Rolling Mill Clamping Mechanism Eliminates Dedicated Actuators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Quarto cage rolling mills require dedicated actuators and electric contact limit stops for clamping working rolls, leading to increased costs and potential oil leaks due to hydraulic systems, and have inefficient axial force transmission and locking mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses mechanical means to transition from a retracted position to a locking position using the approaching movement of lower rolls during cage closure and separating movement during opening, eliminating the need for dedicated actuators and electric limit stops, with movable components that lock into vertical grooves to secure chocks along the axis, directly transferring axial forces to the holding cage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated actuators and electric contact limit stops are used for clamping working rolls, then the clamping function can be achieved, but the cost increases and potential oil leaks occur due to hydraulic systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the dedicated clamping actuators and electric contact limit stops from the system. Instead of using separate hydraulic actuators for clamping, the invention uses the cage closing movement itself to drive the locking components, thereby removing the problematic dedicated actuation system that caused cost increases and reliability issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The cage closing movement is given a dual function: it simultaneously closes the cage and actuates the clamping mechanism. The hydraulic jacks that close the cage are also used to drive the locking components into the vertical grooves, making the same hydraulic system serve multiple purposes and eliminating the need for separate dedicated clamping actuators.
2Ease of operation
If hydraulic jacks are used for cage opening and closing, then the cage can be opened for roll replacement, but oil leaks may occur and increase maintenance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potential harm of having hydraulic systems into a benefit by using the hydraulic jacks' closing force to simultaneously drive the locking components. The same hydraulic pressure that could potentially leak is now harnessed to perform the dual function of closing the cage and actuating the clamping mechanism, reducing the need for additional hydraulic connections.
3Force
If locking components are designed to enter vertical grooves for clamping, then axial force transmission is improved, but the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is segmented into simple geometric features: vertical grooves in the chocks and corresponding locking components with lateral protrusions. This segmentation into simple interlocking geometric elements achieves effective axial force transmission without requiring complex mechanical structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking components automatically engage with the vertical grooves through the cage closing movement itself. The hydraulic jacks that close the cage automatically drive the locking components into the grooves, and the geometry of the grooves and locking components ensures proper engagement without requiring additional control mechanisms or complex actuation systems.
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 solution reduces costs by eliminating dedicated actuators and electric limit stops, improves axial force transmission, and enhances the reliability of the clamping mechanism by directly locking chocks to the holding cage, allowing for efficient clamping and unclamping operations using hydraulic jacks for cage opening and closing.
Implementation Method 1
The rolling mill comprises means for applying a clamping force between the chocks of the supporting rolls, in the form of two hydraulic jacks
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a rolling mill for a metal strip, including: a holding cage; an assembly of superimposed rolls with substantially parallel axes, including lower and upper working rolls, defining the gap for passage therethrough, and two respectively lower and upper supporting rolls respectively applied to the working rolls on the opposite side to that of the gap, each roll having two rotatably mounted ends, each on a bearing carried by a chock; and a system for clamping the chocks of the working rolls along the axis of the roll, while allowing the chocks to slide along a guide, following the clamping plane including a mechanical unit using the closing movements of the holding cage in order to switch from a retracted position, allowing the withdrawal, along the axis thereof, of the working rolls out of the holding cage, into a locking position, ensuring locking of the chocks.