Roll, in particular a roll for a supercalender

Abstract: The invention concerns a roll, in particular a roll for a supercalender. The roll (10) comprises a frame (16) and a polymer coating (11). The deformativity of the polymer coating (11) on the roll (10) increases within a certain axial distance (L) from the middle area of the roll (10) towards the end (17) of the roll (10) in view of compensating for the deformation state of the end areas (P) of the roll (10) frame (16), which deformation state is uneven when the roll is loaded.

Description: The invention concerns a roll, in particular a roll for a supercalender, which roll comprises a frame and a polymer coating, in which the deformability of the polymer coating on the roll increases within a certain axial distance from the middle area of the roll towards the end of the roll in view of compensating for the deformation state of the end areas of the roll frame, which deformation state is uneven when the roll is loaded. As is known from the prior art, coated rolls are used in paper machines and in paper finishing devices in highly different applications. As examples of such applications can be mentioned soft rolls of calenders, for example of supercalenders, and equivalent. Usually the soft coatings on rolls are made of organic polymers or of their mixtures, which often also include inorganic elements. The soft coatings on rolls are often made of a composite structure, which comprises layers made of different materials. Supercalenders consist of a number of rolls arranged one above the other, and said rolls are alternatingly soft and hard. In this way, the paper web runs successively through a number of nips. In a typical supercalender, the hard rolls are of metal, usually steel and/or cast iron, and the soft rolls have been paper-filled or fabric-filled. Since the metal rolls in the pairs of rolls are usually heated in order to obtain good results, one problem in the calendering has been the poor ability of the resilient paper-filled or fabric-filled rolls to endure high temperatures. Owing to this, polymer-coated rolls have been introduced in calendering. The frame of polymer-coated rolls is not of uniform rigidity in the longitudinal direction of the roll, but the end areas are more rigid than the middle area of the roll frame. Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the state of deformation of the roll frame of a polymer roll during deformation in the middle area and at one end of the roll. In this way, in a polymer roll, a higher load arises in the lateral areas than in the middle when such rolls are used in situations in which the paper web or equivalent is run through a.nip between such a polymer-coated roll and a hard roll, and in particular when there is a roll at each side of a polymer-coated roll, for example in supercalendering, in which case the quality in the lateral areas of the web can suffer as a result of the higher load effective in the lateral areas of the paper web. In calenders, attempts have been made to solve this problem by controlling the nip load, but by means of the control it has not been possible to amend this problem to a sufficient extent. GB Patent 795,523 describes a roll comprising a frame and a polymer coating in which the deformability of the polymer coating on the roll increases within a certain axial distance from the middle area of the roll towards the end of the roll. In this roll having an all-metal frame, an uneven deformation state does not occur in the end areas of the roll frame when the roll is loaded. EP Application Publication 0 613 729 describes a method for coating a roll of a paper machine and a coated roll of a paper machine. This document discloses a method in the coating of a roll of a paper machine, which roll is coated with a polymer, preferably with polyurethane. In the method, the desired surface property values of the roll are fed into the central unit of the system. In the method, the roll is coated while following a function f 1 (x),f 3 (x) that has been created in the central unit over the distance of the length of the roll, whereby a surface hardness or surface profile corresponding to the formed function f 1 (x),f 2 (x) and comprising no steps or other points of discontinuity can be formed. Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide a roll in which the drawbacks described above do not occur. Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide a roll in whose lateral areas the loading is not higher than in the middle area. In view of achieving the objectives stated above and those that will come out later, the roll in accordance with the invention is mainly characterized in that the diameter of the roll frame becomes smaller within a certain axial distance from the middle area of the roll towards the roll end, and that the polymer coating on the roll becomes thicker within said axial distance so that the outer diameter of the roll is substantially invariable over the entire length of the roll in the axial direction. According to an exemplifying embodiment of the invention, the roll frame has been relieved in the axial direction in the end areas so that the diameter of the roll frame becomes smaller over a certain axial distance towards the roll ends. The loading is equalized so that a coating that is thicker in the lateral areas is applied onto the roll frame whose ends have been relieved, i.e. the thickness of the coating is increased over a certain corresponding axial distance towards the roll ends so that, for example, the thickness of the entire coating is increased over said distance or, if a roll with a composite structure is concerned, the thickness of one layer in the coating is increased over said distance. When such a roll is used in a situation in which there are rolls at both sides, for example in a supercalender, the loading can be equalized, because the lacking resilience is compensated for by means of the relief in the end areas of the roll, and the coating is accomplished so that it is thicker in the lateral areas than in the middle area of the roll. According to a second embodiment of the invention, the inner structure of the roll coating in the end areas has been made such that the elasticity of the coating in the end areas compensates for the additional load produced by the uneven deformation of the roll frame (compare, e.g., Fig. 1). In the following, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the figures in the accompanying drawing, the invention being by no means supposed to be strictly confined to the details of said illustrations. Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the state of deformation of the roll frame during loading. Figure 2 is a schematic illustration in part of a roll in accordance with an exemplifying embodiment of the invention. As comes out from Fig. 1, the frame of rolls with polymer coating is not of equal rigidity in the longitudinal direction of the roll 10, but the end areas P are more rigid than the middle area K of the roll 10. Thus, the load in the end areas P is higher than the load in the middle area K. Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration in part of a roll in accordance with one exemplifying embodiment of the invention, in which, onto the roll 10 frame 16, a polymer coating 11 of multi-layer structure has been applied, for example an epoxy coating, which consists of a number of layers 12,13,14,15. The outer layer 12 is, for example, of a polymer, it is followed by a binder layer 13, which is followed by a polymer layer 14, for example polyethylene, and by a reinforcement layer 15, for example fibreglass. According to this exemplifying embodiment of the invention, the roll 10 frame 16 has been relieved in the end areas. Onto the roll frame 16, from the ends 17 towards the middle, a relief has been formed over the distance L, which depends on the diameter D 2 of the roll frame in the middle area, which distance L is 0.4...1.5 x D 2 , preferably 0.4...1.0 x D 2 , optimally 0.5...0.7 x D 2 . The diameter of the roll frame 16 becomes smaller towards the roll 10 ends 17 over the axial distance L at each end 17. The diameter D 1 of the roll frame 16 is smaller at each end 17 of the roll compared with the diameter D 2 of the roll frame in the middle area. D 2 -D 1 is, e.g., 5...30 mm, preferably 10...20 mm. The end relief on the roll frame 16 is compensated for so that the polymer coating 11 is formed such that it becomes thicker in a corresponding way over said distance L, so that the outer diameter D 3 of the roll 10 remains substantially invariable. In a multi-layer coating 11, one layer, for example the polymer layer 14 placed on the reinforcement layer 15, can be formed such that it becomes correspondingly thicker towards each end 17 of the roll, as is illustrated in the exemplifying embodiment shown in the figure. According to a second exemplifying embodiment of the invention, the inner structure of the roll 10 coating 11 in the end area P is made such that the elasticity of the coating 11 in the end area P compensates for the additional load caused by the uneven deformation of the roll 10 frame 16 (cf. Fig. 1). In such a case, the end area P of the roll frame 16 can be relieved, or the additional load caused by the uneven deformation of the roll frame is substantially completely compensated for by arranging the inner structure of the coating 11 such that it compensates for this additional load. Above, the invention has been described with reference to a preferred exemplifying embodiment of same only, the invention being, however, by no means supposed to be strictly confined to the details of said embodiment. Many variations and modifications are possible within the scope of the inventive idea defined in the following patent claims.

