EP1235684B1 - Assembly comprising a sleeve installed on a metallic cylinder - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a sleeve to be mounted on a metal support cylinder and including at least one functional covering ( 20 ) forming the external surface of the sleeve, and an integration covering ( 21 ) on the cylinder ( 1 ) whose constitutive material is intended to be fixed to the metal of the cylinder by a physical link. The invention is applicable to the transformation of lap products.

Description

The invention relates to the field of the transformation of sheet products and more particularly, a sleeve intended to be secured to a metal support cylinder.

Such a sleeve can be used in very varied, and in particular, coating, embossing, calendering, dubbing, spinning and printing.

The sleeves may be of cylindrical shape, or conical.

They can be mounted by air cushion on a cylinder particular having compressed air circuits or by a mechanical assembly.

Most sleeves can only be submitted to relatively low linear loads.

Indeed, the connection between the cylinder and the sleeve is not sufficient to transmit mechanical forces important and, for very high loads, there are risks of separation between the sleeve and the cylinder.

This is why a sleeve intended to be subjected to heavy linear loads is usually adhered to on the surface of the cylinder. The connection between the sleeve, also referred to as lining or cylinder liner, and the cylinder is, therefore, permanent.

In addition, cylinder liners must be manufactured directly on the cylinder.

When a printer decides to replace a coating worn, it returns the cylinder to the manufacturer. This one remove the used layer and make a new layer on the cylinder.

The embodiment of a coating therefore creates many disadvantages.

First, it requires the transport of cylinders support, which costs the costs and increases the duration immobilization of the cylinders for their maintenance. Of Moreover, the sleeve being adhered on the cylinder, it is necessary to machine the cylinder to completely remove the muff. The elimination of the used sleeve therefore leads to risk of deterioration of the support cylinder.

Moreover, the loads that solicit a cylinder in a printing or converting machine an arrow of the support cylinder.

Compensation systems of this arrow have already been developed.

Such a compensation system consists, for example, in give a convex shape to the outer surface of the sleeve which is mounted on the cylinder. In operation and under the effect of the loads which solicit the cylinder, the axial variation of the thickness of the sleeve is compensated by the arrow of the cylinder.

This compensation system ensures a load constant linear and therefore a regular treatment of the support in the Nip, that is, the pinch area between two cylinders, in the cross direction.

However, the known compensation systems present disadvantages, because it is difficult to give the form desired on the outer surface of the sleeve and its realization is therefore a source of errors.

Moreover, in case of wear of the sleeve, it is sometimes necessary to rectify its outer surface and it is then difficult to keep the curved shape given on its surface outside, which again requires costs and machine stops.

EP-A-0 955 160 discloses a method of producing a printing sleeve on a cylinder advantageously made of metal. The sleeve comprises a substantially rigid outer casing such as a tube rigid and a compressible inner layer.

This method comprises the operations of providing on the manufacturing cylinder 1 an agent of separation, to set up, coaxially, on the cylinder, the rigid outer tube 20, at a predetermined distance from the cylinder and then inject into the space intermediate between the tube and the cylinder a mass likely to form the layer internal elastic and compressible. After curing the injected mass, the sleeve is removed from the cylinder, for example using compressed air acting on the inner face of the compressible layer of the sleeve, through holes 3 provided in the cylinder.

German Patent Application No. 195 45 597 relates to the producing a sleeve that is intended to be fitted on a support cylinder, not shown (column 1, lines 37, 38). In other words, the sleeve is not realized on the cylinder that supports the sleeve during operation. This already constitutes a first fundamental difference of the invention. There is no bonding layer in contact with the cylinder.

The sleeve according to this document comprises an inner tube 1, and successively inside out, foam layer 2 and aluminum outer tube 3. The inner tube 1 has a composite structure and consists of a layer internal thin, elastic 4 and a thicker layer, also elastic 5, in foam.

