Machine for roll forming sections from sheet material

Claim 1

In a machine for roll forming sections having a web which is provided with at least one flange from a sheet of material of the type having: a. a support having a surface b. a plurality of roll stations positioned along said support, each said roll station comprising opposed roll stands, one on either side of said support, each said roll stand having two substantially parallel, horizontal shafts on which are mounted a pair of cooperating rollers, said pairs of cooperating rollers on said opposed roll stands being provided with mating web holding surfaces, said mating web holding surfaces of said pairs of cooperating rollers at each roll station being coplanar and on an inclined plane at a fixed angle to the horizontal axis of said machine, whereby said sheet material is on an inclined plane at a fixed angle to the horizontal axis of said machine as it proceeds therethrough, one roller of each said pair of cooperating rollers being provided with a forming surface angled from said web holding surface thereof against which changes in direction of said sheet material are effected and a break of said section is formed, the other roller of each said pair of cooperating rollers having a mating forming surface which at least contacts the radius of the break of said sheet material; and c. means for simultaneously rotating said pairs of cooperating rollers; the improvement in combination therewith wherein the surface of said support is on an inclined plane at a fixed angle to the horizontal axis of said machine parallel to said mating web holding surfaces and said opposed roll stands at each said rolling station are adjustably mounted on said support surface for movement toward and away from each other along an axis parallel to said inclined plane, and wherein means are provided to adjust at least said adjacent roll stands on one side of said machine at said roll stations, whereby as said opposed roll stands are adjusted toward and away from each other with respect to a fixed center line on said inclined plane, said machine may be readily adjusted so as to form said sections having webs of any desired width.