Plate reduction press apparatus and methods

Abstract
A material 1 to be shaped is reduced and formed by bringing dies with convex forming surfaces, when viewed from the side of the transfer line of the material 1, close to the transfer line from above and below the material 1, in synchronism with each other, while giving the dies a swinging motion in such a manner that the portions of the forming surfaces of the dies, in contact with the material 1, are transferred from the upstream to the downstream side in the direction of the transfer line.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Technical Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a plate thickness reduction press apparatus that transfers and reduces a slab, and the methods concerned with its use.




2. Prior Art




1.

FIG. 1

shows an example of a roughing mill used for hot rolling, and the roughing mill is provided with work rolls


2




a


,


2




b


arranged vertically opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line S that transfers a slab-like material


1


to be shaped, substantially horizontally, and backup rolls


3




a


,


3




b


contacting the work rolls


2




a


,


2




b


on the side opposite to the transfer line.




In the above-mentioned roughing mill, the work roll


2




a


above the transfer line S is rotated counterclockwise, and the work roll


2




b


underneath the transfer line S is rotated clockwise, so that the material


1


to be shaped is caught between both work rolls


2




a


,


2




b


, and by pressing the upper backup roll


3




a


downwards, the material


1


to be shaped is moved from the upstream A side of the transfer line to the downstream B side of the line, and the material


1


to be shaped is pressed and formed in the direction of the thickness of the slab. However, unless the nip angle θ of the material


1


to be shaped as it enters into the work rolls


2




a


,


2




b


is less than about 17°, slipping will occur between the upper and lower surfaces of the material


1


to be shaped and the outer surfaces of both work rolls


2




a


,


2




b


, and the work rolls


2




a


,


2




b


will no longer be able to grip and reduce the material


1


to be shaped.




More explicitly, when the diameter D of the work rolls


2




a


,


2




b


is 1,200 mm, the reduction Δt of a single rolling pass is about 50 mm according to the above-mentioned nip angle θ condition for the work rolls


2




a


,


2




b


, so when a material


1


to be shaped with a thickness T0 of 250 mm is rolled, the thickness T1 of the slab after being reduced and formed by a roughing mill becomes about 200 mm.




According to the prior art, therefore, the material


1


to be shaped is rolled in a reversing mill, in which the material is moved backwards and forwards while gradually reducing the thickness of the plate, and when the thickness of the material


1


to be shaped is reduced to about 90 mm, the material


1


is sent to a finishing mill.




Another system for reducing and forming the material


1


to be shaped according to the prior art is shown in

FIG. 2

; dies


14




a


,


14




b


with profiles like the plane shape of dies for a stentering press machine are positioned opposite each other above and below a transfer line S, and both dies


14




a


,


14




b


are made to approach each other and separate from each other in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the material


1


using reciprocating means such as hydraulic cylinders, in synchronism with the transfer of the material


1


, while reducing and forming the material


1


to be shaped in the direction of the thickness of the plate.




The dies


14




a


,


14




b


are constructed with flat forming surfaces


19




a


,


19




b


gradually sloping from the upstream A side of the transfer line towards the downstream B side of the line, and flat forming surfaces


19




c


,


19




d


that continue from the aforementioned forming surfaces


19




a


,


19




b


in a direction parallel to and on opposite sides of the transfer line S.




The width of the dies


14




a


,


14




b


is set according to the plate width (about 2,000 mm or more) of the material


1


to be shaped.




However, when the material


1


to be shaped is rolled with the reversing method using the roughing mill shown in

FIG. 1

, space is required at each of the upstream A and downstream B ends of the transfer line S of the roughing mill, for pulling out the material


1


to be shaped as it comes out of the roughing mill, so the equipment must be long and large.




When the material


1


to be shaped is reduced and formed in the direction of its plate thickness using the dies


14




a


,


14




b


shown in

FIG. 2

, the areas of the forming surfaces


19




a


,


19




b


,


19




c


and


19




d


in contact with the material


1


to be shaped are much longer than those of the dies of a stentering press machine, and the contact areas increase as the dies


14




a


,


14




b


approach the transfer line S, so that a large load must be applied to each of the dies


14




a


,


14




b


, during reduction.




Furthermore, the power transmission members such as the eccentric shafts and rods for moving the dies


14




a


,


14




b


, the housing, etc. must be strong enough to withstand the above reducing loads, so each of these members and the housing must be made large in size.




Moreover, when the material


1


to be shaped is reduced and formed in the direction of its plate thickness using the dies


14




a


,


14




b


, some of the material


1


is forced backwards towards the upstream A side on the transfer line depending on the shape and the stroke of the dies


14




a


,


14




b


, therefore, it becomes difficult to transfer the material


1


to be shaped to the downstream B side of the transfer line.




When the material


1


to be shaped is reduced and formed in the direction of its plate thickness using the dies


14




a


,


14




b


shown in

FIG. 2

, the height of the lower surface of the material


1


after being reduced by the dies


14




a


,


14




b


is higher than the height of the lower surface of the material


1


immediately before being reduced by the dies, by an amount corresponding to the reduction in thickness.




Consequently, the leading end of the material


1


to be shaped tends to droop downwards, therefore the table rollers (not illustrated) installed on the downstream B side of the transfer line, to support the material


1


being shaped, may catch the leading end of the material


1


, possibly resulting in damage to both the table rollers and the material


1


being shaped.




Recently, the flying-sizing press machine shown in

FIG. 3

has been proposed.




This flying-sizing press machine is provided with a housing


4


erected on a transfer line S so as to allow movement of a material


1


to be shaped, an upper shaft box


6




a


and a lower shaft box


6




b


housed in window portions


5


of the housing


4


opposite each other on opposite sides of the transfer line S, upper and lower rotating shafts


7




a


,


7




b


extending substantially horizontally in the direction orthogonal to the transfer line S and supported by the upper shaft box


6




a


or the lower shaft box


6




b


by bearings (not illustrated) on the non-eccentric portions, rods


9




a


,


9




b


located above and below the transfer line S, respectively, connected to eccentric portions of the rotating shafts


7




a


,


7




b


through bearings


8




a


,


8




b


at the end portions thereof, rod support boxes


11




a


,


11




b


connected to intermediate portions of the upper and lower rods


9




a


,


9




b


by bearings


10




a


,


10




b


with spherical surfaces and housed in the window portions


5


of the housing


4


and free to slide vertically, die holders


13




a


,


13




b


connected to the top portions of the rods


9




a


,


9




b


through bearings


12




a


,


12




b


with spherical surfaces, dies


14




a


,


14




b


mounted on the die holders


13




a


,


13




b


, and hydraulic cylinders


15




a


,


15




b


whose cylinder units are connected to intermediate locations along the length of the rods


9




a


,


9




b


by means of bearings and the tips of the piston rods are connected to the die holders


13




a


,


13




b


through bearings.




The rotating shafts


7




a


,


7




b


are connected to the output shaft (not illustrated) of a motor through a universal coupling and a speed reduction gear, and when the motor is operated, the upper and lower dies


14




a


,


14




b


approach towards and move away from the transfer line S in synchronism with the transfer operation.




The dies


14




a


,


14




b


are provided with flat forming surfaces


16




a


,


16




b


gradually sloping from the upstream A side of the transfer line towards the downstream B side of the transfer line so as to approach the transfer line S, and other flat forming surfaces


17




a


,


17




b


continuing from the aforementioned forming surfaces


16




a


,


16




b


in a direction parallel to the transfer line S. The width of the dies


14




a


,


14




b


is determined by the plate width (about 2,000 mm or more) of the material


1


to be shaped.




A position adjusting screw


18


is provided at the top of the housing


4


, to enable the upper shaft box


6




a


to be moved towards or away from the transfer line S, and by rotating the position adjusting screw


18


about its axis, the die


14




a


can be raised and lowered through the rotating shaft


7




a


, rod


9




a


, and the die holder


13




a.






When the material


1


to be shaped is reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness using the flying-sizing press machine shown in

FIG. 3

, the position adjusting screw


18


is rotated appropriately to adjust the position of the upper shaft box


6




a


, so that the spacing between the upper and lower dies


14




a


,


16




b


is determined according to the plate thickness of the material


1


to be shaped by reducing and forming in the direction of plate thickness.




Next, the motor is operated to rotate the upper and lower rotating shafts


7




a


,


7




b


, and the material


1


to be shaped is inserted between the upper and lower dies


14




a


,


14




b


, and the material


1


is reduced and formed by means of the upper and lower dies


14




a


,


14




b


that move towards and away from each other and with respect to the transfer line S while moving in the direction of the transfer line S as determined by the displacement of the eccentric portions of the rotating shafts


7




a


,


7




b.






At this time, appropriate hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic chambers of the hydraulic cylinders


15




a


,


15




b


, and the angles of the die holders


13




a


,


13




b


are changed so that the forming surfaces


17




a


,


17




b


of the upper and lower dies


14




a


,


14




b


, on the downstream B side of the transfer line, are always parallel to the transfer line S.




However, the flying-sizing press machine shown in

FIG. 3

has much larger contact areas between the forming surfaces


16




a


,


16




b


,


17




a


and


17




b


of the dies


14




a


,


14




b


and the material


1


to be formed, compared to the dies of a plate reduction press machine, and because the above-mentioned contact areas increase as the dies


14




a


,


14




b


approach the transfer line S, a large load must be applied to the dies


14




a


,


14




b


during reduction.




In addition, the die holders


13




a


,


13




b


, rods


9




a


,


9




b


, rotating shafts


7




a


,


7




b


, shaft boxes


6




a


,


6




b


, housing


4


, etc. must be strong enough to withstand the reducing load applied to the dies


14




a


,


14




b


, so that these members are made larger in size.




Also, the flying-sizing press machine shown in

FIG. 3

may suffer from the problem that the leading and trailing ends of the material


1


being reduced and formed are locally bent to the left or right, or with a camber so that when a long material


1


is being formed it generally warps, unless the centers of the reducing forces from the dies


14




a


,


14




b


on the material


1


to be shaped are in close alignment when the material


1


is reduced and formed by the upper and lower dies


14




a


,


14




b.






2. With a conventional rolling mill known in the prior art, in which a material is rolled between two work rolls, there is a reduction ratio limit of normally about 25% due to the nip angle limitation. Therefore, it is not possible to reduce the thickness of a material by a large ratio (for example, reducing a material from about 250 mm thickness to 30 to 60 mm) in a single pass, therefore three or four rolling mills are arranged in tandem in a tandem rolling system, or the material to be rolled is rolled backwards and forwards in a reverse rolling system. However, these systems are accompanied with practical problems such as the need for a long rolling line.




On the other hand the planetary mill, Sendzimir mill, cluster mill, etc. have been proposed as means of pressing that allow a large reduction in one pass. However, with these rolling mills, small rolls press the material to be rolled at a high rotational speed, resulting in a great impact, therefore the life of the bearings, etc., is so short that these mills are not suitable for mass production facilities.




On the other hand, various kinds of press apparatus modified from the conventional stentering press machines have been proposed (for example, Japanese patent No. 014139, 1990, unexamined Japanese patent publication Nos. 222651, 1986, 175011, 1990, etc.).




An example of the “Flying-sizing press apparatus” according to the unexamined Japanese patent publication No. 175011, 1990 is shown in

FIG. 4

; rotating shafts


22


are arranged in the upper and lower sides or the left and right sides of the transfer line Z of a material to be shaped, and the bosses of rods


23


with a required shape are connected to eccentric portions of the rotating shafts


22


, and in addition, dies


24


arranged on opposite sides of the transfer line of the material to be shaped are connected to the tips of the rods


23


; when the rotating shafts


22


are rotated, the rods


23


coupled to the eccentric portions of the rotating shafts cause the dies


24


to press both the upper and lower surfaces of the material


1


to be shaped, thereby the thickness of the material to be shaped is reduced.




However, the above-mentioned high-reduction means are associated with problems such as (1) a material to be reduced cannot be easily pressed by the flying-sizing apparatus in which the material is reduced as it is being transferred, (2) the means are complicated with many component parts, (3) many parts must slide under heavy loads, (4) the means are not suitable for heavily loaded frequent cycles of operation, etc.




With conventional high-reduction pressing means known in the prior art, the position of the dies is controlled to adjust the thickness of the material to be pressed by means of a screw, wedge, hydraulic cylinder, etc., and, as a result, there are the practical problems that the equipment is large, costly, complicated, and vibrates considerably.




3. Conventionally, a roughing-down mill is used to roll a slab. The slab to be rolled is as short as 5 m to 12 m, and the slab is rolled by a plurality of roughing-down mills or by reversing mills in which the slab is fed forwards and backwards as it is rolled. In addition, a reduction press machine is also used. Recently, because a long slab manufactured by a continuous casting system has been introduced, there is a demand for the continuous transfer of the slab to a subsequent pressing system. When a material is rough rolled using a roughing-down mill, the minimum nip angle (about 17°) must be satisfied, so the reduction limit Δt per pass is about 50 mm. Because the slab is continuous, reverse rolling is not applicable, so that to obtain the desired thickness, a plurality of roughing-down mills must be installed in series, or if a single rolling mill is to be employed, the diameter of the work rolls should be very large.




Consequently, a reduction press machine is used.

FIG. 5

shows an example of such a machine in which the dies are pressed by sliders, to provide a flying-press machine that can press a moving slab. Dies


32


provided above and below the slab


1


are mounted on sliders


33


, and the sliders


33


are moved up and down by the crank mechanisms


34


. The dies


32


, sliders


33


and crank mechanisms


34


are reciprocated in the direction of transferring the slab, by the feeding crank mechanisms


35


. The slab


1


is conveyed by pinch rolls


36


and transfer tables


37


. When the slab is being reduced, the dies


32


, sliders


33


and crank mechanisms


34


are moved in the direction of transferring the slab by means of the feeding crank mechanisms


35


, and the pinch rolls


36


transfer the slab


1


in synchronism with this transfer speed. A start-stop system can also be used; the slab


1


is stopped when the system is working as a reduction press machine and the slab is reduced, and after completing reduction, the slab is transferred by a length equal to a pressing length, and then pressing is repeated.




There are problems in the design and manufacturing cost of the aforementioned roughing-down mill with large diameter rolls, and the use of rolls with a large diameter results in a shorter life for the rolls because of the low rolling speed and difficulty in cooling the rolls. With the reduction press machine using sliders and feeding crank mechanisms shown in

FIG. 5

, the cost of the equipment is high because the mechanisms for reciprocating the sliders, etc., in the direction of movement of a slab are complicated and large in scale. In addition, the sliders vibrate significantly in the vertical direction. With a reduction press machine using a start-stop system, the slab must be accelerated and decelerated repeatedly from standstill to transfer speed, and vice versa. The slab is transferred using pinch rolls and transfer tables, and these apparatus become large due to the high acceleration and deceleration.




4. When a material is reduced by a large amount, according to the prior art, long dies were used to reduce the material while it was fed through the dies by the length thereof during one or several pressings. Defining the longitudinal and lateral directions as the direction in which the pressed material is moved and the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, respectively, the material to be pressed by a large amount in the longitudinal direction is pressed by dies that are long in the longitudinal direction using single pressing or by means of a plurality of pressing operations while feeding the material to be pressed in the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 6

shows an example of the above-mentioned reduction press machine, and

FIG. 7

illustrates its operation. The reduction press is equipped with (lies


42


above and below a material


1


to be pressed, hydraulic cylinders


43


for pressing down the dies


42


, and a frame


44


that supports the hydraulic cylinders


43


. A pressing operation is described using the symbols L for the length of the dies


42


, T for the original thickness of the material


1


to be pressed, and t for the thickness of the material after pressing. FIG.


7


(A) shows the state of the dies


42


set to a location with thickness T on a portion of material to be pressed next, adjacent to a portion with thickness t which has been pressed. (B) shows the state in which the dies have pressed down from the state (A). (C) is the state in which the dies


42


have been separated from the material


1


being pressed, that has then been moved longitudinally by the pressing length L, and completely prepared for the next pressing, which is the same state as (A). Operations (A) to (C) are repeated until all the material is reduced to the required thickness.




The longer the dies, the greater the force that is required for reduction, so the reduction press machine must be large. With a press machine, pressing is usually repeated at high speed. When an apparatus with a large mass is reciprocated at a high speed, a large power is required to accelerate and decelerate the apparatus, therefore the ratio of the power required for acceleration and deceleration to the power needed for reducing the material to be pressed is so large that much power is spent on driving the apparatus. When the material is reduced, the volume corresponding to the thinned portion must be displaced longitudinally or laterally because the volumes of the material before and after reduction are substantially the same. If the dies are long, the material is constrained so that it is displaced longitudinally (this phenomenon is called material flow), so that pressing becomes difficult especially when the reduction is large.




When a material to be rolled is reduced conventionally in a horizontal mill, the gap between the rolls of the horizontal mill is set so that the rolls are capable of gripping the material to be rolled considering the thickness of the material after forming, therefore the reduction in thickness allowed for a single pass is limited so that when a large reduction in the thickness is required, a plurality of horizontal mills have to be installed in series, or the material must be moved backwards and forwards through a horizontal mill while the thickness is gradually reduced, according to the prior art. Another system was also proposed in the unexamined Japanese patent publication No. 175011, 1990; eccentric portions are provided in rotating shafts, the motion of the eccentric portions is changed to an up/down movement using rods, and a material to be pressed is reduced continuously by these up/down movements.




The system with a plurality of horizontal mills arranged in tandem (series) has the problems that the equipment is large and the cost is high. The system of passing a material to be pressed backwards and forwards through a horizontal mill has the problems that the operations are complicated and a long rolling time is required. The system disclosed in the unexamined Japanese patent application No. 175011, 1990 has the difficulty that large equipment must be used, because a fairly large rotating torque must be applied to the rotating shafts to produce the required reducing force as the movement of the eccentric portions of the rotating shafts has to be changed to an up/down motion to produce the necessary reducing force.




5. Conventionally, a roughing-down mill is used to press a slab. The slab to be pressed is as short as 5 to 12 m, and to obtain the specified thickness, a plurality of roughing-down mills are provided, or the slab is moved backwards and forwards as it is pressed in the reversing rolling method. Other systems also used practically include a flying press machine that transfers a slab while it is being pressed, and a start-stop reduction press machine which stops conveying the material as it is being pressed and transfers the material during a time when it is not being pressed.




Since long slabs are produced by continuous casting equipment, there is a practical demand for a slab to be conveyed continuously to a subsequent press apparatus. When a slab is rough rolled in a roughing-down mill, there is a nip angle limitation (about 17°), so the reduction per rolling cannot be made so large. Because the slab is continuous, it cannot be rolled by reverse rolling, therefore to obtain the preferred thickness, a plurality of roughing-down mills must be installed in series, or if a single mill is involved, the diameter of the work rolls must be made very large. There are difficulties, in terms of design and cost, in manufacturing such a roughing-down mill with large-diameter rolls, and large diameter rolls must be operated at a low speed when rolling a slab, so the rolls cannot be easily cooled, and the life of the rolls becomes shorter. Because a flying press can provide a large reduction in thickness and is capable of reducing a material while it is being conveyed, the press can continuously transfer the material being pressed to a downstream rolling mill. However, it has been difficult to adjust the speed of the material to be pressed so that the flying press and the downstream rolling mill can operate simultaneously to reduce and roll the material. In addition, it has not been possible to arrange a start-stop reduction press machine and a rolling mill in tandem to reduce a slab continuously; with the start-stop reduction press, the material being pressed is stopped during pressing, and is transferred when it is not being pressed.




Another system in practical use is the flying system in which the sliders that press down on a slab are moved up and down in synchronism with the transfer speed of the slab.




In the start-stop system, the heavy slab is accelerated and decelerated every cycle from standstill to the maximum speed Vmax, and accordingly the capacity of the transfer facilities such as the pinch rolls and transfer tables must be large. Because of the discontinuous operation, it is difficult to carry out further operations on a downstream press machine. The flying system requires a large capacity apparatus to produce the swinging motion, and to accelerate and decelerate the heavy sliders according to the speed of the slab. Another problem with this system is that this large capacity apparatus for producing the swinging motion causes considerable vibrations in the press machine.




Still another problem with this system is that if the speed of the slab deviates from that of the sliders, flaws may be produced in the slab or the equipment may be damaged.




Recently, a high-reduction press machine that can reduce a thick slab (material to be pressed) to nearly ⅓ of its original thickness in a single reduction operation, has been developed.

FIG. 8

shows an example of a reduction press machine used for hot pressing. With this reduction press machine, dies


52




a


,


52




b


are disposed opposite each other vertically on opposite sides of the transfer line S, and are simultaneously moved towards and away from a material


1


to be pressed that travels on the transfer line S by the reciprocating apparatus


53




a


,


53




b


incorporating eccentric axes, rods, and hydraulic cylinders, so that material of a thickness of, for example, 250 mm can be reduced to 90 mm by a single reducing operation.




However, the reduction of the aforementioned high-reduction press machine can be as large as 160 mm, that is, the reduction on one side is as large as 80 mm. According to the prior art, there is a small difference of thickness before and after pressing, so the transfer levels of the transfer devices of a press machine on the inlet and outlet sides are substantially the same. With the above-mentioned high-reduction press machine, however, there is the problem that the material


1


to be pressed is bent if the transfer levels are identical. Another problem of the machine is that the transfer device is overloaded.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




1. The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances mentioned above, and the first object of the present invention is to provide a plate reduction press apparatus and methods that can efficiently reduce a material to be shaped in the direction of the thickness of the plate, can securely transfer the material to be shaped, can decrease the load imposed on the dies during reduction, and can prevent bending of the material to be shaped to the left or right as a result of the reducing and forming operations.




To achieve the aforementioned first object of the present invention, in the plate reduction pressing method of the present invention, dies with convex forming surfaces protruding towards the transfer line are moved towards the transfer line from above and below the material to be shaped, when viewed from the side of the transfer line, in synchronism with the movement of the material to be shaped, in such a manner that a portion of the forming surfaces of the material is moved from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transfer line and the material to be shaped is reduced in the direction of the plate thickness.




The plate thickness reduction press apparatus of another embodiment of the present invention, is provided with die holders arranged opposite each other above and below a transfer line in which a material to be shaped is moved horizontally, dies mounted on the above-mentioned die holders and comprised of convex forming surfaces protruding towards the transfer line when viewed from the side of the transfer line, upstream eccentric shafts arranged for each die holder on the opposite side from the transfer line and extending in the direction lateral to the transfer line, downstream eccentric shafts arranged for each die holder on the opposite side from the transfer line in alignment with the aforementioned upstream eccentric shafts, in the downstream direction of the transfer line, and comprised of eccentric portions with a different phase angle from the phase angle of the eccentric portions of the upstream eccentric shafts, upstream rods whose tips are connected to portions of the die holders, close to the ends on the upstream side of the transfer line through bearings and the other ends of which are connected to the eccentric portions of the upstream eccentric shafts through bearings, downstream rods whose tips are connected to portions of the die holders, close to the ends on the downstream side of the transfer line through bearings and the other ends of which are connected to the eccentric portions of the downstream eccentric shafts through bearings, and mechanisms for moving the dies backwards and forwards that reciprocate the above-mentioned die holders relative to the direction of the transfer line.




According to the plate reduction press apparatus of another embodiment of the present invention, the mechanisms for moving the dies backwards and forwards in the plate press apparatus are provided with arms one end of each of which is fixed to the die holder, and guide members which are installed near the die holders and guide the other end of each of the arms.




In the plate reduction press apparatus according to the invention, the mechanisms for moving the dies backwards and forwards are provided with actuators one end of each of which is connected to one of the die holders through a first bearing and the other end of each thereof is connected to a predetermined fixing member through a second bearing.




The plate reduction press apparatus of another embodiment of the present invention is composed of the mechanisms for moving the dies backwards and forwards in the plate reduction press apparatus, comprised of eccentric shafts for backwards and forwards movements, provided near the die holders and rods for backwards and forwards movements, one end of each of the aforementioned rods being connected to one of the die holders through a first bearing and the other end thereof being connected to one of the eccentric portions of the eccentric shafts for backwards and forwards movements.




In the plate reduction press apparatus of a still further embodiment of the invention, the mechanisms for moving the dies backwards and forwards in the plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention are composed of levers one end of each of which is connected to one of the die holders through a first bearing and the other end thereof is connected to a predetermined fixing member through a second bearing.




According to the plate reduction pressing method of the present invention, dies with convex forming surfaces protruding towards the transfer line are moved towards the transfer line from above and below the material to be shaped in synchronism with the movement of the material to be shaped, and given a swinging motion such that the portions of the forming surfaces in contact with the material to be shaped move from the downstream side of the transfer line to the upstream side thereof, thereby the areas of the material being shaped, in contact with the forming surfaces, are made small to reduce the pressing load on the dies.




In any of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention, the die holders on which the dies are mounted are given a swinging motion by the upstream eccentric shafts, downstream eccentric shafts, upstream rods and downstream rods in such a manner that the portions of the forming surfaces of the dies, in contact with the material to be shaped, are shifted from the downstream side to the upstream side of the transfer line, while moving the dies towards the transfer line, thereby the areas of the forming surfaces in contact with the material to be shaped are made small to reduce the load applied to the dies during pressing.




Also, when the forming surfaces of the dies are in contact with the material to be shaped, the mechanisms for moving the dies backwards and forwards move the die holders towards the downstream side of the transfer line, and convey the material being reduced and formed without any material being displaced backwards, towards the downstream side of the transfer line.




To achieve the above-mentioned first object of the present invention, the plate reduction press apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention is provided with dies arranged vertically opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line in which a material to be shaped is transferred horizontally, and moving towards and away from the transfer line in synchronism with each other, a plurality of upstream table rollers arranged on the upstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the lower surface of the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies, can be supported substantially horizontally, a plurality of downstream up and down table rollers arranged on the downstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the downstream up and down table rollers can be raised and lowered and can support the lower surface of the material being shaped and fed out of the dies, and a plurality of downstream table rollers arranged on the downstream side of the downstream up and down table rollers on the transfer line in such a manner that the lower surface of the material being shaped and fed out of the dies can be supported substantially horizontally at a height substantially the same as the height of the aforementioned upstream table rollers.




The plate reduction press apparatus according to a further embodiment of the invention is provided with dies arranged vertically opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line in which a material to be shaped is transferred horizontally, and moving towards and away from the transfer line in synchronism with each other, a plurality of upstream up and down table rollers on the upstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the upstream up and down table rollers can be raised and lowered, and the lower surface of the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies, can be supported and a plurality of downstream table rollers arranged on the downstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the lower surface of the material being shaped and fed out of the dies can be supported.




The plate reduction press apparatus according to yet another embodiment of the present invention is comprised of dies arranged vertically opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line in which a material to be shaped is transferred horizontally, and moving towards and away from the transfer line in synchronism with each other, a plurality of upstream up and down table rollers on the upstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the upstream up and down table rollers can be raised and lowered, and the lower surface of the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies, can be supported, and a plurality of downstream up and down table rollers arranged on the downstream side of the dies in such a manner that the lower surface of the material being shaped and fed out of the dies can be supported.




According to the method of operating the plate reduction press apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention, when a long material to be shaped is inserted, reduced and formed in the direction of plate thickness between both dies, the vertical positions of the downstream up and down table rollers near the dies are determined in such a manner that the material being shaped and fed out of the dies is substantially horizontal, and the vertical positions of the downstream up and down table rollers on the side farther from the dies are determined in such a manner that the material being shaped gradually descends towards the downstream table rollers.




In the method of operating the plate reduction press apparatus according to one embodiment, when a long material to be shaped is inserted, reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness between both dies, the vertical positions of the upstream up and down table rollers near the dies are determined in such a manner that the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies, is substantially horizontal.




According to a further embodiment of the present invention for operating the plate reduction press apparatus, when a long material to be shaped is inserted, reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness between both dies, the vertical positions of the upstream up and down table rollers near the dies and the downstream up and down table rollers are determined in such a manner that the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies, and the material being shaped and fed out of the dies are substantially horizontal.




In the method according to a further embodiment of the present invention for operating the plate reduction press apparatus of the invention, the positions of the upper surfaces of the downstream up and down table rollers are determined to be identical to the positions of the upper surfaces of the upstream table rollers and the downstream table rollers, when no long material to be shaped is inserted, or being reduced or formed in the direction of the plate thickness between both dies.




When using the plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention according to the method of another embodiment of the invention, the positions of the upper surfaces of the upstream up and down table rollers are determined to be identical to the positions of the upper surfaces of the downstream table rollers, when no long material to be shaped is inserted, or being reduced or formed in the direction of the plate thickness between both dies.




In the method for operating the plate reduction press apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, when no long material to be shaped is inserted, or being reduced or formed in the direction of the plate thickness between both dies, the positions of the upper surfaces of the upstream up and down table rollers and the downstream table rollers are determined to be identical to each other.




With the plate reduction press apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention, the vertical positions of the downstream up and down table rollers located on the transfer line downstream of the dies are adjusted according to the amount of the reduction in the direction of the plate thickness of the material being shaped by the dies, and the lower surface of the material being shaped and fed out from the dies is maintained in the most suitable state.




