ROLL STAND FOR ABSORBING ROLLING FORCES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a roll stand for absorbing rolling forces of at least three rolls mounted on both sides in bearing seats of the roll stand that absorb rolling forces, in each instance, wherein at least the bearing seats of one roll are disposed in a stand body jointly with a bearing seat of another roll, in each instance.

2. Description of the Related Art

Roll stands of the stated type are well known from the state of the art and they have already been used successfully for a long time in connection with rolling of elongated material. In this connection, these roll stands serve as bearing stands, in which quick-release roll shafts of rolls can be mounted so as to rotate. Roll elements fixed in place on these quick-release roll shafts form a central roll pass opening through which the elongated material is passed for rolling. In this connection, multiple rolls, generally three or four rolls, are disposed on the roll stand, in each instance, in one plane. In order to be able to roll elongated material that is being passed along a rolling line or axial processing segment multiple times, one directly after the other, a plurality of roll stands of the stated type are generally disposed one behind the other along the rolling line or the axial processing segment. It is understood that refitting of such rolling machines to a different roll pass or also wear-related refitting is connected with a correspondingly great refitting effort, because the roll elements fixed in place on the quick-release roll shafts on each of the roll stands have to be replaced accordingly, in order to set the rolling machine to the new roll pass. For this purpose, the quick-release roll shafts are pulled out of their bearing seats situated on the roll stand, in each instance, and, after replacement of the roll elements, pushed or inserted back into the bearing seats. Often, the roll stands are structured as displaceable cassette units, which are displaceably mounted radially to the rolling line or axial processing segment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the task of the present invention to further develop these roll stands, of the stated type, in such a manner that such refitting is simplified, at least with regard to its adjustment.

In this connection, the point of departure for the solution is the basic recognition that the stand bodies on which the rolls are mounted by way of bearing seats and the related bearing seats hold a key function. These essential functions of the roll stand, which are otherwise implemented by stand plates and the connection to the stand bodies and thereby to the bearing seats, are implemented by the stand bodies or by the bearing seats themselves. This fundamental recognition can be implemented cumulatively or alternatively, in different aspects.

The task of the invention is accomplished by a roll stand for absorbing rolling forces of at least three rolls mounted in bearing seats that absorb rolling forces, disposed on both sides, in each instance, wherein the bearing seats of one roll are disposed in a stand body jointly with a bearing seat of another roll, in each instance, and wherein the roll stand is characterized in that one of the stand bodies has fixed bearings of the two related rolls, in each instance, and/or one of the stand bodies has floating bearings of the two related rolls, in each instance.

In this regard, in a first bearing variant, the bearing seats of a stand body can have fixed bearings of the two rolls belonging to these bearing seats, in each instance. In this way, the two related rolls are positioned precisely and correctly relative to one another, without any great adjustment activities. In a second bearing variant, the bearing seats of a stand body can have floating bearings of the two rolls belonging to these bearing seats, so that adaptation or adjustment of the position of this stand body can take place in accordingly simple manner and without complicated adjustment activities.

It is understood that if necessary, one stand body can have fixed bearings, in each instance, and one stand body can have floating bearings, in each instance, so that accordingly, the advantages can be implemented cumulatively. Possibly the geometries do not allow a corresponding distribution in all the stand bodies, so that if necessary, one of the stand bodies must or can have both fixed bearings and floating bearings, and this arrangement might cause slightly more complicated adjustment, accordingly.

By means of these two new bearing variants, particularly simple roll adjustment when refitting to a different roll pass is possible, because on the side of the fixed bearings, in particular, no renewed adjustment of the roll shafts is required. On the side of the floating bearings, the bearing seats of the roll shaft, in each instance, can self-adjust. In this regard, refitting of the roll stands to a different roll pass turns out to be particularly simple.

Advantageously, a universally usable roll stand is created by the present roll stand. This roll stand combines the advantages of the quick-release axis construction, with regard to simpler roll replacement, with the advantages of the construction of a bearing pulled into the rolls, with an optimized, smallest possible roll diameter.

The present roll stands can particularly be both adjustable and non-adjustable 3-roll or 4-roll roll stands for finish-rolling of pipes, rod steel, or wire, particularly with regard to a sizing mill, abbreviated SM, or a stretch-reducing mill, abbreviated SRM.

The roll stands preferably house multiple rolls that are disposed in one plane, form a central roll pass opening, and are driven, the roll shafts of which are ideally mounted to rotate in roll stands configured as movable cassette units.

The present roll stands can thereby be universally used in all known, fixed or also adjustable roll stand constructions with optimized roll diameter, whereby in particular, roll stands having a drive distribution that lies on the inside, by way of meshing bevel gears (I construction) and roll stands in which the individual roll shafts are driven separately (A construction) are included.

