Galvanizing roll assembly with self-aligning hydrodynamic film lubricated roller-bearings

A galvanizing roll assembly intended to be submerged in molten metal, comprising:

• an arm;
• a strip-engaging roll having a trunnion member, the trunnion member having a trunnion axis;
• a self-aligning bearing supporting the trunnion member on the arm for rotation about the trunnion axis, said self-aligning bearing including a roller-bearing,
• the trunnion member having an outer cylindrical bearing surface;
• the arm having a bearing housing member having an opening with an inner cylindrical bearing surface, for receiving the trunnion member in a generally coaxial position;
• a plurality of elongated rollers disposed between the trunnion member and the bearing housing member, the rollers each having a longitudinal axis supported parallel to the trunnion axis;
• and
• a roller carrier having an elongated recess for receiving each of the rollers for rotation within a respective recess, the roller carrier being connected to one of said members such that the rollers roll with the other of said members.

In a galvanizing roll assembly having a supporting arm, a roll rotatable about a roll axis, and a bearing apparatus useful for supporting the roll for transferring a heated steel strip in a bath of molten zinc, molten aluminum or mixtures thereof, said bearing apparatus comprising:

• a trunnion member, carried on the supporting arm, the trunnion member having a longitudinal trunnion axis fixed with respect to the arm;
• a self-aligning bearing means carried by the roll and supported by the trunnion member such that the roll rotates with respect to the trunnion member;
• including:
• a housing;
• first annular bearing structure movably mounted in the housing and having a cylindrical inner surface of a low friction material slidably mounted on the trunnion member, and an outer surface having an annular partially spherical bearing surface disposed around the trunnion member;
• and
• second annular bearing structure fixedly mounted in the housing, the second annular bearing structure slidably engaging the partially spherical surface of the first bearing structure to permit the roll axis to swing within an acute angle with respect to the fixed axis of the trunnion member as the roll is rotating.

In a galvanizing roll assembly, including:

• a rotatable rotating roll;
• a trunnion shaft carried on the roll, so as to be rotatable therewith;
• a self-aligning bearing means mounted on the arm for supporting the roll for rotation comprising:
• a housing;
• first annular bearing structure movably mounted in the housing and having a cylindrical inner surface of a low friction material slidably mounted on the trunnion shaft, and an outer surface having an annular partially spherical bearing surface disposed around the trunnion shaft;
• second annular bearing structure fixedly mounted in the housing and having a fixed bearing axis, the second annular bearing structure slidably engaging the partially spherical surface of the first bearing structure to permit the roll axis to swing with respect to the fixed bearing axis.

A galvanizing roll assembly intended to be submerged in molten metal, comprising:

• an arm;
• a strip-engaging roll having a trunnion;
• a self-aligning bearing supporting the trunnion on the arm, said self-aligning bearing including a roller-bearing,
• said arm, said roll and said self-aligning bearing each comprising alloy materials that present low solubility with a particular molten metal in which they are to be submerged and having a high hardness, Rc>25, at the molten metal operating temperature;
• the trunnion member having an outer cylindrical bearing surface;
• the arm assembly having a bearing housing member having an opening with an inner cylindrical bearing surface, for receiving the trunnion member in a generally coaxial position;
• the trunnion member having a trunnion axis;
• a plurality of elongated rollers disposed between the trunnion member and the bearing housing member, the rollers each having a longitudinal axis supported parallel to the trunnion axis;
• a roller carrier having an elongated recess for receiving each of the rollers for rotation within a respective recess, the roller carrier being connected to one of said members such that the rollers roll with the other of said members;
• and
• each of the recesses having an open, partially cylindrical recess wall, each of the rollers having a cylindrical wall, and including an annular clearance between each of the rollers and its respective recess wall for passing a hydrodynamic lubricating molten metal film between the roller and the recess wall as the roller is being rotated in a bath of a molten metal.