Abstract: A laying pipe configured for rotation about its axis in a rolling mill laying head, comprises a ferrous outer tube having an entry section aligned with its axis, an intermediate section curving away from its axis, and a delivery section having a constant radius measured from its axis. A ferrous inner tube has entry, intermediate and delivery sections respectively lining the entry, intermediate and delivery sections of the outer tube. The inner tube is constrained against movement relative to the outer tube solely by frictional contact with the outer tube. The inner tube is movable incrementally within the outer tube in one direction in response to heating and cooling cycles during rotation of the laying pipe about its axis.

Abstract: A seal is disclosed for use in a rolling mill oil film bearing in which a sleeve is mounted on a roll neck for rotation therewith, the sleeve is journalled for rotation in a fixed bushing, and a flow of oil exits from between the sleeve and the bushing. The seal comprises a flexible circular seal body adapted to be mounted on and to rotate with the roll neck. Circumferentially spaced impellers project from the seal body. The impellers are rotatable with the seal body and serve to rotatively propel oil exiting from between the sleeve and bushing.

Abstract: Apparatus for bundling bars comprising an accumulator rotatable about a horizontal axis. The accumulator has a plurality of notches spaced angularly around its axis. A drive rotates the accumulator about its axis to sequentially locate the notches at: a) a first station at which long products are received in the notches and accumulated into batches; b) a second station at which the batches are tied into bundles; and c) a third station at which the bundles are delivered from the notches to a bundle collector.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for downending a vertically disposed cylindrical coil supported on an underlying pallet, with a stem projecting from the pallet through the coil. The apparatus comprises a cradle rotatable about a horizontal axis. A table on the cradle is configured and arranged to receive and retain the pallet with the coil in a vertical first position at which the coil extends across the horizontal axis. An electrically powered drive serves to rotate the cradle about the horizontal axis to translate the coil from its vertical first position to a horizontal second position.

Abstract: A clamp assembly is disclosed for detachably retaining a curved laying pipe along the correspondingly curved edge of an auger support plate in a rolling mill laying head. The clamp assembly comprises a boss fixed to and projecting from the curved edge of the support plate. The boss has a first opening extending therethrough and an exterior support surface. A generally U-shaped clamp has a bridging web joining mutually spaced cheeks with second openings extending therethrough. The cheeks are configured and arranged to straddle the boss with their second openings in alignment with the first opening in the boss, and with the bridging web coacting with the exterior support surface of the boss to confine a segment of the laying pipe therebetween. A pin extends in an inserted position through the aligned first and second openings in the boss and the cheeks.

Abstract: A vacuum dehydrator for processing an oil containing entrained contaminants such as water, air, and particulates comprises a tower enclosing upper and lower chambers. A random packing is contained in the upper chamber. The oil is preheated to a temperature above the boiling point of water and is introduced into the upper chamber for downward flow through the random packing into the lower chamber. Entrained air and water is retained as water vapor in the upper chamber, and particulates are retained in the random packing. Heated ambient air is introduced into the lower chamber for upward flow through the random packing into the upper chamber, and the upper chamber is cooled to condense the water vapor. Oil and condensed water are pumped respectively from the lower and upper chambers.

Abstract: A rolling mill laying head comprises a quill rotatable about a central axis. A guide pipe carried by the quill and is configured and arranged to form a longitudinally moving product into a continuous series of rings. Axially spaced bearings support the quill on a stationary support structure for rotation about its axis. At least one of the bearings comprises a hydrostatic oil film bearing.

Abstract: A side looper comprises an entry guide for directing a longitudinally moving long product into an arcuate path, an exit guide for receiving the product exiting from the arcuate path, and inner and outer guide walls arranged between the entry and exit guides. The guide walls are adjustable between mutually spaced closed positions fixing the curvature of the arcuate path, and open positions allowing the curvature of the arcuate path to either increase or decrease.

Abstract: A sleeve is disclosed for use in an oil film bearing of the type employed to rotatably support the tapered neck of a roll in a rolling mill. The sleeve is machined from a hollow forging of a base metal with a cylindrical outer surface and a tapered inner surface adapted to be seated on the tapered roll neck. The tapered inner surface of the sleeve is coated with a layer of material that is chemically dissimilar with respect to the base metal.

Abstract: A feed product is rolled into different sized finished products in a rolling mill finishing section which comprises a plurality of modular rolling units arranged along the mill pass line. Each rolling unit includes two roll stands with work rolls configured to define successive oval and round roll passes. The roll stands are designed to effect specific area reductions on products rolled through their respective oval and round roll passes. Feed products having the same entry size are rolled into finished products having different reduced sizes by providing altered rolling sequences in which a selected rolling unit is replaced along the pass line with rolling units having roll stands designed to effect area reductions that differ from those of the roll stands of the replaced rolling unit. Rolling units downstream from the replaced rolling unit are removed from the pass line. The roll stands of rolling units upstream from the replaced rolling unit remain unchanged.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for receiving successive bars moving longitudinally along an entry path and for laterally transferring the bars from the entry path to a braking path. The apparatus comprises a run in table having a plurality of rollers arranged to convey the bars along the entry path. A braking surface is arranged between the run in table and the braking path. The braking surface and the rollers of the run in table lie in a reference plane sloping downwardly from the entry path to the braking path. A dividing wall is arranged between the run in table and the braking surface. The dividing wall is adjustable between a raised position projecting above the reference plane to block lateral downward movement of bars from the entry path across the braking surface to the braking path, and a lowered position accommodating such downward movement. A switch is positioned in advance of the dividing wall. The switch has a plurality of guide channels arranged around a common axis.

