Title of Invention	APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR WIDTHWISE ALIGNMENT OF PRECEDING AND SUCCEEDING METAL PLATES
Abstract	A method and apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates/ which minimize the widthwise deviation of the preceding and succeeding metal plates at the position of joining and can thereby correct a bend in the vicinity of the joining site, is provided. For this purpose, there are provided a joining device (3) for joining together a rear end portion of a preceding sheet bar (9) and a front end portion of a succeeding sheet bar (6) during travel in a direction of a pass line, first and second bend measuring instruments (20, 21) for detecting the bend state of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar prior to the joining, fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pairs (25, 26) for displacing at least one of the preceding sheet bar and the succeeding sheet bar in a width direction at the position of joining, and a control device (30) for driving the fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pairs so as to decrease deviations of the widthwise center position, at the position of the joining, of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar based on detection signals fromjthe first and second bend measuring instruments.

Title of Invention

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR WIDTHWISE ALIGNMENT OF PRECEDING AND SUCCEEDING METAL PLATES

Abstract

A method and apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates/ which minimize the widthwise deviation of the preceding and succeeding metal plates at the position of joining and can thereby correct a bend in the vicinity of the joining site, is provided. For this purpose, there are provided a joining device (3) for joining together a rear end portion of a preceding sheet bar (9) and a front end portion of a succeeding sheet bar (6) during travel in a direction of a pass line, first and second bend measuring instruments (20, 21) for detecting the bend state of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar prior to the joining, fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pairs (25, 26) for displacing at least one of the preceding sheet bar and the succeeding sheet bar in a width direction at the position of joining, and a control device (30) for driving the fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pairs so as to decrease deviations of the widthwise center position, at the position of the joining, of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar based on detection signals fromjthe first and second bend measuring instruments.