In the plate reduction press apparatus of another embodiment of the present invention, the vertical positions of the upstream up and down table rollers located on the transfer line upstream of the dies are adjusted according to the amount of the reduction in the direction of the plate thickness of the material to be shaped, and the lower surface of the material to be inserted between the dies and shaped is maintained in the most suitable state.




In the plate reduction press apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, the vertical positions of the upstream up and down table rollers located on the transfer line upstream of the dies and the downstream up and down table rollers located on the transfer line downstream of the dies are adjusted according to the amount of the reduction in the direction of the plate thickness of the material being formed by the dies, and the lower surface of the material being shaped and fed out from between the dies is maintained in the most suitable state.




When using the plate reduction press apparatus of the invention according to the method of one embodiment, the vertical positions of the downstream up and down table rollers on the portion of the transfer line near to the press machine are determined in such a manner that the material being reduced, shaped and fed out from between the dies is substantially horizontal, and the vertical positions of the downstream up and down table rollers farther down the transfer line are determined in such a manner that the material being shaped and fed out of the aforementioned downstream up and down table rollers gradually descends towards the downstream table rollers, and the portion of the material being reduced and shaped is moved smoothly.




According to the method of one embodiment of the present invention for operating the plate reduction press apparatus of the invention, the vertical positions of the upstream up and down table rollers near the dies are determined in such a manner that a long material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies, is substantially horizontal, when the long material to be shaped is inserted, reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness between both dies, the portion of the material to be reduced and shaped is moved smoothly.




When the plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention is operated according to the method of one embodiment of the invention, the vertical positions of the upstream up and down table rollers and the downstream up and down table rollers are determined in such a manner that the material being reduced, shaped and fed out from between the dies is substantially horizontal, and the portion of the material to be reduced and shaped and the portion of the material being reduced and shaped are moved smoothly.




According to the method of the present invention for operating the high-reduction press apparatus of the invention, the vertical positions of the downstream up and down table rollers are determined to correspond with the positions of the upstream table rollers and the downstream table rollers, and material passed between the dies without being reduced and shaped is moved smoothly.




When the plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention is operated by the method of a further embodiment, the positions of the upper surfaces of the upstream up and down table rollers are determined to be identical to the positions of the upper surfaces of the downstream table rollers, and material passed between the dies without being reduced and formed is moved smoothly.




In the method of the present invention for operating the high-reduction press apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention, the vertical positions of the upstream up and down table rollers and the downstream up and down table rollers are determined to be the same as each other, and material passed between the dies without being reduced and shaped is moved smoothly.




Furthermore, according to the plate reduction pressing method according to one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the aforementioned first object of the invention, a first reduction in plate thickness is performed; in this sub-method the material to be shaped is transferred from the upstream side of the transfer line to the downstream side of the transfer line, upstream dies with forming surfaces facing the above-mentioned material to be shaped are moved towards the material to be shaped as the upstream dies are moved in the downstream direction of the transfer line and the upstream dies are moved away from the material to be shaped as the upstream dies are moved in the upstream direction of the transfer line, in synchronism with each other, and the aforementioned material to be shaped is reduced and shaped in the direction of the plate thickness sequentially, and then the second reduction in plate thickness is carried out; in this sub-method, downstream dies with forming surfaces facing the above-mentioned material to be shaped are moved towards the material being shaped in the opposite phase to the phase of the upstream dies while the downstream dies are moved in the downstream direction of the transfer line from above and below a portion of the material, whose thickness has been reduced by the first plate thickness reduction sub-method, and the downstream dies are moved away from the material being shaped as the downstream dies are moved in the upstream direction of the transfer line, in synchronism with each other, and the material which has been shaped by the first plate reduction is further reduced and shaped in the direction of the plate thickness sequentially.




With the plate reduction press apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention, upstream sliders are arranged vertically opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line; in which a material to be shaped is transferred, mechanisms for moving the upstream sliders move the above-mentioned upstream sliders towards the transfer line and move the upstream sliders away from the transfer line, upstream dies are mounted on the upstream sliders in such a manner that the upstream dies can move along the direction of the transfer line, and are comprised of forming surfaces facing the transfer line, mechanisms for moving the upstream dies move the above-mentioned upstream dies in a reciprocating manner in the direction of the transfer line, downstream sliders are located on the transfer line downstream of the upstream sliders, opposite each other on opposite sides of the transfer line, mechanisms for moving the downstream sliders move the downstream sliders towards the transfer line and move the downstream sliders away from the transfer line, downstream dies are mounted on the downstream sliders in such a manner that the downstream dies can move along the direction of the transfer line, and are comprised of forming surfaces facing the transfer line, and mechanisms for moving the downstream dies move the downstream dies in a reciprocating manner in the direction of the transfer line.




The plate reduction press apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention is provided with, in addition to the components of the plate reduction press apparatus of the invention, mechanisms for moving the upstream sliders comprised of upstream crank shafts arranged on the opposite side of the upstream sliders from the transfer line, and upstream rods one end of each of which is connected to an eccentric portion of one of the upstream crank shafts through a first bearing and the other end of each of which is connected to one of the upstream sliders through a second bearing, and mechanisms for moving the downstream slider comprised of downstream crank shafts arranged on the opposite side of the downstream sliders from the transfer line, and downstream rods one end of each of which is connected to an eccentric portion of one of the downstream crank shafts through a third bearing and the other end of each of which is connected to one of the downstream sliders through a fourth bearing.




Furthermore, the plate reduction press apparatus in one embodiment of the present invention is provided with, in addition to the component devices of the plate reduction press apparatus of the invention as described above, a synchronous drive mechanism that rotates the upstream crank shafts and the downstream crank shafts in synchronism in the same direction in such a manner that the eccentric portions of both of the upstream and downstream crank shafts maintain a phase difference of 180°.




Moreover, the plate reduction press apparatus of a further embodiment of the present invention is comprised of, in addition to the component devices of the plate reduction press apparatus of the invention, upstream crank shafts and downstream crank shafts supported by bearings in such a manner that both the above-mentioned crank shafts are substantially parallel to the direction orthogonal to the transfer line.




In the plate reduction pressing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, an unreduced and unformed portion of the material to be shaped is reduced and formed in the direction of its plate thickness by the upper and lower upstream dies, in the first plate thickness reduction sub-method, and then the portion of the material to be shaped, that has been reduced and formed, is further reduced and formed in the direction of its plate thickness by the upper and lower downstream dies, in the second plate thickness reduction sub-method, thereby the material to be shaped is reduced and shaped efficiently in the direction of its plate thickness.




In addition, the first and second plate thickness reduction sub-methods are operated alternately on an unreduced and unformed portion and a partially reduced portion of the material to be shaped, respectively, in order to reduce the loads applied to the upstream and downstream dies during reduction.




In any of the plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention, the mechanisms for moving the upstream sliders move the upstream dies towards the transfer line together with the upstream sliders, and an unreduced and unformed portion of the material to be shaped is reduced in the direction of its plate thickness by the upper and lower upstream dies, and then the mechanisms for moving the downstream sliders move the downstream sliders and downstream dies towards the transfer line, and the portion of the material to be shaped, already reduced by the upstream dies, is further reduced in the direction of its plate thickness by the upper and lower downstream dies, thus the material to be shaped is reduced and formed efficiently in the direction of its plate thickness.




In addition, the upstream and downstream dies are moved towards and away from the transfer line, in the opposite phase to each other, by means of the mechanisms for moving the upstream and downstream sliders, respectively, so that the loads applied to the upstream and downstream dies during reduction are made smaller.




According to the plate reduction press apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention, as invented to achieve the first object of the invention, a pair of dies are arranged opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line of a material to be shaped and moved toward and away from each other in synchronism with each other, upstream side guides are arranged in the close vicinity of the aforementioned dies in the upstream direction of the transfer line in such a manner that the upstream side guides are opposite each other in the lateral direction of the material to be shaped on opposite sides of the transfer line, and comprised of a first pair of side guide units that can move towards and away from the transfer line, and downstream side guides arranged in the close vicinity of the above-mentioned dies in the downstream direction of the transfer line in such a manner that the downstream side guides are opposite each other in the lateral direction of the material being shaped on opposite sides of the transfer line, and comprised of a second pair of side guide units that can move towards and away from the transfer line.




The plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention is provided with a pair of dies arranged opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line of a material to be shaped and moved towards and away from each other in synchronism with each other, upstream side guides arranged in the close vicinity of the aforementioned dies in the upstream direction of the transfer line in such a manner that the upstream side guides are opposite each other in the lateral direction of the material to be shaped on opposite sides of the transfer line, and comprised of a first pair of side units that can move towards and away from the transfer line, upstream vertical rollers supported by the corresponding upstream side guides in such a manner that the upstream vertical rollers can contact the lateral edges of the material to be shaped, when the material passes between the above-mentioned upstream side guides, downstream side guides arranged in the close vicinity of the aforementioned dies in the downstream direction of the transfer line in such a manner that the down stream side guides are opposite each other in the lateral direction of the material being shaped on opposite sides of the transfer line, and comprised of a second pair of side guide units that can move towards and away from the transfer line, and downstream vertical rollers supported by the corresponding downstream side guides in such a manner that the downstream vertical rollers can contact the lateral edges of the material being shaped, when the material passes between the downstream side guides.




In any of the plate reduction press apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, a material to be reduced and shaped is moved from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transfer line, guided into the upper and lower dies by the left and right side guide units of the upstream side guides, the material to be shaped, after being reduced and formed by the dies and fed out on the downstream side of the transfer line, is prevented from being deflected to the left or right, by the left and right side guide units of the downstream side guides.




With the plate reduction press apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, when the material to be shaped is guided into the dies by the left and right side guide units of the upstream side guides, the lateral edges of the material are guided by the upstream vertical rollers to protect the lateral edges of the material to be shaped from rubbing against the side guide units, and the lateral edges of the material to be shaped are restrained by the left and right side guide units of the downstream side guides to prevent the material to be shaped from being deflected to the left or right, and guided by the downstream vertical rollers to protect the lateral edges of the material to be shaped from rubbing against the side guide units.




2. The second object of the present invention is to provide a plate reduction press apparatus with (1) the capability of a flying press apparatus that can reduce a material to be pressed while it is being moved, (2) small number of component parts and a simple configuration, (3) a reduced number of portions that slide under load, (4) the capability for operating under a heavy load at a high operating rate, and (5) a simply constructed means of adjusting the positions of the dies and correcting the thickness of a material to be pressed.




The plate reduction press apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention offers a plate reduction press apparatus provided with upper and lower drive shafts arranged opposite each other above and below a material to be pressed, and made to rotate, upper and lower press frames one end of each of which engages with one of the aforementioned drive shafts in a freely slidable manner, and the other ends of which are connected together in a freely rotatable manner, a horizontal guide device that supports the above-mentioned press frames at the point of connection in a manner that allows them to slide in the horizontal direction, and upper and lower dies mounted at the ends of the upper and lower press frames, opposite the material to be pressed, in which the upper and lower drive shafts are constructed as a pair of eccentric shafts that are located at both lateral ends and which have a phase difference relative to each other, and the upper and lower dies that are opened and closed with a rolling action by rotating the drive shafts, and the material to be pressed is transferred as the material is being pressed.




According to the configuration of the present invention as described above, when the drive shafts are rotated, the upper and lower dies move in a circular path, while rolling laterally at the same time, and are opened and closed by the pair of eccentric shafts of which the phase angles are shifted relative to each other. Consequently, the material to be pressed can be conveyed while being pressed, because the upper and lower dies move in the direction of the line while they are closing. In addition, because the upper and lower dies close with a rolling action, the load during pressing can be reduced. The amount of reduction is determined by the eccentricity of the eccentric shafts, so high-reduction pressing is possible without being limited by a nip angle, etc. Moreover, because the material to be pressed is conveyed while being reduced, the apparatus operates as a flying press.




In addition, only the eccentric shafts withstand loads during pressing, and the horizontal guide device is acted on by only a rather small load that only cancels the moments applied to the press frames, and furthermore, the moments applied to the upper and lower press frames cancel each other, so that the load imposed on the horizontal guide device is further reduced. Therefore, the construction can be simplified with a small number of component parts, and with a small number of portions that slide under load during pressing, and as a result, the apparatus can operate with high loads at a high operating frequency.




According to the plate reduction press apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention, a driving device to rotate and drive the drive shafts is provided, and the rotational speed of the driving device can be varied, and the rotational speed is determined in such a manner that the speed of moving the dies during reducing substantially matches the speed of feeding the material to be pressed.




With this configuration, the speed of the dies in the line direction can be made to be substantially equal to the speed of feeding the material to be pressed (a slab), so the load on the driving device that rotates and drives the drive shafts can be reduced.




The plate reduction press apparatus according to a further embodiment is provided with a looper device that creates a slack portion in the material to be pressed on the downstream side and holds up the material. In this configuration, the looper device can absorb deviations between the speed of the dies in the line direction and the speed of feeding the material to be pressed, so that the line speed can be synchronized with a finish rolling mill located further downstream.




The plate reduction press apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention provides a plate reduction press apparatus configured with upper and lower crank shafts arranged opposite each other above and below a material to be pressed and made to rotate, upper and lower press frames one end of each of which engages with one of the aforementioned crank shafts in a freely slidable manner, and the other ends of which are connected together in a freely rotatable manner, horizontal guide devices that support the above-mentioned press frames at the point of connection in a manner that allows them to move horizontally, and upper and lower dies mounted at the ends of the upper and lower press frames, opposite the material to be pressed; in which the crank shafts rotate to open and close the upper and lower dies, so transferring the material while pressing the material to be pressed, the material is transferred.




According to the above configuration based on the present invention, the upper and lower dies move in a circular path when the crank shafts rotate, and open and close. Consequently, as the upper and lower dies move in the direction of the line while closing, the material to be pressed can be conveyed while being reduced. The amount of reduction is determined by the eccentricity of the crank shafts, therefore high-reduction pressing is possible without being limited by a nip angle, etc. Also, the apparatus operates as a flying press because the material to be pressed is transferred while being reduced.




In addition, only the crank shafts withstand loads during pressing, and because the horizontal guide devices are acted on by only relatively small loads that are sufficient to only cancel the moments acting on the press frames, and also because the moments applied to the upper and lower press frames cancel each other, the loads on the horizontal guide devices become still smaller. As a result, the construction of the apparatus is made simple with few component parts, and with a small number of components that slide under load during pressing, so that the apparatus can operate with large loads at a high operating frequency.




With the plate reduction press apparatus according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a driving device for rotating and driving the crank shafts is provided, and the rotational speed of the driving device is variable and is determined in such a manner that the speed of the dies in the line direction during pressing substantially matches the speed of feeding the material to be pressed.




With this configuration mentioned above, the speed of the dies in the line direction can be made to be substantially the same as the speed of feeding the material to be pressed (a slab), so the load on the driving device that rotates and drives the crank shafts can be reduced.




The plate reduction press apparatus according to another embodiment is provided with a looper device that creates a slack portion in the material to be pressed on the downstream side and holds up the material. Using this configuration, the looper device can absorb differences between the speed of the dies in the line direction and the speed of feeding the material to be pressed, so that the speed of the line can be synchronized with that of a finish rolling mill located further downstream.




The plate reduction press apparatus according to another embodiment is provided with up and down height adjusting plates that are maintained between the dies and the press frames, and the plates adjust the heights of the dies. By replacing these height adjusting plates, the heights of the dies can be adjusted freely, so compared to a conventional screw mechanism, etc., the construction of the apparatus can be made tougher, simpler, and more compact than a conventional one, consequently, the apparatus vibrates less and fails less often than a conventional machine, so the apparatus according to the present invention can be maintained more easily whilst the cost is reduced.




According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a hot slab pressing method is provided in which the feeding speed of the material to be pressed is made variable, relative to the maximum speed of the dies in the line direction. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the speed of feeding the material to be pressed is varied in such a manner that at the beginning of pressing, the speed is made greater than the aforementioned maximum speed, and is made smaller at the intermediate and final stages.




The plate reduction press apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention is comprised of upper and lower eccentric drive shafts arranged opposite each other above and below a material to be pressed and made to rotate, upper and lower synchronous eccentric shafts that rotate around the axes of the above-mentioned eccentric drive shafts, upper and lower press frames one end of each of which engages with one of the synchronous eccentric shafts in a freely slidable manner, and the other ends of which are connected together in a freely rotatable manner, and upper and lower dies mounted at the ends of the upper and lower press frames, facing the material to be pressed; in which the upper and lower dies are opened and closed by rotating the upper and lower eccentric drive shafts, and when the material to be pressed is pressed by the dies, the synchronous eccentric shafts synchronize the speed of the press frames in the direction of the transfer line with the speed of the material to be pressed in the direction of the transfer line.




With the configuration mentioned above according to the present invention, when the drive shafts are rotated, the upper and lower eccentric shafts rotate around fixed axes, and due to the rotation of the eccentric shafts, the upper and lower dies move in circular paths while opening and closing. As a result, the upper and lower dies can convey the material to be pressed in the direction of the line while reducing the material, by synchronizing the speed of the press frames in the direction of the line with the speed of the material to be pressed by means of the synchronous eccentric shafts during pressing with the dies. In this way, the amount of the reduction is determined by the eccentricity of the eccentric shafts without any nip angle restriction, etc., so high-reduction pressing can be carried out.




In this apparatus, only the eccentric shafts (dual-eccentric shafts) that rotate around the axes of the fixed shafts withstand loads during pressing, and only rather small loads that merely cancel the moments acting on the press frames are applied to the connection portions, in addition, because the moments acting on the upper and lower press frames cancel each other, the loads are further reduced. Therefore, there are few component parts, the construction is simple, there are only a small number of sliding locations which are loaded during pressing, and the apparatus can operate with high loads at a high operating frequency.




3. The third object of the present invention is to offer a plate reduction press apparatus and methods by means of which a slab is transferred while the plate thickness is being reduced with a high reduction ratio, and for which the construction of the apparatus is rather simple and which can reduce the slab with little vibration, and for which the required length of the apparatus in the line direction can be reduced.




To achieve the aforementioned third object, one embodiment of the present invention presents a plate reduction press apparatus provided with crank shafts arranged above and below a material to be pressed, sliders which engage with the above-mentioned crank shafts in a freely slidable manner and are moved with an eccentric motion, dies mounted on the sliders facing the material to be pressed, and a driving device for driving and rotating the crank shafts, in which the aforementioned crank shafts are composed of eccentric shafts that engage with the sliders, and support shafts arranged on both sides of the eccentric shafts with shaft center lines offset from the shaft center lines of the eccentric shafts, and at least one of the support shafts is comprised of a counterweight with an eccentric center substantially in a direction at 180°, to the direction of eccentricity of the eccentric shafts.




The crank shafts engage directly with the sliders, and when the crank shafts rotate, the eccentric shafts are rotated eccentrically about the axes of the support shafts, so the sliders move up and down and reduce the material to be pressed, while also moving backwards and forwards in the direction of the flow of material to be pressed. Thus, the sliders and the dies also move in the direction of the flow of material to be pressed during pressing, therefore the mechanisms for feeding the material during pressing, shown in

FIG. 8

, are not required. Consequently, the apparatus operates as a flying press and has a small number of component parts and a simple construction. In addition, because the counterweight provided on the support shafts is offset in a direction substantially 180° to the eccentricity of the eccentric shafts, the accelerations and decelerations acting on the sliders are canceled and the vibration of the apparatus is reduced.




The plate reduction press apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention is comprised of upper and lower press frames one end of each of which engages with one of the crank shafts in a freely slidable manner and is rotated eccentrically, and the other ends of which are connected together in a freely rotatable manner, horizontal guide devices that restrain the press frames at the point where they are connected together in a manner such that they are free to move in the horizontal direction, dies mounted at the ends of the above-mentioned press frames facing the material to be pressed, and a driving device for driving and rotating the aforementioned crank shafts, in which the crank shafts are provided with eccentric shafts engaged with the above-mentioned ends of the press frames, and support shafts arranged on both sides of the eccentric shafts with shaft center lines eccentric to the shaft center lines of the eccentric shafts, and at least one of the support shafts is comprised of a counterweight with an eccentric center substantially in a direction at 180°, to the direction of eccentricity of the eccentric shafts.




In this configuration as mentioned above, the ends of the press frames move in a circular path as the crank shafts rotate, so the dies connected thereto move up and down and reduce the material to be pressed, while also moving backwards and forwards in the direction of the flow of the material to be pressed, consequently by selecting the direction of rotation of the crank shafts, the dies can be made to move in the direction of the flow of the material to be pressed during pressing, that is, a flying press operation can be achieved. The other ends of the upper and lower press frames are connected together in a freely rotatable manner, and are guided so that they can only move in the horizontal direction, therefore the reaction moment imposed on one end during pressing can be canceled by the one from the other end. The apparatus according to this embodiment also does not require the mechanisms for feeding the material during pressing, shown in FIG.


8


. Consequently there are few components and the construction is simple. In addition, the support shafts are provided with a counterweight of set in a direction substantially at 180° to the direction of eccentricity of the eccentric shafts, so that accelerations and decelerations produced at the two ends are canceled out and the vibration of the apparatus can be reduced.




According to a further embodiment of the invention, the aforementioned counterweight has a mass sufficient to store rotational energy and also works as a flywheel.




As the counterweight rotates on a support shaft, it can store rotational energy, and it functions as a flywheel by means of a sufficient mass provided in the counterweight.




According to a still further embodiment of the invention, the inertia force due to the eccentricity of the counterweight is determined so as to substantially cancel out the inertia forces from the sliders and the inertia forces of the ends of the press frames.




Using the configuration described above, the vibration of the reduction press apparatus can be greatly reduced.




According to a still further embodiment of the invention which is aimed at achieving the third object mentioned above, the apparatus is provided with dies arranged above and below a slab, and equipped with sliders for each of the dies to give the dies an up, down, backwards and forwards swinging motion and a driving device for driving the sliders, in which each of the sliders is composed of a main unit with a circular hole with its center line in the lateral direction of the slab, and a crank with a first axis that engages with the circular hole and a second shaft with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first shaft with its center line offset from the axis of the first shaft, and the second shaft is rotated and driven by the driving device.




When the second shaft rotates, the first shaft operates as a crank about the center line of the second shaft, and the first shaft engages with the circular hole and, moves the main unit up and down, and backwards and forwards. Thereby, the sliders press the dies, and can move the dies in a forward direction during pressing, so that the slab is transferred forwards (in the direction of the flow of the slab) while being reduced, therefore a continuous pressing operation is enabled. The invention thus provides a large amount of reduction because the dies press the slab from both the upper and lower sides of the slab.




According to another embodiment of the invention, there are dies arranged above or below a slab, sliders for giving the dies an up and down and backwards and forwards swinging motion, a driving device for driving the sliders, and slab supporting members arranged opposite the dies above and below the slab, in which each of the sliders is comprised of a main unit with a circular hole with its axis in the lateral direction of the slab, a first shaft engaged with the circular hole, and a crank composed of a second shaft with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first shaft and with its center line offset from the axis of the first shaft, and the second shaft is rotated and driven by the driving device.




The apparatus according to this embodiment is provided with dies either above or below the slab, and slab supporting members are arranged opposite the dies above or below the slab, to support the slab. Compared to the invention of the prior embodiment, the amount of the reduction is smaller, and there is friction between the slab and the support members when the slab being reduced moves forwards, but the construction is simpler, and the cost can be further reduced.




In the scope of the invention according to a still further embodiment, the circular holes and the cranks provided in the aforementioned sliders are arranged in pluralities in a row along the direction of flow of the slab, and one crank accepts the force due to the moment of the load, and the other cranks produce pressing forces in this configuration.




By arranging pluralities of circular holes and cranks in a row in the direction of flow of the slab (forwards), the dies can be maintained parallel to each other. In addition, the pressing loads can be distributed to several cranks, so the construction of each crank can be made simpler.




In the invention according to yet another embodiment, the circular holes and the cranks provided in the above-mentioned sliders are arranged in pluralities in a row, and one crank accepts the force due to the load moments, and the other cranks are configured to produce pressing forces.




With this configuration, one crank bears the forces due to the unbalanced moments of the loads, and the other cranks generate only pressing forces, so the overall efficiency of a press machine can be increased.




With the invention according to still a further embodiment, the slab is conveyed by pinch rolls or tables, and when the sliders press the slab, it is conveyed at the same speed as the speed of the sliders in the forward direction.




When the sliders press the slab, the slab is transferred at the same speed as the forward speed of the sliders, and at other times, the slab is conveyed at an appropriate speed, for example, a speed synchronized with that of a subsequent machine. In this way, the slab can be reduced most suitably and conveyed continuously.




In the invention according to another embodiment, the distance L in which the slab moves in a cycle of the pressing period plus the period with a normal transfer speed, is not longer than the length L1 of the dies in the direction of flow of the slab.




Because the distance L slab


1


moves per cycle is no longer than the length L1 of the dies in the direction of flow of the slab, the reduction length for the next cycle is slightly superimposed on the length reduced in the previous cycle. Thus, the reduction in thickness can be properly accomplished.




According to a further embodiment of the present invention, aimed at achieving the third object mentioned above, the plate reduction press apparatus is provided with a pair of dies arranged opposite each other above and below a slab, and a swinging device that gives each of the dies a swinging motion backwards and forwards, towards the slab, and eccentric shafts rotating in the above-mentioned circular holes, in which each of the aforementioned eccentric shafts is comprised of a first shaft rotating in a circular hole with center line A on the same axis as the circular hole, and driving a second shaft with a center line B offset from that of the first shaft by a difference c.




According to this configuration, the two eccentric shafts rotating in a pair of circular holes in the sliders are located at an inclined angle or perpendicular to the direction of feeding the slab, therefore compared to the case in which the eccentric shafts are installed parallel to the line direction, the required length of the apparatus in the direction of the line can be reduced. In particular, when the eccentric shafts are arranged at an inclined angle, the pressing forces acting on the two eccentric shafts can be shared equally, so that the length of the apparatus in the direction of the line can be reduced at the same time as giving equal loading to each eccentric shaft. When the eccentric shafts are installed perpendicular to the direction of feed of the slab, it is possible to load the inner eccentric shafts more than the outer ones, and to make the outer eccentric shafts smaller.




Another embodiment of the present invention provides a plate reduction pressing method using a pair of dies arranged opposite each other above and below a slab, and a swinging device that moves each of the dies towards the slab, in which the slab is synchronized with the feeding speed of the dies when the slab is being pressed by the dies, and during the non-pressing period when the slab is separated from the dies, the slab is fed at a constant speed corresponding to a predetermined cycle speed.




Using this method mentioned above, the slab can be conveyed according to the upstream and downstream slab transfer speeds, so the entire line can be operated continuously.




4. The fourth object of the present invention is to provide plate reduction press apparatus and methods that can press a slab at a high speed with a large reduction, using a small pressing force, small driving power, and a small configuration of the entire press facilities.




To achieve the fourth object given above, the invention discloses a plate reduction press apparatus in which the longitudinal direction is defined as the direction in which a material to be pressed moves after being pressed, and N dies each of which has the same length in the longitudinal direction are arranged with an interval of NL between each die, and press the material.




Instead of using dies with a length of NL in the longitudinal direction, N dies each with a length L are arranged in tandem, and the interval between each of the dies is made to be NL. After each of the dies has finished pressing a material to be pressed, the material is moved longitudinally by a length NL. In this way, the material to be pressed can be reduced continually in lengths equal to the length NL. When a press machine is reciprocated at a high speed, inertia forces are created, and the magnitude of these forces depends on the GD


2


of the component members that are being reciprocated. The GD


2


value of a reciprocating body is greater than the sum of the GD


2


values of each segment if the body is divided into N segments. Accordingly, the apparatus can be operated at a higher speed by dividing the dies into segments, because the total inertia force is smaller. In addition, the driving power is reduced when the dies are divided.




With the invention according to another embodiment, the lateral direction is defined as the direction orthogonal to the aforementioned longitudinal direction, and the longitudinal length of the dies is less than the length of the dies in the lateral direction.




The volumes of a material to be pressed, before and after pressing, are substantially equal to each other, therefore the volume of a reduced portion is spread out both longitudinally and laterally. However, if dies are long in the longitudinal direction, the material cannot be displaced easily in the longitudinal direction, so pressing with a large reduction becomes difficult, however because the length of the dies in the longitudinal direction is smaller than the length thereof in the lateral direction, the material can also be displaced fairly easily in the longitudinal direction, so that pressing with a large reduction can be achieved, and also the driving power of the plate reduction press apparatus is reduced.




In the invention according to a still further embodiment, the N dies press a material to be pressed at the same time.




As N dies press simultaneously, the pressing time can be made short and high-speed pressing can be achieved.




With the invention according another embodiment, at least one of the dies presses at a different time from the time the other dies press.




The power for driving a plurality of dies can be reduced by separating the dies into several or a couple of groups and differentiating the pressing times.




