Abstract: A milling machine for milling a face of a metal workpiece has a cutter positioned to act on the face of a workpiece passed through the machine. A control means is employed to ensure that the depth of cut on the face remains at its preset value regardless of variations in thickness of the workpiece entering the machine.In a preferred arrangement, the machine has a pair of cutters positioned to act on opposed faces of the workpiece. The control means then ensures that the depth of cut on each face remains at its preset value.This is different from known machines in which the cutters are arranged to cut the faces so that the outgoing thickness of the workpiece remains the same regardless of variations in thickness of the workpiece entering the machine.

Abstract: For inserting and removing packers into and from a rolling mill stand having roll adjusting hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies in the top of each stand housing, a packer-carrying sledge runs on tracks extending into the stand below the lowermost rolls of the stand. The sledge is located in the stand during rolling and can carry packers which are located operatively between the chocks of the lowermost roll and the housings.

Abstract: For detecting the temperature profile of a moving strip, strip is caused to pass in contact with a series of hollow rotors which are spaced across the strip width, and each of which is supported by a gas bearing. A thermal detector is located within each rotor to respond to the temperature of that part of the strip in contact with the rotor.The rotors may also be used to detect the variation in tension across the strip width. In that case, the thermal detectors can modify the tension measurements to compensate for thermal errors.

Abstract: In order to indicate the gap between the work rolls of a rolling mill, a pair of shoe structures are urged into engagement with the necks of the respective work rolls, so as to engage that part of the upper roll neck which is vertically beneath the roll axis and that part of the lower roll neck which is vertically above the roll axis and to be movable with the rolls in the vertical direction and an electrical transducer is carried by one of the shoe structures at a position away from the roll axis and a movable part of the transducer engages the other shoe structure so that the electrical output of the transducer varies in response to a variation in the gap between the rolls.