Steel billet turning device

Abstract

To provide a steel billet turning device capable of stably rotating a steel billet by a predetermined angle. [Solution] The steel billet turning device 10 includes a turning mechanism 11 that turns a steel billet W placed on a steel billet mounting surface 30a of an endless chain 30 as the chain 30 moves, a turning angle detection unit 18 that detects the turning angle of the steel billet W, and a steel billet support base 13 that is configured to move up and down between a steel billet contact position where a receiving surface 51 contacts the downward surface of the steel billet W at a position above the steel billet mounting surface 30a of the turning mechanism 11, and a contact release position where the receiving surface 51 is located below the steel billet mounting surface 30a and contact between the receiving surface 51 and the steel billet W is released. When it is detected that the steel billet W has turned by a predetermined angle based on a signal from the turning angle detection unit 18, the receiving surface 51 of the steel billet support base 13 is raised to the steel billet contact position, and the turning angle of the steel billet W is corrected by contact with the receiving surface 51.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a steel piece rotating device that rotates and holds a rod-shaped steel piece by a predetermined angle around its axis.

Background Art

[0002] Before rolling a rod-shaped and long steel piece after block rolling into products such as wire rods and sheet materials, it is necessary to grind the surface of the steel piece to remove defects in order to ensure the quality of the products. When grinding each surface portion and / or corner portion of the steel piece, a steel piece rotating device that rotates and holds the steel piece so that the target surface portion or corner portion is on the top is used.

[0003] As a steel piece rotating device, there is known one that places a steel piece placed on a steel piece placement surface provided on the upper surface of an endless chain, rotates the steel piece around its axis as the chain moves, and then clamps the steel piece in that state (see Patent Document 1 below). However, since the posture of the steel piece located on the chain is unstable after rotation, the accuracy of the rotation angle is not necessarily high, and there is a possibility that ungrinded surfaces may occur in the grinding process, or conversely, the same surface may be polished again.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Based on the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a steel piece rotating device capable of stably rotating a steel piece by a predetermined angle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The steel billet turning device of the first aspect of this invention is defined as follows: A steel billet rotating device that rotates and holds a rod-shaped steel billet around an axis at a predetermined angle, A rotating mechanism that rotates the steel piece, which is placed on a steel piece mounting surface provided on the upper surface of an endless chain, around the axis of the steel piece as the chain moves, A turning angle detection unit for detecting the turning angle of the steel billet, A steel piece support base having a receiving surface capable of contacting the steel piece, configured to be vertically movable between a steel piece contact position where the receiving surface contacts the downward surface of the steel piece at a position above the steel piece mounting surface in the rotating mechanism, and a contact release position where the receiving surface is located below the steel piece mounting surface in the rotating mechanism and contact between the receiving surface and the steel piece is released. Equipped with, Based on the signal from the rotation angle detection unit, when it is detected that the steel billet has rotated by a predetermined angle, the receiving surface of the steel billet support base is raised to the steel billet contact position, and the rotation angle of the steel billet is corrected by contact with the receiving surface.

[0007] According to the first phase of the steel billet turning device defined in this way, even if the orientation of the steel billet varies when it is turned by the turning mechanism, the steel billet can be stably corrected to the desired turning angle by bringing the receiving surface of the steel billet support base into contact with the downward surface of the steel billet again.

[0008] Here, the steel billet support base can be configured to include a first steel billet support base with a flat receiving surface, and a second steel billet support base with a V-shaped groove formed on its receiving surface that can engage with the corners of the steel billet (second aspect). In this way, the surface and corners of the steel billet with a square cross-section can be fixed upward so that they can be ground.

[0009] Furthermore, in this invention, the rotation angle detection unit can be configured to include a chuck unit that grips the end of the steel billet and rotates together with the steel billet, and a sensor that measures the amount of rotation of the chuck unit (third aspect). [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows a schematic configuration of a grinding trolley equipped with a steel billet turning device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows the turning mechanism as viewed from the axial direction in the steel billet. [Figure 3] Figure 1 shows the rotation angle detection unit from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction in the steel slab. [Figure 4] This figure shows the first steel billet support in Figure 1, viewed from the axial direction of the steel billet. [Figure 5] This figure shows the main part of the second steel billet support in Figure 1. [Figure 6] Figure 1 shows the clamping mechanism as viewed from the axial direction in the steel slab. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram of the turning operation in the steel billet turning device of the same embodiment. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram of the turning operation that follows Figure 7. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a grinding trolley equipped with a steel billet turning device according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a grinding trolley, 2 is the wheel of the grinding trolley 1, and 5 is the rail for running. The grinding trolley 1 holds a long, rod-shaped steel billet W with a square cross-section and travels along the rail 2 to move into a grinding device (not shown). The grinding trolley 1 is capable of rotating the steel billet W around its axis and holding the steel billet W in the rotated position so that each face and corner of the steel billet W is ground by the grinding device. The steel billet rotating device 10 of this embodiment is provided on the upper plate 3 of the grinding trolley 1.

