Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a supporting method, equipment, and controlling method for the roll-former stand by which the height and inclined angle of the cluster roll comprising subsequentially deposited plurality of side rolls likely as a roll former as a pipe mill can be arbitrarily set, and the interdistance between said rolls can be reduced. The basic structure consists of the following procedures; namely, (1) a supporting a pair of cluster platforms, on which a common bed is mounted, by a link being formed by jacks; a plurality of side rolls is supported by a roll bracket and deposited on said common bed, (2) fixing both end portions of the link on the platform or a bed plane surface to form an arbitrary triangle, and (3) measuring the length of the link by a linear encoder which is provided along said links. The measured data is converted to the Cartesian coordinates by the computer.

Abstract: To promote the forming performance of band material into pipes and to decrease the number of forming stages and changes of the forming rolls in the pipe mill, considering that it is superior when forming the band material into pipes of required diameters if the sectional shape of the band material is provided with a curved surface which changes its curvature continuously into the required diameter, we provide a curved roll surface of numerous curvatures changing continuously. In a continuous roll forming in accordance with the present invention, a forming roll having an approximate involute curve based upon a polygon comprising a plurality of sides is used. By using the conventional rolls in various combinations therewith in each stage of forming as a horizontal roll, side roll and upper intermediate roll or a cage roll, the number of stages of the forming roll can be reduced.