Axial support device for a cylinder with rotating sleeve

Axial support device for a roll with rotating sleeve, said device comprising

• (a) a fixed shaft (2) in the form of an elongated beam carried at each end (20) by a support member (3) in a fixed frame (1);
• (b) a tubular cylindrical sleeve (4) slipped onto said shaft (2) and mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation (60);
• (c) a series of aligned holding shoes (22) inserted between said shaft (2) and said sleeve (4) and each associated with a thrust means for adjustment of a profile of said sleeve (4);
• (d) a bearing (6) at each end of said sleeve for centering said sleeve on said shaft about said axis of rotation, each said bearing comprising an outer ring (62) which is solid in rotation with said sleeve (4) and an inner ring (61) locked in rotation;
• (e) each centering bearing (6) being arranged so as to contain axial thrusts and resting axially on said support member (3) by means of a floating support device which is capable of exerting uniformly distributed axial pressure on said inner ring (61) of said bearing (6) by following angular offsets of said axis of rotation (60) of the bearing (6) with respect to an axis (25) of a corresponding end (20) of said shaft (2), which offsets result from respective deformations of said sleeve and of said shaft under the influence of stresses applied during operation;
• (f) said floating support device of each bearing (6) comprising a plurality of thrusters (5) distributed regularly about said axis (25) of a corresponding end of said shaft and mounted for sliding movement parallel to said axis inside a bush (31) slipped onto said end (20) of said shaft (2) and forming a part of said support member (3), each thruster (5) resting on said inner ring (61) of said bearing (6) with a possibility of axial displacement parallel to said axis of said corresponding end of said shaft, said thrusters being hydraulically actuated under a same common pressure.