[0012] The steel sheet turning device 10 is a device that turns and holds the steel sheet W by a predetermined angle around its central axis, and includes a turning mechanism unit 11 installed at a plurality of locations along the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the steel sheet W, steel sheet support bases 13A and 13B, a clamp mechanism unit 15, and a turning angle detection unit 18 installed at one end (the right end in the figure) of the grinding carriage 1.

[0013] Figure 2 is a view showing the turning mechanism unit 11 from the axial direction of the steel sheet W. As shown in the figure, the turning mechanism unit 11 includes three gear bodies 25, 26, and 27 and an endless chain 30 stretched over these gear bodies. A plurality of tooth portions (not shown) that mesh with the chain 30 are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the respective gear bodies 25, 26, and 27. In the figure, support shafts 21, 22, and 23 extending in the axial direction of the steel sheet W are attached to a frame 20 fixed to the upper plate 3 of the grinding carriage 1, and the three gear bodies 25, 26, and 27 are rotatably supported via the support shafts 21, 22, and 23, respectively. The gear bodies 25 and 26 constitute a pair of upper gear bodies arranged at substantially the same height on both sides of the steel sheet W with the steel sheet W interposed therebetween. The remaining gear body 27 is arranged below the upper gear bodies 25 and 26. A drive motor 29 is connected to one of the upper gear bodies (the gear body 25 in this example) via a chain 28.

[0014] The chain 30 is provided in a plurality of rows (for example, three rows) in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Figure 2, that is, in the axial direction of the steel sheet W, and the upward surface of the chain 30 located between the upper gear bodies 25 and 26 is a steel sheet placement surface 30a on which the steel sheet W is placed. Slack is provided in the chain between the upper gear bodies 25 and 26, and it is in a concave shape when the steel sheet W is placed thereon. In the turning mechanism unit 11 configured as described above, when the chain 30 is moved counterclockwise in the figure as indicated by the arrow E in the figure, the lower surface of the steel sheet W is rubbed by the chain 30 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the steel sheet W, and the steel sheet W is turned clockwise in the figure as indicated by the arrow F.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a view showing the turning angle detection unit 18 from a direction orthogonal to the axial direction in the steel piece W. The turning angle detection unit 18 includes a chuck unit 35 that rotates together with the steel piece W while gripping an end portion of the steel piece W, and a sensor 45 that measures the amount of rotation of the chuck unit 35. The chuck unit 35 has a pair of gripping claws 36, 36 for gripping an end portion of the steel piece W, and these gripping claws 36, 36 are attached to an annular base 38 so as to be rotatable about a shaft 37. The gripping claws 36, 36 are also connected via a link mechanism 41 to an output shaft 40a that moves forward and backward during an opening and closing operation, and rotate in cooperation with each other in the opening and closing direction indicated by an arrow G in the drawing. Further, the base 38 to which the gripping claws 36, 36 are connected is attached to an end portion of a rotary shaft portion 42 that is rotatable about a shaft P, and the chuck unit 35 is configured to be rotatable integrally with the steel piece W while gripping an end portion of the steel piece W. In the drawing, reference numeral 40 denotes a drive cylinder that moves the output shaft 40a forward and backward.

[0016] This turning angle detection unit 18 includes a sensor (here, a rotary encoder) 45 capable of measuring the amount of rotation of the rotary shaft portion 42, and outputs a signal regarding the rotation angle of the rotary shaft portion 42 toward a control unit (not shown) as control means for controlling the operations of each part constituting the steel piece turning device 10. Here, the control unit can be constituted by a computer including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a storage unit, and the like.

[0017] Next, the steel piece support base will be described. In this example, as the steel piece support base, a first steel piece support base 13A having a flat receiving surface and a second steel piece support base 13B having a V-shaped groove formed in the receiving surface are provided. The first steel piece support base 13A and the second steel piece support base 13B are basically the same except for the shape of the receiving surface, and hereinafter, mainly the first steel piece support base 13A will be described. In the following, when the first steel piece support base 13A and the second steel piece support base 13B are collectively referred to, they may be referred to as "steel piece support base 13". Similarly, when the receiving surface 51A of the first steel piece support base 13A and the receiving surface 51B of the second steel piece support base 13B are collectively referred to, they may be referred to as "receiving surface 51".