The particularity of the manufacture of the sleeve according to document D3 lies in the fact after the concentric placement of the inner tube 1, comprising these two layers 4 and 5, and the outer metal tube 3, is poured into the space between the tubes 1 and 3 a material that expands then forming a layer of foam in the space between the two tubes. The material is a chemical so that the connection between the tubes inside 1 and outside 3 is a chemical bond that can not be defeated without require appropriate treatment of the corresponding surfaces of the two tubes. Moreover, there is no need to undo this link which is in the middle of the sleeve and its breakage would lead to the destruction of the sleeve.

EP 0 732 201 relates to a arrangement comprising a support cylinder and a sleeve mounted thereto. This sleeve comprises an outer layer 5 of fiberglass or epoxy resin and a inner part 6 composed of 3 cylindrical concentric layers 8, 9 and 10, the outer layers 8 and 10 being made of a highly rigid material and the intermediate layer being formed by rigid expanded polyurethane.

This document is very far from the invention insofar as the intermediate layer expanded polyurethane is not a bonding layer in contact with the support cylinder, on the one hand, and on the other hand because the document D2 does not indicate by no means the process for producing this polyurethane layer.

The object of the invention is to overcome these drawbacks by providing an arrangement in which a sleeve is mounted on a cylinder metal support, without risk of separation, despite significant linear loads, this sleeve may be at less partially manufactured before being mounted on the cylinder and be easily removed to allow mounting another sleeve.

Thus, the invention relates to an arrangement as defined in claim 1.

Throughout the description, it will be understood by "layer "functional", a layer that is active or that performs a function of printing, varnishing, coating embossing, spinning, calendering, doubling or any other outsourced function, in the processes of transformation, to cylinders having a functional coating of the type polymeric, composite, elastomeric or ceramic.

Such a functional layer may be a layer of printing, an anti-wear layer, for example the ceramic, a layer conferring some resilience, as an elastomeric layer, or a layer allowing the reception of ink for example on the surface outer sleeve and in particular constituted by the ceramic or metal with recessed parts.

The physical connection between the sleeve and the cylinder support has advantages. It is different from a chemical bond, for example obtained by means of an adhesive permanent, because it allows to remove the sleeve of the cylinder without having to machine the metal cylinder. It ensures however the same resistance to uncoupling that a chemical bond.

In a first embodiment, the sleeve comprises a bonding layer made of a material compressible, the sleeve being intended to be fitted to force on the support cylinder.

In a second embodiment, the layer of solidarization is made of an expandable material, this material being intended to be expanded after mounting the sleeve on the support cylinder.

The expandable material is then advantageously compressible after expansion.

The solidarity layer also includes advantageously a heat-shrinkable material which, when the expansion of the bonding layer under the effect of the heat, causes tightening of the sleeve on the cylinder.

In a third embodiment, the layer of solidarization is constituted by a hardenable material, which is hardened after its introduction between the cylinder and the sleeve mounted with play on the cylinder.

The sleeve may also include least one support layer, to reinforce the rigidity of the muff.

The support layer also helps to protect mechanically the bonding layer and modulate the mechanical behavior of said sleeve.

The sleeve advantageously comprises a support cylinder boom compensation system, on which it is intended to be mounted.

In a first embodiment, this system of compensation comprises a compressible layer whose compressibility is variable along the axis of the sleeve.

The modulus of elasticity of this layer may vary in the axial direction.

The thickness of this layer may also vary in the axial direction.

In this case, this layer with variable compressibility can present a simple parabolic profile, multiple parabolic, staggered or frustoconical.

In an embodiment variant of the sleeve, this layer variable compressibility is the bonding layer of the sleeve on the support cylinder.

In this case, the sleeve can be fixed on a cylinder support having a variable thickness.

In another variant embodiment, this layer variable compressibility is located between two layers of muff.

In another embodiment of the system of compensation of the arrow, the sleeve comprises at least one room between two of its layers, this room containing a pressurized fluid.

The invention also relates to a method for mounting a sleeve on a metal support cylinder such as defined in claim 14.

Preferably, the expandable material is in the form of form of a ribbon, deposited by wrapping on the cylinder or the sleeve, or in the form of a tube.

This ribbon or this tube advantageously comprises at least one layer of self-adhesive on one side, to allow its fixing on the cylinder or the sleeve.