Claims: A roll, in particular a roll for a supercalender, which roll (10) comprises a frame (16) and a polymer coating (11), in which the deformability of the polymer coating (11) on the roll (10) increases within a certain axial distance (L) from the middle area of the roll (10) towards the end (17) of the roll (10) in view of compensating for the deformation state of the end areas (P) of the roll (10) frame (16), which deformation state is uneven when the roll is loaded, characterized in that the diameter (D 2 ) of the roll (10) frame (16) becomes smaller within an axial distance (L) of 0.4...1.5 x diameter (D 2 ) of the roll frame (16) in the middle area from the middle area of the roll (10) towards the roll end (17), and that the polymer coating (11) on the roll (10) becomes thicker within said axial distance (L) so that the outer diameter (D 3 ) of the roll (10) is substantially invariable over the entire length of the roll (10) in the axial direction. A roll as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the polymer coating (11) is composed of a number of layers (12,13,14,15), and that one of the layers (14) on the roll has been formed so that it becomes thicker in the axial direction within said distance (L) towards the roll end (17), so that the diameter (D 3 ) of the roll (10) remains substantially invariable in the axial direction of the roll. A roll as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the inner structure of the polymer coating (11) in the end area (P) of the roll (10) is composed so that the elasticity of the coating (11) compensates for the additional load produced by the uneven deformation of the roll frame (16).

Inventors: KORISEVA JUHA, KYTOENEN PAULI, LEINONEN ERKKI, KORISEVA, JUHA, KYTOENEN, PAULI, LEINONEN, ERKKI, Kytönen, Pauli
Applicants: METSO PAPER INC, METSO PAPER, INC.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: D21G1
IPC codes: D21G1