Rolling mill for rolling or sizing metallic pipes, bars or wires

Abstract

A rolling mill for rolling or sizing of metallic pipes, bars and wires has a plurality of rolling units which are arranged on a straight line close to one another and can be exchanged jointly, only a few, or individually, each of the rolling units having at least three rollers which are arranged in a star-like configuration around a rolling axis, drive shafts and motors each driving a respective one of the rollers in all the rolling units, a rolling unit housing provided for the rolling units, roller bearings provided for the rollings, and multi-part rolling shafts provided for supporting the rollers so that the rollers can be exchanged without dismounting of the rolling unit housing and the roller bearings.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:  
     
         1 . A rolling mill for rolling or sizing of metallic pipes, bars and wires, comprising a plurality of rolling units which are arranged on a straight line close to one another and can be exchanged jointly, only a few or individually, each of the rolling units having at least three rollers which are arranged in a star-like configuration around a rolling mill axis; drive shafts and motors each driving a respective one of said roller in all said rolling units; a rolling unit housing provided for said rolling units; roller bearings provided for said rollers; and multi-part rolling shafts provided for supporting said rollers so that said rollers can be exchanged without dismounting of said rolling unit housing and said rolling bearings.  
     
     
         2 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said roller unit housing of said roller units is a one-part roller unit housing.  
     
     
         3 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 1;  and further comprising eccentric bushings in which said rolling bearings of all said roller units are arranged, said eccentric bushings being turnable in a stepped fashion and arrestable in several rotary positions for radial adjustments of said rollings.  
     
     
         4 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 1 , wherein at least two of said rolling units located at an outlet side of the rolling mill have eccentric bushings in which said rolling bearings are arranged, said rolling bearings of said at least two rolling units being steplessly radially adjustable when said rolling units are built-in and ready for operation, for stepless radial adjustment of said rollers.  
     
     
         5 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 4 , wherein said rolling units include such rolling units, whose rollers with the rolling units which are built-in and ready for operation are not steplessly radially adjustable, are radially adjustable in a stepped-fashion outside the rolling mill.  
     
     
         6 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 5 , wherein a number of said rolling units, whose rollers with the rolling units built-in and ready for operation are not steplessly radially adjustable, is greater than a number of the rolling units with the rollers which are steplessly radially adjustable.  
     
     
         7 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 4 , wherein said rolling units, whose rollers with the built-in and ready for operation rolling units are not steplessly radially adjustable, have rollers with a different ideal rolling diameter than said rolling units with steplessly radially adjustable rollers.  
     
     
         8 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 5 , wherein all unit positions are suitable for said rolling units with steplessly radially adjustable rollers and for said roller units with not steplessly radially adjustable rollers.  
     
     
         9 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said drive shaft of said rollers and said shafts of said motors extend coaxially to a corresponding rolling rotary axis.  
     
     
         10 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 1;  and further comprising a joint frame said motors with shafts forming an angle to a horizontal plane and having the same angular position relative to one another, being arranged on, at or in said joint frame.  
     
     
         11 . A rolling mill as defined in claim  10 ; and further comprising lowering transmissions arranged on said joint frame between said motors and said drive shafts of said rollers.  
     
     
         12 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 11 , wherein said lowering transmission is formed as a planetary transmission.  
     
     
         13 . A rolling mill as defined in claim  11 ; and further comprising a housing in which said lowering transmissions of several or all said motors with a same angular position are accommodated, said housing being formed as a joint frame.  
     
     
         14 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 13 , wherein said several or all motors with the same angular position are flanged on said housing of said lowering transmissions, which is formed with said joint frame.  
     
     
         15 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 11 , wherein said motors and said lowering transmissions of one or several rollers with rolling rotary axes forming an angle of a horizontal plane are assembled to one drive unit.  
     
     
         16 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 15 , wherein one or several joint frames or drive units are linearly displaceable in direction of associated rolling rotary axes.  
     
     
         17 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 16 , wherein one or several said joint frames of said drive units are turnable about a turning axis extending parallel to said rolling mill axis.  
     
     
         18 . A rolling mill as defined in claim  17 ; and further comprising a pivot transmission provided for turning of said joint frames or said drive unit.  
     
     
         19 . A rolling mill as defined in claim  15 ; and further comprising a supporting bridge composed of concrete and supporting one or several joint frames or drive units above the rolling mill axis.  
     
     
         20 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 1;  and further comprising one or several unit changing cars on which one or several rolling units are located, so that said rolling units can be moved from unit changing cars into a rolling line or moved onto said unit changing cars from said rolling line.  
     
     
         21 . A rolling mill as defined in claim  20 ; and further comprising a drive for moving said rolling units, said drive for moving said rolling units being arranged under said motors of the rollers, and optimally a lowering transmission which have horizontally extending rotary axes, said drive having a plurality of horizontally extending work cylinders which are selectively couplable to an associated one of several rolling units on one of said unit changing cars or in a unit receptacle of the rolling mill.  
     
     
         22 . A rolling mill as defined in claim  20 ; and further comprising a drive for moving said rolling units and including two horizontally extending work cylinders which are arranged in a region of inlet-side and outlet-side end faces of the rolling mill and a transporting beam at an operation side of said rolling units, said transportation beam extending parallel to said rolling mill axis; and is engaged by said working cylinders extending transversely to said rolling mill axis, the transporting beam being formed so that each of said rolling units can be selectively coupled with it.  
     
     
         23 . A rolling mill as defined in  claim 1;  and further comprising one or more unit changing cars on which one or more rolling units are arranged, so as to move said rolling units into said rolling line or from said rolling line.