Roll changing vehicle

Abstract

A roll changer carriage (6) has a number of receptacles (9) for rolls (3, 4) of a rolling stand (1) for rolling a flat rolled stock (2) made of metal. The roll changer carriage (6) has a drive device by means of which the rolls (3, 4), when arranged in the receptacles (9), can be rotated about their roll axes. The roll changer carriage (6) has a number of detection devices (10) for each of the rolls (3, 4). Each detection device (10) is capable of detecting a number of surface properties (B, T, R) of the respective roll (3, 4) over a detection area (11) of the surface (12) of the respective roll (3, 4). The respective detection area (11) extends over the bale length (L) of the respective roller (3, 4) over a partial length (I) and in the circumferential direction (φ) of the respective roller (3, 4) over a predetermined angular range (α).The detection devices (10) are movable at least in the direction of the respective roller axis, so that when the detection devices (10) are moved in the direction of the respective roller axis, the surface properties (B, T, R) can be detected over the entire roll length (L) of the respective roller (3, 4) by means of the detection devices (10).

Description

field of technology

[0001] The present invention relates to a roll change carriage, - wherein the roll change carriage has a number of mountings for rolls of a rolling stand for rolling a flat rolled material made of metal. State of the art

[0002] Such a roller exchange wagon is generally known. EP 0 911 089 A2 can be cited as an example. Summary of the invention

[0003] When metal (such as steel or aluminum) is rolled in rolling mills, wear occurs on the rolls. The wear is most severe on the work rolls, i.e., those rolls that come into direct contact with the material being rolled. This wear negatively impacts the surface quality of the rolled material. For this reason, the rolls must be regularly removed from the mill and their surface properties examined. If the rolls meet predetermined quality requirements, they are reinstalled in the mill. If they do not, other rolls are installed. The removed rolls are ground – possibly after cooling – and then reused.

[0004] In the current state of the art, the surface inspection of the rolls is carried out manually. An operator goes to the roll changing carriage – sometimes even inside the carriage itself – inspects a strip of the surface of a roll that extends along the length of the roll and a portion of its circumference, then manually rotates the roll, inspects the next strips, and so on, until the roll has been completely inspected. The operator then inspects the other rolls in the carriage's holders in the same manner. If the rolling mill has multiple stands, the same procedure must be repeated for each stand.

[0005] This procedure is initially very laborious because, firstly, considerable force is required to rotate the roll, and secondly, the space inside the roll-changing carriage is very cramped. Furthermore, this procedure is very slow, as the operator can only inspect one roll at a time, and only in sections of each roll. Either the rolling stand from which the rolls were removed is not used during this period, or other rolls must be installed in the stand. In both cases, time is lost during which the rolling stand is unusable and therefore unproductive. This is particularly disadvantageous because, due to increased quality requirements for flat rolled material, roll inspections must be carried out more frequently than before.This procedure is still dangerous, as sharp-edged pieces can break off from the roller, flying around like projectiles and causing injuries.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to create a roll-changing carriage by means of which an automated, fast and safe inspection of rolls of a rolling mill for rolling a flat rolled material made of metal is possible.

[0007] The problem is solved by a roll-changing carriage with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the roll-changing carriage are the subject of dependent claims 2 to 6.

[0008] According to the invention, a roller changing carriage of the type mentioned above is designed by: that the roller changing carriage has a drive device by means of which the rollers, when arranged in the receptacles, can be rotated about their roller axes, that the roller changing carriage has a number of detection devices for each roller, that the respective detection device is capable of detecting a number of surface properties of the respective roller over a detection area of ​​the surface of the respective roller, that the respective detection area extends over a partial length along the roll length of the respective roller and over a predetermined angular range in the circumferential direction of the respective roller, and that the detection devices are movable at least in the direction of the respective roller axis,so that, when the detection devices are moved in the direction of the respective roller axis, the surface properties can be detected over the entire length of the respective roller's roll.

