Multi-roll rolling mill, in particular of the six-high type

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a multi-roll rolling mill (1), in particular of the six-high type, comprising:
- a pair of intermediate rolls (10, 11), comprising an upper intermediate roll (10), connected to a structure (2) of the rolling mill (1) by means of an upper intermediate chock (10A), and a lower intermediate roll (11), connected to the structure (2) by means of a lower intermediate chock (11A);
- a pair of work rolls (20, 21), comprising a free upper work roll (20), on which the upper intermediate roll (10) rests at least partially in working conditions, and a free lower work roll (21), which in said working conditions rests at least partially on the lower intermediate roll (11).
The invention is characterized in that said rolling mill (1) comprises supporting means (40) associated with the upper intermediate chock (10A) and adapted to support the upper work roll (20), in particular for performing a roll change operation.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi-roll rolling mill, in particular of the six-high type, according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] The invention is applicable to the cold rolling field, the typical object of which is to reduce the thickness of a product to be rolled, generally a strip of steel, copper or alloys thereof, aluminium or alloys thereof.

[0003] As is known, a rolling mill generally comprises at least two superposed work rolls having substantially parallel axes; the product to be rolled passes between said two superposed cylinders.

[0004] A multi-roll rolling mill is also known in the art, which comprises:

• a pair of intermediate rolls associated with a structure or with the shoulders of the rolling mill by means of a chock, said pair of intermediate rolls comprising an upper intermediate roll and a lower intermediate roll;
• a pair of free work rolls, i.e. not associated with the structure or with the shoulders of the rolling mill by means of a chock, but resting on said pair of intermediate rolls, said pair of work rolls comprising an upper work roll and a lower work roll, between which a product to be rolled passes.

[0005] In particular, a six-high rolling mill additionally comprises a pair of backup rolls, preferably associated with a structure of the rolling mill by means of a respective chock, said pair of backup rolls comprising an upper backup roll, resting at least partially on the upper intermediate roll, and a lower backup roll, on which the lower intermediate roll rests at least partially.

[0006] The chocks of the intermediate rolls and of the backup rolls are associated with both a first side of the rolling mill (said first side being also referred to as "operator side") and a second side of the rolling mill (said second side being also known as "drive side"). In fact, known rolling mills comprise motorized means for driving the rolls, said motorized means being associated with the intermediate rolls on said drive side of the rolling mill.

[0007] Since the above-described rolling mills known in the art comprise a pair of free work rolls not associated with the structure of the rolling mill by means of a chock, six-high rolling mills generally also comprise a pair of multi-roll boxes laterally associated with each one of the work rolls.

[0008] Multi-roll boxes allow using work rolls having a smaller diameter. This allows to reduce the separation force between the rolls and to obtain an increased thickness reduction at each pass of the material being rolled, even for very hard materials; furthermore, such a realization ensures a longer life of the rolls and of the respective bearings.

[0009] Each multi-roll box comprises what is generally referred to as a "cluster", in that each multi-roll box comprises at least one counter side roll and a plurality of side rolls or wheels supporting each work roll; as a result, in such a configuration the position constraints of each work rolls consist of the counter side rolls and the intermediate roll.

[0010] However, it is known in the art that work rolls wear out very quickly and need to be replaced rather frequently.

[0011] One drawback of known rolling mills is that they usually do not allow for quick work roll changes, which would be desirable in order to avoid having to stop the rolling process for a long time.

[0012] If the rolling mill comprises a multi-roll box, when performing a work roll change said multi-roll box is opened by turning by a certain angle the walls that close and support the cluster, typically through a spring system.

[0013] In this condition, the work rolls are free and therefore completely released, but they are supported by the other components of the rolling mill; in fact, the lower work roll is free to move and rests on the lower intermediate roll, while the upper work roll rests on the lower work roll, so that the rolls cannot be properly and quickly changed, e.g. through an extraction carriage.

[0014] Document EP0937517 relates to a rolling mill comprising an arm connected to a shoulder of the rolling mill itself and adapted to be coupled to the bottom to the upper work roll; said arm is associated with hydraulic cylinders mounted in said shoulder for allowing the arm to be moved in the vertical direction, so as to lift the upper work roll for changing it, and then lower it again into its working position.

[0015] However, also this solution has considerable drawbacks, because the arm requires the use of suitable hydraulic cylinders for moving it in the vertical direction; this inevitably implies increased costs for making the entire rolling mill.

