Patent Application
20240342777
The present disclosure relates to a rolling mill installation comprising a 20-roll rolling mill, a robotic system configured for extracting rolls and rolling mill from the roll stand or inserting rolls into the stand, and a tool change magazine comprising a set of a gripping tools specific to the nature of the component to be grasped in the roll stand, and in particular four grasping tools specific to grasping work rolls, first intermediate rolls, second intermediate rolls and sets of backup rollers of the 20-roll rolling mill respectively.
The robotic system is configured to automatically couple, selectively, with the specific tools, depending on the component (roll or set of back-up rollers) to be grasped in the roll stand, the component consisting of at least one work roll, a first intermediate roll, a second intermediate roll, and a set of back-up rollers, or also at least one groundboom.
The field of the invention relates more particularly to equipment used for carrying out maintenance operations on a 20-roll rolling mill, also known as a “20-High”. A 20-roll rolling mill is known for example from the prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,377 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,859. In such a rolling mill, the rolls (and sets of back-up rollers) are divided into a lower group and an upper group, and in a configuration symmetrical to the conveying plane of the metal strip to be rolled. For example, FIG. 4 of the document U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,377 illustrates the upper group with a work roll, two first intermediate rolls, three second intermediate rolls, and four sets of backup rollers.
As rolling operations are carried out, it is necessary to renew the surface condition of the rolls of the rolling mill, this operation being performed by opening the access door of the roll stand and removing the rolls from the roll stand. Afterwards, these rolls are rectified, before being inserted back into the roll stand.
Typically, each set of backup rollers comprises a support shaft along which rollers are distributed formed typically by bearings. To this end, the inner race of each bearing is mounted on the support shaft, the outer race of the bearing being intended to run over one, and possibly two contiguous rolls belonging to the second intermediate rolls. All of the backup rollers also comprise a saddle whose arcuate body extends longitudinally over the length of the support shaft, and whose convex face is intended to bear on a concave seat of a mounting portion of the stand. This saddle also has extensions, projecting from the concave face of the body, through which the support shaft passes, the extensions being distributed over the length of the shaft and being in particular disposed between the rollers. Eccentric rings are also provided between the support shaft and these extensions, the shaft having a pinion intended to mesh in the stand of the rolling mill with a corresponding pinion or a rack. This pinion (or this rack) thus allows the support shaft to be driven such that it rotates, and thus allows the position of the support shaft and of the rollers carried thereby to be moved away from or towards the arcuate body of the saddle, thanks to the eccentric rings. Of course, these sets of backup rollers also require maintenance, which is performed by removing this member from the roll stand, along the axis of said support shaft.
The operations of extraction (or setup by insertion) of the internal members, (rolls or sets of backup rollers) are usually performed thanks to a piece of handling equipment secured to the end of the member to be removed (namely to the end of the roll to be removed or of the support shaft of the set of backup rollers to be removed), provided with a counterweight. The counterweight is intended to balance the member to be grasped when handled by the hoist of a bridge crane of the workshop, and in order to keep it substantially horizontal, and while the hook of the hoist grasps a lifting eye positioned on the equipment between the counterweight and the grasped member. During the extraction of the member (or conversely during its setup), the grasped member is rigidly secured to the counterweight of the equipment, which might swing at the lower end of the rope of the hoist.
During the extraction manoeuvres, the operators are necessarily present proximate to the grasped member, in order to guide the extraction (or setup) operations which are thus particularly dangerous because of the possible swinging movements of the heavy elements hanging from the rope of the bridge crane.
The operations of placing each set of backup rollers in the roll stand are still particularly tiresome in that while inserting the set it is necessary to orientate:
However, from document JP1976454C, in the name of Nippon Steel, a loading/unloading system is known which is based on the use of a standard (5 axis) robotic arm. In this prior art, the robotic arm is mounted on a carriage that moves along rails, parallel to the conveying plane of the strip, allowing the articulated arm to be moved past the various stands of the rolling mills. The end of the arm is provided with a clamping system, allowing a work roll to be grasped and then locked at its end.
