Billet-handling apparatus

Claim 2

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets while conducting them from a spotting station to a grinding station for presentation of different sides thereof to a grinding wheel and for thereafter conducting the treated billets to a region of discharge, in combination, a charge table having a rear billet-receiving end and a front billet discharge end and adapted to receive successive billets thereon for sidewise sliding movement forwards from said rear end to said front end, an elongated manipulating car mounted for tractional movement in the transverse direction of the charge table and in opposite directions between a first position wherein it is dIsposed alongside and in close proximity to and register with the front end of the charge table and a second position wherein it is projected endwise out of the lateral confines of the charge table and into said grinding station, means for depositing successive billets onto said charge table at the rear end thereof, means automatically effective upon such deposition of each billet for impelling the same sidewise and forwards on the charge table a distance equal to at least the width of a billet whereby any preceding billets on said charge table are shifted sidewise and forwards by the last deposited billet, thus progressively establishing s substantially horizontal stack of contiguous billets on the charge table, means effective after a predetermined number of billets have thus been stacked on the charge table for shifting the entire stack bodily as a unit forwards on said charge table a distance equal to at least the width of the stack, means engageable with the trailing billet of the thus shifted stack for further shifting the stack forwards until the leading billet thereof closely approaches the forward end of the charge table, means for removing the leading billet of the further shifted stack from the charge table and depositing the same on the manipulating car when the latter is in its first position for subsequent transfer to the grinding station when the manipulating car moves to its second position, and means for selectively moving said manipulating car in opposite directions.

Claim 3

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for depositing successive billets onto the charge table comprises a charge conveyor including a series of traction rollers disposed in transverse alignment along the rear end of the charge table, an electric motor for driving each roller, said rollers being adapted to impel successive billets endwise thereover, a normally energized electric circuit common to said motors and including a limit switch positioned in the path of movement of the billets on said roller and effective when a billet moves into register with the rear end of the charge table to deenergize said circuit, and a series of billet transfer devices operable under the control of said limit switch for engaging each billet as it moves into register with the rear end of the charge table and placing the same on the charge table.

Claim 4

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 2, wherein each billet transfer device comprises a tiltable rocker element having a first shelf portion normally underlying the billet on the charge conveyor and a second shelf portion disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to the first shelf portion, said rocker element being effective when rotated in one direction through an angle of approximately 90* to transfer the billet from the first shelf portion to the second shelf portion for sliding movement from the latter shelf portion onto the charge table, and means operable under the control of said limit switch for rotating said rocker element.

Claim 5

In apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 3, wherein said means for rotating said rocker element comprises a lift cylinder having a plunger operatively connected to the rocker element, and a normally deenergized solenoid-actuated valve effective when energized to supply pressure fluid to said cylinder to project the plunger and effect rotation of the rocker element, said valve being energizeable under the control of said limit switch.

Claim 6

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 2, wherein said means for impelling said billets on the charge table to produce a stack of billets comprises a series of billet stacking cylinders having plungers provided with billet-impelling dogs on the distal ends thereof and effective when pressure fluid is supplied to the cylinders to engage eAch freshly deposited billet on the charge table and impel the same forwards, together with any preceding billets which may have been deposited on said charge table.

Claim 7

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 5, wherein the means engageable with the trailing billet of the contiguous stacked billets comprises said billet-stacking cylinders, together with selectively operable means for limiting the effective stroke of the plungers associated therewith to a short plunger stroke for billet-stacking purposes and a full stroke for stack-impelling purposes.

Claim 8

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 2, wherein said means engageable with the trailing billet of the contiguous stacked billets comprises a series of stack-impelling cylinders having plungers provided with stack-impelling dogs on the distal ends thereof and effective when pressure fluid is supplied to the cylinders to engage the trailing billet of the stack of billets and impel the same forwards, thus shifting the entire stack of billets forwardly.

Claim 9

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 2, wherein the means for further shifting the stack forwardly comprises a chain conveyor including endless chains which underlie the stack after initial forward shifting thereof, a billet-engaging dog on each chain and engageable with the trailing billet in the stack, an electric conveyor motor for driving said chain conveyor to urge the stack forwards, a normally closed electric circuit for said conveyor motor, and means effective each time a leading billet in the stack closely approaches the forward end of the charge table for opening said latter electric circuit.

