Abstract: Vibration damping apparatus (40) includes a body in the form of backup roll balance piston (42) positionable for sliding movement in an enclosure in the form of cavity (44) in the lower backup roll chock (30) of the mill stack (10). The body of the piston is a casing which performs the role of a conventional postion. A damping means is integral with the piston (42) for providing vibration damping of opposing backup roll chocks (24, 30). The damping means is a specially designed absorption system to provide tuned stiffness and damping elements which act in parallel and are located in compartment (46) at an uppermost end or cap of the piston (42). A second vibration absorbent compartment portion (56) of the piston (42) also includes vibration absorbing components. Portion (56) is an integral cap located at the end of the piston (42) in contact with the fluid (52).

Abstract: An air knife mouth arrangement for use in an air knife assembly having a laterally extending mouth through which pressurized fluid passes to operate on a coating applied to a surface of a sheet material passing the mouth in a longitudinal direction to control the thickness of the coating. In the preferred form of the invention shown the air knife mouth arrangement comprises a mouth defined by a pair of facing lips, each lip having in front elevation a curved shape along its length. The curved shapes of the two lips face each other. The lips of the air knife mouth arrangement are selectively laterally displaceable relative to each other by a moving means so as to thereby vary the separation of the lips and hence the width of the mouth along the length of the mouth.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of, and apparatus for, controlling a levelling machine for metal plates and, more particularly, to control flatness in a plate mill hot leveller.