US3328539A - Conductor roll - Google Patents

Description

Jun 9 7 J. R. HOLMSTRQOM CONDUCTOR ROLL Filed Dec. 11, 1964 INVENTOR James R. Holmstrom United States Patent ()fifice 3,328,539 CONDUCTOR ROLL James R. Holmstrom, Howland Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, assignor to Wean Industries, Inc, a corporation of Ohio Filed Dec. 11, 1964, Ser. No. 417,604 8 Claims. (Cl. 191-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A separately formed roll and structure for application to an end of a conductor roll to enable the conductor roll to be driven through the roll end structure. The roll end structure has a core of steel and a surface portion of copper for contact with brushes connected with a source of electric current, the surface portion of the roll end structure being electrically connectable with the roll upon application of the roll end structure to the roll.

This invention relates to a conductor roll of the type employed in continuous electrolytic tinning lines and similar treating lines in which elongated electroconductive material passing through the line forms part of an electric circuit, the conductor roll rotating in contact with the advancing material and constituting the means of electrically connecting an outside source of electric current with the material.

In order to electrically connect the outside source of electric current with the conductor roll brush means are provided which are electrically connected with the current source and which contact the rotating conductor roll. The portions of the conductor roll relied upon to conduct the current are ordinarily made of copper or similar material of electroconductive capacity at least of the order of the electroconductive capacity of copper. The roll body where the roll contacts the material is normally of copper as is also the portion of the roll contacted by the brush means. Those portions of the roll are connected with each other by copper or similar material of electroconductive capacity at least of the order of the electroconductive capacity of copper.

It is characteristic of copper and similar materials of electroconductive capacity at least of the order of the electroconductive capacity of copper that they do not have suflicient structural strength to enable the conductor roll to be driven employing such material to transmit the force driving the roll. Normally the roll has a portion of relatively structurally strong material such as steel through which it is driven.

Heretofore conduct-or rolls have had tubular steel neck portions with copper inside connecting the roll body with a copper roll end for contact with brush means. Such a' roll cannot be direct driven, i.e., driven from the end thereof by the conventional type of coupling means employed in rolling mill drives, since the copper does not have sufficient structural strength to transmit the driving force. It has been necessary in driving such rolls to provide sheave means at the steel portion of the roll and to drive the roll indirectly by V-belt or other driving 3,328,539 Patented June 27, 1E6? the problem has been arrived at prior to the present invention.

I have solved the problem by eliminating entire-1y the sheave and V-belt drive and constructing the conductor roll so that it can be direct driven, i.e., driven from the end thereof by the conventional type of coupling means employed in rolling mill drives. This has necessitated complete redesign of the roll to afford sufiicient strength in the roll to enable it to be direct driven while at the same time providing for transmission of the electric current from the brush means through the roll to the material being treated.

I provide a conductor roll comprising a roll body having an electroconductive surface portion and a roll end structure connected with the roll body, the roll end structure comprising a core of material of requisite strength to enable the roll to be driven through the roll end structure by driving means coupled to the outer extremity of the roll end structure, the roll end structure having coupling means at its outer extremity and also having at its surface material of electroconductive capacity at least of the order of the electroconductive capacity of copper for contact with brush means connected with a source of electric current, such material being electrically connected with the eletroconductive surface portion of the roll body. The core is preferably steel and the ma terial at the surface of the roll end structure is preferably copper. The core is preferably embedded in the material for contact with. brush means.

In a preferred form of structure the core has annular end portions and longitudinal connecting portions with spaces therebetween extending between and connected with the annular end portions. Preferably the core is of steel and is embedded in copper which fills the spaces.

Desirably the core has, as above indicated, annular end portions and longitudinal connecting portions with spaces therebetween extending between and connected with the annular end portions and the core is embedded in the material for contact with brush means which fills the spaces, with a portion of such material at the inside of the core, and a portion of the roll body extends through one of the annular end portions of the core into contact with the portion of the material for contact with brush means which is at the inside of the core.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of a present preferred embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a present preferred embodiment of the invention in which FIGURE 1 is a transverse view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical cross section and with portions cut away, of a stand of rolls in a continuous electrolytic tinning line showing my improved conductor roll;

FIGURE 2 is an isometric view partly in cross section of the end structure of my conductor roll; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line IIIIII of FIGURE 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the structure shown in FIGURE 1 may be conventional except for the form of my conductor roll. FIGURE 1 shows a stand of rolls in a continuous electrolytic tinning line, the conductor roll being the upper roll designated generally by reference numeral 2 cooperating with the lower roll 3 for advancing the material through the line. The rolls 2 and 3 are both driven to advance the material and the conductor roll 2 serves to electrically connect the material being advanced with an outside source of electric current. The roll 3 may be conventional and may be direct driven by an electric motor 23 through a drive coupling 4 and an insulating connector 24. The drive for the roll 2 will be described as the explanation of my invention proceeds.

By way of example the material being treated may be deemed to be steel strip and the roll stand may as above indicated by deemed to be in a continuous electrolytic tinning line. The roll 2 has a body 5 having an electroconductive surface portion which will normally be of copper or similar material of electroconductive capacity at least of the order of the electroconductive capacity of copper. The body of the conductor roll may be structurally strengthened by the provision of steel interiorly thereof although that is not ordinarily necessarily and by way of example the body of the conductor roll 2 may be deemed to be entirely of copper, either solid or tubular. The roll body is mounted in bearings 6 which may be conventional. The ends of the conductor roll may be identical so description of one end may suffice for both, although the roll is shown as being driven through only one end. Outside the bearing 6 the body of the conductor roll 2 has a cylindrical portion 7 having a key 8. A tapered portion 9 extends outwardly from the cylindrical portion 7.

