Guiding arrangement for forging press columns assembled of flat tie-rod layers

• US 4,696,180 A
• Filed: 02/26/1986
• Issued: 09/29/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Press Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Press Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Zandel, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Spruill, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, David B.
• Application Number:
  US06/833,043
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 72/455, 72/456, 72/453.09, 72/214, 100/214
• US Class Current: 72/456
• CPC Class Codes: B21J 13/04 Frames; Guides
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 15/041 Guides

Abstract

A guiding arrangement is provided for guiding the movement between the frame and other components of a forging press during the up and down movement that takes place during each forging press cycle. Upright left and right columns of the frame are constructed of multiple layers of tie-rods which are spaced from each other by the thickness of crosshead plates with which they are interlaced. The guiding arrangement includes a plurality of metal segments, resembling triangular plates, located between the tie-rod plates of the columns and pivotably mounted thereto. Each metal segment has a smooth edge which is oriented to slide smoothly up and down on sliding plates which are connected to forging press components. The pivoted mounting of the metal segments is inherently self aligning and the accessibility of the metal segments permits easy maintenance and repair.

Claims

1. A forging press, comprising:

(a) a generally rectangular frame including;

a load-opposing upper and generally horizontally extending crosshead assembly comprised of a plurality of overlapping plates and a lower crosshead assembly spaced from, parallel to, and generally coextensive with said upper crosshead assembly; and

left and right vertically extending columns extending between said upper and lower crosshead assemblies for completing said frame, each column comprising a plurality of spaced tie-rod plates having end regions, said end regions being interlaced with corresponding end regions of said crosshead assemblies, and pins passing through said end regions to connect said columns and said crosshead assemblies to one another;

(b) forging press components including;

a bridge extending through said frame;

a lower platen on said bridge facing said upper crosshead assembly and an upper platen mounted to said upper crosshead assembly, means for moving at least one of said lower and upper platens to render said platens movable toward and away from each other, at least portions of said forging press components and said frame being movable vertically relatively to one another durng forging cycles of said forging press; and

(c) a flexible guiding arrangement at least partially disposed between said forging press components and said columns of said frame for guiding and keeping said forging press aligned during said forging cycles, said guiding arrangement including a plurality of sliding plates, each of said sliding plates being mounted to those of said forging press components facing one or the other of said columns of said frame and which are movable relative to said columns of said frame, and a plurality of metal segments interposed between said tie-rod plates of said columns and pivotably mounted thereto in a manner which enables said metal segments to pivot in generally vertically oriented planes;

each of said metal segments pivoting independently of all other ones of said metal segments whereby the degree of pivoting of each one of said metal segment is inherently adjusted to optimize stress distribution in the transverse direction across said tie-rod plates;

said segments protruding from said tie-rod plates sufficiently to slidingly abut against a respective one of said sliding plates, said sliding plates and said metal segments being sized to slide over each other during the entirety of each of said forging press cycles of said forging press.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said forging press is a pull-down forging press in which said bridge is stationary and said frame is movable relative to said bridge.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said forging press is a stationary forging press in which said frame is stationary and said bridge is movable relative to said frame.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said plates are triangularly shaped.

5. An apparatus as in claim 4, wherein each one said metal segments includes a sliding edge comprised of low friction material.

6. An apparatus as in claim 4, wherein each one of said metal segments is comprised of a low friction material.

7. An apparatus as in claim 6, wherein said low friction material is bronze.

8. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of sliding plates are comprised of low friction material and have a smooth flat surface which is large enough to accommodate at least about nine of said metal segments which move up and down across its flat face.

9. An apparatus as in claim 8, further comprising a plurality of shims disposed between said sliding plate and said forging press components for adjusting the spacing between said metal segments and said flat surface of said sliding plate.

10. A forging press, comprising:

(a) a generally rectangular frame including;

a load opposing upper and generally horizontally extending crosshead assembly comprised of a plurality of overlapping plates and a lower crosshead assembly spaced from, parallel to, and generally coextensive with said upper crosshead assembly; and

left and right vertically extending columns extending between said upper and lower crosshead assemblies for completing said frame, each column comprising a plurality of spaced tie-rod plates having end regions, said end regions being interlaced with corresponding end regions of said crosshead assemblies, and pins passing through said end regions to connect said columns and said crosshead assemblies to one another;

(b) forging press components including;

a bridge extending through said frame;

a lower platen on said bridge facing said upper crosshead assembly and an upper platen mounted to said upper crosshead assembly, means for moving at least one of said lower and upper platens to render said platens movable toward and away from each other, at least portions of said forging press components and said frame being movable vertically relatively to one another during forging cycles of said forging press; and

(c) a guiding arrangement at least partially disposed between said forging press components and said columns of said frame for guiding and keeping said forging press aligned during said forging cycles, said guiding arrangement including four guiding arrangement sections including a first group of upper and lower guiding sections disposed between said left column of said press and said forging press components and a second group of upper and lower guiding sections disposed between said right column and said forging press components, each one of said guiding arrangement sections including a plurality of sliding plates, each of said sliding plates being mounted to those of said forging press components facing one or the other of said columns of said frame and which are movable relative to said columns of said frame, and a plurality of metal segments interposed between said tie-rod plates of said columns and protruding therefrom sufficiently to slidingly abut a respective one of said sliding plates, said sliding plates and said metal segments being sized to slide over each other during the entirety of each of said cycles of said forging press;

said metal segments in each of said sections of said guiding arrangements being pivotably mounted to a given one of said columns of said frame.

11. An apparatus as in claim 10, wherein said forging press is a pull-down forging press in which said bridge is stationary and said frame is movable relative to said bridge.

12. An apparatus as in claim 10, wherein said forging press is a stationary forging press in which said frame is stationary and said bridge is movable relative to said frame.