Rolling mill

Claim 2

A rolling mill comprising a spacer for forming a required space between a top and bottom roll to provide for a rollchanging operation, said spacer being permanently incorporated in a roll housing and operated automatically incident to the rollchanging operation to form said space, wherein said spacer consists of a spacer rod permanently incorporated in a metal chock, said spacer rod being operatively coupled with a rollchanging rail extending within the roll housing to be operated thereby at the time of the roll-changing operation, whereby the required space is automatically formed between the top and bottom rolls.

Claim 3

A rolling mill as defined in claim 1, wherein said spacer rod is provided extending vertically through a metal chock of the lower roll.

Claim 4

A rolling mill as defined in claim 1, wherein said spacer rod has the top end portion thereof in opposed relation to the under surface of a metal chock of the top roll and has a wheel at the bottom portion thereof for rolling on the roll-changing rail.

Claim 5

A rolling mill as defined in claim 1, wherein said spacer rod has the top end portion thereof in opposed relation to a metal chock of the upper roll and the lower end portion in opposed relation to the upper surface of a roll-changing truck which will roll on the roll-changing rail.

Claim 6

In a rolling mill including top and bottom rolls supported at their ends by respective support chocks mounted within openings in opposed roll housings so as to be capable of vertical movement therein, spacer means for automatically forming a predetermined space between said rolls to prevent contact therebetween during a roll-changing operation comprising at least one spacer rod of fixed length slideably extending through each of the support chocks of said bottom roll, a pair of roll-changing rails extending parallel to said rolls within said roll housings and being normally spaced from said chocks, and operating means for effecting support of said chocks of said bottom roll on said roll-changing rails to effect a roll-changing operation, said spacer rods being positioned with respect to said rails so as to be translated into supporting contact with the chocks of said top roll on said rails, thereby separating said rolls by said predetermined space in response to said chocks of said bottom roll contacting said rails.

Claim 7

In a rolling mill including top and bottom rolls supported at their ends by respective support chocks mounted within openings in opposed roll housings so as to be capable of vertical movement therein, spacer means for automatically forming a predetermined space between said rolls to prevent contact therebetween during a roll-changing operation comprising at least one spacer rod of fixed length slideably extending through each of the support chocks of said bottom roll, a pair of roll-changing rails extending parallel to said rolls within said roll housings and being normally spaced from said chocks, and operating means for effecting support of said chocks of said bottom roll on said roll-changing rails to effect a roll-changing operation, said spacer rods being positioned with respect to said rails so as to be translated into supporting contact with the chocks of said top roll on said rails, thereby separating said rolls by said predetermined space in response to said chocks of said bottom roll contacting said rails.

Claim 8

A rolling mill as defined in claim 5 wherein said operating means serves to lower said chocks of said bottom roll into contact with said rails.

Claim 9

A rolling mill as defined in claim 5 wherein said operating means serves to raise said rails into contact with said chocks.

Claim 10

A rolling mill as defined in claim 5, wherein said spacer rod has the top end portion thereof in opposed relation to the under surface of a metal chock of the top roll and has a wheel at the bottom portion thereof for rolling on the roll-changing rail.

Claim 11

A rolling mill as defined in claim 5 wherein the top of each spacer rod is enlarged to prevent it from dropping out of said chocks.