The roll end structure comprises a core designated generally by reference numeral 10 of material of requisite strength to enable the roll to be driventhrough the roll end structure by driving means coupled to the outer extremity of the roll end structure. Such material may by way of example be deemed to be steel. The core 10 in theform shown (see particularly FIGURES 2 and 3) may comprise annular end portions 11 at the opposite ends ofthe core and longitudinal connecting portions 12 with spaces therebetween as clearly shown in FIGURE 3 extending between and connected with the annular end portions. The core 10 is in the form shown embedded in copper 13 which. fills the spaces in the core, part of the copper being disposed inside the core as shown at 14 and part outside the core as shown at 15. The portion 9 of the roll body exetnds through the inner or left hand annular end portion 10 of the core, viewing FIGURES 1 and 2, into contact with the portion 14 of the copper so that a direct electrical connection is formed between the roll end structure and the roll body. The assembly may be maintained by nut or similar fastening means 19 applied to a reduced extremity of the tapered portion 9 of the roll. Brushes 16 are indicated diagrammatically in FIGURE 1 which are connected with an outside source of electric current such as a generator as well known to those skilled in the art, as, for example, through bus bars 20, the brushes 16 contacting the portion of the roll end structure. Thus a current path is provided from the brushes through the copper 13 in which the steel core 10 is embedded to the roll body 5 which engages the steel strip being tinned.

A drive coupling 17 which may be conventional is connected with the steel core 10 of the roll end structure in any suitable manner, as, for example, by screws 18 threaded into the outer annular end portion 11 of the core 10 Thus the driving force for the roll is applied through the steel core 10 while at the same time the copper 13 in which the steel core is embedded serves to conduct the-electric current from the brushes to the roll body. The drive coupling 17 may be driven by an electric motor 21 through an insulating connector 22 to electrically insulate the motor shaft from the drive coupling.

The leftv hand end structure of the conductor roll 2 need not be identicalwith the right hand end structure of that roll but may be all copper since driving force for the roll is not applied through it.

Thus my improved conductor roll makes possible the complete elimination of indirect driving means such as has heretofore been required and enables the direct driving of the conductor roll with the elimination of the long recognized disadvantages of the indirect drive.

While I have shown and described a present preferred 4- embodiment of the invention it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A conductor roll comprising a roll body having an electroconductive surface portion, a separately formed roll end structure applied to one end of the roll body and means coupling the roll end structure to the roll body, the roll end structure comprising a core of material of requisite strength to enable the roll to be driven through the roll end structure by driving means coupled to the outer extremity of the roll end structure, the roll end structure having coupling means at its outer extremity and also having at its surface material of electroconductive capacity at least of the order of the electroconductive capacity of copper for contact with brush means connected with a source .of electric current, such material being electrically connected with the electrocondutive surface portion of the roll body.

2. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 1 in which the core is steel.

3. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 2in which the material at the surface of the roll end structure is copper.

4. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 1 in which the core is embedded in the material for contact with brush means.

5. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 1 in which the core has annular end portions and longitudinal connecting portions with spaces therebetween extending between and connected with the annular end portions.

6. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 5 in which the core is of steel and is embedded in copper which fills the spaces.

7. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 1 in which the core has annular end portions and longitudinal-connecting ortions with spaces therebetwen extending between and connected with the annular end portions and the core is embedded in the material for contact with brush means which fills the spaces, with a portion of such material at the inside of the core, and a portion of the roll body extends through one of the annular end portions of the core into contact with .the portion of thematerial for contact with brush means which is at the inside of the core.

8. A separately formed roll end structure for aconductor roll comprising imeans whereby the roll end structure may be applied and coupled to an end of a conductor roll having an electroconductive surface portion, the roll end structure comprising a core of material of requisite strength to enable the roll to be driven through the roll end structure by driving means coupled to the outer extremity of the roll end structure, the

roll end structure having coupling means at its outer extremity and also having at its surface material of electroconductive capacity at least of the order of the electroconductive capacity of copper for contact with brush means connected with a source of electric current and electrically connectable with the electroconductive surface portion of the conductor roll upon application of the roll end structure to an end of the conductor roll.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,266,347 12/1941 Watson 1911 2,958,742 11/1960 Palmer ..1911

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

STANLEY T. KRAWCZEWICZ, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A CONDUCTOR ROLL COMPRISING A ROLL BODY HAVING AN ELECTROCONDUCTIVE SURFACE PORTION, A SEPARATELY FORMED ROLL END STRUCTURE APPLIED TO ONE END OF THE ROLL BODY AND MEANS COUPLING THE ROLL END STRUCTURE TO THE ROLL BODY, THE ROLL END STRUCTURE COMPRISING A CORE OF MATERIAL OF REQUISITE STRENGTH TO ENABLE THE ROLL TO BE DRIVEN THROUGH THE ROLL END STRUCTURE BY DRIVING MEANS COUPLED TO THE OUTER EXTREMITY OF THE ROLL END STRUCTURE, THE ROLL END STRUCTURE HAVING COUPLING MEANS AT ITS OUTER EXTREMITY AND ALSO HAVING AT ITS SURFACE MATERIAL OF ELECTROCONDUCTIVE CAPACITY AT LEAST OF THE ORDER OF THE ELECTROCONDUCTIVE CAPACITY OF COPPER FOR CONTACT WITH BRUSH MEANS CONNECTED WITH A SOURCE OF ELECTRIC CURRENT, SUCH MATERIAL BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED WITH THE ELECTROCONDUTIVE SURFACE PORTION OF THE ROLL BODY.

Images