Full Text	FORM 2 THE PATENT ACT 1970 (39 of 1970) The Patents Rules, 2003 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION See Section 10, and rule 13 1. TITLE OF INVENTION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WIDTHWISE ALIGNMENT OF PRECEDING SUCCEEDING METAL PLATES AND CONTINUOUS ROLLING EQUIPMENT AND APPLICANT(S) a) Name b) Nationality c) Address AND a) Name b) Nationality c) Address MITSUBISHI-HITACHI METALS MACHINERY, INC JAPANESE Company 34-6, SHIBA 5-CHOME, MINATO-KU, TOKYO 1080014 JAPAN POSCO KOREAN Company 1, KOEDONG-DONG, NAM-KU, POHANG-SHI, KYUNGBUKU 7 907 85, REPUBLIC OF KOREA PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed : - Technical Field This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates in joining a trailing end portion of the preceding metal plate and a leading end portion of the succeeding metal plate, and continuous rolling equipment to which the method and apparatus for widthwise alignment are applied. Background Art In continuous hot rolling equipment, for example, a metal plate is roughly rolled by a rough rolling mill, and taken up into a coil box. Then, the metal plate is unwound out of the coil box, and finish-rolled by a finish rolling mill. During this process, a trailing end portion of a preceding metal plate and a leading end portion of a succeeding metal plate, both metal plates being unwound from the coil box, are joined together by a joining device, and continuously finish-rolled by the finish rolling mill to obtain a metal plate of a desired thickness (rolled steel plate). To perform such finish rolling continuously, it is necessary to join the preceding and succeeding metal plates at a high speed. For this purpose, various techniques have so far been proposed. Patent Document 1, for example, discloses an apparatus and method in a device for joining steel pieces, the device comprising a cutter for cutting a rear end portion of a preceding material and a front end portion of a succeeding material, and a joining machine for heating and pressure welding the rear end portion and the front end portion after cutting, wherein side guide devices for holding the steel pieces from both sides to center them are arranged on the entry side and the exit side of the cutter -2- and on the entry side and the exit side of the joining machine, thereby centering the steel pieces. According to the apparatus and method, moreover, centering can be performed at the time of cutting, heating and pressure welding. Thus, it can be mentioned that a joining failure due to poor butting, such as center displacement or entrance opening, can be reliably prevented. Patent Document 2, on the other hand, discloses the provision of a hydraulic side guide apparatus in a device for joining a rear end portion of a preceding material to be rolled, and a front end portion of a succeeding material to be rolled, with the rear end portion and the front end portion being butted, the hydraulic side guide apparatus being adapted to hold the preceding material to be rolled, and the succeeding material to be rolled, independently at the center of rolling equipment (pass center). Patent Document 1': Japanese Patent No. 3377924 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 2947612 Disclosure of the Invention Problems to be solved by the invention Generally, a partial bend may occur at a site near the trailing end of the preceding metal plate, or at a site near the leading end of the succeeding metal plate, which has been unwound out of the coil box. However, as disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the mere centering function of the side guide apparatus results in a widthwise deviation state at the site of joining, if there is a bend near the trailing end of the preceding metal plate or near the leading end of the succeeding metal plate. -3- The manner of completing joining during a shearing process, with end portions of the preceding and succeeding metal plates being superposed, is taken as an example of the manner of joining. As shown in Figs. 7(a) to 7(c), there is a partial (local) bend near the trailing end of a preceding metal plate 100A or near the leading end of a succeeding metal plate 100B (see Fig. 7(a)). Assume, here, that joining is completed during the shearing process, with end portions of the preceding metal plate 100A and the succeeding metal plate 100B being superposed at the position of joining, while the preceding metal plate 100A and the succeeding metal plate 100B are being centered by first to fourth longitudinal roller pairs 101a to lOld of the side guide device (see Fig. 7(b) to Fig. 7(c)). In this case, a widthwise deviation state occurs at the site of joining (see widthwise deviation portions indicated by katakana characters and in Fig. 7(c)). This phenomenon is particularly marked when the directions of the partial bends are different directions, as shown in Figs. 7(a) to 7(c). If the widthwise deviation portions indicated by katakana characters 4 and P remain unchanged, a pair of guide plates 103, 103 of the side guide device disposed on the entry side of a finishing mill 102 need to have a spacing Li widened, in order to avoid interference with the widthwise deviation portions 4 and o when the joining site of the preceding and succeeding metal plates 100A and 100B passes the guide plate pair 103, as shown in Fig. 8. This has posed the problem that the function of correcting the bend cannot be performed any more. Moreover, until the exit side of the finishing mill 102, the joining site of the preceding and succeeding metal plates 100A and 100B is not restrained in the width direction, whenever this joining site passes between the pair of guide plates 103 located on the entry side of each rolling mill. Thus, the -4- bend cannot be corrected. This state is held until the metal plates are taken up on the exit side of the finishing mill 102 and, during this process, care should be taken to avoid interference with the pair of guide plates 103 in the width direction. Thus, the problem exists that the operation is complicatedj Furthermore, in the appearance of the coil taken up, large steps are left in the joining site of the preceding and succeeding metal plates 100A and 100B, presenting the problem of the widthwise deviation state remaining. The present invention has been accomplished in the light of the above-described situations. It is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates, which minimize the widthwise deviation of the preceding and succeeding metal plates at the position of joining and can thereby correct a bend in the vicinity of the joining site, and continuous rolling equipment involving the method and apparatus. Means for Solving the Problems A method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates according to the present invention, for attaining the above object, is characterized by displacing at least one of the preceding metal plate and the succeeding metal plate in a width direction so that deviations of a widthwise center position, at a position of joining, of a rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and a front end portion of the succeeding metal plate are decreased, before the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate are joined together during travel in a direction of a pass line. -5- The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates is also characterized in that an amount of the displacement in the width direction is an amount of movement determined by detecting a bend state of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate or the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate, obtaining amounts of the deviations of the widthwise center position at the position of joining from results of the detection, and calculating the amount of movement capable of making an adjustment for decreasing the deviations of the widthwise center position based on the amounts of the deviations. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates is aiso characterized in that during the displacement in the width direction, a region near the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate is bent while an overall length portion of the preceding metal plate is traveling at a nearly identical position, or a region near the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate is bent while an overall length portion of the succeeding metal plate is traveling at a nearly identical position. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates is also characterized in that an amount of the bending is within a range of elastic deformation of the preceding metal plate or the succeeding metal plate. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates is also characterized in that for the joining, a manner of completing the joining during a shearing process, with end portions of the preceding and succeeding metal plates being superposed, is used. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal -6- plates is also characterized in that for the displacement in the width direction, a first longitudinal roller is disposed upstream of or downstream of the position of joining, a second longitudinal roller is disposed at a position on a side opposite to the position of joining across the first longitudinal roller, the second longitudinal roller determines a widthwise position of an overall length portion of the preceding or succeeding metal plate, and the first longitudinal roller is displaced in the width direction with respect to the second longitudinal roller so as to decrease the deviations of the widthwise center position, at the position of joining, of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate. i An apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates according to the present invention, for attaining the aforementioned object, comprises: a joining device for joining together a rear end portion of a preceding metal plate and a front end portion of a succeeding metal plate during travel in a direction of a pass line; a bend detecting device for detecting a bend state of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate or the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate prior to the joining; a side guide device for displacing at least one of the preceding metal plate and the succeeding metal plate in a width direction at a position of the joining; and -7- a control device for driving the side guide device so as to decrease deviations of a widthwise center position, at the position of the joining, of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate based on a detection signal from the bend detecting device. Continuous rolling equipment according to the present invention, for attaining the aforementioned object, comprises a roughing mill, a coil box, a joining device, a finishing mill composed of rolling mills of a plurality of stands, and a down-coiler arranged in sequence from an upstream side in a direction of a pass line, the above-mentioned apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates being interposed between the coil box and the finishing mill. Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, when the preceding metal plate and the succeeding metal plate are to be joined together, at least one of the preceding metal plate and the succeeding metal plate is displaced in the width direction so that deviations of the widthwise center position, at the position of joining, of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate are decreased. Thus, the widthwise deviations of the preceding and succeeding metal plates at the joining position can be rendered as small as possible. As described above, the widthwise deviations during joining, which are attributed to the bend existent in the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate \|or the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate, are reduced to a minimum. Hence, it becomes possible to correct the bend by -8- the side guide device disposed on the entry side of the finishing mill, thus making it possible to perform finish rolling while reducing the bend over the entire length, including the joining position. Brief Description of the Drawings [Fig. 1] is a schematic configurational side view of continuous (hot) rolling equipment showing an embodiment of the present invention. i [Fig. 2] is a plan view of the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. [Fig. 3] is a front view of a longitudinal roller pair portion of the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. [Fig. 4] is a control block diagram for the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. ; [Figs. 5(a) to 5(c)] are explanation drawings for actions during joining in the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. [Figs. 6(a) and 6(b)] are explanation drawings for actions during passage of a site of joining (joined portion) through a plate-shaped side guide in the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. [Figs. 7(a) to 7(c)] are explanation drawings for actions during joining in conventional continuous (hot) rolling equipment, showing a drawback. [Fig. 8] is an explanation drawing for actions during passage of a joined portion through a plate-shaped side guide in the conventional continuous -9- (hot) rolling equipment, showing a drawback. Description of the Numerals 1 rough rolling mill (roughing mill), 2 coil box, 3 joining device, 4 finish rolling mill (finishing mill), 5 down-coiler, 6 succeeding metal plate (succeeding sheet bar), 7 crop shear, 8 superposing device, 9 preceding metal plate (preceding sheet bar), 10 joining machine, 11 sheet bar, 12 crop i treating device, 15 crop shear, 16 edge heater, 17 bar heater, 18 descaler, 20 first bend measuring instrument, 21 second bend measuring instrument, 22 first longitudinal roller pair, 23 second longitudinal roller pair, 24 third longitudinal roller pair, 25 fourth longitudinal roller pair, 26 fifth longitudinal roller pair, 27 sixth longitudinal roller pair, 22a, 22b to 27a, 27b first to sixth longitudinal roller pair drive devices, 28 guide plate pair, 28a, 28b guide plate pair drive devices, 30 control device. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention The method and apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates, and continuous rolling equipment, according to the present invention will now be described in detail by an embodiment using the accompanying drawings. Embodiment Fig. 1 is a schematic configurational side view of continuous (hot) rolling equipment showing an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. Fig. 3 is a front view of a longitudinal roller pair portion of the continuous (hot) rolling -10- equipment. ; Fig. 4 is a control block diagram for the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. Figs. 5(a) to 5(c) are explanation drawings for actions during joining in the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. Figs. 6(a) and 6(b) are explanation drawings for actions during passage of a site of joining (joined portion) through a side guide device in the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the continuous (hot) rolling equipment of the present embodiment is provided, from an upstream side toward a downstream side, with a rough rolling mill (roughing mill) 1, a coil box 2, a joining device 3, a finish rolling mill (finishing mill) 4 composed of rolling mills of a plurality of stands, and a down-coiler 5. A succeeding metal plate (succeeding sheet bar) 6, which has been rough-rolled by the roughing mill 1, is taken up by a coiler of the coil box 2, so that a difference between travel speeds by the roughing mill 1 and the finishing mill 4 is adjusted. A front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 unwound from the coiler of the coil box 2 (optionally, its crop is cut off by a crop shear 7) is superposed on a rear end portion of a preceding metal plate (preceding sheet bar) 9 (optionally, its crop is cut off by the crop shear 7) by a superposing device 8 of the joining device 3. The front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are joined together by a joining machine 10 of the joining device 3, and a crop of the joined portion is cut off by a crop treating device 12. A sheet bar 11 which has become continuous upon joining by the joining device 3 is sent to the finishing mill 4. -11- The joining device 3 is a short-time joining device which is configured to join the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 during travel, and which is capable of joining in a short time. To carry out joining during travel, it is possible to apply a configuration in which the joining machine 10 moves following the travel of the sheet bar, or a configuration in which the joining machine 10 sways following the travel of the sheet bar. The joining machine 10 of the joining device 3 in the present embodiment, for example, has a joining mechanism with a pair of shearing blades which sandwich the superposed region of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6, push in the superposed region from both sides thereof, and shear it, while joining the sheet bars. The sheet bar 11 fed to the finishing mill 4 is hot-rolled by the rolling mills of the plural stands sequentially to be finish-rolled to a desired plate thickness, the sheet bar 11, which has left the finishing mill 4, is taken up by the down-coiler 5. A dividing shear (not shown) is installed ahead of the down-coiler 5, and the sheet bar 11, which has undergone joining before the finishing: mill 4, is taken up by the down-coiler 5 while being divided by the dividing shear. In the drawings, the numeral 15 denotes a crop shear provided on the entry side of the finishing mill 4, the numeral 16 denotes an edge heater disposed upstream of the crop shear 15 on the pass line, the numeral 17 denotes a bar heater disposed close to and downstream of the edge heater 16 on the pass line, and the numeral 18 denotes a descaler disposed close to and upstream of the joining device 3 on the pass line. -12- The placements of the crop shear 15, the edge heater 16, the bar heater 17, and the descaler 18 are selected, as appropriate, depending on the situation of the continuous (hot) rolling equipment and so on. The positions of their placements, the presence or absence of their placement, and so on are not limited to those illustrated in the drawings. In the present embodiment, a first bend measuring instrument (bend detector) 20l for detecting a bend (state) in the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6, and a second bend measuring instrument (bend detector) 21 for detecting a bend (state) in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are disposed close to and downstream of the crop shear 7 on the pass line. The first bend measuring instrument 20 and the second bend measuring instrument 21 are, for example, CCD cameras, and their image signals are sent to a control device 30. In detecting the bends in the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9, it is needless to say that these bends can be detected by one of the bend measuring instruments. Close to and upstream of the first bend measuring instrument 20 on the pass line (in the illustrated example, upstream of the crop shear 7 on the pass line), first and second longitudinal roller pairs 22 and 23, as side guide devices, are arranged with predetermined spacing. The first and second longitudinal roller pairs 22 and 23 perform centering of the succeeding sheet bar 6 so that the bend in the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 is measjured by the first bend measuring instrument 20. Close to andi downstream of the second bend measuring instrument 21 on the pass line, namely, upstream of the joining device 3 on the pass line, -13- third and fourth longitudinal roller pairs 24 and 25 (the third longitudinal roller pair 24 corresponds to the second longitudinal roller of claim 6, and the fourth longitudinal roller pair 25 corresponds to the first longitudinal roller of claim 6), as side guide devices, are arranged with predetermined spacing (in; the illustrated example, with the descaler 18 being located i therebetween). The third and fourth longitudinal roller pairs 24 and 25 perform centering of the preceding sheet bar 9 so that the bend in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 is measured by the second bend measuring instrument 21. During joining, the third and fourth longitudinal roller pairs 24 and 25 are movable so as to minimize the bend in the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6. Downstream of the joining device 3 on the pass line, fifth and sixth „ longitudinal roller pairs 26 and 27 (the fifth longitudinal roller pair 26 corresponds to the first longitudinal roller of claim 6, and the sixth longitudinal roller pair 27 corresponds to the second longitudinal roller of claim 6), as side guide devices, are arranged with predetermined spacing (in the illustrated example, with the crop treating device 12 being located therebetween). The fifth and sixth longitudinal roller pairs 26 and 27 are movable during joining so as to minimize the bend in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9. The first to sixth longitudinal roller pairs 22 to 27 can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the pass line, namely in the width direction of the sheet bar, by first to sixth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b to 27a, 27b paired in the lateral direction as shown in Fig. 3. The fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 25a, 25b, 26a, 26b can each make a motion independently of the other partner of the pair in the drawing. The other longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b to 24a, 24b, 27a, 27b -14- can each move in the closing direction or in the opening direction in synchronism with the other partner of the pair in the drawing. It goes without saying that these longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b to 24a, 24b, 27a, 27b may each be configured to be capable of making a motion independently of the other partner of the pair in the drawing, as are the fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 25a, 25b, 26a, 26b. The first to sixth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b to 27a, 27b paired in the lateral direction are, for example, hydraulic cylinders, and their expanding and contracting motions are drivingly controlled by the control device 30 to be described later. In Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 28 denotes a guide plate pair, as a side guide device, disposed on the entry side of the finishing mill 4. Guide plate pair drive devices 28a, 28b (see Fig. 4) are also driven by the control device 30 to be described later. The control device 30 receives, for example, image signals from the first and second bend! measuring instruments 20 and 21, as shown in Fig. 4. Based on input signals such as these image signals, the control device 30 drivingly controls the first to sixth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b to 27a, 27b and the guide plate pair drive devices 28a, 28b which are paired in the lateral direction. Concretely, prior to joining/ the first and second longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b, 23a, 23b are driven to center the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 by the first and second longitudinal roller pairs 22 and 23. In this condition, a bend state in the succeeding sheet bar 6 is detected