Abstract: In sheet-rolling mills where the rolls are normally under maximum rolling pressure, the mill is said to be "pre-stressed." Load transfer blocks exert a force to relieve a part of the pre-stress for each particular strip rolling operation. This invention has a combination of hydraulic pressure and gas pressure for providing a controlled substantially unyielding force during a rolling operation, and a yielding shock absorber for preventing full pre-stress load from coming on the rolls when an end of the strip passes the rolls or when a strip breaks.

Abstract: Rolling mills, especially for sheet metal, and also paper, rubber and similar rolling mills, require accurate control of the gap between the rolls since this determines the uniformity of the gauge of the material rolled by the mill. This invention provides a rolling mill with sensors that cooperate with the circumferential surfaces of the rolls, or rigid parts thereof, to detect relative movement of the rolls in directions that affect the roll gap and the gauge of the material being rolled. Response of the sensors operates a transducer to affect automatic correction of changes in the spacing of the rolls from one another.