• la figure 1 est une demi-vue en coupe axiale d'un ensemble d'impression ou de transformation selon l'invention, comprenant un cylindre support et un manchon,
• la figure 2 est une demi-vue en coupe axiale d'une variante d'un ensemble d'impression ou de transformation représenté à la figure 1,
• la figure 3 est une demi-vue en coupe axiale d'un premier exemple d'un ensemble d'impression ou de transformation selon l'invention comprenant un système de compensation de flèche du cylindre,
• le figure 4 est une demi-vue en coupe axiale représentant une variante de l'ensemble d'impression ou de transformation représenté à la figure 3 et
• la figure 5 est également une demi-vue en coupe axiale représentant une autre variante de réalisation de l'ensemble d'impression ou de transformation illustré à la figure 3.

The invention will be better understood and other objects, advantages and characteristics thereof will appear more clearly on reading the description which follows and which is made with reference to the appended drawings which represent embodiments of the invention and on which ones :

• FIG. 1 is a half-view in axial section of an impression or transformation assembly according to the invention, comprising a support cylinder and a sleeve,
• FIG. 2 is a half-view in axial section of a variant of an impression or transformation assembly represented in FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a half-view in axial section of a first example of an impression or transformation assembly according to the invention comprising a cylinder arrow compensation system,
• FIG. 4 is a half-view in axial section showing a variant of the printing or transformation assembly represented in FIG.
• FIG. 5 is also a half-view in axial section showing another variant embodiment of the printing or transformation assembly illustrated in FIG. 3.

We first refer to Figure 1 which shows a printing or processing set including a support cylinder 1 made of metal, on which is fixed a sleeve 2.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. sleeve 2 comprises a functional layer 20 forming the outer surface 2a of the sleeve and a layer of fastening 21 which is fixed on the cylinder 1 by through a physical or chemical bond.

The thickness of the functional layer is typically between 8 and 25 mm, the thickness of the bonding is typically 0.5 to 10 mm.

The printing assembly illustrated in Figure 1 can be obtained in various ways.

Firstly, the sleeve can be made independently, then force-fitted on the metal cylinder 1, by means known in the state of the art.

In this case, the fastening layer 21 is of compressible preference. It may also include a surface relief, on its inner side, facilitating the fitting of the sleeve on the cylinder.

The fastening layer 21 can also be achieved at least in part, after fitting the sleeve 2 on the cylinder 1, a game then being formed between the sleeve and the cylinder.

It is first possible to deposit a material expandable on the inner face of the functional layer 20 or on the outer surface of the cylinder 1.

In a first variant, this expandable material can take the form of a ribbon, wrapped around the cylinder 1.

The functional layer 20 is then mounted, with play, on the rolled cylinder with this ribbon, which is preferably provided with a layer of self-adhesive to facilitate its positioning on the cylinder 1.

Once the functional layer 20 is in place around the cylinder, it causes the expansion of the banded tape, especially by the action of heat if the material is expandable under the effect of heat.

For this, the whole is put in an oven or heated by infrared or microwave or by induction.

When expanding the ribbon, ancillary devices are used to keep concentric cylinder 1 and the functional layer 20.

Alternatively, this expandable material can be attached to the internal face of the functional layer, the solidarity between the functional layer and the cylinder taking place as previously described.

Moreover, this ribbon can be replaced by a tube preformed into an expandable material, positioned on the cylinder 1 or on the inner side of the functional layer 20, before mounting around the cylinder 1.

It is here the expansion of the expandable material, previously provided under the functional layer 20 or on the cylinder support 1, which creates solidarity between the functional layer 20 and the cylinder 1.

It can also be expected that the expandable material has a heat-shrinkable material, such as a fabric heat-shrink, which, when expanding under the effect of heat, also causes at the same time the tightening of the functional layer 20 on the support cylinder 1.

In another variant embodiment, the solidarization in expandable material can be obtained by pouring or injecting an expandable material between the layer 20 and the support cylinder 1, after assembly with play of the functional layer 20 on the support cylinder 1.

