Combination pickling-rolling mill

Claim 2

A combination pickling-rolling mill comprising a rolling mill section for the rolling of strip, a pickling section for the pickling of strip located on the entry side of said rolling mill section, means including a supply of strip to be pickled and rolled located between said pickling section and the entry end of said rolling mill section for feeding strip to be pickled and rolled from said strip supply to said pickling section in the direction away from said rolling mill section, and means for feeding strip from the exit end of the pickling section in the direction toward said rolling mill section directly to the entry end of said rolling mill section for rolling thereof without the intervening coiling of strip.

Claim 3

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 1 wherein said means for feeding strip to the pickling section includes a pair of payoff reels, and means for alternately feeding strip from coils on said payoff reels to said pickling section.

Claim 4

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 2 comprising a pickle line entry looper in the main pass line of the mill between the means for feeding strip to said pickling section and said pickle section for accumulating a length of strip.

Claim 5

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 3 including a pickle line exit and mill line entry looper located in the main pass line of the mill between the exit of said pickling section and the entrance of said rolling mill.

Claim 6

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 4 including means for joining the trailing end of a coil on one of said payoff reels with the beginning end of a coil on the other of said payoff reels, said end joining means being located in the main pass line of the mill between said pair of payoff reels and said pickle line entry looper.

Claim 7

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 5 wherein there is provided a scale removal and trimmer section located in the main pass line of the mill between said pickle line entry looper and saId pickling section.

Claim 8

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 6 wherein said scale removal and trimmer section comprises a pair of alternately operable rolls for scale breaking and skin passing.

Claim 9

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 7 wherein said scale removal and trimmer section includes two pairs of alternately operable rotary side trimming shears and two pairs of alternately operable scrap choppers.

Claim 10

A combination pickling-rolling mill comprising a rolling mill section for the rolling of strip, a pickling section for the pickling of strip, means for feeding strip to be pickled and rolled to said pickling section, means for feeding strip from the exit end of the pickling section directly to the entry end of said rolling mill section for rolling thereof without the intervening coiling of strip, said means for feeding strip to the pickling section including a pair of payoff reels and means for alternately feeding strip from coils on said payoff reels to said pickling section, a pickle line entry looper in the main pass line of the mill between the means for feeding strip to said pickling section and said pickling section for accumulating a length of strip, a pickle line exit and mill line entry looper located in the main pass line of the mill between the exit of said pickling section and the entrance of said rolling mill, means for joining the trailing end of a coil on one end of said payoff reels with the beginning end of a coil on the other end of said payoff reels, said end joining means being located in the main pass line of the mill between said pair of payoff reels and said pickle line entry looper, and means for feeding strip in an alternate pass line from the exit end of said pickle line entry looper and bypassing said pickling section to said rolling mill section whereby fully continuous rolling is performed by the passage of strip through said alternate pass line.

Claim 11

A combination pickling-rolling mill comprising a rolling mill section for the rolling of strip, a pickling section for the pickling of strip, means for feeding strip to be pickled and rolled to said pickling section, means for feeding strip from the exit end of the pickling section directly to the entry end of said rolling mill section for rolling thereof without the intervening coiling of strip, said means for feeding strip to the pickling section including a pair of payoff reels and means for alternately feeding strip from coils on said payoff reels to said pickling section, a pickle line entry looper in the main pass line of the mill between the means for feeding strip to said pickling section and said pickling section for accumulating a length of strip, a pickle line exit and mill line entry looper located in the main pass line of the mill between the exit of said pickling section and the entrance of said rolling mill, means for joining the trailing end of a coil on one end of said payoff reels with the beginning end of a coil on the other end of said payoff reels, said end joining means being located in the main pass line of the mill between said pair of payoff reels and said pickle line entry looper, and means for feeding strip in an alternate pass line from the exit end of said pickle line entry looper and bypassing said pickling section to said rolling mill section whereby fully continuous rolling is performed by the passage of strip through said alternate pass line.