and measured by the first bend measuring instrument 20. Also, -15- the third arid fourth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 24a, 24b, 25a, 25b are drive1* ^ cento Vne ^ear en6 portion oi Vne p^'fc&iTfg 'sVre^i Vat S \ry Vrife third anci fourth longitudinal roller pairs 24 ant* 25- In this condition, a bend (state) in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 is detected and measured by the second bend measuring instrument 21. These measurements are made, for example, by measuring the positions of both ends in the width direction, and obtaining the position of the center from the positi°ns or both ends in the width direction. That is, image signals, for example, inputted from the first and second bend measuring instruments 20 and 21 are image-processed to detect and 6 and the bend (state) in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9. Based on the results of the measurements, the am°unts of deviation, df and 5P, of the center position in the width direction (see dashed dotted lines along the direction of the pass line) at the position of joining are computed (see Fig. 5(a)). Then, the amounts of movement of the fourth arid fifth longitudinal roller pairs 25 *md;26 for making adjustments such that the amounts of deviation, Sf and 8F/ of the center position in the width direction are decreased are the position of centering), whereafter the fourth a^d fifth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 25a, 25b, 26a and 26b are stroKed in opposite directions (see arrows in Fig. 5(b)) by the above amounts to displace the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 in the width direction. °n this occasion, it goes without saying that only one of the fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pairs 25 and 26 may be moved to make an adjustment such that the amounts of -16- deviation, Sf and 6P/ of the center position in the width direction are reduced. Then, the superposed region of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet i bar 9 and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 is pinched by the joining machine 10 of the joining device 3, and pushed in from both sides thereof to be joined while being sheared. On this occasion, joining is carried out without widthwise deviation portions (see the katakana characters 4 and n in Fig. 7(c)), as shown in Fig. 5(c). The control device 30 also drivingly controls the guide plate pair drive devices 28a,. 28b to control, as appropriate,, the Spacing of the guide plate pair 28, as shown in Figs. 6(a), 6(b). By controlling the spacing to a spacing L2 in Fig. 6(a), for example, it is possible to perform suppression of meandering, or correction of bending of the joined sheet bar 11. By 1 controlling the spacing to a spacing L3 in Fig. 6(b), on the other hand, it is possible to suppress meandering of the joined sheet bar 11. That is, in the relation between the spacing Li in Fig. 8 and the Spacings L2, L3 in Figs. 6(a), 6(b), Li can be rendered larger than L2, L3. This becomes possible when no widthwise deviation state occurs in the joined portion, as stated earlier. In the present embodiment, as described above, the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are joined together, with their superposed region being pinched, pushed in from both sides thereof and sheared, in the continuous (hot) rolling equipment, j At this time, the bend (state) in the front end portion of the 1 succeeding sheet bar 6 and the bend (state) in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are detected and measured., Based on the results of the measurements, the amounts of deviation, §f and 5P, of the center -17- position in the width direction at the joining position are computed, and the amounts of movement of the fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pairs 25 and 26 for making adjustments such that the amounts of deviation, Sf and 6P, are decreased are computed. The front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are displaced in widthwise opposite directions by the corresponding amounts. Thus, the widthwise deviations of the preceding and succeeding sheet bars 9 and 6 at the joining position can be minimized. When the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are displaced (bent) in widthwise opposite directions, the amounts of displacement (bending) are preferably rendered within the range of elastic deformation of the sheet bar. If the range of elastic deformation is exceeded, permanent set remains in the width direction, and the widthwise positional relationship between the fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pairs 25, 26 and the joining position changes moment by moment. Thus, it becomes difficult to ensure the desired widthwise position at the joining position. As noted above, the widthwise deviation during joining, which is attributed to the bend existent in the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 or the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9, is reduced to a minimum. Hence, it becomes possible to correct the bend by the guide plate pair 28, thus making; it possible to perform finish rolling while reducing the bend i over the entire length, including the joining position. Passage of the sheet bar 11 on the\| exit side of the finishing mill 4 is also satisfactory, because no bend is present. The effect is also obtained that the appearance of the coil taken up shows no large steps in the joined portion. -18- Besides, when the joined portion passes through the finishing mill 4, the widthwise center position of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 is nearly the same position as that of the entire-length portion (general portion). This produces the advantage that rolling is stabilized. If the deviation in the center position can be reduced, moreover, a great step in the joined portion is no more existent. Thus, in setting the side guide device on the entry side of each rolling mill of the finishing mill 4, the method of setting becomes easy. The above-described widthwise alignment apparatus and method, which involve butt joining, require that the cut state of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar or the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar before joining by the cutter (crop shear) be reproduced. Moving the apparatus in such a manner as to decrease the bend during joining, as in the present apparatus and method, is high in the degree of difficulty. With the joining method not directly using the front end surface of the succeeding sheet bar or the rear end surface of the preceding sheet bar, which involves joining of the superposed region, such an adjustment can be made by practical equipment, and serves as an effective means. With the joining method in which joining is completed during a shearing process in a superposed state, moreover, the above-mentioned cutting by the cutter (crop shear) before joining is unnecessary in some cases. Without butting, the aforementioned bend can be decreased, regardless of whether cutting by the cutter (crop shear) is present or absent. -19- Industrial Applicability The method and apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates, and continuous rolling equipment, according to the present invention, are preferred when employed, particularly, for a hot rolling line. -20- WE CLAIM: 1. A metho;d for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates, comprising: displacing at least one of the preceding metal plate and the succeeding metal plate in a width direction so that deviations of a widthwise center position, at a position of joining, of a rear end portion of the preceding metal plate.and a front end portion of the succeeding metal plate are decreased, before the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate are joined together during travel in a direction of a pass line. 2. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates according to claim 1, wherein an amount of the displacement in i the width direction is an amount of movement determined by detecting a bend state of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate or the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate, obtaining amounts of the deviations of the widthwise center position at the position of joining from results of the detection, and calculating the amount of movement capable of making an adjustment for decreasing the deviations of the widthwise center position based on the amounts of the deviations. 3. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates according to claim 1, wherein during the displacement in the width direction, a region near the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate is bent while an overall length portion of the preceding metal plate is traveling at a nearly identical position, or a region near the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate is bent while an overall length portion of the succeeding metal plate is traveling at a -21- nearly identical position. 4. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding meta plates according to claim 3, wherein an amount of the bending is within a range of elastic deformation of the preceding metal plate or the succeeding metal plate. 5. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates according to claim 1, wherein for the joining, a manner of completing the joining during a shearing process, with end portions of the preceding and succeeding metal plates being superposed, is used. i 6. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates according to claim 1, wherein for the displacement in the width direction, a first longitudinal roller is disposed upstream of or downstream of the position of joining, a second longitudinal roller is disposed at a position on a side opposite to the position of joining across the first longitudinal roller, the second longitudinal roller determines a widthwise position of an overall length portion of the preceding or succeeding metal plate, and the first longitudinal roller is displaced in the width direction with respect to the second longitudinal roller so as to decrease the deviations of the widthwise center position, at the position of joining, of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate. i 7. An apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding i metal plates, comprising: a joining, device for joining together a rear end portion of a preceding metal plate and a front end portion of a succeeding metal plate during -22- travel ina direction of a pass line; a bend detecting device for detecting a bend state of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate or the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate prior to the joining; a side guide device for displacing at least ofie of the preceding metal plate and the succeeding metal plate in a width direction at a position of the joining; and a control device for driving the side guide device so as to decrease deviations of a widthwise center position, at the position of the joining, of the rear end portion of the preceding met^I plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate based on a detection signal from the bend detecting device. 8. Continuous rolling equipment, comprising a roughing mill, a coil box, a joining device, a finishing mill composed of foiling mills of a plurality of stands, and a down-coiler arranged in sequence from an upstream side in a direction of a pass line, and wherein the apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates according to claim 7 is interposed between the coil box and the finishing mill. Dated this 1st day of September, 2008 HIRAL CHANDRAKANT JOSHI AGENT FOR MITSUBISHI-HITACHI METALS MACHINERY, INC. AND POSCO -23-