[0016] The lifter arm described in document EP0937517 is positioned between the lower work roll and the upper one, so as to be coupled to the bottom of the upper work roll and lift it as it moves vertically; as a consequence, such a position of the lifter arm may involve risks of interference between the arm itself and the work rolls, resulting in inevitable damage to such components.

[0017] In addition, this position of the lifter arm inevitably implies that the lifter arm can only be used for a corresponding roll having a specific and adequate diameter or having a diameter with minimal difference from an ideal diameter, mainly in order to avoid said risks of interference between the arm and the work rolls; as a consequence, a rolling mill comprising such an arm cannot use work rolls having different diameters or having diameters much different from an ideal one, which may be required in order to obtain different results from the material to be rolled.

[0018] In this frame, it is the main object of the present invention to overcome the known drawbacks of prior-art multi-roll rolling mills, in particular of the six-high type.

[0019] In particular, it is one object of the present invention to provide a multi-roll rolling mill, in particular of the six-high type, which is so realized as to allow changing the work rolls as quickly as possible, without having to stop the rolling process for an excessive time.

[0020] It is another object of the present invention to provide a multi-roll rolling mill, in particular of the six-high type, which allows to avoid that the upper work roll might position itself in such a way as to prevent the roll change operation from being carried out properly and quickly.

[0021] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-roll rolling mill, in particular of the six-high type, which is so realized as to be susceptible of using work rolls having different diameters, in order to be able to obtain different results from the material to be rolled without having to change any components of the rolling mill itself.

[0022] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a multi-roll rolling mill, in particular of the six-high type, which is so realized as to imply no risks of interference between its components, which would result in inevitable damage to such components.

[0023] Such objects are achieved by the present invention through a multi-roll rolling mill, in particular of the six-high type, incorporating the features set out in the appended claims, which are intended to be an integral part of the present description.

[0024] Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and from the annexed drawings, which are supplied by way of non-limiting example, wherein:

• Figs. 1a and 1b show, respectively, a front view and a perspective view of a multi-roll rolling mill, in particular of the six-high type, according to the present invention;
• Fig. 2 is a front view of the rolling mill of Fig. 1 in a first working condition;
• Fig. 3 is a front view of the rolling mill of Fig. 2 in a second working condition;
• Figs. 4a and 4b show a perspective view of a part of the rolling mill according to the present invention in a first and a second working conditions, respectively;
• Figs. 5a and 5b show a different perspective view of the part of the rolling mill shown in Figs. 4a and 4b in said first and second working conditions, respectively;
• Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a further part of the rolling mill according to the present invention.

[0025] Referring now to the annexed drawings, reference numeral 1 designates as a whole a multi-roll rolling mill according to the present invention. It should be noted that, in the present description and in the annexed drawings, reference will prevalently be made to a six-high rolling mill 1; it is however clear that the provisions of the present invention may also be used for a different configuration of the rolling mill 1.

[0026] The rolling mill 1 comprises:

• a pair of intermediate rolls 10,11, comprising an upper intermediate roll 10, connected to a structure 2 of the rolling mill 1 by means of an upper intermediate chock 10A, and a lower intermediate roll 11, connected to the structure 2 by means of a lower intermediate chock 11A;
• a pair of work rolls 20, 21, comprising a free upper work roll 20, on which the upper intermediate roll 10 rests at least partially in working conditions, and a free lower work roll 21, which in said working conditions rests at least partially on the lower intermediate roll 11.

[0027] As is known, in particular in said working conditions, a product to be rolled (not shown in the drawings) passes between the upper work roll 20 and the lower work roll 21.

[0028] The definition of said pair of work rolls 20, 21 as being free essentially means that they are not connected to the structure 2 of the rolling mill 1 by means of a respective chock; in working conditions, in fact, said work rolls 20, 21 rest at least partially on said pair of intermediate rolls 10,11.

[0029] Preferably, the rolling mill 1 also comprises a pair of backup rolls 30, 31, in particular said pair of backup rolls 30, 31 comprising:

• an upper backup roll 30, which in working conditions rests at least partially on the upper intermediate roll 10 and is connected to the structure 2 by means of an upper backup chock 30A;
• a lower backup roll 31, on which the lower intermediate roll 11 rests at least partially in said working conditions, said lower backup roll 31 being connected to the structure 2 by means of a lower backup chock 31A.

