Rolling mill stand with variable lateral guide device

Abstract

A rolling mill stand (1) for rolling an elongated workpiece, preferably in an cross rolling mill, wherein the rolling mill stand (1) has: two working rolls (20) forming a rolling gap(S), which are designed to roll the workpiece conveyed along a rolling direction (R); at least one guide device (30) with at least one guide (40), which is designed to laterally support the workpiece in the rolling gap(S) by the guide (40) being in contact with the workpiece; wherein the guide device (30) has an angle adjuster (33), which is designed to pivot the guide (40) about one or more, preferably three, spatial axes (x, y, z).

Claims

1.-20. (canceled)

21. A rolling mill stand (1) for rolling an elongated workpiece, comprising: two working rolls (20) forming a rolling gap(S), which are designed to roll the workpiece conveyed along a rolling direction (R); and a guide device (30) having a guide (40) designed to laterally support the workpiece in the rolling gap(S) by the guide (40) being in contact with the workpiece and an angle adjuster (33) which is designed to pivot the guide (40) about one or more spatial axes (x, y, z).

22. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 21, wherein the angle adjuster (33) is designed to pivot the guide (40) about a spatial axis (x) parallel to the rolling direction (R).

23. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 21, wherein the guide device (30) comprises a guide frame (32) and a pivot bracket (31), by which the guide frame (32) is mounted on a machine base (10) of the rolling mill stand (1) so as to be pivoting about a first spatial axis (y) and/or a second spatial axis (z) and/or a third spatial axis (x).

24. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 23, wherein the pivot bracket (31) comprises a bracket mount (31a) that is firmly mounted on the machine base (10) and a bracket body (31b) that is mounted on the bracket mount (31a) by a pivot pin (31c) and can be pivoted about the first spatial axis (y) perpendicular to the rolling direction (R).

25. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 23, wherein the angle adjuster (33) comprises a first angle adjuster unit (33a) with an actuator for adjusting a desired pivoted position about the first spatial axis (y), and a first angular clamping unit (34a), which is designed to fix the guide frame (32) in the desired pivoted position.

26. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 24, wherein the pivot bracket (31) comprises a rotating joint (31d) that connects the bracket body (31b) to the guide frame (32) by a rotating pin (31e) so that the guide frame (32) can pivot about the second spatial axis (z), which is perpendicular to the first spatial axis (y) and perpendicular to the rolling direction (R).

27. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 23, wherein the angle adjuster (33) comprises a second angle adjuster unit with an actuator for adjusting a desired pivoted position about the second spatial axis (z), and a second angular clamping unit, which is designed to fix the guide frame (32) in the desired pivoted position.

28. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 26, wherein the rotating joint (31d) is mounted on the bracket body (31b) so as to be rotatable about the third spatial axis (x) parallel to the rolling direction (R).

29. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 23, wherein the angle adjuster (33) comprises a third angle adjuster unit (33c) with an actuator for adjusting a desired pivoted position about the third spatial axis (x), and a third angular clamping unit (34c), which is designed to fix the guide frame (32) in the desired pivoted position.

30. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 21, wherein the guide device (30) comprises an eccentric receptacle (32a) and an eccentric bushing (32b), which is received in the eccentric receptacle (32a) so as to be rotatable about a longitudinal axis.

31. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 30, further comprising an eccentric adjuster (32d) with an actuator for adjusting an angle of rotation of the eccentric bushing (32b), wherein the eccentric adjuster (32d) comprises a worm drive driven by the actuator and having a worm shaft and a worm wheel or a toothed gearing having a toothed rack and a toothed wheel.

32. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 30, wherein the guide device (30) comprises an outer eccentric bushing (32b) and an inner eccentric bushing (32c) that are plugged axially into one another and are each received in the eccentric receptacle (32a) so as to be rotatable about a longitudinal axis.

33. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 32, further comprising an outer eccentric adjuster (32d) with an actuator for adjusting an angle of rotation of the outer eccentric bushing (32b) and/or an inner eccentric adjuster (32e) with an actuator for adjusting an angle of rotation of the inner eccentric bushing (32b), wherein the outer eccentric adjuster (32d) and/or the inner eccentric adjuster (32e) comprises a worm gear driven by the corresponding actuator and having a worm shaft and a worm wheel or a toothed gearing having a toothed rack and a toothed wheel.

34. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 21, wherein the guide device (30) is height-adjustable, thereby enabling an offset of a plane of the guide (40) relative to a workpiece plane, and/or wherein the plane of the guide (40) is tiltable about the z-axis relative to the workpiece plane.

35. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 32, wherein the guide device (30) comprises a shaft (37) on which the guide (40) is mounted and which can be set in rotation by a drive directly or via a mechanical gearing.

36. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 35, wherein the shaft (37) extends in an axial direction through the inner eccentric bushing (32c).

37. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 35, wherein the guide device (30) comprises a displacement sleeve (38) through which the shaft (37) extends axially, wherein the displacement sleeve (38) is designed to displace the shaft (37) axially, and wherein an axial adjuster (38a) with an actuator is provided, which is designed to adjust the shaft (37) together with the displacement sleeve (38) in the axial direction.

38. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 35, wherein the guide (40) is detachably and situationally exchangeably mountable on the shaft (37), wherein the guide (40) comprises a Diescher disc (41) and/or a guide ruler holder (42) for receiving one or more guide shoes (42a).

39. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 21, wherein the working rolls (20) are conical rolls or barrel rolls with crossed roll axles.

40. The rolling mill stand (1) according to claim 21, wherein the guide (40) is adjustable during a rolling process, and wherein a controller is provided, which calculates parameters of the adjustment of the guide (40) during the rolling process.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] Preferred further exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail by the following description of the figure. The following are shown:

[0040] FIG. 1 is a perspective, schematic view of a rolling mill stand for an cross rolling mill with two cross rolls and guide devices for the lateral stabilization of the workpiece to be rolled;

[0041] FIG. 2 is a perspective, schematic view of a guide device with a mounted Diescher disc;

[0042] FIG. 3 is a cross-section through the guide device perpendicular to the axial direction;

[0043] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section through the guide device with a mounted Diescher disc;

[0044] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a guide ruler holder with guide shoes mounted on both sides; and

[0045] FIG. 6 is schematically, a double-sided mounting for the guide as an alternative to the cantilevered mounting in accordance with FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Preferred exemplary embodiments are described below with reference to the figures. In doing so, identical, similar or similarly acting elements are provided with identical reference signs in the various figures, and a repeated description of such elements is partially omitted, in order to avoid redundancy.

[0047] FIG. 1 schematically shows a rolling mill stand 1 for a cross rolling mill for rolling long products made of a metal. Long products made of steel or a non-ferrous metal are particularly suitable for this purpose. The cross rolling mill can, for example, be designed as a stretch rolling mill for elongating round bars or a piercing mill for producing seamless tubes.

[0048] The rolling mill stand 1 comprises a machine base 10 and two working rolls 20 rotatably mounted therein, which are opposite one another in a y-direction and form a rolling gap S. The y-direction preferably coincides with the direction of gravity. In the rolling gap S, the forming of an elongated workpiece takes place, which is not shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. During rolling, the workpiece is transported along a rolling direction R, which is parallel to the spatial axis referred to herein as the x-direction. The remaining spatial axis is drawn in the figures as the z-direction.

[0049] The working rolls 20 are set in rotation for regular operation by a drive, not shown in detail in the figures. The working rolls 20 are formed to be cone-shaped and inclined, i.e. the axes of the working rolls 20 are crossed and run at an angle to the x-direction and the y-direction, by which the workpiece is propelled in the x-direction during rolling and at the same time rotated about the x-axis.

[0050] The rolling mill stand 10 further comprises two guide devices 30, which are designed to stabilize the workpiece in the z-direction. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the guide devices 30 each have, by way of example, a rotatably mounted Diescher disc 41, whose axes of rotation extend substantially in the y-direction and engage in the rolling gap at the same height in the y-direction, by which the workpiece is laterally stabilized.