The roll shafts are preferably structured as free-floating axis elements and, in this connection, can be braced, in torsion-free manner against inner rings of the bearing units, using a threaded rod and a corresponding nut, whereby the fixed bearings guarantee the axial positions of the rolls, and the floating bearings remain displaceable by way of the inner rings having multi-wedge profiles.

One embodiment variant furthermore provides that one of the stand bodies has the two fixed bearings of the related rolls and the other of the two stand bodies has the floating bearings of, the two related rolls, because in this way, in particular, simple roll adjustment can be achieved.

Furthermore, the present task is also accomplished, according to another aspect of the invention, by an alternative roll stand for absorbing rolling forces of at least three rolls mounted on both sides in bearing seats of the roll stand that absorb rolling forces, in each instance. At least the bearing seats of one roll are disposed in a stand body jointly with a bearing seat of another roll, in each instance. The two stand bodies in the roll stand are connected with a force element that acts exclusively between the two stand bodies and/or with a force element disposed radially outside of and axially at the height of the rolls, and/or that the force element is active parallel to the roll axis.

In this way, too, roll adjustment when replacing the rolls can be significantly simplified, because if the configuration is suitable, in particular, the stand bodies can be directly connected with one another, on the one hand, without having to be held together by installation elements that take up additional construction space and must be additionally mounted and removed.

Ideally, force elements in this regard can be disposed or provided within the stand bodies. In this way, no additional construction space is taken up by the force elements outside of the stand bodies. On the other hand, such a force element has no or only a slight protrusion, small enough to be ignored, because it generally runs parallel with regard to the roll axis lying closest to it.

The term “force element” describes, in the sense of the invention, any functional body elements by means of which a physical, force-fit connection between two functional components, such as the present stand bodies, for example, can be produced.

For example, a screw element or an articulated element can be provided as a force element that acts between the two stand bodies, whereby this screw element or articulated element only acts between two of the stand bodies.

It is understood that the force element disposed radially outside of and axially at the height or in the region of the rolls can be structured in many different ways; for example, this force element can also have a ring beam or the like.

According to another aspect of the invention, the present task is also accomplished by a roll stand for absorbing rolling forces of at least three rolls mounted on both sides in bearing seats of the roll stand that absorb rolling forces, in each instance, wherein at least the bearing seats of one roll are disposed in a stand body jointly with a bearing seat of another roll, in each instance. All the stand bodies form the roll stand, with shape fit.

By means of the shape fit that is achieved in this way, particularly simple roll adjustment when replacing the rollers is also possible, because it is possible to do without an additional roll stand frame. Furthermore, the dimensions of the roll stand can be advantageously reduced, with a corresponding configuration.

It is advantageous, particularly in this connection, if the force element comprises a screw element or a tie rod element, because this further simplifies roll adjustment.

If the force element is disposed axially within a roll pass bottom, in other words in the region of the lowest recess of the rolls, it can be placed sufficiently centrally, with a simple design, for one thing. For another, in this way the dimension of the roll stand can be further reduced.

In this regard, it is advantageous if the force element is disposed cumulatively axially in the region of a roll recess of the roll stand for a roll drive journal of the rolls, so that sufficiently central placement can already be guaranteed in this way. Furthermore, in this way the force element is subjected to the least possible tensile stress by the rolling forces.

Furthermore, the task of the invention is also accomplished by a roll stand for absorbing rolling forces of at least three rolls mounted on both sides in bearing seats of the roll stand that absorb rolling forces, in each instance, wherein at least the bearing seats of one roll are disposed in a stand body jointly with a bearing seat of another roll, in each instance. The two stand bodies in the roll stand in contact with one another by way of a contact surface.

Because the two stand bodies stand in contact with one another by way of a common contact surface, roll adjustment during roll replacement can also be simplified. This simplification results from, among other things, the ability of the two stand bodies to interact with one another in such a manner that they are directly connected with one another, so that it is possible to do without an additional roll stand frame or the like, for example, thereby making it possible to simplify the installation work, which comprises roll adjustment, as a whole.

According to another aspect of the invention, the given task is also accomplished by a roll stand for absorbing rolling forces of at least three rolls mounted on both sides in bearing seats of the roll stand that absorb rolling forces, in each instance, wherein at least the bearing seats of one roll are disposed in a stand body jointly with a bearing seat of another roll, in each instance, wherein the two stand bodies are directly connected with one another by way of a contact surface.

In this regard, the two stand bodies are connected with one another in such a manner that they themselves can form a frame unit of the roll stand, in operationally reliable manner, which frame can furthermore be opened in simple manner, if necessary, thereby making refitting very simple. For example, work forces generated by means of rolling or the like can be transferred directly by way of this contact surface, so that these two stand bodies can directly support themselves on one another, by implication.

