Strip Coil Feeding Device

Abstract

The disclosure of this invention relates to a combined uncoiler-coil device employed in the rolling mill industry for feeding coils of metalic strip to the mill. The uncoiler-coil box disclosed includes a pair of cooperative but independently moving opposed mandrels and disks, the mandrels passing into the opening of tight coils for rotatably supporting and feeding them to the mill, while the disks are caused to engage the sides of loose coils to restrain the coils while being fed to the mill by a pair of driven rotatable rollers arranged between the disks and below the coil. The device also includes a single equalizing screw shaft mechanization for the disks which controls the opposed movement thereof.

Description

In the past it has usually been the practice to provide one or more racks and pinion arrangements in combination with tie rods to tie together the opposite sides of the strip feeding device. This was true whether the device was a simple comb-type uncoiler or a separate coil box or, as indicated above, a combined uncoiler and coil box. Because of the increased congestion at the front end of the mill, recent conditions have prevented on some occasions the tie rods and rack and pinions being located at the entry side of the strip feeding device. Mill builders were faced, therefore, with the task of providing a strip feeding device wherein the opposite units were driven, equalized and stabilized from only one side, leaving the other side open and clear to receive the coils. The task was made more serious because of the tremendous poundings and increased speeds of the modern strip feeding devices in view of increased mill speed and coil weights. Solving this problem in an efficient and economical way has been of great concern to the industry.

It has also been a problem to design an economical and simply constructed combined uncoiler-coil box, particularly, in providing a simple construction that would allow independent movement of the disks and mandrels.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a combined uncoiler-coil box including a reliable and simple construction for supporting the disks and mandrels which are independently movable.

The present invention also provides an equalizing device which can also serve as a drive for strip feeding machines or other devices, for example, machine tools having opposed members that must move towards and away from each other.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a coil strip feeding means having a single means for controlling the equal displacement of the opposite coil engaging members, which means is arranged in a non-obstructing location relative to the side which receives the coils being brought to the feeding means.

A further object of the present invention includes a single high-pitched interconnecting equalizing shaft having opposite threads on each side in engagement with the opposed frames for carrying the disks of a coil box or the cones of an uncoiler, in which construction the shaft is always placed under a tension force during the movement of the frames.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an uncoiler-coil box including opposed frames for rotatably carrying the mandrels of the uncoiler and opposed frame for rotatably carrying the disks of the coil box, screw shaft means arranged on the side opposite the entry side of the combined uncoiler-coil box, a pair of nuts mounted in each coil box frame threadably connected to said said screw shaft means, means for restraining said nuts from rotation so that they will be caused to traverse along said screw shaft means and cause rotation of the means, thereby to equalize movement of said opposed coil box frames, and means for moving said frames of said uncoiler towards and away from each other.

These objects, as well as other novel features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood when the following description is read along with the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a combined uncoiler-coil box machine incorporating the features of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on lines II--II of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on lines III--III of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on lines IV-IV of FIG. 1.

With reference to the drawings and in referring first to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown a combined uncoiler-coil box 10 in which it is important to note, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1, that the coils move from the left to the right of the figure. It should also be noted that both sides of the combined machine are identical and many of the components and functions are well known in the industry which, for brevity's sake, will not be described in detail.

Relevant components of the combined machine comprise a pair of coil box frames 11 and 12. Each of these frames includes a ridge cross-over tie member 11a and 12a and is carried by a pair of spaced-apart guide rods 13 and 14, shown best in FIG. 2, the frames being tied to the rods by pins 15 and 16 and supported by a base member 17 through bearing blocks 18 and 19. It will be noted in FIG. 2 that the rods 13 and 14 project past the bearing blocks 19 so as to provide the necessary support on the travel of the frames 11 and 12. In FIG. 2, the frames 11 and 12 are in their retracted positions. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the pair of piston cylinder assemblies 21 and 22 for the frames 11 and 12, respectively, which are connected to the frames, as shown in FIG. 2, by clevises 23 whereby, on operation of the cylinder assemblies 21 and 22, the frames are advanced toward and away from the imaginary center line that separates the opposed units.