[0051] The guide device 30 may carry, as an alternative to the Diescher discs 41, one or more guide shoes, described in more detail below, an edge ruler or the like, collectively subsumed herein under the designation guide 40.

[0052] The two guide devices 30 may be of substantially identical or mirror-inverted construction. One of the guide devices 30 is shown enlarged in FIG. 2.

[0053] The guide device 30 permits an adjustment of the guide 40 along at least one, preferably all, spatial axes x, y, z along with the inclination of the guide 40 about one, preferably all, spatial axes x, y, z. The adjustment can be stepless and is preferably realized via individual drives.

[0054] Initially, with reference to FIG. 2, the rotational adjustment options, i.e. the change of the inclination of the guide 40, will be explained.

[0055] For this purpose, the guide device 30 has a pivot bracket 31, which is mounted on the machine base 10 via a bracket mount 31a. The pivot bracket 31 comprises a bracket body 31b that can be pivoted relative to the bracket mount 31a about a first spatial axis, herein by way of example an axis parallel to the y-direction. A pivot pin 31c is provided for this purpose, which supports the two components of the pivot bracket 31, i.e. the bracket body 31b and the bracket mount 31a, so that they can pivot relative to one another.

[0056] The pivoting capability of the guide 40 about a second spatial axis, herein by way of example an axis parallel to the z-direction, is realized by means of a rotating joint 31d, which connects in a pivoting manner the pivot bracket 31 and a guide frame 32 of the guide device 30. The rotating joint 31d comprises a rotating pin 31e, which supports in a pivoting manner the two components, i.e., the pivot bracket 31 and the guide frame 32, relative to one another.

[0057] The pivoting capability about the remaining third spatial axis, herein by way of example the x-axis, can be implemented by mounting the rotating joint 31d on the bracket body 31b so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the x-axis. In other words, through the rotating joint 31d, the guide frame 32 can be rotated perpendicular to the axis of the rotating pin 31e, by a rotational adjustment taking place between the rotating joint 31d and the bracket body 31b.

[0058] By means of a pivot bracket 31 constructed in this manner, a pivot unit can be implemented in a structurally compact and stable manner, which enables the rotation of the guide 40 about one, two or all three spatial axes.

[0059] The rotary adjustment is performed with the aid of an angle adjuster 33, implemented by drives correspondingly assigned to the pivot axes. An angular clamping function 34 can be provided, if necessary, in order to enable a zero-clearance locking of the guide 40 in the desired angular position.

[0060] For example, the angle adjuster 33 comprises a first angle adjuster unit 33a, which is designed for a pivoting movement about the y-axis, i.e., about the pivot pin 31c. Preferably, an associated first angular clamping unit 34a is provided, which enables the zero-clearance clamping in the desired plane of rotation. Spherical or ball-shaped domes can be used for this purpose. The first angle adjuster unit 33a can comprise a servo motor or a stepper motor, in order to realize a stepless or quasi-stepless angle adjustment. A force can be transmitted via a suitable gearing, for example a worm drive with a worm shaft and a worm wheel.

[0061] In addition to the option of changing the positioning of the guide 40 about the y-axis, it is possible via the pivot bracket 31 to pivot the guide frame 32 out of the machine base 10 after it has been unclamped by the first angle clamping unit 34a, for example for the purpose of a tool change. The swinging out from the machine base 10 can be effected by a hydraulic cylinder or an electromechanical solution, not shown in the figures.

[0062] The guide device 30 can further have a second angle adjuster unit, which is designed for a pivoting movement about the z-axis, i.e. about the rotating pin 31e. Preferably, an associated second angle clamping unit is provided, which enables zero-clearance clamping in the desired plane of rotation. Spherical or ball-shaped domes can be used for this purpose. The second angle adjuster unit can comprise a servo motor or a stepper motor, in order to realize a stepless or quasi-stepless angle adjustment. Force can be transmitted via a suitable gearing, for example a worm drive with a worm shaft and a worm wheel. The second angle adjuster unit along with the second angle clamping unit are not visible in the perspective of FIG. 2.