[0009] Due to the possibility of automatically rotating the rollers around their axes, it is possible, using a respective detection device, to capture the surface properties of each roller for a ring-shaped area while the roller is stationary. This ring-shaped area extends over a full circle in the circumferential direction of the roller and covers a partial length of the bale when viewed along the bale. Because the detection devices can be moved along the axis of each roller, it is also possible, using a respective detection device, to capture the surface properties of each roller for a strip while the roller is stationary. This strip extends over the angular range in the circumferential direction of the roller and covers the full length of the bale when viewed along the bale.By combining the two movements, the ring-shaped area can be located anywhere along the length of the bale, or the strip can be located at any point along the circumference of the roller. By appropriately coordinating the rotation of the rollers and the operation of the measuring devices, the surface properties can thus be measured across the entire circumference of the roller and the entire length of the bale.

[0010] The drive system can be configured as required. It can have a common drive for all rolls. Alternatively, it can have a separate drive for each roll or for each group of rolls. In the case of grouping, for example, in a six-roll mill stand, the work rolls can form one group and the intermediate rolls another. Alternatively, in the case of grouping, for example, in a six-roll mill stand, the upper work roll and the upper intermediate roll can form one group, and the lower work roll and the lower intermediate roll another group. The drive system can operate electrically, hydraulically, pneumatically, or with a combination of these drive types.

[0011] The detection devices can be configured as needed. For example, each detection device can include an optical and / or infrared camera, which captures an image of the respective roller's surface. Alternatively or additionally, each detection device can include a temperature sensor, which captures the surface temperature of the respective roller. Alternatively or additionally, each detection device can include a roughness sensor, which captures the surface roughness of the respective roller. Ideally, the detection devices would have all three sensors: the optical and / or infrared camera, the temperature sensor, and the roughness sensor.Furthermore, alternatively or additionally to the aforementioned possibilities, other properties of the respective roller can also be recorded, for example its distance from the respective recording device and thus, through appropriate evaluation, its diameter.

[0012] In the minimum configuration, there is only one detection device per roller, which can move along the entire length of the bale in the direction of the respective roller axis. In this case, it is necessary to coordinate the rotation of the respective roller and the movement of the respective detection device in such a way that every area of ​​the surface of the respective roller is detected at least once by this detection device – the only detection device for the respective roller.

[0013] However, other configurations are also possible, in which several detection devices are present per roller. For example, it is possible that the detection devices for the rollers each comprise a front and a rear detection device, and that the front and rear detection devices are arranged such that they are located on one side and the other side of a vertical plane containing the roller axis of the respective roller. This allows the two detection devices to share the detection of the entire roller surface in the circumferential direction. In particular, the front and rear detection devices for each roller can be arranged at least approximately diametrically opposite each other in the circumferential direction around the respective roller.

[0014] In rare cases, it may even be possible to provide several detection devices on each side of the vertical plane. For example, with two detection devices per side, a total of four detection devices can be arranged distributed circumferentially. Regardless of the specific number, however, the detection devices are preferably arranged at least approximately evenly distributed around the respective roller.

[0015] Alternatively or additionally to an arrangement on both sides of the vertical plane, it is possible for the detection devices for the rollers to each comprise an operator-side and a drive-side detection device, and for the operator-side and drive-side detection devices for the respective roller to be arranged side by side in the direction of the roller axis of the respective roller. In this case, the respective detection device does not need to be movable over the entire length of the bale, but only over approximately half of the bale length.

[0016] The various measures, i.e., the distribution of the acquisition of surface properties in the circumferential direction across several acquisition devices and the distribution of the acquisition of surface properties in the direction of the roller axis across several acquisition devices, can also be combined as required.

[0017] The drive unit must be controlled by a control unit so that the drive unit rotates the rollers in a defined manner. Similarly, the detection devices must also be moved in a defined manner so that, viewed in the direction of the roller axis, it is defined which area of ​​the surface of the respective roller is currently being detected by the respective detection device. This is readily achievable, however. In particular, position control systems are generally known. The specific operation of the control unit itself is not the subject of the present invention.

