US3719067A

US3719067A - Straightening machine

Info

Publication number: US3719067A
Application number: US00207060A
Authority: US
Inventors: O Skawden
Original assignee: Sutton Engineering Co
Current assignee: Sutton Engineering Co
Priority date: 1971-12-13
Filing date: 1971-12-13
Publication date: 1973-03-06
Anticipated expiration: 1990-03-06
Also published as: CA961751A

Abstract

HORIZONTAL PLANE ALSO. MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING THE VERTICAL ADJUSTING MEANS WITH THE HORIZONTAL ROLL-MOVING MEANS PERMIT BOTH TO BE ADJUSTED SIMULTANEOUSLY IN A SINGLE OPERATION.
A STRAIGHTENING MACHINE HAS UPPER AND LOWER ROWS OF LATERALLY SPACED ROLLS WITH PARALLEL HORIZONTAL AXES. EXTENDING AWAY FROM ONE SIDE OF THE ROLLS IN ONE ROW ARE SUPPORTING SHAFTS THAT ARE SUPPORTED FOR ROTATION AND AXIAL ADJUSTMENT. THE OTHER ROLLS ARE DRIVEN TO CARRY AN ELONGATED METAL WORKPIECE ALONG BETWEEN THE TWO ROWS OF ROLLS, WHICH ARE PROVIDED WITH PERIPHERAL GROOVES FOR THE WORKPIECE. MEANS ARE PROVIDED FOR ADJUSTING THE SHAFTSUPPORTED ROLLS VERTICALLY TO DEFLECT A WORKPIECE IN A VERTICAL PLANE, AND OTHER MEANS ARE PROVIDED FOR MOVING THE SAME ROLLS AXIALLY IN ORDER TO DEFLECT THE WORKPIECE IN A

Description

March 6, 1973 o. J. SKAWDEN 3,719,067

STRAIGHTENING MACHINE F'lled Dec. 13 1971 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTOR/VEKE 0. J. SKAWDEN STRAIGHTENING MACHINE March 6, 1973 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Flled Dec. 13 1971 6) aW wwQmm March 6, 1973 o. J. SKAWDEN STRAIGHTENING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 13 1971 5 MN H 75 N N R LW 0 M w M A J D m 8V amwa ,wwm

March 6, Q J SKAWDEN S'J'RAIGHTENING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Flled Dec. 13 1971 I/VVf/VTOR. ODD J. SKA WOE/V ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Ofice 3,719,067 Patented Mar. 6, 1973 3,719,067 STRAIGHTENING MACHINE Odd J. Skawden, Bellefonte, Pa., assignor to Sutton Engineering Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed Dec. 13, 1971, Ser. No. 207,060 Int. Cl. B2141 3/02 US. Cl. 72-164 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A straightening machine has upper and lower rows of laterally spacedrolls with parallel horizontal axes. Extending away from one side of the rolls in one row are supporting shafts that are supported for rotation and axial adjustment. The other rolls are driven to carry an elongated metal workpiece along between the two rows of rolls, which are provided with peripheral grooves for the workpiece. Means are provided for adjusting the shaftsupported rolls vertically to deflect a workpiece in a vertical plane, andother means are provided for moving the same rolls axially in order to deflect the workpiece in a horizontal plane also. Means operatively connecting the vertical adjusting means with the horizontal roll-moving means permit both to be adjusted simultaneously in a single operation.

In straightening machines of the staggered roll type known heretofore, the row or train of upper rolls have been adjustable up and down in order to accommodate elongated workpieces of various sizes and to deflect the workpieces a desired amount in a vertical plane to achieve straightness. Provision has also been made for adjusting one row of rolls axially so that the workpieces could be deflected in a horizontal plane at the same time. There are advantages in this which are well known in the industry and do not need to be repeated here. To make the vertical adjustment of the rolls it is customary to operate screw downs. On the other hand, when axial adjustment of a row of rolls is desired, it has been done by turning a shaft in the desired direction in order to move the rolls in or out. It is highly desirable that the two types of adjustments be coordinated so that when the rolls in one row are adjusted vertically in one direction the same rolls will be adjusted axially a proportionate amount. However, this requires the operator to make two different types of adjustments and it has been found that sometimes he becomes confused and does not adjust the rolls properly.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a straightening machine in which a row of rolls can be adjusted both vertically and axially, in which both adjustments can be made simultaneously as the vertical adjustment is made, and in which each type of adjustment can be made independently of the other whenever desired.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a front view of the machine;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on approximately the line IIIIII of FIG. 1; and I FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line IVIV of FIG. 3.

' Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the housing 1 of a straightening machine supports a lower row of horizontally spaced rolls 2, each of which is provided with a peripheral groove. The rolls are rigidly mounted on the front ends of parallel horizontal shafts 3 that are journalled in the housing. Rigidly mounted on the rear ends of the shafts are gears 4 (FIG. 3), by which the shafts can be rotated from the usual speed reducer 5 driven by an electric motor 6 as shown in FIG. 2. Extending upwardly above the roll shafts are spaced parallel portions of the machine housing. Be-

tween these portions and guided by them are vertically adjustable frames 7. Journalled in the lower part of each frame, as shown in FIG. 3, is a horizontal shaft 8 that extends forward from the frame. A roll 9 is rigidly mounted on the projecting front end of each of these shafts and likewise is provided with a peripheral groove for an elongated metal workpiece of uniform cross section, whether tubular or solid. The workpiece shall be referred to herein as a bar. It will be seen in FIG. 1 that the rolls in this upper row are staggered relative to the lower rolls, as is customary in this type of machine.

Each frame 7 is supported by a screw-down, which in turn is supported by part of the machine housing above the frame. The screw-down includes a vertical screw 11 rigidly connected to the top of the underlying frame and extending up into the housing 12 of the screw-down. Journalled inside this housing is an internally threaded worm gear (not shown) mounted on the screw and meshing with a horizontal worm that is journalled in one side of thehousing. This worm is rigidly mounted on a shaft 13 that can be turned by a hand Wheel 14 or other suitable means at the front of the machine. When the wheel is turned, the frame 7 supported by the screw-down will either descend or ascend, depending upon which way the wheel is turned.

Each of the roll shafts 8 in the upper row is movable axially in its supporting frame so that its roll 9 can be offset relative to the row of rolls below it. To move the shaft lengthwise, an externally threaded sleeve 16 is rotatably mounted on its rear end and extends through a stationary nut 17 secured to the adjoining frame. The sleeve cannot move axially on the shaft, but it can move axially with the shaft in the supporting frame. Rigidly connected with the rear end of the threaded sleeve is a gear 18 that meshes with a wide pinion 19 keyed on the rear or inner end of a horizontal shaft 20 rotatably mounted in the frame above the level of the upper row of rolls. The outer end of this shaft is provided with a hand wheel or removable crank 21 for turning it, whereupon the pinion 19 will rotate gear 18, which in turn will cause the threaded sleeve 16 to move forward or backward through the stationary nut 17 and thereby adjust the shaft 8 lengthwise in the frame, since the sleeve and the front bearing 22 can slide in the frame.

It is a feature of this invention that the axail adjustment of the upper rolls just described can be accomplished by simply turning the hand wheels that operate the screwdowns, so that as the rolls are moved up or down they will also be adjusted axially a proportionate amount that can be predetermined. To accomplish this, the worm shaft 13 of each screw-down extends back through a vertical slot in the adjacent frame 7 and into a gear box 25, in which the shaft is journalled. The gear box is suitably supported near the back of the machine. Rotatably mounted on the shaft in the front of the gear box is a relatively large gear 26 that is provided with a rearwardly extending ring gear 27 having internal teeth. In this back part of the gear box a pinion 28 is rotatably mounted on shaft 13 and is provided with a forwardly extending ring gear 29 corresponding to the one in front of it. The gear 26 and pinion 28 are spaced apart by a central enlargement of the shaft between them, on which is splined a wide clutch gear 31 provided with a central circumferential recess 32.

When the clutch gear is centered between the two ring gears it does not engage either one, but if it is moved forward or backward on the shaft into one of the ring gears it will mesh with the teeth therein. In order to move the clutch gear for this purpose there is a forked lever 33 straddling that gear as shown in FIG. 4. The lever is pivotally mounted in the gear box and has rounded upper ends disposed in gear recess 32. The lower end of the lever is pivotally connected to the rear end of a clutch rod 34 that extends forward out of the gear box and through slots in a frame 7 and out of the front of it. By pushing or pulling this rod, the clutch gear can be engaged with either of the ring gears, or freed from both of them.

