Oil film bearing and bushing

An oil film bearing for a rotating roll neck in a rolling mill, said bearing comprising:

• means defining a journal surface of the roll neck;
• a bushing having a cylindrical internal bearing surface surrounding said journal surface, said bushing being contained by and fixed within a bearing chock;
• inlet means including feed openings in said internal bearing surface for introducing a continuous flow of oil between said journal surface and said bearing surface, said feed openings being arranged to interrupt the continuity of said internal bearing surface at locations which allow the thus introduced oil to be formed hydrodynamically by the rotary motion of said journal surface relative to said bearing surface into an oil film on which the journal surface is carried at a load zone on one side of the bearing, said feed openings being arranged angularly outside of said load zone;
• and;
• outlet means for continuously removing oil from said load zone at a location intermediate to the ends of said bushing, thereby providing an interruption in the load carrying continuity of the hydrodynamically formed oil film and separating said load zone into compound pressure means,
• said outlet means being isolated from said feed openings by intervening portions of said internal bearing surface.

An oil film bearing assembly for rotatably supporting a roll neck in a rolling mill, said bearing assembly comprising:

• a bearing chock;
• a bushing fixed within the bearing chock and having an inner cylindrical bearing surface, the combination of said chock and bushing being adapted to be received on the roll neck, with the bearing surface of said bushing surrounding a journal surface of the said neck;
• inlet means for admitting a continuous flow of oil between said bearing surface and said journal surface, said inlet means extending through said bushing to feed openings interrupting the continuity of said bearing surface at locations which allow the thus admitted oil to be formed hydrodynamically by the rotary motion of said journal surface relative to said bearing surface into an oil film on which the journal surface is carried at a load zone on one side of the bearing assembly, said feed openings being arranged angularly outside of said load zone;
• outlet means for continuously removing oil from said load zone, said outlet means being axially interposed between the ends of said bushing and including a circular groove in said bearing surface, said groove being operative to interrupt said oil film and to subdivide said load zone into inboard and outboard pressure zones, said groove being separated from said feed openings by intervening portions of said bearing surface;
• a seal assembly at the inboard end of said chock, said seal assembly being adapted to cooperate in sealing engagement with said chock and said roll neck to define a first sump into which oil is continuously drained from said inboard pressure zone;
• a cover assembly cooperating with the outboard end of said chock to define a second sump into which oil is continuously drained from said outboard pressure zone;
• and
• conduit means communicating with said groove and said second sump for continuously draining oil from said first and second pressure zones via said groove into said second sump.