Multi-High Rolling Mill Housing Layout for Faster Roll Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
The narrow space between top and bottom roll groups in cluster type rolling mills makes maintenance and inspection challenging, as conventional methods require long strokes for table sliding, increasing the time needed to form a space for access and replacement.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of movable coolant spray headers in the rolling direction and opposite direction, along with vertically opening and closing inner housings, allows for efficient formation of a space between roll groups, enabling quicker access and maintenance by supporting the roll structures and allowing for simultaneous rearrangement of multiple rolls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a table with spraying device is slid in the longitudinal direction of rolls to enable maintenance access, then the spraying device can be positioned for lubrication and cooling, but the sliding stroke is long and it takes excessive time to form a space between top and bottom roll groups
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the movement direction from the longitudinal direction of rolls (horizontal dimension) to the vertical direction by opening and closing inner housings. This dimensional change allows maintenance access to be achieved without the long sliding stroke previously required, significantly reducing the time to form a space between top and bottom roll groups while still enabling the spraying device to access the rolls for lubrication and cooling
2Manufacturing precision
If coolant spray headers are positioned close to work rolls for effective cooling, then strip thickness control is improved, but the narrow space between top and bottom roll groups makes maintenance and inspection difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the inner housings that support the coolant spray headers movable in the vertical direction through opening and closing mechanisms. This dynamic capability allows the spray headers to be positioned close to work rolls during operation for effective cooling and strip thickness control, while simultaneously enabling maintenance access by opening the housings to create space between top and bottom roll groups, thus resolving the contradiction between positioning requirements and maintenance accessibility
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration significantly reduces the time required to form a space between roll groups, facilitates stable and efficient replacement of rolls, and simplifies the process by eliminating the need for complex angle adjustments and manual handling, thereby improving maintenance efficiency and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
coolant spray headers configured to inject a coolant to a bitten portion of the metal strip bitten by the pair of work rolls
Data Source
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AI summary
There are included: a top inner housing 30 and a bottom inner housing 32 that support a plurality of pairs of backing assemblies 20 thereon; an outer housing 40 that supports the top inner housing 30 and the bottom inner housing 32 thereon from an entry side and an exit side in a rolling direction of a metal strip 5; and an entry side coolant spray header 50a and an exit side coolant spray header 50b configured so as to inject coolant to a bitten portion of the metal strip 5 bitten by a pair of work rolls 10. The entry side coolant spray header 50a and the exit side coolant spray header 50b are configured so as to be movable in the rolling direction and/or an opposite direction to the rolling direction of the metal strip 5. Provided are a multi-high rolling mill, a maintenance and inspection method for a multi-high rolling mill, and a using method for a multi-high rolling mill capable of forming a space between top and bottom roll groups in a shorter time than ever.