According to the plate reduction pressing method according to one embodiment for achieving the aforementioned fourth object of the present invention, the number of press machines pressing a material to be pressed with a press length L in the direction of the flow of the material to be pressed is defined as K, the press machines are arranged with K=1 on the upstream side of the pressing line, and with K increasing sequentially to K=N on the downstream side when N press machines are arranged in tandem, the material to be pressed is pressed in sequence from K=N to K=1, then after the material to be pressed is fed by a length NL, that is, the total of the pressing lengths of all the press machines, the pressing sequence from K=N to K=1 is repeated. The pressing force of each press machine is reduced by shortening the length L of the material to be pressed by each press machine from K=1 to K=N, so that press facilities are made smaller.




According to a still further embodiment of the invention, the number of press machines pressing a material to be pressed with a press length L in the direction of the flow of the material to be pressed is defined as K, the press machines are arranged with K=1 on the upstream side of the pressing line, and with K increasing sequentially to K=N on the downstream side when N press machines are arranged in a tandem configuration, each press machine reduces the material by Δt, press machine K reduces the material by at from its thickness after being pressed by press machine K−1, and the material is pressed by repeatedly feeding the material by one press length L after pressing the material in sequence from press machine K=1 to press machine K=N.




Each press machine, K=1 to K=N, presses the same portion of a material to be pressed in turn, by an amount Δt each, that is, by a total of NΔt, therefore a large amount of reduction can be obtained in total, although each press machine only exerts a small pressing force. Accordingly, the capacity of each press machine can be small, and the pressing facilities are reduced in size.




5. The fifth object of the present invention is to provide a plate reduction press apparatus and methods with which a reduction operation by a reduction press machine and a rolling operation by a downstream rolling mill can be carried out at the same time, the capacities of the device for transferring the material to be pressed and the device to provide a swinging motion during reduction are small, the apparatus can be easily operated in series with downstream equipment, and even if the moving speed of the dies becomes different from the moving speed of the conveyor device during a pressing operation, the equipment will not be damaged, the material being pressed will not be bent, nor will the conveyor device be overloaded.




To achieve the fifth object described above, the invention is provided with speed adjusting rolls arranged between a reduction press machine and a rolling mill with spaces provided to deflect the material to be pressed, metering instruments arranged near the aforementioned speed adjusting rolls or in the vicinity thereof, to measure the length of the material to be pressed which has passed, and a control apparatus for controlling the operations of the above-mentioned reduction press machine and adjusting both speed adjusting rolls according to the measurement of the length metering instrument.




The control apparatus controls the operations of both the speed adjusting rolls and the press machine so that the material to be pressed is deflected between the press machine and the rolling mill to absorb any speed difference between the press machine and the rolling mill when the material is passing between them, length metering instruments are provided at both ends of the deflection between the press machine and the rolling mill to determine the difference between lengths passed, and the difference between the lengths passed is absorbed by the deflection and maintained in a predetermined range. Thereby, the press machine can press the material simultaneously with the operation of the rolling mill. The press machine can be either a flying press machine or a start-stop press machine, as far as simultaneous operation is concerned.




According to another embodiment of the invention, the aforementioned control apparatus takes the difference in the measured lengths of material which has passed the two length metering instruments over a period of a multiple of pressing cycles of the press machine, adjusts the number of pressing cycles of the press machine or the transfer speed of the speed adjusting rolls, or a combination thereof, and controls the pressing operations in such a manner that the difference in the lengths passed is brought to 0.




The difference in the lengths of material passed over a period of a multiple of pressing cycles of the press machine is absorbed by the deflection, while the control apparatus makes an adjustment by increasing or decreasing the number of pressing cycles per unit time of the press machine, or increases or decreases the transfer speed of each speed adjusting roll, or a combination of both, in order to bring the difference in the lengths passed close to 0.




According to a further embodiment of the invention, a deflection metering instrument is provided to measure the deflection of the material to be pressed, between the above-mentioned speed adjusting rolls, and the aforementioned control apparatus controls the pressing operations according to measurements thereof in such a manner that the deflections remain within a predetermined range.




Using the configuration described above, the deflection is kept within a predetermined range, so the press machine and the rolling mill are protected from excessive forces that might otherwise be applied if the deflection became too small, and also the elongation of the material being pressed at a high temperature due to an excessive deflection, can be prevented from occurring.




The invention according to a further embodiment provides a conveyor apparatus for the material being pressed that can be raised and lowered and is arranged between the aforementioned speed adjusting rolls, in which the material to be pressed is conveyed substantially at the same level as the transfer level of the speed adjusting rolls, when the leading end or trailing end of the material to be pressed passes the conveyor apparatus.




At the section where the material to be pressed is given a deflection, the conveyor apparatus is provided that can be raised and lowered and is equipped with rolls for conveying the material being pressed, in which the rolls are lowered when a deflection has been formed, and when the leading end or trailing end of the material to be pressed passes the conveyor apparatus, the level of the conveyor rolls is made substantially the same as the transfer level of the speed adjusting rolls. In this way, the leading end or trailing end of the material to be pressed or being pressed can pass smoothly across the section used for the deflection.




The invention according to a still further embodiment is aimed at achieving the fifth object described above in the pressing method of a crank type press machine that presses a material to be transferred and pressed using upper and lower dies, in which the dies are moved at the same speed as the speed of the material to be pressed during the pressing period, and the speed of feeding the material to be pressed is adjusted during the period when there is no pressing taking place in such a manner that during one cycle, the material to be pressed is moved by a predetermined distance L.




The material to be transferred and pressed is pressed by dies from above and below the material, and during pressing, the material is transferred at the same speed as that of the dies, and when the material is not being pressed, the speed of the material is adjusted to move the material by a distance L for each cycle, so that the material to be pressed can be transferred at the same speed during each cycle. In addition, the variations in the transfer speed during a cycle are much less than those of a start-stop apparatus, and the vibration of the equipment is much less than that of a slider system.




The invention of another embodiment is provided with dies arranged above and below a material to be pressed, crank devices for pressing each of the dies, and transfer devices for transferring the material to be pressed, in which the transfer devices move the material to be pressed at the same speed as the dies when the crank devices are pressing the material to be pressed with the dies, and when the material to be pressed is not being pressed, the transfer devices adjust the speed of feeding the material to be pressed and move the material by a predetermined distance L during one cycle of the pressing operation, and the above-mentioned distance L is not greater than the length L0 which is the reduction length of the dies in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed.




The upper crank device presses the material to be pressed when the die is near its lowest point of travel, and the lower crank device presses the same when the die is in the vicinity of the highest point of travel. As long as the dies are pressing the material to be pressed, the transfer devices transfer the material to be pressed and being pressed at the same speed as that of the dies. The distance L in which the transfer devices move the material to be pressed during one cycle of the crank devices is less than the length L0 in which the dies press the material in the direction of transfer, so the material to be pressed is pressed sequentially by one length at a time. In this mode of operation, variations in the transfer speed of the material to be pressed are limited to a reasonable range, therefore large-capacity transfer devices are not required. Furthermore, with this configuration it is not necessary to give heavy sliders a swinging motion to match the speed of the material to be pressed, therefore, no high-capacity device is required for the swinging motion. In addition, as the material to be pressed is transferred substantially continuously, the apparatus can be integrated easily with a downstream rolling mill.




According to a still further embodiment of the invention, in the pressing method of a crank type press machine that presses a material to be pressed and transferred using dies on both sides in the lateral direction of the transfer line, during the pressing period, the material to be pressed is moved at the same speed as the speed of the dies, and during the period when it is not being pressed, the speed of feeding the material to be pressed is adjusted in such a manner that during one cycle the material to be pressed is moved by a predetermined distance L.




The material to be pressed and transferred is pressed by the dies from both sides in the lateral direction, and during pressing, the material to be pressed is transferred at the same speed as that of the dies, and when the press machine is not pressing, the speed of the material to be pressed is adjusted to move the material by a distance L per cycle, so that the material to be pressed can be transferred at the same speed during each cycle. In addition, the variations in the transfer speed during a cycle are much less than those of a start-stop system, and the vibration is also much less than that of a slider system.




The invention of one embodiment is configured with dies arranged on both sides in the lateral direction of a material to be pressed, crank devices that press each of the dies in the lateral direction, and transfer devices that transfer the material to be pressed, in which the transfer devices move the material to be pressed at the same speed as the speed of the dies when the crank devices are pressing the material to be pressed in the lateral direction through the dies, and when the material to be pressed is not being pressed, the speed of feeding the material to be pressed is adjusted, and the material to be pressed is moved by a predetermined distance L in one cycle of a pressing operation, and the above-mentioned distance L is not greater than the length L0 which is the reduction length of the dies in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed.




The invention of a further embodiment is a modification of the invention of a prior embodiment using the apparatus of a prior embodiment for lateral pressing; the crank devices on both sides in the lateral direction of the material to be pressed, press the material in the lateral direction, using the dies, when they are near the point of travel closest to the material. While the dies press the material to be pressed, the transfer devices transfer the material at the same speed as that of the dies. Because the distance La that the transfer devices move the material to be pressed in one cycle of the crank devices is less than the pressing length La0 of the dies in the direction of flow of the material, the material to be pressed is pressed sequentially by a length La during each cycle. These operations keep the variations in the transfer speed of the material to be pressed in the limits of a reasonable range, so that no large-capacity transfer devices are required. In addition, because the configuration is such that heavy sliders do not have to be given a swinging motion corresponding to the speed of the material to be pressed, no large-capacity swinging device is needed. Also, as the material to be pressed is transferred essentially continuously, the material can be easily passed on to a downstream rolling machine.




According to yet another embodiment of the invention, a looper that forms a loop in the material to be pressed and adjusts the length thereof is provided downstream of the transfer devices specified above.




The transfer speed of the material to be pressed varies during one cycle of the crank devices. Consequently, the looper is provided to enable the material to be smoothly passed on to a subsequent rolling mill etc.




To achieve the fifth object described above, the invention of a further embodiment relates to the pressing method of a crank type press machine that presses a material to be transferred with pinch rolls and pressed with upper and lower dies; during the pressing period, the pinch rolls rotate in such a manner that the peripheral speed of the pinch rolls is made equal to the combination of the horizontal speed of the dies and the elongation speed of the material to be pressed, added or subtracted, and transfer the material to be pressed, and when the press machine is not pressing, the speed of feeding the material to be pressed is adjusted in such a manner that during one cycle, the material to be pressed is moved by a predetermined distance L, and the pressure of the pinch rolls during the pressing period is made smaller than the pressure thereof during the non-pressing period.




The material to be pressed and transferred is pressed by the dies from above and below the material, and during the pressing period, the pinch rolls are rotated at the peripheral speed equal to the sum of the horizontal speed of the dies plus or minus the elongation speed of the material to be pressed, and transfer the material to be pressed, and when the apparatus is not pressing, the speed of the pinch rolls is adjusted to give a moving distance of L per cycle, so the material to be pressed can be transferred at an equal speed during each cycle. In addition, because the pressure of the pinch rolls is made smaller during pressing than during the non-pressing period, even if there is a deviation between the sum of the speeds and the transfer speed of the pinch rolls, flaws can be prevented from being produced in the material to be pressed. Furthermore, variations in the transfer speed during a cycle are significantly smaller than those of a start-stop system, and the vibration is much less than that of a slider system.




The plate reduction press apparatus of another embodiment is provided with dies arranged above and below a material to be pressed, crank devices that press each of the dies, and pinch rolls that transfer the material to be pressed, in which the pinch rolls rotate in such a manner that the peripheral speed of the pinch rolls is made equal to a combination of the horizontal speed of the dies plus or minus the elongation speed of the material to be pressed, and transfer the material to be pressed when the crank devices are pressing the material to be pressed through the dies, and when the press machine is not pressing, the speed of feeding the material to be pressed is adjusted in such a manner that during one cycle, the material to be pressed is moved by a predetermined distance L and the distance L is not greater than the reduction length L0 of the dies in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed, and the pressure of the pinch rolls is made smaller during pressing with the dies than the pressure during the non-pressing period.




The upper crank devices press the material to be pressed using the dies, near the lowest point of travel, and the lower crank devices press the material with the dies near to the uppermost point of travel. While the dies are pressing the material to be pressed, the pinch rolls rotate at the same peripheral speed as the combined speed of the speed of the dies plus or minus the elongation speed of the material to be pressed, so that the material to be pressed is transferred. Because the distance L by which the pinch rolls transfer the material to be pressed during one cycle of the crank devices is less than the pressing length L0 of the dies in the direction of flow, the material to be pressed is pressed sequentially in steps each of length L. In addition, because the pressure of the pinch rolls is made smaller during pressing than the pressure during the non-pressing period, the material is protected from the occurrence of flaws even if there is a deviation between the combination speed and the transfer speed of the pinch rolls. Variations in the transfer speed of the material to be pressed are kept within reasonable limits during these operations, so no large-capacity transfer apparatus is required. Also, the configuration does not require heavy sliders to be given a swinging motion in synchronism with the speed of the material to be pressed, therefore no large-capacity swinging apparatus is needed. Because the material to be pressed is transferred essentially continuously, the press apparatus can easily be used in tandem with a downstream rolling mill.




According to the invention of another embodiment, the pressure on the above-mentioned pinch rolls is made smaller for a predetermined time t before or after the press machine begins to press.




By reducing the pressure on the pinch rolls at a predetermined time t before the press machine begins to press, the pinching force of the pinching rolls on the material to be pressed decreases, therefore the dies can grip the material to be pressed more firmly. The time t is the time required for gripping. When the pressure of the pinch rolls is made smaller at a predetermined time t after the beginning of pressing, it is intended to make sure the dies are capable of gripping the material to be pressed more firmly.




In the invention of a further embodiment, the pressure of the above-mentioned pinch rolls is made smaller when the pressing load becomes more than a predetermined value.




The pinch rolls press the material to be pressed with a high pressure until the pressing load of the press machine becomes more than a predetermined value, to securely feed the material to be pressed into the press machine, and thereafter the pressure is reduced.




The invention of a still further embodiment, aimed at achieving the fifth object mentioned above is comprised of inlet transfer devices that are arranged on the upstream side of a press machine, to transfer a material to be pressed, and can be raised and lowered, and outlet transfer devices that are arranged on the downstream side of the press machine, and transfer the material being pressed, and can be raised and lowered, in which the aforementioned inlet transfer devices are adjusted to give a height of transfer according to information which has been input concerning the thickness of the material to be pressed, in such a manner that the center line of the thickness of the material to be pressed is the same as the center line of the press machine, and the above-mentioned outlet transfer devices are adjusted for a height of transferring according to information about the thickness of the material after being pressed, in such a manner that the center line of the thickness of the material is the same as the center line of the press machine.




With a press machine in which a material to be pressed is transferred and pressed by dies from above and below the material, the press is designed so that a line midway between the dies is at a predetermined height, and the line passing through this height is called the press center line. The thickness of a material to be pressed has been measured during a process on the upstream side of the transfer line, when the material is delivered to the press machine. The height of transfer from the inlet transfer devices is determined so that the center of the thickness of the material coincides with the press center line. In addition, the thickness of the material after being pressed by the press machine is known from the design value of the press or by measurement, so the height of transfer of the outlet transfer devices is determined so that the center of the thickness of the material after being pressed matches the press center line. Consequently, the material being pressed is not bent after pressing, and also the outlet transfer devices will not be damaged.




In another embodiment of the invention, inlet transfer devices are provided that are arranged on the upstream side of a press machine for pressing a material to be pressed between upper and lower dies, that transfer the material to be pressed, and can be raised and lowered, and outlet transfer devices that are arranged on the downstream side of the aforementioned press machine, transfer the material being pressed, and can be raised and lowered, in which when the material to be pressed is passed through the press machine without being pressed with the upper and lower dies open, the transfer heights of the above-mentioned inlet transfer devices and the aforementioned outlet transfer devices are determined to be identical to each other and higher than the upper surface of the opened lower die.




In practice, a material to be pressed must sometimes be passed through a press machine without pressing, or a material which has been pressed unsuccessfully must be transferred in the reverse direction. In such cases, the upper and lower dies are opened, the transfer heights of the inlet transfer devices and the outlet transfer devices are made identical to each other and higher than the upper surface of the opened lower die, then the material to be pressed or which has been pressed can be passed either forwards or backwards.




According to a still further embodiment of the invention, the transfer method concerns the transfer devices that are arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of a press machine and can adjust the transfer height of a material to be pressed, in which both transfer devices can transfer the material to be pressed or after being pressed while the transfer devices maintain the height of the center of the thickness of the material to be pressed, unchanged during pressing.




The transfer devices arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of the press machine do not cause bending or otherwise adversely affect the material to be pressed and avoid unnecessary loads being imposed on the transfer devices, by adjusting the height of the center of the thickness of the material being pressed so that the height of the center of the thickness of the material is kept at the same level during transfer and pressing.




According to another embodiment of the invention, the transfer method concerns the transfer devices that are arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of a press machine and can adjust the transfer height of a material to be pressed, in which when the press dies are opened vertically in such a manner that the material to be pressed does not contact the dies when the material to be pressed is passed through the press machine, both transfer devices transfer the material to be pressed at the same height.




In practice, a material to be pressed must sometimes be passed through a press machine without pressing, or a material which has been pressed unsuccessfully must be transferred in the reverse direction. At this time, the press dies are opened upwards and downwards so that they do not touch the material to be pressed, and the material to be pressed is transferred with both transfer devices maintained at the same height.




The other objects and advantages of the present invention will be revealed as follows by referring to the attached drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a schematic view of an example of a rolling mill used for hot rolling.





FIG. 2

is a schematic view showing an example of reduction forming in the direction of plate thickness of a material to be shaped using dies.





FIG. 3

is a conceptual view showing an example of a flying sizing press apparatus.





FIG. 4

is a structural view of a conventional high-reduction press machine.





FIG. 5

is a view showing a conventional flying reduction press machine.





FIG. 6

is a view showing an example of the configuration of a reduction press machine using conventional long dies.




FIGS.


7


(A),


7


(B), and


7


(C) are views showing the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG.


6


.





FIG. 8

shows the method of reducing thickness used during hot pressing.





FIG. 9

is a general view seen from the side of the transfer line, of the first embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention.





FIG. 10

is a conceptual view showing the displacement of the dies shown in

FIG. 9

with respect to the transfer line, and the swinging motion of the dies.





FIG. 11

is a conceptual view showing the displacement of the dies shown in

FIG. 9

with respect to the transfer line, and the swinging motion of the dies.





FIG. 12

is a conceptual view showing the displacement of the dies shown in

FIG. 9

with respect to the transfer line, and swinging motion of the dies.





FIG. 13

is a conceptual view showing the displacement of the dies shown in

FIG. 9

with respect to the transfer line, and the swinging motion of the dies.





FIG. 14

is a general view seen from the side of the transfer line, of the second embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention.





FIG. 15

is a general view seen from the side of the transfer line, of the third embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention.





FIG. 16

is a general view seen from the side of the transfer line, of the fourth embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention.





FIG. 17

is a side view showing the fifth embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention.





FIG. 18

is a side view of the embodiment of

FIG. 17

showing the location of the up/down table rollers when the material to be shaped is not being reduced or formed.





FIG. 19

is a side view showing the sixth embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention.





FIG. 20

is a side view of the embodiment of

FIG. 19

showing the location of the up/down table rollers when the material to be shaped is not being reduced or formed.





FIG. 21

is a conceptual view seen from the side of the transfer line of the seventh embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention, when the upstream dies are in the most separated position from the transfer line and the downstream dies are in the closest position to the transfer line.





FIG. 22

is a conceptual view seen from the side of the transfer line of the seventh embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention, when the upstream dies are moving towards the transfer line and the downstream dies are moving away from the transfer line.





FIG. 23

is a conceptual view seen from the side of the transfer line of the seventh embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention, when the upstream dies are in the closest position to the transfer line and the downstream dies are in the most separated position from the transfer line.





FIG. 24

is a conceptual view seen from the side of the transfer line of the seventh embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention, when the upstream dies are moving away from the transfer line and the downstream dies are moving towards the transfer line.





FIG. 25

is a conceptual view showing the mechanisms for moving the sliders shown in

FIGS. 21 through 24

, in a sectional view in the longitudinal direction of the transfer line.





FIG. 26

is a side view showing the eighth embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention.





FIG. 27

is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG.


26


.





FIG. 28

is a sectional view of the cylinder mounting portion of the side guide shown in FIG.


26


.





FIG. 29

is a sectional view of the vertical roller support portion of the side guides shown in FIG.


26


.





FIG. 30

shows the configuration of the press equipment provided with the plate reduction press apparatus according to the ninth embodiment of the invention.





FIG. 31

is a side view of the plate reduction press apparatus shown in FIG.


30


.





FIG. 32

is a sectional view along the line A—A in FIG.


31


.





FIG. 33

is a schematic view showing the paths in which the dies move.





FIG. 34

is a view showing the movement of the dies in the up and down direction relative to the angular position θ of the drive shafts.





FIG. 35

shows the configuration of a rolling facility provided with the plate reduction press apparatus according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 36

is a side view of the plate reduction press apparatus shown in FIG.


35


.





FIG. 37

is a sectional view along the line A—A in FIG.


36


.




FIGS.


38


(A) and


38


(B) are schematic views showing the paths in which the dies move.





FIG. 39

is a diagram showing the plate reduction pressing method according to the present invention.





FIG. 40

shows the configuration of a rolling facility provided with the plate reduction press apparatus according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 41

is a side view of the plate reduction press apparatus shown in FIG.


40


.





FIG. 42

is a sectional view along the line A—A in FIG.


41


.




FIGS.


43


(A) and


43


(B) are schematic views showing the paths in which the dies move.





FIG. 44

is a view showing the movement of the dies in the up and down direction relative to the angular position θ of the synchronous eccentric shafts.





FIG. 45

shows the configuration of the twelfth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 46

is a sectional view along the line X—X in FIG.


45


.





FIG. 47

shows one cycle of the operation of a slider.





FIG. 48

shows one cycle of the operation of a slider and the material to be pressed.





FIG. 49

shows the configuration of the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 50

is a sectional view along the line Y—Y in FIG.


49


.




FIGS.


51


(A) and


51


(B) are schematic views showing the paths in which the dies move.





FIG. 52

is a view showing the configuration of the fourteenth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 53

is a sectional view along the line X—X in FIG.


52


.





FIG. 54

shows a practical construction of a slider.





FIG. 55

shows one cycle of the operation of a slider.





FIG. 56

shows the moving speed of a slab during one cycle.





FIG. 57

shows one cycle of the operation of a slider and a slab.





FIG. 58

shows the configuration of the fifteenth example of the present invention.





FIG. 59

is a sectional view along the line X—X in FIG.


58


.





FIG. 60

is a sectional view along the line Y—Y in FIG.


58


.





FIG. 61

shows the construction of the sixteenth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 62

is a sectional view along the line X—X in FIG.


61


.





FIG. 63

shows the configuration of the seventeenth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 64

shows the configuration of the eighteenth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 65

shows one cycle of operation of a slider.





FIG. 66

shows the moving speed of a slab during one cycle.





FIG. 67

shows the configuration of the nineteenth embodiment of the present invention.




FIGS.


68


(A),


68


(B) and


68


(C) show the operation of the nineteenth embodiment, for the case in which each die presses at the same time.




FIGS.


69


(A),


68


(B) and


69


(C) show the operation of the nineteenth embodiment, for the case in which each die presses in sequence.





FIG. 70

shows the configuration of the twentieth embodiment of the present invention.




FIGS.


71


(A),


71


(B) and


71


(C) show the operation of the twentieth embodiment, for the case in which all the dies press simultaneously.





FIG. 72

is a side view showing the twenty-first embodiment of the present invention.




FIGS.


73


(A) and


73


(B) are views describing the operation of the twenty-first embodiment.




FIGS.


74


(A) and


74


(B) describe the operation of the twenty-second embodiment, when the tip of the material to be pressed has been moved to dies


1201


and dies


1202


.




FIGS.


75


(A) and


75


(B) describe the operations of the twenty-second embodiment, when the tip of the material to be pressed has been moved to dies


1203


and dies


1204


.




FIGS.


76


(A),


76


(B),


76


(C) and


76


(D) describe the operation of the twenty-second embodiment, when the tip of the material to be pressed has passed the dies


1204


.





FIG. 77

shows the configuration of the twenty-third embodiment of the present invention.




FIGS.


78


(A) and


78


(B) show the speed of the material to be pressed in the twenty-third embodiment; (A) the transfer speed of the material to be pressed at the outlet of the flying press machine, and (B) the transfer speed at the inlet of the rolling mill.





FIG. 79

shows the configuration of the twenty-fourth embodiment of the present invention.




FIGS.


80


(A) and


80


(B) show the speed of the material to be pressed in the twenty-fourth embodiment; (A) the transfer speed of the material to be pressed at the outlet of the flying press machine, (B) the transfer speed at the inlet of the rolling mill.




FIGS.


81


(A) and


81


(B) show the configuration of the twenty-fifth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 82

shows the crank angle θ and the pressing range of the crank device.





FIG. 83

is a diagram developed from

FIG. 82

, with the crank angle θ on the x-axis.





FIG. 84

shows the speed of the reciprocating motion of the dies.





FIG. 85

shows the speed variations of the transfer devices.




FIGS.


86


(A),


86


(B) and


86


(C) are views showing the configuration of the twenty-sixth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 87

is a view showing the configuration of the twenty-seventh embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 88

is a view showing the configuration of the twenty-eighth embodiment of the present invention.




FIGS.


89


(A),


89


(B) and


89


(C) show one cycle of operation of a press machine.





FIG. 90

shows the crank angle θ and the pressing range of the crank devices.




FIGS.


91


(A),


91


(B),


91


(C),


91


(D) and


91


(E) show the operation of the twenty-eighth embodiment.





FIG. 92

shows the configuration of the twenty-ninth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 93

shows the configuration of the thirtieth embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 94

shows the configuration of the thirty-first embodiment of the present invention.




FIGS.


95


(A),


95


(B) and


95


(C) show one cycle of operation of the press machine.





FIG. 96

shows the configuration of the thirty-second embodiment of the present invention.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




The embodiments of the present invention are described as follows referring to the drawings.




(First Embodiment)





FIGS. 9

to


13


show the first embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention; this apparatus is provided with a housing


101


erected in a predetermined place on a transfer line S so that a plate-like material


1


to be shaped can pass through the center portion, upstream eccentric shafts


103




a


.


103




b


extending in the lateral direction of the material


1


to be shaped and provided with eccentric portions


102




a


,


102




b


, downstream eccentric shafts


105




a


,


105




b


extending in the same direction as the aforementioned upstream eccentric shafts


103




a


,


103




b


and provided with eccentric portions


104




a


,


104




b


, upstream rods


106




a


,


106




b


and downstream rods


107




a


,


107




b


extending up and down, die holders


109




a


,


109




b


for mounting dies


108




a


,


108




b


, and mechanisms


121




a


,


121




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards.




The upstream eccentric shafts


103




a


,


103




b


are arranged inside the housing


101


such that the shafts are opposite each other above and below the transfer line S, and the non-eccentric portions


110




a


,


110




b


at both ends of the shafts are supported by upstream shaft boxes (not illustrated) mounted in the housing


101


through bearings.




The downstream eccentric shafts


105




a


,


105




b


are arranged inside the housing


101


in such a manner that the shafts are opposite each other above and below the transfer line S on the downstream B side of the transfer line downstream of the upstream eccentric shafts


103




a


,


103




b


, and the non-eccentric portions


111




a


,


111




b


at both ends of the shafts are supported by downstream shaft boxes (not illustrated) mounted in the housing


101


through bearings.




The drive shaft (not illustrated) of a motor is connected to one end of each of the upstream eccentric shafts


103




a


,


103




b


and the downstream eccentric shafts


105




a


,


105




b


, through a universal coupling and a gear box, so that each of the eccentric shafts


103




a


,


103




b


,


105




a


and


105




b


can rotate in synchronism together.




The gear box mentioned above is configured in such a manner that when the motor is operated, both upper eccentric shafts


103




a


,


105




a


rotate counterclockwise so that the eccentric portion


104




a


of the downstream eccentric shaft


105




a


rotates with a phase angle 90° ahead of the phase angle of the eccentric portion


102




a


of the upstream eccentric shaft


103




a


, and at the same time, both lower eccentric shafts


103




b


,


105




b


beneath the transfer line S rotate clockwise so that the eccentric portion


104




b


of the downstream eccentric shaft


105




b


rotates with a phase angle 90° ahead of the phase of the eccentric portion


102




b


of the upstream eccentric shaft


103




b


, as shown in

FIGS. 11 through 15

; in addition, the eccentric portions


102




a


,


104




a


and the eccentric portions


102




b


,


104




b


are positioned symmetrically to each other on opposite sides of the transfer line S.




The big ends of the upstream rods


106




a


,


106




b


are connected to the eccentric portions


102




a


,


102




b


of the upstream eccentric shafts


103




a


,


103




b


through bearings


112




a


,


112




b.






The big ends of the downstream rods


107




a


,


107




b


are connected to the eccentric portions


104




a


,


104




b


of the downstream eccentric shafts


105




a


,


105




b


through bearings


113




a


,


113




b.






