Abstract: A metal workpiece such as a slab is rolled into a desired width without requiring broadsiding. The system generally involves reducing a first portion along the width of the workpiece to a first thickness while creating a second portion along the width of the workpiece having a thickness greater than the first portion thickness and having a predetermined mass. Subsequently the second portion is reduced to establish a predetermined increase in the width of the workpiece and a decrease in the thickness of the workpiece to obtain a substantially uniform thickness along substantially the entire width of the workpiece. A preferred approach includes providing a pair of cooperating work rolls at least one of which has a generally cylindrical portion and at least one adjacent tapered portion. Initial reduction is effected by employing a pair of cooperating cylindrical central portions and at least one tapered portion. This provides a workpiece with a reduced portion and an enlarged portion.

Abstract: A mill stand having a pair of work rolls cooperating with at least one backup roll. Bending forces are applied to at least one work roll at or adjacent the ends thereof. The work rolls may be offset with respect to the backup rolls in either an upstream or downstream direction, and the bending forces may be applied in the direction of offset. The forces may be applied to both work rolls. An opposing force may be applied to the opposite side of the work rolls intermediate the bending forces applied to the work roll ends either through the strip tension differential or a direct application. A rolling mill stand having a pair of cooperating work rolls and cooperating backup rolls has a pair of first auxiliary rolls applying forces at or adjacent the ends of the work rolls. The work rolls may be offset and the bending forces are applied in the direction of offset. Second auxiliary rolls may be provided intermediate the first auxiliary rolls to provide an opposing force.

Abstract: A self-compensating roll for rolling various width strip-like material wherein the roll is subject to non-uniform rolling load distribution between its opposite ends during rolling. The roll comprises a cylindrical roll body and outer material contacting surface. Outwardly extending displaceable members are formed beneath the contacting surface in the roll body at the opposed ends of the roll which permit the outer contacting surface areas to be displaced in a direction away from the direction the axial portion of the roll body deflects under a given load.

Abstract: A rolling mill arrangement having at least one roll carrying a sleeve forming a cavity with the roll body near the two opposed ends of the roll. Pressurized fluid is regulated in these cavities to counteract "edge drop" which occurs at the edges of a product under the conventional procedures for controlling the mill for effecting control of the edge thickness of the strip when reducing the product along its width.

Abstract: A rolling mill strip tension monitoring assembly has a roll supporting structure which supports a plurality of pivotally mounted rolls. A sensor support is movably secured to the roll supporting means such that movement of the rolls other than axial rotational movement will effect a change in relative position between the noncontacting sensor array and the roll support. Sensors may consist of one or more elongated transducer array which may be of the induction type. Apparatus for comparing the position of a rolls with an adjacent roll may be employed. Apparatus for processing the signals.

Abstract: A thermally insulating block array is partially covered by thermal conducting sheets so as to enhance re-radiation of heat losses from a heated product in order to facilitate effective temprature control. The thermal conducting sheets preferably cover the face of the thermal insulating blocks which face the heated product and preferably cover the lateral surfaces of the blocks and portions of the rear surface to resist direct exposure of the thermal insulating block to the heated product.

Abstract: A rolling mill strip tension controlling apparatus may also function as a looper roll and shape meter and is provided with a plurality of generally aligned axially rotatable strip contacting rolls which are supported on rotating arms which in turn are rotated by actuators such as hydraulic cylinders. By monitoring actuator pressure and position a difference between the actual values for position or pressure and the predetermined values is used to provide through a servomechanism suitable corrective action on an individual roll by roll basis. A switch may be provided to permit the system to provide information from a computer to the servo system in a position mode or a pressure mode. The measured values may take the form of oscillations with respect to a predetermined base value.

Abstract: A rolling mill stand has a pair of work rolls and a pair of associated backup rolls. The backup rolls are generally cylindrical with portions of varying diameter. The work rolls are generally cylindrical with portions of varying diameter and of different work surface configurations from each other. The work rolls may assume a first position generally aligned with the backup rolls and second and third positions in which the work rolls are axially displaced as a unit in the same direction from the aligned positions with the backup rolls. This permits forming of flat strip, centrally crowned strip, or strip with crowned edges. The work rolls preferably diverge in the same direction and the backup rolls preferably diverge in the opposite direction. A method of achieving a generally flat strip, centrally crowned strip or edge crown strip employing relative axial displacement of work rolls with respect to the backup rolls.

Abstract: A shearing apparatus for performing several modes of operation on travelling or stationary material. Two cooperative knife drums, which can be rendered rotatable or non-rotatable, form a gap whose spacing is varied by hydraulic piston cylinder assemblies, one mounted on opposed ends of the upper or bottom drum. The adjustable knife drum is held in a parallel or non-parallel positioning or caused to rock with or without additional high frequency oscillations by controlling and regulating the pressure in the cylinders, while simultaneously moving the upper drum towards the lower drum and/or rotating both drums.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for rolling strip in line with a continuous caster is disclosed. A slab capable of being coiled say 1.5 inches or less, is passed through an in-line furnace to homogenize temperature and is thereafter coiled in one of two vertically aligned coilers in either side of the pass line. The slab is then payed off into a rolling mill while a subsequent slab is coiled in the other of the two coiler furnaces.