According to the findings of the Applicant, the use of a standard robotic arm for handling the rolls of the rolling mill has two major disadvantages, namely:-the use of an oversized robotic arm: it is necessary to use a cumbersome arm with substantial motors at the arm joints to withstand the torques required for holding the members to be grasped at their end, i.e. rolls and/or sets of backup rollers (due to their substantial weight and great length),
However, from document WO2022223927 of the present Applicant, a robotic system is known comprising a robot limiting the operational space required during loading/unloading operations, and allowing the deposit of removed rolls on a rack at a distance from the roll stand. As described in this prior art, the robotic system is configured to change the set of rolls or set of backup rollers of a 20-roll rolling mill, namely extract and insert components of the upper and lower group from the roll stand:
In the figures and in particular in FIG. 3 of document WO2022223927, it can be seen that the work rolls are grasped by locking by the robotic grasping system with a grasping tool described in detail in the application published under number FR3108047 of 10 Mar. 2020 (national registration number 20 02 381), which tool can be inserted by the robot into the roll stand for extracting or inserting into the roll stand.
On the other hand, and with regard to the other rolls/sets of rollers, in particular second intermediate rolls, or also sets of backup rollers, the roll grasping requires prior installation, typically by screwing, of an adapter, typically manually by an operator, in the form of an end piece as illustrated in particular in FIG. 5 of document FR3108047.
The present invention aims to improve the situation.
A rolling mill installation for a metal strip is proposed, comprising a rolling mill, having a roll stand and a set of rolls, inside the stand, having:
The features outlined in the following paragraphs can optionally be implemented independently of one another or in combination with one another.
According to one embodiment, the robotic system has at least one controllable pneumatic power source, the quick-coupling system, comprising, in addition to the first mechanical coupling part, a first pneumatic coupling part, configured to move from a coupled position for locking a second pneumatic coupling part, and wherein all or some of the gripping tools among the first grasping tool, the second grasping tool, the third grasping tool and the fourth grasping tool are equipped with said second mechanical coupling part and at least one pneumatic actuator configured to be actuated by said at least one pneumatic power source.
According to one embodiment, the roll stand having an access opening, possibly closed by a door system, the metal strip extending longitudinally in horizontal direction X, and transversely in horizontal direction Y, direction Y being parallel to the axes of the rolls of the rolling mill,
According to one embodiment, said installation comprises a loading/unloading rack, positioned removably on a support frame anchored to the ground in an anchoring position at a distance from the rolling mill in the direction Y, transversely and laterally to the rails, the rack resting on the support frame having recesses, oriented in the direction X, and wherein the robotic system is configured for depositing the roll on the loading/unloading rack resting on the support frame, and wherein the tool change magazine is arranged, in the direction Y between the roll stand and the support frame, in the vicinity of the support frame relative to the roll stand and wherein the support frame and the tool change magazine are arranged relative to the roll stand, configured to clear a maintenance aisle in the direction X, along the access opening of the rolling mill.
According to one embodiment, the robot comprises, in addition to the first frame movable along the rails:
According to one embodiment, the gripping tools comprising the first grasping tool, the second grasping tool, the third grasping tool and the fourth grasping tool are stored in the storage area of the magazine, said gripping tools being oriented in a direction parallel to the direction X and perpendicular to the rails, the gripping tools exposing their second mechanical coupling part, or their second pneumatic coupling part, to the rails and wherein the robotic system is configured to ensure the coupling of one of the tools stored in the magazine, by:
According to one embodiment, the grasping system comprises a motor configured to pivot the first coupling part, about an axis of rotation, or coincident with the axis of rotation of a roll/or of a set of backup rollers grasped by the grasping tool.
According to one embodiment, the first coupling part comprising a plurality of coupling
parts which can be activated on locking/unlocking, said activatable coupling parts being distributed angularly about the axis of rotation.