In each frame, the pair of guide rods 13, 14 are tied together by a shaft 60 which carries a pair of pinions, one of which is shown at 61 in FIGS. 2 and 3. Each pinion 61 meshes with a rack 62 secured to an associated rod 13 and 14. As a result, the movements of the rods of the same frame are equalized.

As shown in FIG. 2, the frames include bearing assemblies 24 for rotatably supporting disks 25 and 26 in a manner that while the disks are nondriven they are allowed to rotate freely with the coils after being brought into engagement therewith by operation of the piston cylinder assemblies 21 and 22.

In addition to the coil box frames 11 and 12, there are provided uncoiler frames 31 and 32, each frame rotatably supporting non-expandable mandrels 33 and 34. As shown best in FIG. 3, the frames 31 and 32 include nonrotatable shafts 37 which are supported by yokes 38. The shafts 37 carry bearings 39, the outer races of which are secured to the mandrels 33 and 34. The opposed ends of the yokes 38 have projections 41 received in U-shaped guides 42 that are formed on stationary upright members 43 that, in turn, form part of the base 17. The entire assembly fits into the opening formed in part by the cross-over members 11a and 12a and are moved relative thereto by piston cylinder assemblies 35 and 36. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 the piston cylinder assemblies 35 and 36 midway between their opposite ends are secured to a base 63 by trunnion brackets 64, the base 63 being secured to the frame 17. With reference to the separate frames 11 and 12 and 31 and 32, it will be appreciated that they are allowed to move relative to each other so that the disks 25 and 26 and the mandrels 33 and 34 are independently movable.

Turning now to the coil box mechanism provided by the present invention for tying the opposite frames 11 and 12 in a manner that their displacement by the cylinder assemblies 21 and 22 will be accurately equalized so that the disks 25 and 26 will be brought into proper contact with the coils which are centrally located relative thereto, reference will be particularly made to FIGS. 1 and 4. Arranged at the side opposite the side where the coils are brought to the strip feeding device, as best illustrated in FIG. 1 by the arrow, there is provided a threaded shaft 45 having left and right-hand threads on end portions 46 and 47. The threads are formed with a very steep pitch of the order of approximately 45.degree. and hence are non-locking. The opposite outward ends of the portions 46 and 47 are provided with bushings 48 and 51 supported in the frame 17. As shown in FIG. 4, between the inner ends of the bushings 48 and 51 and the adjacent portions 46 and 47 of the shaft, there are provided clearances 50. Inward of the bushings 48 and 51, the shaft 45 is connected to the frames 11 and 12. The connection is through nonrotatable nuts 52 and 53, the nuts being restrained in encasement members 54 and 55 of the frames so that, on movement of the frames 11 and 12 by the piston cylinder assemblies 21 and 22, the nuts are caused to travel traversely, which movement will cause a rotation of the shaft 45 thereby causing equal displacement of the frames 11 and 12. Some of the parameters of the illustrated screw shaft 45 are as follows: its diameter is 6 inches with nine threaded Acme 1-3/4 inch pitch lead, which yields a travel of approximately 16 inches on each side.

With reference to the nuts 52 and 53 and in referring to FIG. 3, it will be noted that there are provided replaceable keys 57 which are adapted to fit into one of the spaced openings 58 formed in the nuts. This allows relative adjustment below the frames 11 and 12. Once the desired positioning has been accomplished, the keys will be inserted into the adjacent openings 58 so as to lock the nuts against rotation in the encasement members 54 and 55. It is also important to note that, on operation of the cylinder assemblies 21 and 22 to advance their respective frames 11 and 12, this motion when transferred to the shaft 45 subjects the shaft, by reason of the clearances 50, only to a tension force, thereby obtaining the advantage of minimizing the diameter of the shaft. As indicated in FIG. 1, not only does the present invention allow elimination of any ties on the entry side of the unit, but it also provides a very simple and compact arrangement for equalizing the motion between the two frames 11 and 12.

