Roller bearing system basin type roller bearing system

Abstract

A bearing system is configured between a roller journal and a support frame in a molten metal hot dip coating line of steel strips. The system includes a sleeve configured to be attached to a journal and a bearing assembly including a bushing rotatably supporting the sleeve. The sleeve is made of solid hard alloy. An elastically compressible layer connects the sleeve to the journal, wherein the sleeve and the journal are mechanically coupled for rotation together.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority under 35 USC 119(e) to co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 351,245, filed on June 10, 2022. The disclosure of that application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art

[0003] The present disclosure relates to an article for coating a substrate with molten metal, namely a bearing assembly on an immersed roll used to convey a steel strip through a bath of molten metal.

[0004] Coating steel strip with metal or alloy improves corrosion resistance and increases the value of the steel strip. Coated steel is widely used in many fields including construction, household appliances and automobiles. Common coatings include zinc (galvanizing), 95 zinc / 5 aluminum (mixed rare earth alloy coating), 55 aluminum / 45 zinc (aluminum zinc alloy coating), pure aluminum (aluminum plating).

[0005] The most economical way to apply this metallic coating is via a hot dip coating line. Figure 1 As shown in FIG, a steel strip 10 is fed through a protective hood or inlet 40 into a molten metal pool 20 held in a basin 30, then redirected by a sinking roll 50 and passed between two smaller stabilizing rolls 60 before exiting the molten pool 20. An air knife 70 just above the surface of the molten pool removes excess molten material to obtain a uniform coating.

[0006] The productivity of coating lines is highly dependent on continuous operation and the cost of interruptions is high. One of the main causes of poor maintenance downtime is sinker roller bearing failure.

[0007] One bearing system that is very suitable for pot rolls is the sleeve bearing. US8047718 describes a sleeve bearing for a roll of a hot dip coating line, comprising a sleeve fastened to the shaft of the roll and a bearing housing with a bushing fixed internally to support the sleeve.

[0008] Figure 2 A basin sink roller 50 adapted with a bearing system according to the prior art is shown. The bearing system comprises a sleeve 100 adapted on the journal 90 and a bearing assembly attached to the support frame 80 and mounted about the sleeve 100. The bearing assembly consists of a bearing housing 110 and a bushing 120 having a bushing surface 130 adapted to slidably engage an outer surface 140 of the sleeve 100. Preferably, the sleeve 100 comprises a lip 150.

[0009] During assembly, the sleeve 100 is pushed onto the journal 90 and then the retaining ring 160 is slid over the sleeve 100 and welded to the journal 90. The retaining ring 160 engages the lip 150 to prevent the sleeve 100 from moving laterally relative to the journal 90.

[0010] In such a pot roller bearing system, a sleeve 100 rotates within a bearing housing 110, with the inner surface 130 of the bushing in sliding contact with the outer surface 140 of the sleeve. These sliding surfaces are in contact with and lubricated by the molten metal. Since the molten metal is at high temperatures and is highly corrosive, sleeves and / or bushings made from standard bearing materials exhibit rapid wear and premature failure.

[0011] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the sinker roller 50 is used to apply tension to the strip 10 as it changes direction to leave the basin 30. The sinker roller 50 is subjected to the greatest stress and has the highest failure rate for the sinker roller bearings.

[0012] Venkatesh Parthasarathy’s Master’s thesis, submitted to West Virginia University in 2003 and entitled “Long-term Performance of Metal Parts in Continuous Galvanizing Lines,” contains the following: “Typically, the materials used for bearing sleeves are Stellite 6, CF3M (cast 316 stainless steel) with tungsten carbide laser cladding, Tribaloy T-800, Tribaloy T-400, and Metaullic 2012 and 2020. These bearing sleeves operate at maximum efficiency when they run against the appropriate bushing material. Typical bearing sleeve and bushing assemblies used in the line are Stellite 6 sleeves to half-moon Stellite 6 bushings, CF3M tungsten carbide laser cladding to SiAlON ceramic, Tribaloy T-800 sleeves to half-moon Tribaloy T-800 bushings, or Metaullics 2012 sleeves to Metallic (sic) 2012 self-aligning bushings.” (page 4).