According to one embodiment, the first pneumatic coupling part is centred on the axis of rotation about which the first coupling part is configured to pivot.
According to one embodiment, the tool change magazine comprises a substantially
vertical structure, comprising a plurality of superimposed storage compartments, configured to receive respectively, in a superimposed manner, the first grasping tool, the second grasping tool, the third grasping tool, and the fourth grasping tool in said storage compartments.
According to a second aspect, the present disclosure relates further to a method for changing rolls/sets of backup rollers used in a rolling mill installation according to the present disclosure, comprising the following steps:
According to one embodiment, in step /C/ the grasping of the component with the selected gripping tool is performed without previously installing an adapter on the component.
Other features, details and advantages will appear upon reading the following detailed description and analysing the appended drawings, wherein:
The present disclosure relates to a rolling installation for a metal strip comprising a rolling mill L, having a roll stand and a set of rolls, inside the stand, having:
Such a configuration of the 20-roll rolling mill, namely comprising said work rolls 12, first intermediate rolls 13, second intermediate rolls 1415 and the sets of backup rollers A to E, is illustrated schematically in
Such a rolling mill makes it possible to roll a metal strip BM conveyed in a longitudinal direction X, said metal strip extending widthwise in transverse direction Y.
The 20-roll rolling mill can be a one-piece stand rolling mill, or may comprises two moving parts, namely a rolling mill typically known to the person skilled in the art as “split-housing”. Such a “split-housing” rolling mill comprises the two parts which are movable relative to one another, forming respectively an upper stand part, configured to transmit a clamping force to the four sets of backup rollers A, B, C, D, of the upper group GS, and an upper stand part configured to transmit a clamping force to the four sets of backup rollers E, F, G, H of the lower group Gi. Such a rolling mill then comprises a hydraulic clamping mechanism configured to move the stand system from an open stand position at which the upper stand part and the lower stand part are spaced apart from one another, to a clamping position in which the upper stand part and the lower stand part are brought together, suitable for rolling operations of the metal strip.
In general, in particular for a one-piece stand rolling mill or also a “split-housing” type stand, each set of backup rollers A to E comprises typically, in a manner known per se, a support shaft along which rollers typically formed by bearings are distributed. For this purpose, the inner ring of each bearing is mounted on the support shaft, the outer ring of the bearing being intended to roll on one or even two adjacent rolls belonging to the rolls of the second intermediate rolls.
The set of backup rollers also comprises a saddle, the arcuate body of which extends longitudinally along the length of the support shaft, and a convex face of which is intended to bear on a concave seat of a mounting portion of the stand, namely for example a mounting portion of the upper stand part, for sets of backup rollers A to D, and a mounting portion of the lower stand part for the sets of backup rollers E to H. This saddle also has extensions, projecting from the concave face of the body, traversed by the support shaft, the extensions being distributed over the length of the shaft and in particular arranged between the rollers. Eccentric rings are also provided between the support shaft and these extensions, the shaft having a pinion intended to mesh in the housing of the rolling mill with a corresponding pinion or a rack. This pinion (or this rack) thus allows the support shaft to be driven such that it rotates, and thus allows the position of the support shaft and of the rollers carried thereby to be moved away from or towards the arcuate body of the saddle, thanks to the eccentric rings.
The stand further comprises an access opening (or maintenance window), on a first side of the rolling mill at the front, which is typically opposite the second side of the rolling mill which comprises motorisation for driving the rolls in rotation. A door system is configured for closing the access window during rolling operations and configured to open the access window to allow maintenance operations, and in particular operations for changing rolls of the rolling mill, including sets of backup rollers.
During rolling operations, friction causes wear to the rolls/set of backup rollers which require more or less frequent maintenance depending on their nature.
Thus, the maintenance frequency of the work rolls is greater than the replacement frequency of the first intermediate rolls, which in turn is greater than the replacement frequency of the second intermediate rolls and the sets of backup rollers.
