A Safety Device for Metal Rolling Mill Bearings in Small

Scale Industry

S K Gupta,Non-member

Rolling mills have rolls which are supported in turn by large antifriction bearings. These antifriction
bearings together are subjected to large roll separating forces. An increase in input thickness and
hardness or any change in rolling parameters adversely increase the roll separating force, thereby
increasing possibility of premature failure of bearings. A project was initiated to design a cheap
mechanical device that would result in breakage of two bolts of the safety device when the load on the
bearings would exceed the design load. The tests on this safety device have proved to be successful.

Keywords : Rolling mill bearings; Safety device; Small scale industry

NOTATION
NOTA roller bearings each mounted in the bearing-housing
called chocks, which in turn, are free to slide vertically up
A : area of contact of each wedge, mm2
or down inside the foundation mounted mill housings
d2 : reduced diameter of stud, mm (Figure 1). It may be observed that the entire rolling mill
works like a mechanical spring as shown in Figure 2.
f : coefficient of friction
During no rolling load on the mill, there exists no load roll
h0 : no load roll gap between work rolls, mm gap. When the mill is subjected to roll separating force
h : horizontal projected length of wedge, mm then the rolls, the bearings, the chocks, the screws, the
nuts and the housings deform creating a roll gap at that
t : load in each stud, kN load. As the rotating rolls bite the metal and reduce its
'
t1 & t1 : initial thickness of material, mm thickness, it imposes very high roll separating force, of
the order of hundreds to thousands of tons, on the rolls
t2 & t2' : final thickness of material, mm which are transmitted to the mill housing through roll
w : width of wedge or taper block, mm neck bearings, bearing chocks, housing screws etc. A
situation may arise when the roll-separating load may
Mm : mill modulus, kN/mm increase to such an extent that it is beyond the design load
Mst : modulus of strip, kN/mm capacity of the roll neck bearings. The bearings, may
then, have premature failure. There is a considerable
N : normal force between steel surfaces, kN reported cases of failure of anti friction bearings in rolling
P, P' : load force on one roll neck, kN mills.
R : work roll radius THE PROBLEM
W : strip width, mm The problem was to design a cheaper safety device to
protect rolling mill bearings from failure due to high
y : length of wedge, mm overloads. Although, other factors like starvation of the
∝ : angle of inclination of wedge surface with bearings from supply of lubricant or misalignment of rolls
horizontal plane in degrees do lead to premature failure, but these failures are
φ : angle of friction between steel surfaces, Screw-down system
degrees Safety
Top B U device
chock Top backup
σ : rolling deformation resistance of strip. roll
Roll neck B U
INTRODUCTION Top work roll bearing
Work
roll Bot work roll
A 4 high (having four rolls) rolling mill is used for rolling chock
flat material like sheets and plates. It has two spherical Bot work roll Roll neck B U
S K Gupta is teaching Machine Design, J M I T
T,, Radaur bearing
Bottom
135 133. BU
chock Oper Drive end
This paper (modified) was received on December 12, 2005. Written end
Discussion on this paper will be entertained upto June 30, 2007. Figure 1 Four high mill-sectional elevation

Vol 88, April 2007 3

 (A) Mill characteristics P

Taper block
O'
P'
∆P' O
P
(B) Strip
characteristics
Mm
Mst Stud
Load

P
ho Mm ∆t1 ∆t2

Wedge
t2 t2' t1 t1' P/2 P/2
Figure 3 Arrangement of safety device
Thichness t

Figure 2 Mill and Strip characteristics

Mill screws
Mill characteristics : t2 = ho + (P/Mm) Safety device Safety device

Strip characteristics : where B U chocks P P

t1 = Entry strip thickness
t2 = Delivery strip thickness Top B U roll
σ = Rolling deformation resistance of strip
Mill 2P
ho = No load roll gap
R = Work roll radius
Top W roll Work chocks
P = Rolling load
Bot W roll

2P

Bot B U roll
P P

controllable by corrective measures, such as, automatic
lubrication of bearings and correcting the misalignment
etc. Therefore the focus was, to design a safety device
which would be low in cost but prompt in action, as it
would get activated before a load beyond the dynamic load
rating of bearing or of bearings, could be reached.
DESIGN OF MECHANICAL SAFETY DEVICE
Mill housings
Figure 4 Location of safety devices in rolling mill
create a tension equally in both the studs, which hold the
wedges together. Stresses in the studs are kept low and
the deformation is basically concentrated in the small
length of reduced diameter of each stud. To ensure failure
of the studs in the middle when the roll separating force
exceeds the dynamic capacity for the bearings, the studs
would fracture at the reduced diameter in the middle only.