[0018] Furthermore, the acquisition devices must be connected to an evaluation unit that receives and analyzes the data acquired by the acquisition devices. The connection to the evaluation unit itself is easily established. The same applies to the data transmission from the acquisition devices to the evaluation unit. The data transmission and the analysis of the acquired data—as well as the evaluation unit itself—are not the subject of the present invention.

[0019] The present invention is applicable in principle to any rolling mill stand and to both single-stand and multi-stand rolling mills. However, the present invention demonstrates its full advantages particularly in multi-stand rolling mills where the rolling stands are configured as quarto stands or sexto stands. A quarto stand is a rolling mill stand that, in addition to an upper and a lower work roll, also has an upper and a lower backup roll. A sexto stand is a rolling mill stand that, in addition to an upper and a lower work roll, also has an upper and a lower backup roll, as well as an upper intermediate roll between the upper backup roll and the upper work roll, and likewise a lower intermediate roll between the lower backup roll and the lower work roll. Brief description of the drawings

[0020] The properties, features, and advantages of this invention described above, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become clearer and more readily understandable in connection with the following description of an exemplary embodiment, which is explained in more detail in conjunction with the drawings. These drawings show: FIG 1 a rolling mill from the side, FIG 2 a single rolling stand from the side, FIG 3 a single rolling stand and a roll changer carriage from above, FIG 4 a perspective view of a roll changer carriage with rolls picked up by the roll changer carriage, FIG 5 a roll surface in unrolled view and FIG 6 a detection device. Description of the embodiments

[0021] According to FIG 1 In rolling stands 1 of a rolling mill, a flat rolled stock 2 made of metal is rolled. The flat rolled stock 2 can be, in particular, a strip. The metal can be, for example, steel or aluminum. FIG 1 Several rolling stands 1 are shown, through which the material 2 is traversed sequentially in a uniform transport direction x. However, the rolling mill could also consist of only a single rolling stand 1. Furthermore, only the work rolls 3 of the rolls 3 to 5 of the rolling stands 1 are shown. The rolling process carried out by the rolling mill can alternatively be hot rolling or cold rolling of the material 2.

[0022] FIG 2 Figure 1 shows the construction of a rolling mill stand 1, in which the application of the present invention is particularly advantageous. FIG 2 Rolling stand 1, like every rolling stand, has work rolls 3. In addition to the work rolls 3, rolling stand 1 also has intermediate rolls 4 and backup rolls 5. Rolling stand 1 is therefore designed as a six-roll stand.

[0023] According to FIG 3 Each rolling mill stand 1 is assigned a roll changer car 6. The roll changer car 6 can, as shown in FIG 3 As indicated by a double arrow 7, the rolling stand 1 can be moved towards and away from the rolling stand 1 on the operating side. In the moved position, as shown in FIG 3 As indicated by a further double arrow 8, rolls 3 to 5 of the rolling stand 1 are transferred from the rolling stand 1 to the roll changer car 6 and vice versa. The roll changer car 6 therefore has a number of mountings 9 for rolls 3 to 5. Usually, only the work rolls 3 and possibly also the intermediate rolls 4 are removed. The backup rolls 5 are rarely removed. FIG 4 The figure schematically shows the roller change carriage 6 with the work rollers 3 and backup rollers 4 located therein.

[0024] The roll change carriage 6 has a number of detection devices 10 for each of the rolls 3 and 4. Each detection device 10 is capable of detecting a number of surface properties B, T, and R of the respective roll 3 and 4. The surface properties B, T, and R are determined by the respective detection device 10 according to... FIG 5 The surface 12 of the respective roller 3, 4 is detected via a detection area 11. The respective detection area 11 extends over the bale length L of the respective roller 3, 4, viewed over a partial length I, and in the circumferential direction φ of the respective roller 3, viewed over a predetermined angular range α.