The rolls or set of backup rollers can each be extracted from the stand, by extracting the roll (or set of backup rollers) in longitudinal axis of the element. The extracted rolls are replaced, by rectified rolls, or by new rolls, which are inserted into the roll stand.
For this purpose, the installation comprises a robotic system 1 suitable for performing operations of changing rolls of the rolling mill, by extracting worn rolls from the roll stand and/or inserting new or rectified rolls into the roll stand, said robotic system comprising robot Ro provided with a grasping system 6 configured to control the locking of a plurality of gripping tools.
The robot Ro can comprise a carriage comprising a first frame 2 equipped with wheels 20 cooperating with rails Ra1 arranged on the ground, extending in the transverse direction Y, at the access opening of the roll stand, said first frame 2 being configured to move in the direction Y along the rails Ra1, from the action of first motor means M1 driving the wheels 20.
The robot can comprise:
The movement of the first frame 2, along the rails Ra1, following the transverse direction Y, of the second frame 3 relative to the second frame in longitudinal direction X and of the third frame 4 relative to the second frame in the direction Z, allow translational movements of the grasping system in all three directions in space.
The robot may also comprise a fourth frame 5, and rotational guide means linking the fourth frame and the third frame about a vertical axis of rotation Av, configured to drive the rotation of the fourth frame 5 relative to the third frame 4, by the action of fourth motor means M4. Such robot kinematics are known from document WO2022223927 of the present Applicant for the extraction or insertion of rolls. The robot can further comprise a horizontal axis of rotation, disclosed by WO2022223927, making it possible to incline the axis of a grasped roll from the action of fifth motor means M5.
Said grasping system 6 is mounted on the fourth frame. Such a robotic system 1 is configured to ensure the extraction of a roll, by grasping the end piece integral with the roll, or by grasping the roll/or said set of backup rollers with a gripping tool locked by the grasping system, with deposition of the roll (or said set of backup rollers), laterally to the rails, after pivoting the roll by rotation of the fourth frame relative to the third frame 4 about the vertical axis of rotation Av.
According to the present disclosure, said installation further comprises a gripping tool change magazine MAG comprising, in a storage area:
According to the present disclosure, the gripping tools comprising the first grasping tool OT1, the second grasping tool OT2, the third grasping tool OT3, and the fourth grasping tool OT4 are specific tools configured to ensure the grasping of a work roll 12, at least one of the first intermediate work rolls 13, at least one of the second intermediate rolls 14, 15 and at least one of the sets of backup rollers, and advantageously preferably without requiring the prior installation of an adapter on the component to be grasped, contrary to the prior art described in document WO2022223927.
In other words:
According to the present disclosure, the grasping system 6 comprises a quick-coupling system 7, comprising a first mechanical coupling part 71, motorised M7, configured to move from a coupled position configured for mechanically locking a second mechanical coupling part 72 to an uncoupled position allowing the release of the second mechanical coupling part.
According to the present disclosure, each of the gripping tools among the first grasping tool OT1, the second grasping tool OT2, the third grasping tool OT3 and the fourth grasping tool OT4 is equipped with said second mechanical coupling part 72, the gripping tools configured to be coupled selectively to said first mechanical coupling part 71 of the grasping system 6 when the tools are stored in said storage area of said tool change magazine MAG.
Notably, also the grasping system 6 may comprise a motor M6 configured to pivot the first coupling part 71 about an axis of rotation A6, or coincident with the axis of rotation of a roll/or a set of backup rollers grasped by the grasping tool OT1, OT2, OT3, OT4.
Such a motorised axis of rotation A6, makes it possible for example to orientate the sets of backup rollers A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H during the insertion of said set of backup rollers, by orientating the saddle (which is then prevented from rotating by the fourth grasping tool) and typically their pinion, in an angular position allowing it to be inserted into a seat with a shape complementary to that of the stand.
Such an axis of rotation A6 can further allow use as the first grasping tool OT1, the grasping tool disclosed by application number FR2300035, which comprises a drum configured to be pivoted about a central axis of the drum.