[0018] As shown in Figure 4, the first steel billet support base 13A includes a lifting section 50A with a receiving surface 51A, and a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the lifting section 50A. The upward-facing surface at the upper end of the lifting section 50A is the receiving surface 51A, which is a flat surface. The lifting section 50A, equipped with the receiving surface 51A, is supported so as to be able to move up and down by two lever bodies 55A and 55B.

[0019] A frame 53 fixed to the upper plate 3 of the grinding trolley 1 has support shafts 54A and 54B attached to it, which extend in the axial direction of the steel billet W. Lever bodies 55A and 55B are rotatably supported via the support shafts 54A and 54B. The lever bodies 55A and 55B are also connected to the lifting section 50A via shafts 56A and 56B attached to the lifting section 50A, allowing them to rotate relative to the lifting section 50A. On the opposite side of the support shaft 54A from the lifting section 50A, a drive cylinder 57 is provided, the other end of which is connected to the frame 53. One end of the lever body 55A is connected to the rod 57a of the drive cylinder 57 via a shaft 58 so as to be rotatable relative to it. In this example, by extending or shortening the rod 57a of the drive cylinder 57, the lifting section 50A moves up and down between the steel billet contact position shown in Figure 4(A) and the release position shown in Figure 4(B).

[0020] In the steel billet contact position shown in Figure 4(A), the receiving surface 51A is located above the steel billet mounting surface 30a in the turning mechanism 11, and contacts the downward-facing flat surface portion Wa3 of the steel billet W. The orientation of the steel billet W with the opposing surface portion Wa1 facing upward is determined by the receiving surface 51A. On the other hand, in the release position shown in Figure 4(B), the receiving surface 51A is located below the steel billet mounting surface 30a of the rotation mechanism 11, and the contact between the receiving surface 51A and the steel billet W is released. At this time, the steel billet W is supported by the steel billet mounting surface 30a of the rotation mechanism 11, and rotation of the steel billet W is permitted.

[0021] The first steel billet support base 13A has been described above, but in the second steel billet support base 13B shown in Figure 5, a V-shaped groove with an opening angle of 45° with respect to the vertical is formed on the receiving surface 51B. In this second steel billet support base 13B, at the steel billet contact position, the receiving surface 51B, which has a V-shaped groove formed therein, contacts two surfaces (e.g., Wa3, Wa4) that sandwich the downward corner (e.g., Wb3) of the steel billet W, and the orientation of the steel billet W with the opposing corner (e.g., Wb1) facing upward is determined by the receiving surface 51B.

[0022] Next, the clamping mechanism 15 will be described. Figure 6 is a view of the clamping mechanism 15 from the axial direction on the steel billet W. The clamping mechanism 15 comprises a pair of arms 60, 60 and a rotating means for rotating the arms 60, 60 so that they clamp the steel billet W. The pair of arms 60, 60 are rotatably connected to the frame 61 via a pivot shaft 62, and are also connected via a link mechanism 64 to an output shaft 63a (output shaft 63a of a drive cylinder, not shown in the figure) that moves forward and backward during arm opening and closing operations, and are rotatable in the opening and closing direction indicated by arrow H in the figure. The clamping mechanism 15, configured in this way, clamps the steel billet W from the side, whose orientation is determined by contact with the receiving surface 51 of the steel billet support base 13.

[0023] Next, the turning operation of the steel slab turning device 10 installed on the grinding trolley 1 will be described. The following turning operation is performed under the control of the control unit (not shown) in the steel slab turning device 10. As shown in Figure 7(I), the steel billet W supplied from the material feeding device (not shown) comes into contact with the receiving surface 51A of the turning mechanism 11 at the steel billet contact position, with its downward-facing surface Wa3 in contact with the surface Wa1, thus adopting an orientation with the surface Wa1 facing upwards. The steel billet W in this state is fixed by the clamping mechanism 15, and first the upper surface Wa1 of the steel billet W is ground by the grinding wheel 70 of the grinding device.

[0024] After the surface Wa1 is ground, the steel billet turning device 10 releases the clamp mechanism 15 from fixing the steel billet W, and then lowers the lifting section 50A of the first steel billet support base 13A. As a result, the steel billet W, which had been supported by the first steel billet support base 13A, is placed on the chain 30 of the turning mechanism 11 (see Figure 7(II)). In this state, the gripping claws 36, 36 of the chuck unit 35 are closed to grip the end of the steel billet W. Subsequently, the chain 30 of the turning mechanism 11 is moved in the direction of arrow E, and the steel billet W is turned around its axis so that the corner Wb3 is facing downwards.