Means to ensure the concentricity of the sleeve and the support cylinder can be advantageously used.

Here again, the solidarity between the layer 20 and the support cylinder 1 is obtained during expanding the expansive material disposed between the layer functional and the support cylinder.

It can still be noted that the expansive material used to form the bonding layer can fill a additional sealing function, to protect the surface external of the metal support cylinder against corrosion.

Finally, the fastening layer 21 can be obtained by injecting or casting a curable material between functional layer 20 and the support cylinder 1, after mounting of the functional layer on the support cylinder.

The bonding between the functional layer 20 and the cylinder support 1 is obtained by hardening this material, in particular by gelation or crosslinking.

Ancillary devices are also used in this case to ensure the concentricity between the support cylinder and the sleeve.

The diameter of the cylinder support / sleeve assembly obtained is between 60 and 500 mm, while its length can go up to 7 m.

The thickness of the bonding layer is typically between 0.5 and 10 mm.

In the case where the bonding layer is obtained at from an expansible or hardenable material, the manufacturing tolerances of cylinder 1 and layer functional 20 are not very severe, since the layer of solidarity may compensate for certain defects in the as the concentricity between the support cylinder and the sleeve is well assured.

In the above description, it was considered that the sleeve consisted of only one functional layer 20 and a fastening layer 21.

Of course, the invention is not limited to this mode of realization and the sleeve could include other layers, in particular one or more support layers, other functional layers or layers fulfilling no particular function when printing but allowing to adjust the diameter of the sleeve.

In this respect, see Figure 2, which illustrates a support cylinder 1 on which is fixed a sleeve 3 comprising a functional layer 30 forming the surface outer sleeve, a reinforcing layer 31, another functional layer 32 which is here a compressible layer and a bonding layer 34.

This layer 34 will not be described in detail since it can be performed as the layer 21 described with reference to Figure 1.

The support layer 31 may especially be made of a composite material obtained with a sheet of glass fibers impregnated with resin. Other fibers than glass fibers can be used, with any known resin for this type application.

The support layer can also be made in one hard and thick material to compensate, with a thickness total fixed, reduced functional layer thickness in order to harden the Nip.

We will now give two examples illustrating the method of mounting a sleeve according to the invention.

In these two examples, the bonding layer of the sleeve is obtained by expanding an expandable material and the sleeve comprises a functional layer, a layer support and a bonding layer (example of embodiment not illustrated in Figures 1 and 2).

Example 1

The sleeve consisting of a composite support layer glass-epoxy 2 mm thick and an elastomer layer having a hardness of 95 Shore A (CSM family) and 15 mm thick, is manufactured on a mandrel diameter of 74.4 mm and width of 1000 mm.

The inner surface of the sleeve has a slight relief to facilitate mechanical fastening with the layer of solidarization described below.

A ribbon of a thermoplastic blend of the family of polyolefins having a hardness of 75 ShA and containing 5% of a blowing agent (microsphere type expandable in temperature Expancell) is extruded separately in the form of ribbon with a thickness of 1 mm. Extrusion is done at a temperature such that the microspheres do not expand during extrusion.

The ribbon described above is wrapped on a soul metallic (support cylinder) with a diameter of 68 mm helically and edge to edge with a single layer.

The metal core has a simply machined outer surface and not polished.

We put the sleeve described above on the set consisting of the metal core diameter 68 mm with its ribbon. The inside diameter of the sleeve being greater than 3.2 mm to that of the metal core, this operation is easy because it remains a big game.

The whole is mechanically blocked on the edges and brought to temperature in an oven. The cycle was from 2h to 80 ° C followed by 2h at 120 ° C. Ribbon expansion fills the space between the metal core and the sleeve and creates a mechanical tightening stress.

After cooling, the assembly is machined so concentric and cylindrical before being subjected to a test endurance.

The linear load supported continuously by the sleeve secured at a linear speed of 50 m / min. was 49 N / mm. The result obtained is sufficient for a sleeve of the size tested with a functional coating having a hardness of 95 ShA.

