U.S. patent application number 12/608338 was filed with the patent office on 2011-05-05 for side looper.
This patent application is currently assigned to MORGAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. Invention is credited to T. Michael Shore.
Application Number | 20110100082 12/608338 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43602815 |
Filed Date | 2011-05-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110100082 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shore; T. Michael |
May 5, 2011 |
Side Looper
Abstract
A side looper comprises an entry guide for directing a
longitudinally moving long product into an arcuate path, an exit
guide for receiving the product exiting from the arcuate path, and
inner and outer guide walls arranged between the entry and exit
guides. The guide walls are adjustable between mutually spaced
closed positions fixing the curvature of the arcuate path, and open
positions allowing the curvature of the arcuate path to either
increase or decrease.
Inventors: |
Shore; T. Michael;
(Princeton, MA) |
Assignee: |
MORGAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
Worcester
MA
|
Family ID: |
43602815 |
Appl. No.: |
12/608338 |
Filed: |
October 29, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
72/166 ;
72/8.6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B21B 1/16 20130101; B21B
41/10 20130101; B21C 49/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
72/166 ;
72/8.6 |
International
Class: |
B21B 37/50 20060101
B21B037/50; B21D 7/04 20060101 B21D007/04 |
Claims
1. A side looper for directing a longitudinally moving long product
along an arcuate path, said side looper comprising: an entry guide
for directing the product into said arcuate path; an exit guide for
receiving the product exiting from said path; inner and outer guide
walls arranged between said entry and exit guides; and operating
means for adjusting said guide walls between mutually spaced closed
positions fixing the curvature of said path, and open positions
allowing the curvature of said path to either increase or
decrease.
2. The side looper of claim 1 wherein said inner and outer guide
walls are subdivided into entry and exit sections adjustable
between said closed and open positions.
3. The side looper of claim 2 wherein said entry and exit sections
are pivotally adjustable between said closed and open
positions.
4. The side looper of claim 2 wherein the entry and exit sections
of said inner guide wall are connected to and pivotally adjustable
by a single linear actuator.
5. A method of directing a longitudinally moving long product along
an arcuate path extending between an entry guide and an exit guide,
said method comprising: fixing the curvature of said path between
inner and outer guide walls adjusted to closed positions; directing
the product via said entry guide into and along said path and out
through said exit guide; and following emergence of said product
from said exit guide, adjusting said inner and outer guide walls to
open positions allowing the curvature of said path to either
increase or decrease while the product continues to travel along
said path.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein following exit of said product
from said entry guide, and while said product is traveling between
said entry and exit guides, adjusting said inner and outer guide
walls to said closed positions.
Description
BACKGROUND DISCUSSION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates generally to continuous hot rolling
mills having two or more strands producing bars, rods and the like,
and is concerned in particular with the provision of an improved
side looper of the type employed at selected locations along the
rolling lines of such mills.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] As herein employed, the term "long products" is intended to
encompass round bars, rods and the like, as opposed to strips and
other like flat products. Also, as herein employed, the term "loop"
is intended to define an arcuate deflection of the product.
[0005] During a rolling operation in a continuous hot rolling mill
producing long products, it is not uncommon for the delivery speed
of the product exiting from an upstream roll stand to vary from the
take in speed of the next subsequent downstream roll stand. In
order to deal with such speed variations, repeaters are sometimes
employed between the successive roll stands. Repeaters operate to
change the direction of the product by introducing a loop in the
product of approximately 180.degree.. A drawback with this
arrangement, however, is that relatively large areas of the mill
floor must be dedicated to accommodating the repeater loops.
[0006] Side loopers are also employed to introduce loops between
the successive roll stands. Side loopers typically produce smaller
loops of less than about 120.degree., and as such are more compact
and require less mill floor space as compared to repeaters. In a
side loopers, the loop is initially formed by guiding the product
around a fixed arcuate guide wall, and then allowing the curvature
of the loop to increase if the delivery speed of the product
exiting from the upstream stand exceeds the take in speed of the
downstream stand. However, should a speed imbalance result from the
downstream stand's take in speed exceeding the upstream stand's
delivery speed, a compensating decrease in the loop curvature is
impeded by the looper's fixed guide wall, resulting in the
development of unwanted tension in the product.