In this connection, the contact surface, similar to the force element already mentioned above, can preferably be provided in the region of a roll pass bottom or in the region of a roll recess of the roll stand. This arrangement in turn makes it possible to guarantee the least possible stress in the region of the contact surface.

In this connection, in particular, it is advantageous if the connection takes place by way of an articulation or by way of a releasable connection, for example a screw connection.

If the contact surface is disposed in a low-force region, possible articulated connections or screw connections can be dimensioned to be smaller, because they have to absorb less working forces or the like.

Also, accordingly, the task set here is accomplished, according to an additional aspect of the invention, by a roll stand for absorbing rolling forces of at least three rolls mounted on both sides in bearing seats of the roll stand that absorb rolling forces, in each instance, and wherein at least the bearing seats of one roll are disposed in a stand body jointly with a bearing seat of another roll, in each instance, wherein the roll stand is characterized in that the two stand bodies are connected with one another in a low-rolling-force region of the roll stand.

In this way, it can be guaranteed that the force elements or other components and/or stand body regions that connect the two stand bodies are relieved of stress as comprehensively as possible, so that they can be dimensioned to be smaller, and therefore construction space can be saved, as well.

In this regard, it is advantageous if the two stand bodies are connected with one another on a side of the roll that lies opposite the roll pass.

Furthermore, the task of the invention is also accomplished by a roll stand for absorbing rolling forces of at least three rolls mounted on both sides in bearing seats of the roll stand that absorb rolling forces, in each instance, wherein at least the bearing seats of one roll are disposed in a stand body jointly with a bearing seat of another roll, in each instance. The two stand bodies in the roll stand can be displaced, relative to one another, in a guide.

In this way, too, particularly simple roll adjustment is possible during roll replacement, because the two stand bodies are guided relative to one another when replacing the rolls. It is understood that in this way, handling of the stand bodies can be structured significantly more simply.

It is advantageous if the guide comprises two lateral stand plates, so that at least two of the stand bodies can be easily displaced relative to one or more stand bodies of the roll stand. These stand plates can be made available in many different ways. Preferably, they are simultaneously formed by one of the stand bodies, so that no further components are required for this arrangement.

Furthermore, it is also advantageous if the guide acts directly between the bearing seats, for example as a swivel joint. In this way, the stand bodies can be folded toward one another essentially centrally in the region of the roll elements, thereby making it possible to structure access to the roll elements in particularly simple manner.

The task of the invention is also accomplished by a roll stand for absorbing rolling forces of at least three rolls mounted on both sides in bearing seats of the roll stand that absorb rolling forces, in each instance, wherein at least the bearing seats of one roll are disposed in a stand body jointly with a bearing seat of another roll, in each instance. The bearing seats, particularly at least one of the bearings provided in the bearing seat, project into the related roll.

In this way, too, roll adjustment when replacing the rolls can be significantly simplified, because the bearing seat can then help with pre-positioning. In addition, with a suitable configuration of the bearing seats, only a small construction space on the roll stand is required, and this feature is also independent of the mounting in the common bearing seat, which again is advantageous for the creation of a smaller construction space.

At this point, it should be mentioned that other essential aspects of the present invention can be seen in that smaller, interchangeable installation and production units, such as roll stand or cassette units, and improved flexibility in production and procurement, can be achieved using the modular roll stand construction. The construction size range is also expanded. As has already been mentioned, faster, simpler roll replacement with removal of the roll bearing units and/or bevel gear units that have been fitted into the roll stands or corresponding roll bodies is achieved.

Furthermore, smaller roll stand dimensions with the same roll stand stress and the same roll pass diameter can be achieved, thereby achieving an optimized, smaller roll diameter, better forming conditions, smaller roll stand dimension with a smaller roll stand spacing, improved material yield due to lower end losses, lower investment and operating costs, and a compact, stable construction with minimized space requirement, in simple manner.

It is understood that the characteristics of the solutions described above and in the claims can also be combined, if necessary, in order to be able to implement the advantages cumulatively, accordingly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages, goals, and properties of the present invention will be explained using the following description of exemplary embodiments, which are particularly also shown in the attached drawing. The drawing shows:

FIG. 1, schematically, is a view of a first exemplary embodiment of a roll stand having three stand bodies for forming a total of six bearing seats of three rolls;

FIG. 2, schematically, is a further view of the roll stand from FIG. 1 with roll shafts pulled out of the bearing seats;

FIG. 3, schematically, is an exploded view of the roll stand from FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4, schematically, is a further view of the roll stand from FIGS. 1 to 3 without the roll elements that form a roll pass;

FIG. 5, schematically, is a view of a second exemplary embodiment of a roll stand having three stand bodies, at least partly connected with one another in articulated manner, for forming a total of six bearing seats of three rolls;

