PROCESS ROLLS

Many types of process rolls are used in industrial applications. However, all share
common design, installation, and operating criteria, and this chapter provides a practi-
cal review of their design and application. In general, rolls can be divided into two
major classifications: working and conveying.

Working rolls change the product being processed through the production system.
Included in this classification are printing rolls, which transfer a pattern to the prod-
uct; corrugating rolls used to impart a profile to the product; bridle rolls, which pro-
vide torsional power to drive the product through the process; and work rolls used by
the metal-processing industry to change product thickness and shape.

Conveying rolls transport the product from one point to another. This type of roll
ranges from small-diameter,nondriven rolls used in simple conveyors to large-diame-
ter, driven rolls used to transport steel, paper, and a variety of other products through
continuous-process lines.

CONFIGURATION
All process rolls are composed of the following parts: body, face, neck, and bearing-
support shafts. Figure 13-1 illustrates a typical process roll used in continuous-pro-
cess lines.

Body
Depending on the specific application, the roll body may be constructed of a variety
of materials. Typically, cast iron or steel is used, but more exotic materials, such as
Monel, stainless steel, or bronze, may be used for certain applications.

164
 Process Rolls 165

R
1-lol Face 1

Figure 13-1 Typical process roll.

Conveying-rollbodies normally are cylindrical, but work-roll bodies may have a vari-
ety of shapes or profiles. In many of these applications, the roll body will have a spe-
cific profile, commonly referred to as a crown, that enhances the work performed by
the roll. The profiles range from convex to concave, which determines the force trans-
mission the roll provides.

Face
The roll face is the surface of the roll body. This is the area that performs work. Typi-
cally, the roll face is ground and polished to provide a smooth surface that does not
affect the product when it is in contact with the roll.

A variety of finishing techniques are used to prepare the roll face. In work-roll appli-
cations, the face may be chrome plated, rubber coated, etched, or corrugated. The fin-
ishing method is determined by the specific application and the work to be performed.
For example, coatings such as rubber commonly are used to increase friction between
the roll face and the transported product. A corrugated surface is used to impart a pat-
tern to the product (e.g., paper towels).

Neck
The neck is the transition area on both ends of the roll body that reduces the roll’s
diameter to that of the bearing-support shafts. The design methodology used for roll-
neck construction varies with the intended function of the roll. For example, rolls used
in a cold-reduction mill have a cast-steel body and neck. Because the roll must bend
in normal operation, the necks are not hardened, to facilitate bending.

Neck design is critical to roll reliability, and many failures can be directly attributed to
poor design. On large-diameter rolls, the reduction in diameter from the body to the
final shaft size should be in steps rather than as a single reduction. Each step down
should have stress-relief cuts at the transition points to prevent stress failure. Smaller-
diameter rolls can be reduced in a single step, but they also must have stress relief by
undercutting to prevent failure.
166 Root Cause Failure Analysis

Bearing-Support Shafts
Many roll failures can be directly attributed to poor shaft design. In these cases, the
total span from the roll body to the bearing-support point is too long for the shaft
diameter. As a result, the bending moment imparted by the roll during normal opera-
tion creates an alternating compression-tension stress on the shafts. The typical failure
point is where the shaft diameter changes.

Both the total bearing span from inboard to outboard bearing and the cantilevered
spans from the roll body to the bearing-support point must be carefully considered
when designing a process roll. The design must withstand the total forces generated in
both normal and abnormal operation.

The fact that roll necks generally are relatively long and use multiple shaft-diameter
reductions causes two problems. First, the long span and reduced diameter weaken
the shaft, increasing the probability of excessive bending and the potential for prema-
ture failure. The second problem is the 90" comer created by the diameter reduction.
This comer creates stress points that work harden when the roll is subjected to bend-
ing moments and strip tension.

A good design limits the number of shaft-diameter reductions and eliminates the 90"
corners by filleting these transition points. This approach removes the stress points
created by sharp comers and increases the strength of the shaft. Figure 13-2 illus-
trates the proper way to reduce a shaft's diameter using a stress-relief radius.

It is important to visually inspect process rolls. Poorly designed rolls and those used
in improperly monitored applications are highly susceptible to premature failure.
Rolls with multiple shaft reductions with or without 90" comers at these reductions
warrant special attention in a predictive-maintenanceprogram. It is important to care-
fully monitor strip tension, the amount of roll deflection or bending, and any other
load that may be present.

43
Figure 13-2 Diameter reduction of a shaft using a stress-relief radius.
 Process Rolls 167

Figure 13-3 Load zones determined by wrap.