Full Text

FORM 2
THE PATENT ACT 1970 (39 of 1970)
The Patents Rules, 2003 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION See Section 10, and rule 13

1. TITLE OF INVENTION
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WIDTHWISE ALIGNMENT OF PRECEDING SUCCEEDING METAL PLATES AND CONTINUOUS ROLLING EQUIPMENT

AND

APPLICANT(S)
a) Name
b) Nationality
c) Address
AND
a) Name
b) Nationality
c) Address

MITSUBISHI-HITACHI METALS MACHINERY, INC
JAPANESE Company
34-6, SHIBA 5-CHOME,
MINATO-KU,
TOKYO 1080014
JAPAN
POSCO
KOREAN Company
1, KOEDONG-DONG,
NAM-KU, POHANG-SHI,
KYUNGBUKU 7 907 85,
REPUBLIC OF KOREA

PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed : -

Technical Field
This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates in joining a trailing end portion of the preceding metal plate and a leading end portion of the succeeding metal plate, and continuous rolling equipment to which the method and apparatus for widthwise alignment are applied.
Background Art
In continuous hot rolling equipment, for example, a metal plate is roughly rolled by a rough rolling mill, and taken up into a coil box. Then, the metal plate is unwound out of the coil box, and finish-rolled by a finish rolling mill. During this process, a trailing end portion of a preceding metal plate and a leading end portion of a succeeding metal plate, both metal plates being unwound from the coil box, are joined together by a joining device, and continuously finish-rolled by the finish rolling mill to obtain a metal plate of a desired thickness (rolled steel plate). To perform such finish rolling continuously, it is necessary to join the preceding and succeeding metal plates at a high speed. For this purpose, various techniques have so far been proposed.
Patent Document 1, for example, discloses an apparatus and method in a device for joining steel pieces, the device comprising a cutter for cutting a rear end portion of a preceding material and a front end portion of a succeeding material, and a joining machine for heating and pressure welding the rear end portion and the front end portion after cutting, wherein side guide devices for holding the steel pieces from both sides to center them are arranged on the entry side and the exit side of the cutter
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and on the entry side and the exit side of the joining machine, thereby centering the steel pieces. According to the apparatus and method, moreover, centering can be performed at the time of cutting, heating and pressure welding. Thus, it can be mentioned that a joining failure due to poor butting, such as center displacement or entrance opening, can be reliably prevented.
Patent Document 2, on the other hand, discloses the provision of a hydraulic side guide apparatus in a device for joining a rear end portion of a preceding material to be rolled, and a front end portion of a succeeding material to be rolled, with the rear end portion and the front end portion being butted, the hydraulic side guide apparatus being adapted to hold the preceding material to be rolled, and the succeeding material to be rolled, independently at the center of rolling equipment (pass center).
Patent Document 1': Japanese Patent No. 3377924 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 2947612 Disclosure of the Invention Problems to be solved by the invention
Generally, a partial bend may occur at a site near the trailing end of the preceding metal plate, or at a site near the leading end of the succeeding metal plate, which has been unwound out of the coil box.
However, as disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the mere centering function of the side guide apparatus results in a widthwise deviation state at the site of joining, if there is a bend near the trailing end of the preceding metal plate or near the leading end of the succeeding metal plate.
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The manner of completing joining during a shearing process, with end portions of the preceding and succeeding metal plates being superposed, is taken as an example of the manner of joining. As shown in Figs. 7(a) to 7(c), there is a partial (local) bend near the trailing end of a preceding metal plate 100A or near the leading end of a succeeding metal plate 100B (see Fig. 7(a)). Assume, here, that joining is completed during the shearing process, with end portions of the preceding metal plate 100A and the succeeding metal plate 100B being superposed at the position of joining, while the preceding metal plate 100A and the succeeding metal plate 100B are being centered by first to fourth longitudinal roller pairs 101a to lOld of the side guide device (see Fig. 7(b) to Fig. 7(c)). In this case, a widthwise deviation state occurs at the site of joining (see widthwise deviation portions indicated by katakana characters and in Fig. 7(c)). This
phenomenon is particularly marked when the directions of the partial bends are different directions, as shown in Figs. 7(a) to 7(c).
If the widthwise deviation portions indicated by katakana characters 4 and P remain unchanged, a pair of guide plates 103, 103 of the side guide device disposed on the entry side of a finishing mill 102 need to have a spacing Li widened, in order to avoid interference with the widthwise deviation portions 4 and o when the joining site of the preceding and succeeding metal plates 100A and 100B passes the guide plate pair 103, as shown in Fig. 8. This has posed the problem that the function of correcting the bend cannot be performed any more.
Moreover, until the exit side of the finishing mill 102, the joining site of the preceding and succeeding metal plates 100A and 100B is not restrained in the width direction, whenever this joining site passes between the pair of guide plates 103 located on the entry side of each rolling mill. Thus, the
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bend cannot be corrected. This state is held until the metal plates are taken up on the exit side of the finishing mill 102 and, during this process, care should be taken to avoid interference with the pair of guide plates 103 in the width direction. Thus, the problem exists that the operation is complicatedj Furthermore, in the appearance of the coil taken up, large steps are left in the joining site of the preceding and succeeding metal plates 100A and 100B, presenting the problem of the widthwise deviation state remaining.
The present invention has been accomplished in the light of the above-described situations. It is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates, which minimize the widthwise deviation of the preceding and succeeding metal plates at the position of joining and can thereby correct a bend in the vicinity of the joining site, and continuous rolling equipment involving the method and apparatus.
Means for Solving the Problems
A method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates according to the present invention, for attaining the above object, is characterized by displacing at least one of the preceding metal plate and the succeeding metal plate in a width direction so that deviations of a widthwise center position, at a position of joining, of a rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and a front end portion of the succeeding metal plate are decreased, before the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate are joined together during travel in a direction of a pass line.
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The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates is also characterized in that an amount of the displacement in the width direction is an amount of movement determined by detecting a bend state of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate or the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate, obtaining amounts of the deviations of the widthwise center position at the position of joining from results of the detection, and calculating the amount of movement capable of making an adjustment for decreasing the deviations of the widthwise center position based on the amounts of the deviations.
The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates is aiso characterized in that during the displacement in the width direction, a region near the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate is bent while an overall length portion of the preceding metal plate is traveling at a nearly identical position, or a region near the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate is bent while an overall length portion of the succeeding metal plate is traveling at a nearly identical position.
The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates is also characterized in that an amount of the bending is within a range of elastic deformation of the preceding metal plate or the succeeding metal plate.
The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates is also characterized in that for the joining, a manner of completing the joining during a shearing process, with end portions of the preceding and succeeding metal plates being superposed, is used.
The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal
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plates is also characterized in that for the displacement in the width direction, a first longitudinal roller is disposed upstream of or downstream of the position of joining, a second longitudinal roller is disposed at a position on a side opposite to the position of joining across the first longitudinal roller, the second longitudinal roller determines a widthwise position of an overall length portion of the preceding or succeeding metal plate, and the first longitudinal roller is displaced in the width direction with respect to the second longitudinal roller so as to decrease the deviations of the widthwise center position, at the position of joining, of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate.
i An apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates according to the present invention, for attaining the aforementioned object, comprises:
a joining device for joining together a rear end portion of a preceding metal plate and a front end portion of a succeeding metal plate during travel in a direction of a pass line;
a bend detecting device for detecting a bend state of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate or the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate prior to the joining;
a side guide device for displacing at least one of the preceding metal plate and the succeeding metal plate in a width direction at a position of the joining; and
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a control device for driving the side guide device so as to decrease deviations of a widthwise center position, at the position of the joining, of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate based on a detection signal from the bend detecting device.
Continuous rolling equipment according to the present invention, for attaining the aforementioned object, comprises a roughing mill, a coil box, a joining device, a finishing mill composed of rolling mills of a plurality of stands, and a down-coiler arranged in sequence from an upstream side in a direction of a pass line, the above-mentioned apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates being interposed between the coil box and the finishing mill.
Effects of the Invention
According to the present invention, when the preceding metal plate and the succeeding metal plate are to be joined together, at least one of the preceding metal plate and the succeeding metal plate is displaced in the width direction so that deviations of the widthwise center position, at the position of joining, of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate are decreased. Thus, the widthwise deviations of the preceding and succeeding metal plates at the joining position can be rendered as small as possible.
As described above, the widthwise deviations during joining, which are attributed to the bend existent in the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate |or the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate, are reduced to a minimum. Hence, it becomes possible to correct the bend by