FIG. 6, schematically, is a further view of the roll stand from FIG. 5 with the roll bodies open;

FIG. 7, schematically, is a view of a third exemplary embodiment of a roll stand having three stand bodies connected with one another by means of screw elements, for forming a total of six bearing seats of three rolls;

FIG. 8, schematically, is an exploded view of the roll stand from FIG. 7;

FIG. 9, schematically, is a view of another exemplary embodiment of an alternative roll stand having four stand bodies for forming eight bearing seats of four rolls;

FIG. 10, schematically, is a further view of the roll stand from FIG. 9 with roll shafts pulled out of the bearing seats;

FIG. 11, schematically, is a further view of the roll stand from FIGS. 9 and 10, without rolling elements;

FIG. 12, schematically, is a perspective view of a rolling mill having a plurality of roll stands that can be disposed one behind the other along a roll train; and

FIG. 13, schematically, is a view, partly in section, of the rolling mill from FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the first exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a roll stand 1 comprises a total of three stand bodies 2, 3, and 4, in which three rolls 5, 6, and 7 are mounted concentrically about a rolling line 8 or an axially extending processing segment, whereby the three rolls 5, 6, and 7 form a roll pass 8A for rolling a rolled material, not shown here.

Each of the rolls 5, 6, and 7 consists of a roll shaft 9, 10, and 11, respectively, and a related roll element 12, 13, and 14, respectively, whereby these three roll elements 12, 13, and 14 form the roll pass 8A, as can be seen particularly well in the representation according to FIGS. 1 to 3.

The stand bodies 2, 3, and 4 are configured with an angle, in each instance, so that they make a corresponding bearing seat 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, and 4A and 4B, respectively, available for two of the three roll shafts 12, 13, and 14.

As is particularly evident according to the representation according to FIG. 4, the first stand body 2 forms the two bearing seats 2A and 2B in the form of a first floating bearing 2C for mounting the first roll shaft 9, and in the form of a second floating bearing 2D for mounting the third roll shaft 11. Accordingly, the second stand body 3 forms a first bearing seat 3A in the form of a first floating bearing 3C for mounting the first roll shaft 9 and a second floating bearing 3B in the form of another floating bearing 3D for mounting the second roll shaft 10. In addition, a fixed bearing 3E is also present on the second stand body 3, for fixing the first roll shaft 9 in place axially. Furthermore, the third stand body 4 also forms a first bearing seat 4A and a second bearing seat 4B, whereby the second roll shaft 10 is mounted in the first bearing seat 4A, and the third roll shaft 11 is mounted in the second bearing seat 4B, on the third stand body 4, in each instance. In this connection, the first bearing seat 4A is designed as a fixed bearing 4C of the third stand body 4, and the second bearing seat 4B is designed as a second fixed bearing 4D of the third stand body 4.

In this exemplary embodiment, the floating bearings 2C, 2D, 3C, 3D are structured as conical roller bearings, in each instance, in an X arrangement, while the first fixed bearing 4C and the second fixed bearing 4D are structured as conical roller bearings, in each instance. The additional fixed bearing 3E is configured as an axial grooved ball bearing acting on two sides.

In this regard, the first roll shaft 9 is mounted about a first quick-release axis or axis of rotation 15, the second roll shaft 10 is mounted about a second quick-release axis or axis of rotation 16, and the third roll shaft 11 is mounted about a third quick-release axis or axis of rotation 17, so as to be replaceable easily, in terms of design, on the one hand, and so as to rotate in the roll stand 1, on the other hand. So that a roll replacement can be undertaken speedily, the roll shafts 9, 10, and 11 are structured as stub shaft elements (not numbered separately here), as can be seen particularly well according to the representations according to FIGS. 2 and 3. Good insertability of the individual roll shafts 9, 10, and 11 is guaranteed, with a simple design, in that the individual roll shafts 9, 10, and 11 are not themselves mounted directly on the stand body 2, 3, and 4, respectively, but rather indirectly by means of corresponding bearing bushing elements 20 (here numbered only as an example), as is also already known from the state of the art.

According to the present first exemplary embodiment, the bearing bushing elements 20 are structured, for one thing, directly as bevel gears 21, 22, 23, and 24. On the other hand, the bearing bushing elements 20 are designed as a dead-end hole bushing 25 or as first and second passage bushings 26 and 27.

Using the bevel gears 23 and 24, the second roll 6 and the third roll 7, respectively, stand in active contact with the bevel gears 21 and 22 of the first roll 5, so that the rolls 6 and 7 can both be driven—in known manner—by the first roll 5. In this regard, the first roll shaft 9 of the first roll 5 is also an input shaft 9A.

