JP7721222B2 - Rolling mills and rolling block mills - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to rolling mills and rolling block mills in continuous wire rod and bar rolling plants.

In continuous rolling plants for wire rod and steel bars, rolling mills (stands) are arranged in series. Material flows through these stands and is continuously rolled to form products of the specified dimensions and shape. The multiple rolling mills arranged in series consist of a roughing mill line, an intermediate mill line, and a finishing mill line. A pre-finishing block mill may be used between the intermediate mill line and the finishing mill line. Optionally, the finishing mill line may also have a finishing block mill as the final downstream unit.

The pre-finishing block mills and finishing block mills used in such wire rod and bar rolling plants typically have individual roll stands arranged one behind the other on a common base frame. Each roll stand is driven by a vertical shaft located on either side of the row of stands via a transmission consisting of a combination of spur gears and bevel gears. The vertical shafts on both sides are driven by a single motor or multiple motors arranged in a row via a common distributed transmission.

Special Publication No. 2013-508172

Conventional block mills are unable to coordinate the speed control of multiple mills located close to each other, so they are configured to drive multiple mills on a single motor output shaft. This makes the mechanical configuration complex, so they are fixed at a specific angle, such as a 90° cross pair. Furthermore, rolling mills are also fixed to either a horizontal or vertical orientation.

As disclosed in Patent Document 1, improvements in drive control performance have made it possible to drive each mill individually, but only block mills with fixed angles have been implemented. Meanwhile, in recent years, there has been a demand for more diverse pass schedules to improve product functionality and quality. However, if the angles of rolling mills and rolling block mills are fixed, pass schedules are limited, and there are limits to improving the functionality and quality of products manufactured in wire rod and bar rolling plants.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a rolling mill and a rolling block mill that offer improved flexibility in pass scheduling.

One embodiment of the present invention is a rolling mill for rolling wire rod or steel bar. The rolling mill comprises a turning device rotatable at least 90° about a central axis when installed in a rolling plant , a set of rolls mounted on the turning device and rotating together with the turning device , roll drive means mounted on the turning device to rotate together with the turning device and configured to drive the set of rolls, and a drive motor for rotating the turning device . The set of rolls includes a first roll having a first caliber and a second roll having a second caliber, disposed parallel to the first roll with a predetermined gap therebetween. The first caliber is disposed opposite the second caliber, and the central axis is set to coincide with a pass line formed by the first caliber and the second caliber. The turning device is installed in the rolling plant so as to allow the wire rod or steel bar to flow through the pass line. The drive motor rotates the turning device around the central axis and can be positioned between a first position in which the set of rolling rolls is at a reference roll setting angle and a second position in which the set of rolling rolls is rotated 90° from the reference roll setting angle, thereby making it possible to arbitrarily set the rotation angle of the set of rolling rolls around the central axis.

According to the embodiments, a rolling mill and a rolling block mill are provided that offer improved flexibility in pass scheduling.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a bar and wire rolling mill according to an embodiment. FIG. 2(a) to 2(c) are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of the bar and wire rolling mill according to the embodiment. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a bar and wire rolling system including a bar and wire rolling mill according to an embodiment. FIG.

Each embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each part, the size ratio between parts, etc. are not necessarily the same as those in reality. Furthermore, even when the same part is shown, the dimensions and ratios may be different depending on the drawing.
In the present specification and the drawings, elements similar to those described above with reference to the previous drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

In the following description, when referring to the rolling of wire rods or steel bars, it refers to the rolling of wire rods or bar and wire rods. In other words, a wire and bar rolling mill is a mill for rolling steel bars or wire rods.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a bar and wire rolling mill according to an embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the bar and wire rolling mill 10 includes a turning device 11 , a pinion gear 12 , a roll (a set of rolls) 13 , a roll driving gear 15 , and a motor 16 .