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the side guide device disposed on the entry side of the finishing mill, thus making it possible to perform finish rolling while reducing the bend over the entire length, including the joining position.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[Fig. 1] is a schematic configurational side view of continuous (hot) rolling
equipment showing an embodiment of the present invention.
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[Fig. 2] is a plan view of the continuous (hot) rolling equipment.
[Fig. 3] is a front view of a longitudinal roller pair portion of the continuous (hot) rolling equipment.
[Fig. 4] is a control block diagram for the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. ;
[Figs. 5(a) to 5(c)] are explanation drawings for actions during joining in the continuous (hot) rolling equipment.
[Figs. 6(a) and 6(b)] are explanation drawings for actions during passage of a site of joining (joined portion) through a plate-shaped side guide in the continuous (hot) rolling equipment.
[Figs. 7(a) to 7(c)] are explanation drawings for actions during joining in conventional continuous (hot) rolling equipment, showing a drawback.
[Fig. 8] is an explanation drawing for actions during passage of a joined portion through a plate-shaped side guide in the conventional continuous
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(hot) rolling equipment, showing a drawback.
Description of the Numerals
1 rough rolling mill (roughing mill), 2 coil box, 3 joining device, 4 finish rolling mill (finishing mill), 5 down-coiler, 6 succeeding metal plate (succeeding sheet bar), 7 crop shear, 8 superposing device, 9 preceding
metal plate (preceding sheet bar), 10 joining machine, 11 sheet bar, 12 crop
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treating device, 15 crop shear, 16 edge heater, 17 bar heater, 18 descaler, 20 first bend measuring instrument, 21 second bend measuring instrument, 22 first longitudinal roller pair, 23 second longitudinal roller pair, 24 third longitudinal roller pair, 25 fourth longitudinal roller pair, 26 fifth longitudinal roller pair, 27 sixth longitudinal roller pair, 22a, 22b to 27a, 27b first to sixth longitudinal roller pair drive devices, 28 guide plate pair, 28a, 28b guide plate pair drive devices, 30 control device.
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
The method and apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates, and continuous rolling equipment, according to the present invention will now be described in detail by an embodiment using the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment
Fig. 1 is a schematic configurational side view of continuous (hot) rolling equipment showing an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. Fig. 3 is a front view of a longitudinal roller pair portion of the continuous (hot) rolling
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equipment. ; Fig. 4 is a control block diagram for the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. Figs. 5(a) to 5(c) are explanation drawings for actions during joining in the continuous (hot) rolling equipment. Figs. 6(a) and 6(b) are explanation drawings for actions during passage of a site of joining (joined portion) through a side guide device in the continuous (hot) rolling equipment.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the continuous (hot) rolling equipment of the present embodiment is provided, from an upstream side toward a downstream side, with a rough rolling mill (roughing mill) 1, a coil box 2, a joining device 3, a finish rolling mill (finishing mill) 4 composed of rolling mills of a plurality of stands, and a down-coiler 5.
A succeeding metal plate (succeeding sheet bar) 6, which has been rough-rolled by the roughing mill 1, is taken up by a coiler of the coil box 2, so that a difference between travel speeds by the roughing mill 1 and the finishing mill 4 is adjusted. A front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 unwound from the coiler of the coil box 2 (optionally, its crop is cut off by a crop shear 7) is superposed on a rear end portion of a preceding metal plate (preceding sheet bar) 9 (optionally, its crop is cut off by the crop shear 7) by a superposing device 8 of the joining device 3.
The front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are joined together by a joining machine 10 of the joining device 3, and a crop of the joined portion is cut off by a crop treating device 12. A sheet bar 11 which has become continuous upon joining by the joining device 3 is sent to the finishing mill 4.
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The joining device 3 is a short-time joining device which is configured to join the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 during travel, and which is capable of joining in a short time. To carry out joining during travel, it is possible to apply a configuration in which the joining machine 10 moves following the travel of the sheet bar, or a configuration in which the joining machine 10 sways following the travel of the sheet bar.
The joining machine 10 of the joining device 3 in the present embodiment, for example, has a joining mechanism with a pair of shearing blades which sandwich the superposed region of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6, push in the superposed region from both sides thereof, and shear it, while joining the sheet bars.
The sheet bar 11 fed to the finishing mill 4 is hot-rolled by the rolling mills of the plural stands sequentially to be finish-rolled to a desired plate thickness, the sheet bar 11, which has left the finishing mill 4, is taken up by the down-coiler 5. A dividing shear (not shown) is installed ahead of the down-coiler 5, and the sheet bar 11, which has undergone joining before the finishing: mill 4, is taken up by the down-coiler 5 while being divided by the dividing shear.
In the drawings, the numeral 15 denotes a crop shear provided on the entry side of the finishing mill 4, the numeral 16 denotes an edge heater disposed upstream of the crop shear 15 on the pass line, the numeral 17 denotes a bar heater disposed close to and downstream of the edge heater 16 on the pass line, and the numeral 18 denotes a descaler disposed close to and upstream of the joining device 3 on the pass line.
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The placements of the crop shear 15, the edge heater 16, the bar heater 17, and the descaler 18 are selected, as appropriate, depending on the situation of the continuous (hot) rolling equipment and so on. The positions of their placements, the presence or absence of their placement, and so on are not limited to those illustrated in the drawings.
In the present embodiment, a first bend measuring instrument (bend detector) 20l for detecting a bend (state) in the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6, and a second bend measuring instrument (bend detector) 21 for detecting a bend (state) in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are disposed close to and downstream of the crop shear 7 on the pass line. The first bend measuring instrument 20 and the second bend measuring instrument 21 are, for example, CCD cameras, and their image signals are sent to a control device 30. In detecting the bends in the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9, it is needless to say that these bends can be detected by one of the bend measuring instruments.
Close to and upstream of the first bend measuring instrument 20 on the pass line (in the illustrated example, upstream of the crop shear 7 on the pass line), first and second longitudinal roller pairs 22 and 23, as side guide devices, are arranged with predetermined spacing. The first and second longitudinal roller pairs 22 and 23 perform centering of the succeeding sheet bar 6 so that the bend in the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 is measjured by the first bend measuring instrument 20.
Close to andi downstream of the second bend measuring instrument 21 on the pass line, namely, upstream of the joining device 3 on the pass line,
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third and fourth longitudinal roller pairs 24 and 25 (the third longitudinal
roller pair 24 corresponds to the second longitudinal roller of claim 6, and
the fourth longitudinal roller pair 25 corresponds to the first longitudinal
roller of claim 6), as side guide devices, are arranged with predetermined
spacing (in; the illustrated example, with the descaler 18 being located
i therebetween). The third and fourth longitudinal roller pairs 24 and 25
perform centering of the preceding sheet bar 9 so that the bend in the rear
end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 is measured by the second bend
measuring instrument 21. During joining, the third and fourth
longitudinal roller pairs 24 and 25 are movable so as to minimize the bend
in the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6.
Downstream of the joining device 3 on the pass line, fifth and sixth „ longitudinal roller pairs 26 and 27 (the fifth longitudinal roller pair 26 corresponds to the first longitudinal roller of claim 6, and the sixth longitudinal roller pair 27 corresponds to the second longitudinal roller of claim 6), as side guide devices, are arranged with predetermined spacing (in the illustrated example, with the crop treating device 12 being located therebetween). The fifth and sixth longitudinal roller pairs 26 and 27 are movable during joining so as to minimize the bend in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9.
The first to sixth longitudinal roller pairs 22 to 27 can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the pass line, namely in the width direction of the sheet bar, by first to sixth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b to 27a, 27b paired in the lateral direction as shown in Fig. 3. The fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 25a, 25b, 26a, 26b can each make a motion independently of the other partner of the pair in the drawing. The other longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b to 24a, 24b, 27a, 27b
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can each move in the closing direction or in the opening direction in synchronism with the other partner of the pair in the drawing. It goes without saying that these longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b to 24a, 24b, 27a, 27b may each be configured to be capable of making a motion independently of the other partner of the pair in the drawing, as are the fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 25a, 25b, 26a, 26b.
The first to sixth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b to 27a, 27b paired in the lateral direction are, for example, hydraulic cylinders, and their expanding and contracting motions are drivingly controlled by the control device 30 to be described later.
In Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 28 denotes a guide plate pair, as a side guide device, disposed on the entry side of the finishing mill 4. Guide plate pair drive devices 28a, 28b (see Fig. 4) are also driven by the control device 30 to be described later.
The control device 30 receives, for example, image signals from the first and second bend! measuring instruments 20 and 21, as shown in Fig. 4. Based on input signals such as these image signals, the control device 30 drivingly controls the first to sixth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b to 27a, 27b and the guide plate pair drive devices 28a, 28b which are paired in the lateral direction.
Concretely, prior to joining/ the first and second longitudinal roller pair drive devices 22a, 22b, 23a, 23b are driven to center the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 by the first and second longitudinal roller pairs 22 and 23. In this condition, a bend state in the succeeding sheet bar 6 is detected and measured by the first bend measuring instrument 20. Also,