The first roll shaft 9 has a total of four multi-wedge profile regions 30, 31, 32, and 33. By means of the first multi-wedge profile region 30, a drive connection with a drive element, not shown here, can be produced. By means of the second multi-wedge profile region 31, a shape-fit connection with the first bevel gear 21 is produced. Accordingly, by means of the third multi-wedge profile region 32, a shape-fit connection with the first roll element 12 is produced, and by means of the fourth multi-wedge profile region 33, a shape-fit connection with the dead-end hole bushing 25 of the second bevel gear 22 is implemented, if the first roll shaft 9 is inserted into the roll stand 1 (see, in particular, FIG. 1).

The second roll shaft 10, in contrast, is equipped with only two multi-wedge profile regions 34 and 35, whereby the second roll shaft 10 stands in active contact with the third bevel gear 23 with the first further multi-edge profile region 34, in this regard, and is connected with the second roll element 13, with shape fit, with the second further multi-wedge profile region 35, in this regard.

Accordingly, the third roll shaft 11 has two other multi-wedge profile regions 36 and 37, whereby the third roll shaft 11 is operatively connected with the fourth bevel gear 24 by means of the first other multi-wedge profile region 36. By means of the second other multi-wedge profile region 37, the third roll shaft 11 is operatively connected with the third roll element 14, with shape fit, if the third roll shaft 11 has been inserted into the roll stand 1 accordingly, as is shown well in the representation according to FIG. 1, for example.

According to the structure of the roll stand 1 as described, the first and second bearing seats 2A and 2B of the first stand body 2 are structured as floating bearings 2C and 2D, in each instance. This arrangement also holds true for the first bearing seat 3A and the second bearing seat 3B of the second stand body 3, because the two bearing seats 3A and 3B, in this regard, are also structured as floating bearings 3C and 3D. In this regard, the rolls 5, 6, and 7 can align themselves, after refitting to a different roll pass 8A, with regard to their positions, automatically adjusting themselves in the stand bodies 2 and 3 of the roll stand 1, so that roll adjustment is correspondingly simplified.

The second roll 6 and the third roll 7 are secured to prevent undesirable axial displacement, by means of the two bearing seats 4A and 4B of the third stand body 4, because these are designed as fixed bearings 4C and 4D, in each instance. In order for the first roll 5 to also be secured against such undesirable axial displacement, the second stand body 3 is additionally equipped, aside from the first and second floating bearings 3C and 3D, with the fixed bearing 3E, by means of which the dead-end hole bushing 25 and thereby also the first axial shaft 9 are mounted on the second stand body 3, correspondingly secured against axial displacement. Thus the first stand body 2 has only floating bearings and the third stand body 4 has only fixed bearings. The second stand body 3 has both fixed bearings and floating bearings, and in this regard represents a mixed form that is unavoidable in such a roll arrangement, by its nature.

Thus the third stand body 4 has two fixed bearings 4C and 4D of the related rolls 6 and 7, and the other stand bodies corresponding with these two rolls 6 and 7 have the floating bearings 3D and 2D.

At this point, it should also be mentioned that the three stand bodies 2, 3, and 4 are braced, with regard to the present roll stand 1, by means of a roll stand frame part that is not shown in any detail here.

The second exemplary embodiment of a roll stand 101 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has essentially the same construction as the roll stand 1 with regard to the first exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, so that only components that are changed or have a different structure will be explained with regard to this second exemplary embodiment, in order to avoid repetition.

The roll stand 101 also comprises three stand bodies 102, 103, and 104, whereby these stand bodies 102, 103, and 104 are operatively connected with one another by means of a force element 150, 151, and 152 disposed between the adjacent stand bodies 102/103 and 103/104 and 104/102, respectively; specifically in such a manner that the stand bodies 102, 103, and 104 absorb the rolling forces and, if they have a suitable configuration, form a roll stand unit without any further roll stand frame (not shown here) that expands this configuration.

In this way, the form of the roll stand 101 can be significantly simplified further, so that an extraordinarily simple adjustment of the rolls 5, 6, and 7 is achieved, for example, when replacing the rolls or changing them to a different roll pass 8A.

The first force element 150 is formed, in this second exemplary embodiment, by a screw connection 153. Here, a threaded bore 154, in this regard, of the screw connection 153 runs parallel to the quick-release axis or axis of rotation 15 of the first roll 5, whereby the actual screw element 155 is inserted into the first stand body 102 or screwed through a passage hole thread 156 and further screwed into a dead-end hole thread 157 in the second stand body 103.

In this regard, the two stand bodies 102 and 103 stand directly in contact with one another by way of first and second contact surfaces 160 and 161 (see FIG. 6). As a result, the requirement of further components forming a roll stand frame is eliminated, thereby further simplifying adjustment when changing the rolls 5, 6, and 7.