[0030] It must be pointed out that in Figs. 2 and 3 the structure 2, the backup rolls 30, 31 and the backup chocks 30A, 31A are drawn with a dashed line in order to highlight the peculiar features of the present invention.

[0031] It can also be seen that the intermediate chocks 10A, 11A and the backup chocks 30A, 31A extend substantially horizontally in said rolling mill 1, so as to connect the work rolls 20, 21 and the backup rolls 30, 31 laterally to the structure 2.

[0032] Said intermediate chocks 10A, 11A and backup chocks 30A, 31A are then associated with both a first side 1A of the rolling mill 1 and a second side 1B of the rolling mill 1, said first side 1A and second side 1B being shown in the perspective view of Fig. 1b.

[0033] The rolling mill 1 also comprises motorized means (not shown in the drawings) for driving the rolls 10, 11, 20, 21, 30, 31, said motorized means being preferably associated with the intermediate rolls 10, 11 on the side of one of said first side 1A and second side 1B. Preferably, the motorized means are associated with the rolling mill 1 on the side of said first side 1A; in such a configuration, said first side 1A can also be defined as "drive side", whereas said second side 1B can also be defined as "operator side".

[0034] In accordance with the present invention, the rolling mill 1 comprises supporting means (particularly visible in Figs. 2 to 5b and designated as a whole by reference numeral 40), associated with the upper intermediate chock 10A and adapted to support the upper work roll 20, in particular for performing a roll change operation.

[0035] Said supporting means 40 comprise a first support 41 and a second support 42 adapted to be coupled laterally to said upper work roll 20; in particular, said first support 41 and/or said second support 42 include a portion of contact with said upper work roll 20 having substantially a "C" or "L" shape.

[0036] The special provision of the supporting means 40 according to the present invention allows to provide a rolling mill 1, in particular of the six-high type, which is so realized as to allow performing a roll change operation (especially when changing the work rolls 20, 21) as quickly as possible without having to stop the rolling process for an excessive time.

[0037] In addition, such a provision allows to provide a rolling mill 1 which is so realized as to avoid that the free upper work roll 20 might rest on the lower intermediate roll 21 while replacing or changing the rolls, i.e. position itself in such a way as to prevent said operation from being carried out properly and quickly.

[0038] The fact that the supporting means 40 are associated with the upper intermediate chock 10A allows to obtain a lateral coupling between the supporting means 40 and said upper work roll 20, said lateral coupling being most suitable for avoiding any harmful interference of the supporting means 40 with the other components of the rolling mill 1, in particular with the lower work roll 21.

[0039] Preferably, said supporting means 40 are associated with actuating means 50, which allow said first support 41 and/or said second support 42 to translate in a substantially horizontal direction D (represented in Figs. 4a to 5b by means of double dashed-dotted arrows) with respect to said upper intermediate chock 10A.

[0040] In the representation shown in the annexed drawings, the actuating means 50 allow both the first support 41 and the second support 42 to translate in said direction D; it is however clear that the actuating means 50 may be associated with just one of said first support 41 and second support 42, thus obtaining a translation in said direction D only of that support 41, 42 which is effectively associated with the actuating means 50.

[0041] Preferably, the upper intermediate chock 10A is associated with moving means (not shown in the drawings) which cause it to make a substantially vertical movement with respect to the structure 2 (and to the work rolls 20, 21), said actuating means 50 being activated by said substantially vertical movement of the upper intermediate chock 10A; as a consequence, the translation of said first support 41 and/or of said second support 42 in said direction D occurs following the substantially vertical movement of the upper intermediate chock 10A, said direction D being substantially perpendicular to said substantially vertical movement.

[0042] It clearly emerges from the above description that the actuating means 50 according to the present invention are of the automatic type; preferably, said actuating means 50 of the automatic type are associated with second actuating means 60 of the manual type (which will hereafter be described with particular reference to Figs. 5a and 5b).

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, said actuating means 50 comprise at least one of the following elements:

• a rack 51 associated with a first striker 51A and adapted to be moved by the contact between said first striker 51A and a second striker 51B (visible in Figs. 4a and 4b), in particular associated with the lower intermediate chock 11A. It is apparent that said contact between the first striker 51A and the second striker 51B is caused by the substantially vertical movement of the upper intermediate chock 10A as it approaches the lower intermediate chock 11A;
• a sprocket 52 adapted to be rotated by the translation of said rack 51;
• a cam 53 (visible in Figs. 5a and 5b) associated with said sprocket 52, said cam 53 cooperating with a contacting element 43 associated with said first support 41 and/or with said second support 42, so that the first support 41 and/or the second support 42 are translated in the direction D as the sprocket 52 and the cam 53 rotate.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment, said contacting element 43 consists of a recess (also visible in Figs. 5a and 5b) adapted to receive the cam 53, in particular said recess having a substantially circular plan shape; while the cam 53 is rotating, the contact between said cam 53 and the recess walls causes the first support 41 and/or the second support 42 to translate in the direction D.

