermost radius R.sub.IR and is constant along the length and width of the surface area A.sub.ITR. When the metalworking roller 24 is operatively engaged with and compresses a blank 12, the intermediate region 32 will generate a correspondingly shaped medium gauge region 40. It may be desirable, for at least some embodiments, that the length L.sub.ITR and width W.sub.ITR of the intermediate region 34 be sufficiently sized to ensure that the medium gauge region 40 covers a sufficiently sized portion of the workpiece 12 to exhibit isotropic properties, rather than being a mere discrete indentation or surface texturization exhibiting anisotropic properties.

[0023] The individual regions of the OD surface 28 of FIG. 1 are arranged such that the outermost, intermediate and innermost regions 30, 32, 34 sequentially press against and thereby modify the gauge of the metal workpiece 12. In so doing, the variable-radius (3D) metalworking roller 24 can introduce gauge differences into monolithic metal sheets without machining or welding. This, in turn, helps to provide a workpiece with isotropic properties, rather than additive manufacturing techniques that add or remove material, that may not provide isotropic properties, and may be undesirably slow. As can be seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the OD surface 28 of the roller 24 incorporates descending and ascending stepped segments 42 and 44, respectively, at leading and trailing edges, respectively, of the innermost valley region 34. The leading stepped segment 42 interconnects the innermost region 34 with the intermediate region 32, while the trailing stepped segment 44 interconnects the innermost region 34 with both the outermost region 30 and the intermediate region 32. A third stepped region (not visible in the views provided), which is descending with respect to the outermost region 30, interconnects the intermediate region 32 with the outermost region 30. Each stepped segment may be fabricated with round-chamfered edges at intersection points with the surface regions 30, 32, 34 to provide a gradual, rather than abrupt, change in gauge for the workpiece 12.

[0024] While aspects of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein; any and all modifications, changes, and variations apparent from the foregoing descriptions are within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined in the appended claims. Moreover, the present concepts expressly include any and all combinations and subcombinations of the preceding elements and features.