This safety device consists of two equally sloped wedges
held together by two bolts or studs1. On these wedges,
rests a taper block, which has similar corresponding
slopes as shown in Figure 3. Each stud has a reduced
diameter in the center where it breaks when stressed
beyond design load. This safety device is interposed
between the mill screw and the backup chock as shown in
Figure 4. As the material passes through the work rolls,
all the components of the safety device including wedges,
studs and the taper block are elastically deformed and are
designed to operate within elastic limits without any fear
for failure upto dynamic capacity of bearings. Wedges try
to move outwards under the roll-separating force and
CONSTRUCTIONAL DET AILS OF SAFETY
DETAILS
DEVICE AND ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS
As soon as the bearing gets loaded, the wedges transmit
the load on to the taper block, which is positioned against
any vertical movement by the screw and nut system in
the housing. Load on the wedges gets transmitted to the
studs holding the wedges together. The studs are
elastically elongated and the wedges move out-wards very
slightly. As explained earlier each stud has a reduced
diameter in the middle, which is designed to rupture
under transmitted load exceeding the dynamic capacity of
the set of bearings (Figure 5).

4 IE(I) Journal-MC
 P Taper block Case ii
o
Angle of wedge inclination, α = 30 , T = 156.27 kN.
It can thus be seen that by changing wedge inclination
N f o o
×
f × angle α from 10 to 30 , the studs are in tension as the
N
effect of coefficient of friction is reduced. Hence, sensitivity
N N of the designed system to changes in coefficient of friction
is also reduced.
Wedge
Case iii
P/2 P/2
It can be visualized that tension T in bolts has increased
by 3.37 times by just changing inclination angle α from
o o
Y α 30 to 45 . This would require studs, which are 3.37 times
N
stronger than in case (ii) which would substantially
increase the size and weight of the safety device beyond
N
available space and hence not recommended.
×
f
T Case iv
α It is possible to maintain friction condition within close
P limits by maintaining good surface finish, good surface
hardness and by keeping good lubrication of steel
P/2 × f surfaces.
Subjecting the safety device to varying loads on the
P/2
Figure 5 Force analysis in safety device
Universal Testing Machine in the laboratory and
monitoring the elastic and/or plastic elongation of the
MATERIALS AND METHODS
MATERIALS clamping studs has vindicated this viewpoint. The
To enable a generalized design of safety devices, a study material hardness and angle of inclination along with
was made of a 4 high Cold Rolling Mill having its backup dimensions of wedges, taper block are closely controlled as
rolls mounted with a set of two spherical roller bearings per design.
number 23048 on each roll neck. Dynamic capacity of roll It follows from above that a compromise between size of
neck bearing no. 23048 = 1130 kN. (as per SKF bearings bolt and wedge angle has to be made to design the safety
catalogue)2. One roll neck has two such bearings, device. The wedge angle was therefore selected as 37
o
therefore force on one roll neck P= 2260 kN whereby not only effect of limited change of coefficient of
Considering the value of P = 2260 kN, f = 0.2 (0.1 to 0.3)3 friction (f = tan φ) has been taken care of but also the sizes
and φ = 11.3099 and varying the angle of inclination α, of the studs and wedges have been maintained within the
total tension on the studs has been computed as shown in constraints of space available.
Table 1.
The reduced diameter has been kept at 18 mm (as per the
DISCUSSION calculation done for reduced diameter of clamp studs) to
Case i ensure that the studs break before the dynamic capacity
of the bearing is reached.
The studs will not experience any tensile load at all. The
wedges will not move and so will defeat the very purpose of Load P on the set of bearing when studs break at the
design of safety device. reduced diameter came out to be 2065 kN approximately.
Ratio of roll neck load at which studs break to the
Table 1
dynamic capacity of set of bearings came as 0.913.
Case No Angle of Coefficient Angle of Total tension
Inclination of friction friction φ T on studs, It is however clear that the reduced diameter of the studs
α, degrees f degrees kN cannot be bigger than its root diameter. Further, to limit
i 10 0.2 11.3099 (-) 251.84 elastic elongation of the studs, it is good to keep the
ii 30 0.2 11.3099 + 156.27 reduced diameter about 60% of the stud diameter as well
as to keep the length of reduced diameter as short as
iii 45 0.2 11.3099 +527.33
possible so that cumulative elastic elongation of the studs
iv 37 0.2 11.3099 +317.59
is very low without significantly altering the mill
v 37 0.3 16.6992 +79.02 modulus of the rolling mill. M30 studs have been used.
vi 37 0.1 5.7106 +573.76 The calculation were also made for finding the
Vol 88, April 2007 5
compressive stresses at the wedge surfaces and the
900
maximum stress came out to be 114 N/ mm2.
Material used: 40 Cr1Mo 28 (EN 19), U.T.S. = 700 N/
mm2 Min4.
DEFORMATION OF STUDS
DEFORMATION
800
After conducting experiment on Universal Testing