[0013] US6037287 to Praxair STTechnology, Inc. and entitled "Laser Clad Pot Roll Sleeves and Bushings for Galvanizing Baths" describes the desirability of tungsten carbide as a wear-resistant material for the outer surface of a sleeve. In the patent, several known methods of applying coatings such as tungsten carbide are compared. These processes include overlay welding, spray fuse processes, and transferred plasma arc. According to the patent, none of these processes is capable of applying a coating of sufficient thickness on a pot roll sleeve because the coating thickness is limited to a few millimeters and the coating wears relatively quickly during use. The patent describes a wear-resistant coating for journals, journal sleeves, and bushings on submerged rolls in a molten metal coating bath, the wear-resistant coating comprising a tungsten carbide composite material applied by laser melting (also known as laser cladding).

[0014] It has been found that using a sleeve made of 316L stainless steel with a corrosion and wear resistant coating containing tungsten carbide particles applied by laser cladding to run against a bushing product (such as the advanced ceramic material sold by McDanel Advanced Ceramic Technologies under the trade name "WEARGUARD") can reduce wear and save costs by extending pot roll activity. However, the coating thickness achievable by laser cladding is also relatively thin and can wear or peel off the journal.

[0015] As described in the prior art, a sleeve of wear resistant material is attached to the sinker roll journal by shrink fit (also known as interference fit). When a sleeve comprising stainless steel coated with tungsten carbide is fitted on a stainless steel journal, the sleeve may be shrink fit and / or welded to the journal.

[0016] Another wear-resistant material, Sialon, has been used to make solid journal sleeves. Since the thermal expansion coefficient of Sialon is much lower than that of stainless steel, great care must be taken to form an interference fit so as not to generate unacceptable stress levels on the inside of the Sialon sleeve during high temperature operation. In US 5252130, Hitachi, Ltd. describes the adaptation of a cylindrical ceramic component to the outer circumference of a stainless steel roller journal by using an intermediate component as a stress buffer, the intermediate layer consisting of a metal having a low yield point and thus being able to undergo elastic-plastic deformation at stresses below the ceramic fracture strength. Examples of metals that can be cited as intermediate components include Ti, Au, Ag, Al, Pd, Cu, Ni, austenitic stainless steel or ferritic stainless steel.

[0017] Using metal as an intermediate layer creates its own problems. In particular, during the initial startup of the production line, the intermediate layer must fill the gap between the journal and the sleeve to prevent the molten coating material from penetrating the gap. At operating temperatures, the intermediate metal layer must accommodate the difference in thermal expansion between the sleeve and the journal. Copper, which is cited as a preferred material for the intermediate layer, cannot be used to fill the entire gap when cold, since copper is incompressible and would overstress the sleeve at operating temperatures. The patent contemplates removing portions of the copper to allow it to expand to buffer stresses.

[0018] One material that has proven superior to even Sialon for use as a bushing for pot roller bearings is cemented tungsten carbide, which is a "cermet", a ceramic / metal composite material made by mixing tungsten carbide powder (typically 70% to 97% of the total weight) with a binder metal (typically cobalt or nickel), compacting the material in a mold, and then sintering. The term "cemented" means that the tungsten carbide particles are captured in the metal binder material and "bonded" together, forming a metallurgical bond between the tungsten carbide particles and the binder (WC-Co, WC-Ni, etc.) during the sintering process. Tungsten carbide resists all forms of wear (including sliding wear, erosion, corrosion / wear, and metal-to-metal bite), exhibits relatively high toughness and high compressive strength, resists deflection, and retains its hardness values ​​at high temperatures. Tungsten carbide is also better able to withstand the higher temperatures of molten aluminum and the corrosion problems associated with coating strip with aluminum-zinc alloy plating or aluminum than bonded, wear-resistant cobalt-based carbides used in bearing systems for continuous metal coating lines.

[0019] As described in U.S. Pat. No. US603728 to Praxair, an efficient pot roller bearing assembly incorporates a journal sleeve having a wear surface of a tungsten carbide composite material in contact with a Sialon bushing. The limiting factor for this assembly is the thickness of the tungsten carbide coating. If the thickness of the tungsten carbide layer can be increased, a longer bearing life can be achieved. Under high load conditions (such as high voltage wires handling heavier gauge strips), the hard tungsten carbide coating also has a tendency to peel off from the associated metal substrate due to fatigue cracks in the coating and at the discrete joints between the coating and the metal substrate.

[0020] The sleeve can be made of solid tungsten carbide. Compared with those formulations compatible with coating methods such as laser cladding, the use of solid cemented carbide sleeves also allows a very significant reduction in the metal bonding phase. Reducing the bonding phase increases the hardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance of cemented carbide, which is particularly important when dip-coating with aluminum or aluminum-containing carbides due to higher operating temperatures and increased corrosiveness. The level of the bonding phase in the solid tungsten carbide sleeve can be changed relatively easily, which allows the relative mass loss when the sleeve and the ceramic bushing (e.g., Sialon) are in sliding contact with each other due to wear and / or chemical wear.

