LOOPER GEAR Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: metal rolling; continuous hot-strip mills; maintaining preset tension of strip between stands. SUBSTANCE: looper gear has drive electric motors; intermediate propeller shaft; carrying shaft installed in bearing supports with end face seals on stationary stands secured on foundation longitudinal beams; two levers coupled by cross beam with hubs fitted on carrying shaft; limiting stops and tension roller consisting of barrel and tail pieces installed on bearing supports in seats made on ends of levers. Limiting stops are made in form of hydraulic dampers installed in stationary stands at both sides of rolling axis. Step of lever repair position rod lock is made on lever hub at non-driving side. Rod lock is fitted in hole made in stationary stands in parallel with carrying shaft. End face seals of shaft bearing supports are made in form of paired inner and outer through covers with ring beads. Outer cover, fitted on tail piece of carrying shaft, thrust through its bead against bearing inner race. Inner cover, installed in split housing of bearing, thrust with its bead against bearing outer race. Concentric cuts are made on inner surface of outer cover and outer surface of inner cover. Concentric cuts form ring projections and slots forming, when joined, labyrinth end face seal of bearing. Tension roller bearing supports are made in form of cover-cups accommodating bearings which are closed at roller side be shaped through covers secured on cover-cups by bolts. Two bosses made on outer cylindrical surfaces of cover-cups are arranged in slots made in walls of levers seats for bearing supports and are secured on walls by bolts. Shaped covers have inner ring bead thrusting against bearing outer race and outer cylindrical projection with inner ring grooves. Tension roller shanks have two sections: end section on which bearing is fitted, and larger diameter transfer section arranged between end section and end face of roller barrel. Sectional thrust bushing is fitted on transfer section. Bushing-is pressed to end face of roller barrel through bearing inner race by means of washer and bolts screwed into roller shank end face. Two ring ribs are made on thrust bushing. Outer cylindrical projection of shaped cover is located between ring-ribs. Cylindrical projection encloses thrust bushing with radial clearance. Bushing is fitted on cylindrical projection. End part of bushing is located in blind ring groove made on end face of roller barrel. EFFECT: enhanced quality of rolled strips, increased capacity of rolling mill, improved reliability of looper gear and its repairability and sealing of looper gear bearing supports. 6 dwg