Claim 12

A combination pickling-rolling mill comprising a rolling mill section for the rolling of strip, a pickling section for the pickling of strip, means for feeding strip to be pickled and rolled to said pickling section, means for feeding strip from the exit end of the pickling section directly to the entry end of said rolling mill section for rolling thereof without the intervening coiling of strip, said means for feeding strip to the pickling section including a pair of payoff reels and means for alternately feeding strip from coils on said payoff reels to said pickling section, a pickle line entry looper in the main pass line of the mill between the means for feeding strip to said pickling section and said pickling section for accumulating a length of strip, a pickle line exit and mill line entry looper located in the main pass line of the mill between the exit of said pickling section and the entrance of said rolling mill, means for joining the trailing end of a coil on one end of said payoff reels with the beginning end of a coil on the other end of said payoff reels, said end joining means being located in the main pass line of the mill between said pair of payoff reels and said pickle line entry looper, a tension reel means, and means for diverting strip, which is being fed from the line exit and mill entry looper toward said rolling mill section, to said tension reel means for the coiling of pickled strip.

Claim 13

A combination pickling-rolling mill comprising a rolling mill section for the rolling of strip, a pickling section for the pickling of strip, means for feeding strip to be pickled and rolled to said pickling section, means for feeding strip from the exit end of the pickling section directly to the entry end of said rolling mill section for rolling thereof without the intervening coiling of strip, said means for feeding strip to the pickling section including a pair of payoff reels and means for alternately feeding strip from coils on said payoff reels to said pickling section, a pickle line entry looper in the main pass line of the mill between the means for feeding strip to said pickling section and said pickling section for accumulating a length of strip, a pickle line exit and mill line entry looper located in the main pass line of the mill between the exit of said pickling section and the entrance of said rolling mill, means for joining the trailing end of a coil on one end of said payoff reels with the beginning end of a coil on the other end of said payoff reels, said end joining means being located in the main pass line of the mill between said pair of payoff reels and said pickle line entry looper, a tension reel means, and means for diverting strip, which is being fed from the line exit and mill entry looper toward said rolling mill section, to said tension reel means for the coiling of pickled strip.

Claim 14

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 10 including means for treating strip delivered to said tension reel means.

Claim 15

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 9 including a conventional mill entry section which comprises a third payoff reel located adjacent said the entry end of said rolling mill section and means for feeding strip from a coil on said third payoff reel directly to said rolling mill for conventional batch-type rolling.

Claim 16

A combination pickling-rolling mill comprising a rolling mill section for the rolling of strip, a pickling section for the pickling of strip, means for feeding strip to be pickled and rolled to said pickling section, means for feeding strip from the exit end of the pickling section directly to the entry end of said rolling mill section for rolling thereof without the intervening coiling of strip, said means for feeding strip to the pickling section including a pair of payoff reels and means for alternately feeding strip from coils on said payoff reels to said pickling section, a pickle line entry looper in the main pass line of the mill between the means for feeding strip to said pickling section and said pickling section for accumulating a length of strip, a pickle line exit and mill line entry looper located in the main pass line of the mill between the exit of said pickling section and the entrance of said rolling mill, and means for joining the trailing end of a coil on one end of said payoff reels with the beginning end of a coil on the other end of said payoff reels, said pickling section, said loopers, and said end joining section all being located to one side of said pair of payoff reels, and said rolling mill section being located to the other side of said pair of payoff reels.

Claim 17

A combination pickling-rolling mill comprising a rolling mill section for the rolling of strip, a pickling section for the pickling of strip, means for feeding strip to be pickled and rolled to said pickling section, means for feeding strip from the exit end of the pickling section directly to the entry end of said rolling mill section for rolling thereof without the intervening coiling of strip, said means for feeding strip to the pickling section including a pair of payoff reels and means for alternately feeding strip from coils on said payoff reels to said pickling section, a pickle line entry looper in the main pass line of the mill between the means for feeding strip to said pickling section and said pickling section for accumulating a length of strip, a pickle line exit and mill line entry looper located in the main pass line of the mill between the exit of said pickling section and the entrance of said rolling mill, and means for joining the trailing end of a coil on one end of said payoff reels with the beginning end of a coil on the other end of said payoff reels, said pickling section, said loopers, and said end joining section all being located to one side of said pair of payoff reels, and said rolling mill section being located to the other side of said pair of payoff reels.

Claim 18

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 13 wherein said conventional mill entry section is located closer to said rolling mill section than said pair of payoff reels.

Claim 19

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 13 including a scale removal and trimmer section located in the main pass line of the mill between said pickle line entry looper and said pickling section, and said pickling section is located farther from said pair of payoff reels than said scale removal and trimmer section whereby the fumes from the pickling solution are easily segregated from the remainder of the mill.

