Abstract
The invention relates to a stand change carriage (10) for simultaneously receiving and transporting a plurality of stands of a rolling mill for rolling metal rods, wires or pipes, the stand change carriage (10) comprising a plurality of stand places (16), one of the stands being receivable individually in each of the stand places (16), the stand change carriage (10) comprising a plurality of steerable wheels (20), in order to transport the stands on rails or along a rail-less mill floor, and the stand change carriage comprising at least one hydraulic motor (21) which is operatively connected to at least one of the wheels (20) in order to drive it.
Claims
1. A stand change carriage for simultaneously receiving and transporting a plurality of stands of a rolling mill for rolling metal rods, wires, or pipes, the stand change carriage comprising: a plurality of stand places, wherein one of the stands is receivable individually in each of the stand places; a plurality of steerable wheels for transporting the stands on rails or along a rail-less mill floor, and at least one hydraulic motor operatively connected to at least one of the wheels such that the hydraulic motor drives the stand change carriage.
2. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, wherein the hydraulic motor is a radial piston motor or an axial piston motor.
3. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, wherein each of the wheels is operatively connected to a respective hydraulic motor of the at least one hydraulic motor.
4. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the wheels are steerable, such that the at least two of the wheels are able to perform a change in direction of travel of at least 30.
5. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, wherein contact surfaces of the stand places have an installation height of 50 cm or less above the mill floor.
6. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, further comprising: a steering drive configured to steer at least two wheels, wherein the steering drive comprises a chain drive.
7. The stand change carriage according to claim 6, wherein the at least one hydraulic motor and an associated wheel form a drive unit which is pivotable about a steering axis and on which a ring gear is non-rotatably mounted.
8. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the stand places is arranged between at least two of the wheels during operation of the stand change carriage when viewed from above.
9. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, further comprising an energy source configured to supply the at least one hydraulic motor with energy.
10. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, wherein the at least one hydraulic motor is part of a closed hydraulic circuit comprising a pump, and wherein the hydraulic circuit is configured to not include tank.
11. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, wherein a battery-operated electric motor is mounted on the stand change carriage and is configured to supply the at least one hydraulic motor with hydraulic pressure, such that the hydraulic pressure drive the battery-operated electric motor.
12. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, further comprising an inductive charging mechanism.
13. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, further comprising a wireless data gearbox device for controlling the stand change carriage.
14. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, wherein the stand change carriage comprises at least four stand places.
15. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, wherein the stand places are configured to receive a stand having a hexagonal outside shape when viewed along a rolling direction of the stand.
16. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, wherein all of the wheels are steerable, such that all of the wheels are able to perform a change in direction of travel of at least 30.
17. The stand change carriage according to claim 4, wherein the at least two of the wheels are able to perform a change in direction of travel of at least 90.
18. The stand change carriage according to claim 1, wherein contact surfaces of the stand places have an installation height of 40 cm or less above the mill floor.
19. The stand change carriage according to claim 6, wherein the steering drive is configured to steer all of the wheels.
20. The stand change carriage according to claim 13, wherein the data gearbox device is configured to transmit operating states of the stand change carriage.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0036] FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a preferred stand change carriage.
[0037] FIG. 2 shows the preferred stand change carriage from FIG. 1 from the opposite side.
[0038] FIG. 3 shows the preferred stand change carriage from above.
[0039] FIG. 4 shows the preferred stand change carriage from below.
[0040] FIG. 5 is a side view of the preferred stand change carriage, one stand place being occupied with a stand.
WAYS OF IMPLEMENTING THE INVENTION
[0041] FIG. 1 shows a preferred stand change carriage 10 for receiving four stands. For this purpose, the stand change carriage 10 is equipped with four stand places 16 which are all designed to individually receive a stand. The view of FIG. 1 shows the side of the stand change carriage which faces the rolling mill during changing of the stands. Each of the stand places 16 comprises a depression 18 in a main body 11 of the stand change carriage 10, and one slide rail 17 in each case, on either side of the depression 18. On the slide rails 17, the respective stand can be pushed into or lifted onto the stand change carriage 10. The pair of slide rails 17 thus forms the contact surface for a stand housing of a received stand, the depression 18 providing space for parts of the stand protruding from the stand housing, such as a coupling of a roll shaft. Between the stand places 16, the stand change carriage 10 comprises in each case, i.e. in total three, intermediate spaces 28. As will be also described further below, further components, inter alia wheels 20, are arranged in said intermediate spaces 28 on the underside of the stand change carriage 10. On the upper side, the outer intermediate spaces 28 furthermore accommodate, under a cover 27, components of a steering drive, as will be explained in greater detail below.
[0042] FIG. 2 shows the stand change carriage 10 from its opposite side. The depressions 18 are closed towards this side, such that the stand change carriage, with the exception of structures on the intermediate spaces 28 and in its rear and front region, has a substantially uniform installation height. In this embodiment, a hydraulic pump 32 is attached at the side, which is driven by an electric motor 33. In principle, the hydraulic pump 32 and/or the electric motor 33 can be accommodated at other points of the stand change carriage 10. The attachment on the side shown is advantageous, however, because these components are not in the way when the rolling mill is approached. The hydraulic pump 32 supplies a hydraulic system of the stand change carriage 10 with a pressurized hydraulic fluid.