[0025] In order to be able to record the surface properties B, T, R of the respective roller 3, 4 for the entire surface 12 of the respective roller 3, 4, the recording devices 10 are as shown in FIG 4 As indicated by arrows 13, the devices are movable at least in the direction of the respective roller axis. The extent of the movableness is determined such that, when the detection devices 10 are moved in the direction of the respective roller axis, the surface properties B, T, R can be detected over the entire bale length L of the respective roller 3, 4.

[0026] The roller changing carriage 6 also has a drive unit. The rollers 3 and 4, which are arranged in the receptacles 9, can be rotated about their respective roller axes by means of the drive unit. The rotation of the rollers 3 and 4 is in FIG 4 as indicated by further arrows 14. The direction of rotation of the rollers 3, 4 can be determined individually for each roller 3, 4 as required. This is because, unlike normal rolling operations, where the rollers 3 to 5 roll against each other and therefore the rollers 3 to 5 rolling against each other must have opposite directions of rotation, the rollers 3, 4 are arranged in the receptacles 9 of the roller change carriage 6 such that they are spaced apart from each other.

[0027] The design of the detection devices 10, and thus also the detected surface properties B, T, R, can be determined as required. For example, the detection devices 10 can be configured according to FIG 6 Each of the detection devices 10 comprises an optical and / or infrared camera 15, by means of which the image B of the respective roller 3, 4 can be detected as a surface property B, T, R. Alternatively or additionally, the detection devices 10 can each comprise a temperature sensor 16, by means of which the surface temperature T of the respective roller 3, 4 can be detected as a surface property B, T, R. Alternatively or additionally, the detection devices 10 can each comprise a roughness sensor 17, by means of which the roughness R of the respective roller 3, 4 can be detected as a surface property B, T, R. The detection of the respective surface property B, T, R naturally only takes place within the respective detection area 11 at any given time.

[0028] The traversing movement of the detection devices 10 and the rotational movement of the rollers 3, 4 can be determined as required, provided that the surface properties B, T, R are detected over the entire surface 12 of the respective roller 3, 4.

[0029] For example, as in FIG 5 As indicated by line 18, the surface properties B, T, R are each recorded along a strip extending over the entire bale length L and covering the angular range α in the circumferential direction φ. After recording the surface properties B, T, R over such a strip, the respective roller 3, 4 is then rotated by an angle that is at most as large as, and preferably slightly smaller than, the angular range α. Then the surface properties B, T, R are recorded over the next strip, and so on.

[0030] Alternatively, the position of the respective detection device 10 can be kept constant and the respective roller 3, 4 rotated (at least) once around its axis. This allows the surface properties B, T, R to be detected over an annular area 19 that extends over the partial length I in the direction of the respective roller axis. The detection device 10 is then moved by the partial length I (or slightly less), and the surface properties B, T, R for the next annular area 19 are detected. This procedure is then repeated as needed.

[0031] Other procedures are also possible, in which the rotational movement of the rollers 3, 4 and the traversing movement of the gripping devices 10 occur continuously, but are appropriately coordinated with each other. For example, the traversing movement of the gripping devices 10 can be coordinated with the rotation of the rollers 3, 4 such that the gripping devices 10 have moved by a maximum of the partial length I for each complete revolution of the respective roller 3, 4. Likewise, the reverse coordination is also possible, such that after the gripping devices 10 have completed a full rotation over the entire bale length L, the rollers 3, 4 have been rotated by a maximum of half the angular range α.

[0032] The methods for measuring the surface properties B, T, R across the entire surface 12 of the respective roller 3, 4 are explained above for the case where only a single measuring device 10 is available for the respective roller 3, 4. However, several measuring devices 10 may also be available for the respective roller 3, 4. In this case, the methods for measuring the surface properties B, T, R described above can be adapted accordingly.

[0033] For example, the detection devices 10 can be used for rollers 3, 4 according to FIG 3 Each unit comprises a front detection device 10' and a rear detection device 10". In this case, the front and rear detection devices 10', 10" are arranged such that they are located on one side and the other side of a vertical plane 20 containing the roller axis of the respective roller 3, 4.