The die holders


109




a


,


109




b


are installed inside the housing, such that the holders are opposite each other on opposite sides of the transfer line S.




Brackets


114




a


,


114




b


provided near the upstream A side of the transfer line on the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


are connected to the tips of the aforementioned upstream rods


106




a


,


106




b


by the pins


115




a


,


115




b


and bearings


116




a


,


116




b


extending substantially horizontally in the lateral direction of the material


1


to be shaped.




The tips of the above-mentioned downstream rods


107




a


,


107




b


are connected to brackets


117




a


,


117




b


provided near the downstream B side of the transfer line on the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


, by the pins


118




a


,


118




b


and bearings


119




a


,


119




b


, that are parallel to the pins


115




a


,


115




b.






By means of these upstream rods


106




a


,


106




b


and downstream rods


107




a


,


107




b


, and the displacements of the eccentric portions


102




a


,


102




b


associated with the rotation of the above-mentioned upstream eccentric shafts


103




a


,


103




b


and the displacement of the eccentric portions


104




a


,


104




b


associated with the downstream eccentric shafts


105




a


,


105




b


, motion is transmitted to the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


, so that the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


move towards and away from the transfer line S with a swinging action.




The dies


109




a


,


109




b


mounted on each of the die holders


108




a


,


108




b


face the material


1


to be shaped, as it is being passed through the transfer line S, and when viewed from the side of the transfer line S, the dies are provided with forming surfaces


120




a


,


120




b


that are convex circular arcs projecting towards the transfer line S.




Mechanisms


121




a


,


121




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards are composed of arms


122




a


,


122




b


one end of each of which is fixed to the end of one of the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


, near the downstream B side of the transfer line, and projecting in the downstream B direction of the transfer line, guide members


124




a


,


124




b


fixed at locations near to the downstream B side of the transfer line of the housing


101


and comprised of grooves


123




a


,


123




b


inclined at an angle to the transfer line so that the distance from the transfer line increase in the downstream B direction, and guide rings


126




a


,


126




b


connected to the tips of the arms


122




a


,


122




b


through pins


125




a


,


125




b


in a rotatable manner, which engage with the grooves


123




a


,


123




b


of the guide members


124




a


,


124




b


in a movable manner.




The mechanisms


121




a


,


121




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards give the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


a reciprocating motion relative to the transfer line S, so that the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


move towards and away from the transfer line S with a swinging motion, associated with the rotation of the upstream eccentric shafts


103




a


,


103




b


and the downstream eccentric shafts


105




a


,


105




b


, as described previously.




The operation of the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIGS. 10 through 13

is described as follows, with particular emphasis on the upstream eccentric shaft


103




a


, downstream eccentric shaft


105




a


, upstream rods


106




a


, downstream rods


107




a


, dies


108




a


, and die holders


109




a


, on the upstream side of the transfer line S.




When the angles of the eccentric portion


102




a


of the upstream eccentric shaft


103




a


and the eccentric portion


104




a


of the downstream eccentric shaft


105




a


are defined such that top dead center is 0° (360°), and both eccentric portions


102




a


,


104




a


are rotated with the angle of rotation increasing in the counterclockwise direction, and as shown in

FIG. 10

, the angle of rotation of the eccentric portion


104




a


of about 45° is assumed to correspond to the angle of rotation of the eccentric portion


102




a


of about 315°; the die


108




a


is then in the farthest position from the transfer line S, and the guide ring


126




a


is located at the end of the guide member


124




a


, nearest to the downstream side of the transfer line.




When both eccentric shafts


103




a


,


105




a


rotate counterclockwise from the aforementioned state, the die


108




a


moves towards the transfer line S.




At this time, because the phase angle of the eccentric portion


104




a


is 90° ahead of the phase angle of the eccentric portion


102




a


, the end of the die


108




a


, near to the downstream B side of the transfer line, moves towards the transfer line S before the end near the upstream A side of the transfer line, and at the same time, the guide ring


126




a


moves towards the upstream A side of the transfer line, in the guide member


124




a.






As shown in

FIG. 11

, when the angle of rotation of the eccentric portion


102




a


becomes about 90° and the angle of rotation of the eccentric portion


104




a


is about 180°, the guide ring


126




a


reaches the end of the guide member


124




a


, near the upstream A side of the transfer line, and the portion of the forming surface


120




a


of the die


108




a


, near to the downstream B side of the transfer line, presses the material


1


to be shaped, as it passes along the transfer line S.




When both eccentric shafts


103




a


,


105




a


rotate and the angle of rotation of the eccentric portion


102




a


increases and the angle of rotation of the eccentric portion


104




a


becomes greater than 180°, the guide ring


126




a


begins to move towards the downstream B side of the transfer line, in the guide member


124




a


, and the die


108




a


swings in such a manner that the portion of the forming surface


120




a


of the die


108




a


, in contact with the material


1


to be shaped, moves towards the upstream A side of the transfer line from the downstream B side thereof, thus the material


1


to be shaped is subjected to a reducing and forming process.




After this, the die


108




a


moves towards the downstream B side of the transfer line, and feeds the material


1


being reduced and formed towards the downstream B side of the transfer line without any material being forced backwards.




As shown in

FIG. 12

, after the angle of rotation of the eccentric portion


102




a


becomes about 135° and the angle of rotation of the eccentric portion


104




a


is about 225°, the portion of the forming surface


120




a


of the aforementioned die


108




a


, near the upstream A side of the transfer line, reduces and forms the material


1


to be shaped as the die


108




a


swings in the downstream direction.




Furthermore, as shown in

FIG. 13

, when the angles of rotation of the eccentric portions


102




a


.


104




a


become about 180° and 270°, respectively, the die


108




a


moves away from the transfer line S.




During these operations, the upstream eccentric shaft,


103




b


, downstream eccentric shaft


105




b


, upstream rod


106




b


, downstream rod


107




b


, die


108




b


, and die holder


109




b


, below the transfer line S, also operate in the same way as the ones above the transfer line S as described above, thereby the material


1


to be shaped is reduced and formed from above and below the material.




In the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIGS. 9 through 13

as described above, the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


on which the dies


108




a


,


108




b


are mounted are given a swinging motion by the upstream eccentric shafts


103




a


,


103




b


, downstream eccentric shafts


105




a


,


105




b


, upstream rods


106




a


,


106




b


, and downstream rods


107




a


,


107




b


, in such a manner that the portions of the forming surfaces


120




a


,


120




b


, in contact with the material


1


to be shaped, of the dies


108




a


,


108




b


are transferred from the downstream B side of the transfer line towards the upstream A side thereof as the die holders are brought close to the transfer line S, so that the areas of the forming surfaces


120




a


,


120




b


in contact with the material


1


to be shaped are made smaller, so the pressing loads on the dies


108




a


,


108




b


can be reduced.




Consequently, the forces imposed on the power transmission members such as the eccentric shafts


103




a


,


103




b


,


105




a


, and


105




b


and the rods


106




a


,


106




b


,


107




a


, and


107




b


, are reduced, so that these components can be made more compact than those known in the prior art.




Moreover, because the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


are moved towards the downstream B side of the transfer line by the mechanisms


121




a


,


121




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards when the forming surfaces


120




a


,


120




b


of the dies


108




a


,


108




b


are in contact with the material


1


to be shaped, the material is never forced backwards, but the material


1


that is reduced and formed can be fed forwards to the downstream B side of the transfer line.




(Second Embodiment)





FIG. 14

shows the second embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention; in the following figures, the item numbers indicate the same components as those shown in

FIGS. 9 through 13

.




This plate reduction press apparatus incorporates mechanisms


127




a


,


127




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards in place of the mechanisms


121




a


,


121




b


shown in

FIGS. 9 through 13

for moving the dies backwards and forwards.




The mechanisms


127




a


,


127




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards are composed of brackets


128




a


,


128




b


fixed to the end portions of the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


, near to the downstream B side of the transfer line, brackets


129




a


,


129




b


fixed to portions of the housing


101


, near to the downstream B side of the transfer line, and hydraulic cylinders


134




a


,


134




b


, the tips of the piston rods


130




a


,


130




b


of which are connected to the brackets


128




a


,


128




b


through bearings by the pins


131




a


,


131




b


and the cylinders


132




a


,


132




b


of which are connected to the brackets


129




a


,


129




b


through bearings by the pins


133




a


,


133




b.






Also with this plate reduction press apparatus, hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic chambers on the head side of the hydraulic cylinders


134




a


,


134




b


when the forming surfaces


120




a


,


120




b


of the dies


108




a


,


108




b


are not in contact with the material


1


to be shaped, thereby the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


together with the dies


108




a


,


108




b


are moved towards the upstream A side of the transfer line, and when the forming surfaces


120




a


,


120




b


of the dies


108




a


,


108




b


, are brought into contact with the material


1


to be shaped, hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic chambers on the rod side of the hydraulic cylinders


134




a


,


134




b


, thus the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


together with the dies


108




a


,


108




b


are moved towards the downstream B side of the transfer line; in this way, as for plate reduction press apparatus described previously by referring to

FIGS. 9 through 13

, the material


1


being shaped can be fed towards the downstream B side of the transfer line, without forcing any material in the backward direction.




Also, other types of actuators such as screw jacks can be applied instead of the hydraulic cylinders


134




a


,


134




b.






(Third Embodiment)





FIG. 15

shows the third embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention, and in the figure, item numbers refer to the same components as those shown in

FIGS. 9 through 13

.




In this plate reduction press apparatus, mechanisms


135




a


,


135




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards are used in place of the mechanisms


121




a


,


121




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards, shown in

FIGS. 9 through 13

.




The mechanisms


135




a


,


135




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards are composed of brackets


128




a


,


128




b


fixed to the end portions of the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


, on the downstream B side of the transfer line, eccentric shafts


136




a


,


136




b


for the backwards and forwards movements, provided at locations on the housing


101


, near the downstream B side of the transfer line, which can rotate, and extending substantially horizontally in the lateral direction of the material


1


to be shaped, and rods


139




a


,


139




b


for backwards and forwards motion one end of each of which is connected to the bracket


128




a


or


128




b


by the pin


137




a


or


137




b


, and the other ends of which are connected to the eccentric portions


138




a


,


138




b


, of the eccentric shafts


136




a


,


136




b


for backward and forward movements through bearings.




Also with this plate reduction press apparatus, the eccentric shafts


136




a


,


136




b


for backward and forward movements are rotated, and the dies


108




a


,


108




b


are moved to the upstream A side of the transfer line together with the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


, while the forming surfaces


120




a


,


120




b


of the dies


108




a


,


108




b


are not in contact with the material


1


to be shaped, and when the forming surfaces


120




a


,


120




b


of the dies


108




a


,


108




b


come in contact with the material


1


to be shaped, the eccentric shafts


136




a


,


136




b


for backward and forward movements are rotated to move the dies


108




a


,


108




b


together with the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


in the downstream B direction of the transfer line, thereby the material


1


after being reduced and formed can be fed out to the downstream B side of the transfer line without any of the material being forced backwards, in the same manner as with the plate reduction press apparatus described previously by referring to

FIGS. 9 through 13

.




(Fourth Embodiment)





FIG. 16

shows the fourth embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention, and in the figure, item numbers refer to the same components as those in

FIGS. 9 through 13

.




This plate reduction press apparatus incorporates mechanisms


140




a


,


140




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards in place of the mechanisms


121




a


,


121




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards shown in

FIGS. 9

to


13


.




The mechanisms


140




a


,


140




b


for moving the dies backwards and forwards are composed of brackets


128




a


,


128




b


fixed to the end portions of the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


, closest to the downstream B side of the transfer line, brackets


141




a


,


141




b


whose bases are fixed to predetermined locations on the housing


101


in such a manner that the tips of the brackets are positioned on the side of the die holders


109




a


,


109




b


on the opposite side to the transfer line, and levers


144




a


,


144




b


one end of each of which is connected to the bracket


128




a


or


128




b


by the pin


142




a


or


142




b


, and the other ends of which are connected to the brackets


141




a


,


141




b


through the bearings of pins


143




a


,


143




b.






The mounting locations of brackets


128




a


,


128




b


,


141




a


, and


141




b


, the distances between connecting points of levers


144




a


,


144




b


, and the locations of the bearings of levers


144




a


,


144




b


with respect to the brackets


128




a


,


128




b


,


141




a


, and


141




b


are predetermined in such a manner that as the eccentric shafts


103




a


,


103




b


,


105




a


, and


105




b


rotate, the (lie holders


109




a


,


109




b


with the dies


108




a


,


108




b


mounted on them, move in substantially the same way as those of the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIGS. 9

to


13


.




This plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIG. 16

according to the present invention can feed out the material


1


after being reduced and formed in the downstream B direction of the transfer line without causing any of the material to be forced backwards, in the same manner as the plate reduction press apparatus described previously according to

FIGS. 9

to


13


.




As described above, the plate reduction press apparatus and methods according to the present invention offer the following advantages.




(1) The plate reduction pressing method of the present invention can reduce the areas of the forming surfaces of the dies that are in contact with a material to be shaped and the loads applied to the dies during pressing, because the forming surfaces of the dies are convex towards the transfer line, and the dies are given a swinging motion in such a manner that the areas of the forming surfaces, that are in contact with the material to be shaped move from the ends in the downstream direction of the transfer line to the ends in the upstream direction while the dies are being moved towards the transfer line from above and below the material to be shaped in synchronism with each other.




(2) In any of the plate reduction press apparatus of further embodiments the present invention, the displacements of the eccentric portions of the upstream and downstream eccentric shafts, with different phase angles, are transmitted to the die holders through the upstream and downstream rods and the dies are given a swinging motion in such a manner that the portions of the convex forming surfaces, that are in contact with the material to be shaped, move from the ends in the downstream direction of the transfer line to the upstream ends, so that the areas of the forming surfaces of the dies that are in contact with the material to be shaped, are made smaller, therefore the loads applied to the dies during pressing can be reduced.




(3) In any of the plate reduction press apparatus specified in claims


2


through


6


of the present invention, the loads applied to the dies during pressing are reduced, so the required strengths of the upstream and downstream eccentric shafts, upstream and downstream rods, etc. become moderate, so that these components can be made compact.




(4) With any of the plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention, the loads applied to the dies during pressing are reduced, the die holders are moved in the downstream direction of the transfer line by the mechanisms for moving the dies backwards and forwards when the forming surfaces of the dies are in contact with the material to be shaped, so the material after being reduced and formed is fed out in the downstream direction of the transfer line without forcing any of the material in the backward direction.




(Fifth Embodiment)





FIGS. 17 and 18

show the fifth embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention.




Item number


207


represents the main unit of a press machine that is comprised of a housing


208


, upper shaft box


209


, lower shaft box


210


, upper and lower rotating shafts


211




a


,


211




b


, upper and lower rods


212




a


,


212




b


, upper and lower rod support boxes


213




a


,


213




b


, and upper and lower dies


214




a


,


214




b.






The housing


208


is provided with a window


215


on both sides in the lateral direction of the transfer line S on which a material


1


to be shaped is transferred horizontally, and extending in the vertical direction thereof.




The upper shaft box


209


engages with the upper end portion of the aforementioned window


215


in such a manner that it can slide in the vertical direction, and the vertical position of the upper shaft box is determined by an adjusting screw


216


which is mounted in the upper part of the housing


208


and driven by a driving device (not illustrated).




The lower shaft box


210


engages with the lower part of the window


215


of the above-mentioned housing


208


, in such a manner that it is free to move in the vertical direction, and the vertical position thereof is determined by an adjusting screw


216


which is mounted in the lower part of the housing


208


and rotated by a driving device (not illustrated).




Each of the upper and lower rotating shafts


211




a


,


211




b


is provided with an eccentric portion


217


at an intermediate location in the axial direction, and both ends thereof are supported by the aforementioned upper and lower shaft boxes


209


,


210


, respectively, and the other end of each shaft is connected to the driving device (not illustrated) through a universal joint.




The big ends of each of the upper and lower rods


212




a


,


212




b


are coupled to the eccentric portions


217


of each of the rotating shafts


211




a


,


211




b


, through bearings


218


, and the die holders


219




a


,


219




b


are connected to tips of the rods


212




a


,


212




b


, through ball joints (not illustrated).




The piston rods of the hydraulic cylinders


220


that are attached to the rods


212




a


,


212




b


through bearings are connected to the die holders


219




a


,


219




b


so that the angles of the dies


214




a


,


214




b


mounted on the die holders


219




a


,


219




b


can be adjusted by actuating the above-mentioned hydraulic cylinders


220


.




Each of the upper and lower rod support boxes


213




a


,


213




b


is attached to an intermediate location on each of the rods


212




a


,


212




b


, through spherical bearings (not illustrated) located substantially in the middle, and each of the rod support boxes engages with the window


215


in a manner such that it can freely slide up and down.




The upper and lower dies


214




a


,


214




b


are provided with similar profiles to those of the dies


14




a


,


14




b


shown in

FIG. 2

, and are mounted on the die holders


219




a


,


219




b


, respectively, opposite each other on opposite sides of the transfer line S, in a freely detachable manner, and when the rotating shafts


211




a


,


211




b


rotate, the dies are driven by the rods


212




a


,


212




b


, and move towards and away from the transfer line S in synchronism with each other.




Item number


221


represents an upstream table comprised of a fixed frame


222


installed on the upstream A side of the transfer line of the main press apparatus unit


207


and extending substantially horizontally along the transfer line S, and a plurality of upstream table rollers


223


that are provided in a freely rotatable manner at predetermined intervals in the transfer line direction so as to support the lower surface of a material to be inserted between the dies


214




a


,


214




b


and shaped by the main press apparatus unit


207


, substantially horizontally.




Item number


224


indicates the first up/down table which is composed of a first up/down frame


225


installed in the close vicinity of the main press apparatus unit


207


on the downstream B side of the transfer line, and extending substantially horizontally along the transfer line S in a manner such that it can be moved up and down, and a plurality of up/down table rollers


226


that are provided in a freely rotatable manner on the first up/down frame


225


at predetermined intervals along the transfer line so that the rollers can support the lower surface of the material


1


after being formed, as the material is fed out from between the dies


214




a


,


214




b


of the main press apparatus unit


207


.




The aforementioned first up/down frame


225


is composed of a plurality of guide members


228


erected at predetermined locations on the floor surface


227


on the downstream side of the transfer line S, and a main frame unit


229


equipped with leg portions that engage with the guide members


228


in a manner such that they can move up and down, in which the main frame unit


229


is connected to the piston rods of the hydraulic cylinders


230


installed at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the main frame unit


229


, and attached to the floor surface


227


through bearings. When the hydraulic cylinders


230


are operated, the main frame unit


229


is raised and lowered in a substantially horizontal state, and the height of each up/down table roller


226


can be adjusted relative to the transfer line S.




Item number


231


indicates a second up/down table comprised of a second up/down frame


232


extending along the transfer line S from the above-mentioned up/down table


224


in the downstream B direction of the transfer line and free to move up and down, and a plurality of up/down table rollers


232


provided on the second up/down frame


232


at predetermined intervals in the direction of the transfer line in a freely rotatable manner so that the rollers can support the lower surface of the material


1


after being shaped and fed out from the first up/down table


224


.




The aforementioned second up/down frame


232


is composed of a plurality of guide members


234


erected at predetermined locations on the floor surface


227


beneath the transfer line S, leg portions


235


engaging with the guide members


234


in a manner so that they can move up and down, and a main frame unit


236


supported on the leg portions


235


through bearings; the main frame unit


236


is connected to the piston rods of a plurality of hydraulic cylinders


237


arranged along the main frame unit


236


at predetermined intervals and supported on the floor surface


227


by bearings.




Each of the aforementioned hydraulic cylinders


237


can be operated individually, and by actuating each of the above-mentioned hydraulic cylinders


237


individually, the second up/down frame


232


is raised and lowered in such a manner that the height of the second up/down table


231


at the upstream end in the direction of the transfer line S becomes identical to the height of the first up/down table


224


, and the height of the end in the downstream direction of the transfer line S is slightly higher than the height of the downstream table


238


to be detailed later.




In addition, the first and second up/down tables


224


,


231


can also be lowered to a horizontal position substantially at the same height as the upstream table


221


by the hydraulic cylinders


230


,


237


provided for the first and second up/down tables


224


,


231


.




Item number


238


shows the downstream table configured with a fixed frame


239


arranged adjacent to the second up/down table


231


on the downstream B side of the transfer line and extending substantially horizontally along the transfer line S, and provided with a plurality of downstream table rollers


240


installed at predetermined intervals in the transfer line in a freely rotatable manner so that the lower surface of the material


1


after being shaped and fed out from the second up/down table


231


can be supported substantially horizontally at a height essentially the same as the height of the upstream table


221


.




The operation of the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIGS. 17 and 18

is described as follows.




When a long material


1


to be shaped is to be reduced and formed in the direction of its plate thickness by means of dies


214




a


,


214




b


, first a driving device (not illustrated) rotates the up/down adjusting screws


216


of the main press apparatus


207


, thereby moving the upper and lower shaft boxes


209


,


210


up or down along the housing


208


, and the dies


214




a


,


214




b


are moved towards or away from the transfer line S by the rotating shafts


211




a


,


211




b


, rods


212




a


,


212




b


and die holders


219




a


,


219




b


connected to each of the shaft boxes


209


or


210


, thus the gap between the die


214




a


and the die


214




b


can be determined.




Referring to

FIG. 17

, the hydraulic cylinders


230


of the first up/down table


224


, arranged in the close vicinity of the main press apparatus unit


207


on the downstream B side of the transfer line, are actuated to raise or lower the first up/down frame


225


, thereby the height of the first up/down table


224


is set so that the up/down table rollers


226


will come in contact with the lower surface of the material


1


after being reduced, formed and fed out from the dies


214




a


,


214




b


, and the material after being shaped will be supported approximately horizontally.




In addition, by raising and lowering the second up/down frame


232


by individually operating the hydraulic cylinders


237


of the second up/down table


231


, provided on the downstream B side of the first up/down table


224


in the transfer line, the position of the second up/down table


231


in the vertical direction is determined such that the material


1


after being shaped will gradually descend from the level of the first up/down table


224


towards the downstream table


238


.




After that, the driving device (not illustrated) of the main press apparatus unit


207


is operated to rotate the rotating shafts


211




a


,


211




b


, thereby the upper and lower dies


214




a


,


214




b


are continuously moved towards and away from the transfer line S of the material


1


to be shaped, and also the material


1


to be shaped is placed on the upstream table


221


from the upstream A side of the transfer line, and moved and inserted between the dies


214




a


,


214




b


, and the angles of the dies


214




a


,


214




b


are changed appropriately by the hydraulic cylinders


220




a


,


220




b


, both the upper and lower surfaces of the material


1


to be shaped, are pressed by the dies


214




a


,


214




b


simultaneously while the material


1


to be shaped is moving, and by repeating these operations, the thickness of the material


1


being shaped is reduced as shown in

FIG. 2

, to a predetermined dimension.




The material


1


after being shaped by the dies


214




a


,


214




b


of the main press apparatus unit


207


, moves on to the first up/down table


224


, is guided downwards by the second up/down table


231


and smoothly transferred onto the downstream table


238


, and is transferred to the downstream B side of the transfer line.




The plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIGS. 17 and 18

is provided with a plurality of up/down table rollers


226


adjacent to the main press apparatus


207


on the downstream B side of the transfer line, that can be raised and lowered to match the lower surface of the material


1


being reduced, formed and fed out of the dies


214




a


,


214




b


, and a plurality of up/down table rollers


233


on the downstream B side of the up/down table rollers


226


, whose heights can be set such that the material after being shaped gradually descends from the height of the up/down table rollers


226


towards the downstream table rollers


240


, thereby preventing the leading end portion of the material


1


being reduced and shaped by the dies


214




a


,


214




b


of the main press apparatus unit


207


from drooping, and also preventing the leading end portion of the material


1


being shaped from being caught by the downstream table rollers


240


installed on the downstream B side of the transfer line S. Consequently, both the downstream table rollers


240


and the material


1


being shaped can be protected from being damaged, thereby the material


1


to be shaped can be reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness, and the material


1


being shaped can also be transferred securely to the downstream B side.




If a long material


1


to be shaped is to be passed without being reduced and formed by the dies


214




a


,


214




b


in the direction of the plate thickness, the first and second up/down tables


224


,


231


are positioned as shown in FIG.


18


.




First, a driving device (not illustrated) rotates the upper and lower adjusting screws


216


of the main press apparatus unit


207


, thereby moving the upper shaft box


209


and the lower shaft box


210


upwards and downwards, respectively, along the housing


208


, thereby separating the dies


214




a


,


214




b


from the transfer line S of the material


1


to be shaped by the rotating shafts


211




a


,


211




b


, rods


212




a


,


212




b


and die holders


219




a


,


219




b


connected to each of the shaft boxes


209


,


210


, and the driving device (not illustrated) of the main press apparatus unit


207


is operated to rotate the rotating shafts


211




a


,


211




b


so that each of the dies


214




a


,


214




b


is moved to the farthest location from the transfer line S of the material


1


to be shaped, and stopped there.




Also, the hydraulic cylinders


230


of the first up/down table


224


located in the close vicinity of the main press apparatus unit


207


on the downstream B side of the transfer line are operated, and the first up/down frame


225


is lowered, and also the hydraulic cylinders


237


of the second up/down table


231


are operated to lower the second up/down frame


232


, thereby the positions of the up/down tables


224


,


231


in the vertical direction are set at a height equivalent to the height of the upstream and downstream tables


221


,


238


.




After that, the material


1


to be shaped is loaded on and transferred by the upstream table


221


from the upstream A side of the transfer line (A side shown in FIG.


18


), passed through the dies


214




a


,


214




b


of the main press apparatus unit


207


, and sent out to the first up/down table


224


on the downstream B side of the transfer line of the main unit


207


.




The material


1


to be shaped, after moving onto the first up/down table


224


, is further guided by the second up/down table


231


and transferred onto the downstream table


238


, and conveyed towards the downstream B side of the transfer line of the material


1


to be shaped.




In this way, with the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIGS. 17 and 18

, the vertical positions of the first and second up/down tables


224


,


231


installed on the downstream B side of the transfer line of the main press apparatus


207


in a manner such that they can move up and down, can be set at the same level as those of the upstream table


221


and the downstream table


238


. Consequently, even when the material


1


to be shaped is neither reduced nor formed in the direction of its plate thickness, the material


1


to be shaped can be conveyed securely to the downstream B side.




(Sixth Embodiment)





FIGS. 19 and 20

show the sixth embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention; item numbers in the figures represent the same components as in

FIGS. 17 and 18

.




Item number


241


indicates an upstream table composed of a fixed frame


242


provided on the upstream A side of the transfer line of the main press apparatus


207


, and extending substantially horizontally along the transfer line S, and a plurality of upstream table rollers


243


provided on the aforementioned fixed frame


242


at predetermined intervals in the direction of the transfer line in a freely rotatable manner, so that the lower surface of the material


1


can be inserted between and shaped by the dies


214




a


,


214




b


of the main press apparatus unit


207


.




Item number


244


shows a first up/down table that is composed of a first up/down frame


245


installed on the downstream B side of the upstream table


241


in the transfer line and extending along the transfer line S in a manner such that it can move up and down, and a plurality of up/down table rollers


246


installed at predetermined intervals in the direction of the transfer line in a freely rotatable manner so as to support the lower surface of the material to be shaped and fed out from the above-mentioned upstream table


241


.




The aforementioned first up/down frame


245


is supported on the floor surface


27


by up/down mechanisms (not illustrated) similar to the guide members


234


and the hydraulic cylinders


237


(see

FIGS. 17 and 18

) described before, and can be raised and lowered with respect to the transfer line S.




Item number


247


is a second up/down table, installed between the first up/down table


244


and the main press apparatus


207


and extending substantially horizontally along the transfer line S in a manner such that it can move up and down and which is provided with a second up/down frame


248


and a plurality of up/down table rollers


249


installed on the second up/down frame


248


at predetermined intervals in the direction of the transfer line in a freely rotatable manner so as to support the lower surface of the material to be shaped and fed out from the first up/down table


244


.




The aforementioned second up/down frame


248


is supported on the floor surface


227


by up/down mechanisms (not illustrated) similar to the guide members


228


and the hydraulic cylinders


230


(see

FIGS. 17 and 18

) described before, and can be raised and lowered with respect to the transfer line S.




In addition, the above-mentioned first and second up/down tables


244


,


247


can be raised to a position substantially at the same height as the above mentioned upstream table


241


by the up/down mechanisms provided for the tables, respectively.




Item number


250


indicates a downstream table installed on the downstream B side of the main press apparatus unit


207


in the transfer line, which is provided with a fixed frame


251


, and extending substantially horizontally along the transfer line S, a plurality of downstream table rollers


252


installed on the fixed frame


251


at predetermined intervals in the transfer line in a freely rotatable manner, so that the lower surface of the material


1


after being shaped and fed out from between the dies


214




a


,


214




b


can be supported substantially horizontally and essentially at the same height as the above-mentioned upstream table


241


.