[0063] The rotational adjustment about the x-axis is effected by means of a third angle adjuster unit 33c. Preferably, an associated third angular clamping unit 34c is provided, which enables the zero-clearance clamping in the desired plane of rotation. Spherical or ball-shaped domes can be used for this purpose. The third angle adjuster unit 33c can comprise a servo motor or a stepper motor, in order to realize a stepless or quasi-stepless angle adjustment. A force can be transmitted via a suitable gearing, for example a worm drive with a worm shaft and a worm wheel.

[0064] Through the angle adjuster 33 set forth above, the guide 40 can be positioned at an angle relative to the rolled material. Such degrees of freedom, in particular the positioning about the x-axis by means of the third angle adjuster unit 33c, enable a reduction in the size of the guide device 30, in particular of any mounted Diescher disc 41. This is because the guide length along the rolling direction R can be increased by an inclined position of the Diescher disc 41. This is accompanied by a reduction in the required size of the guide device 30 along with a reduction in costs.

[0065] In accordance with the present exemplary embodiment, the translational adjustment options are realized via a double eccentric adjuster, which is described in the following with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0066] For this purpose, the guide frame 32 is formed as or comprises an eccentric receptacle 32a. In the eccentric receptacle 32a, there are two eccentric bushings axially plugged into one another, an outer eccentric bushing 32b and an inner eccentric bushing 32c, which are rotatable relative to one another.

[0067] The adjustment, i.e. rotation of the two eccentric bushings 32b, 32c about the respective longitudinal axes, which are essentially substantial to the y-direction, is performed accordingly via an outer eccentric adjuster 32d and an inner eccentric adjuster 32e. The eccentric adjusters 32d, 32e may each have a worm drive with a worm shaft and a worm wheel and an electric motor drive, such as a stepper motor or a servo motor. By rotating the respective eccentric bushing 32b, 32c in the eccentric receptacle 32a, it is possible to adjust the guide 40 in the plane perpendicular to the eccentric bushing longitudinal axes, i.e. in the x-z plane. The adjustment range is defined via the eccentric radii of the eccentric bushings 32b, 32c.

[0068] A shaft 37 extends through the inner eccentric bushing and can be set in rotation by an electric drive or a hydraulic drive, either directly or indirectly via a mechanical gearing. For this purpose, the shaft 37 comprises a flange 37a in the lower region for connection to a rotary drive. At the opposite end, the guide 40, such as the Diescher disc 41 shown in FIG. 4, can be mounted via a mounting 39, which in FIG. 4 is designed by way of example as a cantilevered mounting 39a, and can thus be set in rotation via the shaft 37.

[0069] The shaft 37 extends axially through a displacement sleeve 38, via which the axial adjustment of the shaft 37 and thus of the guide 40 is made possible. For this purpose, an axial adjuster 38a is provided, which can adjust the shaft 37 together with the displacement sleeve 38 in the axial direction. The rotation of the shaft 37 is realized via radial and/or axial bearings relative to the displacement sleeve 38. The axial adjustment is effected between the inner eccentric bushing 32c and the displacement sleeve 38. Any compensating movements may be compensated for by a intermediate mounted cardan shaft or spindle, provided that the rotary drive for the shaft 37 is mounted in a fixed manner on an external component.

[0070] The rotary drive of the shaft 37 can be applied to continuously drive a Diescher disc 41, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, or to rotationally adjust it with a discretely settable angular position for a further, usually fixed or stationary, as the case may be, guide 40, for example a guide ruler holder 42, shown in FIG. 5. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5, the guide ruler holder 42 is formed to be elongated and enables the assembly of a guide shoe 42a or edge ruler, as the case may be, at each end. In this manner, disassembly/assembly, maintenance, etc. of a guide shoe 42a can be performed during regular operation of the system. However, the guide ruler holder 42 can also be formed to assemble exactly one guide shoe 42a or more than two guide shoes 42a. For this purpose, the guide ruler holder 42, which is seated on the shaft 37 and has two or more guide shoes 42a, can be adjusted in the angle of rotation and blocked at any angle of rotation.