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the third arid fourth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 24a, 24b, 25a, 25b are drive1* ^ cento Vne ^ear en6 portion oi Vne p^'fc&iTfg 'sVre^i Vat S \ry Vrife third anci fourth longitudinal roller pairs 24 ant* 25- In this condition, a bend (state) in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 is detected and measured by the second bend measuring instrument 21. These measurements are made, for example, by measuring the positions of both ends in the width direction, and obtaining the position of the center from the positi°ns or both ends in the width direction.
That is, image signals, for example, inputted from the first and second bend measuring instruments 20 and 21 are image-processed to detect and
6 and the bend (state) in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9. Based on the results of the measurements, the am°unts of deviation, df and 5P, of the center position in the width direction (see dashed dotted lines along the direction of the pass line) at the position of joining are computed (see Fig. 5(a)).
Then, the amounts of movement of the fourth arid fifth longitudinal roller pairs 25 *md;26 for making adjustments such that the amounts of deviation, Sf and 8F/ of the center position in the width direction are decreased are
the position of centering), whereafter the fourth a^d fifth longitudinal roller pair drive devices 25a, 25b, 26a and 26b are stroKed in opposite directions (see arrows in Fig. 5(b)) by the above amounts to displace the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 in the width direction. °n this occasion, it goes without saying that only one of the fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pairs 25 and 26 may be moved to make an adjustment such that the amounts of
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deviation, Sf and 6P/ of the center position in the width direction are reduced.
Then, the superposed region of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet
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bar 9 and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 is pinched by the joining machine 10 of the joining device 3, and pushed in from both sides thereof to be joined while being sheared. On this occasion, joining is carried out without widthwise deviation portions (see the katakana characters 4 and n in Fig. 7(c)), as shown in Fig. 5(c).
The control device 30 also drivingly controls the guide plate pair drive devices 28a,. 28b to control, as appropriate,, the Spacing of the guide plate pair 28, as shown in Figs. 6(a), 6(b). By controlling the spacing to a spacing L2 in Fig. 6(a), for example, it is possible to perform suppression of
meandering, or correction of bending of the joined sheet bar 11. By
1
controlling the spacing to a spacing L3 in Fig. 6(b), on the other hand, it is possible to suppress meandering of the joined sheet bar 11. That is, in the relation between the spacing Li in Fig. 8 and the Spacings L2, L3 in Figs. 6(a), 6(b), Li can be rendered larger than L2, L3. This becomes possible when no widthwise deviation state occurs in the joined portion, as stated earlier.
In the present embodiment, as described above, the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are joined together, with their superposed region being pinched, pushed in from both sides thereof and sheared, in the continuous (hot) rolling
equipment, j At this time, the bend (state) in the front end portion of the
1
succeeding sheet bar 6 and the bend (state) in the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are detected and measured., Based on the results of the measurements, the amounts of deviation, §f and 5P, of the center
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position in the width direction at the joining position are computed, and the amounts of movement of the fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pairs 25 and 26 for making adjustments such that the amounts of deviation, Sf and 6P, are decreased are computed. The front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are displaced in widthwise opposite directions by the corresponding amounts. Thus, the widthwise deviations of the preceding and succeeding sheet bars 9 and 6 at the joining position can be minimized.
When the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 and the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 are displaced (bent) in widthwise opposite directions, the amounts of displacement (bending) are preferably rendered within the range of elastic deformation of the sheet bar. If the range of elastic deformation is exceeded, permanent set remains in the width direction, and the widthwise positional relationship between the fourth and fifth longitudinal roller pairs 25, 26 and the joining position changes moment by moment. Thus, it becomes difficult to ensure the desired widthwise position at the joining position.
As noted above, the widthwise deviation during joining, which is attributed to the bend existent in the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 or the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9, is reduced to a minimum. Hence, it becomes possible to correct the bend by the guide plate pair 28,
thus making; it possible to perform finish rolling while reducing the bend
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over the entire length, including the joining position. Passage of the sheet bar 11 on the| exit side of the finishing mill 4 is also satisfactory, because no bend is present. The effect is also obtained that the appearance of the coil taken up shows no large steps in the joined portion.
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Besides, when the joined portion passes through the finishing mill 4, the widthwise center position of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar 9 and the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar 6 is nearly the same position as that of the entire-length portion (general portion). This produces the advantage that rolling is stabilized.
If the deviation in the center position can be reduced, moreover, a great step in the joined portion is no more existent. Thus, in setting the side guide device on the entry side of each rolling mill of the finishing mill 4, the method of setting becomes easy.
The above-described widthwise alignment apparatus and method, which involve butt joining, require that the cut state of the rear end portion of the preceding sheet bar or the front end portion of the succeeding sheet bar before joining by the cutter (crop shear) be reproduced. Moving the apparatus in such a manner as to decrease the bend during joining, as in the present apparatus and method, is high in the degree of difficulty. With the joining method not directly using the front end surface of the succeeding sheet bar or the rear end surface of the preceding sheet bar, which involves joining of the superposed region, such an adjustment can be made by practical equipment, and serves as an effective means. With the joining method in which joining is completed during a shearing process in a superposed state, moreover, the above-mentioned cutting by the cutter (crop shear) before joining is unnecessary in some cases. Without butting, the aforementioned bend can be decreased, regardless of whether cutting by the cutter (crop shear) is present or absent.
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Industrial Applicability
The method and apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates, and continuous rolling equipment, according to the present invention, are preferred when employed, particularly, for a hot rolling line.
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WE CLAIM:
1. A metho;d for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal
plates, comprising:
displacing at least one of the preceding metal plate and the succeeding metal plate in a width direction so that deviations of a widthwise center position, at a position of joining, of a rear end portion of the preceding metal plate.and a front end portion of the succeeding metal plate are decreased, before the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate are joined together during travel in a direction of a pass line.
2. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal
plates according to claim 1, wherein an amount of the displacement in
i the width direction is an amount of movement determined by detecting
a bend state of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate or the
front end portion of the succeeding metal plate, obtaining amounts of
the deviations of the widthwise center position at the position of joining
from results of the detection, and calculating the amount of movement
capable of making an adjustment for decreasing the deviations of the
widthwise center position based on the amounts of the deviations.
3. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal
plates according to claim 1, wherein during the displacement in the
width direction, a region near the rear end portion of the preceding
metal plate is bent while an overall length portion of the preceding
metal plate is traveling at a nearly identical position, or a region near
the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate is bent while an
overall length portion of the succeeding metal plate is traveling at a
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nearly identical position.
4. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding meta plates according to claim 3, wherein an amount of the bending is within a range of elastic deformation of the preceding metal plate or the succeeding metal plate.
5. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates according to claim 1, wherein for the joining, a manner of completing the joining during a shearing process, with end portions of the preceding and succeeding metal plates being superposed, is used.
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6. The method for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal
plates according to claim 1, wherein for the displacement in the width
direction, a first longitudinal roller is disposed upstream of or
downstream of the position of joining, a second longitudinal roller is
disposed at a position on a side opposite to the position of joining across
the first longitudinal roller, the second longitudinal roller determines a
widthwise position of an overall length portion of the preceding or
succeeding metal plate, and the first longitudinal roller is displaced in
the width direction with respect to the second longitudinal roller so as
to decrease the deviations of the widthwise center position, at the
position of joining, of the rear end portion of the preceding metal plate
and the front end portion of the succeeding metal plate.
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7. An apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding
i
metal plates, comprising:
a joining, device for joining together a rear end portion of a preceding
metal plate and a front end portion of a succeeding metal plate during
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travel ina direction of a pass line;
a bend detecting device for detecting a bend state of the rear end portion
of the preceding metal plate or the front end portion of the succeeding
metal plate prior to the joining;
a side guide device for displacing at least ofie of the preceding metal
plate and the succeeding metal plate in a width direction at a position of
the joining; and
a control device for driving the side guide device so as to decrease
deviations of a widthwise center position, at the position of the joining,
of the rear end portion of the preceding met^I plate and the front end
portion of the succeeding metal plate based on a detection signal from
the bend detecting device.
8. Continuous rolling equipment, comprising a roughing mill, a coil box, a joining device, a finishing mill composed of foiling mills of a plurality of stands, and a down-coiler arranged in sequence from an upstream side in a direction of a pass line, and wherein the apparatus for widthwise alignment of preceding and succeeding metal plates according to claim 7 is interposed between the coil box and the finishing mill.
Dated this 1st day of September, 2008
HIRAL CHANDRAKANT JOSHI AGENT FOR MITSUBISHI-HITACHI METALS MACHINERY, INC. AND POSCO
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Documents:

