Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
The first is obvious, the tires are the main bearing rings
on which the kiln turns. In this regard, the tire is similar in function to the race of a spherical
roller bearing. The second function is less obvious but equally important. The tires are also
the structural member that support the kiln shell. For this reason, the way the tires are
mounted to the shell is critical for long term operation. Since, by function, the kiln involves
thermal processing, the shell, the tires and the tire mounting system all undergo changes
from thermal expansion and contraction. It is impossible to restrain the effects of thermal
expansion. Because the expansion rate of the components is usually unequal to that of the
shell, the problem of managing these differences becomes an important focus for
maintenance personnel.
Any time that inspection of a rotary unit is carried out, the tires and tire elements should be
carefully examined. Once a small problem develops with these components, larger problems
are sure to follow.
FORGED
A typical riding ring may be manufactured from 1045 normalized material or equivalent, and
hardness falls between 180 BHN and 220 BHN.
CAST
Some cast riding rings use a ASTM, A-551-81 Class C locomotive steel with carbon
content of .7 to .85. This is non-weldable and can reach hardness up to 400 BHN to 540
BHN. These tires require the use of special flame-hardened rollers.
If a tire needs to be repaired it is essential to identify the material exactly so that correct
welding procedures can be performed. After repairs have been made it is imperative that
the ring be resurfaced to establish its true contact surface, and to remove any out-of-
roundness that may have developed from the welding process.
The specific way a tire is mounted on the shell determines what problems may arise.
Surface Deterioration - Surface craters on the surface of the tire, commonly referred to as
spalling, is a sign of metal failure. There is always some metal distortion present in the pinch point
of the roller and tire. If a tire starts to wobble or if for some other reason the pressure at the pinch
point becomes excessive, the steel will distort beyond the elastic limit. The flexing of the work-
hardened layer against the softer underlying layer will create small cracks to develop. Once
cracking starts it continues until chunks of metal break free. The two major factors that cause
surface spalling are reduced contact area because of abnormal wear patterns and excessive thrust
due to improperly adjusted rollers.
Excessive Gap/Flex - The looser the tire, the less support it gives to the shell. When support of
the shell is reduced the shell flexes more. Flexing in the extreme is detrimental to the shell and can
cause fatigue cracks to develop in the area around the tire mounting elements. Excessive shell flex
must be controlled.
Excessive Creep - Wear accelerates as creep increases. Shell flex increases causing shell fatigue
cracks to develop in the shell. Tires can wobble and get cocked on the shell. Stop blocks and
retainers can wear and undercut the tires.
In all cases it is critical to minimize excessive axial and radial run-outs of the riding ring. Excessive
run-outs may affect the gear train, thrust rollers, feed and discharge seals and the crucial rolling
surfaces of the carrying rollers.
Proper roller adjustments can be extremely difficult to make with a wobbling tire. The thrust
reaction of tire and the rollers becomes erratic as a result of the changing contact.
Tire wobble is generally caused by some type of bend or bow in the shells rotational axis that
is created by distorted shell plate resulting from localized overheating during a refractory
failure. It can also be a temporary condition caused from uneven coating or some process
condition that causes an unbalanced thermal profile in the kiln.
Since steel is an elastic material, there is always some metal distortion present in the pinch
point between the roller and the tire. On a microscopic level this can be seen as an area
flattening out, similar to that of a rubber tire on a car where it contacts the road. If for any
reason the pressure in a localized area of the pinch point becomes excessive, the distortion
of the steel will go beyond the elastic limit. The flexing of the work-hardened layer against
the underlying softer mass will cause fatigue cracks to develop. Once this fatigue cracking
starts, it can propagate until chunks of metal break free.
The two major factors that cause surface spalling are reduced contact area
because of abnormal wear patterns and excessive thrust due to improperly adjusted
rollers.
The example shown is caused by an excessive thrust condition. This is a direct result of
improperly adjusted support rollers. If any roller is skewed excessively with respect to the
rotational axis of the tire, a sliding or scuffing action occurs that creates a high friction load
that can lead to spalling of the surfaces. This will be discussed in greater detail in the
section on support rollers skewing.
Spalling on the contact surfaces of the tire and rollers can also be caused by the use of oil
to lubricate these surfaces. As the rolling contact surfaces meet, since oil is a non-
compressible fluid, hydraulic pressure forces the oil down into any small fatigue cracks.
Over a period of time this hydraulic pressure causes small pieces of material to fracture
loose.
Opposing wedges - Two wedges are driven from either side of the riding ring to tighten
the shell. Stop blocks are welded to the shell to limit the axial movement of the tire. It is
common for cracks to appear at weldments and for them to propagate to the shell. It is
important that the wedges are not installed too tightly or the shell can actually neck
down under supporting assemblies.
Units requiring floating tires demand the most service performance from the tire
mounting components.
Filler bar style tire mounting systems - Filler bars can be designed to allow for
different rates of thermal expansion between the tire and shell and yet provide
support to the shell within the bore of the riding ring. The style of filler bar and
method of installation can be selected for each particular rotary unit as unique
conditions dictate. Over the years the full floating filler bar design has evolved as
providing one of the best compromises of the conflicting service demands of the
migrating tire mount.
We have only shown some of the typical kinds of filler bar designs. These cover the basic
variations although many different styles with other combinations of features exist.
The clearance between the tire splines and the shell pads is taken up by the slow wedges.
As this clearance varies with tire to shell temperature differences, the wedges migrate in and
out. This results in a tight assembly circumferentially at all temperatures yet leaves room for
the the shell to expand/contract radially within the tire.
The wedge and spring assemblies should be lubricated to insure that they can move freely.