In the following description, three-dimensional coordinate axes of XYZ may be used. The turning device 11 is a disk-shaped member having a plane approximately parallel to the XY plane. The outer periphery of the turning device 11, which is a disk-shaped member, has a portion of the circumference shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 1. The two-dot chain circle that includes the outer periphery of the turning device 11 has a center C. A line H passing through center C is parallel to the X axis. A line V passing through center C and perpendicular to line H is parallel to the Y axis. The Z axis is perpendicular to the XY plane. The roll 13, roll drive gear 15, and motor 16 are mounted on the surface of the turning device 11 on the positive side of the Z axis. The roll 13, roll drive gear 15, and motor 16 are positioned so that the pass line of the bar and wire rolling mill 10 coincides with center C. In other words, in the bar and wire rolling mill 10 of this embodiment, the pass line is a straight line parallel to the Z axis and a central axis perpendicular to the surface of the turning device 11 on the XY plane. As will be described later, the pass line is formed by the calibers formed on the rolls 13.

When a block mill is constructed using multiple bar and wire rolling mills 10, the bar and wire rolling mills 10 are arranged so that the centers C of each of the multiple bar and wire rolling mills 10 are aligned on a central axis parallel to the Z axis. In other words, the Z axis is parallel to the pass line in a block mill equipped with multiple bar and wire rolling mills 10.

The configuration of the bar and wire rolling mill 10 will now be described in detail.
The turning device 11 is a semicircular plate-like member. As described above, the outer periphery of the semicircle is a part of the circumference of a circle on a plane parallel to the XY plane, with the center at C. The turning device 11 is made of a material and has a thickness that is strong enough to accommodate the roll 13 and the like on one side (the positive side of the Z axis in this example) of the turning device 11. Because the central axis passing through the center C is the pass line, no members that constitute the turning device 11 are provided around the center C in the XY plane view.

In this example, the pinion gear 12 is positioned so that its center is on an extension of the straight line V. The center of the pinion gear 12 is fixed at the installation position of the bar and wire rolling mill 10. Although not shown in FIG. 1 , gear teeth are provided on the outer periphery of the turning device 11. The gear teeth on the outer periphery of the turning device 11 mesh with the teeth of the pinion gear 12, and the turning device 11 can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise around center C depending on the rotation of the pinion gear 12. For example, when the pinion gear 12 rotates clockwise, the turning device 11 rotates counterclockwise together with the rolls 13, roll drive gear 15, and motor 16. When the pinion gear 12 rotates counterclockwise, the turning device 11 rotates clockwise together with the rolls 13, roll drive gear 15, and motor 16.

Although not shown, the pinion gear 12 is connected to the turning device drive motor, for example via a reduction gear. The pinion gear 12 rotates by driving the turning device drive motor. The reduction ratio from the turning device drive motor to the turning device 11 is preset. Therefore, by detecting the rotation speed of the turning device drive motor and driving the turning device drive motor until the desired rotation speed is reached, the turning device 11 can be rotated to the desired angle.

The rolls 13 include two rolls 13a and 13b. The two rolls 13a and 13b are cylindrical members and are arranged approximately parallel with a predetermined gap between them. The two rolls 13a and 13b are each provided with a groove, a caliber 14a or 14b. The caliber 14a of roll 13a is arranged to face the caliber 14b of roll 13b. The midpoint of the distance between the opposing calibers 14a and 14b is the center C of the turning device 11 and the pass line. Note that, in the XY plane view, line V passes through the middle of the gap between rolls 13a and 13b, and line H passes through the middle of the lengths (caliber widths) of the opposing calibers 14a and 14b in the Y-axis direction in the XY plane view.

Rolls 13a and 13b are connected to a motor 16 via a roll drive gear 15, and rolls 13a and 13b are rotated by driving the motor 16. The roll drive gear 15 is provided so that one motor 16 can rotate the two rolls 13a and 13b in opposite directions while compressing them by the desired amount.

The reference position of the bar and wire rolling mill 10 is when the rolls 13a and 13b are vertically arranged. In a vertical arrangement, the gap between the rolls 13a and 13b is formed along the Y-axis direction. Vertically arranged rolls 13a and 13b are arranged such that a straight line V passes through the midpoint between the gap between the rolls 13a and 13b. The turning device 11 can rotate at least 90° clockwise from the reference position and at least 90° counterclockwise from the reference position. Therefore, the outer periphery on which the gear teeth of the turning device 11 are formed is at least semicircular.

