Patent ID: 9714679
Date: 2017-07-25
CPC Classifications: B29C,B29K,B29L,F16C

Claim:
1. An oil film bearing for rotatably supporting a roll neck in a rolling mill, said oil film bearing comprising: a rotating section having a generally cylindrical outer surface; a generally cylindrical, fiber-reinforced polymer bushing comprising polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or ultra high molecular weight polymer (UHMW) and providing a generally cylindrical bearing surface, wherein the outer surface of the rotating section is rotatably supported on a film of oil on the bearing surface; and a plurality of oil conduits for supplying pressurized oil between the outer surface of the rotating section and the polymer bushing to establish the oil film, wherein the bearing surface is defined by a plurality of heat deformed PTFE or UHMW elements, wherein each of the plurality of elements is received within an opening in a bearing block, wherein the elements are heat-deformed in a manufacturing process to define the generally cylindrical bearing surface, with said manufacturing process including: inserting said PTFE or UHMW elements into boreholes of the bearing block, heating the PTFE or UHMW elements to a temperature resulting in a degree of plasticity, inserting a die into the bushing, and outwardly forcing the die toward the bearing block to deform the heated PTFE or UHMW elements into a generally cylindrical form.