Elastic roll for sheet thickness extrusion

Abstract

This invention provides an elastic roller for uniform thickness extrusion of sheets, comprising a roller body, with an outer roller coaxially sleeved on the outer side of the roller body; a gap exists between the outer roller and the roller body, which together enclose a closed heat-conducting cavity for the flow of heat-conducting oil; the outer roller is an integral metal structure with elastic deformation capability; the outer roller undergoes elastic deformation under external load to form surface contact with the material; the radial deformation of the outer roller decreases with increasing pressure of the heat-conducting oil in the heat-conducting cavity and increases with decreasing pressure. During the extrusion process, the elastic metal outer roller can undergo elastic deformation according to a preset pressure to form a uniform and continuous surface contact pressure zone, so as to produce ultra-thin sheets or films through calendering processes, and effectively eliminate thickness fluctuations and surface defects in the width direction of the sheet, improving product thickness consistency and surface flatness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of heating roller manufacturing technology, specifically an elastic roller for uniform thickness extrusion of sheet materials. Background Technology

[0002] In the extrusion and calendering processes of polymer materials such as plastics, the rollers directly determine the thickness uniformity and surface quality of the final product. With the increasing market demand for high-precision ultra-thin sheets and films, existing roller technology is gradually revealing its limitations.

[0003] Traditional rigid metal rollers primarily form a "line contact" with the high-temperature molten material, resulting in uneven pressure distribution along the width direction and causing fluctuations in sheet thickness. Especially in the production of ultra-thin films, rigid rollers struggle to achieve microscopic "zero roller gap" or "negative roller gap" calendering to uniformly thin the molten material, easily leading to film breakage or damage.

[0004] To improve pressure distribution, existing technologies attempt to use rubber rollers, utilizing their elastic surfaces to form "surface contact" for soft calendering. However, rubber has extremely low thermal conductivity, making it difficult to conduct heat quickly and uniformly during the crucial "melt quenching stage," which severely affects the crystallinity and internal stress of the ultrafilm. Furthermore, rubber is prone to aging, cracking, and detachment under long-term high temperature and pressure, contaminating the product.

[0005] Furthermore, once existing composite elastic rollers are manufactured, the surface hardness is fixed. When faced with materials of different viscosities or ultra-thin film materials of different specifications, it is impossible to dynamically adjust the hardness matching process; and during wide-width high-pressure stretching, the rollers are prone to mechanical bending deformation, resulting in the film material being "thick in the middle and thin at the edges," lacking effective dynamic mechanical compensation.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new type of elastic roller that can achieve uniform surface contact through elastic deformation during the rapid cooling stage to produce ultra-thin sheets or films with uniform thickness, and can also overcome the defects of poor thermal conductivity and easy aging of traditional rubber. More importantly, the structure needs to innovatively utilize the internal heat-conducting medium as a hydraulic transmission medium, and dynamically adjust the hardness of the roller surface and compensate for flexural deformation by adjusting the fluid pressure, thereby meeting the production requirements of high-quality ultra-thin film materials. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the technical problems in the background art, the present invention discloses an elastic roller for uniform thickness extrusion of sheet materials.

[0008] This invention provides an elastic roller for sheet uniform thickness extrusion, comprising a roller body, with an outer roller coaxially sleeved on the outer side of the roller body; There is a gap between the outer roller and the roller body, and the two together form a closed heat-conducting cavity, which is used for the flow of heat-conducting oil; The outer roller is an integral metal structure with elastic deformation capability; When subjected to external load, the outer roller undergoes elastic deformation to form a surface contact with the material; The radial deformation of the outer roller decreases as the pressure of the heat transfer oil in the heat transfer cavity increases, and increases as the pressure decreases.

[0009] Furthermore, the outer roller is made of one of the following materials: chromium-vanadium alloy steel, chromium-molybdenum alloy steel, silicon-manganese alloy steel, or austenitic stainless steel.

[0010] Furthermore, the roller body is sealed with a left cover and a right cover at both ends of its axial direction, respectively; The left cover has an oil inlet chamber that communicates with the heat conduction chamber; The right cover has an oil outlet cavity that communicates with the heat conduction cavity.

[0011] Furthermore, a left support ring and a right support ring are respectively provided at both ends of the roller body; The outer peripheral walls of both the left and right support rings abut against the inner peripheral wall of the outer roller.

[0012] Furthermore, the outer ring of the left support ring is provided with multiple left connecting holes that penetrate both sides of its axial direction at even intervals along the circumference. The two ends of the left connecting holes are respectively connected to the heat conduction cavity and the oil inlet cavity. The outer ring of the right support ring is provided with multiple right connecting holes that pass through both sides of its axial direction at even intervals along the circumference. The two ends of the right connecting holes are respectively connected to the heat conduction cavity and the oil outlet cavity.

