Roller

A roller for applying pressure to a strip of paper, textile, plastic film, sheet metal, or other similar material, said roller comprising:

• a rotatable hollow roller having an inside circumference and an outside working roller circumference, said hollow roller comprising fiber-reinforced synthetic resin material, and said hollow roller extending along a longitudinal direction;
• a cross-beam extending through the hollow roller in said longitudinal direction such that there is radial spacing between the cross-beam and the inside circumference of the hollow roller around said cross-beam, said cross-beam including ends non-rotatably mounted in external supports;
• and
• a plurality of hydrostatic support elements, arranged in one or more longitudinal rows on the cross-beam, said elements being arranged on a side of said cross-beam on which pressure is exerted by the roller on the strip, said elements being pressable against the inside circumference of the hollow roller by means of hydraulic fluid, said elements each having a contact surface pressable against the inside circumference of the hollow roller, said contact surface including open bearing pockets defined by edges, said pockets being fillable with hydraulic fluid for supporting the hollow roller, said pockets adapted to enable the hydraulic fluid to flow over the edges of the pockets to form a liquid film supporting the hollow roller, and wherein the support elements have a length not exceeding 20 cm in the longitudinal direction of the hollow roller, said elements being closely arranged with respect to each other in the longitudinal direction, and said elements being controllable independently of one another.