Sizing roll stand for a steel mill

Abstract

An assembly for producing a finished shape for a rod after the last rolling stage of a multi strand steel mill. This apparatus provides an operation for correcting minor surface irregularities and shape distortion of the rod as it exits from the finishing roll stand. The apparatus consists of four rollers mounted in an assembly which resembles a roller entry guide except that the rollers are capable of producing changes in shape of a work product passing therethrough. The orientation of the roller axis is slowly and constantly changed to prevent wear distortion of the rollers which may result when the rollers are required to roll a malformed product from fixed roller axes. The rollers may be driven in some circumstances.

I claim:  
     
       1. A roller sizing guide having a set  plurality of guide rollers mounted in a housing to form a guide roller assembly for contacting and guiding a workpiece traveling through said guide along a central axis of said housing, 
       said housing and roller assembly being rotatably supported on a suitable support means to permit said housing and roller assembly to rotate about said central axis,  
       said rollerssaid roller assembly comprising a plurality of levers pivotally being mounted on pivots located at one end of each lever in said housing, each lever having a roller mounted in the end remote from the pivot, said pivoted levers serving to permit said rollers to move in an arc toward or away from said central axis,  
       a pressure bearing pad for each lever located at the roller end of the roller assembly over the point of contact of each roller and workpiece,  
       roller positioning means for said rollers mounted in said housing to apply a force to said rollers at said pressure bearing pad to move said rollers in concert to contact said workpiece to alter the shape of said workpiece at is travels through said guide.  
     
     
       2. A roller sizing guide as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said roller positioning means includes a common wedging means  ring surrounding said guide roller assembly for producing simultaneous and equal pivotal movement of said rollers in said housing toward said workpiece. 
     
     
       3. A roller sizing guide as claimed in  claim 1  wherein a housing drive means is mounted on said structure to produce rotation  oscilliatory motion through a predetermined arc of said housing and said roller assembly during passage of said workpiece therethrough. 
     
     
       4. A roller sizing guide as claimed in  claim 3  wherein said roller positioning means includes a common wedging means for producing simultaneously and equal movement of said rollers in said housing toward said workpiece. 
     
     
       5. A roller sizing guide as claimed in  claim 4  wherein all of said rollers are mechanically driven. 
     
     
       6. A roller sizing guide as claimed in  claim 5  which includes a funnel shaped guide for feeding said workpiece along said axis to said set of rollers. 
     
     
       7. A roller sizing guide for producing shape changes in a workpiece passing along a central axis of said guide, 
       said guide having a rotatable housing mounted in a suitable framework supported by a base,  
       said housing having a cylindraceous outer surface,  
       said framework including means to contact said cylindraceous outer surface and permit said housing to rotate in a plane orthogonal to said axis,  
       said housing having means to mount at least three roller assemblies in said housing,  
       said roller assemblies comprising lever means having a suitable roller mounted for rotation at one end thereof, pivot means in said lever means at an end remote from said roller, said pivot means being mounted in said housing to provide for pivotally mounting said rollers at equally spaced intervals about said axis, bearing pads mounted on said lever means at a location on said lever means remote from said pivot means,  
       adjustable pressure lever contacting means applying pressure to bearing pads on said lever means causing said levers  lever means to exert pressure on said roller assemblies at points above said roller to cause said rollers to contact said workpiece and produce surface changes to said workpiece.  
     
     
       8. A roller sizing guide as claimed in  claim 7  wherein housing rotation means is connected to said housing to cause continued rotational oscillation of said housing within predetermined limits. 
     
     
       9. A roller sizing guide as claimed in  claim 8  wherein said adjustable pressure lever contacting means comprises a pressure ring having an exterior threaded surface for threadably engaging a threaded surface in said housing, said pressure ring being provided with a conical inner surface to engage pressure pads on said roller assemblies for adjustably applying pressure to said pressure pads of said roller assemblies as said pressure ring rotates in said housing. 
     
     
       10. A sizing guide assembly for guiding and contacting a workpiece passing through said guide assembly to produce minor shape changes in said workpiece as it passes through a central axis of said guide assembly, 
       
         said guide assembly comprising:  
       
       
         a stationary support for mounting a rotatable housing within said stationary support to permit said housing to rotate about said central axis,  
       
       
         said housing comprising a pair of cooperating members for mounting and adjusting the position of a plurality of guide rollers in a roller assembly in said sizing guide,  
       
       
         a first member of said pair having an external cylindrical surface which cooperates with said stationary support to permit said first member to rotate in a controlled manner within said support member,  
       
       
         said first member having means to mount a plurality of pivot arms therein, each pivot arm having a guide roller mounted thereon for contacting said workpiece, said pivot arms and guide rollers being moved in concert by a second member which is mounted within said first member so as to permit said second member to execute translational motion within said first member along said central axis in the presence of a suitable stimulus,  
       
       
         said second member having a conical interior surface which simultaneously engages said pivot arms to move said pivot arms and said rollers toward said workpiece as said second member translates. 
       
     
     
       11. A sizing guide assembly as claimed in  claim 10  wherein said second member is of a ring shaped configuration and has a threaded peripheral surface opposite said conical surface, wherein said threaded peripheral outer surface of said second member engages a corresponding mating threaded interior surface in said first member. 
     
     
       12. A method of producing minor changes to a steel rod or wire as it passes through a sizing guide comprising: 
       
         providing said guide with a housing for mounting a plurality of rollers therein for contacting said rod or wire as it passes through said guide,  
       
       
         providing pressure means for urging said rollers in concert toward said rod or wire as it passes therethrough,  
       
       
         providing a support means to capture said housing within said support means in such a manner as to constrain said housing to rotational movement about said rod or wire as it passes therethrough,  
       
       
         driving means associated with said housing for causing oscillatory rotational motion of said housing and rollers about said rod or wire as said rod or wire passes through said guide. 
       
     
     
       13. A method as claimed in  claim 12  in which each roller is mounted within said housing on a pivot arm, and said pressure means comprises a pressure ring mounted in said housing, wherein said pressure ring is provided with an internal conical surface which engages each pivot arm simultaneously. 
     
     
       14. A method as claimed in  claim 13  in which said pressure ring executes translational motion upon suitable stimulation to change the pressure on said pivot arms and said rollers.