Abstract: Direct softening heat treatment of rolled wire rods comprises the steps of:providing wire rods by hot- or warm-rolling, and immediately following rolling, coiling the rolled wire rods in an annealing furnace. Apparatus therefor comprises an annealing furnace provided with an externally or internally built coiler for rolled wire rods disposed adjacent to a rolling line of said wire rods, the coiler being disposed so as to directly receive the rolled wire rods.

Abstract: A method for leveling a metal strip performs a leveling operation by opening leveling rolls at a predetermined position relative to a welded joint and closing at a predetermined position relative to the welded joint. The tension exerted on the metal strip while the leveling rolls are held open is set at a given value in relation to the metal strip length where the leveling rolls are held open. The tension to be exerted on the metal strip while leveling is selected so that the tension may cause a given rate of elongation on the metal strip and thereby levels the metal strip. The leveling device is applicable for implementing the leveling process including a quick open and a quick close upon encountering welded joints of the strips. The leveling device includes features in that the leveling rolls as held open and thus released from the metal strip and self-propelled to rotate.

Abstract: A coil box apparatus provided between a roughing roll and a finishing mill at a hot rolling mill so as to coil a rolled material transported from the roughing mill in order to make the temperature distribution of the rolled material more uniform, which is provided with a controller for computing a stand-by time of the coiled rolled material in a coil box on the basis of a condition of proceeding a rolling operation of an advanced rolled material at the finishing mill of the downstream side process, and predicting a temperature difference between the outermost first coiled layer and the inside coiled layers from the second coiled layer of the coiled rolled material after the lapse of the computed stand-by time with reference to information of the previously stored temperature drop at each part of the coiled rolled material, so that when the predicted value is larger than the reference value, the coiled rolled material is covered on the surface of the outermost first coiled layer thereof by coil covers formed o

Abstract: Direct softening heat treatment of rolled wire rods comprises the steps:providing wire rods by hot- or warm-rolling, andimmediately following rolling, coiling the rolled wire rods in an annealing furnace. Apparatus therefor comprises an annealing furnace provided with an externally or internally built coiler for rolled wire rods disposed adjacent to a rolling line of said wire rods, the coiler being disposed so as to directly receive the rolled wire rods.

Abstract: A method of shielding metal slabs from heat loss during inter-stand transport in a rolling mill with an inverted channel-shaped heat-insulating housing. The housing is sited over the roller table at a first position adjacent an upstream mill stand and is so dimensioned as to accommodate a slab entering through the trailing end of the housing as it issues from the stand; control means is provided operable (a) to cause the housing to travel along the table with the slab, (b) to arrest the housing adjacent the downstream mill stand whereby the slab exits thereto through the leading end of the housing and (c) to return to its said first position.

Abstract: A shape metering process and related apparatus for continuously detecting and measuring the profile and flatness of a rolled metal strip or a non-metallic strip coming off mill rolls, and for making continuous corrections, in real time, of the errors from which faults and unevenness in the strip tend to originate. A single source of fluid power registers differences in pressure which are localized in relative zones which are ranged transversely to the path of the strip movement and across its width. Such differences in pressure are proportional to the differences in tension with which the strip is invested. These differences can be detected, measured and displayed so as to analogically represent the shape of the strip. The same pressure can also be a continuous and direct-acting control medium for an actuation of a conventional media utilized in correcting the thermal condition of the mill rolls.

Abstract: The tunnel comprises a rigid metal framework (3), a U-shaped covering unit (5) and a raising means (12) for shifting the framework and the covering unit between a service position and an out of service position (3', 5'). The framework (3) includes parallel cross-members (10) and the covering unit is constituted by a smooth metal sheet covered with an insulation material. The covering unit (5) is connected under the metal framework (3) in the region of each of the cross-members (10) by a plurality of articulated suspension means (6).

Abstract: Thin steel sheets having an improved processability are produced when a steel sheet or cast strip obtained through a continuous casting or strip caster process is subjected to a lubrication rolling step at a temperature of from Ar.sub.3 transformation point to 300.degree. C. and a rolling speed of not less than 1,500 m/min. By this method, the cold rolling step or cold rolling-annealing step can be omitted.

Abstract: The apparatus has a hot roughing mill, a cold finish rolling mill arranged downstream of the hot roughing mill as viewed in the direction of flow of the material, and a slitting/annealing equipment arranged downstream of the finish rolling mill as viewed in the direction of flow of the material. The slitting/annealing equipment includes an uncoiler for uncoiling aluminum web which has been finish-rolled and coiled by the finish rolling mill, a multi-slitter adapted for slitting the uncoiled aluminum web into a plurality of aluminum strips, and an electromagnetic induction heating annealer through which the strips are made to pass so as to be annealed by electromagnetic induction heating.

Abstract: To protect a heat shield arrangement over a hot-rolling mill, at the entry end of the table contact members of large mass are suspended over the path of the hot material to form a height barrier for distorted material. The members are suspended displaceably from bars on a cantilevered support that leaves one side of the table open for the removal of scrapped material. The bars pass through contoured apertures in the members which permit the members to move in forwards and upwards so that when struck by the material they can lift and can also yield to the frictional force of the material travelling under them. The loading on the cantilevered support is thereby reduced. Reduction in peak loadings also result from mounting the members on an upwardly pivotable cantilever frame and by damping the return movements of the members and/or the frame.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for producing a tungsten heavy alloy sheet which involves rolling a starting slab consisting essentially of tungsten heavy alloy wherein the tungsten content is from greater than 75% to 93% by weight tungsten by passing the slab one or more times through a rolling mill at a temperature of from 700.degree. C. to 900.degree. C. to reduce the height of the slab by no greater than 10% per pass to a total reduction in height of from 15% to 25%, heating the resulting slab from the first series at a temperature of 1000.degree. C. to 1200.degree. C. for a sufficient time to anneal the matrix of the slab, subjecting the resulting first time annealed slab to a second series of rolling operations by passing the first time annealed slab one or more times through a rolling mill at a temperature of 700.degree. C. to 900.degree. C.

Abstract: A method of tension leveling a continuous strip of nonhomogeneous metal sheet in which the yield strength of the strip edges is less than the yield strength of the center. The method includes the steps of unwinding the strip from a coil supported on an uncoiler, passing the strip through tension-generating bridle rolls and, while under tension is passed, in a serpentine path between upper and lower sets of nested work rolls and through tension relaxing bridle rolls, and rewinding the strip into a coil on a recoiler. The improvement consists of the additional step of, prior to passing the strip between the work rolls, heating the strip edges to a temperature above that of the center of the sheet to create thermal expansion in the edges sufficient to produce a thermal strain such that, when added to an elastic strain at yield in the edges, total strain is equal to an elastic strain at yield in the center of the sheet.

Abstract: An arrangement for winding material onto a coiler drum along a passline of a hot reversing mill comprising an apparatus having two pivotal arms mounted on a common shaft and movable in a different arcuate path toward and away from the coiler drum. Rollers at the end of the arms tightly enwrap the material around the drum when the arms are positioned against the drum as the material is being underwound onto the drum. The roller of one of the arms may act as a deflector roller when positioned away from the drum as the material is being overwound onto the drum. The other arm consists of two wrapper rollers on a pivotal mounting for their proper orientation around the drum and for flat passes of the material through the mill. This other arm is positioned away from the drum below the passline to allow a retractable table roll assembly consisting of a plurality of table rolls to be positioned in the passline for supporting the material.

Abstract: A heat shield arrangement for a hot-rolling mill has thin-walled heat insulating panels above below and at the sides of a hot material path through the mill. The upper and/or side panels are adjustable in position to reduce the free space around the material on said path and so improve the view factor. The upper panels are suspended from carrier frames which can be raised to lift the panels clear. With the frames lowered, the upper panels are adjustable between a raised ambush position and a fully lowered operative position. Lowering the panels from the ambush position can be triggered by sensing the presence of the material so that the panels become fully effective as a strip of hot material begins to pass under them but are held sufficiently high before threading to avoid damage from a hot strip with a distorted leading edge.

Abstract: A method for setting a steel stock discharge temperature of a heating furnace in a hot rolling line in which both fuel unit consumption in the heating furnace and that in a rolling line are calculated to obtain a total fuel unit consumption in the entire line, and an optimum discharge temperature is calculated so as to satisfy a metallurgical discharge temperature restrictive condition and minimize the above total fuel unit consumption and the optimum discharge temperature is used as the steel stock discharge temperature.

Abstract: In a coiler-furnace unit comprising a coiler for coiling a metal strip, a sleeve (2), which comprises heating means (3) for heating the coiler mandrel (1) and is adapted to be axially displaced over the coiler mandrel (1), and a heat-insulating shell (7) associated with said sleeve, a uniform heating of the coiled strip and a low dissipation of heat are ensured in that the heat-insulating shell (7) is mounted to be axially displaceable toward the coiler mandrel (1) relative to the sleeve (2) and is provided with a passage slot (18) for receiving the metal strip.

Abstract: A process for producing a formable thin steel sheet excellent in ridging resistance. Said process comprises finishing a low carbon steel at a strain rate of not less than 300 (s.sup.-1) in a temperature range of 800.degree. to 300.degree. C. in at least one pass when the low carbon steel is rolled into a specified thickness, and subsequently performing recrystallization annealing.

Abstract: A rolling stand has a support frame, a pair of small-diameter working rolls defining a workpiece nip open perpendicular to the plane and rotatable about respective horizontal, parallel, and vertically spaced axes. A pair of large-diameter backup rolls are rotatable about respective axes parallel to and vertically flanking the working-roll axes. These backup-roll axes define a vertical plane offset from the working-roll plane. In addition each backup roll bears vertically on the respective working roll and a drive counterrotates the rolls of each roll pair to draw an elongated workpiece of predetermined maximum width generally perpendicular to the planes through the nip. The working rolls are longer than the maximum workpiece width and have end portions projecting axially beyond the workpiece. The rolls are pressed vertically toward the nip to compress and deform the workpiece thereat.

Abstract: An edge-region heating device for use in the hot rolling of metallic strip after some cooling of the strip has occurred, employs an induction heater to preferentially raise the temperature of the edge-regions of the strip to compensate for the faster cooling of these edge regions whereby a more uniform temperature is obtained over the cross-section of the strip when a later hot rolling operation is performed.

Abstract: A method of controlling the rolling efficiency in a continuous hot rolling process including the steps of inputting a total weight of and the time intervals of slabs already extracted from a heating furnace in a period from the present time up to any previous time, a total weight and a forecast furnace residence time of slabs charged in the heating furnace and a total weight of any number of slabs to be charged, and calculating the desired rolling efficiency of the slabs to be charged to thereby control the overall average rolling efficiency to a predetermined value. With such a method, the total weight of the slabs to be rolled in a unit time is maintained to a predetermined value.

Abstract: According to the present invention, in a method of controlling a mill pacing in a rolling equipment wherein a plurality of serial rolling mills are provided downstream of a heating furnace in which a plurality of materials are rested on a furnace hearth integrally moving with the materials and can be successively extracted, respective rolling cycle times are sought from periods of time between the starts of rolling in respective rolling mills of a subsequent material to be extracted from the heating furnace and the readiness for rolling of the following material in the respective rolling mills, the maximum value of the above-described respective rolling cycle times is assumed as an extraction cycle time of the subsequent material to be extracted to thereby presuppose an extraction time of the subsequent material to be extracted from the heating furnace, allowable retard periods of time of the materials immediately before the respective rolling mills are predetermined, the presupposed retard periods of time of

Abstract: A hot strip mill having a final reducing stand and runout cooling means downstream of the reducing stand includes an incubator capable of coiling and decoiling the hot strip. The incubator is located intermediate the runout cooling means. In a preferred form the final reducing stand is a hot reversing mill. A second incubator and/or a temper mill and/or a slitter may be positioned downstream of the first incubator. The method of rolling includes isothermally treating the strip within a predetermined time and temperature range in the incubator prior to subsequent processing. The subsequent processing may include any one or more of the following: further deformation by cold rolling, temper rolling or cooling at a desired heat loss rate.

Abstract: A plant for hot-rolling strip or plate stock comprises roller conveyors for conveying the stock to be rolled, which is guided on the roller conveyors by side guards, which are provided on the roller conveyors near their side edges and adjustable transversely to the direction of travel on the roller conveyors. To ensure that on such roller conveyor provided with the side guards the cooling of the stock to be rolled will be minimized, the roller conveyors are provided with coverings, which are supported by the side guards and movable in unison with at least one of the side guards.

Abstract: To reduce the width of slabs from a reheating furnace to the width required in a finishing rolling train, thereby making it possible to feed slabs of only one width, or only a few widths, into the reheating furnace, the invention proposes rolling the slab in a width-reducing roll train in which the slab is subjected to traction such that plastic deformation occurs between the roll sets. In particular the width-reducing roll train has only one set of thickness rolls and has one or more sets of width rolls, thereby minimizing the length of the roll train and consequently reducing the lengths at the ends of the slab which are not subjected to the traction.

Abstract: Bars and wire rods are rolled from billets or blooms in the disclosed process which includes a primary rolling step resulting in an intermediate material, a secondary rolling step and a heat treatment. The primary (first) rolling step includes rolling the billet or bloom steel material into an intermediate material at a mass flow rate to enable it to be maintained during the primary rolling within a temperature range corresponding to a predetermined deformation resistance level of the steel material. This predetermined deformation resistance level is selected so as to take advantage of an opportunity to save energy. The intermediate material resulting from primary rolling is coiled and its temperature is adjusted so as to maintain the intermediate material at a desired starting temperature for the secondary rolling step.

Abstract: In a process of hot-rolling steel wherein use is made of a heat-reflecting screen (13) by which heat radiating from the work (1) is reflected back to the work, the invention comprises the step of cooling the heat-reflecting-surface (10) of the screen during use, e.g. by flowing fluid coolant along the paths (18) in heat-conducting relationship to such heat-reflecting surface.

Abstract: An apparatus for receiving the intermediate product of a rolling finishing mill. The apparatus incorporates an oven (40) to receive the intermediate product from the roughing stand (11) of a rolling mill. A first concave surface (16) of a deflector (13) directs the travel of the intermediate product from the roughing stand (11) to the oven means (40). Driven pinch rolls (36) selectively advances the intermediate product from the deflector (13) to the oven (40). Oscillating guides (44,45) within the oven (40) permit the intermediate product to be foldedly layered therein. When the intermediate product is substantially contained within the oven means (40) it is selectively secured at one end by clamp members (22,23) in a fixed position relative to the deflector (13).

Abstract: A hot strip mill having a final reducing stand and runout cooling means downstream of the reducing stand includes an incubator capable of coiling and decoiling the hot strip. The incubator is located intermediate the runout cooling means. In a preferred form the final reducing stand is a hot reversing mill. A second incubator and/or a temper mill and/or a slitter may be positioned downstream of the first incubator. The method of rolling includes isothermally treating the strip within a predetermined time and temperature range in the incubator prior to subsequent processing. The subsequent processing may include any one or more of the following: further deformation by cold rolling, temper rolling or cooling at a desired heat loss rate.

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 heat shield arrangement for strip material employs insulating panels of thin-walled composite construction. The panels include an upper series displaceable upwardly by power actuation means to avoid damage by buckled or lifting material. Protective members projecting below the upper panels are associated with sensing means to actuate the raising of the upper panels and can have a limited displacement before the raising of the upper panels is actuated. The power actuation means can themselves act on the sensing means to determine the minimum force from the material that causes raising of said panels. Control means displace the panels in response to the sensed transverse temperature profile to maintain the profile more uniform and some of the panels may have heating means for this purpose.

Abstract: In a hot-rolling plant, a single roughing stand directly precedes a forward reversing coiler and is closely spaced therefrom. A set of two reversing finishing stands is arranged in direct succession between the forward reversing coiler and a rear reversing coiler, the distance between the roughing stand and the finishing stands being just sufficient to accommodate the forward reversing coiler. The set of finishing stands and the roughing stand are selectively operable individually and jointly with each other.

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 underwinding strip on a drum along the passline of a hot reversing mill comprises positioning the drum in a receiving mode, passing the strip through the mill at a given thread speed, detecting the presence of the strip at a given position in relation to the drum, activating the drum in an underwinding direction at a given time delay representative of a distance in which the strip is through the drum slot and internal of the drum, and speed matching the drum and the strip in an initial surface winding mode and a subsequent center driven tension mode.

Abstract: A method for controlling a rolling apparatus in which heated materials are successively extracted from heating ovens to be rolled with rollers and each extracting interval time between the materials is controlled such that the maximum root mean square valve of power supplied to motors for driving the rollers is less than the permissible root mean square power valve of the driving motors in any one of the rolling passes.

Abstract: A heat shield arrangement for strip material employs insulating panels of thin-walled composite construction. The panels include an upper series displaceable upwardly by power actuation means to avoid damage by buckled or lifting material. Protective members projecting below the upper panels are associated with sensing means to actuate the raising of the upper panels and can have a limited displacement before the raising of the upper panels is actuated. The power actuation means can themselves act on the sensing means to determine the minimum force from the material that causes raising of said panels. Control means displace the panels in response to the sensed transverse temperature profile to maintain the profile more uniform and some of the panels may have heating means for this purpose.

Abstract: Disclosed is a high-efficiency manufacturing installation in which seamless steel pipe rolling and finishing lines are matched in capacity with each other and are formed into a single continuous lines.The high-speed rolling line extends to a straightening machine via a cooling equipment for as-rolled pipes and a heat treating equipment for pipes to be heat-treated and is further connected to a single-line finishing line via a nondestructive inspection machine and a cutting machine. The finishing line comprises each plurality of different finishing machines arranged along a variable feed pitch transverse transfer line, the plural number being selected in correspondence to the capacity of the rolling line. The cooling equipment and the heat treating equipment are designed so that each of them requires the same transfer time and thus there is no danger of causing any blank in the feed pitch spacing during the change-over between the as-rolled pipes and the pipes to be heat-treated.

Abstract: A coiler-furnace combination comprises a horizontal coiler, a strip guide which comprises two pressure rollers for forcing the strip against the coil and two part-cylindrical guide segments, one of which precedes the other in the winding sense and adjoins a strip transfer bridge for transferring the strip to and from the coiler, and a strip lifter. To simplify the structure, the two guide segments are secured to arms which pivoted on pivots disposed outside the heat-shielding hood and parallel to the mandrel. The strip lifter is constituted by the delivery edge of that guide segment which succeeds the other in the coiling sense. The strip transfer bridge consists of a roller conveyor and at its end facing the mandrel has a pressure roller for forcing the strip against the coil.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for manufacturing metal profile members of open or closed construction, especially steel profile members, wherein a continuous band-like metal material of uniform wall thickness as viewed in cross-section is continuously fed along a path where it is continuously deformed by cold- and hot-shaping procedures to produce the profile member. The profile member produced in accordance with this process has one or more differences in wall thickness at one or more predetermined points in its cross-sectional width. During the hot-shaping procedure, at least one predetermined portion of the cross-sectional width of the band-like material is heated to soften that portion after which the band-like material is passed between pairs of discs disposed on opposite sides of the heat-softened portion, the angle of the discs relative to the band-like material being adjustable to cause the heat-softened area to be stretched or compacted.

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.

Abstract: A hot-rolling mill has a rough-rolling section and a finish-rolling section. These sections are transversely offset from one another and the end of the rough-rolling section is connected to the beginning of the finish-rolling section by a heating station. Within the heating station, at the end of the rough-rolling station, is mounted a take-up coiler for the rough product. This coiler can transfer its product coil to a pay-out coiler which is either movable transversely between the two sections so that it can move to the second path and feed the product into the second or is fixedly mounted at the beginning of the second (finish-rolling) section in which case a transporting device is provided which transports the coils from the take-up coiler to the pay-out coiler.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process and apparatus for hot working metals whereby a finer and more uniform grain structure is produced in the wrought product. In conventional hot working operations, the workpiece is initially heated to an elevated temperature within the hot working temperature range of the particular metal or alloy, and the heated workpiece is then hot worked by deformation until the workpiece becomes chilled, thereby necessitating reheating prior to further hot working. In accordance with the present invention, the reheating of the workpiece is accomplished by subjecting the chilled workpiece to electric induction heating at a frequency preselected to concentrate the induced heat in the chilled outer portions of the workpiece to thereby rapidly return the workpiece to the optimum hot working temperature throughout so that continued hot working can be reinitiated before appreciable grain growth can occur.

Abstract: The hot strip mill includes a pair of coilers immediately downstream of and adjacent the finishing train. The coilers are vertically aligned and on opposite sides of the pass line. The strip coming out of the last finishing stand is immediately coiled in one of the vertical coilers, while the other vertical coiler may simultaneously be uncoiling and directing a previously rolled strip along the runout table to a coiler at the end of the runout table.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are disclosed for equalizing the temperature of hot steel strip traveling from a preliminary rolling mill to a final rolling mill, equalization to be effected both lengthwise and transversely of the steel strip. To achieve this purpose the lateral edge portions of the steel strip are partially covered by heat reflectors which are spaced from and adjustable relative to them.

Abstract: The hot rolling of metal slabs to strip thickness and in coils having a specific weight on the order of 500 pounds per inch of width and greater comprises passing a heated metal slab through a roughing mill to form a transfer bar. The transfer bar is immediately passed between work rolls of a reversing finishing mill stand where it is coiled in a furnace downstream of the reversing finishing mill stand. Thereafter, the workpiece is passed back through the reversing finishing mill stand and coiled in a furnace on the upstream side thereof. The workpiece is again passed through the reversing finishing mill stand and into the remaining finishing stands where it is further reduced and ultimately coiled in strip form. The first two passes through the reversing finishing mill stand are carried out at speeds in excess of the third pass and unrelated to the speed cone of the remainder of the continuous finishing stands.

Abstract: A heat shield arrangement for strip material employs insulating panels of thin-walled composite construction. The panels include an upper series displaceable upwardly by power actuation means to avoid damage by buckled or lifting material. Protective members projecting below the upper panels are associated with pressure sensors to actuate the raising of the upper panels and can have a limited displacement before the raising of the upper panels is actuated. The power actuators can themselves act on the sensors to determine the minimum force from the material that causes raising of the panels. A control device displaces the panels in response to the sensed transverse temperature profile to maintain the profile more uniform and some of the panels may have heaters for this purpose.

Abstract: Low carbon steel strip is cold rolled with rolling reduction of 15 to 35% in final cold rolling step and annealed in form of tight coil at temperature of 520 to 600.degree. C. to provide product having grain size number of 4 to 7 and coercive force of not greater than 2.0 Oersted as measured with initial magnetization field of 25 Oersted. The product is especially suitable for manufacturing shadow mask of Braun tube for color TV.

Abstract: An improved method is provided for reducing hot rolled band to final gage iron-silicon alloy steel strip material while retaining the magnetic properties of the strip material. In this method, the hot rolled band is passed through an intermediate and a final cold rolling operation to accomplish progressive reduction prior to final annealing of the material. The improvement of the present invention comprises heating the material between the intermediate and final cold rolling operations to a temperature and for a time of at least that necessary to recover the cold rolled structure and to relieve residual stresses in the intermediate cold rolled material and less than that at which grains of the material begin to recrystallize.

Abstract: A hot rolling mill and a method of operation to reduce scrap upon failure of a portion of the mill in which a first furnace device is provided adapted to receive and reel up a strip which is ready to go to the finishing section of the mill and a second furnace device is provided to receive a strip of material being rolled in the roughing section of the mill without reeling up, while both furnace devices maintain the material therein at working temperature and in continuous motion.

Abstract: A hot rolling mill and a method of operation to reduce scrap upon failure of a portion of the mill. A first furnace device is provided in the mill adapted to receive and reel up a strip which is ready to go to the finishing section of the mill. A second furnace device is provided to receive a strip of material being rolled in the roughing section of the mill without reeling up. Both furnace devices maintain the material therein at working temperature and in continuous motion.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuous treatment of cold rolled steel sheet. The apparatus has a continuous annealing furnace through which the sheet is continuously passed and which is composed of, in succession, a heating chamber for heating the cold rolled steel sheet to a temperature range of 700.degree. to 900.degree. C. within 2 minutes, a soaking chamber for keeping the sheet in the above temperature range for two minutes or less, a primary cooling chamber for rapidly cooling the sheet from the above temperature range to an overageing at a rate of 5.degree. to 30.degree. C./sec., an overageing chamber for keeping the sheet between 300.degree. to 400.degree. C. for up to eight minutes, and a secondary cooling chamber for cooling the sheet from the above overageing temperature to below 50.degree. C. within 2 minutes. Adjacent the output end of said furnace is apparatus for successively skin pass rolling, levelling and recoiling the sheet from the annealing furnace.