The second and third force element 151 and 152, respectively, are formed by an articulated connection, in each instance, or by a corresponding guide 165 and 166, respectively, in each instance. In this connection, the two stand bodies 104/103 and 104/102 can be displaced relative to one another in the guide 165 or 166, in each instance.

In this regard, the first guide 165 of the two stand bodies 104 and 103, relative to one another, is brought about by means of a first swivel joint 167, and the second guide 166 between the third stand body 104 and the first stand body 102 is brought about by means of a second swivel joint 168. Each of the swivel joints 167 and 168 can be implemented so as to be highly stress-resistant, by means of two lateral stand plate elements that are formed by the stand body 104, and one joint tongue element, in each instance, which elements are mounted so as to rotate between the two stand plate elements, in each instance. In this connection, the joint tongue elements are formed by the stand body 102 or 103, in each instance, whereby the joint tongue elements and the stand plate elements are connected with one another so as to rotate, by means of a screw as the axis of rotation.

The guides 165 or 166 or the swivel joints 167 or 168 are furthermore disposed between the bearing seats 4A and 3B or 4B and 2B, in each instance, in regions low in rolling forces.

The roll stand 101 can be built to be very compact, particularly by means of the stand bodies 102, 103, and 104 formed by this design, and their screw connection 153 or articulated connections or guides 165 and 166, because as a result, it is possible to do without an additional roll stand frame (not shown here).

The roll stand 101 can furthermore be built to be even more compact, particularly smaller, if the force elements 150, 151, and 152 are disposed radially outside of and axially at the height of the rolls 5, 6, and 7. This particularly holds true if the force element 150, 151, 152, in each instance, is disposed axially in the vicinity of a roll pass bottom 170 (numbered only as an example here) of the rolls 5, 6, and 7. In this connection, the roll pass bottom 170 is formulated by a region 171 having the deepest recess of the roll 5, 6, 7, in each instance, or of the roll element 12, 13, or 14, in this regard. In particular, the force element 150, 151 or 152, in each instance, can also be disposed sufficiently centrally in this way.

The roll stand 201 shown as a third exemplary embodiment in FIGS. 7 and 8 has essentially the same structure as the two roll stands 1 and 101 already described above. The roll stand 201 differs, however, with regard to its stand bodies 202, 203, and 204, particularly to the effect that in place of the articulated connections or guides 165 and 166 explained above, now only first, second, and third screw connections 253, 275, and 276 are provided. All the screw connections 253, 275, 276 comprise a screw element 255 (numbered only as an example here) as first, second, and third force elements 250, 251, and 252 in each instance, which are screwed into corresponding threaded bores 254, so that the first, second, and third stand bodies 202, 203, and 204 are operatively connected with one another directly, at their first, second, and third contact surface pairings 277, 278, and 279, in each instance. In this way, this roll stand 201 also has a particularly compact construction, so that the work in connection with roll adjustment is significantly simplified. In this connection, the individual stand bodies 202, 203, and 204 are mounted translationally along a first, second, or third displacement axis 202F, 203F or 204F, so as to be displaceable toward the rolling line 8 or away from the rolling line 8, thereby significantly simplifying the handling of the individual stand bodies 202, 203, and 204, and making it possible to undertake a roll placement in accelerated manner in this way. Because all the other components or component groups are identical with the ones described above, these components or component groups are merely provided with reference numbers that are identical with those of the two previous exemplary embodiments with regard to roll stand 1 and 101.

In the fourth exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the roll stand 301 shown there comprises a total of four stand bodies 380, 381, 382, and 383, which are held framed by a roll stand frame 384. Furthermore, the individual stand bodies 380 to 383 are in active contact by means of clamping piece elements 385, 386, 387, and 388 of the roll stand frame 384. In other words, the first stand body 380 and the second stand body 381 support themselves against one another and against the roll stand frame 384 by means of the first clamping piece element 385. Furthermore, the second stand body 381 supports itself with regard to the third stand body 382 by means of a second clamping piece element 386. Furthermore, the third stand body 382 supports itself on the fourth stand body 383 by means of a third clamping piece element 387. And the fourth clamping piece element 388 acts to provide support between the first stand body 380 and the fourth stand body 383.

Using the roll stand frame 384 and the four clamping piece elements 385, 386, 387, and 388, the four individual stand bodies 380, 381, 382, and 383, in total, are clamped into one another to form the roll stand 301, and mounted so as to be displaceable by sliding, as a comparison of FIGS. 10 and 11 shows, whereby such mounting is particularly suitable for the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. In contrast to the three exemplary embodiments described earlier, the roll stand 301 is furthermore also characterized by two input shafts 309A and 309B, which are also defined as quick-release roll elements.

