METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TEMPORARILY INTERCEPTING COURSE OF LONG PRODUCTS THAT PASS THROUGH BETWEEN DOWNSTREAM AND UPSTREAM PATHS IN ROLLING MILL

摘要

PURPOSE: To provide a method and apparatus that will make it possible to roll smaller size products while maintaining the mill take in speeds at or above acceptable minimums, without having to reduce the size of the billets being processed, and preferably while continuing to roll at or close to the mill's maximum tonnage rate. CONSTITUTION: In an apparatus for temporarily interrupting the passage of a long product between upstream and downstream paths(22,54), the apparatus comprises a cylindrical drum positioned between the paths; means for delivering the product to the drum; means for rotating the drum in one direction to accumulate the product thereon in a series of windings, and for reversing the direction of rotation of the drum to unwind the accumulated product therefrom; and means for delivering the product unwinding from the drum to the downstream path.