Abstract: A method and apparatus for adjusting tooth flank play between two sun gears and at least two planetary gears of a bevel gear differential drive is provided in which, after establishing the operating positions of both sun gears on their sun gear shaft, each planetary gear is shifted on its shaft, previously inserted into a transverse bore of the sun gear shaft, after which the planet gears are brought into their precise operating positions relative to the sun gears and perpendicular to the sun gear shaft and are stopped there with the maintenance of an equal tooth flank play to the sun gears, by first inserting the planetary shaft into the transverse bore of the sun gear shaft in an axially displaceable manner, then placing each planetary gear on its planetary gear shaft with a previously calculated axial distance from the sun gear shaft, and then adjusting an equal tooth flank play by axial displacement of the planetary gears with their planetary gear shafts in the transverse bore and finally fixing planetary

Abstract: The amount of materials in a piece of tubular stock is measured before the stock enters a stretch-reducing rolling mill and the mill is so controlled that the finished tube can be cut into lengths without the occurrence of overlengths or underlengths. In the case of a seamless tube, the piece of tubular stock is weighed and the flying means which cut the finished tube are so controlled that the lengths of all the finished pieces lie within prescribed tolerances so that there is no waste, other than the usual cropped ends. In the case of welded tube, the thickness of the strip material from which the tube is made can be welded, and the welded tubular stock can be cut to a suitable length to ensure that no overlengths or underlengths are obtained after the stretch-reducing and cutting of the finished tube into pieces of prescribed length, within tolerance limits.

Abstract: In a multi-stand stretch-reducing tube-rolling mill, the stands at the entry end forming a first group are driven from a main motor and an auxiliary motor and the remaining stands forming a second group are driven from the main motor and a separate auxiliary motor, the corresponding rotational speeds derived from the main motor and one or other of the auxiliary motors being added by means of a planetary gear in a summing transmission. A single stand between the two groups can be driven from the main motor only. The separate auxiliary motor at the entry end enables control over the tube elongation (or compression) to be effected over a shorter tube length, and thereby more accurately.

Abstract: A transmission for driving a stretch-reducing rolling mill is provided having a spur-wheel differential arranged in a spur-wheel support sleeve forming part of an auxiliary speed transmission train in a transmission for driving the rolls of a multi-stand stretch-reducing rolling mill, a spur-wheel support sleeve forming part of a basic speed transmission train is connected by way of a safety coupling having shear pins to the sun wheel of the differential transmission stage and the speed of the output shaft which forms the plantary carrier of the transmission stage is thus formed from the basic and auxiliary speeds.

Abstract: A rolling mill is provided in which the stands can be angularly displaced about the longitudinal axis of the work material so that the drive shaft slopes upwardly or downwardly from the associated output spindle of the drive transmission. This enables rolls of ideal diameter (D.sub.i) larger or smaller by up to 20 mm than the rated ideal diameter for that stand location to be used. A flexible coupling compensates for the angular misalignment of up to 2.degree. between the drive shaft and the output spindle.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for cooling wire rod and wire in which wire rod and wire leaving the last roll block of a finishing mill is delivered to a first portion of a cooling path for the cooling of wire or wire which slopes downwardly from a likewise inclined finishing block at an angle .alpha. of at least 3.degree. so that the wire rod or wire is subject to little or no compressive stress due to the friction between the wire rod or wire and the tube through which the latter passes in order to be subjected to cooling liquid. The wire rod or wire can be placed under tension if the angle of slope .alpha. is sufficiently large and, in an extreme case the first portion of the cooling path can decent vertically. A loop layer receives the wire rod or wire from the first portion and deposits the wire rod or wire in overlapping loops on conveying means where the wire rod or wire is air-cooled.

Abstract: A winding apparatus is provided for the layering of thin elongated material, especially hot-rolled wire in loop-like windings, in which a doubly or spatially curved laying tube whose longitudinal axis forms a cone-shaped rotation body and whose peripheral speed at the outlet opening matches the entrance speed of the material rotates around a rotation axis, in which case the laying tube is also curved in the peripheral direction of the superficies of the rotation body, the improvement comprising the superficides of the rotation body being curved in an essentially concave manner in accordance with a cycloid beginning at the entrance opening of the laying tube with its vertex, the length of the cycloid resulting from a half-rotation of a rolling circle generated from top to bottom of said rotation body, and that the curvature of the laying tube in the peripheral direction of the superficies is specified by a simultaneously occurring substantially half-rotation of said rotation body around its rotation axis.