In this regard, the roll stand 301 has two first rolls 305 as well as a second roll 306 and a third roll 307, which together form the roll pass 308A of the roll stand 301 about the rolling line 308.

The two input shafts 309A and 309B rotate about the quick-release axis or axis of rotation 315A and 315B, in each instance, while a roll shaft 311 of the second roll 306 rotates about a second quick-release axis or axis of rotation 316, and a roll shaft 310 of the third roll 307 rotates about a third quick-release axis or axis of rotation 317.

In this connection, the first stand body 380 forms first and second bearing seats 380A and 380B. Accordingly, the second stand body 381 forms first and second bearing seats 381A and 381B, the third stand body 382 forms first and second bearing seats 382A and 382B, and the fourth stand body 383 forms two bearing seats 383A and 383B, accordingly.

The bearing seats 380A and 380B of the first stand body 380 are implemented as floating bearings (not numbered here) in the form of conical roller bearings in an X arrangement.

The first and second bearing seats 381A and 381B of the second stand body 381 are structured as fixed bearings (not numbered), in each instance. These fixed bearing comprise not only an axial groove roller bearing that acts on two sides, but also a two-row radial cylinder bearing.

The two bearing seats 382A and 382B of the third stand body 382, again, are implemented as pure floating bearings, which comprise conical roller bearings in an X arrangement, in each instance.

To this effect, the two bearing seats 383A and 383B of the fourth stand body 383 are, again, configured as fixed bearings (not explicitly numbered here). These fixed bearings of the fourth stand body 383 also comprise an axial grooved roller bearing that acts on two sides, as well as a two-row radial cylinder bearing, in each instance.

The first input shaft 309A is accordingly mounted in the first stand body 380 by means of a bevel gear 389, by way of the floating bearing of the first bearing seat 380A, and on the second stand body 381 by means of a dead-end hole head bushing 390, by way of the fixed bearing of the first bearing seat 381A.

The second input shaft 309B, in contrast, is mounted on the fourth stand body 383 by means of a bearing bushing 391, by way of the fixed bearing of the first bearing seat 383A, and, on the other hand, on the third stand body 382 by means of a head bevel gear 392, by way of the floating bearing of the second bearing seat 382B. In this way, the advantages that have already been explained multiple times, with regard to the simplified roll adjustment, can also be achieved in the roll stand 301 of the fourth exemplary embodiment.

The second roll 306 and the third roll 307 are mounted identically in the roll stand 301, namely by way of a first and second passage bushing 326 and 327, as well as a bevel gear 323 and 324, respectively, in each instance.

The exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 shows a first possible structure of an advantageous rolling mill 1000, in which the roll stands 1, 101, 201, or 301 described earlier can be used and operated.

In this rolling mill 1000, a separate, regulatable drive motor 1002 and a transfer gearbox 1003 having two power take-offs (not shown here) for each roll stand 401 situated on a stand position 1001 in a roll position 1004 is assigned to each stand position 1001. Here, too, the roll stands 401 are structured as displaceable cassette elements. In this connection, the drive motors 1002 rest on a foundation 1005, which also carries the stand positions 1001. In this exemplary embodiment, the roll stands 401 in turn comprise four rolls, in each instance (see, for example, FIGS. 9 to 11), which form a roll pass for a material to be rolled. All the roll stands 401 according to this embodiment are identical in construction, aside from the roll pass diameters, which narrow in a rolling direction 1006 from roll stand 401 to roll stand 401, in this exemplary embodiment, and can change their roll pass in a different form in other exemplary embodiments.

In this exemplary embodiment, the roll stands 401 of the even-numbered stand positions 1001 are disposed in a roll housing, within the rolling line 8 (see FIGS. 1 to 11), inclined by 22.5° with reference to the horizontal, relative to a rolling axis that corresponds to the rolling direction 1006. Accordingly, the roll stands 401 of the odd-numbered stand positions 1001 are disposed in the roll housing, within the rolling line 8, offset by −22.5° with reference to the horizontal, relative to a rolling axis that corresponds to the rolling direction 1006. Accordingly, a roll stand 401 is offset by 45° about the rolling axis with regard to the next adjacent roll stand 401, in each instance.

The individual roll stands 401 sit on a change-over shoe 1007 (see FIG. 13) with rollers, in each instance, in this exemplary embodiment. This special change-over device permits a roll stand replacement within a few minutes, in a very small space.