[0045] However, a different contacting element 53 may also be conceived.

[0046] Preferably, the actuating means 50 further comprise a guide 54 (visible in Figs. 4a to 5b), which at least partly houses said first support 41 and/or said second support 42, said guide 54 being so realized as to extend substantially horizontally with respect to said upper intermediate chock 10A; the guide 54 cooperates with the actuating means 50 to cause the translation of the first support 41 and/or of the second support 42 in the direction D, in particular the shape of the guide 54 acting as a sort of constraint that allows the first support 41 and/or the second support 42 to carry out said translation in said direction D only.

[0047] The actuating means 50 preferably also comprise thrusting means (not shown in the annexed drawings), in particular of the elastic type, associated with the rack 51; said thrusting means allow said rack 51 to move downwards when the upper intermediate chock 10A moves vertically away from the lower intermediate chock 11A (whereupon also the first striker 51A of the rack 51 and the second striker 51B, in particular associated with the lower intermediate chock 11A, move away from each other accordingly).

[0048] From the above description, one can understand the operation of the supporting means 40 and of the actuating means 50 according to the present invention, which are automatically activated by the substantially vertical movement of the upper intermediate chock 10A with respect to the structure 2. When moving towards a work position (shown in Figs. 2, 4a, 5a), the upper intermediate chock 10A is lowered, in particular by activating said moving means, until it reaches the work position, i.e. a position in which the work rolls 20, 21 are in contact with the product to be rolled.

[0049] This downward movement of the upper intermediate chock 10A causes the following:

• contact between the first striker 51A associated with the rack 51 and the second striker 51B, in particular associated with the lower intermediate chock 11A;
• an upward movement of the rack 51 caused by the substantially vertical movement of the upper intermediate chock 10A as it approaches the lower intermediate chock 11A;
• a rotation of the sprocket 52 and of the cam 53 in a first direction, said rotation being caused by the upward movement of the rack 51;
• a translation, in particular under constraint of said guide 54, of the first support 41 and/or of the second support 42 in the direction D, said translation being caused by the rotation in a first direction of the cam 53 and by the contact between the latter and the contacting element 43 present on said first support 41 and/or on said second support 42, said translation being such as to cause the first support 41 and the second support 42 to move away from each other.

[0050] It is clear that this moving away of the first support 41 and second support 42 from each other allows to prevent any undesired contact between them and other components of the rolling mill 1 according to the present invention, in particular the lower work roll 21, when the upper intermediate chock 10A is in a position where it holds the upper work roll 20 in the work position.

[0051] In order to perform a roll change operation (and create the condition shown in Figs. 3, 4b, 5b), the upper intermediate chock 10A is moved upwards, in particular by activating said moving means.

[0052] This upward movement of the upper intermediate chock 10A causes the following:

• the first striker 51A of the rack 51 and the second striker 51B progressively move away from each other;
• a downward movement of the rack 51, caused by the thrusting means, in particular of the elastic type, associated with the rack 51. Of course, said downward movement of the rack 51 may also be obtained, at least partially, by exploiting the force of gravity;
• a rotation of the sprocket 52 and of the cam 53 in a second direction, caused by the downward movement of the rack 51;
• a translation, in particular under constraint of said guide 54, of the first support 41 and/or of the second support 42 in the direction D, caused by the rotation in said second direction of the cam 53 and by the contact between the latter and the contacting element 43 present on said first support 41 and/or on said second support 42;
• the first support 41 and the second support 42 move towards each other, which is due to said translation of the first support 41 and/or of the second support 42 in the direction D until said first support 41 and second support 42 are laterally coupled to the upper work roll 20.

[0053] It is clear that said lateral coupling allows the first support 41 and the second support 42 to laterally clutch the upper work roll 20 and lift it as the upper intermediate chock 10A moves upwards; of course, such lifting of the upper work roll 20 facilitates a roll change operation.