[0043] Furthermore, a chain drive 22 is provided to the side. The chain drive 22 is part of a steering system which is described in more detail below, and serves to distribute a central input of the steering drive to all the steerable wheels of the stand change carriage.
[0044] FIG. 3 shows the stand change carriage 10 from above. In this view, the covers 27 over the two outer intermediate spaces 28 are removed. Thus, the view of a spindle rod 25 is free, which rod is in each case arranged in the intermediate space 28. The spindle rod 25 comprises a spindle 26 in two portions. A sprocket 34 is non-rotatably mounted on the spindle rod 25, to the side of the chain drive 22, into which sprocket the chain drive 22 engages. The spindles 26 in each case mesh with an upper gear wheel 29 which in turn drives a shaft 31 positioned perpendicularly to the drawing plane.
[0045] FIG. 4 shows the stand change carriage 10 from below. In this view, the depressions 18 are now raised parts of the main body 11 of the stand change carriage 10. Enough space is present in the intermediate spaces 28 to provide drive units 24 consisting in each case of a wheel 20 and a hydraulic motor 21. The hydraulic motors 21 are incorporated, in a manner conventional in the art, in the hydraulic system of the stand change carriage 10. For the sake of improved clarity, the necessary hydraulic lines are not shown. Overall, the stand change carriage 10 comprises four structurally identical drive units 24, of which in each case two share one of the intermediate spaces 28. In this embodiment, the hydraulic motor 21 of the drive unit 24 is designed as a radial piston motor, the dimensions of which in the longitudinal direction are smaller than 20 cm. The drive unit 24 is therefore very compact overall. Furthermore, a ring gear 23 is mounted on the drive unit 24. Each drive unit 24 can be rotated, together with its ring gear 23, about a steering axis perpendicular to the drawing plane. Owing to the compact design, the drive unit 24 can rotate about the steering axis about 360, despite the small intermediate space 28, without colliding with the main body 11 of the stand change carriage 10. The direction of travel of each wheel 20 can thus be set as desired, as a result of which the stand change carriage 10 can perform any desired change of direction of travel instantly. In the position shown in FIG. 3, all the wheels 20 face perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction of the stand change carriage, along which the stands are lined up. In the position shown, the stand change carriage can thus be moved towards a rolling mill from the side. A lower gear wheel 30 meshes with the ring gear 23 of each drive unit, such that the respective drive unit 24 is rotated about its steering axis by a rotation of the lower gear wheel 30. Thus, a total of four such lower gear wheels 30 are provided, which are part of the steering drive of the stand change carriage 10. Each lower gear wheel 30 is connected via the shaft 31 to an associated upper gear wheel 29 and thus connected to the chain drive 22. The mechanism is adapted such that, during operation of the chain drive 22, it steers the wheels 20 synchronously in an aligned orientation. Embodiments are also conceivable, however, in which additionally or alternatively in each case only the two wheels 20, which share an intermediate space 28 or which are arranged on one side of the stand change carriage 10, can be steered independently of the other two wheels 20. It is thus for example possible, in an efficient manner, to turn the stand change carriage 10. Preferably, for this purpose, the directions of rotation of the individual hydraulic motors can also be set differently from one another. The chain drive 22 can be driven hydraulically, for which purpose it is incorporated into the hydraulic system, but driving using an electric motor is also possible.
[0046] A battery 35 or a battery pack is arranged in the central intermediate space 28, which battery or battery pack supplies power to the electric motor 33 and other electrical components. The stand change carriage 10 shown can thus travel entirely autonomously.
[0047] FIG. 5 shows the preferred stand change carriage 10 from the side which faces the rolling mill in the case of a stand change, a stand 13 being received on the left-hand stand place 16 in the viewing direction. It is clear that a coupling 15 of the stand 13 protruding from the stand housing 14 finds space in the depression 18 of the stand place 16. In this view, a mill floor H comprising rails S embedded therein is also sketched, on which rails the wheels 20 of the stand change carriage roll. In this embodiment, the installation height B of the stand places 16, i.e. a distance between the contact surface of the stand places 16 and the mill floor H, is 39 cm.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS
[0048] 10 stand change carriage [0049] 11 main body [0050] 13 stand [0051] 14 stand housing [0052] 15 coupling [0053] 16 stand place [0054] 17 slide rails [0055] 18 depression [0056] 20 wheel [0057] 21 hydraulic motor [0058] 22 chain drive [0059] 23 ring gear [0060] 24 drive unit [0061] 25 spindle rod [0062] 26 spindle [0063] 27 cover [0064] 28 intermediate space [0065] 29 upper gear wheel [0066] 30 lower gear wheel [0067] 31 shaft [0068] 32 hydraulic pump [0069] 33 electric motor [0070] 34 sprocket [0071] 35 battery [0072] H mill floor [0073] S rails [0074] B installation height