[0007] The present invention addresses this problem by providing a
side looper designed to accommodate both increases and decreases in
the curvature of the loop.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A side looper in accordance with the present invention is
designed to form a loop in a longitudinally moving long product by
directing the product along an arcuate path. The side looper
includes an entry guide for feeding the product into the arcuate
path and an exit guide for receiving the product exiting from the
arcuate path. Inner and outer guide walls are arranged between the
entry and exit guides. The guide walls are adjustable between
mutually spaced closed positions fixing the curvature of the
arcuate path, and open positions allowing the curvature of the path
to either increase or decrease.
[0009] These and other features and advantages of the present
invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to
the accompanying drawings, wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a portion of a
continuous hot rolling mill employing loopers in accordance with
the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of one of the loopers shown in
FIG. 1, with the guide walls in their closed positions; and
[0012] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the guide walls
in their open position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] With reference initially to FIG. 1, the last strand of a two
strand hot rolling mill is depicted at 10. The two product strands
12, typically round bar sections having diameters of at least 30
mm, exit roll stand 10 and are guided through side loopers 14 in
accordance with the present invention before entering the roll
stands 16 of two single strand continuations of the rolling
mill.
[0014] With reference additionally to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be
seen that each looper 14 serves to direct the longitudinally moving
long product 12 along an arcuate path P. An entry guide 18 directs
the product into the path P, and an exit guide 20 receives the
product exiting from the path. Inner and outer guide walls 22, 24
are arranged between the entry and exit guides. The inner wall 22
is subdivided into entry and exit sections 22a, 22b pivotally
mounted as at 26 to a base structure 28, and connected as at 30 to
a piston-cylinder type linear actuator 32. The outer guide wall 24
is similarly subdivided into entry and exit sections 24a, 24b
pivotally mounted to the base structure as at 34, and connected as
at 38 to separate linear actuators 35.
[0015] The linear actuators 32, 38 serve as operating means for
adjusting the guide walls 22, 24 between mutually spaced closed
positions fixing the curvature of path P, as shown in FIG. 2, and
open positions as shown in FIG. 3. When the guide walls are
adjusted to their open positions, the product is free to follow
arcuate paths of increasing curvature, as indicated by the broken
lines P.sub.a-c, or to follow an arcuate path with a decreasing
curvature, as indicated at P.sub.d.
[0016] In operation, before a product enters the looper, the guide
walls 22, 24 are adjusted to their closed positions to fix the
curvature of the path P. The product is then directed via the entry
guide 18 into and along the path and out through the exit guide 20.
Following emergence of the product from the exit guide, the guide
walls 22, 24 are adjusted to their open positions to allow the
curvature of the guide path to either increase or decrease as
described above, while the product continues to travel along the
path and through the looper.
[0017] As soon as the product exits from the entry guide 18 and
while the product is still traveling between the entry guide and
the exit guide 20, the guide walls 22,24 may be adjusted to their
closed positions, thus urging the tail end back to the initial
confined arcuate path P. The side looper is thus quickly readied to
accept the front end of the next oncoming product, which minimizes
the required gap between billets being processed by the mill.
[0018] In light of the above, it will now be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that the looper of the present invention is
capable of not only accommodating interstand speed imbalances where
the delivery speed of the upstream stand 10 exceeds the take in
speed of a downstream stand 16 (guide path curvature increases as
depicted at P.sub.a-c, in FIG. 3), but also speed imbalances
created by the take in speed of the downstream stand 16 exceeding
the delivery speed of the upstream stand 10 (guide path curvature
decreases as depicted at P.sub.d in FIG. 3). Thus, in the latter
case, the development of unwanted tension in the product is
avoided.
[0019] The foregoing description has been set forth to illustrate
the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Further
modifications of the described embodiments incorporating the spirit
and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the
art. For example, one such modification might comprise the
translational rather than pivotal adjustment of the guide walls 22,
24 between their open and closed positions. Thus, the scope of
invention should be limited solely with reference to the appended
claims and equivalents thereof.
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