[0013] Furthermore, a left flow equalization plate is provided at one end of the left cover near the roller body. An axially penetrating oil inlet hole is provided on the left flow equalization plate, and the oil inlet hole connects the oil inlet chamber and the left connecting hole. A right flow equalization plate is provided at one end of the right cover near the roller body. An axially penetrating oil outlet hole is provided on the right flow equalization plate, which connects the oil outlet cavity and the right connecting hole.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. During the extrusion process, the elastic metal outer roller can undergo elastic deformation according to the preset pressure to form a uniform and continuous surface contact pressure zone, so as to produce ultra-thin sheets or films through the calendering process, and effectively eliminate thickness fluctuations and surface defects in the width direction of the sheet, thereby improving the product thickness consistency and surface flatness.

[0015] 2. An integral elastic metal outer roller is wrapped around the rigid roller body, forming a closed heat-conducting cavity between the two. This structure allows the roller to maintain overall rigidity while possessing locally controllable elastic deformation capability, overcoming the limitation of traditional rigid rollers that cannot dynamically respond to changes in extrusion pressure.

[0016] 3. The heat-conducting oil filling the heat-conducting cavity has both efficient heat transfer and elastic support functions: on the one hand, it acts as a heat conduction medium, connecting to the external temperature control system to achieve precise and uniform control of the roller surface temperature; on the other hand, it acts as a hydraulic medium, supporting the outer roller through oil pressure and participating in its deformation regulation.

[0017] 4. By adjusting the oil pressure within the heat-conducting chamber through an external hydraulic system, the radial deformation of the outer roller can be precisely controlled, achieving "customized" roller surface flexibility. Specifically: increasing the oil pressure reduces deformation, suitable for film extrusion, preventing excessive compression that could lead to sheet breakage; decreasing the oil pressure increases deformation, suitable for thick sheets or high-viscosity materials, enhancing bonding and compaction effects. This function significantly improves the equipment's adaptability to different materials, thicknesses, and process requirements, achieving "one roller for multiple uses."

[0018] 5. Integrating temperature control (heat transfer oil circulation) and mechanical response (oil pressure regulation) into the same hydraulic circuit creates a thermo-mechanical coupled intelligent control system. This eliminates the need for additional mechanical adjustment mechanisms, simplifying the equipment structure while improving the response speed and accuracy of temperature and pressure control.

[0019] 6. Compared with rigid metal rollers, it achieves uniform surface contact pressure distribution and avoids uneven thickness caused by line contact; compared with rubber rollers, it adopts a metal elastic structure, which has good thermal conductivity, resistance to high temperature oil aging, long service life and no risk of pollution. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention, in which a partial cross-section is shown; Figure 2 This is a front sectional view of the present invention; Figure 3 This invention is relative to Figure 1 Exploded view; In the diagram: 1. Roller body; 2. Outer roller; 3. Heat conduction cavity; 4. Left cover; 5. Right cover; 6. Left support ring; 7. Right support ring; 41. Oil inlet cavity; 42. Left flow equalization plate; 43. Oil inlet hole; 44. Left connecting column; 45. Oil injection hole; 51. Oil outlet cavity; 52. Right flow equalization plate; 53. Oil outlet hole; 54. Right connecting column; 55. Oil discharge hole; 61. Left connecting hole; 71. Right connecting hole. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, illustrating only the basic structure of the invention, and therefore only show the components relevant to the invention.

[0023] like Figure 1-3 As shown, and with Figure 2 For reference, this invention discloses an elastic roller for sheet uniform thickness extrusion, including a roller body 1, with an outer roller 2 coaxially sleeved on the outer side of the roller body 1; there is a gap between the outer roller 2 and the roller body 1, and the two together form a closed heat-conducting cavity 3, which is used for the flow of heat-conducting oil.

[0024] A left support ring 6 and a right support ring 7 are coaxially mounted at both ends of the roller body 1. The outer peripheral walls of the left support ring 6 and the right support ring 7 abut against the inner peripheral wall of the outer roller 2, and are fixed by an interference fit through a heat-shrinking process. The abutment between the outer peripheral walls of the left support ring 6 and the right support ring 7 and the inner peripheral wall of the outer roller 2 provides stable radial support for the outer roller 2. This design ensures that the outer roller 2 and the roller body 1 always remain coaxially aligned, thereby maintaining the overall structural stability of the roller and avoiding uneven pressure distribution or vibration problems caused by eccentricity. Moreover, when subjected to external loads, the abutment between the support rings and the inner wall of the outer roller 2 can provide local reinforcement at both ends of the roller, preventing excessive local deformation of the outer roller 2 in the support area, thereby ensuring that deformation mainly occurs in the working area of ​​the roller body, making the pressure distribution more uniform.