[0021] Since tungsten carbide sleeves are somewhat brittle and have a significantly lower coefficient of thermal expansion than stainless steel, shrink fitting such sleeves directly onto stainless steel journals is not feasible as the sleeves would be highly susceptible to failure due to hoop stresses. For such solid tungsten carbide sleeves, the use of copper or other metals cited in US6037287 cannot reliably seal the gap when cold and buffer stresses at operating temperatures. Summary of the invention

[0022] There is a need for a bearing system for a sinker roller bearing that includes a sleeve having a thick wear resistant surface of cemented carbide. It may be particularly advantageous for such a bearing system to incorporate a journal sleeve of a material such as solid tungsten carbide cemented carbide.

[0023] A bearing system between a roller journal and a support frame in a molten metal hot dip coating line for steel strip is disclosed, comprising a wear-resistant sleeve attached to the journal; a bearing assembly comprising a bushing for rotatably supporting the sleeve, wherein the sleeve is made of solid tungsten carbide cemented carbide. An elastically compressible layer connects the sleeve to the journal and the sleeve and journal are mechanically coupled to rotate together. The journal sleeve is adapted to rotate within the bearing assembly. The bearing assembly includes a ceramic bushing component arranged to contact the outer surface of the sleeve; a specific bushing and sleeve composition has been selected to wear at relative rates that maximize the operating time of the bearing system under specific mechanical and chemical use environments.

[0024] In one aspect, a bearing system between a roller journal and a support frame in a molten metal hot dip coating line for steel strip is disclosed, comprising: a sleeve configured to be attached to the journal; a bearing assembly comprising a bushing that rotatably supports the sleeve, wherein the sleeve is made of solid cemented carbide; and wherein an elastically compressible layer connects the sleeve to the journal, wherein the sleeve and the journal are mechanically coupled to rotate together.

[0025] The details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.Other features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings are incorporated herein and constitute a part of this specification.

[0027] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional view of a basin roll configuration for a hot metal coating line.

[0028] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art bearing system for a molten metal coating line.

[0029] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of the bearing system.

[0030] Figure 4 is an isometric view of an example sleeve configuration.

[0031] Figure 5 is an isometric view of an example retaining ring.

[0032] Figure 6 Another embodiment of a bearing system is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Before further describing the present subject matter, it should be understood that the subject matter described herein is not limited to the specific embodiments described and thus may, of course, vary. It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and is not intended to be limiting. Unless otherwise defined, all technical terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the subject matter belongs.

[0034] Figure 2 The prior art bearing system is suitable for a sleeve 100 made of metal (e.g., a stainless steel sleeve 100 coated with a wear-resistant layer such as tungsten carbide). However, for a sleeve 100 made entirely of tungsten carbide, due to the difference in thermal expansion, Figure 2 The bearing system is not feasible. In particular, the journal 90, which is typically made of stainless steel, has a much higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the sleeve 100, which is made of tungsten carbide. If a standard shrink or slip fit is attempted, the diameter of the journal 90 will increase much more than the sleeve 100 during heating, and the outer surface 170 of the journal 90 will press against the inner surface 180 of the sleeve 100, causing stress on the inner surface 180. Since tungsten carbide is somewhat brittle in nature, this internal circumferential stress or hoop stress will cause the sleeve 100 to crack and the bearing system to fail.

[0035] The Carbide Guide, published by General Carbide, discourages shrink-fitting a tungsten carbide sleeve onto a steel journal as shown below:

[0036] ″Shrinkage Guidelines - Carbide Cylinder Mounted on the Outside of a Steel Ring: Normally, tungsten carbide should not be subjected to tensile stresses, so a carbide sleeve shrunk onto a steel shaft would seem doomed to failure. However, sometimes it is necessary to do so and it can be successful. In these cases a full set of stress calculations must be performed. If the subscripts ″c″ and ″s″ are reversed, the Lamè equation can be used. Additional stresses must also be considered. Any operation above room temperature will quickly increase the tensile stresses at the inside diameter of the carbide, leading to premature failure. When carbide is shrunk on the outside of steel, the designer should be extremely careful and use only the minimum interference necessary.

[0037] In summary, if it is necessary to shrink fit a carbide sleeve onto the outside of a steel shaft, all operating conditions and stresses must be considered". Carbide Guide, pp. 4-15.

