Continuous mill control means

Claim 1

IN A MULTI-STAND TANDEM ROLLING MILL OF THE TYPE IN WHICH EACH STAND IS PROVIDED WITH A SEPARATE ELECTRICAL DRIVE MOTOR AND A SEPARATE GENERATOR FOR THAT MOTOR TOGETHER WITH A MASTER PILOT REGULATOR FOR ADJUSTING THE OUTPUT VOLTAGES OF SAID GENERATORS AND THE SPEEDS OF SAID MOTORS; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES FIRST RELAY MEANS ACTUABLE IN RESPONSE TO AN INCREASE IN THE LOAD ON THE DRIVE MOTOR FOR THE FIRST STAND OF THE TANDEM ROLLING MILL, SECOND RELAY MEANS ACTUABLE IN RESPONSE TO AN INCREASE IN THE LOAD ON THE DRIVE MOTOR FOR THE LAST STAND OF THE TANDEM ROLLING MILL, THIRD RELAY MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND RELAY MEANS AND ADAPTED TO BE ACTUATED WHEN A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIME HAS ELAPSED AFTER ACTUATION OF THE SECOND RELAY MEANS, A DEVICE RESPONSIVE TO ACTUATION OF SAID FIRST AND THIRD RELAY MEANS FOR CAUSING SAID MASTER PILOT REGULATOR TO INCREASE THE OUTPUT VOLTAGES OF SAID GENERATORS AND THEREBY ACCELERATE THE RESPECTIVE MOTORS ON EACH STAND, FOURTH RELAY MEANS ACTUABLE WHEN THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF THE GENERATOR ASSOCIATED WITH THE LAST TANDEM ROLLING MILL STAND INCREASES ABOVE A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, AND MEANS ACTUABLE WHEN SECOND RELAY MEANS IS DEENERGIZED AND THE FOURTH RELAY MEANS IS ENERGIZED TO CAUSE SAID MASTER PILOT REGULATOR TO DECREASE THE OUTPUT VOLTAGES OF SAID GENERATORS AND THEREBY DECELERATE THE MOTORS ON THE RESPECTIVE STANDS OF THE ROLLING MILL.