Claim 10

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 8 and including, additionally, means effective when the last billet in a given further shifted stack has been removed from the charge table and deposited on the manipulating car for actuating said stack-shifting means to bring a fresh stack of billets into position for further shifting thereof.

Claim 11

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for further shifting the stack forwardly comprises a chain conveyor including endless chains which underlie the stack after the initial forward shifting thereof, a billet-engaging dog on each chain and engageable with the trailing billet in the stack, and means for driving said conveyor to urge the stack forwardly.

Claim 12

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for removing the leading billet of the further shifted stack from the charge table and depositing the same on the manipulating car is disposed on the manipulating car.

Claim 13

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for removing the leading billet of the further shifted stack from the charge table and depositing the same on the manipulating car comprises a series of billet transfer arms carried by the manipulating car and mounted for swinging movement about a common horizontal axis, said arms normally underlying said leading billet on the charge table when the manipulating car is in its first position of register with the latter and being operable upon swinging movement thereof about said horizontal axis to raise said leading billet in the stack from the charge table and, by a sliding operation, shift the same from the charge table onto the manipulating car.

Claim 14

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for removing the leading billet of the further shifted stack from the charge table and depositing the same on the manipulating car comprises a series of manipulators mounted on said manipulating car, each manipulAtor comprising a body portion providing a trough for reception therein of the billets removed from said stack on the charge table, a billet transfer arm pivoted to said body portion for swinging movement about a horizontal axis and normally underlying the leading billet in the stack on the charge table when the manipulator car is in its first position, said arm being operable upon swinging movement about said axis to raise said leading billet from the charge table and slide the same into said trough.

Claim 15

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 13 and including, additionally, a billet-lifting arm and a billet-clamping arm pivoted to said body portion for swinging movement about respective horizontal axes, said two latter arms normally underlying said trough, said billet-lifting arm being operable when actuated to engage and raise a billet from said trough and maintain the same at an effective grinding position, said clamping arm being operable when actuated to engage the thus raised billet and, in combination with said lifting arm, clamp the same in said grinding position, and means for selectively actuating said lifting and clamping arms.

Claim 16

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 14, wherein said billet lifting arm is provided with a protuberance on its distal end and against which the clamping arm, when actuated, impels the billet by a sliding action.

Claim 17

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 15, wherein said billet-clamping arm, when actuated, is yieldingly urged against the billet which has been raised to a grinding position by the billet-lifting arm, and the grinding position of the billet is above the level of the trough, whereby, when the clamping arm is actuated and the lifting arm is restored to its normal position, the clamping arm functions as an eject arm to discharge the raised billet from the manipulating car.

Claim 18

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 15, wherein said trough is of V-shape configuration and is provided with a first forwardly and upwardly inclined side and a second rearwardly and upwardly inclined side disposed substantially at a right angle to the first side, the billet-lifting arm upon actuation thereof, in the case of billets which are of rectangular cross section, serving to support one side of the billet in a substantially horizontal position to the end that the opposite side is presented to the grinding wheel for grinding purposes while a corner edge of the billet overhangs the forward edge of the slot to the end that when the billet-lifting arm is restored to its normal position underlying the trough, the billet will fall under the influence of gravity into the trough and, due to its overlying position with respect to the edge of the trough, be rotated through an angle of 90* and assume a reoriented position within the trough.