The roll stand replacement of the even-numbered stand positions 1001 takes place, in the rolling direction 1006, from the right side of the rolling line 8. The roll stand replacement of the odd-numbered stand positions 1001 takes place, in the rolling direction 17, from the left side of the rolling line 8. On each side of the rolling mill 1000, there is a change-over carriage 1008 that is displaceable on rails, not numbered, which are supported by the foundation 1005. This carriage accommodates not only the roll stands 401 that are in use until they are replaced, but also the roll stands 401 that have been prepared for use. Likewise, there is a roll stand pull-out device 1009 having a hydraulic pull-out cylinder, on each side of the rolling mill, for each roll stand 401, which devices are mounted on the foundation 1005, in each instance. Replacement of the individual roll stands 401 is possible without problems, using these roll stand pull-out devices 1009.

The roll stands 401 that are in use are pulled out of the roll housing or out of their stand position 1001 onto the change-over carriage 1008, in each instance, for replacement, using the cylinder of the roll stand pull-out device 1009, whereby they describe an arc on a change-over track 1010, and reach their horizontal position on the change-over carriage 1008 in a change-over position 1011, from the slanted position of 22.5° or −22.5°, respectively in their roll position 1004. Afterward, the change-over carriage 1008 travels along the rolling direction 1006 by a stand spacing. Now, the roll stands 401 that have been made available for being put into a roll position 1004 are situated in front of the roll housing opening or with their change-over position 1011 in front of the stand position 1001, and can be pushed onto the stand position 1001, into the roll position 1004 within the roll housing, using the cylinder of the roll stand pull-out device 1009. When the roll stands 401 reach a slanted position of 22.5° or −22.5°, respectively, as they move on the change-over track, and are brought into the roll position 1004, input couplings 1012 (see FIG. 13) automatically couple, to transfer the drive power of the drive motors 1002 to the roll stands 401.

Automatic coupling of the intake couplings 1012 is facilitated by the slanted position of the change-over track 1010 of 22.5° and −22.5, respectively, in the region of the roll position 1004, because no further forces are required for the coupling process, due to gravity. The roll stand pull-out device 1009 accordingly needs only a fraction of the drive power for moving the roll stands into the roll positions 1004 than for moving the roll stands 401 out after use. Also, the inclined change-over track 1010 brings about great operational reliability during rolling, because the roll stands 401 lie against the stand position 1001, in each instance, because of their own weight, and are positioned in this way. In this regard, additional securing for positioning of the roll stands 401 can be eliminated, if applicable, as is particularly true in this exemplary embodiment.

The roll stands 401 that have been taken out of the rolling mill 1000, which are now accordingly displaced and mounted on the change-over carriage 1008, can be taken off the change-over carriage 1008, using a crane, after rolling operation has been started again, passed to further use, and replaced by new roll stands 401, 1, 101, 201 or 301. Other measures, such as immediate maintenance or the like, can be undertaken there, if necessary. In this exemplary embodiment, the change-over shoes 1007 preferably remain on the change-over carriage 1008 when the roll stands 401 are taken off the change-over carriage 1008. From the two change-over positions 1011, 1011A on the common change-over carriage 1008, it becomes clear that the setup time and thus the shut-down time of the rolling mill 1000 are reduced to a minimum, because the actual transport of the roll stands 401 to the rolling mill and away from the rolling mill is uncoupled from the actual setup.

The alternating arrangement of the roll stands 401 along the roll line 8 or along the rolling direction 1006 offers the further advantage, as can be seen in FIG. 12, that the roll stands 401 are disposed offset from one another by 45°, in each instance, relative to the roll axis. In this way, a burr that might form during rolling is smoothed out again when passing through the next roll stand 401, because abutting edges of the rolls used in each roll stand 401 are situated in a different position, namely offset by 45°, during every pass through a roll stand 401.

In the sectional representation of the rolling mill 1000 according to FIG. 13, the placement of an even-numbered stand position 1001 at an angle of 22.5° to the horizontal and the change-over device disposed on the right side relative to the rolling direction 1006 becomes clear. For the odd-numbered stand positions 1001, the mirror-image placement applies, whereby a drive 1002 of an even-numbered stand position 1001 is disposed underneath the change-over position 1011 of an odd-numbered stand position 1001 in each instance. The alternating arrangement of the drives 1002 furthermore makes the use of stronger drives possible, because now more free space remains for an individual drive, along the rolling direction 1006, and drives that are approximately double and consequently have a higher torque can be used.

The alternating orientation of the change-over tracks 1010, in each instance, furthermore brings about the direct result, in this exemplary embodiment, that sufficient space for a further roll stand 401 remains in one of the change-over positions 1011 or 1011A, between the roll stands 401 in the individual change-over position 1011 or the further change-over position 1011A, because at this height, the stand position 1001 provided there is outfitted or refitted from the other side. Therefore a corresponding set of new roll stands 401 can be made available by means of an offset of the change-over carriage 1008 by a roll stand width.

Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

ROLL STAND FOR ABSORBING ROLLING FORCES

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