The operation of the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIGS. 19 and 20

is described in the following paragraphs.




When a long material


1


to be shaped is reduced and formed in the direction of its plate thickness using the dies


214




a


,


214




b


, first the gap between the die


214




a


and the die


214




b


, in the main press apparatus unit


207


, is determined.




Then, as shown in

FIG. 19

, the up/down mechanisms (not illustrated) adjust the heights of the first and second up/down tables


244


,


247


in such a manner that the up/down table rollers


246


,


249


contact the lower surface of the material


1


to be shaped, when fed out from the upstream table


241


towards the dies


214




a


,


214




b


, and the center lines of the material


1


before and after being pressed, upstream and downstream of the main press apparatus


207


, are at the same height and the material


1


to be shaped and after being shaped is maintained substantially horizontal.




Next, the upper and lower dies


214




a


,


214




b


are continuously moved towards and away from each other in the main press apparatus unit


207


, and the material


1


to be shaped is placed on the upstream table


221


and transferred from the upstream A side of the transfer line, and inserted between the above-mentioned dies


214




a


,


214




b


, thereby reducing the thickness of the material


1


being shaped as shown in

FIG. 2

to a predetermined dimension.




The material


1


after being shaped by the dies


214




a


,


214




b


of the main press apparatus unit


207


is transferred smoothly onto the downstream table


250


, and conveyed to the downstream B side of the transfer line of the material


1


being shaped.




As described above, the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIGS. 19 and 20

is provided with a plurality of up/down table rollers


246


,


249


on the upstream A side of the main press apparatus unit


207


on the transfer line, that can be raised and lowered according to the position of the lower surface of the material


1


being reduced, formed and fed out from the dies


214




a


,


214




b


, therefore the leading end portion of the material


1


being reduced and formed by the dies


214




a


,


214




b


of the main press apparatus unit


207


can be prevented from drooping and also the leading end portion of the material


1


being shaped can be prevented from being caught by the downstream table rollers


252


installed on the downstream B side of the transfer line S. Therefore, both the downstream table rollers


252


and the material


1


being shaped can be protected from damage, so that the material


1


being shaped can be reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness efficiently, and can be transferred securely to the downstream B side.




When a long material


1


is to be passed without being reduced or formed in the direction of the plate thickness with the dies


214




a


,


214




b


, the first up/down table


244


and the second up/down table


247


are positioned as shown in FIG.


20


.




First, the upper and lower dies


214




a


,


214




b


of the main press apparatus unit


207


are moved away from the transfer line S of the material


1


to be shaped, and each of the dies


214




a


,


214




b


is moved to a position farthest from the transfer line S of the material


1


, and stopped there.




In addition, the up/down mechanisms (not illustrated) raise the first and second up/down tables


244


,


247


, and each of the up/down table rollers


247


,


249


is adjusted to be at the same height as the upstream table rollers


243


of the upstream table


241


and the downstream table rollers


252


of the downstream table


250


.




Thereafter, the material


1


to be shaped is loaded on the upstream table


241


from the upstream A side of the transfer line (A side shown in

FIG. 20

) and transferred, passing from the first and second up/down tables


244


,


247


between the dies


214




a


,


214




b


of the main press apparatus unit


207


, and is fed out onto the downstream table


250


on the downstream B side of the transfer line of the main press apparatus unit


207


.




In the manner described above, with the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIGS. 19 and 20

, the vertical positions of the first up/down table


244


and the second up/down table


247


, installed on the upstream A side of the transfer line of the main press apparatus unit


207


, can be set to be at the same height as the upstream table


241


and the downstream table


250


, so that even when the material


1


to be shaped is neither reduced nor formed in the direction of the plate thickness, the material


1


to be shaped can be securely transferred to the downstream B side.




However, the plate reduction press apparatus and the operating methods according to the present invention are not limited only to the embodiments described above, but, for example, the up/down table rollers can be configured in a manner such that they can be moved up and down individually, or the up/down table rollers can be installed on both the upstream and downstream sides of the transfer line of the main press apparatus unit, or otherwise, various modifications can be made as long as the claims of the present invention are satisfied, as a matter of course.




The following various advantages can be gained as described above, according to the plate reduction press apparatus and the operating methods of the present invention.




(1) The plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention is provided with the movable up/down table rollers downstream of the dies, to support the lower surface of the material after being reduced and shaped by the dies in the direction of the plate thickness, therefore drooping of the leading end portion of the material being reduced and shaped by the dies can be prevented, and the table rollers and the material being shaped can be protected from damage that might otherwise occur due to the drooping of the material.




(2) With the plate reduction press apparatus specified in claim


8


of the present invention, the movable up/down table rollers are provided upstream of the dies, to support the lower surface of the material to be inserted into and shaped by the dies, so drooping of the leading end portion of the material being reduced and shaped by the dies can be prevented, and the table rollers and the material being shaped can be protected from damage that might otherwise occur due to the drooping of the material.




(3) In the plate reduction press apparatus of a further embodiment, the movable up/down table rollers are installed upstream of the dies to support the lower surface of the material to be inserted into and shaped by the dies, and the movable up/down table rollers are provided downstream of the dies to support the lower surface of the material reduced and shaped by the dies in the direction of the plate thickness, so the drooping of the leading end portion of the material being reduced and shaped by the dies can be prevented, and the table rollers and the material being shaped can be protected from damage that might otherwise occur due to the drooping of the material.




(4) According to the method of operating the plate reduction press apparatus, of the present invention, some of the movable up/down table rollers that are provided to support the lower surface of the material being reduced and shaped by the dies in the direction of the plate thickness, are set in such a manner that the material being shaped gradually descends towards the downstream table rollers, so the leading end portion of the material being reduced and shaped can be prevented from being caught by the downstream table rollers, and therefore the material being shaped can be securely transferred towards the downstream side.




(5) In a further embodiment of the method of operating the plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention, the up/down table rollers are set so that the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted into the dies, is placed in a substantially horizontal position before being reduced and formed, therefore the leading end portion of the material being reduced and formed can be prevented from being caught by the downstream table rollers, and the material being shaped can be transferred securely in the downstream direction.




(6) According to the method of operating the plate reduction press apparatus of another embodiment of the present invention, the up/down table rollers are set in such a manner that the material to be shaped, is placed in a substantially horizontal position before being inserted into, reduced and formed by the dies, and the material after being reduced and formed by the dies in the direction of plate thickness is also approximately horizontal, consequently the material after being reduced and formed can be protected from being caught by the downstream table rollers, and so the material being shaped can be transferred securely in the downstream direction.




(7) In any of the methods of operating the plate reduction press apparatus discussed above according to the present invention, the heights of the up/down table rollers can be set equal to those of the upstream and downstream table rollers, so that a material that is being neither reduced nor shaped by the dies can be transferred securely in the downstream direction.




(Seventh Embodiment)





FIGS. 21 through 25

show an example of a plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention; this plate reduction press apparatus is provided with a housing


319


erected at a predetermined location on the transfer line S so that the material


1


to be shaped can pass through the center portion of the housing, a pair of upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


arranged above and below the transfer line S opposite each other, a pair of downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


located on the downstream B side of the upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


in the transfer line, opposite each other above and below the transfer line S, upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


supported by the upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


, downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


supported by the downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


, mechanisms


336




a


,


336




b


for moving the upstream sliders that move the upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


towards the transfer line S and move the sliders away from the line S, the mechanisms


344




a


,


344




b


for moving the downstream sliders that move the downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


towards and away from the transfer line S, upstream hydraulic cylinders


352




a


,


352




b


as the mechanisms for moving the upstream dies that move the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


backwards and forwards along the transfer line S, hydraulic cylinders


354




a


,


354




b


as the mechanisms for moving the downstream dies that move the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


backwards and forwards along the transfer line S, and synchronous driving mechanisms


356




a


,


356




b


corresponding to both the above-mentioned mechanisms


336




a


,


336




b


,


344




a


and


344




b


for moving the sliders.




Inside a housing


319


, upstream slider holders


320




a


,


320




b


are installed opposite each other above and below a transfer line S near the upstream A side of the transfer line, and constructed to be concave in the direction away from the transfer line, and downstream slider holders


321




a


,


321




b


are installed opposite each other on opposite sides of the transfer line S near the downstream B side of the transfer line, and constructed to be concave in the direction away from the transfer line; the downstream slider holders


321




a


,


321




b


are located closer to the transfer line S than the upstream slider holders


320




a


,


320




b.






On the outer surface of the housing


319


, there are rod insertion holes


322




a


,


322




b


communicating with the upstream slider holders


320




a


,


320




b


from the top and bottom of the housing, near the upstream A side of the transfer line, and rod insertion holes


323




a


,


323




b


communicating with the downstream slider holders


321




a


,


321




b


from the top and bottom of the housing, near the downstream B side of the transfer line, for each of the slider holders


320




a


,


320




b


,


321




a


, and


321




b


, at 2 locations each in a row in the lateral direction of the material


1


to be shaped.




The upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


are housed in the upstream slider holders


320




a


,


320




b


so that the sliders can slide in the direction towards and away from the transfer line S, and the downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


are housed in the downstream slider holders


321




a


,


321




b


so that the sliders can slide in the direction towards and away from the transfer line S.




On the surfaces facing the transfer line S of the upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


and the downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


, die holders


326




a


,


326




b


,


327




a


, and


327




b


are provided that can move backwards and forwards substantially horizontally in the direction of the transfer line S.




On the surfaces farthest from the transfer line, of the upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


and the downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


, brackets


328




a


,


328




b


,


329




b


, and


329




b


are constructed with 2 brackets at each location, immediately opposite the rod insertion holes


322




a


,


322




b


,


323




a


, and


323




b.






The upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


are provided with flat forming surfaces


331




a


,


331




b


that gradually approach the transfer line S from the upstream A side to the downstream B side of the transfer line, and flat forming surfaces


332




a


,


332




b


continuing from the downstream B side of the above-mentioned forming surfaces


331




a


,


331




b


in the direction of the transfer line, facing the transfer line S substantially horizontally, and the dies


330




a


,


330




b


are mounted on the aforementioned die holders


326




a


,


326




b.






The downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


are provided with flat forming surfaces


334




a


,


334




b


that gradually approach the transfer line S from the upstream A side to the downstream B side of the transfer line, and flat forming surfaces


335




a


,


335




b


continuing from the downstream B side of the above-mentioned forming surfaces


334




a


,


334




b


substantially parallel to and facing the transfer line S, and the dies


333




a


,


333




b


are mounted on the aforementioned die holders


327




a


,


327




b.






The mechanisms


336




a


,


336




b


for moving the upstream sliders are composed of shaft boxes


337




a


,


337




b


above and below the housing


319


and positioned on the sides away from above-mentioned upstream slider holders


320




a


,


320




b


, crank shafts


339




a


,


339




b


extending substantially horizontally in the direction orthogonal to the transfer line S, whose non-eccentric portions


338




a


,


338




b


are supported by the shaft boxes


337




a


,


337




b


through bearings, and rods


342




a


,


342




b


inserted through the above-mentioned rod insertion holes


322




a


,


322




b


, and the big ends of which are connected to the eccentric portions


340




a


,


340




b


of the crank shafts


339




a


,


339




b


, and the tips of which are connected to the brackets


328




a


,


328




b


of the upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


by the pins


341




a


,


341




b


parallel to the crank shafts


339




a


,


339




b


, through bearings.




The shaft box


337




a


located above the transfer line S is supported by a support member


343




a


provided above the housing


319


, and the shaft box


337




b


located below the transfer line S is supported by a support member


343




b


provided on the lower part of the housing in a manner such that it can be moved up and down.




In addition, the location of the shaft box


337




b


with respect to the transfer line S can be determined by moving it up or down with a position adjusting screw (not illustrated).




In these mechanisms


336




a


,


336




b


, for moving the upstream sliders, when the crank shafts


339




a


,


339




b


rotate, the displacements of the eccentric portions


340




a


,


340




b


are transmitted to the upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


through the rods


342




a


,


342




b


, and the die holders


326




a


,


326




b


and the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


move towards and away from the transfer line S together with the above-mentioned upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b.






The mechanisms


344




a


,


344




b


for moving the downstream sliders are composed of shaft boxes


345




a


,


345




b


arranged on the top and bottom of the housing


319


on the sides farther from the transfer line than the aforementioned downstream slider holders


321




a


,


321




b


, crank shafts


347




a


,


347




b


extending substantially horizontally in the direction orthogonal to the transfer line S, whose non-eccentric portions


346




a


,


346




b


are supported by the shaft boxes


345




a


,


345




b


through bearings, and rods


350




a


,


350




b


inserted through the above-mentioned rod insertion holes


323




a


,


323




b


, the big ends of which are connected to the eccentric portions


348




a


,


348




b


of the crank shafts


347




a


,


347




b


through bearings, and the tips of which are connected to the brackets


329




a


,


329




b


of the downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


through the bearings of pins


349




a


,


349




b


parallel to the crank shafts


347




a


,


347




b.






The shaft box


345




a


located above the transfer line S is supported by and fixed to a support member


351




a


provided on top of the housing


319


, and the shaft box


345




b


located below the transfer line S is supported by a support member


351




b


provided on bottom of the housing


319


in a manner such that its can be moved up and down.




Further, the location of the shaft box


345




b


with respect to the transfer line S can be set by moving it up or down with a position adjusting screw (not illustrated).




In the aforementioned mechanisms


344




a


,


344




b


for moving the downstream sliders, the displacements of the eccentric portions


348




a


,


348




b


associated with the rotation of the crank shafts


347




a


,


347




b


are transmitted to the downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


through the rods


350




a


,


350




b


, and the die holders


327




a


,


327




b


and the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


move towards and away from the transfer line S together with the above-mentioned downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b.






Upstream hydraulic cylinders


352




a


,


352




b


are installed on the upstream A side of the upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


on the transfer line so that the piston rods


353




a


,


353




b


point towards the downstream B side of the transfer line and are located parallel to the transfer line S, and the aforementioned piston rods


353




a


,


353




b


are connected to the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b.






With these upstream hydraulic cylinders


352




a


,


352




b


, when hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic chambers on the head side, the piston rods


353




a


,


353




b


are pushed out, and the die holders


326




a


,


326




b


and the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


move towards the downstream B side of the upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


on the transfer line, and when hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic chambers on the rod side, the piston rods


353




a


,


353




b


are retracted, and the die holders


326




a


,


326




b


and the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


move towards the upstream A side of the upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


on the transfer line.




The downstream hydraulic cylinders


354




a


,


354




b


are mounted near the downstream B side of the downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


on the transfer line so that the piston rods


355




a


,


355




b


point towards the upstream A side of the transfer line and are located parallel to the transfer line S, and the above-mentioned piston rods


355




a


,


355




b


are connected to the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b.






With these downstream hydraulic cylinders


354




a


,


354




b


, when hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic chambers on the rod side, the piston rods


355




a


,


355




b


are retracted, and the die holders


327




a


,


327




b


and the upstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


move towards the downstream B side of the downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


on the transfer line, and when hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic chambers on the head side, the piston rods


355




a


,


355




b


are pushed out, and the die holders


327




a


,


327




b


and the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


move towards the upstream A side of the downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


on the transfer line.




Synchronous drive mechanisms


356




a


,


356




b


are provided with input shafts


357




a


,


357




b


, upstream output shafts


358




a


.


358




b


, downstream output shafts


359




a


,


359




b


, and a plurality of gears (not illustrated) that transmit the rotation of the input shafts


357




a


,


357




b


to the output shafts


358




a


,


358




b


,


359




a


, and


359




b


, and when the input shafts


357




a


,


357




b


rotate, the output shafts


358




a


,


358




b


,


359




a


, and


359




b


rotate in the same direction at the same rotational speed.




The upstream output shaft


358




a


of the synchronous drive mechanism


356




a


is connected on one side through a universal coupling (not illustrated) to, a non-eccentric portion


338




a


of the crank shaft


339




a


that is a component of the mechanism


336




a


for moving the upstream slider and the downstream output shaft


359




a


is connected through a universal coupling (not illustrated), to a non-eccentric portion


338




b


of the crank shaft


347




a


that is a component of the mechanism


344




a


for moving the downstream slider.




The crank shafts


339




a


,


347




a


are connected to the aforementioned output shafts


358




a


,


359




a


in such a state that there is a phase angle difference of 180° between the eccentric portion


340




a


of the crank shaft


339




a


and the eccentric portion


348




a


of the crank shaft


347




a.






The upstream output shaft


358




b


of the other synchronous drive mechanism


356




b


, is connected via a universal coupling (not illustrated) to a non-eccentric portion


338




b


of the crank shaft


339




b


, that is a component of the mechanism


336




b


for moving the upstream slider, and the downstream output shaft


359




b


, is connected through a universal coupling (not illustrated) to a non-eccentric portion


338




b


of the crank shaft


347




b


that is a component of the mechanism


344




b


for moving the downstream slider.




The crank shafts


339




b


,


347




b


are connected to the aforementioned output shafts


358




b


,


359




b


in such a state that there is a phase angle difference of 180° between the eccentric portion


340




b


of the crank shaft


339




b


and the eccentric portion


348




b


of the crank shaft


347




b.






The input shafts


357




a


,


357




b


of the synchronous drive mechanisms


356




a


,


356




b


, are connected to the output shafts of motors through universal couplings (not illustrated), and one motor operates so that the crank shafts


339




a


,


347




a


rotate counterclockwise in

FIGS. 21 through 24

, and the other motor operates so that the crank shafts


339




b


,


347




b


rotate clockwise in

FIGS. 21 through 24

.




The rotational speeds of the upper and lower motors are controlled by a control device (not illustrated) synchronously in such a manner that the speed of rotation corresponds to the speed of the material


1


to be shaped, moving on the transfer line S, and the phase angles of the upper crank shafts


339




a


,


347




a


and the lower crank shafts


339




b


,


347




b


are symmetrical with respect to the transfer line S.




When the material


1


to be shaped is reduced and formed by the plate reduction press apparatus as shown in

FIGS. 21 through 25

, position adjusting screws (not illustrated) for the lower shaft boxes


337




b


,


345




b


of the transfer line S are rotated appropriately, thereby the space between the upper dies


330




a


,


330




b


and the space between the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


are determined according to the plate thickness of the material


1


to be reduced and formed.




Also, both of the motors (not illustrated) connected to the synchronous drive mechanisms


356




a


,


356




b


are operated to rotate the crank shafts


339




a


,


347




a


above the transfer line S counterclockwise and the crank shafts


339




b


,


347




b


below the transfer line S clockwise.




Thus, as the crank shafts


339




a


,


339




b


rotate the displacements of the eccentric portions


340




a


,


340




b


, are transmitted to the upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


through the rods


342




a


,


342




b


, and the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


move towards and away from the transfer line S together with the above-mentioned upstream sliders


324




a


,


324




b


, and as the crank shafts


347




a


,


347




b


rotate the displacements of the eccentric portions


348




a


,


348




b


are transmitted to the downstream sliders


325




a


,


325




b


through the rods


350




a


,


350




b


, and the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


move towards and away from the transfer line S in the reverse phase to the aforementioned upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


, together with the above-mentioned sliders


325




a


,


325




b.






Moreover, when the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


move towards the transfer line S, hydraulic pressure is applied to the fluid chambers on the head side of the upstream hydraulic cylinders


352




a


,


352




b


, and the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


are moved to the downstream B side of the transfer line (see FIGS.


22


and


23


), and when the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


move away from the transfer line S, hydraulic pressure is applied to the fluid chambers on the rod side of the upstream hydraulic cylinders


352




a


,


352




b


, so that the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


are moved towards the upstream A side of the transfer line (see FIGS.


24


and


21


).




In the same way as above, when the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


move towards the transfer line S, hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic chambers on the rod side of the downstream hydraulic cylinders


354




a


,


354




b


, and the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


are moved towards the downstream B side of the transfer line (see FIGS.


24


and


21


), and when the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


move away from the transfer line S, hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic chambers on the head side of the downstream hydraulic cylinders


354




a


,


354




b


, so that the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


are moved towards the upstream A side of the transfer line (see FIGS.


22


and


23


).




Next, the end on the downstream B side of the transfer line of the material


1


, to be reduced and shaped in the direction of the plate thickness, is inserted between the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


from the upstream A side of the transfer line, and the aforementioned material


1


to be shaped is moved towards the downstream B side of the transfer line, then the first plate reduction sub-method is carried out, in which the material


1


to be shaped is reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness, by means of the upper and lower upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


that move towards the transfer line S and move in the downstream B direction of the transfer line.




At this time, the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


are moving away from the transfer line S and moving in the upstream A direction of the transfer line.




As the material


1


to be shaped moves towards the downstream B side of the transfer line, the first plate reduction sub-method as described above presses the portion of the end near the downstream B side of the transfer line of the material


1


to be shaped, then the end near the downstream B side of the transfer line of the material


1


after being shaped by the first plate thickness reduction sub-method, is inserted between the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


, and the material


1


to be shaped is further reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness by the upper and lower downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


that move towards the transfer line S and also move in the downstream B direction of the transfer line, and this is defined as a second plate reduction sub-method.




At this time, because the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


are moving away from the transfer line S and moving in the upstream A direction of the transfer line, the rotational force transmitted from the upper and lower motors to the synchronous drive mechanisms


356




a


,


356




b


can be utilized efficiently to reduce and form the material


1


to be shaped by the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b.






In addition, the inertia forces of the crank shafts


339




a


,


339




b


and the rods


342




a


,


342




b


of the mechanisms


336




a


,


336




b


for moving the upstream sliders, the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


, etc. are transmitted to the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


through the synchronous drive mechanisms


356




a


,


356




b


, the crank shafts


347




a


,


347




b


and the rods


350




a


,


350




b


of the mechanisms


344




a


,


344




b


, for moving the downstream sliders etc., and assist the aforementioned downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


to reduce and form the material


1


to be shaped.




When the second plate reduction sub-method is completed for the portion of the end near the downstream B side of the transfer line of the material


1


to be shaped, the upstream dies


330




a


.


330




b


are in the farthest position from the transfer line S (see FIG.


21


), and as the material


1


to be shaped moves in the downstream B direction of the transfer line, all unreduced portion of the material


1


to be shaped, which is following after the portion already reduced by the first plate reduction sub-method, is inserted between the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


, so that the material


1


to be shaped is reduced by the first plate reduction sub-method as the upper and lower upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


move towards the transfer line S.




In addition, because the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


are moving away from the transfer line S (see FIG.


22


), the rotational forces transmitted from the upper and lower motors to the synchronous drive mechanisms


356




a


,


356




b


can be utilized efficiently to reduce and form the material


1


to be shaped by the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b.






Furthermore, the inertia forces of the crank shafts


347




a


,


347




b


and the rods


350




a


,


350




b


of the mechanisms


344




a


,


344




b


for moving the downstream sliders, the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


, etc. are transmitted to the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


through the synchronous drive mechanisms


356




a


,


356




b


, the crank shafts


339




a


,


339




b


and the rods


342




a


,


342




b


of the mechanisms


330




a


,


330




b


for moving the upstream sliders, etc., and assist the above-mentioned upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


to press and form the material


1


to be shaped.




When the first plate reduction sub-method is completed for the portion of the material


1


to be shaped, as described above, the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


are in the farthest position from the transfer line S (see FIG.


23


), and as the material


1


to be shaped moves in the downstream B direction of the transfer line, the portion of the material


1


to be shaped, that has been reduced by the first plate reduction sub-method, and is in continuation with a portion which has already been reduced by the second plate reduction sub-method, is inserted between the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


, and as the upper and lower downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


move towards the transfer line S, the material


1


to be shaped is processed by the second plate reduction sub-method, and as soon as it is finished, the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


move away from the transfer line S (see FIG.


24


).




With the plate reduction press apparatus illustrated in FIGS.


21


through


25


, as described above, an unreduced portion of the material to be shaped is subjected to the first plate reduction sub-method in which the portion is reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness by means of the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


, and then the portion that has been reduced and formed of the material


1


to be shaped is further reduced and formed by the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


in the direction of the plate thickness, according to the second plate reduction sub-method, and so the material


1


to be shaped can be efficiently reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness.




Because the first and second plate reduction sub-methods are operated alternately on an unreduced portion of the material


1


to be shaped and a portion which has already been reduced by the first sub-method, respectively, the loads applied to the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


and the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


during pressing can be reduced, and therefore the rotational forces of the upper and lower motors transmitted to the synchronous drive mechanisms


356




a


,


356




b


can be used efficiently.




Consequently, the strengths required for the mechanisms


336




a


,


336




b


,


344




a


, and


344




b


for moving the sliders composed of various components and members such as the housing


319


, sliders


324




a


,


324




b


,


325




a


, and


325




b


, die holders


326




a


,


326




b


,


327




a


, and


327




b


, shaft boxes


337




a


,


337




b


,


345




a


, and


345




b


, crank shafts


339




a


,


339




b


,


347




a


, and


347




b


, and rods


342




a


,


342




b


,


350




a


, and


350




b


can be reduced, so that these mechanisms, components and members can be made more compact.




Moreover, when the upstream dies


330




a


,


330




b


and the downstream dies


333




a


,


333




b


reduce and form the material


1


to be shaped, the dies move towards the downstream B side of the transfer line, so the movement of the material in a backward direction towards the upstream A side of the transfer line, when the material


1


to be shaped is reduced and formed, can be avoided.




The plate reduction press apparatus and sub-methods according to the present invention are not limited only to the embodiments described above, but for example, the hydraulic cylinders can be replaced by expanding actuators such as screw jacks, for the die moving mechanisms; all the crank shafts can be rotated by a single motor; each crank shaft can be rotated by an individual motor; the number of rods that transmit the displacements of the eccentric portions of the crank shafts to the sliders can be changed; or any other modifications can be incorporated unless they deviate from the claims of the present invention.




As described above, the plate reduction press apparatus and sub-methods of the present invention provide the following various advantages.




(1) According to the plate reduction pressing sub-method of the present invention, an unreduced portion of the material to be shaped is reduced and formed by the first plate reduction sub-method in which the upper and lower upstream dies reduce the material in the direction of the plate thickness, and then the portion of the material to be shaped, after being reduced and formed by the first sub-method, is further reduced and formed by the upper and lower downstream dies in the direction of the plate thickness, by the second plate reduction sub-method, therefore the material to be shaped can be reduced and formed efficiently in the direction of the plate thickness.




(2) According to the plate reduction pressing methods of the present invention, the first and second plate reduction sub-methods are carried out alternately on an unreduced portion of the material to be shaped and a portion of the material to be shaped, that has been reduced by the first sub-method, consequently the loads to be applied to the upstream and downstream dies during pressing can be reduced.




(3) With any of the plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention as discussed above, the mechanisms for moving the upstream sliders move the upstream dies together with the upstream sliders towards the transfer line, and an unreduced portion of the material to be shaped is reduced by the upper and lower upstream dies in the direction of the plate thickness, and then the mechanism for moving the downstream sliders move the downstream dies together with the downstream sliders towards the transfer line, and the portion of the material to be shaped, already reduced by the upstream dies, is further reduced by the upper and lower downstream dies in the direction of the plate thickness, so that the material to be shaped can be reduced and formed efficiently in the direction of the plate thickness.




(4) In any of the plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention discussed above, the upstream dies are moved towards and away from the transfer line by the mechanisms for moving the upstream sliders in the reverse phase to the phase that the downstream dies are moved towards and away from the transfer line by the mechanisms for moving the downstream sliders, therefore the loads applied to the upstream and downstream dies during pressing are reduced, so the strengths required for the various components and members constituting the sliders on which the dies are mounted and the mechanisms for moving the sliders, can be reduced and they can be made more compact.




(Eighth Embodiment)





FIGS. 26 through 29

show an embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention, and the item numbers in the figures identify components in the same way as in FIG.


3


.




Item number


417


indicates a flying sizing press apparatus, which is configured in the same way as that shown in FIG.


3


.




An upstream roller table


418


is arranged on the upstream A side of dies


412




a


,


412




b


on the transfer line, and a downstream roller table


419


is arranged on the downstream B side of the transfer line.




The upstream roller table


418


is provided with a fixed frame


420


that is parallel to the material


1


to be shaped in the lateral direction at a predetermined distance below the transfer line S and extending substantially horizontal along the transfer line S, and a plurality of table rollers


421


arranged on the fixed frame


420


at predetermined intervals so that the rollers can support the lower surface of the material


1


to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies


412




a


,


412




b


, substantially horizontally, and that are supported by the fixed frame


420


in a freely rotatable manner.




The downstream roller table


419


is composed of a fixed frame


422


installed parallel to the material


1


to be shaped in the lateral direction at a predetermined distance below the transfer line S, and extending along the transfer line S substantially horizontally, and a plurality of table rollers


423


arranged on the aforementioned fixed frame


422


at predetermined intervals in a freely rotatable manner, so that the rollers can support the lower surface of the material


1


being shaped and fed out from the dies


412




a


,


412




b


of the flying sizing press apparatus


417


.