[0025] The control unit (not shown in the figure) detects, based on a signal from the rotation angle detection unit 18, that the steel billet W has been rotated by the rotation mechanism unit 11 by a predetermined angle (45° around the axis in this case). At this point, it stops the movement of the chain 30 and opens the gripping claws 36, 36 of the chuck unit 35 to release the gripping state. As shown in Figure 8(III), it raises the lifting section 50B of the second steel billet support base 13B to the steel billet contact position, bringing the V-shaped groove of the receiving surface 51B into contact with the two surfaces Wa3, Wa4 that sandwich the downward corner Wb3 of the steel billet W. This sets the orientation of the steel billet W with the corner Wb1 facing upwards. Subsequently, the steel billet W is fixed by the clamp mechanism unit 15 with the corner Wb1 facing upwards, and the upper corner Wb1 of the steel billet W is ground by the grinding wheel 70 of the grinding device.

[0026] After the corner Wb1 is ground, the clamp mechanism 15 releases its hold, and the lifting section 50B of the second steel billet support 13B is lowered. The steel billet W, which had been supported by the second steel billet support 13B, is then placed on the chain 30 of the rotation mechanism 11 (see Figure 8(IV)). In this state, the gripping claws 36, 36 of the chuck unit 35 are closed to grip the end of the steel billet W. Subsequently, the chain 30 of the rotation mechanism 11 is moved in the direction of arrow E, and the steel billet W is rotated around its axis so that the surface Wa2, which is the next part to be ground, faces upward.

[0027] By repeatedly performing the steps shown in Figures 7(I) to 8(IV) above, the steel billet W is rotated sequentially at 45° intervals around its axis, and grinding of the four surfaces Wa1 to Wa4 and the four corners Wb1 to Wb4 of the steel billet W can be performed.

[0028] As described above, with the steel billet turning device 10 of this embodiment, even if the orientation of the steel billet W varies when the steel billet W is turned by the turning mechanism 11, the steel billet W can be stably corrected to the desired turning angle by bringing the receiving surface 51 of the steel billet support base 13 into contact with the downward surface of the steel billet W again.

[0029] Furthermore, according to the steel billet turning device 10 of this embodiment, the steel billet support base is configured to include a first steel billet support base 13A with a flat receiving surface 51A, and a second steel billet support base 13B with a V-shaped groove formed on its receiving surface 51B that can engage with the corners of the steel billet W. This allows the steel billet W, which has a square cross-section, to be fixed upward so that its surface and corners can be ground.

[0030] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, this is merely an example. For example, in the above embodiment, the receiving surface of the steel slab support was raised to the steel slab contact position when it was detected that the steel slab had rotated 45° around its axis based on a signal from the rotation angle detection unit. However, the timing of raising the receiving surface of the steel slab support (rotation angle of the steel slab) can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, while the above embodiment was an example in which a first steel billet support and a second steel billet support with different receiving surface shapes were provided as steel billet support bases for correcting the rotation angle of the steel billet, the present invention can also be configured to include only one of the steel billet support bases. Furthermore, although the steel billet turning device of the above embodiment was for grinding steel billets with a square cross-section, it may also be applicable to grinding steel billets with a cross-section other than a square cross-section in some cases. In short, the present invention can be configured in various modified forms without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 10. Steel billet turning device 11. Turning mechanism 13 Slab support stand 13A First steel billet support 13B Second steel billet support 18. Turning angle detection unit 30 chain 30a Steel billet mounting surface 35 Chuck Unit 45 sensors 50A, 50B Lifting section 51, 51A, 51B receiving surface W billet Wa1~Wa4 surface area Wb1~Wb4 Corner

Claims

1. A steel billet rotating device that rotates and holds a rod-shaped steel billet around an axis at a predetermined angle, A rotating mechanism that rotates the steel piece, which is placed on a steel piece mounting surface provided on the upper surface of an endless chain, around the axis of the steel piece as the chain moves, A turning angle detection unit for detecting the turning angle of the steel billet, A steel piece support base having a receiving surface capable of contacting the steel piece, configured to be vertically movable between a steel piece contact position where the receiving surface contacts the downward surface of the steel piece at a position above the steel piece mounting surface in the rotating mechanism, and a contact release position where the receiving surface is located below the steel piece mounting surface in the rotating mechanism and contact between the receiving surface and the steel piece is released. Equipped with, A steel billet turning device that, based on a signal from the turning angle detection unit, detects that the steel billet has turned by a predetermined angle, raises the receiving surface of the steel billet support base to the steel billet contact position, thereby correcting the turning angle of the steel billet by contact with the receiving surface.

2. The steel billet turning device according to claim 1, comprising, as the steel billet support base, a first steel billet support base having a flat receiving surface, and a second steel billet support base having a V-shaped groove formed on its receiving surface that can engage with the corner portion of the steel billet.

3. The steel billet turning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the turning angle detection unit comprises a chuck unit that grips the end of the steel billet and rotates together with the steel billet, and a sensor that measures the amount of rotation of the chuck unit.

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