Method and apparatus for locating improperly positioned or bent rolls

Abstract

A method and apparatus for locating improperly positioned or bent rolls among a set of rolls which define a confined path of travel for a workpiece, particularly useful for checking a straight or curved roll-rack of a continuous-casting machine. The apparatus may be propelled through the path defined by the rolls by any suitable mechanism. For example, as applied to a roll-rack, the apparatus may be attached to the upper end of a starter bar and propelled with the bar through the rack, or the apparatus may be suspended from a hoist and pulled through the rack. The apparatus includes a housing and means within the housing for measuring the gap between work-engaging faces of the rolls and-or, when used with a curved roll-rack, means for measuring the angular relation of adjacent bottom rolls. The latter measurement is used in determining whether the work-engaging faces lie on arcs of the intended radii. Bent rolls are located by observing different measurements when the apparatus is moved in opposite directions through the path of travel.

We claim: 
     
       1. An apparatus for locating improperly positioned rolls among a set of rolls which are arranged in opposed pairs and have work-engaging faces defining a confined path of travel for a workpiece, said apparatus comprising a housing movable along said path, means carried by said housing at opposite faces thereof for abutting said work-engaging faces and guiding said housing, and a plurality of gap sensors carried by said housing and including heads supported for relative movement normal to the direction of movement of said housing along said path and adapted to contact the work-engaging faces of the individual roll-pairs successively at a plurality of locations along the length of the rolls, and transducer means operatively connected with said heads for transmitting signals representative of the measurements of the gaps between the work-engaging faces of each roll-pair contacted by said heads. 
     
     
       2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the means for guiding said housing includes relatively fixed runners projecting from one face of said housing, extensible runners projecting from the opposite face of said housing, and means within said housing urging said extensible runners outwardly with respect to said housing. 
     
     
       3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which said extensible runners are supported in said housing for pivotal and in-and-out movement, and the means urging said extensible runners outwardly includes fluid-pressure cylinders mounted in said housing, means operated by said cylinders bearing against said extensible runners, and spring means connected with said extensible runners holding them in contact with said cylinder operated means. 
     
     
       4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said housing is movable in two directions along said path, whereby different gap measurements obtained as said housing moves in opposite directions indicate bent rolls. 
     
     
       5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 comprising in addition angle-measuring means for transmitting signals representative of the angles of lines tangent to the work-engaging faces of adjacent rolls and thereby indicating whether the work-engaging faces lie on an arc of a predetermined radius. 
     
     
       6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which said angle-measuring means includes a pendulum device and transducer means operatively connected with said pendulum device. 
     
     
       7. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 comprising in addition means at one end of said housing for attaching said housing to a starter bar of a continuous-casting machine. 
     
     
       8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7 in which said starter-bar attaching means includes a lock which permits limited freedom of movement of said housing with respect to the starter bar. 
     
     
       9. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 comprising in addition lifting eyes at one end of said housing for attaching a hoisting mechanism to pull the housing along the path defined by the folls. 
     
     
       10. An apparatus for locating improperly positioned rolls in a curbed roll-rack, the rolls of which are arranged in opposed pairs and have work-engaging faces defining a confined path of travel for a workpiece and lying on arcs of predetermined radii, said apparatus comprising a housing movable along said path, at least one gap sensor carried by said housing for transmitting signals representative of the gap measurement between the rolls of the various pairs, and angle-measuring means carried by said housing for transmitting signals representative of the angles of lines tangent to work-engaging faces of adjacent rolls and thereby indicating whether the work-engaging faces lie on arcs of the intended radii. 
     
     
       11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10 comprising a plurality of gap sensors for transmitting signals representative of the gaps between rolls at a plurality of locations along the length of the rolls. 
     
     
       12. An apparatus as defined in claim 10 comprising in addition runners carried by said housing and projecting from opposite faces thereof for abutting the rolls of the opposed pairs and guiding said housing as it moves along said path. 
     
     
       13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12 in which the runners projecting from one face of said housing are fixed relative thereto and the runners projecting from the other face of said housing are extensible, and comprising in addition means within said housing urging said extensible runners outwardly with respect to said housing. 
     
     
       14. An apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which said gap sensor includes heads supported for relative movement normal to the direction of movement of said housing along said path and adapted to contact the work-engaging faces of the individual roll-pairs along said path, and transducer means operatively connected with said heads. 
     
     
       15. An apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which said housing is movable in two directions along said path whereby different gap measurements obtained as said housing moves in opposite directions indicate bent rolls. 
     