The welds between the X-shaped blocks should be checked regularly for cracks. Since the
X blocks are welded solid to the shell, they can act as a stiffener trying to resist any flexing
of the shell and can be prone to cracking.
The riding rings provide substantial strength to the shell by maintaining shell roundness.
Because the shell naturally flattens out at the 12 oclock position like a flexible bag of water,
the riding ring system must maintain shell integrity by minimizing flex.
To accommodate any difference in the expansion rate of the shell and the tire, there is a
difference in the size of the shells outside diameter (OD) and the tires inside diameter (ID),
the tire having a larger diameter. Because of this difference the tire naturally wants to
creep, or migrate at a slower rotational speed than the shell. The shell is actually rotating at
one speed and the tire is lagging behind at a slightly slower speed.
By making a mark with a soapstone from the side face of the tire to the surface of a filler
bar, or along a stop block, it is possible to witness the marks slowly separate during each
rotation. This separation is a direct measurement of the fit between the shell OD and the
riding ring ID.
Worn filler bars, or supports, allow excess gap at the shells 12 oclock position, thus
allowing excessive flexing of the shell plate as the drum rotates. This reduces the shell
support provided by the riding ring, accelerates and compounds support pad wear, and
leads to fatigue cracks in the welds of the mounting system and can eventually lead to shell
cracks.
S
U
U = Relative Motion (creep)
S = Actual Gap
U
< Pi 2 - 2.5
S
Typical Ovality Ratios
There is a direct relationship between tire creep and the gap between the tire and the shell.
The more tire creep the more gap. The more gap the looser the tire. The looser the tire the
less support it gives to the shell. Worn filler bars, or supports, create excessive gap thus
allowing excessive flattening or flexing of the shell at the 12 oclock position. This
accelerates and compounds support pad wear, and leads to shell cracks. Cracks are a sign
of complete failure and will eventually adversely affect the total operation of the kiln.
If the contact surfaces have developed irregular wear patterns or are pitted or
spalled, retruing by grinding the surfaces smooth is a prudent step to returning the
equipment back to a dependable condition (See Resurfacing and Grinding
section).
If there is excessive tire migration and high shell ovality flexing, a solution may be to
replace the worn filler bars and stop blocks. Prior to this step the shell under the tire
should be carefully inspected. If the shell has collapsed under the tire, a section
may have to be replaced.
If the bore of the tire is severely damaged from the excessive migration, the tire may
need to be taken off and sent to a machine shop for true-up during the filler bar or
section change out.
The replacement filler bars are generally ordered in a stock thickness. A full set of 1/16,
1/32, and 1/8 shims are supplied so that the bars can be shimmed as required for the proper
clearance based on the operating temperatures for the shell and tire.
In addition, the shims are used to help fit the out of round shell to the bore of the tire.
Always make a map of the position of the kiln components based on hot and normal
conditions, prior to the shutdown. Once the outage starts, the kiln is cool and it is difficult to
determine what, if any, adjustments should be made to correct problem conditions. With a
written record for reference, corrections or replacements can be more accurately
determined.
Check the position of the tires with respect to their support rollers and the rollers with
respect to their housings. If the tire is not centered over the rollers, note how much and in
which direction the tire should move. Note how much space is between the edge of each
tire and its retainers. Make a note if repositioning is necessary.
Also look to see if the gear is centered over the pinion and where the kiln is at between the
thrust rollers. Is there excessive clearance between the thrust rollers that allows too much
axial movement of the kiln?
Measure and document the shell temperature on either side of the tire and the temperature
of the tire. This information will be used to help determine the proper amount of cold
clearance when reshimming a tire.
Kiln Shell Diameter x Temperature Difference between Tire and Shell x Expansion
Coefficient = Reduction of the Filler Bar to Tire ID Gap. This is the differential expansion.
EXTRA GAP is a safety factor that we apply since we can only work with average
temperature values and temperatures fluctuate during normal operation. Since these
temperature differences cannot be strictly controlled and a locked tire is something to be
avoided, leaving a residual or extra gap is the accepted norm.
The final step would be to take the sum of the differential EXPANSION and the Cold Kiln
shell diameter subtracted from the cold bore diameter of the tire, divided by two to give the
theoretical filler bar thickness. This information can then be used to specify machining
diameters for new sections or replacement filler bar base thickness and shim packs in case
of repairs.
The question of lubrication between the bore of a migrating tire and the shell has always been
controversial. Although lubricating the tire bore may seem to be a natural requirement of
good kiln operation, some experts advise against it. One argument is that greasy lubricants
may attract dust and debris which then act as grinding compounds and accelerate wear. The
second argument says that lubrication will promote slippage and creep, again, hastening
wear.
1. A dry form of lubrication should be used so as not to attract air born contamination and
debris.
True rolling action can never be assured and is at best, a transient condition. Lubrication,
therefore, is not applied to induce slippage, but to prevent any local areas from galling and
hanging up to the point where metal failure occurs. A greater amount of creep may be seen
with the use of lubricant than without, which, if it acts to polish the surfaces, is infinitely more
desirable than creep which is limited. Inhibited creep will eventually tear the metal.
Graphite is most frequently used for this application. Other lubricants specifically formulated
for this are colloids containing molybdenum, aluminum etc. These are solid lubricating
materials in a carrier that is designed to evaporate at low temperatures. In no way should
this carrier be confused with grease. The carrier quickly dissipates leaving solids as a non-
sticky residue, which closely adheres to the surface of the steel components.
Lubrication does not correct misalignment but lubrication in the areas discussed is an
important step toward good equipment maintenance.