In the illustrated form, equalization of the uncoiler frames 31 and 32 and, hence, the mandrels 33 and 34, is accomplished hydraulically in a well-known manner, not shown. As noted above, however, the mechanical equalizing means in the form of a screw shaft 45 can be provided for equalizing the movement of the mandrels. It is also important to note that the screw shaft 45, in a given case, can be located in several other nonobstructed positions with reference to the coils being brought to the machine; for example, the shaft can be located beneath the machine on the center line thereof.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I consider to represent the best embodiment thereof.

Claims

I claim:

1. In an uncoiling apparatus for feeding coils of strip to a strip processor, such as a rolling mill, comprising two opposed frames,

means for supporting said frames for movement towards and away from each other,

means rotatably carried by each frame including members for engaging opposite portions of a coil position between said frames,

a power means for at least one of said frames connected thereto for moving said one frame towards and away from said other frame,

a shaft connected between said frames,

bearing means carried by said supporting means for rotatably supporting the opposite ends of said shaft,

left and right-hand threads formed on said shaft inward of said bearing means,

nuts threadably engaging the threads of said shafts,

said threads on said shaft and nuts having a non-self-locking pitch so that on movement of said one frame by said power means the shaft is caused to be rotated,

means carried by said frames for preventing rotation of said nuts, and

clearances between the inside faces of each of said bearing means and the adjacent portion of said shaft.

2. In an uncoiling apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said power means includes a pair of piston cylinder assemblies for each frame carried by said supporting means,

a rack and pinion for each frame extending transversely thereof and interconnecting the pair of piston cylinder assemblies on each side of said uncoiling apparatus.

3. In an uncoiling apparatus accordingly to claim 1 wherein the pitch of the threads formed on said shaft is of the order of 45 degrees relative to its axis.

4. In an uncoiling apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said coil engaging means includes,

disks rotatably carried by each frame for engaging the opposite sides of a coil positioned between said frames,

other frames carried by said supporting means in a manner that they move coaxially with the first frames and relative thereto,

a mandrel rotatably carried by each of said other frames,

openings in said disks for receiving a different one of said mandrels, and

other power means for moving said other frames toward and away from each other.

5. In an uncoiling apparatus according to claim 4 wherein each of said other frames is carried by opposed upright members supported by said supporting means,

guides formed on said upright members,

yokes received in said guides including means for nonrotatably carrying shafts on which said mandrels are rotatably mounted,

a pair of guide rods for each of said two frames secured to each of said two frames,

bearing means carried by said supporting means for supporting said guide rods in a manner that the guide rods move relative to said supporting means and with said two frames.

6. In an uncoiling apparatus comprising a base member,

opposed first frames carried by said base member,

said first frames having an inverted U-shaped structure,

opposed disks rotatably carried by said first frames adapted to engage the opposite sides of a coil to be uncoiled,

first power means for moving said first frames towards and away from each other,

opposed second frames carried by said base member, each one being received in an opening of a different one of said first frames,

opposed mandrels rotatably carried by said second frames adapted to pass into the opening of a coil to be uncoiled,

said disks having openings for allowing an adjacent mandrel to pass through, and

second power means for moving said second frames towards and away from each other and relative to said first frames.

7. In an uncoiling apparatus according to claim 6 including a single screw nut equalizing mechanism interconnecting said first frames,

said first power means including a pair of spaced-apart piston cylinder assemblies for each first frame,

a pair of racks secured to each first frame, and

a pinion for each pair of racks interconnecting the racks of a pair to equalize the movement of the piston cylinder assemblies for each first frame.

8. In an uncoiling apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said second frames each include a nonrotating shaft, and

bearing means carried by said shafts for rotatably supporting said mandrels.

9. In an uncoiling apparatus according to claim 6 wherein each first frame comprises two spaced-apart sets of bearing blocks,

means for securing said bearing blocks to said base member,

a guide rod received in each set of said bearing blocks,

said guide rods extending axially of said frames,

each frame including a cross-over member extending between one of the bearing blocks of each set,

said cross-over members forming openings,

each of said second frames comprising upright members arranged in said openings and supported by said base member,

opposed pairs of guides formed on each of said upright members,

yokes received in each pair of said guides and extending between the upright members,

a nonrotating shaft carried by each of said yokes, and

bearings carried by said shafts for rotatably carrying said mandrels.