On the upstream A side of the transfer line in the close vicinity of the dies


412




a


,


412




b


of the flying sizing press apparatus


417


, a pair of upstream side guides


424


are installed, that face the material


1


to be shaped in the lateral direction of the transfer line S above the table rollers


421


of the upstream roller table


418


, and that are capable of being moved towards or away from the transfer line S, and on the downstream B side of the transfer line in the close vicinity of the above-mentioned dies


412




a


,


412




b


, a pair of downstream side guides


425


are installed, that face the material


1


to be shaped in the lateral direction of the transfer line S above the table rollers


423


of the downstream roller table and that can be moved towards and away from the transfer line S. As shown in

FIGS. 27 through 28

the upstream side guides


424


and the downstream side guides


425


are provided with a plurality of guide frames


426


arranged on the floor further from the transfer line than the fixed frames


420


,


422


of the upstream and downstream roller tables


418


,


419


, at predetermined intervals along the transfer line S and extending horizontally in a direction orthogonal to the transfer line S, a plurality of brackets


427


supported by the aforementioned guide frames


426


in a manner such that they are free to move in the direction orthogonal to the transfer line S, and a pair of main side guide units


428




a


,


428




b


installed on and fixed to the tip portions of each of the brackets


427


and extending in the direction parallel to the transfer line S.




The main side guide units


428




a


of the upstream side guides


424


are forced, as shown in

FIG. 27

, in such a manner that the ends in the upstream A direction of the transfer line become gradually wider towards the upstream side of the transfer line S, and the main side guide units


428


of the downstream side guides


425


are formed, as shown in

FIG. 27

, in such a manner that the ends in the downstream B direction of the transfer line become gradually wider towards the downstream side of the transfer line S.




Furthermore, the upstream and downstream side guides


424


,


425


are provided with hydraulic cylinders


431


whose bases are supported by the brackets


429


at the ends of the guide frames


426


farthest from the transfer line, and the tips of the rods of which are connected to predetermined locations on the main side guide units


428




a


,


428




b


through pins


430


; by applying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic chambers on the head or rod side, the left and right main side guide units


428




a


,


428




b


can be moved towards or away from the transfer line S in synchronism with each other.




Moreover, the upstream side guides


424


are composed of a plurality of upstream vertical rollers


432


supported by the left and right main side guide units


428


at predetermined intervals through bearings so that the vertical rollers


432


can contact the lateral edges of the material


1


to be shaped, when the material passes between the upstream side guides


424


, and the downstream side guides


425


are composed of a plurality of downstream vertical rollers


433


supported by the left and right main side guide units


428




b


at predetermined intervals through bearings in such a manner that the vertical rollers


433


can contact the lateral edges of the material


1


to be shaped, when the material passes between the aforementioned downstream side guides


425


.




Item numbers


434


denote pinch rolls which are arranged on the upstream A and downstream B sides of the transfer line in the close vicinity of the flying sizing press apparatus


417


.




The operation of the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIGS. 26

to


29


is described as follows.




When a long material


1


to be shaped is inserted between the upper and lower dies


412




a


,


412




b


of the flying sizing press apparatus


417


and the material


1


to be shaped is reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness by the dies


412




a


,


412




b


, appropriate hydraulic pressures are applied to the hydraulic chambers on the rod and head sides of the hydraulic cylinders


431


of the upstream and downstream side guides


424


,


425


, to make the upstream and downstream side guides


424


,


425


move towards or away from the transfer line S, thereby the gaps between the left and right main side guide units


428




a


,


428




b


of the upstream and downstream side guides


424


,


425


are adjusted to predetermined amounts (for example, about +10 mm) from the edges of the material


1


to be shaped.




In addition, by rotating the position adjusting screw


416


appropriately, the gap between the upper and lower dies


412




a


,


412




b


is set according to the plate thickness of the material


1


to be reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness.




Next, motors rotate the upper and lower rotating shafts


407




a


,


407




b


, and simultaneously the material


1


to be reduced and shaped is supplied from the upstream side of the transfer line S onto the upstream roller table


418


.




When the material


1


to be shaped is moving from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transfer line S on the upstream roller table


418


, the lateral edges of the material are guided by the main side guide units


428




a


of the upstream side guides


424


and the upstream vertical rollers


432


near the upstream side of the flying sizing press apparatus


417


and made to move along the transfer line S, in such a way that the lateral center line of the material is guided into alignment with the lateral center line of the upper and lower dies


412




a


,


412




b


of the flying sizing press apparatus


417


.




Thus, while the material


1


to be shaped is moving from the upstream A side to the downstream B side of the transfer line S along the line S, the material is reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness by the upper and lower dies


412




a


,


412




b


that move towards and away from the transfer line S according to the displacement of the eccentric portions of the rotating shafts


407




a


,


407




b.






During this time, the angles of the die holders


411




a


,


411




b


are adjusted by applying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic chambers on the rod and head sides of the hydraulic cylinders


413




a


,


413




b


, in such a manner that the forming surfaces


415




a


,


415




b


of the upper and lower dies


412




a


,


412




b


, near the downstream B side of the transfer line, remain parallel to the transfer line S at all times.




When the material


1


to be shaped is reduced and formed by the dies


412




a


,


412




b


of the flying sizing press apparatus


417


and transferred in the downstream direction of the transfer line S, lateral deflections of the material are restrained by the main side guide units


428




b


of the downstream side guides


425


and the downstream vertical rollers


433


, in the vicinity of the flying sizing press apparatus


417


on the downstream side of the transfer line, and the lateral edges of the material are thereby guided and transferred along the transfer line S.




As described above, the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIGS. 26

to


29


is provided with the upstream side guides


424


equipped with a pair of main side guide units


428




a


which support the upstream vertical rollers


432


through bearings, in the close vicinity of the dies


412




a


,


412




b


on the upstream A side of the transfer line, therefore the material


1


to be reduced and shaped in the direction of the plate thickness by the upper and lower dies


412




a


,


412




b


can be moved along the transfer line S, and also can be guided so as to align the lateral center line of the material with the lateral center line of the upper and lower dies


412




a


,


412




b


of the flying sizing press apparatus


417


, and consequently, the lateral edges of the material


1


to be shaped can be prevented from being abraded by the main side guide units


428




a.






In addition, downstream side guides


425


are provided, equipped with a pair of main side guide units


328




b


that support the downstream vertical rollers


433


through bearings, in the close vicinity of the dies


412




a


,


412




b


on the downstream side of the transfer line, therefore lateral deflections of the material


1


after being reduced by the upper and lower dies


412




a


,


412




b


in the direction of plate thickness can be prevented, and the lateral edges of the material


1


being shaped can be protected from being abraded by the main side guide units


428




b.






As described above, the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention provides the following various advantages.




(1) In any of the plate reduction press apparatus specified in claims


21


or


22


of the present invention, a long material to be shaped can be reduced and formed continuously in the direction of the plate thickness because the material to be reduced and formed is guided into the upper and lower dies by the upstream side guides when the material is moving from the upstream to the downstream sides of the transfer line, and after the material has been reduced and formed by the dies and fed out to the downstream side of the transfer line, lateral deflections of the material are prevented by the downstream side guides.




(2) With the plate reduction press apparatus specified in claim


22


of the present invention, the lateral edges of the material to be shaped, when being introduced into the dies by the upstream side guides, are guided by the upstream vertical rollers, thereby protecting the lateral edges of the material from abrasion with the main side guide units of the upstream side guides, and the lateral edges of the material being shaped are prevented from being deflected laterally by the downstream side guides, and are guided by the downstream vertical rollers, in such a manner that abrasion of the lateral edges of the material from the main side guide units of the downstream side guides can be prevented.




(Ninth Embodiment)





FIG. 30

shows the configuration of a rolling mill operating together with the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention. In this figure, a looper device


506


is provided downstream of the plate reduction press apparatus


510


of the present invention, and a finishing rolling mill


505


is installed further downstream. The looper device


506


holds up a material being pressed in a slack loop, and the slack absorbs any differences in the line speeds of the plate reduction press apparatus


510


and the finish rolling mill


505


.





FIG. 31

is a side view of the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIG. 30

, and

FIG. 32

is a sectional view along the line A—A in FIG.


31


. As shown in

FIGS. 31 and 32

, the plate reduction press apparatus


510


according to the present invention is provided with upper and lower drive shafts


512


arranged opposite each other above and below a material


1


to be pressed and made to rotate, upper and lower pressing frames


514


one end of each of which (right end in

FIG. 31

) engages with one of the drive shafts


512


in a freely slidable manner, and the other ends


514




b


(left end in the figure) of which are connected together in a freely rotatable manner, a horizontal guide device


516


that supports the connection portions


514




c


of the pressing frames


514


so that they can move in the horizontal direction, and upper and lower dies


518


mounted at one end of the upper and lower pressing frames


514


opposite the material to be pressed. In

FIG. 31

,


511


indicates the main frame of the unit.




The upper and lower drive shafts


512


are provided with eccentric shafts


512




a


at both ends in the lateral direction, which have different phase angles. In addition, spherical seats


515


are provided at the places where the eccentric shafts


512




a


engage with the press frames


514


, and the press frames


514


can roll about the axis X of the drive shafts as shown by the arrows A. The contacting surfaces between the dies


518


and the material


1


to be pressed are circular arcs and are convex towards the material to be pressed, and can smoothly press the material when the press frames roll.




As shown in

FIG. 32

, there are driving devices


520


that drive and rotate the drive shafts


512


. These driving devices


520


are controlled by a speed controller


522


, and the rotational speed of the driving devices


520


can be freely controlled. In this embodiment, height adjusting plates


524


are sandwiched between the dies


518


and the press frames


514


, and by changing the thickness of the height adjusting plates


524


, the heights of the dies


518


are adjusted.





FIG. 33

schematically shows the paths in which the dies move; (A) shows the general movement of the dies


518


and the press frames


514


, and (B) shows the movement of the dies


518


only.

FIG. 34

shows the displacements of the dies


518


in the up and down direction with respect to the angle of rotation of the drive shafts. As shown in

FIGS. 33 and 34

, when each drive shaft


512


rotates, the corresponding eccentric shafts


512




a


rotate in circles with a diameter equal to twice the eccentricity e of the shaft, which cause the up and down press frames


514


to move in such a manner that while the left end portion


514




b


is moving backwards and forwards in the direction of the line, the right end portion


514




a


(in

FIG. 31

) moves up and down. Consequently, as shown in

FIG. 33

, each of the upper and lower dies


518


move in a circular path with a diameter equal to twice the eccentricity e of the eccentric shafts


512




a


, and at the same time, the dies open and close and also roll in the lateral direction. Therefore, as the upper and lower dies


518


move in the direction of the line while closing, the material


1


to be pressed can be conveyed while it is being reduced. In addition, because the upper and lower dies


518


close with a rolling action, the loads during pressing can be reduced. The amount of the reduction is determined by the eccentricity e of the eccentric shafts


512




a


, therefore high-reduction pressing can be carried out without being restricted by a nip angle etc. Also because the material


1


to be pressed is transferred while being reduced, a flying press operation can be achieved.




As shown in FIG.


33


(B), the dies


518


are mounted at a small angle to the press frames


514


when the dies are open (shown by the solid lines in the figure) so that the parallel portions


518


become parallel to each other during pressing (shown by the double dotted chain lines in the figure). At this time, the area pressed during a cycle is shown by the hatched area in the figure.




As shown in

FIG. 34

, the pair of eccentric shafts


512




a


positioned at the two ends in the lateral direction are shifted in phase relative to each other, and so the ranges in which the two ends press the material


1


to be pressed are different from each other, and because the upper and lower dies


518


close with a rolling action, the loads during pressing can be reduced.




In addition, the speed controller


522


of the driving devices


520


determines the rotational speed of the drive shafts


512


so that when the dies


518


press, the speed of the dies in the line direction substantially match the feeding speed of the material


1


to be pressed. In this configuration, it is possible to match the speed of the dies


518


in the line direction substantially with the feeding speed of the material


1


to be pressed, therefore loads on the driving devices


520


that drive and rotate the drive shafts


512


can be reduced.




In this way, the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention provides various advantages such as (1) flying press operation is enabled, in which a material to be pressed is reduced while being transferred, (2) the number of component parts is small, and the construction is simple, (3) a small number of components need to slide under load during pressing, (4) high-load and high-cycle operations are possible, (5) the thickness of a material to be pressed can be corrected by adjusting the position of the dies using a simple method, and so forth.




(Tenth Embodiment)





FIG. 35

shows the configuration of a rolling facility used together with the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention. In this figure, a looper device


606


is installed on the downstream side of the hot slab press apparatus


610


according to the present invention, and further downstream, a finishing rolling mill


605


is provided. The looper device


606


holds up a material being pressed in a slack loop, so that the slack length of the material, smooths out any differences between the line speeds of the hot slab press apparatus


610


and the finishing rolling mill


605


.





FIG. 36

is a side view of the hot slab press apparatus shown in

FIG. 35

, and

FIG. 37

is a sectional view along the line A—A in FIG.


36


. As shown in

FIGS. 36 and 37

, the hot slab press apparatus


610


according to the present invention is composed of upper and lower crank shafts


612


arranged opposite each other above and below the material


1


to be pressed and made to rotate, upper and lower press frames


614


one end


614




a


(right end in the figure) of each of which is engaged with one of the crank shafts


612


in a freely slidable manner, and the other ends


614




b


(left end) are connected together in a freely rotatable manner, a horizontal guide device


616


for supporting the connecting portion


614




c


of the press frames


614


so that they can move horizontally, and upper and lower dies


618


mounted at one end of each of the upper and lower press frames


614


facing the material


1


to be pressed. In this figure,


611


is the main frame unit.




As shown in

FIG. 37

, driving devices


620


are provided to drive and rotate the crank shafts


612


, and the driving devices


620


are controlled by a speed controller


622


, so that the rotational speed of the driving devices


620


can be freely controlled.




With this embodiment, height adjusting plates


624


are placed between the dies


618


and the press frames


614


, and by changing the thicknesses of the height adjusting plates


624


, the heights of the dies


618


are adjusted.





FIG. 38

schematically shows the paths in which the dies move; (A) shows the general movement of the dies


618


and the press frames


614


, and (B) shows the movements of the dies


618


only. As shown in

FIG. 38

, when the crank shafts


612


rotate, each of the crank shafts


612


rotates in a circle with a diameter equal to twice the eccentricity e of the shaft, and following this motion, the upper and lower press frames


614


move in such a manner that while the left end portion


614




b


moves backwards and forwards in the direction of the line, the right end portions


614




a


(in

FIG. 36

) move up and down. Therefore, as shown in this figure, each of the upper and lower dies


618


moves in a circular path with a diameter equal to twice the eccentricity e of one of the crank shafts


612


, and as the upper and lower dies


618


move in the line direction while closing, the material


1


to be pressed can be transferred while it is being pressed. The amount of the reduction depends on the eccentricity e of the crank shafts


612


, and a high-reduction pressing operation can be achieved without being restricted by a nip angle etc. In addition, a flying press system can be realized because the material


1


to be pressed is conveyed while being reduced.




As shown in FIG.


38


(B), the dies


618


are mounted on the press frames


614


at a small angle thereto when the dies are open (solid lines in the figure) so that the parallel portions


618




a


are parallel to each other during pressing (double-dotted chain lines in the figure). For this configuration the area pressed during a cycle is shown by the hatched area in the figure.




In addition, the speed controller


622


of the drive devices


620


determines the rotational speed of the crank shafts


612


to make the speed of the dies


618


in the line direction during pressing substantially agree with the feeding speed of the material


1


to be pressed. In this configuration, the speed of the dies


618


in the direction of the line can be made to be substantially identical to the feeding speed of the material


1


to be pressed, so variations in the loads on the crank shafts, caused by a difference in speeds, can be reduced.





FIG. 39

is a diagram showing how a hot slab is pressed according to the present invention. In this figure, the abscissa and the ordinate indicate the crank angle and the speed in the line direction, respectively. According to the method of the present invention, the speed for feeding a material to be pressed is variable and made equal to the maximum speed of the dies in the line direction. More preferably, the speed of feeding the material to be pressed should be varied in such a manner that the speed is greater than the above-mentioned maximum speed at the beginning of pressing, and then be made smaller at an intermediate time during pressing. Accordingly, the loads applied to the press crank shafts, produced by variations in the inertia forces and speeds of the material to be pressed, can be reduced.




As can be understood from the above description, the hot slab press apparatus and pressing methods according to the present invention present excellent practical advantages including (1) a flying pressing system can be established to press a material while it is being conveyed, (2) there are few component parts and the construction is simple, (3) there are few parts which slide under load during pressing, (4) the system can be operated at high loads with fast operating cycles, (5) the position of the dies can be adjusted using a simple method, and the thickness of the material to be pressed can be corrected, and so on.




(Eleventh Embodiment)





FIG. 40

shows the configuration of a rolling facility used together with the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention. In this figure, a looper device


706


is installed on the downstream side of the plate reduction press apparatus


710


according to the present invention, and further downstream, a finishing rolling mill


706


is provided. The looper device


706


holds up a material being pressed in a slack loop, so that the slack portion of the material smooths out any differences in the line speeds of the plate reduction press apparatus


710


and the finish rolling mill


705


.





FIG. 41

is a side view of the plate reduction press apparatus shown in

FIG. 40

, and

FIG. 42

is a sectional view along the line A—A in FIG.


41


. As shown in

FIGS. 41 and 42

, the plate reduction press apparatus


710


according to the present invention is provided with upper and lower eccentric drive shafts


715


arranged opposite each other above and below a material


1


to be pressed and driven and rotated by driving devices


720




b


, upper and lower synchronous eccentric shafts


713


which are rotated by the eccentric drive shafts


715


, upper and lower press frames


714


one end


714




a


of each of which is engaged with one of the synchronous eccentric shafts


713


in a freely slidable manner, and the other ends


714




b


are connected together in a freely rotatable manner, and upper and lower dies


718


mounted opposite each other at one end of each of the upper and lower press frames


714


. In this figure,


711


indicates the main frame unit.




Referring to

FIG. 42

, the upper and lower dies


718


are opened and closed by rotating the upper and lower eccentric drive shafts


715


, and when the dies


718


are pressing, the speed of the press frames


714


in the direction of the line is synchronized with the speed at which the material to be pressed is being conveyed in the line direction by means of the synchronous eccentric shafts


713


, while pressing the material.




The outer peripheries of the synchronous eccentric shafts


713


, are equipped with gear teeth, and the shafts are driven and rotated by the driving devices


720




a


by the small gear wheels


712




a


mounted on the drive shafts


712


. As shown in

FIG. 42

, each shaft can be connected to the driving devices


720




a


,


720




b


, through universal joints etc., or, although not illustrated, each shaft may also be driven by a differential device.




Also with this embodiment, height adjusting plates


724


are positioned between the dies


718


and the press frames


714


, so by varying the thicknesses of the height adjusting plates


724


, the heights of the dies


718


can be adjusted.





FIG. 43

schematically shows the paths in which the dies move; (A) shows the general movement of the dies


718


and the press frames


714


, and (B) shows the movements of the dies


718


only.

FIG. 44

shows the displacements of the dies


718


in the up and down direction with respect to the rotational angle θ of the synchronous eccentric shafts. As shown in

FIGS. 43 and 44

, when the drive shafts


712


are rotated, the upper and lower synchronous eccentric shafts


713


rotate around the eccentric drive shafts


715


, therefore the synchronous eccentric shafts


715


move in a circle with a diameter equal to twice the eccentricity e thereof, and the outer peripheries thereof cause the upper and lower press frames


714


to move in such a manner that the left end


714




b


moves backwards and forwards in the line direction, while the right end


714




a


(in

FIG. 41

) move up and down. Consequently as shown in FIG.


43


(B), each of the upper and lower dies


718


moves in a circular path with a diameter equal to twice the eccentricity e of the synchronous eccentric shafts


712




a


, while opening and closing.




Also as shown in

FIG. 44

, which shows the relation in speed that results from combining the eccentricity E of the eccentric drive shafts


715


and the eccentricity e of the synchronous eccentric shafts


713


, and a pseudo constant speed can be produced over a range by varying the speed pattern. The amount of the reduction at that time depends on the eccentricity e of the synchronous eccentric shafts


713


, so a high-reduction operation can be carried out without being restricted by a nip angle etc. Furthermore, because the material


1


to be pressed is conveyed by the synchronous drive devices


716


while being reduced, a flying pressing operation can be easily performed.




In addition, only the synchronous eccentric shafts


713


(double synchronous eccentric shafts) that are rotated by the eccentric drive shafts


715


withstand loads during pressing, and the connection portion


714




c


and the synchronous drive devices


716


have to withstand only rather small loads that only cancel moments acting on the press frames


714


, and in addition, the moments applied to the upper and lower press frames


714


cancel each other, so the loads on the connection portion and the driving devices are further reduced. As a result, there are few component parts, the construction is simple, there are few portions that slide under load during pressing, and the system can operate under high loads at a high operating rate.




As shown in FIG.


43


(B), the dies


718


are mounted on the press frames


714


at a slight angle thereto when the dies are open (solid lines in the figure) so that during pressing (double-dotted chain lines in the figure), the parallel portions


718




a


are parallel to each other. At this time, the area pressed during one cycle is shown by the hatched area in the figure.




Obviously from the description above, the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention provides excellent advantages including (1) a material to be pressed can be pressed by a flying press operation, in which the material is reduced while it is being transferred, (2) there are few component parts and the construction is simple, (3) a small number of parts slide under load during pressing, and (4) the system can be operated at high loads at a high operating rate.




(Twelfth Embodiment)





FIG. 45

shows the configuration of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the twelfth embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 46

is a sectional view along the line X—X in FIG.


45


. Upper and lower dies


802


are provided above and below a material


1


to be pressed. Cooling water is supplied to the inside of the dies


802


, to cool the dies. Other vise, cooling water can also be sprayed from outside. The dies


802


are mounted on sliders


803


through die holders


804


, in a detachable manner. Two crank shafts


805


engage in a freely slidable manner with the sliders


803


in the lateral direction of the material


1


to be pressed, arranged in a row in the direction (forward direction) of flow of the material. The crank shafts


805


are composed of eccentric shafts


805




b


engaging with the sliders


803


, and support shafts


805




a


connected to both ends of the eccentric shafts


805




b


in the axial direction thereof, and one of the ends of the support shafts


805




a


is connected to a driving device not illustrated which drives and rotates the crank


805


. The support shafts


805




a


and the eccentric shafts


805




b


are connected so that the center line thereof are offset from each other, thus the eccentric shafts


805




b


are rotated eccentrically around the support shafts


805




a.






Counterweights


806


are attached at each end of the support shafts


805




a


of the eccentric shafts


805




b


. The counterweights


806


are mounted with the centers of gravity thereof offset from the center lines of the support shafts


805




a


, and the angle of the offset is 180° from the direction of the eccentricity of the eccentric shafts


805




b


with respect to the support shafts


805




a


. The inertia forces (unbalanced forces) due to the eccentricity of the counterweights


806


substantially cancel the inertia forces due to the sliders


803


, dies


802


and die holders


804


, so that the vibration of the apparatus can be reduced greatly.




The dies


802


, sliders


803


, die holders


804


, crank shafts


805


, and counterweights


806


are arranged symmetrically above and below the material


1


to be pressed, and composed into one body by the main frame unit


808


. The eccentric shafts


805




b


are connected to the sliders


803


in a freely rotatable manner through the bearings


807


, and the support shafts


805




a


are supported through the bearings


807


provided on the main frame unit


808


, in a freely rotatable manner.




Next, the operation is described.

FIG. 47

shows one cycle of operation of the sliders


803


.

FIG. 48

illustrates the movements of the sliders


803


and the material


1


to be pressed, during one operating cycle. In

FIG. 47

, in a cycle time increase in the sequence t1-t2-t3-t4-t1, and the material is pressed during, the period ta-tb which includes t2. In

FIG. 48

, t1-t4 corresponds to t1-t4 in FIG.


47


. At t1, the sliders


803


are raised to an intermediate position, and are located at the farthest position in the backward direction. At t2, the state during pressing is shown, and the sliders are located at an intermediate position in the backward and forward direction. At t3, the sliders are partly raised, and at the farther position in the forward direction. Hence, the sliders


803


move forwards during the period t1-t2-t3 as shown by the arrows, and move at the maximum speed at t2 during pressing. Consequently, the material


1


to be pressed is transferred by the pinch rolls


809


when the sliders


803


are pressing, according to the speed of the sliders, thereby the material can be conveyed continuously at a speed most suitable for pressing, even during a pressing period. Because the counterweights


806


move with phase angles offset by 180° from those of the sliders


803


, the vibration caused by the sliders


803


is reduced. In addition, the counterweights also function as flywheels that contribute to a reduction of the power required from the driving devices.




(Thirteenth Embodiment)




The thirteenth embodiment is described next.

FIG. 49

shows the configuration of the plate reduction press apparatus according to this embodiment, and

FIG. 50

is a sectional view along the line Y—Y in

FIG. 49

, showing only the half on one side of the lateral center line of the material


1


to be pressed, because the entire construction is symmetrical about the center line. As shown in

FIGS. 49 and 50

, this embodiment of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present invention is composed of upper and lower crank shafts


815


arranged opposite each other above and below the material


1


to be pressed and driven and rotated, upper and lower press frames


813


one end


813




a


(right end in the figure) of each of which is engaged with one of the crank shafts in a freely rotatable manner, and the other ends


813




b


(left ends) are connected together in a freely rotatable manner, horizontal guide devices


819


that guide the connecting portions


813




c


of the press frames


813


so that they can move horizontally, upper and lower dies


812


mounted at one end


813




a


of each of the upper and lower press frames


813


, facing the material


1


to be pressed, counterweights


816


installed on the crank shafts


815


, and a main frame unit


818


that supports the crank shafts


815


. The dies


812


are mounted on the ends


813




a


through the height adjusting plates


814


.




The horizontal guide device


819


is either a hydraulic cylinder, crank mechanism or a servo motor, that moves the connection portions


813




c


to which the upper and lower press frames


813


are connected, in the direction of transfer of the material to be pressed when the crank shafts


815


rotate.




The crank shafts


815


are shown in

FIG. 50

, and are comprised of eccentric shafts


815




b


that engage with the ends


813




a


of the press frames


813


, and support shafts


815




a


attached to both ends of the eccentric shafts


815




b


with their axial center lines offset from each other. The support shafts


815




a


are supported by the main frame unit


818


through bearings


817


, and the eccentric shafts


815




b


are connected to the ends


813




a


through the bearings


817


. On the support shafts


815




a


outside the main frame unit


818


, counterweights


816


are mounted the centers of gravity of which are offset from the axial center lines of the support shafts


815




a


, and the angle of the offset is 180° from the direction of the eccentricity of the eccentric shafts


815




b


relative to the support shafts


815




a


. A driving device


820


is provided at the end of a support shaft


815




a


equipped with a counterweight


816


, and is controlled by a control device


822


.




The operation of the present embodiment is described next.

FIG. 51

schematically shows the path in which the dies


812


move; (A) shows the general movements of the dies


812


and the press frames


813


, and (B) shows the movements of the dies


812


only. When the crank shafts


815


rotate, the upper and lower eccentric shafts


815




b


are rotated by the support shafts


815




a


, and the eccentric shaft


815




b


rotates in a circle with a diameter equal to twice the eccentricity c thereof, and the outer periphery thereof causes the upper and lower press frames


813


to move in such a manner that the other ends


813




b


reciprocate in the direction of the flow of the material to be pressed, while the ends


813




a


move up and down. Consequently, as shown in FIG.


51


(B), the upper and lower dies


812


move up and down as they travel in a circular path with a diameter equal to twice the eccentricity e of the eccentric shafts


815




b.






As shown in

FIG. 49

, the horizontal guide device


819


allows the connecting portion


813




c


of the press frames


813


to move in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed when the dies


812


are pressing, thus the upper and lower dies


812


can move in the direction of the flow of the material to be pressed while the dies are pressing the material. At this time, the amount of the reduction depends on the eccentricity e of the eccentric shafts


815




b


, therefore high-reduction pressing can be carried out without being limited by a nip angle etc. Because the horizontal guide device


819


allows the material


1


to be pressed to be transferred while being pressed, flying press operations can be easily carried out. In addition, as the counterweights


816


move with an angular offset of 180° from the motion of the ends


813




a


, they cancel the vibrations due the ends


813




a


, which reduces the vibration as a whole. In addition, the counterweights can also function as a flywheel which contributes to reducing the power required from the driving devices.




As can be easily understood from the description above, the present invention can provide a flying reduction press system in which a material to be pressed is reduced while it is being conveyed, by directly rotating the ends of sliders or press frames by eccentrics on crank shafts. Furthermore, as counterweights are provided on the crank shafts, the vibration of the system can be reduced, and because the counterweights function as flywheels, the power required from the driving devices can be reduced. Moreover, because the dies can be moved in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed during the pressing period, thanks to the eccentric motion of the crank shafts, no mechanisms are required to move the dies in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed during pressing, so the construction of the apparatus becomes simple.




(Fourteenth Embodiment)





FIG. 52

is a sectional view showing a configuration of the plate reduction press apparatus of the fourteenth embodiment according to the present invention, and

FIG. 53

is a sectional view along the line X—X in FIG.