The operation of the bar and wire rolling mill 10 of the embodiment will be described.
2(a) to 2(c) are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of the bar and wire rolling mill according to the embodiment.
2(a) to 2(c) show how the turning device 11 rotates counterclockwise around C together with the roll 13, the roll drive gear 15, and the motor 16. The rotation angle of the turning device 11 increases as the figure number progresses from 2(a) to 2(c).

As shown in Figures 2(a) to 2(c), in the bar and wire rolling mill 10, when the pinion gear 12 rotates clockwise, the turning device 11 rotates counterclockwise together with the rolls 13, roll drive gear 15, and motor 16. Because the turning device 11, rolls 13, roll drive gear 15, and motor 16 rotate around C, the pass line that coincides with the center C can remain constant even if the angle of the rolls 13 changes.

In Figure 2(a), the bar and wire rolling mill 10 is at a standard roll setting angle, and the rolls 13 are positioned vertically. In Figure 2(b), the bar and wire rolling mill 10 has the rolls 13 set at a 45° counterclockwise angle from the standard roll setting angle, and in Figure 2(c), the rolls 13 are positioned at a 90° counterclockwise angle from the standard roll setting angle, i.e., horizontally. In Figure 2, the turning device 11 rotates counterclockwise, but by rotating the pinion gear 12 counterclockwise, the turning device 11, rolls 13, roll drive gear 15, and motor 16 can be rotated clockwise around C to a roll setting angle of 90° from the standard roll setting angle.

By setting the rotation angle of the pinion gear 12 to the desired value, the turning device 11, roll 13, roll drive gear 15, and motor 16 can be set to any roll setting angle up to 90° clockwise from the reference roll setting angle around C, or up to 90° counterclockwise from the reference roll setting angle around C.

The bar and wire rolling mill 10 of this embodiment is not limited to drive by the pinion gear 12, as long as the turning device 11, rolls 13, roll drive gear 15, and motor 16 are configured so that they can rotate around C. For example, it is also possible to change the transmission direction by applying a rack and pinion configuration or by combining bevel gears.

In addition, the rotation angle around C is set to 90° or more clockwise and counterclockwise from the reference roll setting angle.

The application of the bar and wire rolling mill 10 of the embodiment to a bar and wire rolling system will be described.
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a bar and wire rolling system including a bar and wire rolling mill according to an embodiment.
As shown in Fig. 3, the bar and wire rolling system is provided with a plurality of bar and wire rolling mills 10. Although three bar and wire rolling mills 10 are shown in Fig. 3, the number may be one, two, or four or more. A plurality of bar and wire rolling mills 10 may be arranged closely together to form a block mill, or may be a single rolling mill.

The rolling main control system 100 is connected to multiple drive devices 102. A drive device 102 is provided for each bar and wire rolling mill 10. Therefore, if four or more bar and wire rolling mills 10 are installed, four or more drive devices 102 will also be provided. The drive devices 102 are connected to the motors 16 of the bar and wire rolling mills 10 via main circuit cables 112. In this example, the motors 16 are provided with speed sensors 17, which are connected to the drive devices 102 via speed sensor cables 117.

The rolling master control system 100 is connected to the drive unit 104. The drive unit 104 is connected to the drive motor (not shown) of the turning device 11 via the turning device drive cable 114.

In a bar and wire rolling system, when a pass schedule is updated, the rolling master control system 100 sets roll setting angles for each of the multiple bar and wire rolling mills 10 according to the set pass schedule. Specifically, the rolling master control system 100 sends an angle setting command to the drive unit 104, and the drive unit 104 drives the drive motor of the turning device 11 by the number of rotations according to the received angle setting command.

For example, the rolling master control system 100 sends a command for the reference position as shown in Figure 2(a) to the drive unit 104 connected to the first bar and wire rolling mill 10. The drive unit 104 receives the reference position command and drives the drive motor of the turning device 11 (the drive motor is not driven because the roll angle is essentially 0°).

