Multistage Rolling Mill Structure for Compact High-Rigidity Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cluster-type multistage rolling mills require a large installation space and high costs due to the need for a rigid outer housing for accurate raising and lowering of mill housings, limiting the use range of work rolls and increasing operational expenses.
Innovation Solution
A compact multistage rolling mill design featuring a pair of upper and lower work rolls, an intermediate roll group, partition backing bearing shafts, an upper and lower mill housing, and a base mill housing, with four columns linking the housings and spacers that allow for vertical adjustment and prestress application, eliminating the need for a large outer housing and enabling a smaller installation space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the mill housing is partitioned into upper and lower parts to increase the open amount of work rolls, then the open amount of work rolls is increased, but the deformation amount of mill housings increases and mill rigidity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mill housing is divided into an upper mill housing and a lower mill housing that can move relative to each other vertically. This segmentation allows the work roll gap to be opened sufficiently for strip passage while maintaining the ability to apply prestress to maintain rigidity during rolling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower mill housing is made movable relative to the upper mill housing through hydraulic cylinders and spacers. This dynamic configuration allows the system to transition between an open state for strip passage and a closed, prestressed state for rolling, thereby maintaining both operability and rigidity.
2Manufacturing precision
If a rigid outer housing is provided to secure accurate raising and lowering of mill housings, then pass line accuracy is maintained, but the installation space and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of providing a complete rigid outer housing around all components, the invention uses asymmetric support only where necessary - specifically, the lower mill housing is supported by spacers and hydraulic cylinders at strategic locations to maintain pass line accuracy without requiring a full enclosing rigid structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid outer housing is extracted and replaced by targeted support elements (spacers and hydraulic cylinders) that provide the necessary positional accuracy and stability only at critical locations, thereby reducing the overall space and material requirements while maintaining pass line accuracy.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the position of mill housings is adjusted to enlarge work roll diameter range, then the use range of work rolls is enlarged, but the structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacers serve multiple functions: they maintain the relative position of the upper and lower mill housings, provide guidance for vertical movement, and work with hydraulic cylinders to enable position adjustment. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components for each function, thereby reducing overall structural complexity while enabling work roll diameter changes.
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
The design achieves a compact rolling mill with reduced installation space, enlarged work roll use range, and maintained pass line accuracy, while securing high mill rigidity and operational efficiency, thus reducing costs and improving product quality.
Implementation Method 1
an upper hydraulic cylinder for applying a prestress load at upper parts of the four columns
Implementation Method 2
applying a prestress load to the upper and lower mill housings such that a mill rigidity of the rolling mill is kept high
Implementation Method 3
an upper screw for changing the position of the upper mill housing between the upper and lower mill housings
Implementation Method 4
a wedge adjusting block provided under the lower mill housing, it has been possible to raise and lower the upper and lower mill housing as a whole and to keep the pass line constant
Data Source
AI summary
A multistage rolling mill includes: four columns 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d linking, in an up-down direction, four corners of each of an upper mill housing 8, a lower mill housing 9, and a base mill housing 10; a press-down section that is provided on an upper side of the four columns 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d in a vertical direction and that is capable of raising and lowering the upper mill housing 8; and a lower mill housing spacer that is provided between the lower mill housing 9 and the base mill housing 10 and that adjusts the position of the lower mill housing 9 in the vertical direction. With this configuration, a compact multistage rolling mill with a smaller installation space than a conventional cluster-type rolling mill is provided.