The front gear 26 in the gear box meshes with a similar gear 36 rigidly mounted on a shaft 37 journalled in the lower part of the box. The pinion 28, on the other hand, meshes with an idler pinion 38 journalled in the gear box and meshing with another pinion 39 rigidly mountedon the lower shaft 37. The front end of this shaft is connected through universal joints 40 with pinion 19 on the rear end of the shaft 20. Consequently, if the clutch gear is moved into engagement with the front ring gear and then the hand wheel is turned, the gear 26 will turn gear 36 below it and that will turn pinion 19, which in turn will rotate the threaded sleeve 16 and thereby move the upper roll shaft 8 lengthwise in one direction. If it is desired to move the upper roll in the opposite direction while it is being moved in the same direction vertically, the clutch rod is pulled out to cause the clutch gear to mesh with the rear ring gear. The adjoining train of three pinions will then turn the bottom shaft 37 in a direction opposite to what it would be turned by the front gears, and of course that will cause the roll to be moved axially in the opposite direction also.

If, by turning a hand wheel as just explained, an upper roll is moved axially the desired amount but has not moved vertically as far as desired, the clutch rod associated with it can be moved to disconnect the adjoining clutch gear from both ring gears. Then the hand wheel can be turned to make the vertical adjustment without affecting the horizontal adjustment of the roll. In the same way the upper roll can be adjusted axially by its adjusting crank without requiring the screw-down to be operated. Consequently, with this machine the vertical and horizontal adjustments of the upper rolls can be made independently of each other, or simultaneously by simply turning the shafts that make the vertical adjustments.

Normally the ratio between the vertical and axial adjustments of the upper rolls is 1 to 1, so that when the two adjustments are clutched together the upper rolls will move at a 45 angle to a plane containing the axes of the lower rolls. A dilferent ratio can be selected and obtained by altering the gear ratios or the pitch of the threads on sleeves 16, and that will provide movement of the upper rolls in a direction other than 45 If desired, the lower roll shafts 3 may also be made axially adjustable.

Although the machine shown in the drawings has rolls with horizontal axes, which is the most practiced arrangement, and the upper rolls have been described as being adjustable axially, it will be understood that the machine could be disposed with the roll axes vertical or at an inclination, or it could be the rolls in the lower row that are axially adjustable. The invention would be the same. In the claims, for convenience only, the rolls have been described as having horizontal axes.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A straightening machine for elongated metal workpieces, comprising upper and lower rows of laterally spaced rolls having parallel horizontal axes, the upper rolls being located above the spaces between the lower rolls, the rolls being provided with peripheral grooves for receiving a workpiece to be straightened, shafts extending horizontally away from one side of the rolls in one row for supporting them, means supporting said shafts for rotation and axial adjustment, means for driving the rolls in the other row to carry a workpiece along between the two rows of rolls, means for adjusting said shaftsupprting means vertically to raise and lower the shaftsupported rolls in order to deflect a workpiece a desired amount in a vertical plane, means for moving said shafts axially to adjust the rolls supported thereby axially to deflect the workpiece in a horizontal plane also, and means operatively connecting said adjusting means with said shaft-moving means for simultaneous operation of both.

2. A straightening machine according to claim 1, including means for disengaging said shaft-moving means from said vertically adjusting means, and means for then operating said shaft-moving means independently of said adjusting means. I

3. A straightening machine according to claim 1, in which said shaft-moving means include stationary screwthreaded members secured to said shaft-supporting means, rotatable screw-threaded members connected with said roll shafts and registering with said stationary threaded members, and means for rotating said rotatable members to move them axially.

4. A straightening machine according to claim 3, in which said rotating means include two trains of gears for each of said rotatable screw-threaded members, and manually operable means for connecting either train of gears with a vertically adjusting means and a said rotatable member, one of said trains of gears turning said rotatable member in one direction as a shaft-supported roll is lowered and the other train turning said member in the opposite direction as said roll is lowered.

5. A straightening machine according to claim 1, in which said vertically adjusting means include screw-downs for said shaft-supporting means, and manually rotatable shafts for turning the screw-downs, and said connecting means include a pair of gears rotatably mounted on each of said screw-down shafts, manually operable clutching means for operatively connecting the shaft with either of said gears, and separate means driven by the gears for moving a roll shaft axially in either direction.

6. A straightening machine according to claim 5, in which said gear-driven means include a shaft rotatable in opposite directions, and manually operable meansfo'r r0- tating that shaft when said clutching means is disengaged from both of said gears.

7. A straightening machine according to claim 1, in which said shaft-moving means include stationary screwthreaded members secured to said shaft-supporting means, rotatable screw-threaded members connected with said roll shafts and registering with said stationary'threaded members, a gear connected to each rotatable member for turning it, a pinion meshing with each gear, a manually rotatable shaft for turning each pinion, said vertically adjusting means being provided for each shaft-supported roll, means rotatable by each adjusting means, and clutching means for operatively connecting each of said rotatable means with one of said pinions.

MILTON sI ,MEHR, Primary Examiner