For example, the rolling master control system 100 sends a command to the drive unit 104 connected to the second bar and wire rolling mill 10 to rotate 45° counterclockwise from the reference position as shown in Figure 2(b). The drive unit 104 receives the command to rotate 45° counterclockwise from the reference position and drives the drive motor of the turning device 11.

For example, the rolling master control system 100 sends a command to the drive unit 104 connected to the third bar and wire rolling mill 10 to rotate 90° counterclockwise from the reference position as shown in Figure 2(c). The drive unit 104 receives the command to rotate 90° counterclockwise from the reference position and drives the drive motor of the turning device 11.

After the roll setting angles for all bar and wire rolling mills 10 have been set, the rolling process is carried out according to the pass schedule.

During the rolling process after the roll setting angle has been set, each drive device 102 feedback controls the roll drive motor so that it follows the pattern of speed command values supplied from the rolling main control system 100.

The main circuit cable 112, speed sensor cable 117, and turning device drive cable 114 are designed to be sufficiently long, as they are extended and contracted by the rotation of the turning device 11, roll 13, roll drive gear 15, and motor 16.

In this manner, the bar and wire rolling mill 10 can operate.

The effects of the bar and wire rolling mill 10 of the embodiment will be described.
The bar and wire rolling mill 10 of this embodiment has rolls 13, a roll drive gear 15, and a motor 16 mounted on a turning device 11, and can rotate together with the turning device 11 around the pass line. The rotation angle of the rolls 13 can be set arbitrarily using the rolling master control system 100 or the like, and can therefore be set to a desired angle according to the pass schedule. This improves the flexibility of the pass schedule, increasing the possibility of manufacturing a wider variety of products and products of higher quality.

In addition, since there is no need to change the block mill equipment or install a new rolling line for each pass schedule, the operating rate of the entire rolling line can be improved, thereby improving the productivity of the rolling line.

In this way, it is possible to realize a rolling mill and a rolling block mill with improved flexibility in pass scheduling.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments may be embodied in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

10: Bar and wire rolling mill, 11: Turning device, 12: Pinion gear, 13, 13a, 13b: Rolls, 14a, 14b: Calibers, 15: Roll drive gear, 16: Motor, 17: Speed sensor, 100: Rolling main control system, 102: Drive device, 104: Drive device, 112: Main circuit cable, 114: Turning device drive cable, 117: Speed sensor cable

Claims (3)

A rolling mill for rolling wire rods or steel bars,
a turning device that can rotate at least 90° around a central axis when installed in a rolling plant ;
a set of rolling rolls provided on the turning device and rotating together with the turning device ;
roll drive means mounted on the turning device to rotate together with the turning device and configured to drive the set of rolls;
a drive motor for rotating the turning device;
Equipped with
The set of rolling rolls includes a first roll having a first caliber and a second roll having a second caliber, the second roll being provided parallel to the first roll with a predetermined gap therebetween,
the first caliber is provided opposite the second caliber,
the central axis is set to coincide with a path line formed by the first caliber and the second caliber,
the turning device is installed in the rolling plant so as to allow the wire rod or steel bar to flow into the pass line;
The driving motor rotates the turning device around the central axis , and can be positioned between a first position in which the set of rolling rolls is at a reference roll setting angle, and a second position in which the set of rolling rolls is rotated 90° from the reference roll setting angle, thereby making it possible to arbitrarily set the rotation angle of the set of rolling rolls around the central axis. The driving motor further includes a pinion gear that rotates when driven,
the turning device has a part of a circumference of a circle on the plane having a center at an intersection of the central axis and a plane perpendicular to the central axis , and has gear teeth provided on the part of the circumference,
2. The rolling mill according to claim 1, wherein the pinion gear is provided so as to mesh with the teeth of the gear , and rotates the turning device in response to rotation driven by the drive motor . A plurality of rolling mills according to claim 1 or 2 are provided,
The plurality of rolling mills are rolling block mills arranged at predetermined intervals along the central axis so that the central axes of the plurality of rolling mills coincide with each other.