1000
700

900

600

800

500

700
Load in kilo Newtons

400

600

300
500
Load in kilo Newtons

200
400

100
300

200 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3
Axial deflection, mm
Figure 6 (b) Safety device-load against axial deformation
curve

100 Machine Load versus deflection (axial) diagram of the

safety device have been made. Knowing enlongation of the
stud it is possible to calculate the load P the safety device
is subjected to. See Figure 6A and Figure 6B.
For normal working of the rolling mill, the roll passes are
0 0.20.40.60.81.01.21.41.6 1.82.0 2.2 2.42.62.83.0 3.2
designed so that the rolling loads are well within dynamic
Transverse deflection, mm capacity of roll neck bearings. Enlongation of studs
Figure 6 (a) Load against transverse deformation curve beyond the design limit will indicate a high rolling load,

6 IE(I) Journal-MC

Figure 7 Photograph showing application of safety
device in cold rolling mill
which acts as a caution to the mill operator. The stud
enlongation can be found by inserting feeler gauge blades
between the wedges or by measuring length of the stud.
When the rolling load goes beyond dynamic capacity of
bearings, the studs will break, the wedges will move up,
roll gap will increase, the metal reduction will decrease,
hence rolling load will decrease automatically thereby
saving the roll neck bearings from failure.
The safety device after testing was installed at B G Dhatu
Udyog Ltd, Yamuna Nagar. As reported by the firm, the
device operated satisfactorily with reduced failures.
CONCLUSION
Roll neck bearings installed in cold rolling mill generally
fail due to
Vol 88, April 2007
(i) Mis-alignment of rolls and bearings.
(ii) Change in rolling parameters like rolling solution,
thermal equilibrium of rolls.
(iii) Change in input thickness and hardness of
material to be rolled.
Whereas factors given under points (I) and (ii) can easily
be taken care by alignment of machinery and by
stabilizing rolling conditions, point (iii) cannot be easily
controlled. A safety device is proposed to protect the roll
neck bearings against excess rolling loads beyond the
capacity of bearings. Normally, the bearings loads are
kept well below the dynamic capacity of the bearings to
have good bearing life but any serious deviation in stock
thickness and hardness has to be protected against. The
proposed safety device is a simple Wedge type mechanical
equipment which will automatically save the costly
rolling mill bearings from failure by breakage of two
clamp studs which are much cheaper than the bearings.
Also replacement of clamp studs is very simple, which is a
matter of a few minutes.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The author would like to thank the Management of J M I
T Radaur (Distt Yamuna Nagar, Haryana) for
encouraging and supporting me to undertake this project.
Thanks are also due to the management of Indian Sugar
and General Engineering Corporation (ISGEC), Yamuna
Nagar, for letting me use their testing facilities in R & D
Centre of ISGEC. Finally the author wants to thank the
Management of M/s B G Dhatu Udyog Limited, Yamuna
Nagar, for commissioning the safety device in their rolling
mill.
REFERENCES
1. V A Javoronkov and R C Chaturvedi. 'Housings and Adjusting
Mechanisms in Rolling of Metals'. Yantrik IIT, Powai, Bombay,
1981, p 327.
2. 'Spherical Roller Bearings, S K F'. General Catalogue, Sweden,
1981.
3. Erik Oberg, F D Jones, H L Horton and H H Ryffel. 'Machinery's
Handbook'. Industrial Press Inc, New York, p 2212.
4. 'Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, P S G College of
Technology, Coimbatore'. Design Data Book of Engineers, D P V
Printers Coimbatore, 1972, p 1.9.
5. A I Taselikov, G S Nikitin and S E Rokotyan. 'Longitudinal and
Lateral Uneven Gauge and Strip in Theory of Lengthwise Rolling'.
MIR Publishers, Moscow, 1981, p 282.
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