ROLLS, METAL WORKIn. Roughing Train and Doubling Machine for a Tin-plale Rolling Mill. — Theodore L. Thomas, of the Union Works of the Illinois Steel Co., Chicago. has designed a mill for rolling tin-plate bars, which is herewith illustrated, Fig. 1 showing the side elevation, and Fig. 2 the ground plan. Mr. Thomas has also devised a doub ling machine, likewise shown in the illustrations, which is an important part of the appa ratus. This mill is intended to break down tin-plate bars and prepare them for the usual fin ishing train. It consists of three sets of rolls, three high, inclosed in one pair of housings and driven by one engine, as indicated by the gearing. The doubling machine consists of four folding-doors lying at floor level, with shears in the center.
In the usual method of making sheets for the tinning process, the practice followed is to take a 7-in. bar, cut to suitable width, which is subjected to live beatings and five rollings, with four doublings. The five rollings are known to millmen as (I) molding, (2) singling, (31 doubling, (4) fours, (5) eights, finishing to suitable lengths. The description applies to what is known in the market as IC 20 x 14. By Mr. Thomas's method a 14-in. bar is taken. It is heated, passed through the lower rolls in the direction of the arrow, shown in Fig. 1, and then back through the upper rolls. The rolls are adjusted by lining, graduating the work on the bar throughout the six Guide rollers between the rolls keep the bar in proper position for the next rolls. The rolls arc a sufficient distance apart to prevent buckling. The sheet which emerges front the last pass is trailed on the floor a little on one side of the doubling machine. It is then pushed by machinery on the folding doors and into the shears, which cut it in two. The doors next move into a perpendicular position, thus doubling the two sheets at one operation and one heat. The doubling machine is operated by hydraulic or steam cylinders.
Two-fifths of the work of rolling the black sheets is performed at this stage, leaving three fifths to be done in the finishing mill, to which the doubled sheets are taken by an endless chain or other labor-saving device. The finishing mill being thus relieved of two-fifths of the work of rolling the black sheets, can be operated with much greater capacity than by the old method.
The Simonds Metal Rolling 3fac7aine.—A novel machine for the rolling of special shapes of metals, built by the Simonds Rolling Machine Co., of Fitchburg, Mass., is shown in Fig. 3. The machine is designed for rolling accurately and in a short space of time a large variety of work which at present is turned out by more laborious and expensive pro cesses, such as lathe turning, the customary methods of forging, and others. The machine
consists in the main of a substantial bed and two standards, which are practically duplicated within and below the frame and floor line, as shown in Fig. 4. Mounted on these standards by means of suitable fixtures, are a number of rollers, arranged to act as front, rear, and side supports and guides to east-iron traveling platens, 0 0. They thus take the place of the ordinary sliding surfaces, and, affording only rolling contact, re duce friction. Fitted into the backs of these platens are racks which engage with suitable me chanism, so that one of the platens always travels upward, while the other travels downward.
The platens, 0 0, carry iron plates, into which the dies proper are dovetailed. the section of these for this purpose being as shown in Fig. 4. The die there illustrated is for forging car axles, of one of which a sketch is also given. The dies are used in pairs, moved in opposite directions over the metal to be shaped, the die surfaces, of course, being exactly alike. From the plane faces of the dies, which lie parallel to each other when in position for work, rise the forming and reducing and spreading, surfaces, the plane portions serving to support and steady the work and prevent it from rocking. The reducing surfaces are grooved or serrated, in order to insure a firm grip on the hot and plastic metal, and perfect regularity in its rotation, and bring thus arranged obliquely, the marks made in the metal by the serrations are obliterated in subsequent revolutions of the blank, and the rate of the surface movement of the latter, where work is being performed, is the same as the rate of linear movement of the. dies. The reducing faces commence to work on the metal at the extreme left, where they meet in a point, and when the hot blank is placed between the dies, the central reduction of the axle is commenced by the narrow end of the tapering raised portion, a, of the die face. In general configuration. the raised portions are like the half section of the axle, the shearing off squarely of the ends of the axle being accomplished by the level edge cutters, cc. The edges of these emitter projections are also serrated, so that the rotation of time blank is under control throughout the length of travel of the die. The material operated upon is compressed and condensed as it assumes the required shape under the (lies. The construction and function of all other forms of (lies for use in the machine are on the same general basis.