Abstract: A rotary shear for subdividing a product moving longitudinally along a path comprises a parallel pair of shafts having cutting blades connected thereto. The shafts are on opposite sides of and arranged symmetrically with respect to a center line of the shear. Driven gears on each of the shafts are spaced one from the other. A first pinion gear is in meshed relationship with one of the driven gears, and a second pinion gear in meshed relationship with the other of the driven gears. The first pinion gear has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the second pinion gear. The first and second pinion gears are in an intermeshed relationship at a location spaced laterally from the center line of the shear.

Abstract: A system for bundling long ferrous products comprises a roller table for delivering the products longitudinally to a receiving station. A cradle is spaced laterally from the receiving station and is constructed and arranged to receive and accumulate the products in bundle form. A stacker is positioned between the receiving station and the cradle, and a pre-stacker is positioned between the stacker and the receiving station. A transport system laterally advances products from the receiving station to the pre-stacker, and the pre-stacker operates in concert with the transport system to pre-stack multiple layers of the products into sub-bundles and to transfer the sub-bundles to the stacker, which then operates to deposit the sub-bundles in the cradle.

Abstract: A system for bundling long ferrous products comprises a roller table for delivering the products longitudinally to a receiving station. A cradle is spaced laterally from the receiving station and is constructed and arranged to receive and accumulate the products in bundle form. A stacker is positioned between the receiving station and the cradle, and a pre-stacker is positioned between the stacker and the receiving station. A transport system laterally advances products from the receiving station to the pre-stacker, and the pre-stacker operates in concert with the transport system to pre-stack multiple layers of the products into sub-bundles and to transfer the sub-bundles to the stacker, which then operates to deposit the sub-bundles in the cradle.

Abstract: A modular rolling mill comprises a plurality of rolling units having work rolls configured and arranged to progressively reduce the cross sectional area of a product received along a mill pass line. Gear units are mechanically coupled to each rolling unit, with each gear unit in turn being mechanically coupled to a driven line shaft by first bevel gear sets. The ratios of the first bevel gear sets progressively increase from the first to the last of the gear units to thereby accommodate a progressively increasing speed of the product being rolled. A second bevel gear set is associated with the last gear unit. The ratio of the second bevel gear set is the same as the ratio of the first level gear set of the penultimate gear unit. The line shaft is selectively coupled to the last gear unit via one or the other of its first and second bevel gear sets.

Abstract: An apparatus for urging an oil film bearing onto and off of a roll neck in a rolling mill comprises an annular hydraulically actuated piston/cylinder unit mounted on a cylindrical section of the roll neck. The cylindrical neck section is delimited at one end by a circular shoulder on the roll neck, and at the opposite end by a circular groove in the roll neck. A retaining ring has lock arms pivotally movable into seated positions in the groove. The piston/cylinder unit is operable in a first mode in an abutting relationship with the lock arms to urge the bearing onto the roll neck, and is operative in a second mode in an abutting relationship with the shoulder to urge the bearing off of the roll neck. The piston/cylinder unit and the lock arms having complimentary tapered surfaces arranged to coact in urging the lock arms inwardly into their seated positions in response to the abutment of the piston/cylinder unit with the lock arms.

Abstract: A seal is disclosed for use on the tapered section of a roll neck in a rolling mill. The seal comprises a flexible circular seal body having a central axis and at least one radially outwardly extending flange joined by a hinge to an angularly extending lip. The hinge has a reduced thickness as compared to the thicknesses of the flange and the lip, and the lip has converging first and second sides leading to an enlarged rim. The rim has first and second peripheral faces that converge to an outer edge contained in a reference plane parallel to the central axis of the seal body.

Abstract: A monitoring and alarm system is disclosed for a rolling mill in which oil is pumped from a reservoir via feed piping and branch feed lines to oil film bearings and oil is returned from the bearings via branch drain lines and return piping to the reservoir. The system comprises sensors positioned in at least one of the branch feed lines, the branch return lines and the bearings. The sensors are operative to sense diverse parameters indicative of bearing operating conditions and to generate status signals representative thereof. A controller evaluates the status signals and triggers warning signals when the status signals indicate that the bearings are in danger of being damaged by continued operation. Alarms respond to the warning signals and alert mill operating personnel to such danger.

Abstract: An oil film bearing is disclosed for a rolling mill roll having a tapered neck leading to a reduced diameter end section. The bearing comprises an internally tapered sleeve received in a seated position on the tapered roll neck. The sleeve is journaled for rotation in a bushing fixed within a chock assembly. A tubular piston is received on and fixed relative to the reduced diameter end section of the roll. A cylinder is internally subdivided by the piston into first and second chambers. A sleeve ring abuts an end of the sleeve and a circular thrust component is interposed between and arranged to overlap adjacent segments of the sleeve ring and the piston.

Abstract: Accumulators are interposed between an initial mill section having an elevated first production rate and each of a plurality of different outlet mill sections having lower second production rates. Each accumulator is constructed and arranged to receive intermediate products from the initial mill section at its elevated first production rate, and to deliver the intermediate products to the associated outlet mill section at its respective lower second production rate. The excess intermediate product resulting from the differential between the first and second production rates is stored temporarily in the accumulator. Switches direct successive intermediate product lengths from the initial mill section to selected outlet mill sections via their respective accumulators for simultaneous processing into packaged finished products.