This invention relates to edging mills which . have a pair of rolls arranged with their longitudinal axes vertical and provision for adjusting the gap between the rolls.

When rolling metal plate, it is usual to include an edging mill arranged with its vertical rolls to contact the lateral edges of the plate. It is desirable that the plate should be rolled with accurate width dimensions and, consequently, it is desirable that the gap between these vertical rolls should be adjustable in order to provide width control of the plate.

According to the present invention, an edging mill comprises a pair of vertical movable housings; a pair of rolls arranged with their longitudinal axes vertical and rotatably mounted in respective cassettes; said cassettes being supported from respective movable housings and located inwardly of the housings; means for displacing each movable housing and the cassette associated with it in the horizontal direction towards and away from the other housing; and means for displacing each cassette vertically relative to its associated movable housing.

The initial roll gap setting is achieved by displacing each housing and its associated cassette in

the horizontal direction by means of electro-mechanical screws or, for example, by long stroke hydraulic piston-cylinders. However, displacement of the housing and the cassette together may not be accurate enough and quick enough for automatic width control and so it is preferable to include means for displacing each cassette relative to its associated housing in the horizontal direction towards and away from the other cassette.

This means that the initial coarse roll gap setting is achieved by moving the cassettes and their housings together and fine roll gap adjustments and automatic width control are achieved by hydraulic capsules or the like which serve to displace the cassettes in the horizontal direction relative to their housings. The fine gap adjustments may be made during the time that the edging mill is rolling the plate.

The cassettes and, hence, the rolls are also capable of vertical movement relative to their housings and this is achieved by hydraulic cylinders and the like and this enables the rolls to move to uniformly distribute wear along the length of the roll and, hence, increase the life of the roll, or to position grooved passes cut into the rolls. These grooved passes may be of different sizes to accommodate plates of different sizes.

The drive for each vertical roll may comprise

a vertical stub axle engaging the lower end of the roll shaft and a horizontal drive shaft connected through appropriate gearing with the vertical stub axle.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, it will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of one side of an edging mill in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 2 is an elevation in the direction X-X on Figure 1.

Referring to the figures, the support for one of the vertical rolls of an edging mill is shown in detail and the support for the other roll which is not shown is similar.

A roll 1 is arranged with its longitudinal axis vertical and it is rotatably supported at its upper and lower ends in a ^M C"-shaped cassette 3. This cassette and the roll are supported from a vertically arranged movable housing 5. The vertical housing 5 has a pair of wheels 7 which are mounted on cross beams 9 extending horizontally between a pair of external fixed housings 11. The cassette 3 is connected through a coupling 12 to a vertically extending fluid operable piston-cylinder device 13 mounted on the housing 5.

A pair of conventional screw mechanisms 15

are mounted horizontally on the outer housing 11 and the screws extend through the housing and act against cylinders 17 mounted on the housing 5. Each cylinder 17 forms part of a hydraulic piston-cylinder device 18 with the piston extending through an opening in the housing 5 and bearing against the adjacent face of the cassette 3. A pull-back cylinder 19 mounted on the external housing 11 has a piston which extends through the housing 5 into engagement with the cassette 3.

The drive for the vertical roll 1 comprises a drive pinion 23 having internal gear teeth meshing with a splined portion 24 of a horizontal drive shaft 25. This shaft is connected through 90° gearing 27 to the input of a universal drive coupling 29 of a double- flange design. The output of the universal drive coupling is connected to a stub axle extending downwardly from the lower end of the roll 1. The roll is free to move vertically on the stub axle. The universal drive coupling is contained within a portion of the vertical housing 5.

In use, the vertical movable housing 5 and the cassette 3 and, hence, the roll 1 can be displaced horizontally in the direction towards and away from the other vertical roll by means of the screws 15 acting against the vertical housing 5. The housing is displaced on its wheels. Adjustment of the roll gap by means of the screws 15 is considered to be rather slow

operating and rather coarse and, consequently, fine adjustment of the roll and the cassette 3 in the horizontal direction towards and away from the other roll can be brought about by energising the hydraulic devices 18 causing the cassette and the roll to be displaced horizontally relative to the vertical housing. The coupling 12 permits this to occur. Movement, of the cassette with the vertical housing 5 is accommodated by the splined portion 24 of the drive for the roll but horizontal displacement of the roll and the cassette relative to the vertical housing is accommodated by the universal drive coupling 29.

In addition, the cassette and, hence, the roll 1 is displaceable vertically with respect to the vertical housing by actuating the piston-cylinder device 13. The roll sliding on the stub axle permits this to occur. Vertical movement of the roll enables different parts of the periphery of the roll to engage with the plate 30 which is being rolled and this spreads the wear on the roll over its entire barrel length. Alternatively, the roll may have grooves formed in it to receive the edge of the plate 30.

To prevent buckling of the plate during rolling, the plate may be supported at its edges on a series of horizontal rollers 32 with an additional roller 34 mounted above the rollers 32 so that the rollers 32, 34 engage opposite faces of the plate

i

adjacent the roll 1. The roll 34 is adjustably supported from the housing 5. In a similar manner, an anti-buckling set of rollers 35 may be located part-way across the width of the plate 30, usually about half¬ way between the vertical rolls of the edging mill.

The construction of the present invention permits width control of the rolled plate and also the facility for displacing the edging rolls vertically spreads the wear on the rolls and thus the need to replace the rolls for dressing or re-grinding is reduced.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET