Abstract: The roll forming machine includes a base, a motor drive, a power transmission connected to the motor drive, a rafted roll form assembly including a raft plate and a plurality of vertically aligned power rotated longitudinally spaced pairs of complemental rolls, arranged in a set to successively and operatively receive and feed there between elongated strips of stock, and a gear train including a plurality of gears and a drive gear interconnecting the set of rolls. The transmission includes a drive shaft connected to a gear reduction box having a power rotated sleeve aligned with the drive gear of the gear train. In order to change the rafted roll form assembly including the raft plate and the set of complemental rolls carried by the raft plate to another roll form assembly for making another metal part, a quick disconnect structure is provided which includes a drive clutch on the drive gear of the gear train of the raft assembly.

Abstract: A roll former comprises a bed and at least one roll forming member mounted on the bed, each roll forming member comprising a stand, a support member pivotally mounted on the stand for rotation relative to the stand about a selected axis, a pair of shaping elements mounted on the support member shaped to modify the shape of a member such as a purlin passed in use therebetween, and locating means to locate the support member in a selected one of a plurality of available positions relative to the stand.

Abstract: A wire rolling machine comprising a pair of parallel drive shafts, a housing mounted for swinging movement on each drive shaft, and a first gear within the housing secured to each drive shaft. A second gear within the housing is driven by the first gear, a driven shaft within the housing bearing at one end the second end and emerging from the housing and bearing at an end opposite the second gear a driven roll. Each driven roll has a peripheral groove, the peripheral grooves being adapted to be brought into registry with each other when the housings are swung toward each other. The driven shafts swing in a common plane. Structure is provided to swing the housings relative to each other about the drive shafts.

Abstract: Paired roller carrying shafts of a roller forming machine are arranged in two side-by-side sets on a table normally supported on a fixed base but elevatable for 180.degree. rotation. Thus, either selected one of the two sets can be in operation, coupled to drive heads on the base, along one side of it, while the other set is idle, adjacent to the opposite side of the base for possible change of forming rollers. One end portion of every roller shaft is journaled in an outboard support that is near a side edge of the table; its opposite end portion is journaled in an inboard support near the longitudinal centerline of the table. To facilitate change of forming rollers, gears for connecting the upper and lower roller shaft of each pair are secured to their inboard end portions and the outboard supports are detachably mounted on the table.

Abstract: A method for reducing the thickness of a slab of metal under conditions which tend to cause alligator defects to occur. The method comprises the steps of directing a relatively thick slab of metal several times through a rolling mill or mills to incrementally reduce the thickness of the slab until the thickness approaches a value that tends to produce a longitudinal and lateral fracture in one or both ends of the slab. The thickness of the slab is further reduced by passing the same several times again through a rolling mill or mills, with each of the passes of the slab taking a decreasing amount of reduction in thickness until a predetermined thickness value is reached. The next step involves passing the slab again through a rolling mill to further reduce the thickness thereof, the amount of reduction in this step and pass being substantially greater than that of the last pass immediately preceding this step.

Abstract: A hot-rolling mill for producing sheet metal has a reversing roughing stand having pairs of roughing rolls and a reversing finishing stand adjacent thereto and having pairs of finishing rolls. Each stand is selectively operable alone and both stands are operable in tandem operation. The roughing rolls have diameters larger than the diameters of the finishing rolls and the finishing rolls operate at a higher rotary speed than the roughing rolls in the tandem operation.

Abstract: An apparatus for converting rod stock or wire rod into wire comprises heating of the rod stock or wire rod, high speed rolling and cooling thereof, and final slight drawing to make the surface thereof smooth and finished. The high speed rolling is carried out by a rolling mill having a lightweight construction and roll stands comprising three rolls at 120.degree. from one another. Two of the rolls are rotatably supported by shafts which have eccentrical ends. Two spindles having eccentrical ends engage with their ends corresponding seats in the ends of the shafts, so that rotation of the spindles provides rotation of the shafts and axial displacement thereof in order to adjust the rolling pass.

Abstract: In a roll forming machine having a base, a motor drive, a gear drive transmission connected to the motor drive and a plurality of vertically aligned longitudinally spaced pairs of complimental pass forming rolls of progressive different shapes respectively arranged in a longitudinal set to successively receive, feed and form therebetween an elongated strip of stock in a continuous operation. Gear means interconnect the transmission and forming rolls for rotation thereof in unison. A rotatable turret mount assembly is provided to support a plurality of radially extending preset sets of form roll tooling, with each set being adapted for a different form of final product. The turret mount assembly is adapted for selected limited rotation upon a longitudinal axis to rapidly place any one of the plurality of preset sets of tooling in its operational position.

Abstract: The apparatus and method make possible the semi-continuous rolling of an extensive range of product widths from no more than three widths of slabs. The leading end of a slab is forged or upset laterally between dies tapered to reduce its width at said end gradually to a value less than the desired width at the end of the pass. The slab is then passed through grooved vertical edging rolls to reduce its width and into the rolls of a roughing stand. The edge rolling tends to move the overfilled metal into the void created by the dies. As the trailing end of the slab approaches the roughing stand the edging rolls are backed off, allowing that end of the slab to fan out laterally. As the slab leaves the roughing stand it is rolled between grooved vertical edging rolls to reduce spread and bring the fanned-out trailing end to size. That operation causes the trailing end to bulge rearwardly at its center, so compensating for fishtailing.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an arrangement of grooves on the rolls of a rolling mill stand intended particularly for the rolling of beams, rails, channels, squares, diamonds, rounds, tie plates, joint bars and similar shapes wherein a plurality of grooves for shapes with different web heights are nested on the same set of rolls in such a way that the whole of the part of a groove serving as a surround to the shortest web is common to all the nested grooves.

Abstract: The present invention is a process wherein: the process includes a method during slabbing, in which, recesses in the thicknesswise direction are formed on a pair of opposite surfaces at each end of the top and bottom of said steel ingot, subsequently, the central portions which have not been rolled, are rolled to the depth of said recesses, then, recesses in the widthwise direction are formed at the same end as described above, next, the central portions, which have not been rolled, are rolled to the depth of said recess in the widthwise direction; and, when the thicknesswise reduction value is .DELTA.H.sub.T and the widthwise reduction value is .DELTA.H.sub.W in said thicknesswise and widthwise reduction rollings, .DELTA.H.sub.W /.DELTA.Ht is regulated to 0.40.about.0.65 in a region where the material has a comparatively large thickness and the side profile of the material presents a double barrelling, and .DELTA.H.sub.W /.DELTA.H.sub.T is regulated to 0.

Abstract: Heavy profiled supports or rails may be produced by rolling through a series of rolling stands. Material is passed through a two-high reversing pre-rolling stand, an edging stand, a reversing universal stand, a second compression stand, and a second reversing universal stand. When rails are to be produced the material is passed through stands in through-travel only. When rolling profiled supports it is preferable to replace the stand by a roller train section.

Abstract: The mill includes a stand on which at least three work rolls are mounted. At least two of the work rolls are secured in the roll housing chocks and provided with a drive means. The rolls rotate in opposite directions at different peripheral speeds increasing along the passline. At least one work roll is provided with a screwdown. The mill according to the invention for rolling metal strip is characterized by the axis of the middle work roll being offset with respect to the plane passing through the axes of the extreme work rolls towards the point where the metal strip being worked enters the first pair of work rolls, formed with the middle and the first extreme work rolls, as viewed in the direction of the passline, and towards the point of the metal strip emergence from the second pair of work rolls, formed with the middle work roll and the second extreme work roll.

Abstract: A cold sheet metal forming apparatus in which the forming rolls are held at each end by bearing housings in each case held by screw-threaded rods engaging the housings and being secured directly to a main supporting frame.Such an arrangement leaves additional room between adjacent pairs of rolls and a second set of rollers are nested between the first set also with the simplified support arrangement at each end of each roll so as to allow a second rolling line to be kept in position and available for prompt use without as has hitherto been the case the necessity to change rollers.

Abstract: A machine for shaping elongate strips, especially of metal, into a variety of profiles comprises a cascade of working stations in which the strips are subjected to progressive deformation between rollers, some or all of which may be driven to advance the strips along their transport path through the several stations. Each working station has an annular or star-shaped carrier, rotatable on a support about a horizontal axis, with a plurality of peripherally spaced roller mountings adapted to hold a pair of coacting rollers, the various roller pairs on each carrier being differently shaped to produce a selected profile upon being brought into an operating position -- e.g. horizontal on a level with the axis -- by rotation of the carrier. The operatively positioned roller pair can be coupled with a drive mechanism, individual to the respective station or common to all working stations, for positive rotation thereby.

Abstract: A straightener for a multistrand continuous-casting machine. The straightener includes fulcrum rolls and reaction rolls which precede and follow the fulcrum rolls. The fulcrum rolls for all the strands are idlers and are coaxial, but the reaction rolls which follow the fulcrum rolls and engage intermediate strands are offset in a direction parallel to the length of the strands from the reaction rolls which engage the outer strands. The offset enable the drives for the bottom rolls opposite the intermediate reaction rolls to be connected directly to the bottom rolls.

Abstract: A stretch-reducing rolling mill is provided for selectively producing tubes of circular or angular configuration, such as a square, is provided in the form of a plurality of driven roll stands arranged in two groups, one at the entrance end being equipped with three roller stands and a second at the rear or exit end being arranged to use either three or four roller stands optionally, said first group of stands being driven by a common drive train separate and independent of the drive for the second group.