[0054] As a result, the special provision of the supporting means 40 and of the actuating means 50 according to the present invention allows to provide a rolling mill 1 which is so realized as to be susceptible of using work rolls 20, 21 having different diameters (wherein the difference between the diameters of the work rolls 20, 21 may also be considerable) and allowing to obtain different results from the material to be rolled without at the same time having to change any components of the rolling mill 1. In fact, the approach between the first support 41 and the second support 42 automatically stops when they clutch the upper work roll 20, i.e. when the interposition of the upper work roll 20 between the first support 41 and the second support 42 counters the action exerted by the thrusting means associated with the rack 51; as a consequence, the approach between the first support 41 and the second support 42 is countered by the upper work roll 20 itself, and the proper operation of the supporting means 40 is not dependent on the diameter of said upper work roll 20.

[0055] In addition, such provisions allow to avoid any risks of interference between the supporting means 40 and the other components of the rolling mill 1, in particular the lower work roll 21, during both working steps and roll change steps; as a result, the particular realization of the rolling mill 1 according to the present invention prevents the components thereof from suffering any damage. In a preferred embodiment, the rolling mill 1 according to the present invention further comprises second actuating means 60 adapted to manually actuate the supporting means 40.

[0056] Said second actuating means 60 may comprise at least one knob 61 associated with the sprocket 52 and/or with the cam 53 to rotate them in a first or a second direction for the purpose of moving said first support 41 and second support 42 towards or away from each other. It should be noted that said second actuating means 60 may also comprise a connecting element 62 for associating said knob 61 with the sprocket 52 and/or with the cam 53.

[0057] Preferably, the rolling mill 1 comprises a pair of multi-roll boxes (each one being designated as a whole by reference numeral 70, one side of said multi-roll boxes being shown in Fig. 6), associated with each one of said first work roll 20 and second work roll 21 for supporting them laterally.

[0058] In particular, each multi-roll box 70 comprises at least one counter roll 71 adapted to contact said work rolls 20, 21 in a substantially lateral position. Furthermore, said multi-roll box 70 may comprise a plurality of backup rolls 72 to laterally support said at least one counter roll 71.

[0059] Each multi-roll box 70 further comprises a structure 73 movably associated with the rolling mill 1, in particular said structure 73 being at least partially rotatable about a pin 73P; preferably, the structure 73 of said multi-roll box 70 is associated with the intermediate chocks 10A, 11A of the rolling mill 1, and said at least partial rotation about the pin 73P is preferably carried out during a roll change operation.

[0060] The advantages of a multi-roll rolling mill 1, in particular of the six-high type, according to the present invention are apparent from the above description.

[0061] Such advantages are due to the fact that the advantageous provision of the supporting means 40 allows to provide a multi-roll rolling mill 1, in particular of the six-high type, which is so realized as to allow performing a roll change operation as quickly as possible without having to stop the rolling process for an excessive time.

[0062] In addition, such a provision allows to provide a rolling mill 1 which is so realized as to avoid that the free upper work roll 20 might rest on the lower intermediate roll 21 during a roll change operation, i.e. positioning itself in such a way as to prevent said operation from being carried out properly and quickly.

[0063] Another advantage of the rolling mill 1 according to the present invention is that the association of the supporting means 40 with the upper intermediate chock 10A allows to obtain a lateral coupling between the supporting means 40 and said upper work roll 20, said lateral coupling being most suitable for preventing any harmful interference of the supporting means 40 with the other components of the rolling mill 1, in particular with the lower work roll 21, during both working steps and roll change operations. As a result, the particular realization of the rolling mill 1 according to the present invention allows to prevent the components thereof from suffering any damage. Furthermore, the special provisions concerning the supporting means 40 and/or the actuating means 50 according to the present invention allow to provide a rolling mill 1 which is so realized as to be susceptible of using work rolls 20, 21 having different diameters and allowing to obtain different results from the material to be rolled, without at the same time having to change any components of the rolling mill 1.

[0064] In fact, the supporting means 40 according to the present invention allow to adequately clutch the upper work roll 20 regardless of its dimensions and diameter. Moreover, said characteristic of the supporting means is made even more advantageous by the provision of the actuating means 50, which allow to automate the activation of the supporting means while at the same time reducing the production costs of the rolling mill 1.

[0065] The multi-roll rolling mill 1, in particular of the six-high type, described herein by way of example may be subject to many possible variations without departing from the novelty spirit of the inventive idea; it is also clear that in the practical implementation of the invention the illustrated details may have different shapes or be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

[0066] It can therefore be easily understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described multi-roll rolling mill, in particular of the six-high type, but may be subject to many modifications, improvements or replacements of equivalent parts and elements without departing from the inventive idea, as clearly specified in the following claims.

