Billet manipulating unit

Claim 2

A billet manipulating unit for supporting and imparting increments of rotational movement to an elongated steel billet or the like which is of elongated rectangular shape in transverse cross section, said unit comprising a casing defining an upwardly presented generally V-shaped trough having downwardly and inwardly sloping sides, one of said sides being interrupted by a horizontal ledge-like shoulder and a vertical clamping portion immediately thereabove, a linearly straight billet supporting arm pivoted at its proximate end to said casing at a region adjacent to the upper region of said trough for swinging movement about a horizontal axis which is disposed adjacent to the uppermost level of the trough, a linearly straight billet clamping arm pivoted at its proximate end to said casing at a region below the lowermost level of said trough for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, said billet-supporting arm being provided with a longitudinally extending slot therein and said billet clamping arm normally projecting through said slot, said arms being individually movable between normally retracted positions wherein they underlie the trough and actuated advanced positions wherein they intersect the trough, said billet supporting arm being operable upon actuating thereof to engage and raise the billet in the trough to a level slightly above the level of said horizontal shoulder, said billet clamping arm being operable upon actuation thereof to engage the thus raised billet and clamp the same in a grinding position against said vertical clamping portion of said one side of the trough above said ledge-like shoulder, and means for selectively actuating said arms , said means comprising a cylinder and plunger device for each arm, each device having one end pivotally connected to its respective arm at a point medially of its ends, and having its other end pivoted to the casing at a point below the level of the said trough.

Claim 3

A billet manipulating unit for supporting and imparting increments of rotational movement to an elongated steel billet or the like which is of elongated rectangular shape in transverse cross section so as to present broad and narrow sides, said unit comprising a casing defining an upwardly presented generally V-shaped trough at its upper end for reception of the billet, said trough having downwardly and inwardly sloping sides, one of said sides being interrupted by a horizontal ledge-like shoulder and a vertical clamping portion immediately thereabove, a billet supporting arm pivoted to said casing for swinging movement about a horizontal axis which is disposed adjacent to the uppermost level of the trough, a clamping protuberance on the distal end of said supporting arm, a billet clamping arm pivoted to said casing for swinging movement about a horizontal axis which is disposed below the lowermost level of the trough, said arms being individually movable between normally retracted positions wherein they underlie the trough and fully actuated advanced positions wherein they intersect the trough, said billet supporting arm being operable upon a first full actuation to engage and raise a billet above the level of said trough, said clamping arm being operable upon a first actuation to engage the thus raised billet and slide the same on said supporting arm and against said protuberance in a First clamped broad side grinding position with a corner edge region of the billet overlying an edge of the trough, said arms being effective upon partial retraction thereof to cause the billet to fall by gravity from said trough edge into said trough and rest on said supporting arm and against the clamping arm in a second and corner edge grinding position, said clamping arm being operable upon a second actuation to engage the thus supported billet and project the same to a third clamped narrow side grinding position against said vertical clamping portion with a corner edge region of the billet overlying said horizontal ledge-like shoulder, said arms being effective upon full retraction thereof to cause the billet to fall by gravity from said ledge-like shoulder into the bottom region of the trough and against the other inwardly sloping trough side in a fourth grinding position.

Claim 4

A billet manipulating unit for supporting and imparting increments of rotational movement to an elongated steel billet or the like which is of elongated rectangular shape in transverse cross section so as to present broad and narrow sides, said unit comprising a casing defining an upwardly presented generally V-shaped trough at its upper end for reception of the billet, said trough having downwardly and inwardly sloping sides, one of said sides being interrupted by a horizontal ledge-like shoulder and a vertical clamping portion immediately thereabove, a billet supporting arm pivoted to said casing for swinging movement about a horizontal axis which is disposed adjacent to the uppermost level of the trough, a clamping protuberance on the distal end of said supporting arm, a billet clamping arm pivoted to said casing for swinging movement about a horizontal axis which is disposed below the lowermost level of the trough, said arms being individually movable between normally retracted positions wherein they underlie the trough and fully actuated advanced positions wherein they intersect the trough, said billet supporting arm being operable upon a first full actuation to engage and raise a billet above the level of said trough, said clamping arm being operable upon a first actuation to engage the thus raised billet and slide the same on said supporting arm and against said protuberance in a First clamped broad side grinding position with a corner edge region of the billet overlying an edge of the trough, said arms being effective upon partial retraction thereof to cause the billet to fall by gravity from said trough edge into said trough and rest on said supporting arm and against the clamping arm in a second and corner edge grinding position, said clamping arm being operable upon a second actuation to engage the thus supported billet and project the same to a third clamped narrow side grinding position against said vertical clamping portion with a corner edge region of the billet overlying said horizontal ledge-like shoulder, said arms being effective upon full retraction thereof to cause the billet to fall by gravity from said ledge-like shoulder into the bottom region of the trough and against the other inwardly sloping trough side in a fourth grinding position.

Claim 5

A billet manipulating unit as set forth in claim 2 and wherein said clamping arm is provided at its distal end with a flat billet clamping shoulder which is engageable with the billet when the latter is in its first and broad side clamped grinding position, and a hump-like clamping protuberance immediately below said latter clamping shoulder which is engageable with a broad side of the billet when the latter is in its third and narrow side clamped grinding position.

Claim 6

A billet manipulating unit as set forth in claim 3 and wherein said clamping arm is provided with a ledge-like billet supporting shoulder immediately above said hump-like protuberance and immediately below said latter clamping shoulder.

Claim 7

A billet manipulating unit as set forth in claim 4 and wherein said casing includes a pair of vertically disposed side plates between which said arms are disposed, one of said arms is formed with a longitudinal slot therein, and the other arm projects through and is operable in said slot.

Claim 8

A billet manipulating unit as set forth in claim 5 and wherein said slot is provided in the billet supporting arm.