Abstract: A tandem rolling mill having a plurality of stands with each stand having a pair of work rolls and a pair of backup rolls. A downstream roll stand has work rolls of reduced diameter and backup rolls of increased diameter with respect to an upstream stand preferably at least a major number of downstream stands have reduced diameter work rolls and enlarged diameter work rolls with respect to an upstream stand. The center-to-center spacing between work rolls and backup rolls decreases in a downstream direction and the length of the rolls increases from stand-to-stand in a downstream direction.

Abstract: A refractory block design for re-radiating a substantial amount of heat losses back to a heated product thereby substantially maintaining its required temperature. A relatively thin sheet of stainless steel, i.e. the ratio of the thickness of the sheet being approximately 1/500th of the thickness of the heated product, is wrapped in a sinuous manner around one side of a refractory fiber block arranged in a similar sinuous manner to tightly fit into the folds of the block for storing heat, and radiating heat back to the heated product when thermal equilibrium therebetween is reached.

Abstract: A process of rolling steel in a reversing mill by passing the steel back and forth through the mill for a selected number of passes to achieve the desired thickness and on at least two early passes, each in a different direction, tapering the ends of the steel during taper passes by adjusting the roll gap, the roll gap adjustment (.DELTA.H) being a function (F(.DELTA.F.sub.m)) of the change in roll force (.DELTA.F.sub.m) above a lock-on force (F.sub.1) which lock-on force is established on the instant taper pass.

Abstract: The method of combining automatic gauge control and strip profile control in a tandem rolling mill comprises detecting a signal representative of the actual roll separating force in a first tandem stand and utilizing that signal to maintain a constant roll force in that stand through interstand tension control within predetermined limits and where the tension limit would be exceeded utilizing the signal to simultaneously control the roll gap for gauge control and control the roll bending for strip profile control in the first stand. The interstand tension is controlled either through the speed control of the first stand and/or the gap control of a downstream stand or through a combined tension control loop which initially adjusts tension through an interstand looper and thereafter adjusts the interstand looper to a set point through speed control of the first stand.

Abstract: A method for hot rolling metal slabs to strip thicknesses comprises close coupling a hot reversing mill having a coiler furnace on at least the upstream side thereof with a finishing train having at least one finishing stand and preferably at least three finishing stands. The finishing train is maintained in the open position as the slab is passed back and forth through the hot reversing mill in flat passes with the slab freely passing through the finishing train. At an intermediate thickness the workpiece is coiled in the coiler furnace. In one embodiment a downstream coiler furnace is employed and the workpiece is reduced by passing it back and forth between the coiler furnaces while it is acted upon by the hot reversing mill. The coil is finally decoiled out of the upstream coiling furnace and passed through the finishing train which has been reset to the appropriate roll gaps during the intermediate rolling stage between coiler furnaces.

Abstract: A method of hot rolling strip on a hot strip mill includes coiling on a coiler at least a portion of the transfer bar by initiating coiling at the tail end of the transfer bar after it exits the roughing train and, thereafter, decoiling or paying off the partially formed coil into the finishing stand. The coiler is movable between a first position adjacent the roughing train and a second position adjacent the finishing train. Coil payoff apparatus may be positioned adjacent to an upstream end of the finishing train for receiving the coil from the coiler and paying it off into the finishing train.

Abstract: A method of implementing the modernization of continuous tandem hot strip rolling in existing hot strip mills includes utilizing certain of the roughing stands of the roughing train and installing at least two tandem stands upstream of the finishing train in the area of the holding table so as to provide continuous tandem rolling with the finishing train. A critical transfer bar thickness on the order of 3.8 to 5 inches is necessary for the product going into the initial tandem mill stand to assure optimum results for the modernized mill.

Abstract: A hot strip mill includes at least one roughing reversing mill and a finishing train with the reversing mill spaced from the finishing mill by a distance greater than the length of the transfer bar on the penultimate pass but less than the distance of the final pass through the roughing reversing mill so as to be close coupled to the finishing train on that last pass. The method of rolling includes close coupling the reversing roughing mill to the finishing mill on the last downstream pass through the reversing roughing mill.

Abstract: The hot strip mill for rolling slabs of a minimum thickness on the order of 7.75 inches into strip on the order of 1000 PIW comprises a plurality of mill stands TM1 through TMx, each of the stands spaced from an adjacent stand by a distance less than the length of the strip between the stands so as to roll in tandem at a constant mass flow. The method of rolling includes reducing slabs into the strip thickness through continuous passes on the TM1 through TMx mill stands while maintaining a constant mass flow on each stand and a minimum temperature differential from head to tail. The method includes selecting the correct slab thickness to achieve the desired productivity and temperature differential.

Abstract: A processing line for rolling metal slabs into strip thicknesses along a substantially horizontal pass line includes the utilization of an intermediate mill formed of an upstream coiler furnace and a pair of coiler furnaces downstream of a reversing mill where the downstream coiler furnaces are in vertical alignment with one above the pass line and the other below the pass line. The method of rolling includes reducing a transfer bar in the reversing mill and coiling it in one of the downstream coiler furnaces. The coil is then passed back through the reversing mill into the upstream coiler furnace. Thereafter, the coil passes through the reversing mill for the third time and is again coiled in one of the downstream coiler furnaces. The coil is then uncoiled and directed into the finishing train while a subsequent coil is processed in the reversing mill utilizing the empty downstream coiler furnace. The rolling of the workpiece through the intermediate mill is done independent of the finishing train.