Claims

1. A multi-roll rolling mill (1), in particular of the six-high type, comprising:

- a pair of intermediate rolls (10, 11), comprising an upper intermediate roll (10), connected to a structure (2) of the rolling mill (1) by means of an upper intermediate chock (10A), and a lower intermediate roll (11), connected to the structure (2) by means of a lower intermediate chock (11A);

- a pair of work rolls (20, 21), comprising a free upper work roll (20), on which the upper intermediate roll (10) rests at least partially in working conditions, and a free lower work roll (21), which in said working conditions rests at least partially on the lower intermediate roll (11),

characterized in that
said rolling mill (1) comprises supporting means (40) associated with said upper intermediate chock (10A) and adapted to support the upper work roll (20), in particular for performing a roll change operation.

2. A rolling mill (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said supporting means (40) comprise a first support (41) and a second support (42) adapted to be coupled laterally to said upper work roll (20).

3. A rolling mill (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said first support (41) and/or said second support (42) include a portion of contact with said upper work roll (20) having substantially a "C" or "L" shape.

4. A rolling mill (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said supporting means (40) are associated with actuating means (50) which allow said first support (41) and/or said second support (42) to translate in a substantially horizontal direction (D) with respect to said upper intermediate chock (10A).

5. A rolling mill (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that said upper intermediate chock (10A) is associated with moving means which cause it to make a substantially vertical movement with respect to the structure (2), said actuating means (50) being of the automatic type and being activated by the substantially vertical movement of the upper intermediate chock (10A).

6. A rolling mill (1) according to one or more of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that said actuating means (50) comprise at least one of the following elements:

- a rack (51) associated with a first striker (51A) and adapted to be moved by the contact between said first striker (51A) and a second striker (51B), in particular associated with the lower intermediate chock (11A);

- a sprocket (52) adapted to be rotated by the translation of said rack (51);

- a cam (53) associated with said sprocket (52), said cam (53) cooperating with a contacting element (43) associated with said first support (41) and/or with said second support (42), so that the first support (41) and/or the second support (42) are translated in the direction (D) as the sprocket (52) and the cam (53) rotate.

7. A rolling mill (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said contacting element (43) consists of a recess adapted to receive the cam (53), in particular said recess having a substantially circular plan shape, the contact between said cam (53) and the recess walls causing the first support (41) and/or the second support (42) to translate in said direction (D).

8. A rolling mill (1) according to one or more of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that said actuating means (50) comprise a guide (54) which at least partly houses said first support (41) and/or said second support (42), said guide (54) being so realized as to extend substantially horizontally with respect to said upper intermediate chock (10A).

9. A rolling mill (1) according to one or more of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that said actuating means (50) comprise thrusting means, in particular of the elastic type, associated with the rack (51), which allow said rack (51) to move downwards when the upper intermediate chock (10A) moves vertically away from the lower intermediate chock (11A).

10. A rolling mill (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims 4 to 9, characterized in that it comprises second actuating means (60) adapted to manually actuate the supporting means (40).

11. A rolling mill (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that said second actuating means (60) comprise at least one knob (61) associated with the sprocket (52) and/or with the cam (53) to rotate them in a first or a second direction for the purpose of moving said first support (41) and second support (42) towards or away from each other.

12. A rolling mill (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that said second actuating means (60) comprise at least one connecting element (62) for associating said knob (61) with the sprocket (60) and/or with the cam (53).

13. A rolling mill (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a pair of multi-roll boxes (70) associated with each one of said first work roll (20) and second work roll (21) for supporting them laterally.

14. A rolling mill (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that each multi-roll box (70) comprises a structure (73) which is movably associated with the rolling mill (1), in particular said structure (73) being at least partially rotatable about a pin (73P).

15. A rolling mill (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a pair of backup rolls (30, 31), in particular said pair of backup rolls (30, 31) comprising:

- an upper backup roll (30), which in working conditions rests at least partially on the upper intermediate roll (10) and is connected to the structure (2) by means of an upper backup chock (30A);

- a lower backup roll (31), on which the lower intermediate roll (11) rests at least partially in said working conditions, said lower backup roll (31) being connected to the structure (2) by means of a lower backup chock (31A).

Drawing