[0025] The outer ring of the left support ring 6 has multiple left connecting holes 61 evenly spaced along the circumference, penetrating both sides of its axial direction and communicating with the heat-conducting cavity 3 at its right end. Similarly, the right support ring 7 has multiple right connecting holes 71 evenly spaced along the circumference, penetrating both sides of its axial direction and communicating with the heat-conducting cavity 3 at its left end. This design offers the following advantages: 1. The connecting holes ensure that the heat-conducting oil can enter the entire annular heat-conducting cavity 3 evenly from the oil inlet cavity 41 through multiple dispersed inlet points, and after flowing through the entire heat-conducting cavity 3, it can evenly converge into the oil outlet cavity 51 through multiple dispersed outlet points. This multi-point, circumferentially evenly distributed flow channel design effectively avoids uneven flow distribution or local stagnation of the heat-conducting oil in the axial and circumferential directions of the roller. 2. Uniform and stable flow means that heat can be efficiently and consistently transferred to the entire inner surface of the outer roller 2, thereby ensuring that the outer roller 2 can form a highly uniform temperature field in the axial and circumferential directions. This is crucial for achieving uniform heating of the sheet and preventing thickness fluctuations or surface defects caused by local temperature differences. 3. The connecting hole is located in the outer ring area of ​​the support ring, that is, near the inner circumferential wall of the outer roller 2. This allows the high-temperature heat transfer oil flowing in from the oil inlet chamber 41 to reach almost directly to the vicinity of the inner surface of the outer roller 2 through the left connecting hole 61, and then quickly fill the entire heat transfer chamber 3. The path of heat transfer from the heat transfer oil to the outer roller 2 is greatly shortened, reducing the thermal resistance of intermediate links, thereby achieving efficient and rapid heat transfer. This ensures that the surface temperature of the outer roller 2 can rise rapidly and uniformly to the required process temperature and be stably transferred to the molten material in contact with it.

[0026] The left and right ends of the roller body 1 are respectively provided with a left cover 4 and a right cover 5 with the same structure on the left and right ends, respectively. The left cover 4 and the right cover 5 are welded and fixed to the outer roller 2. The left cover 4 has a cylindrical oil inlet cavity 41 inside. The right side of the oil inlet cavity 41 forms a left flow equalization plate 42. The left flow equalization plate 42 has an axially penetrating oil inlet hole 43. The oil inlet holes 43 are evenly spaced in the circumference and coaxially correspond to the left connecting hole 61 one by one, connecting the oil inlet cavity 41 and the left connecting hole 61. The left cover 4 leads out a left connecting post 44 to the left. The left connecting post 44 has an oil injection hole 45 that communicates with the oil inlet cavity 41. The oil injection hole 45, the oil inlet cavity 41, the oil inlet hole 43 and the left connecting hole 61 form an oil inlet channel. The oil injection hole 45 is connected to the oil supply pipe. The heat transfer oil is injected into the heat transfer cavity 3 through the oil inlet channel.

[0027] The right cover 5 has a cylindrical oil outlet cavity 51 inside. The right side of the oil inlet cavity 41 forms a right flow equalization plate 52. The right flow equalization plate 52 has an axially penetrating oil outlet hole 53. The oil outlet holes 53 are evenly spaced circumferentially and coaxially correspond to the right connecting hole 71, connecting the oil outlet cavity 51 and the right connecting hole 71. The right cover 5 extends to the right side with a right connecting post 54. The right connecting post 54 has an oil drain hole 55 that communicates with the oil outlet cavity 51. The oil drain hole 55, the oil outlet cavity 51, the oil outlet hole 53 and the right connecting hole 71 form an oil outlet channel. The oil drain hole 55 is connected to the oil drain pipe. The heat transfer oil in the heat transfer cavity 3 is discharged outward from the oil drain pipe through the oil drain channel.

[0028] The outer roller 2 is an integral metal structure with elastic deformation capability, specifically made of chromium-vanadium alloy steel with an iron-based alloy structure. This design allows the outer roller 2 to undergo elastic deformation under external loads, forming surface contact with the material. Furthermore, under elastic action, the radial deformation of the outer roller 2 decreases as the pressure of the heat-conducting oil in the heat-conducting cavity 3 increases, and increases as the pressure decreases. In other embodiments, the outer roller 2 may also be made of chromium-molybdenum alloy steel, silicon-manganese alloy steel, or austenitic stainless steel.