[0034] Alternatively, the detection devices 10 for the rollers 3, 4 can each comprise an operator-side detection device and a drive-side detection device. In this case, the operator-side and the drive-side detection devices for the respective rollers 3, 4 are arranged side by side in the direction of the roller axis of the respective rollers 3, 4. This is shown in FIG 5 This can be seen from the fact that an operator-side detection area 11' and a drive-side detection area 11" are shown, which coincide in the circumferential direction φ, but are clearly spaced apart from each other when viewed in the direction of the roller axis.

[0035] Furthermore, the two configurations described above can also be combined. Other configurations with more than one detection device 10 per roller 3, 4 are also possible.

[0036] The present invention offers many advantages. In particular, it enables automatic, safe, fast, and efficient inspection of the rolls 3 and 4. For example, in a rolling mill with five rolling stands 1, each configured as a sexto stand, 20 rolls 3 and 4 must be inspected. This inspection can now be carried out simultaneously for all 20 rolls, whereas in the prior art, the rolls 3 and 4 were inspected individually and sequentially.

[0037] Although the invention has been further illustrated and described in detail by the preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived by the person skilled in the art without leaving the scope of protection of the invention. Reference symbol list

[0038] 1 Rolling stands 2 Material to be rolled 3 Work rolls 4 Intermediate rolls 5 Backup rolls 6 Roll change carriage 7, 8 Double arrows 9 Recordings 10, 10', 10" Detection devices 11, 11', 11" Detection areas 12 Surface 13, 14 Arrows 15 Camera 16 Temperature sensor 17 Roughness sensor 18 Line 19 Ring-shaped area 20 Vertical plane B, T, R Surface properties I Part length L Roll length x Transport direction α Angle range φ Circumferential direction

Claims

1. Roll change carriage, - wherein the roll change carriage has a number of receptacles (9) for rolls (3, 4) of a rolling stand (1) for rolling a flat rolled material (2) made of metal, - wherein the roll change carriage has a drive device by means of which the rolls (3, 4), when arranged in the receptacles (9), are rotatable about their roll axes, - wherein the roll change carriage has a number of detection devices (10) for each of the rolls (3, 4), - wherein the respective detection device (10) is able to detect a number of surface properties (B, T, R) of the respective roll (3, 4) over a detection area (11) of the surface (12) of the respective roll (3, 4), - wherein the respective detection area (11) extends over a partial length (I) and in the circumferential direction (φ) of the respective roll (3, 4) when viewed over the roll length (L) of the respective roll (3, 4).4) seen over a predetermined angular range (α) and - wherein the detection devices (10) are movable at least in the direction of the respective roller axis, so that when the detection devices (10) are moved in the direction of the respective roller axis, the surface properties (B, T, R) can be detected over the entire bale length (L) of the respective roller (3, 4) by means of the detection devices (10).

2. Roller changing carriage according to claim 1, characterized by that the detection devices (10) each comprise an optical and / or infrared camera (15) by means of which the image (B) of the respective roller (3, 4) can be detected as a surface property (B, T, R).

3. Roller changing carriage according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by thatthe detection devices (10) each comprise a temperature sensor (16) by means of which the surface temperature (T) of the respective roller (3, 4) can be detected as a surface property (B, T, R).

4. Roller changing carriage according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by that the detection devices (10) each comprise a roughness sensor (17) by means of which the roughness (R) of the respective roller (3, 4) can be detected as a surface property (B, T, R).

5. Roller changing carriage according to one of the above claims, characterized by that the detection devices (10) for the rollers (3, 4) each comprise a front and a rear detection device (10', 10") and that the front and rear detection devices (10', 10") are arranged such that they are located on one side and the other side of a vertical plane (20) containing the roller axis of the respective roller (3, 4) with respect to a vertical plane (20).

6. Roller changing carriage according to one of the above claims, characterized by that the detection devices (10) for the rollers (3, 4) each comprise an operator-side and a drive-side detection device and that the operator-side and the drive-side detection device for the respective roller (3, 4) are arranged next to each other in the direction of the roller axis of the respective roller (3, 4).

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