[0038] according to Figure 2 The bearing assembly of the present invention is to install a carbide sleeve on a stainless steel journal for use in a molten metal coating line, which will form several major problems. First, at room temperature, a large gap is required between the outer surface 170 of the journal 90 and the inner surface 180 of the sleeve 100 to allow for the higher thermal expansion of the journal 90. During startup, before the sinking roll is immersed in the molten metal, the preheating of the bearing assembly may not be sufficient to completely close this gap. Any penetration of molten metal into the gap will cause the bearing assembly to fail quickly. Second, the retaining ring 160 will expand more than the lip 150, thereby reducing the holding force on the lip 150. Third, the sleeve 100 must be radially centered on the journal 90 and must be connected to the journal 90 so that it rotates with the journal 90 during operation. Unless a mechanical connection such as welding is used, the inner surface 180 of the sleeve 100 must clamp the outer surface 170 of the journal 90 so that the sleeve 10 rotates with the journal 90 in the bearing assembly 80. However, if the amount of interference fit increases to the level required for rotational coupling of sleeve 100 and journal 90 , outer surface 170 of journal 90 will place excessive stress on inner surface 180 of sleeve 100 , causing sleeve 100 to crack and fail.

[0039] Figure 3An improved sink roller 50 adapted with a bearing system according to the present disclosure is shown. The bearing system includes a sleeve 200 adapted on a journal 90 and a bearing assembly attached to a support frame 190 and mounted around the sleeve 200. The sleeve 200 may also be referred to as an end cap because the sleeve 200 is a cylinder having an open end and a closed capped end that caps the end of the journal 90. In this regard, the open end of the sleeve provides an opening to an internal cavity or chamber in which the journal 90 is positioned. The bearing assembly consists of a bearing housing 210 and a sleeve 220 having a sleeve surface 230 adapted to slidably engage an outer surface 240 of the sleeve 200. The sleeve 200 preferably includes a lip 250. The bearing system also includes a retaining ring 260. A compressible material 270 is positioned between an outer surface 280 of the journal 90 and an inner surface 290 of the sleeve 200. The compressible material may be positioned along a portion of the area between the outer surface 280 of the journal 90 and the inner surface 290 of the sleeve 200 , or along the entire area.

[0040] The bearing system also includes an expandable washer 300 disposed between the lip 250 and the retaining ring 260 .

[0041] In the bearing system of the present disclosure, the retaining ring 260 is positioned to mechanically engage the lip 250 of the sleeve 200 before the retaining ring 260 is attached to the journal 90, such as by welding. Figure 4 and Figure 5 , where the lip 250 is provided with a flat surface 330 and the retaining ring 260 includes a key 340. During assembly, the sleeve 200 is pushed onto the journal 90 and then the expandable washer 300 and retaining ring 260 are slid over the sleeve 200. The key 340 on the retaining ring 260 is aligned with the flat surface 330 on the lip 250 so that the retaining ring 260 engages the sleeve 200 in a non-rotational manner before the retaining ring 260 is welded to the journal 90.

[0042] During preheating, the journal 90 and the retaining ring 260, both made of stainless steel, expand more than the sleeve 200 and the lip 250, which are preferably made of tungsten carbide cemented carbide or similar wear-resistant materials (such as ceramics, carbides or cermets). The expandable gasket 300 expands when heated to prevent a gap from forming between the retaining ring 260 and the lip 250, keeping the sleeve 200 firmly pressed against the journal 90 and preventing molten metal from penetrating between the retaining ring 260 and the lip 250.

[0043] Furthermore, during preheating, journal 90 radially expands more than sleeve 200 , causing compressible material 270 to be compressed and serve to radially center journal 90 within sleeve 200 and act as a stress buffer to prevent overstressing inner surface 290 of sleeve 200 .

[0044] The compressible material 270 should be able to withstand service loads and thermal cycles without excessive deformation. That is, the compressible material 270 should deform elastically when heated to operating temperature and should recover a portion of its original size when cooled (when the bearing assembly 190 is out of service due to maintenance or unplanned production line shutdown).

[0045] In an embodiment, the journal 90 and retaining ring 260 are made of stainless steel (e.g., 316L) or carbon steel (e.g., E52100), depending on the weld pool chemistry, and the sleeve 200 is made of solid cemented carbide (such as tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, tantalum carbide, or mixtures thereof) bonded with cobalt and / or similar metals, ceramics, or cermets containing nickel and molybdenum. In an embodiment, the compressible material 270 preferably includes compressible graphite (such as flexible graphite). Other materials suitable for use as the compressible material 270 include expanded products containing graphite and / or vermiculite. In an embodiment, the sleeve is made of solid cemented carbide containing between approximately 70% and 94% carbide.