• Confinement plus élevé de la couche de solidarisation avec expansion plus faible;
• Réduction d'épaisseur de la couche de solidarisation;
• Augmentation de la dureté de la matrice de la couche de solidarisation (de 75 ShA utilisé dans l'exemple décrit ici jusqu'à 96 ShA).

Simple means, known per se, exist to increase the allowable load if it is necessary:

• Higher confinement of the bonding layer with weaker expansion;
• Thickness reduction of the bonding layer;
• Increased hardness of the matrix of the bonding layer (from 75 ShA used in the example described here up to 96 ShA).

Example 2

The sleeve consisting of a support layer and a layer elastomer is obtained as described in Example 1.

The ribbon wound on the metal core is a woven ribbon heat-shrinkable which is impregnated with a flowable polyurethane and crosslinkable of 75 ShA hardness and containing 8% of agent swelling. The casting being done at ambient temperature, the microspheres do not expand at this stage. This ribbon is such that it has the possibility to expand during a post-cooking 120 ° C.

The other steps of the mounting process are identical to those described for Example 1.

Whatever the type of bonding layer and its embodiment, its main feature is it allows for a physical connection between the sleeve and the metal support cylinder.

It should not be excluded a link complement particularly between the bonding layer and the functional layer or the support layer if it is present.

A support cylinder equipped with a sleeve according to the invention can support linear loads up to 350 N / mm and linear speeds of operation that can go up to 2000 meters / minute, without risk of disconnection between the cylinder and the sleeve.

The sleeve according to the invention thus makes it possible to combine the advantages of a coating that can not be detached the support cylinder, even under heavy loads, and those related to the presence of a compressible layer.

Moreover, when the sleeve is worn, it is easy to remove it from the support cylinder since it can be detached under the effect of an appropriate force.

This greatly simplifies the removal of the sleeve, compared to the coatings known in the state of the which are adhered to the support cylinder, an irreversible connection is thus made between the coating and the support cylinder.

In particular, just clean and eventually degrease the outer surface of cylinder 1 after the complete removal of the sleeve, and it is not necessary to machine the outer surface of the cylinder to remove completely the sleeve.

This thus eliminates the disadvantages mentioned above since the risks of deterioration of the support cylinder are eliminated. On the other hand, the cylinders do not have to be returned to the manufacturer to replace the sleeve. Removal of the used sleeve and fixation of a new one sleeve can be directly made at the printer. This considerably reduces the duration and costs of maintenance of these cylinders.

This also reduces the number of cylinders support held by the user to ensure the operation of these machines, despite the maintenance necessary. Printers or users can therefore thus reduce their investments. Users can also reduce production losses associated with long changes.

We can still note that when the layer of solidarization is obtained from a material compressible or hardenable, its thickness can be modulated for a sleeve comprising, moreover, the same layers constituent. This makes it possible to garnish cylinders support having different external diameters, with the same sleeve, by varying the thickness of the joining.

These sleeves can typically be adapted to cylinders whose diameter can vary between 1 and 10 mm.

It should also be noted that sleeves can be, at least partly, made before they are assembled on the cylinder support. This reduces the duration of the maintenance since only the bonding layer must, where applicable, be manufactured after fitting the sleeve to the cylinder.

Reference is now made to Figures 3 to 5 which illustrate an assembly according to the invention comprising a system of arrow compensation of the cylinder.

Referring first to Figure 3, the set printing device according to the invention comprises the support cylinder 1 of cylindrical shape, of constant diameter and a sleeve 4 fixed on the cylinder.

This sleeve 4 comprises a functional layer 40 forming the outer surface 4a of the sleeve, an intermediate layer 41, in particular a support layer such as the layer 31 described with reference to FIG. 2, and a layer of solidarity 42.

This bonding layer 42 can in particular be made of an expanded or hardened material, such as layers 21 and 34 which have been previously described in reference to Figures 1 and 2.

This bonding layer 42 here has a profile parabolic. This profile could also be conical or stepped conical. This profile is obtained by conferring on the surface internal layer 41 a complementary shape, curved towards the axis of the sleeve.

