Rolling mill method

A method of rolling a metal workpiece having a center portion and opposite side portions by a series of successive reducing passes, the passes being formed by one or more pairs of cooperative rotating work rolls, said pairs of work rolls having cooperative reducing center and cooperative reducing end sections, the latter for alternately rolling both side portions of the workpiece, the steps comprising:

• (a) reducing by a said pair of cooperative center roll sections in a first pass the center portion of the workpiece while forming by said center roll sections and a cooperative pair of roll end sections on said side portions of the workpiece a thickness greater than said reduced center portion of a predetermined mass,
• (b) prior to the next succeeding pass positioning the workpiece and a pair of said rolls relative to each other so that both said side portions of the workpiece can be rolled by a second said cooperative pair of roll end sections, and thereafter,
• (c) in a succeeding pass reducing again said center portion by a said cooperative pair of said center roll sections, while reducing by said center roll sections and a second cooperative pair of roll end sections said side portions to a thickness less than said twice reduced center portion,
• (d) in a further succeeding pass reducing all previously rolled portions of the workpiece by a said cooperative pair of center roll sections to establish a predetermined increase in the width of the workpiece and a decrease in the thickness of said workpiece to the extent of obtaining a substantially uniform thickness along substantially the entire width of the workpiece,
• providing each said roll with two tapered reducing end sections with one said tapered section converging generally outwardly and the other said tapered section diverging generally outwardly, and
• positioning said rolls with one said roll having the diverging taper at the end where the other said roll has the converging taper.