52


. Dies


902


are arranged above and below a slab


1


. Cooling water is supplied to the dies


902


to cool the interior of the dies


902


. Otherwise, cooling water may also be sprayed on the outside. The dies


902


are mounted on sliders


903


through the die holders


904


, in a detachable manner. The sliders


903


are composed of main units


905


and cranks


907


; on each main unit


905


, two circular holes


906


are arranged in a row in the direction of flow (forward direction) of the slab, in which the shafts of the cranks


907


are directed in the lateral direction of the slab. The cranks


907


shown in

FIG. 53

are composed of a first shaft


907




a


engaging with the circular hole


906


through a first bearing


908




a


, and second shafts


907




b


attached to both ends of the first shaft


907




a


, with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first shaft, and the center lines thereof are made eccentric to each other, and one end of the second shaft


907




b


is connected to a driving device that is not illustrated. The second shafts


907




b


, in the upper or lower sliders


903


, are supported by a common frame


909


through the second bearings


908




b


. Pinch rolls


912


are arranged on the downstream side of the dies


902


, and control the transfer speed of the slab


1


. Table rollers


913


are provided on the inlet or outlet side of the pinch rolls


912


, and transfer the material to be pressed or being pressed. In

FIG. 53

, A and B indicate the axes of the first and second shafts, respectively.





FIG. 54

is a view showing the construction of the sliders; since

FIGS. 52 and 53

illustrated the sliders in a slightly schematic way, a practical example is shown in

FIG. 54

, showing the upper half above the slab


1


. The die


902


for pressing the slab


1


is mounted on a main unit


905


by means of a die holder


904


. The main unit


905


is provided with a row of two circular holes


906


arranged in the direction of transfer of the slab


1


. A crank


907


is comprised of a first shaft


907




a


and second shafts


907




b


attached to both ends of the first shaft, with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first shaft; the first shaft


907




a


is connected through a first bearing


908




a


, and the second shafts are supported by the second bearings


908




b


. The circular hole


906


indicates the inner surface of the first bearing


908




a


. A and B indicate the axial center lines of the first and second shafts, respectively, and both shafts rotate around the center line B.




Next, the operation of the fourteenth embodiment is described.

FIG. 55

shows one cycle of operation of the slider


903


, and

FIG. 56

shows the speed of the slab during such a cycle.

FIG. 57

shows the movements of the slider


903


and the slab


1


during a cycle. In

FIG. 55

, during the cycle time changes in the sequence t1-t2-t3-t4-t1, and the slab is pressed during the interval ta-tb which includes t2. In

FIG. 56

, the transfer speed of the slab


1


is controlled by pinch rolls


912


. During pressing, the slab


1


is conveyed in synchronism with the forward speed of the slider


903


, and at other times, the slab


1


is transferred at the normal transfer speed. The normal transfer speed is adjusted such that the distance L moved by the slab per cycle is not longer than the pressing length L1 of the dies


902


shown in

FIG. 52

, and also the speed must match the speed of a downstream apparatus. Using such a moving distance L as described above, the length of the slab pressed in the previous cycle is slightly superimposed by the length pressed in the next cycle, so pressing is carried out appropriately.




In

FIG. 57

, t1-t4 corresponds to t1_t4 in

FIGS. 55 and 56

. At t1, the slider


903


is raised to an intermediate position, and is located at the farthest position in the backward direction. At t2, the state during pressing is show, in, in which the slider is located at an intermediate position in the backward and forward direction. The slider is partly raised at t3, and located at the farthest position in the forward direction. The slider is located at the highest position at t4, but at an intermediate position in the backward and forward direction. The slider


903


is driven forwards during the period t1-t2-t3 as shown by the arrows, as described above, and the speed thereof becomes a maximum near t2 during pressing. Therefore, the slab


1


can be continuously transferred at the most suitable speed for pressing even during the pressing period, by conveying the slab


1


by means of the pinch rolls


912


in synchronism with the speed of the slider


903


.




(Fifteenth Embodiment)




The fifteenth embodiment is described next. With this embodiment, balancers that absorb the unbalanced moments are provided on the sliders.

FIG. 58

is a side view of the fifteenth embodiment, showing the upper half of the structure which is symmetrical in the vertical direction;

FIG. 59

is a sectional view along the line X—X in

FIG. 58

, and

FIG. 60

is a sectional view along the line Y—Y shown in FIG.


58


. As shown in

FIG. 58

, the slider


903


is composed of a large crank


907


the unbalanced moment of which due to the load, is absorbed by the balancer


914


using a crank


917


.




Referring to

FIGS. 58 and 59

, a die


902


is provided above a slab


1


, and the die


902


is mounted on a main unit


905


by means of a die holder


904


, in a detachable manner. In the crank


907


, a first shaft


907




a


is connected to two second shafts


907




b


at both ends of the first shaft with the shaft center lines offset. The first shaft


907




a


is connected through first bearings


908




a


, and the second shafts


907




b


are supported by the second bearings


908




b


provided on the frame


909


shown in

FIGS. 52 and 53

. A and B indicate the center lines of the first and second shafts, respectively. A gear coupling


916


is provided at the end of one of the second shafts


907




b


, through which the second shaft


907




h


is rotated by a driving device not illustrated.




The balancer


914


is provided with the crank


917


which is comprised of a first shaft


917




a


and second shafts


917




b


attached to both ends of the first shaft, with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first shaft


917




a


, and the axial center line “a” of the first shaft is offset from the axial center line B of the second shaft. The first shaft


907




a


is connected to the first bearings


908




a


which are fixed to an outer ring


919


. The second shafts


907




b


are supported by the second bearings


908




b


which are fixed to a support structure


915


. The support structure


915


is installed on the main unit


905


using bolts. At the end of the other second bearing


907




b


, the gear coupling


916


is provided and driven by a driving device that is not illustrated. “a” and “b” indicate the axial center lines of the first shaft


917




a


and the second shafts


917




b


, respectively.




Next, the operation of the fifteenth embodiment is described. The operation of the slider


903


during the reduction of a slab


1


is same as that of the first embodiment. However, because a crank


907


is provided on each of the upper and lower sides, an unbalanced moment is produced by the reaction force when the slab


1


is pressed. The balancer


914


functions to cancel this unbalanced moment.




(Sixteenth Embodiment)




Next, the sixteenth embodiment is described.

FIG. 61

is a sectional view of the configuration of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the sixteenth embodiment, and

FIG. 62

is a sectional view along the line X—X in FIG.


61


. The same item numbers as in

FIGS. 52 and 53

are used to indicate the same components and functions. With the present embodiment, a die


902


and a slider


903


are provided either above or below a slab, but on the side opposite the die


902


, a support member


910


is installed, and pressing is carried out from one side. Reducing operations and backward and forward movements of the slider are carried out in the same way as in the fourteenth embodiment shown in

FIG. 57

, but the amount of the reduction due to pressing is less. In addition, during the backward and forward movements of the die when it presses a slab


1


, the transfer of the slab is resisted by a friction force produced between the slab and the support member


910


, so the driving device of the slider


903


and the pinch rolls


912


are more heavily loaded. However, the construction is simpler and the cost of manufacture is reduced.




Obviously as described above, according to the present invention, the die and the backwards and forwards moving slider are provided, so that the slab can be transferred while being pressed and a downstream rolling operation can be carried out continuously. A plurality of cranks are also provided and can maintain the die parallel to the transfer line. Alternatively one pressing crank and a balancing crank can also be provided to maintain the die parallel. The die can also be easily cooled internally or externally, therefore the life of the die can be prolonged. It is also possible to reduce a slab by more than 50 mm during one pressing operation. Furthermore, the entire apparatus can be made compact.




(Seventeenth Embodiment)





FIG. 63

shows the configuration of the seventeenth embodiment according to the present invention. As shown in this figure, the plate reduction press apparatus of the present invention is provided with a pair of dies


1002


opposite each other above and below a slab


1


, and devices


1010


for swinging the dies provided for each die


1002


, that drive the dies backwards and forwards with respect to the slab


1


.




As shown in

FIG. 63

, the devices


1010


for swinging the dies are composed of sliders


1012


each of which is provided with a pair of circular holes


1012




a


positioned obliquely to the direction of feed of the slab with an interval L between each hole, and eccentric shafts


1014


rotating inside the circular holes


1012




a.






Each of the eccentric shafts


1014


is comprised of a first shaft


1014




a


that rotates in the circular hole


1012




a


around the center line A of the circular hole, and a second shaft


1014




b


driven and rotated around a center line B offset from the first center line


1014




a


by the eccentricity e. The second shaft


1014




b


is supported by bearings not illustrated, and is driven and rotated by a driving device also not illustrated.




Cooling water is supplied to the dies


1002


to cool the dies


1002


. Cooling water can also be sprayed from the outside of the dies. The dies


1002


are mounted detachably on the sliders


1012


through the die holders


1011


. Pinch rolls


1016


are installed downstream of the dies


1002


and control the transfer speed of the slab


1


, table rollers


107


are provided at the inlet or outlet side of the pinch rolls


1016


and transfer the material to be pressed. In

FIG. 63

, A and B indicate the axial center lines of the first and second shafts, respectively.




(Eighteenth Embodiment)





FIG. 64

shows the configuration of the eighteenth embodiment according to the present invention. In this figure, a pair of circular holes


1012




a


in the sliders


1012


are positioned perpendicular to the transfer direction of a slab, and a pair of eccentric shafts


1014


are also located perpendicular to the direction of feed of the slab. The other details of the configuration are the same as those in FIG.


63


.




Next, the operation is described.

FIG. 65

shows one cycle of operation of the sliders


1012


, and

FIG. 66

shows the slab speed during the cycle. In

FIG. 65

, time during the cycle changes in the sequence t1-t2-t3-t4-t1, and the slab is pressed within the period ta-tb which includes t2. In

FIG. 66

, the transfer speed of the slab


1


is controlled by the pinch rolls


1016


. The speed is synchronized with the speed at which the slab


1


is fed by the dies


1002


during the pressing time (reducing time) in which the dies


1002


press the slab


1


, and during the period in which there is no pressing and the slab


1


is not in contact with the dies


1002


, the slab is conveyed at a constant speed so that a specified cycle speed is achieved. In other words, the slab


1


is transferred in synchronism with the forward speed of the sliders


1012


during pressing, and otherwise a normal conveying speed is used. The normal speed is selected such that the distance in which the slab is moved per cycle is not longer than the pressing length of the dies


1002


, and so that the speed is also suitable for a downstream system. The moving distance selected as above results in the length being pressed in the present cycle, being slightly superimposed on the length pressed in the previous cycle so that the reduction is performed properly.




At t1 shown in

FIGS. 65 and 66

, the sliders


1012


are raised to an intermediate position and are located in the farthest position in the backward direction. At t2, the sliders are in the pressing position and are located at an intermediate position in the backward and forward direction. The sliders are partially raised at t3, and located at the farthest position in the forward direction. At t4, the sliders are located at the highest point, and are in an intermediate position in the backward and forward direction. The sliders


1012


are advanced as shown by the arrows during the period t1-t2-t3, and the speed thereof becomes a maximum near t2 during pressing. Consequently, by conveying the slab


1


with the pinch rolls


1016


in synchronism with the speed of the sliders


1012


during pressing, the slab can be transferred continuously at the most suitable speed for reducing, even during pressing.




According to the configurations of the present invention as described above, the two eccentric shafts


1014


rotating in a pair of circular holes


1012




a


in the sliders


1012


are positioned at an inclined angle or perpendicular to the direction of feed of the slab, so the required length of the apparatus in the direction of the line can be reduced from the case where the eccentric shafts are installed on the same level parallel to the direction of the line. In particular, when the eccentric shafts on one side of the transfer line are installed at different distances from the line, the forces acting on the two eccentric shafts during pressing can be made identical to each other, so that the length of the apparatus in the direction of the line can be reduced while at the same time achieving uniform loading of each eccentric shaft. When the two eccentric shafts on one side of the slab feeding direction are arranged vertically to the direction as shown in

FIG. 64

, the load applied to the lower eccentric shaft can be made greater, therefore the upper eccentric shaft can be made compact.




Obviously from the description above, the present invention provides dies and sliders that press the dies and move them backwards and forwards, with which a slab can be conveyed while being pressed, hence a downstream rolling operation can be carried out continuously. In addition, the necessary length of the press apparatus in the direction of the line can be reduced, and while transferring the slab, the plate thickness of the slab can be reduced with a high reduction ratio.




(Nineteenth Embodiment)





FIG. 67

is a view showing the configuration of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the nineteenth embodiment. The press machine is provided with upper and lower dies


1102


above and below a material to be pressed


1


, hydraulic cylinders


1103


that press the dies


1102


, and frames


1104


supporting the hydraulic cylinders


1103


. Assuming the thickness of the material


1


to be pressed is T, that is, T is reduced to a thickness t. The longitudinal length of the dies


1102


is indicated by L which is shorter than the width of the material


1


to be pressed. The hydraulic cylinders


1103


are composed of rods


1103




a


connected to the dies


1102


, pistons


1103




b


pushing the rods


1103




a


, and cylinders


1103




c


that house the rods


1103




a


and the pistons


1103




b


. In addition, a device for supplying a hydraulic fluid under pressure to the hydraulic cylinders is also provided, although not illustrated. The present embodiment relates to a case in which two pairs of the dies


1102


are provided above and below the material to be pressed, in which the two pairs of the dies


1102


are arranged at intervals of 2L in the longitudinal direction.




The operation is described below.





FIG. 68

shows the configuration in which the two pairs of dies


1102


are pressed simultaneously. (A) shows the state when pressing begins in the present step of the process after the material has been reduced in a previous step of the process. (B) shows the state in which the material has been pressed from the state shown in (A). In (C), the dies


1102


are ready to reduce the material


1


to be pressed, after the dies


1102


have been separated from each other from the state shown in (B), and the material was moved a distance 2L in the longitudinal direction. In (C) the state has returned to the state of (A). Thus by repeating steps (A) through (C), the thickness T can be reduced to t. As two pairs of dies


1102


press simultaneously, high-speed pressing can be carried.





FIG. 69

shows the case in which the pressing operations of the two pairs, of dies


1102


are shifted in time. (A) shows the state when pressing begins in the present step of the process after the material has been reduced in a previous step of the process. (B-1) shows the status when the material


1


to be pressed has been pressed by the downstream dies


1102


from the state of (A). (B-2) shows the condition after the material has been pressed by the upstream dies from the state of (B-1). (C) is a sectional view of the material


1


to be pressed after the dies


1102


have been opened from the state of (B-2) and the material has been moved a distance 2L longitudinally, and the two pairs of dies


1102


are ready to press. The state in (C) has returned to the state (A). Thus by repeating the steps (A) through (C), the thickness T can be reduced to t. In this way, the power required to press the dies


1102


becomes only one half of the power required to drive all the dies during pressing as shown in

FIG. 68

, accordingly the capacity of the driving devices can also be halved together with a reduction in the cost.




(Twentieth Embodiment)




The twentieth embodiment is described below.

FIG. 70

shows the configuration of the plate reduction press apparatus of the twentieth embodiment, and

FIG. 71

shows its operation. According to the present embodiment, three pairs of dies


1102


are arranged in the direction of movement of the material


1


to be pressed at intervals of 3L where L is the length of a die


1102


, and the other details are the same as those of the previous embodiment shown in FIG.


67


.

FIG. 71

shows the operations when the three pairs of dies


1102


press simultaneously. FIG.


71


(A) shows the state when pressing is just beginning in the present step of the process after the material has been pressed in a previous step of the process. (B) shows the condition of the material after it has been pressed from the state shown in (A). (C) shows a view of the material


1


after it has been pressed by the dies


1102


after the dies


1102


have been separated from each other from the state shown in (B) and after the material has been moved a distance 3L longitudinally. (C) has returned to the state of (A). By repeating steps (A) through (C), the thickness T can be reduced to t. Because three pairs of dies


1102


press simultaneously, high-speed pressing can be carried out. When three pairs of dies


1102


press sequentially, the process shown in (B) is divided into sub-processes, the upstream dies


1102


press first, the middle dies


1102


press next, and then the downstream dies


1102


press. Although this method requires a long pressing time, the power to drive the dies can be as low as the power for a single pair of dies, so the cost is reduced.




The above explanation of the embodiment is related to two and three pairs of dies, however N pairs of dies can also be introduced into a press machine.




It can easily be understood from the above description, that because a plurality of short dies are arranged in tandem according to the present invention, the masses of the dies and the driving devices can be reduced to permit high-speed reduction and large-reduction pressing can be carried out. In addition, the material to be pressed can be conveyed smoothly in the longitudinal direction, resulting in reducing the power required for driving the dies. When a plurality of dies are operated sequentially, the power required for driving the dies can be greatly reduced.




(Twenty-First Embodiment)





FIG. 72

shows a configuration of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present embodiment. In

FIG. 72

, the plate reduction press apparatus is provided with N press machines


1212


installed in a housing


1211


. The following description assumes N=4, which is not a necessary condition. The press machines


1212


are composed of pairs of upper and lower machines above and below a material


1


to be pressed, and four pairs are arranged in tandem in the direction of flow of the material


1


to be pressed. A press machine


1212


is comprised of dies


1213


and pressing devices


1214


that press the dies. Although the pressing devices


1214


are shown in an example in which hydraulic cylinders


1214


are used, other devices may also be used. The dies


1213


are numbered


1201


through


1204


sequentially from the upstream end. The length of a pair of dies


1213


in the direction of the flow of the material to be pressed is shown as L, so the pressing length of the four pairs of dies


1213


is 4L. Pinch rolls


1215


are installed at the inlet of the housing


1211


, and feed out the material


1


to be pressed as required to suit the pressing operation of the press machines


1212


. The hydraulic cylinders


1214


and the pinch rolls


1215


are controlled by a control device


1216


.




Next, the operation of the twenty-first embodiment is described. With this embodiment, the material


1


to be pressed is reduced sequentially to a predetermined thickness by means of the downstream reduction press machines


1212


.

FIG. 73

is a descriptive diagram of the operation of the twenty-first embodiment. FIG.


73


and subsequent figures show only the upper half of the material


1


to be pressed, and also the upper half of the reduction press machines


1212


. FIG.


73


(A) shows the process in which a length 4L of material, that is, 4 times the length L of a die, is reduced by pressing the material using dies


1204


through


1201


in that order, and (B) shows the conditions during pressing of the next length 4L. As shown in (A), the material


1


to be pressed is conveyed by pinch rolls


1215


under the dies


1204


through


1201


, where each of dies


1204


to


1201


press one at a time and is retracted, and then the next die presses, that is, one die completes its pressing in one operation. Consequently, two or more reduction press machines


1212


never operate at the same time, so the pressing loads are small. At that time, the corresponding upper and lower hydraulic cylinders


1214


operate simultaneously. After the die


1201


has finished pressing, the material is fed by a length 4L by pinch rolls


1215


as shown in (B), and pressing of the next length 4L begins.




(Twenty-Second Embodiment)




The operation of the twenty-second embodiment is described as follows. With this embodiment, every time a material


1


to be pressed is conveyed by a length L, each of the dies


1201


to


1204


presses the material in that order. Each of dies


1201


through


1204


presses the material by an amount Δt from the thickness already reduced by the preceding dies. After the pinch rolls


1215


feed the material through a distance L, each of dies


1201


to


1204


presses once in that order. FIG.


74


(A) is a view showing that the material


1


to be pressed after it has been conveyed only up to the die


1201


only. At this time, the dies


1202


through


1204


operate idly. (B) shows the state after the material


1


to be pressed has been fed so that the end is under the die


1202


. In “a”, the material is pressed by an amount Δt with the die


1201


and in “b,” the material is pressed by another amount Δt, that is, the original thickness is reduced by 2Δt.




As shown in c and d, dies


1203


and


1204


press idly.




In FIG.


75


(A), the material


1


to be pressed has been fed so that the end is under the die


1203


. In “a,” the die


1201


presses the material by an amount Δt. In “b,” the die


1202


presses by a further amount Δt to give a total of 2Δt. In “c,” the die


1203


reduces the material from the reduction of 2Δt to 3Δt. The die


1204


presses idly as shown in “d.” FIG.


75


(B) shows the condition in which the material


1


to be pressed has been conveyed so that the end is under the die


1204


. In “a,” the die


1201


presses the material by an amount Δt. In “b,” the die


1202


reduces the material from a reduction of Δt to 2Δt. In “c,” the die


1203


presses to reduce from 2Δt to 3Δt. In “d”, the die


1204


presses, from the reduction of 3Δt to 4Δt. At this time, the amount of reduction of 4Δt is the planned reduction.





FIG. 76

is a view in which the leading end of the material


1


to be pressed has been transferred beyond the die


1204


by a length L. In “a,” the die


1201


presses the material by an amount Δt. In “b,” the die


1202


presses the material from a reduction of Δt to 2Δt. In “c,” the die


1203


presses from a reduction of 2Δt to 3Δt. In “d,” the die


1204


reduces the material from 3Δt to 4Δt. In this way, the planned reduction of 4Δt is achieved. Because each reduction press machine works sequentially, and only one machine is actuated at a time, the loads applied to the entire reduction equipment are small, and the equipment can be made small.




In the aforementioned embodiment, the material


1


to be pressed has been assumed to move only in the forward direction, but the amount of the reduction can be increased to twice as much by feeding the material backwards and then pressing again.




As can easily be understood from the above description, according to the present invention, the pressing length of each of a plurality of reduction press machines is made short, and the machines press the material sequentially, so that two or more machines will not be working at the same time, therefore the loads applied to the entire reduction press equipment are small and the equipment becomes compact.




(Twenty-Third Embodiment)





FIG. 77

shows the configuration of the plate reduction press apparatus of the twenty-third embodiment. A flying press machine


1302


is installed in the upstream direction of the flow of a material


1


to be pressed, and a rolling mill


1303


is installed in the downstream direction of the flow. The flying press machine


1302


is provided with dies


1302




a


that press the material


1


to be pressed, pressing cylinders


1302




b


that depress the dies


1302




a


, and transfer cylinders


1302




c


that move the dies


1302




a


and the pressing cylinders


1302




b


backwards and forwards in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed. The rolling mill


1303


is either a roughing-down mill and a finishing rolling mill, or a finishing rolling mill. Press-side speed adjusting rolls


1304


are provided on the downstream side of the flying press machine


1302


, and rolling-mill-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


are installed on the upstream side of the rolling mill


1303


, between the flying press machine


1302


and the rolling mill


1303


. For the speed adjusting rolls


1304


,


1305


, pinch rolls, and measuring rolls, etc. are provided, which adjust the speed of the material


1


to be transferred and pressed and also measure the length of the material passed. Transfer tables


1306


are installed between the flying press machine


1302


and the press-side speed adjusting rolls


1304


and between the rolling mill


1303


and the rolling-mill-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


.




Guide rolls


1307


are provided with a spacing m between each other, between the press-side speed adjusting rolls


1304


and the rolling-mill-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


, and this space between the two guide rolls


7


constitutes a section m in which the material


1


to be pressed is deflected. In the deflection section m, a pit has been formed in the foundations in which an up/down table


1308


with rollers for transferring the material


1


to be pressed is installed and can be raised and lowered by means of up/down cylinders


1309


provided under the table. In the deflection section m, there is a low-position detector


1310




a


that detects the occurrence of a large deflection and a high-position detector


1310




b


that detects the occurrence of a small deflection. A control device


1311


controls the flying press machine


1302


, the press-side speed adjusting rolls


1304


, the rolling-mill-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


, and the up/down cylinders


1309


based on data for the lengths passing the press-machine side speed adjusting rolls


1304


and the rolling-mill-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


and deflection data from the low-position detector


1310




a


and the high-position detector


1310




b.






Next, the operations are described. First, the up/down table


1308


is positioned at the highest level, that is, the rolls of the up/down table


1308


are on the same level as the level of the guide rolls


1307


, by means of the up/down cylinders


1309


, and then the flying press machine


1302


is operated to reduce the material


1


to be pressed and feed the material to the rolling mill


1303


. At the rolling mill


1303


, continuous rolling begins. When the material


1


to be pressed enters between the rolling-mill-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


, the up/down table


1308


is lowered to the lowest position to enable the material to be deflected. At the same time, the press-side speed adjusting rolls


1304


and the rolling-mill-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


provide data for the lengths passed, and the low position detector


1310




a


and the high position detector


1310




b


provide data about the deflection, and these data are input to the control device which determines the difference between the lengths passed, that is, the difference between two lengths passed during one cycle or a plurality of cycles of the flying press machine, and the control device adjusts the transfer speeds of the material


1


to be pressed by the press-side speed adjusting rolls


1304


and the rolling-mill-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


, and increases or decreases the number of operating cycles in a predetermined time period, and so forth. These three adjustments are performed by selecting either one, two or three of them. In addition, data from the low position detector


1310




a


and the high position detector


1310




b


are monitored continuously, and the deflection data is checked to see if the deflection remains within a predetermined range, and if not, the speed adjusting rolls


1304


,


1305


adjust the deflection to keep it in the range. When the trailing end of the material


1


to be pressed approaches the press-side speed adjusting rolls


1304


, the up/down cylinders


1309


are operated in such a manner that the position of the rollers on the up/down table


1308


match the guide rolls


1307


.




FIG.


78


(A) shows the variations in the speed of the material to be pressed at the inlet of the press-side speed adjusting rolls, and (B) shows the speed at the outlet of the rolling-mill-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


. The transfer speed of the material


1


to be pressed, as it passes through the flying press machine


1302


, is adjusted by the press-side speed adjusting rolls


1304


, and the speed of the material


1


to be pressed, sent into the rolling mill


1303


, is adjusted by the rolling-mill-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


. In (A), the pressing period is determined by the transfer cylinders so that an optimum transfer speed for pressing is established, and the press-side speed adjusting rolls


1304


are adjusted to establish this speed. After pressing, the transfer speed is increased from the low speed used during pressing, and then after the speed is decreased to the normal transfer speed and maintained at that speed, the speed is reduced to the pressing speed for the next cycle. The dies


1302




a


and the pressing cylinders


1302




b


are moved by the transfer cylinders


1302




c


in such a manner that during a predetermined period from before pressing, during pressing and after pressing, the dies and the cylinders move in the direction of flow of the material


1


to be pressed and then return to the upstream side. The press-side speed adjusting rolls


1304


adjust the transfer speed during the period other than the pressing period (the period in which the dies


1302




a


are separated from the material


1


to be pressed). The rolling-mill-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


adjust the transfer speed of the material


1


to be pressed so as to convey the material at as even a speed as possible to the rolling mill


1303


.




(Twenty-Fourth Embodiment)




The twenty-fourth embodiment is described next.

FIG. 79

shows the configuration of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the twenty-fourth embodiment. Item numbers refer to the same components as those in FIG.


77


. The present embodiment is different from the embodiment shown in

FIG. 77

, in that a start-stop reduction press machine


1320


is used in place of the flying press machine


1302


shown in

FIG. 77

, in which transfer of the material


1


to be pressed is stopped during pressing, and the other details of the configuration are same. Because the transfer speed adjusting methods are considerably different for the two embodiments, the method is described by referring to FIG.


80


. FIG.


80


(A) shows the transfer speed of the material


1


to be pressed as it passes through the reduction press machine


1320


. One cycle means that of the reduction press machine


1320


. The transfer speed during the pressing period is 0. After completing the pressing of the material, the transfer speed is increased abruptly to recover the delay caused by pressing, and then it is decreased sharply down to the normal speed. When the next cycle of pressing approaches, the speed is adjusted to close to zero. At the rolling-machine-side speed adjusting rolls


1305


, as shown in (B), the deflection absorbs a length of the material when the transfer speed suddenly changes, and the material


1


to be pressed is fed into the rolling mill


1303


at a speed as uniform as possible, but the deflection changes depending on the magnitude of the speed change. Therefore, the plate reduction press apparatus according to the present embodiment can be applied also to a start-stop reduction press machine as well as a flying press machine


1302


.




Obviously from the above, according to the present invention, a press machine and a rolling mill can be operated simultaneously to press and roll a material, respectively, by adjusting the transfer speed of the material to be pressed, when the material flows through the upstream press machine and the downstream rolling mill.




(Twenty-Fifth Embodiment)





FIG. 81

is a view showing the configuration and operations of the plate reduction press apparatus according to the twenty-fifth embodiment of the present invention. Dies


1402


are provided above and below a material


1


to be pressed, and the dies


1402


are moved up and down by crank devices


1403


and press the material


1


. The dies


1402


and the crank devices


1403


are moved backwards and forwards in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed, by means of reciprocating crank devices


1404


. The crank devices


1403


and the reciprocating crank devices


1404


are operated in synchronism with each other. Item numbers indicate various components;


1402




a


for an upper die,


1402




b


for a lower die,


1403




a


for an upper crank device,


1403




b


for a lower crank device,


1404




a


for an upper reciprocating crank device, and


1404




b


for a lower reciprocating crank device. Pinch rolls


1405


are arranged upstream and downstream of the dies


1402


, and control the transfer speed of the material


1


to be pressed, and are controlled by a control device not illustrated. Transfer tables


1406


are installed near the pinch rolls


1405


and transfer the material


1


to be pressed. A looper


1407


is provided downstream of the downstream pinch rolls


1405


and the downstream transfer table


1406


, on the downstream side of the dies


1402


, and the looper holds up a length of the material


1


to be pressed in a loop, to cope with the transfer speed of the material


1


to be pressed in a subsequent system. The transfer device specified in the claim


56


refers to the pinch rolls


1405


.