Claim 19

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated steel billets while conducting them from a spotting station to a grinding station for presentation of different sides thereof to a grinding wheel and for thereafter conducting the treated billets to a discharge region, in combination, a charge table having a rear billet-receiving end and a front billet discharge end and adapted to receive successive billets thereon for sidewise sliding movement forwardly from said rear end to said front end, a discharge table positioned forwardly of and spaced from the charge table, said discharge table having a rear billet-receiving end and a front billet discharge end, an elongated manipulating car mounted for tractional movement in the transverse direction of the charge table and discharge table and in opposite directions between a first position wherein it is disposed between the front end of the charge table and the rear end of the discharge table, and a second position Wherein it is projected endwise out of the lateral confines of said tables and into said grinding station, means for depositing successive billets onto said charge table at the rear end thereof, means automatically effective upon such deposition of each billet for impelling the same sidewise and forwardly on the table a distance equal to at least the width of a billet whereby any preceding billets on the charge table are shifted sidewise and forwardly by the last-deposited billet, thus establishing a substantially horizontal stack of contiguous billets on the charge table, means effective after a predetermined number of billets have thus been stacked on the charge table for shifting the entire stack bodily as a unit forwardly a distance equal to at least the width of the stack, means engageable with the trailing billet of the thus shifted stack for further shifting the stack forwardly until the leading billet thereof closely approaches the forward end of the charge table, means on the manipulating car and effective when the latter is in its first position for removing the leading billet of the further shifted stack from the charge table and depositing the same on the manipulating car for subsequent transfer to the grinding station when the car moves to its second position, means on the manipulating car and effective when the latter is in its first position for removing a treated billet therefrom and depositing the same on the rear end of the discharge table, billet-stacking and stack-shifting means on the discharge table identical to the billet-stacking and stack-shifting means on the charge table, and means for moving said manipulating car selectively in opposite directions.

Claim 20

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated steel billets while conducting them from a spotting station to a grinding station for presentation of different sides thereof to a grinding wheel and for thereafter conducting the treated billets to a discharge region, in combination, a charge table having a rear billet-receiving end and a front billet discharge end and adapted to receive successive billets thereon for sidewise sliding movement forwardly from said rear end to said front end, a discharge table positioned forwardly of and spaced from the charge table, said discharge table having a rear billet-receiving end and a front billet discharge end, an elongated manipulating car mounted for tractional movement in the transverse direction of the charge table and discharge table and in opposite directions between a first position wherein it is disposed between the front end of the charge table and the rear end of the discharge table, and a second position Wherein it is projected endwise out of the lateral confines of said tables and into said grinding station, means for depositing successive billets onto said charge table at the rear end thereof, means automatically effective upon such deposition of each billet for impelling the same sidewise and forwardly on the table a distance equal to at least the width of a billet whereby any preceding billets on the charge table are shifted sidewise and forwardly by the last-deposited billet, thus establishing a substantially horizontal stack of contiguous billets on the charge table, means effective after a predetermined number of billets have thus been stacked on the charge table for shifting the entire stack bodily as a unit forwardly a distance equal to at least the width of the stack, means engageable with the trailing billet of the thus shifted stack for further shifting the stack forwardly until the leading billet thereof closely approaches the forward end of the charge table, means on the manipulating car and effective when the latter is in its first position for removing the leading billet of the further shifted stack from the charge table and depositing the same on the manipulating car for subsequent transfer to the grinding station when the car moves to its second position, means on the manipulating car and effective when the latter is in its first position for removing a treated billet therefrom and depositing the same on the rear end of the discharge table, billet-stacking and stack-shifting means on the discharge table identical to the billet-stacking and stack-shifting means on the charge table, and means for moving said manipulating car selectively in opposite directions.

Claim 21

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets as set forth in claim 18, wherein said means for depositing successive billets onto said charge table comprises a charge conveyor including a series of traction rollers disposed in transverse alignment along the rear end of the table, an electric motor for driving each roller, said rollers being adapted to impel successive billets endwise thereover, a normally energized electric circuit common to said motors and including a limit switch positioned in the path of movement of the billets on said rollers and effective when a billet moves into register with the rear end of the charge table to deenergize said circuit, and a series of billet transfer devices operable under the control of said limit switch for engaging each billet as it moves into register with the rear end of the charge table and placing the same on the latter.

Claim 22

In an apparatus for handling and treating elongated billets, the combination set forth in claim 19, wherein each billet transfer device comprises a tiltable rocker element having a first shelf portion normally underlying the billet on said charge conveyor and a second shelf portion disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to the first shelf portion, said rocker element being effective when rotated in one direction through an angle of approximately 90* to transfer the billet from the first shelf portion to the second shelf portion for sliding movement from the latter shelf portion onto the charge table, and means operable under the control of said limit switch for rotating said rocker element.