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Patent Number

270482

Indian Patent Application Number

1880/MUMNP/2008

PG Journal Number

01/2016

Publication Date

01-Jan-2016

Grant Date

28-Dec-2015

Date of Filing

01-Sep-2008

Name of Patentee

MITSUBISHI-HITACHI METALS MACHINERY, INC.

Applicant Address

34-6, SHIBA 5-CHOME, MINATO-KU, TOKYO

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	HORII, KENJI	C/O MITSUBISHI-HITACHI METALS MACHINERY, INC. HIROSHIMA WORKS, 6-22, KAN-ON-SHIN-MACHI 4-CHOME, NISHI-KU, HIROSHIMA-SHI, HIROSHIMA 7338553,
2	MANIWA, SHUJI	C/O MITSUBISHI-HITACHI METALS MACHINERY, INC. HIROSHIMA WORKS, 6-22, KAN-ON-SHIN-MACHI 4-CHOME, NISHI-KU, HIROSHIMA-SHI, HIROSHIMA 7338553,
3	USUGI, TOSHIHIRO	C/O MITSUBISHI-HITACHI METALS MACHINERY, INC. HIROSHIMA WORKS, 6-22, KAN-ON-SHIN-MACHI 4-CHOME, NISHI-KU, HIROSHIMA-SHI, HIROSHIMA 7338553,
4	NAITO, AKIKAZU	C/O MITSUBISHI-HITACHI METALS MACHINERY, INC. HIROSHIMA WORKS, 6-22, KAN-ON-SHIN-MACHI 4-CHOME, NISHI-KU, HIROSHIMA-SHI, HIROSHIMA 7338553,
5	YOKOTA, KAZUO	C/O MITSUBISHI-HITACHI METALS MACHINERY, INC. HIROSHIMA WORKS, 6-22, KAN-ON-SHIN-MACHI 4-CHOME, NISHI-KU, HIROSHIMA-SHI, HIROSHIMA 7338553,
6	YAMASAKI, HIROKI	C/O MITSUBISHI-HITACHI METALS MACHINERY, INC. HIROSHIMA WORKS, 6-22, KAN-ON-SHIN-MACHI 4-CHOME, NISHI-KU, HIROSHIMA-SHI, HIROSHIMA 7338553,
7	LEE, JONG-SUB	C/O POSCO, 1, KOEDONG-DONG, NAM-KU, POHANG-SHI KYUNGBUKU 790785,
8	WON, CHUN-SOO	C/O POSCO, 1, KOEDONG-DONG, NAM-KU, POHANG-SHI KYUNGBUKU 790785,
9	GONG, YOUNG-BAE	C/O POSCO, 1, KOEDONG-DONG, NAM-KU, POHANG-SHI KYUNGBUKU 790785,
10	JANG, YOUNG-SANG	C/O POSCO, 1, KOEDONG-DONG, NAM-KU, POHANG-SHI KYUNGBUKU 790785,
11	KANG, YOUN-HEE	C/O POSCO, 1, KOEDONG-DONG, NAM-KU, POHANG-SHI KYUNGBUKU 790785,

PCT International Classification Number

B21B15/00

PCT International Application Number

PCT/JP2007/055173

PCT International Filing date

2007-03-15

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	2006-137188	2006-05-17	Japan