Top roll lifting arrangement for a press in a papermaking or boardmaking machine

A top roll lifting arrangement in a roll press in a press section of a papermaking or boardmaking machine having a drive side and a tender side, the roll press including a top roll and a bottom roll and the rolls being opposed and parallel and having main axes which define a generally vertical press plane, and which together form a press nip, and where the roll press has a framework for the rolls, the framework including two side frames in parallel relationship to each other, one located on the drive side and the other one on the tender side of the machine, each of the side frames having a first and a second vertical column, the first column being located upstream of the press nip and the second column being located downstream of the press nip, wherein the arrangement comprises:

• (a) a bracket adjacent each of the side frames for suspending the top roll therebelow, each bracket having a first end upstream of the press nip and adjacent to the first vertical column, and a second end downstream of the press nip and adjacent to the second vertical column;
• (b) a lifting device connected to at least one of the side frames for lifting and lowering the brackets;
• (c) a plate member mounted on each vertical column, each plate member having an inclined guide and support surface facing the opposite plate member of the respective side frame so as to define between the inclined guide and support surfaces of each side frame a gap converging in a downward direction;
• and
• (d) an inclined portion formed at each end of the brackets, the inclined portions converging in a downward direction towards the press plane and structured to co-operate with the plate members on the columns in such a way that, when the brackets are lowered, the guide and support surfaces and the co-operating inclined portions of the bracket ends will guide the bracket, and during operation of the machine they will stabilize the top roll in the machine direction.