Claim 20

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 1 wherein said pickling section comprises a horizontally extending tank for containing pickling solution, and means for varying the location along the horizontal surface of the pickling solution at which strip is delivered into and removed from the pickling solution.

Claim 21

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 16 wherein said means for varying the location at which strip is delivered into and out of the pickling solution comprises a group of rollers located at both the entry and exit end of said tank, each group of rollers being linked together and movable across the pickling solution between retracted and extended positions.

Claim 22

A combination pickling-rolling mill comprising a rolling mill section for the rolling of strip, a pickling section for the pickling of strip, means for feeding strip to be pickled and rolled to said pickling section, means for feeding strip from the exit end of the pickling section directly to the entry end of said rolling mill section for rolling thereof without the intervening coiling of strip, said means for feeding strip to the pickling section including a pair of payoff reels and means for alternately feeding strip from coils on said payoff reels to said pickling section, and a pickle line exit and mill line entry looper located in the main pass line of the mill between the exit of said pickling section and the entrance of said rolling mill, said looper being operable to accumulate strip when the speed of the strip being fed to said rolling mill section is slowed down such as in the case of switching of the feed of strip from said tension reels, whereby strip is fed at a steady speed through said pickling section by the filling of said looper.

Claim 23

A combination pickling-rolling mill comprising a rolling mill section for the rolling of strip, a pickling section for the pickling of strip, means for feeding strip to be pickled and rolled to said pickling section, means for feeding strip from the exit end of the pickling section directly to the entry end of said rolling mill section for rolling thereof without the intervening coiling of strip, said means for feeding strip to the pickling section including a pair of payoff reels and means for alternately feeding strip from coils on said payoff reels to said pickling section, and a pickle line exit and mill line entry looper located in the main pass line of the mill between the exit of said pickling section and the entrance of said rolling mill, said looper being operable to accumulate strip when the speed of the strip being fed to said rolling mill section is slowed down such as in the case of switching of the feed of strip from said tension reels, whereby strip is fed at a steady speed through said pickling section by the filling of said looper.

Claim 24

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 1 wherein said rolling mill section comprises a tandem rolling mill including a plurality of mill stands arranged in tandem and adapted to roll strip in accordance with a predetermined group of pass schedules, and an additional mill stand included in the tandem arrangement in the rolling line, said additional mill stand being unnecessary to achieve the rolling of strip in accordance with said group of pass schedules for which thE mill is designed, said mill stands being adapted to operate throughout most of the speed range of an adjacent mill so that a mill stand can be taken out of the rolling line for roll changing without interrupting the rolling action of the mill whereby said rolling mill section has a high utilization time resulting from a minimum downtime due to roll changing and also the total utilization time of the combination pickling-rolling mill is increased.

Claim 25

A combination pickling-rolling mill comprising a rolling mill section for the rolling of strip, a pickling section for the pickling of strip, means for feeding strip to be pickled and rolled to said pickling section, means for feeding strip from the exit end of the pickling section directly to the entry end of said rolling mill section for rolling thereof without the intervening coiling of strip, said means for feeding strip to the pickling section including a pair of payoff reels and means for alternately feeding strip from coils on said payoff reels to said pickling section, a pickle line entry looper in the main pass line of the mill between the means for feeding strip to said pickling section and said pickle section for accumulating a length of strip, a pickle line exit and mill line entry looper located in the main pass line of the mill between the exit of said pickling section and the entrance of said rolling mill, and side trimming shears located in the main pass line of the mill between said loopers and near one end of said pickling section.

Claim 26

A combination pickling-rolling mill comprising a rolling mill section for the rolling of strip, a pickling section for the pickling of strip, means for feeding strip to be pickled and rolled to said pickling section, means for feeding strip from the exit end of the pickling section directly to the entry end of said rolling mill section for rolling thereof without the intervening coiling of strip, said means for feeding strip to the pickling section including a pair of payoff reels and means for alternately feeding strip from coils on said payoff reels to said pickling section, a pickle line entry looper in the main pass line of the mill between the means for feeding strip to said pickling section and said pickle section for accumulating a length of strip, a pickle line exit and mill line entry looper located in the main pass line of the mill between the exit of said pickling section and the entrance of said rolling mill, and side trimming shears located in the main pass line of the mill between said loopers and near one end of said pickling section.

Claim 27

A combination pickling-rolling mill according to claim 20 wherein said side trimming shears are located in the main pass line of the mill between said pickle line entry looper and the entry end of said pickling section.