     
       16. An apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which said angle-measuring means includes a pendulum device and transducer means operatively connected with said pendulum device. 
     
     
       17. An apparatus as defined in claim 10 comprising in addition means at one end of said housing for attaching said housing to a starter bar of a continuous casting machine. 
     
     
       18. An apparatus for locating improperly positioned rolls in a curved roll-rack in which the rolls are arranged in opposed pairs and have work-engaging faces lying on arcs of predetermined radii, said apparatus comprising a housing movable through the roll-rack, guide means on said housing adapted to abut two adjacent rolls and lie on a line tangent to the work-engaging faces thereof, and angle-measuring means in said housing for indicating the angle at which said guide means lies and thereby indicating whether the work-engaging face of each roll lies on an arc of the intended radius. 
     
     
       19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18 in which said angle-measuring means includes a pendulum device and transducer means operatively connected with said pendulum device for transmitting signals representative of the angle. 
     
     
       20. An apparatus as defined in claim 18 comprising in addition at least one gap sensor mounted in said housing for transmitting signals representative of the measurement of the gaps between the rolls of the various roll-pairs. 
     
     
       21. The combination, with a continuous-casting machine which includes a curved roll-rack, a flexible starter bar, and drive means for propelling said starter bar through said roll rack, of an apparatus attached to said starter bar for locating improperly positioned rolls in said roll rack, said apparatus being constructed as defined in claim 1. 
     
     
       22. A method of locating improperly positioned rolls among a set of rolls which are arranged in opposed pairs and have work-engaging faces defining a confined path of travel for a workpiece, said method comprising moving an apparatus along said path, transmitting signals from said apparatus, representative of the measurement of the gap separating the work-engaging faces of rolls of each pair in succession at a plurality of locations along the length of the rolls during each pass of the apparatus along said path, and recording said signals. 
     
     
       23. A method as defined in claim 22 comprising the further step of moving said apparatus along said path in two directions to obtain signals indicative of bent rolls. 
     
     
       24. A method as defined in claim 22 in which said set of rolls is a curved roll-rack, and said apparatus is attached to a starter bar to be moved along said path. 
     
     
       25. A method of locating improperly positioned rolls among a set of rolls which are arranged in opposed pairs and have work-engaging faces defining a confined path of travel for a workpiece, said method comprising moving an apparatus along said path, transmitting signals from said apparatus representative of the measurement of the gap separating the work-engaging faces of rolls of each pair in succession, transmitting signals representative of the angles of lines tangent to each adjacent pair of work-engaging faces, and recording both the gap-measurement signals and the angle-measurement signals. 
     
     
       26. An apparatus for locating improperly gapped rolls among a set of rolls arranged in opposed pairs and having work-engaging faces with a gap therebetween defining a confined path of travel for a workpiece, said apparatus comprising a supporting structure, means carried by said structure for contacting the work-engaging faces of each pair of rolls at opposite sides of the gap and thereby guiding the structure as it moves along said path, a plurality of gap-sensing means carried by said structure for measuring the gap between each pair of rolls in succession at a plurality of locations along the length of the rolls, and means connected with said gap-sensing means for transmitting signals representative of the measurements. 
     
     
       27. An apparatus as defined in claim 26 comprising in addition means on the lower end of said structure for attaching the apparatus to a starter bar of a continuous-casting machine enabling the apparatus to be propelled with the starter bar through roll-racks of a continuous-casting machine. .Iadd. 28. A measuring device for measuring the separation distance between conveying rollers in the secondary cooling zone of continuous casting machines comprising transport means adapted to be guided through said cooling zone between said rollers, said transport means having a maximum dimension parallel to said separation distance which is less than said distance and at least one distance detecting means mounted on said transport means for movement therewith, said distance detecting means including at least one probe projecting beyond the limits of said transport means for engagement with a roller, said probe being displaceably supported on said transport means and providing an output signal corresponding in magnitude to the extent of said displacement whereby upon movement of said transport means through said zone, said signal provides an indication of variations in said separation distance along said zone. .Iaddend..Iadd. 29. The measuring device of claim 28 wherein said distance detecting means includes two oppositely projecting probes arranged in close proximity to one another, whereby the combined signals from said probes indicates the extent of said separation distance at any given point in said zone. .Iaddend..Iadd. 30. The device of claim 28 wherein said distance detecting means is yieldable supported on said transport means to permit bodily retraction where the limit of the tolerable displacement is exceeded. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 31. The device of claim 28 wherein said distance detecting means includes two oppositely projecting probes arranged coaxially. .Iaddend.