According to one embodiment, the robotic system 1 mounts at least one controllable pneumatic power source, the quick-coupling system comprising, in addition to the first mechanical coupling part 72, a first pneumatic coupling part 71′, configured to move from a coupled position for locking a second pneumatic coupling part 72′.
All or some of the gripping tools among the first grasping tool OT1, the second grasping tool OT2, the third grasping tool OT3 and the fourth grasping tool OT4 are equipped with said second mechanical coupling part 72 and at least one pneumatic actuator configured to be driven by said at least one pneumatic power source.
Generally, the coupling of the first pneumatic coupling part 71′ and the second pneumatic coupling part 72′, makes it possible to control said at least one pneumatic actuator of the grasping tool, which can typically be an actuator of a mechanised gripper configured to ensure a specific grip of the component to be gripped (for example of the work roll by the first grasping tool OT1, of the first intermediate roll by the second grasping tool OT2, of the second intermediate roll by the third grasping tool OT3 and of the shaft of the set of backup rollers for the fourth grasping tool OT3). The mechanised grippers used for the first grasping tool OT1, second grasping tool OT2, third grasping tool OT3 and fourth grasping tool OT4 respectively are typically distinct, as they are specifically configured according to the nature of the component to be grasped. For example, and when the first grasping tool is the one disclosed by FR2300034, the pneumatic actuator may be a pneumatic actuator of a mechanised gripper, configured to ensure that a work roll is gripped by its end.
Such a pneumatic coupling can further enable, for example, control of the actuator of the push system disclosed by FR2300034. In such a case, and when the grasping tool such as the one described by FR2300034 comprises a plurality of pneumatic actuators, these can be controlled independently of one another by a plurality of independently controllable pneumatic power sources.
According to one embodiment, illustrated in
The first pneumatic coupling part 71′ can be centred on the axis of rotation A6 about which the first coupling part 71 is configured to rotate.
Advantageously, the rolling mill according to the present disclosure allows the implementation of a method for changing rolls/sets of backup rollers comprising the following steps:
Preferably in step /C/ the grasping of the component by the selected gripping tool is performed without prior installation of an adapter on the component.
Generally, the tool change magazine MAG is arranged laterally to the rails Ra1, in a fixed position in said installation. The tool change magazine MAG can have a substantially vertical structure, comprising a plurality of storage compartments, typically four in number, configured to receive respectively, in a superimposed manner, the first grasping tool OT1, the second grasping tool OT2, the third grasping tool OT3, and the fourth grasping tool OT4 in said storage compartments.
Generally, and as illustrated in
The rack Rac resting on the support frame Cha can have recesses, oriented in the direction X. The robotic system is configured to deposit the roll on the loading/unloading rack Ra resting on the support frame Cha, typically after pivoting said grasping system about said vertical axis of rotation Av, and as disclosed per se in WO2022223927.
According to one embodiment, the tool change magazine MAG is arranged, in transverse direction Y between the roll stand and the support frame Cha, preferably in the vicinity of the support frame Cha relative to the roll stand.
As illustrated in
According to one embodiment, the gripping tools, comprising the first grasping tool OT1, the second grasping tool OT2, the third grasping tool OT3 and the fourth grasping tool OT4, are stored in the storage area of the magazine, said gripping tools being oriented in a direction parallel to direction X and perpendicular to the rails Ra1. The different gripping tools expose their second mechanical coupling part 72, or their second pneumatic coupling part 72′ to the rails Ra1.
According to the kinematics of the robot described above, the robotic system can be configured to ensure the coupling of one of the tools stored in the magazine, by:
According to one embodiment, at least one of the four grasping tools, for example the second grasping tool OT2 configured to grasp the first intermediate rolls and/or the third grasping tool OT3 configured for grasping the second intermediate rolls can be configured to grasp another component of the rolling mill in particular, typically groundbooms.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2303774 | Apr 2023 | FR | national |