[0071] The fastening of the Diescher disc 41 or the guide ruler holder 42 in the form of a cantilevered mounting 39a shown in FIG. 4 can alternatively be realized by a mounting 39b on both sides of the guide 40, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0072] In addition to a vertical change in a swung-out position or rolling position, the Diescher disc 41 or the guide ruler holder 42 can also be removed in the rolling position by a slight vertical lift and a lateral extension similar to a pallet truck.

[0073] The high variability of the guide device 30 set forth herein permits rolling of high grades with thin walls in a variety of workpiece and process situations. When using Diescher discs 41, the ability to set the angular position(s) allows improved workpiece guidance during cross rolling. Furthermore, osculation can be improved by a narrower gap between the working roll 20 and the guide 40, by which larger diameter/wall thickness ratios can be realized. The guide device 30 comes with a reduced maintenance requirement due to better sealable round guides 40. Furthermore, the particularly compact design contributes to an improved removal of contamination along with higher machine rigidity.

[0074] At any point in time during the production process, a decision can be made between the advantageous guide principles-Diescher discs 41, guide shoes 42, etc.with little effort. The variable positionings enable the best possible guidance of the rolled product. The adjustment of the positionings via eccentric bushings 32b, 32c enables the easy sealing of all guide elements. The rigidity of the machine base 10 along with the product wall thickness tolerance are improved. The positioning accuracy increases and depends to a lesser extent on the forming forces. Any adverse effects due to contamination along with maintenance effort are significantly minimized.

[0075] The rolling process is subjected to open-loop or closed-loop control by a controller not shown in the figures. The controller can be centralized or decentralized, software-based, part of Internet-based and/or cloud-based applications, or implemented in other manners, as well as accessing databases where appropriate. The communication of the controller with the corresponding components can be digital or analog, wireless or wired.

[0076] Preferably, the guide 40 is adjustable during the rolling process. For this purpose, the controller is designed to calculate corresponding parameters of the adjustment or setting, as the case may be, of the guide 40 during the rolling process.

[0077] The setting parameters for the guide(s) 40 can be optimized by the controller, wherein measured values from the process, such as forces, power consumption of motors and/or geometric measured values from the rolled material may be evaluated for optimization and used to correct the setting data. Thereby, the current rolled material can be measured directly, and/or evaluations of measurement data from previous workpieces can be used to calculate the corrections. Special computational algorithms, for example on the basis of Fourier analysis, artificial intelligence or neural networks, may be used to evaluate the measured values.

[0078] To the extent applicable, any of the individual features shown in the exemplary embodiments may be combined and/or interchanged without departing from the scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0079] 1 Rolling mill stand [0080] 10 Machine base [0081] 20 Working roll [0082] 30 Guide device [0083] 31 Pivot bracket [0084] 31a Bracket mount [0085] 31b Bracket body [0086] 31c Pivot pin [0087] 31d Rotating joint [0088] 31e Rotating pin [0089] 32 Guide frame [0090] 32a Eccentric receptacle [0091] 32b Outer eccentric bushing [0092] 32c Inner eccentric bushing [0093] 32d Outer eccentric adjuster [0094] 32e Inner eccentric adjuster [0095] 33 Angle adjuster [0096] 33a First angle adjuster unit [0097] 33c Third angle adjuster unit [0098] 34 Angle clamping [0099] 34a First angle clamping unit [0100] 34c Third angle clamping unit [0101] 37 Shaft [0102] 37a Flange [0103] 38 Displacement sleeve [0104] 38a Axial adjuster [0105] 39 Mounting [0106] 39a Cantilevered mounting [0107] 40 Guide [0108] 41 Diescher disc [0109] 42 Guide ruler holder [0110] 42a Guide shoe [0111] S Rolling gap [0112] R Rolling direction [0113] x, y, z Spatial axes