After assembly of the sleeve, initially constituted layers 40 and 41, around the support cylinder 1, the expandable or curable material placed between the surface internal layer 41 and the outer surface of the cylinder support 1 is expanded or cured, as has been described previously with reference to Figure 1.

This expanded or hardened material thus fills the space between the sleeve and the cylinder, which ensures fixing the sleeve on the support cylinder with a layer of solidarity with this parabolic profile that allows to compensate the arrow of the cylinder during its use in a printing machine.

It can be seen that with such a compensation system, the outer surface of the sleeve is cylindrical and has a constant thickness. We thus obtain compensation from the arrow for a given load, without having to give a shape particular to the outer surface of the sleeve, which eliminates the disadvantages of known compensation systems until now.

Moreover, when the compensation system is formed by the bonding layer, it is obtained very simply, by joining the sleeve to the cylinder support.

In this case, the arrow compensation is of course obtained firstly by the variation of the thickness of the bonding layer along the axis of the support cylinder 1. Moreover, the variable thickness between the internal surface of the layer 41 and the outer surface of the cylinder 1, during the formation of the bonding layer 42, generates itself a variation of the compression module in the layer 42.

In general, the thickness variation profile of the layer 42 is chosen to obtain compensation the cylinder arrow, for dimensions cylinder data and a linear load of operation given.

Figure 4 illustrates another embodiment of the compensation system.

Reference 1 always designates a support cylinder of constant diameter along the axis of the cylinder.

The sleeve 5 according to the invention comprises a layer functional 50 forming the outer surface 5a of the cylinder / sleeve assembly, a support layer 51, a layer 52 allowing the compensation of the arrow of the cylinder, another support layer 53 and a layer of solidarity 54.

The securing layer 54 is obtained as described previously for the layers 21 of the sleeve 2 and 34 of the sleeve 3.

The layer 52 has, on its outer face 52a, a parabolic profile, the inner surface of the layer 51 having a complementary shape. The profile could also be conical.

This layer 52 therefore has a variable thickness along the axis of the cylinder 1 and, if necessary, a module elasticity also variable along the axis of the sleeve 5.

This variation of module and / or thickness makes it possible to compensate for the cylinder's deflection while retaining a sleeve of constant diameter.

Finally, reference is made to Figure 5 which illustrates another embodiment of a cylinder support / sleeve assembly according to the invention, with an arrow compensation system.

This assembly consists of a support cylinder 10 and a sleeve 6.

The cylinder 10 has an outer surface 10a curved, with a parabolic profile. This profile could also be conical. The sleeve 6 has a layer 60 forming the outer surface 6a of together, a support layer 61 and a layer of solidarity 62.

This bonding layer 62 is obtained from an expandable or curable material, such as layers 21 and 34 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

The layers 60 and 61 have a constant thickness. The bonding layer 62 has on its surface outer 62a a cylindrical shape and on its inner face a conical profile complementary to the conical profile of the outer surface 10a of the support cylinder 10.

Thanks to the particular profile of the support cylinder 10, gets there again a system of compensation of the arrow of the cylinder, thanks to a variation of the layer thickness in the axial direction and possibly a variation of the modulus of elasticity in the same axial direction.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the modes of realization which have just been described and, in particular, the layer of the sleeve that serves to compensate the arrow of the cylinder could only have a modulus of elasticity variable in the axial direction, having a thickness constant.

In addition, the embodiments described with reference Figures 3 and 4 on the one hand and 5 on the other could to be combined. Thus, the sleeve could comprise a layer of solidarity of variable thickness thanks to a cylinder support of varying diameter and also another layer inside the sleeve having a profile particular as the layer 52 described with reference to the figure 4.

One could also provide a profiled cylinder as well that a support layer also profiled, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the profile of the cylinder and that of the layer support being adapted to confer a variation of thickness wanted to the bonding layer.

In operation, the compressible layer 42, 52 or 62 is deformed in compression under the effect of the charges in the nip. This compressible layer is deformed more at the ends of the sleeve than at its center, which compensates for cylinder deflection by generating a load linear uniform.