[0029] Compared to existing technologies, the advantages of this embodiment are: 1. During the extrusion process, the elastic metal outer roller 2 can undergo elastic deformation according to the preset pressure, forming a uniform and continuous surface contact pressure zone, so as to produce ultra-thin sheets or films through the calendering process, and effectively eliminate thickness fluctuations and surface defects in the width direction of the sheet, improving the product thickness consistency and surface flatness. 2. An integral elastic metal outer roller 2 is wrapped around the rigid roller body 1, forming a closed heat-conducting cavity 3 between the two. This structure allows the roller to maintain overall rigidity while possessing locally controllable elastic deformation capability, breaking through the limitation of traditional rigid rollers that cannot dynamically respond to changes in extrusion pressure. 3. The heat-conducting oil filled in the heat-conducting cavity 3 has both efficient heat transfer and elastic support functions: on the one hand, it acts as a heat conduction medium, connecting to the external temperature control system to achieve precise and uniform control of the roller surface temperature; on the other hand, it acts as a hydraulic medium, supporting the outer roller 2 through oil pressure and participating in its deformation regulation. 4. By adjusting the oil pressure within the heat-conducting chamber 3 via an external hydraulic system, the radial deformation of the outer roller 2 can be precisely controlled, achieving "on-demand customization" of roller surface flexibility. Specifically: increasing the oil pressure reduces deformation, suitable for film extrusion, preventing excessive compression leading to sheet breakage; decreasing the oil pressure increases deformation, suitable for thick sheets or high-viscosity materials, enhancing bonding and compaction effects. This function significantly improves the equipment's adaptability to different materials, thicknesses, and process requirements, achieving "one roller for multiple uses." 5. Integrating temperature control (heat-conducting oil circulation) and mechanical response (oil pressure adjustment) into the same hydraulic circuit constructs a thermo-mechanical coupled intelligent control system. No additional mechanical adjustment mechanism is required, simplifying the equipment structure while improving the response speed and accuracy of temperature and pressure control. 6. Compared to rigid metal rollers, it achieves uniform surface contact pressure distribution, avoiding uneven thickness caused by line contact; compared to rubber rollers, it adopts a metal elastic structure, offering good thermal conductivity, resistance to high-temperature oil aging, long service life, and no risk of contamination.

[0030] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments of the present invention, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the inventive concept. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An elastic roller for sheet uniform thickness extrusion, comprising a roller body (1), characterized in that: An outer roller (2) is coaxially sleeved on the outer side of the roller body (1). There is a gap between the outer roller (2) and the roller body (1), and the two together form a closed heat-conducting cavity (3), which is used for the flow of heat-conducting oil; The outer roller (2) is an integral metal structure with elastic deformation capability; The outer roller (2) undergoes elastic deformation when subjected to external load to form surface contact with the material; The radial deformation of the outer roller (2) decreases as the pressure of the heat transfer oil in the heat transfer cavity (3) increases, and increases as the pressure decreases.

2. The elastic roller for uniform thickness extrusion of sheet materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the outer roller (2) is selected from one of the following: chromium-vanadium alloy steel, chromium-molybdenum alloy steel, silicon-manganese alloy steel or austenitic stainless steel.

3. The elastic roller for sheet uniform thickness extrusion according to claim 1, characterized in that: The roller body (1) is sealed at both ends of the axial direction with a left cover (4) and a right cover (5). The left cover (4) is provided with an oil inlet cavity (41) that communicates with the heat conduction cavity (3). The right cover (5) is provided with an oil outlet cavity (51) that communicates with the heat conduction cavity (3).

4. The elastic roller for sheet uniform thickness extrusion according to claim 3, characterized in that: The roller body (1) is provided with a left support ring (6) and a right support ring (7) at its two ends respectively. The outer peripheral walls of the left support ring (6) and the right support ring (7) abut against the inner peripheral wall of the outer roller (2).

5. The elastic roller for sheet uniform thickness extrusion according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer ring area of ​​the left support ring (6) is provided with a plurality of left connecting holes (61) that pass through both sides of its axial direction evenly spaced along the circumference. The two ends of the left connecting holes (61) are respectively connected to the heat conduction cavity (3) and the oil inlet cavity (41). The outer ring area of ​​the right support ring (7) is provided with a plurality of right connecting holes (71) that pass through both sides of its axial direction evenly spaced along the circumference. The two ends of the right connecting holes (71) are respectively connected to the heat conduction cavity (3) and the oil outlet cavity (51).

6. The elastic roller for sheet uniform thickness extrusion according to claim 5, characterized in that: The left cover (4) is provided with a left flow equalization plate (42) at one end near the roller body (1). The left flow equalization plate (42) is provided with an axially penetrating oil inlet hole (43), which connects the oil inlet chamber (41) and the left connecting hole (61). The right cover (5) is provided with a right flow equalization plate (52) at one end near the roller body (1). The right flow equalization plate (52) has an axially penetrating oil outlet hole (53) which connects the oil outlet cavity (51) and the right connecting hole (71).

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