FIG. 82

is a diagram describing the operations of the crank devices


1403


.


1404


.

FIG. 83

is a curve showing the operations of the crank devices


1403


shown in

FIG. 82

, developed along the crank angle θ, and

FIG. 84

is a diagram showing the speed of the material


1


to be pressed in the direction of flow by the dies


1402


driven by the reciprocating crank devices


1404


in

FIG. 82

, as a function of the crank angle θ. In

FIG. 82

, the letter c denotes the bottom dead center of the upstream crank devices


1403




a


or the top dead center of the downstream crank devices


1403




b


, and the material


1


to be pressed is reduced by the dies


1402


in a range of crank angles θ from b to c


1


, which includes the point c. The speed of the dies


1402


during pressing in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed is shown in

FIG. 84

; Vb, Vc, and Vc


1


indicate the speeds at the points b, c, and c


1


, respectively.





FIG. 85

shows the transfer speed of the material


1


to be pressed, transferred by the pinch rolls


1405


. Vb, Vc and Vc


1


indicate the speeds of the dies


1402


, shown in FIG.


84


. The pinch rolls


1405


convey the material


1


to be pressed at the same speed as the speed of the dies


1402


moved by the reciprocating crank devices


1404


when the crank devices


1403


are causing the dies


1402


to press. In other words, the speed becomes Vb when pressing begins, the same as the dies


1402


, and after reaching the maximum speed Vc, it becomes Vc


1


, i.e. the speed when pressing ends, and after that, the speed changes to the original speed Vb for the beginning of the next pressing operation. The pinch rolls


1405


are controlled in such a manner that the length L is less than the effective pressing length L0 of the dies


1402


shown in

FIG. 81

, where one cycle of the pinch rolls is defined by the time period from the speed Vb when pressing starts to the next speed Vb when pressing starts again, and L represents the distance moved by the material


1


to be pressed during one cycle. As described above, the length L of the material


1


to be pressed is reduced during one cycle of the pinch rolls


1405


(which is the same length as that of one cycle of the crank devices


1403


).




In

FIG. 81

, (A) shows the status at point a, (B) shows the conditions during pressing from point b to c


1


, and (C) shows the conditions at point d, corresponding to d in FIG.


82


. The material is pressed sequentially by the length L each cycle, while repeating steps (A), (B) and (C).




(Twenty-Sixth Embodiment)




The twenty-sixth embodiment is described next.

FIG. 86

is a view showing the configuration of the twenty-sixth embodiment. The twenty-sixth embodiment is provided with the two-dimensional crank devices


1408


which drive the dies


1402


backwards and forwards (the direction of transfer and the direction opposite to the direction of transfer) as well as in the up and down direction. In other words, the two-dimensional crank devices


1408


function like a combination of the crank devices


1403


and the reciprocating crank devices


1404


in the twenty-fifth embodiment. The two-dimensional crank devices


1408


move up, down, and backwards and forwards as they are connected eccentrically to the rotating shafts


1409


. Although the operations are the same as those of the crank devices


1403


and the reciprocating crank devices


1404


, the amplitude of the movement in the up and down direction is the same as the amplitude of the movement in the backward and forward direction. Except for the crank devices


1408


the components are the same as those of the twenty-fifth embodiment.




(Twenty-Seventh Embodiment)




The twenty-seventh embodiment is explained below.

FIG. 87

is a view showing the configuration of the crank type stentering press machine. Stentering dies


1412


are provided at both lateral ends with a material


1


to be pressed between them, and the dies


1412


press the material


1


to be pressed in the lateral direction by means of the lateral crank devices


1413


. The lateral dies


1412


and the lateral crank devices


1413


are moved backwards and forwards in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed, by means of the reciprocating lateral crank devices


1414


. The lateral crank devices


1413


and the reciprocating lateral crank devices


1414


operate in synchronism together. Pinch rolls


1415


are arranged upstream and downstream of the stentering dies


1412


, and control the transfer speed of the material


1


to be pressed, and are controlled by a control device not illustrated. Transfer tables


1416


are provided near the pinch rolls


1415


and transfer the material


1


to be pressed. Although not illustrated, a looper


1417


is arranged downstream of the downstream pinch rolls


1415


of the stentering dies


1412


and the transfer table


1416


, in which the material


1


to be pressed is looped and a surplus length thereof is retained, to match the transfer speed of the material


1


conveyed to a subsequent machine. The reciprocating devices specified in claim


58


correspond to the reciprocating lateral crank devices


1414


, and the transfer devices are represented by the pinch rolls


1415


. Operations of the twenty-seventh embodiment are substantially the same as those of the twenty-fifth embodiment.




In the above descriptions of the twenty-fifth and twenty-seventh embodiments, the reciprocating devices were described as crank devices, but hydraulic cylinders, ball screws, etc. may also be used to give the reciprocating motions.




As shown in the descriptions above, the present invention provides the following advantages as the dies are driven by the crank devices to press the material, and the material is transferred in synchronism with the reciprocating speed during pressing, using transfer devices.




(1) Because the speed of the material to be pressed does not change so much during transfer, no large-capacity transfer devices such as pinch rolls and transfer tables are required.




(2) No high-capacity swinging devices are needed because there are no heavy sliders such as those used in a flying system




(3) Vibration is moderate because of (2) above.




(4) The apparatus according to the present invention can be easily operated together with a subsequent machine by using a looper etc.




(Twenty-Eighth Embodiment)





FIG. 88

is a view showing the plate reduction press apparatus of the twenty-eighth embodiment.

FIG. 89

shows the operation of the twenty-eighth embodiment. Dies


1052


are arranged above and below a material


1


to be pressed, and the dies


1502


are connected to eccentric portions of the crank shafts


1504


of the crank devices


1503


. The crank devices


1503


are provided with eccentric portions rotated by the crank shafts


1504


, and move the dies


1502


up and down, while moving them backwards and forwards in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed. Item numbers refer to components, such as


1502




a


for the upper die,


1502




b


for the lower die,


1503




a


for the upper crank devices, and


1503




b


for the lower crank devices. Pinch rolls


1505


are installed upstream of the dies


1502


and control the transfer speed of the material


1


to be pressed, and are controlled by a controller


1510


. Pinch rolls may also be installed downstream of the dies


1502


. As shown in

FIG. 89

, transfer tables


1506


are arranged in the vicinity of and on the upstream side of the pinch rolls


1505


, and on the downstream side of the dies


1502


, and convey the material


1


to be pressed. A looper


1507


is arranged downstream of the downstream transfer table


1506


, and retains the material


1


to be pressed in the shape of a loop, to match the speed of processing the material


1


to be pressed in a subsequent system.




In

FIG. 88

, the crank device


1503


is provided with a load cell


1511


which measures the pressing force applied to the die


1502




a


. A crank shaft rotation sensor


1512


is also provided and measures the rotation of the crank shaft. Measurement data from the load cell


1511


and the crank shaft rotation sensor


1512


are transmitted to the controller


1510


.




The pinch rolls


1505


are equipped with a pinch roll rotation sensor


1513


that measures the rotation of the pinch rolls


1505


, and outputs the measurement to the controller


1510


. The pinch rolls


1505


are provided with a cylinder


1514


for pressing the material


1


to be pressed, a changeover valve


1515


for switching the direction of supplying fluid to the cylinder


1514


, a pump


1516


for supplying pressurized fluid, a regulating valve


1517


to reduce the output pressure of the pump


1516


, and a tank


1518


for storing the fluid. The regulating valve


1517


is controlled by the controller


1510


, to change the pressure of the pinch rolls


1505


applied to the material


1


to be pressed, to P


1


or P


2


.




The operations are described next.

FIG. 89

shows the operations of the crank devices


1503


and the dies


1502


during a period of one revolution of the crank shafts


1504


of the crank devices


1503


(this period is defined as one cycle).

FIG. 90

is a diagram showing the relationship between the angle of rotation and pressing for the crank shafts


1504


of the crank devices


1503


. The operations of the upper crank device


1503




a


are described. The operations of the lower crank device


1503




b


are the same as those of the upper crank device


1503




a


as far as backward and forward movements are concerned (movement in the downstream direction is considered the forward movement), although the up and down movements are in the opposite direction. Points a, c, b and d represent top dead center, bottom dead center, most upstream point and most downstream point, respectively, of the movement of the dies


1502


. The starting point of a cycle is point b, and in the range b-c-d, movement is in the forward direction, and in the range d-a-b, movement is in the backward direction. From the time R, the material


1


begins to be pressed and pressing is completed at S after passing c. FIG.


89


(A) shows the status at point b, and (B) at point c and (C) at point d. The distance between points b and d is the distance that the dies move in one cycle. The distance L that the material


1


to be pressed moves in a cycle is adjusted so as not to exceed the effective pressing length L0 of the dies


1502


in the transfer direction, to assure complete pressing.





FIG. 91

shows the output of the load cell


1511


, the crank shaft rotation sensor


1512


and pinch roll rotation sensor


1513


, and the pressing force on the pinch rolls


1505


, adjusted by controlling the regulating valve


1517


with the controller


1510


using the measurement data. (a) Is a graph of the movements or speeds of the dies


1502


as a function of the crank angle, obtained by developing

FIG. 90

along the crank angle. The pressing range R to S is shown by the hatched areas. (b) shows the outputs of the load cell, produced during the pressing range R to S with a peak intermediate between R and S. (c) shows the feeding speeds of the pinch rolls


1505


; the speed in the pressing range R to S is the speed of the dies


1502


between R and S, plus or minus the elongation speed of the material


1


due to pressing, and when the pinch rolls


1505


are located on the upstream side of the dies


1502


as shown in

FIG. 88

, the elongation speed in the upstream direction is subtracted from the transfer speed to compensate for the speed of the material extending in the upstream direction, and when the rolls are located the downstream side as shown in

FIG. 90

, the elongation speed in the downstream direction is added to the transfer speed to correct for the speed of the material extending in the downstream direction.




The status shown in (d) is that the controller


1510


has detected the point R where pressing begins by means of the crank shaft rotation sensor


1512


, or has detected the point R when the pressing load increases by means of the load cell


1511


, and the controller has reduced the pressing force of the pinch rolls


1505


from P


1


to P


2


which is lower than P


1


, and then at the point S where pressing ends, the force has been returned to the original value P


1


. By decreasing the pressing force of the pinch rolls


1505


as described above, the material


1


to be pressed, the press machine and pinch rolls


1505


can be protected from the occurrence of flaws or damage even if the combination speed of the speed of the dies


1502


subtracted by the elongation speed of the material deviates from the speed of the pinch rolls


1505


. In the above, either the load cell


1511


or the crank shaft rotation sensor


1512


has to be provided.




(e) shows a case in which the controller


1510


detects an angle at a time earlier than the point R where pressing begins by a time t by means of the crank shaft rotation sensor


1512


, and at that time, the pressing force of the pinch rolls


1505


has been reduced from P


1


to P


2


lower than P


1


, and at the point S where pressing ends, the pressing force has been returned to the original value P


1


. Thus, the pinch rolls


1505


reduce the gripping force on the material


1


to be pressed before the dies


1502


catch the material


1


, so that the material


1


to be pressed can be firmly caught by the dies


1502


without slipping. As in the case of (d), the material


1


to be pressed, the press machine and the pinch rolls


1505


can be protected from the occurrence of flaws or damage even if the combination speed of the speed of the dies


1502


subtracted by the elongation speed of the material differs from the speed of the pinch rolls


1505


.




(Twenty-Ninth Embodiment)





FIG. 92

shows the twenty-ninth embodiment. With the present embodiment, the pinch rolls


1505


of the twenty-eighth embodiment shown in

FIG. 88

are changed to the downstream side of the dies


1502


, and all other components are the same as those of the twenty-eighth embodiment. According to such a downstream arrangement, the transfer speed of the pinch rolls


1505


while the dies


1502


are pressing, becomes the combination speed of the speed of the dies plus the elongation speed of the material


1


to be pressed.




(Thirtieth Embodiment)





FIG. 93

illustrates the thirtieth embodiment. The present embodiment combines the twenty-eighth embodiment shown in FIG.


88


and the twenty-ninth embodiment in FIG.


93


.




As can easily be understood from the explanation above according to the present invention, the material is transferred while being pressed by the dies, and the pressing force of the pinch rolls is reduced when the dies are pressing, so the following advantages are provided.




(1) Because the transfer speed of the material to be pressed does not change significantly, the transfer devices such as pinch rolls and transfer tables do not need to have a large capacity.




(2) Because no heavy sliders are provided, unlike a flying system, no high-capacity swinging devices are needed.




(3) Even a long (heavy) slab can be securely speeded up and slowed down to feed it precisely at the required rate.




(4) The material to be pressed is protected from being flawed due to slipping without applying an excessive load on the equipment, even when there is a difference between the speeds of feeding the material by the dies and the pinch rolls, during pressing.




(5) Slipping between the material to be pressed and the dies is minimized.




(Thirty-First Embodiment)





FIG. 94

shows the configuration of the plate reduction press apparatus of the present embodiment. Dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


are provided above and below a material (slab)


1


to be pressed, and each of the dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


is connected to an eccentric portion of crank shafts


1604


provided on each of the upper and lower crank devices


1603




a


,


1603




b


. The dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


connected to the eccentric portions are driven up and down to press the material


1


to be pressed, while the material is transferred in the direction of flow.




On the upstream and downstream sides of the material


1


to be pressed with respect to the dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


, inlet transfer devices


1605


and outlet transfer devices


1606


are provided, respectively; each of transfer devices


1605


,


1606


is composed of, from the closest point to the farthest point from the dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


, feed rolls


1607


, pinch rolls


1608


and a transfer table


1609


. The feed rolls


1607


are comprised of rolls that convey the material


1


to be pressed and hydraulic cylinders that raise and lower the rolls, thereby the transfer height of the material


1


to be pressed can be adjusted. Although feed rolls


1607


are installed on the upstream and downstream sides of the dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


, a plurality of feed rolls may also be provided. Pinch rolls


1608


are composed of rolls arranged above and below the material


1


to be pressed, and hydraulic cylinders that press each roll, and the pinch rolls pinch and press the material


1


to be pressed; the upstream pinch rolls


1608


push the material into the dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


, and the downstream pinch rolls


1608


pull it out of the dies


1602




a


,


1602




b.






The transfer table


1609


is composed of a frame


1609




a


extending in the direction of flow of the material


1


to be pressed, a plurality of transfer rollers


1609




b


arranged above the frame


1609




a


, up/down guides


1609




c


that guide the frame


1609




a


when moving up and down, and up/down cylinders


1609




d


for moving the frame


1609




a


up and down. The up and down movement can also be replaced with either a parallel lifting or a tilting method. A controller


1610


controls the crank devices


1603




a


,


1603




b


, the feed rolls


1607


, pinch rolls


1608


and transfer tables


1609


.




The operation is described next. The controller


1610


is previously provided with information about the thickness of the material to be input and pressed, the amount of reduction during pressing, etc., therefore based on these data, the controller sets the transfer height of feed rolls


1607


, pinch rolls


1608


and transfer table


1609


of the inlet transfer device


1605


to the height of the pressing center line (particular to the press machine) subtracted by ½ of the thickness of the material


1


to be pressed, and the controller also sets the transfer height of the feed rolls


1607


, pinch rolls


1608


and transfer table


1609


of the outlet transfer device


1606


, to the height of the pressing center line subtracted by ½ of the thickness of the material


1


after being pressed. In addition, the upper rolls of the upstream and downstream pinch rolls


1608


are raised to the highest limit, and the upper and lower dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


are also fully opened. Under these circumstances, the material


1


to be pressed is transferred between the dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


, and while the material is being pressed by the upper and lower dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


, the material is fed out in the forward direction (the direction of flow of the material


1


to be pressed).





FIG. 95

shows the up and down movements of the press machine and the backward and forward movements during one cycle. (A) is the starting state of one cycle, and the dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


are open and located in the most upstream position. (B) shows the status in which the dies are moving in the downstream direction while pressing. (C) is the state in which pressing is completed and the dies have moved to the most downstream position. During these operations the transfer speeds of the feed rolls


1607


, pinch rolls


1608


and transfer tables


1609


of the inlet transfer devices


1605


and outlet transfer devices


1606


are adjusted to be identical to the forward moving speed of the dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


during pressing.




(Thirty-Second Embodiment)





FIG. 96

shows the thirty-second embodiment. The equipment configuration is the same as that of the thirty-first embodiment shown in

FIG. 94

, but the operation is different. When a material


1


to be pressed is bypassed through the press machine or the material is conveyed backwards because of a problem that has occurred in the material


1


being pressed, the transfer levels of the inlet transfer devices


1605


and the outlet transfer devices


1606


are made the same as each other, and the upper and lower dies


1602




a


,


1602




b


are fully opened, and the material is conveyed in the condition that the upper surface of the lower die


1602




b


is lower than the transfer level. At that time, the upper rolls of the inlet and outlet pinch rolls


1608


are raised to the highest point, so that the material


1


to be pressed is not constrained




Obviously from the description above, according to the present invention, the transfer level of the inlet transfer device is adjusted to the height of the press center line subtracted by one half of the thickness of the material to be input and pressed, and the transfer level of the outlet transfer device is set to the height of the press center line subtracted by a half of the thickness of the material after being pressed, thereby the material after being pressed will not warp or otherwise be deflected, and the transfer devices can be protected from being damaged. When the material to be or being pressed is bypassed through the press machine, the inlet and outlet transfer devices are set at the same transfer level, and the dies are fully opened, so that the material can be conveyed smoothly through the press machine.




Although the present invention has been explained by referring to a number of preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the scope of claims included in the specification of the present invention should not be limited only to the embodiments described above. To the contrary, the scope of rights according to the present invention shall include all modifications, corrections or the like as long as they are included in the scope of the claims attached.



Claims
  • 1. A plate reduction press apparatus comprising dies arranged vertically opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line in which a material to be shaped is transferred horizontally, and moving towards and away from the transfer line in synchronism with each other,a plurality of upstream table rollers arranged on the upstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the lower surface of the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies, can be supported substantially horizontally, a downstream table disposed at a height, a first and a second of downstream up and down table rollers arranged on the downstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the downstream up and down table rollers can be raised and lowered and can support the lower surface of the material after being shaped and fed out of the dies, the first downstream up and down table roller being disposed at a height in close vicinity of a main press apparatus unit on the downstream side of the transfer line, and extending substantially horizontally along the transfer line in a manner such that the first downstream up and down table roller can be moved up and down, the second downstream up and down table roller being disposed downstream of the first downstream up and down table roller, and is raised and lowered so that the height of an upstream end is disposed identical to the height of the first downstream up and down table roller, and the height of a downstream end is disposed slightly higher than the height of the downstream table, and a plurality of downstream table rollers arranged on the downstream side of the downstream up and down table rollers on the transfer line in such a manner that the lower surface of the material after being shaped and fed out of the dies can be supported substantially horizontally at a height substantially the same as the height of the said upstream table rollers.
  • 2. A method of operating the plate reduction press apparatus specified in claim 1, in whichwhen a long material to be shaped is inserted between both dies, and reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness, the vertical positions of the downstream up and down table rollers near the dies are determined in such a manner that the material after being shaped and fed out of the dies is substantially horizontal, and the vertical positions of the downstream up and down table rollers on the side farther from the dies are determined in such a manner that the material being shaped gradually descends towards the downstream table rollers.
  • 3. The method of operating the plate reduction press apparatus specified in claim 2, in whichwhen a long material to be shaped is not reduced or formed in the direction of the plate thickness by the dies, the positions of the upper surfaces of the downstream up and down table rollers are determined to be identical to the positions of the upper surfaces of the downstream table rollers.
  • 4. A plate reduction press apparatus comprisingdies arranged vertically opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line in which a material to be shaped is transferred horizontally, and moving towards and away from the transfer line in synchronism with each other; an upstream table disposed at a height; a first and a second of upstream up and down table rollers arranged on the upstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the upstream up and down table rollers can be raised and lowered, and can support the lower surface of the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies; the second upstream up and down table roller being disposed at a height in close vicinity of a main press apparatus unit on the upstream side of the transfer line, and extending substantially horizontally along the transfer line in a manner such that it can be moved up and down; the first upstream up and down table roller is raised and lowered so that the height of a downstream end becomes identical to the height of the second downstream up and down table roller, and has an upstream end disposed slightly lower than the height of the upstream table, and a plurality of downstream table rollers arranged on the downstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the lower surface of the material being shaped and fed out of the dies can be supported.
  • 5. A method of operating the plate reduction press apparatus specified in claim 4, in whichwhen a long material to be shaped is inserted between both dies, and reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness, the vertical positions of the upstream up and down table rollers near the dies are determined in such a manner that the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies, is substantially horizontal.
  • 6. A method of operating the plate reduction press apparatus specified in claim 4, in whichwhen a long material to be shaped is not reduced or formed in the direction of the plate thickness by the dies, the positions of the upper surfaces of the upstream up and down table rollers are determined to be identical to the positions of the upper surfaces of the downstream table rollers.
  • 7. A plate reduction pressing method, in the transfer method of transfer devices that are arranged upstream and downstream of a press machine and can adjust the transfer height of a material to be pressed as specified in claim 4, in whichwhen the material to be pressed is passed through the press machine, the press dies are opened vertically in such a manner that the material to be pressed does not contact the dies, and both transfer devices transfer the material to be pressed at the same height.
  • 8. A plate reduction press apparatus comprisingdies arranged vertically opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line in which a material to be shaped is transferred horizontally, and moving towards and away from the transfer line in synchronism with each other; an upstream table disposed at a height; a downstream table disposed at a height; a first and a second of upstream up and down table rollers arranged on the upstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the upstream up and down table rollers can be raised and lowered, and can support the lower surface of the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies; the second upstream up and down table roller being disposed at a height in close vicinity of a main press apparatus unit on the upstream side of the transfer line, and extending substantially horizontally along the transfer line in a manner such that it can be moved up and down; the first upstream up and down table roller is raised and lowered so that the height of a downstream end becomes identical to the height of the second downstream up and down table roller, and has an upstream end disposed slightly lower than the height of the upstream table; a first and a second of downstream up and down table rollers arranged on the downstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the downstream up and down table rollers can be raised and lowered and can support the lower surface of the material after being shaped and fed out of the dies; the first downstream up and down table roller being disposed at a height in close vicinity of a main press apparatus unit on the downstream side of the transfer line, and extending substantially horizontally along the transfer line in a manner such that the first downstream up and down table roller can be moved up and down; the second downstream up and down table roller being disposed downstream of the first downstream up and down table roller, and is raised and lowered so that the height of an upstream end is disposed identical to the height of the first downstream up and down table roller, and the height of a downstream end is disposed slightly higher than the height of the downstream table; and a plurality of downstream table rollers arranged on the downstream side of the downstream up and down table rollers on the transfer line in such a manner that the lower surface of the material after being shaped and fed out of the dies can be supported substantially horizontally at a height substantially the same as the height of the said upstream table rollers.
  • 9. A method of operating the plate reduction press apparatus specified in claim 8, in whichwhen a long material to be shaped is inserted between both dies, and reduced and formed in the direction of the plate thickness, the vertical positions of the upstream up and down table rollers near the dies and the downstream up and down table rollers from the dies are determined in such a manner that the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies, and the material after being shaped and fed out of the dies are substantially horizontal.
  • 10. A method of operating the plate reduction press apparatus specified in claim 8, in whichwhen a long material to be shaped is not reduced or formed in the direction of the plate thickness by the dies, the positions of the upper surfaces of the upstream up and down table rollers and the downstream table rollers are determined to be identical to each other.
  • 11. A plate reduction press apparatus comprisinginlet transfer devices that are arranged upstream of the press machine, and transfer a material to be pressed, and can be raised and lowered, and outlet transfer devices that are arranged downstream of the press machine, and transfer the material being pressed, and can be raised and lowered, in which each of the transfer devices is composed of, from the closest point to the farthest point from the dies, feeds rolls, pinch rolls and a transfer table, the feed rolls comprising rolls conveying the material to be pressed, and hydraulic cylinders that raise and lower the rolls, thereby adjusting a transfer height of the material to be pressed, the pinch rolls comprising rolls arranged above and below the material to be pressed, and hydraulic cylinders that press each roll, and the pinch rolls pinch and press the material to be pressed, the upstream pinch rolls pushing the material into the dies, and the downstream pinch rolls pulling the material out of the dies, the transfer table comprising a frame extending in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed, a plurality of transfer rollers arranged above the frame, up/down guides disposed to guide the frame when moving up and down, and up/down cylinders disposed to move the frame up and down, the inlet transfer devices are adjusted to transfer height according to information about the thickness of the material to be pressed, that has been input, in such a manner that the center line of the thickness of the material to be pressed agrees with the center line of the press machine, and the outlet transfer devices are adjusted to a transfer height according to information about the thickness of the material after being pressed, in such a manner that the center line of the thickness of the material agrees with the center line of the press machine.
  • 12. A plate reduction press apparatus according to claim 11, such thatwhen the material to be pressed is passed through the press machine without being pressed, the upper and lower dies are open, and the transfer heights of the said inlet transfer devices and the said outlet transfer devices are determined to be identical to each other and higher than the upper surface of the lower die in the open position.
  • 13. A plate reduction pressing method, using a plurality of transfer devices that are arranged upstream and downstream of a press machine having a pressing center line at a height, the transfer devices comprising feed rolls, pinch rolls, and a transfer table, each such device having an adjustable transfer height, wherebased on the thickness of a material to be input and pressed, and an amount of reduction during pressing, the transfer height of the transfer devices is set so that the transfer heights of the feed roll, pinch roll, and transfer table upstream of the press machines are set equal to the height of the pressing center line minus half the thickness of the material before pressing, and the transfer heights of the feed roll, pinch roll, and transfer table downstream of the press machines are set equal to the height of the pressing center line minus half the thickness of the material after pressing, so that the transfer devices can transfer the material to be pressed or being pressed while the transfer devices maintain the height of the center line of the thickness of the material to be pressed, in an unchanged manner during transfer.
Priority Claims (16)
Number Date Country Kind
8-250983 Sep 1997 JP
8-277490 Oct 1997 JP
8-280414 Oct 1997 JP
8-288638 Oct 1997 JP
8-324669 Nov 1997 JP
8-332569 Dec 1997 JP
8-338375 Dec 1997 JP
8-338376 Dec 1997 JP
9-34744 Feb 1998 JP
9-37012 Feb 1998 JP
9-37013 Feb 1998 JP
9-42326 Feb 1998 JP
9-42328 Feb 1998 JP
9-166546 Jun 1998 JP
9-167981 Jun 1998 JP
9-167985 Jun 1998 JP
Parent Case Info

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/105,436, filed Mar. 26, 2002, which in turn is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/912,505, filed Jul. 26, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,323, issued Oct. 22, 2002, which in turn is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/308,293 filed May 12, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,516, issued Jan. 29, 2002, which is a continuation of PCT/JP98/04092 the entire disclosures of the above applications are considered to be part of the present disclosure and are specifically incorporated by reference herein.

US Referenced Citations (22)
Number Name Date Kind
1549527 Fielding Aug 1925 A
2402546 Gaykowski Jun 1946 A
2603989 Sheperdson Jul 1952 A
3054439 Hallam Sep 1962 A
3114276 Uebing et al. Dec 1963 A
3133343 Kratkay May 1964 A
3209578 Muller Oct 1965 A
3460370 Kralowetz Aug 1969 A
3485081 Kocks Dec 1969 A
3583186 Andersson Jun 1971 A
3583192 Kocks Jun 1971 A
3584489 Peytavin Jun 1971 A
3728890 Kocks et al. Apr 1973 A
3850022 Kralowetz et al. Nov 1974 A
3921429 Sendzimir Nov 1975 A
3955391 Wilson May 1976 A
5077999 Rohde Jan 1992 A
5146781 Wilson et al. Sep 1992 A
5313813 Heitze et al. May 1994 A
5331833 Heitze Jul 1994 A
5435165 Morel et al. Jul 1995 A
5617985 Baer Apr 1997 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (10)
Number Date Country
3837643 May 1990 DE
46-5044 Feb 1971 JP
60-115302 Jun 1985 JP
61-180635 Aug 1986 JP
61-222651 Oct 1986 JP
02-014139 Apr 1990 JP
02-175011 Jul 1990 JP
2-175011 Jul 1990 JP
1507470 Sep 1989 SU
9002004 Mar 1990 WO
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
European Search Report issued in EP 98 94 1824 dated Apr. 9, 2003 and mailed Apr. 25, 2003.
Continuations (1)
Number Date Country
Parent PCT/JP98/04092 Sep 1998 US
Child 09/308293 US