PERFORMANCE
Process rolls are subjected to variable loads induced by tension, tracking, and other
process variables. Figure 13-3 illustrates the wrap of the strip as it passes over a series
of rolls in a continuous process line. The load zones are indicated by arrows. In a nor-
mal operation, the force or load induced by the strip is uniformly applied across the
roll’s entire face or body, as illustrated in Figure 13-4.

The width of the product or belt in contact with the roll has a direct effect on loading
and how the load is transmitted to the roll and its bearing-support structures.
Figure 13-5 illustrates a narrow strip that is tracking properly. Note that, with a narrow
strip, the load is concentrated more in the center of the roll and not uniformly trans-
ferred across the entire roll face. This tends to bend the roll, with the degree of deflec-
tion depending on three factors: roll diameter, roll construction, and strip tension.

Figure 13-4 Strip uniformly loads roll.

168 Root Cause Failure Analysis

Figure 13-5 Narrow strip concentrates load toward the center of the roll.

INSTALLATION
The proper installation of process rolls is critical. As with all other machines, align-
ment and proper bolting techniques are extremely important. Misalignment can cause
poor quality, reduced capacity, and premature failure.

Single Rolls
With the exception of steering rolls, all single rolls in a continuous-process line or
conveyor system must be perpendicular to the centerline of the belt, strip, or conveyed
product (i.e., passline) and have the same elevation on both the operator and drive
sides. Any misalignment, either horizontal or vertical, influences the tracking of the
belt, strip, and conveyed product.

Figure 1 3 4 illustrates a roll that has uneven elevation, or is vertically misaligned.

With this type of misalignment, the strip will have greater tension on the side of the
roll with the higher elevation, forcing it to move toward the lower end. In effect, the
roll becomes a steering roll, forcing the strip, belt, or product to one side of the center-
line of travel.

Paired Rolls
RolIs designed to work in pairs (e.g., scrubber, corrugator, or printing rolls) must be
perpendicular and level to the passline. In addition, they must be parallel to each
 Process Rolls 169

*---n i
~~~

Figure 13-6 A roll with uneven elevation becomes a steering roll.

other. Figure 13-7 illustrates a paired set of scrubber rolls in which the strip is cap-
tured between the two rolls and the counter-rotatingbrush roll cleans the strip surface.

The design of some roll pairs makes it difficult to keep them parallel. Many have a
single pivot point to fix one end of the roll and a pneumatic cylinder to index the
opposite end. Others use two cylinders, one attached to each end of the roll. In this
design, the two cylinders are not mechanically linked and the rolls do not maintain
their parallel relationship.

Scrubber Roll
\

Backup Roll /
Figure 13-7 Scrubber roll set.
170 Root Cause Failure Analysis

Figure 13-8 Result of misalignment (i.e., nonparallel operation).

Nonparallel operation of paired rolls reduces their life. For example, the scrubber/
backup roll set should provide extended service life. However, the brush rolls some-
times have a life of only a few weeks. The brush roll wear profile shown in
Figure 13-8 is clear evidence of nonparallel operation. After a very short service life,
the brush rolls become conical in shape, much like a bottle brush. This wear pattern is
visual conformation that the brush roll and its mating rubber-coated backup roll are
not parallel.

Poor alignment has another negative affect on rolls. It changes the load zone so that
one of the rolls must absorb more of the load than the other. In conveying applica-
tions, this may not seriously affect roll life or cause catastrophic failure. However, in
applications where the roll must support extreme loads or impart large forces, like
conugators or rolling mills, this shift in the load zone can result in catastrophic roll
failure.

OPERATING
METHODS
Abnormal induced loads is the most serious operator-controlled variable that affects
roll performance. Operating methods should ensure that proper tension, product
tracking, and torsional loads are maintained at all times.

In particular, operators should look for torsional-load variations caused by speed and
load changes. In most cases, roll damage occurs when they are subjected to momen-
tary radical changes in torsional load. These transients normally occur during startup,
process-speed changes, and shutdown. Operating procedures should be developed and
followed to minimize such transients.

Abnormal loading caused by improper tension or tracking of the product, belt, or

other media carried by the rolls also will reduce the performance and useful life of
process rolls. The load induced by the carried media should be equally and uniformly
distributed across the entire roll face. If the load is concentrated off-center, it will
cause premature wear and possible failure of the bearing, roll neck, and shaft. Operat-
ing procedures should provide positive methods that monitor and correct abnormal
tension or tracking.