Albany Paper - The Determination of Power for Rolling Iron and Steel

The practical execution of the design for rolling-mills presented by the writer at the Paris meeting* of thc Iron and Steel Institute in 1900 involves the determination of some questions not yet discussed, among which is the determinatioir of the amount of power required to perform the rolling of pieces of iron and steel of given dimensions. It is necessary to know this factor if we would put motors of proper capacity to the respective pairs of rolls, or, rcciprocally, if, having standard motors at our disposal, we would design grooves to suit them. Moreover, this factor is involved in giving right dimensions to every part of the rolls and housings. Expert designers of engines for driving rolling-mills of the present type receive very indefinite directions, such as: that the motor is to drive a light, medium or heavy train; that it must work with fly-wheel or reversing gear; that the number of revolutions per minute should not exceed 40 or 60, and that at a given speed the power developed should be from 100 to 200 H. P., or from 1,000 to 2,500 13. P. It frequently happens, however, that an cngine of 200 H. P. is forced under the circumstances to press or develop as much as 300 H. P., while, on the other hand, the ,1,500-11. P. engine may be rolling-stock which could be worked with a maximum expenditure of 60 to 80 H. P. Of course such variatior~s as these do not permit the best adjustment of parts or the best economy of power and fuel. The design of roll-trains is even more vaguely limited. Every part of a train, from the point where it connects with the engine to the last groove in the rolls, bears evidence that there are no rules for calculating even approximately the dimensions of the main-shafts, couplings, pinions, gears, rolls, trunnions,