[0046] The expandable material 300 may be a material that will remain expanded at the elevated operating temperatures of the bearing assembly, such as a perlite-based material. Other materials suitable for use as the expandable material 300 include mineral or refractory ceramic fiber-based materials containing vermiculite or expanded graphite.

[0047] Figure 6 A perspective view of another embodiment of a bearing system is shown. Sleeve 200 is formed of a cylinder that is open at both ends and has an internal cavity sized to receive journal 90. An annular first locking ring 605 is coupled to a first end of sleeve 200 and an annular second locking ring 610 is coupled to a second opposite end of sleeve 200. Rings 605 and 610 each have a key that cooperates with a corresponding keyway of sleeve 200 to lock sleeve 200 in place. In an assembled state, ring 610 abuts roller 50. Washer 205 can be positioned in a gap or region between each of locking rings 605 / 610 and sleeve 200. Washer 205 can be made of an expandable material.

[0048] Although this specification contains many details, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the claimed invention or the content that can be claimed, but rather as descriptions of specific features of specific embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments in this specification may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments. In addition, although features may be described above as working in certain combinations, and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from the claimed combination may be deleted from the combination in some cases, and the claimed combination may be for a sub-combination or a variation of the sub-combination. Similarly, although operations are depicted in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order or continuous order shown, or requiring all operations shown to be performed to achieve the desired result. Only a few examples and implementations are disclosed. The described examples and implementations and other implementations may be varied, modified, and enhanced based on the disclosed content.

Claims

1. A bearing system for use between a roller journal and a support frame in a molten metal hot dip coating line for steel strip, comprising: a sleeve configured to be attached to the journal; a bearing assembly including a bushing rotatably supporting the sleeve, wherein the sleeve is made of solid cemented carbide; and wherein a resiliently compressible layer connects the sleeve to the journal, wherein the sleeve and journal are mechanically coupled for rotation together.

2. The bearing system of claim 1, wherein the bushing is positioned about the journal sleeve.

3. The bearing system of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is fitted over the journal such that the journal is rotatably positioned within the sleeve. The bearing system of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve has a lip.

5. The bearing system of claim 4, further comprising a retaining ring mechanically engaging a lip of the sleeve.

6. The bearing system of claim 5, wherein the lip of the sleeve forms a flat surface, and wherein the retaining ring has at least one key that mates with the flat surface.

7. The bearing system of claim 6, wherein the at least one key is aligned with the flat surface on the lip such that the retaining ring is non-rotatably engaged with the sleeve.

8. The bearing system of claim 1, wherein a compressible material is positioned between an outer surface of the journal and an inner surface of the sleeve.

9. The bearing system of claim 1, wherein the roller journal is attached to a roller.

10. The bearing system of claim 5, wherein an expandable washer is positioned between the retaining ring and the lip.

11. The bearing system of claim 5, wherein the retaining ring is secured to the journal via a lip of the sleeve.

12. The bearing system of claim 5, wherein upon heating, the journal and the retaining ring both expand more than the sleeve and the lip.

13. The bearing system of claim 12, wherein both the sleeve and the lip are made of tungsten carbide, ceramic, carbide, or cermet.

14. The bearing system of claim 10, wherein the expandable washer expands when heated to prevent a gap from forming between the retaining ring and the lip, thereby keeping the sleeve pressed firmly against the journal and preventing molten metal from penetrating between the retaining ring and the lip.

15. The bearing system of claim 1 wherein the journal and the retaining ring are made of stainless steel and the sleeve is made of solid tungsten carbide.

16. The bearing system of claim 15, wherein the sleeve is made of cemented tungsten carbide with cobalt, carbide or cermet material.

17. The bearing system of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is configured to rotate within the bushing.

18. The bearing system of claim 17, wherein the sleeve has an outer surface and the bearing assembly includes a ceramic bushing component arranged to contact the outer surface of the sleeve.

19. The bearing system of claim 1, wherein the compressible material comprises compressible graphite.

20. The bearing system of claim 1, wherein the compressible material comprises an intumescent material comprising graphite or vermiculite.

21. The bearing system of claim 1, wherein the sleeve comprises a wear resistant material.

22. The bearing system of claim 1, wherein the sleeve comprises 70% to 94% carbide.

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