The assembly according to the invention could also include an arrow compensation system consisting of a chamber placed inside the sleeve, containing a pressurized fluid and having a suitable geometry.

In general, the assemblies according to the invention allow to compensate for arrows up to 4 mm.

The main interest of the compensation system provided for in the sleeve according to the invention is to make the profile unnecessary curved given to the sleeves known in the state of the art to get this arrow compensation. This entails a considerable simplification of the manufacture of the sleeve and therefore a cost reduction. Moreover, the sleeves are usually rectified several times to regenerate the work surface. These rectifications may lead to errors in the definition of the surface outside the sleeve, which leads to compensation of inappropriate arrow. This disadvantage is totally avoided with the invention since it is sufficient that the diameter of the sleeve be constant.

Incorporating a compressible layer or simply expanded, if necessary, to compensate simple way of local overload possibilities on board of the product passing through the Nip or to protect the functional coating against accidental overloads. This layer acts as a kind of mechanical fuse which mechanically protects the machine on which the cylinder is mounted in case of passage of a foreign body in the Nip.

It can still be noted that the presence of a layer of solidarisation and, where appropriate, a compressible layer in polymer, which can be rendered damping by means known per se, helps to dampen vibrations or dynamic response in case of shocks, of the assembled assembly cylinder and sleeve. The effectiveness of the damping polymer is greatly increased by the confinement of the latter between the rigid layers formed respectively of the cylinder and a support layer.

Claims (17)

1. An arrangement comprising a support cylinder (1) and a sleeve (2) intended to be mounted on the metal support cylinder (1) and comprising at least one functional layer (20, 30, 40, 50) forming the external surface of the sleeve as well as an integral bonding layer (21, 34, 42, 54) for the cylinder, the constituent material of which layer is intended to be fixed to the metal of the cylinder by a physical bond, the integral bonding layer being made of an expandable material, the expansion of which is initiated after the sleeve has been mounted with a clearance on the support cylinder, said material, when installed, being in its non-expanded state in the space between the layer and the support cylinder.
2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the expandable material is compressible after expansion.
3. An arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the integral bonding layer also comprises a thermally shrinkable material which, during the expansion of the integrally bonding layer under the effect of heat, causes the sleeve to be squeezed on to the cylinder.
4. An arrangement according to any one of claims I to 3, comprising at least one support layer (31, 41, 51, 53).
5. An arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising a system for compensating for the camber of the support cylinder.
6. An arrangement according to claim 5, comprising a compressible layer (42, 52, 62), the compressibility of which is variable along the axis of the sleeve.
7. An arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the modulus of elasticity of said compressible layer varies in the axial direction.
8. A sleeve according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the thickness of said compressible layer (42, 52, 62) varies in the axial direction.
9. An arrangement according to claim 8, wherein said compressible layer has a single parabolic profile, or a multiple, stepped or tapered parabolic profile.
10. An arrangement according to claims 6 to 9, wherein said variable compressibility layer is the layer (42, 62) for integrally bonding the sleeve (4, 6) to the support cylinder (1, 10).
11. An arrangement according to claim 9 or 10, intended to be fixed to a support cylinder (10) having a variable thickness.
12. An arrangement according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the variable compressibility layer (52) is situated between two layers (51, 52) of the sleeve (5).
13. An arrangement according to claim 5, comprising at least one chamber between two layers of the sleeve, said chamber containing a pressurised fluid.
14. A process for mounting a sleeve (2) on a metal support cylinder (1), said sleeve comprising at least one functional layer (20, 30, 40, 50) forming the outer surface of the sleeve, the process consisting of:

    mounting said sleeve, with a clearance, on the support cylinder,

    introducing a material which is expandable under a given stress, said material being positioned between the support cylinder and the sleeve in its unexpanded state during the installation of the latter, and

    applying said stress in order to induce the expansion of the expandable material and the integral bonding of the sleeve to the cylinder by physical bonding.
15. A process according to claim 14, wherein before the sleeve is mounted on the cylinder the expandable material is deposited on the external surface of the support cylinder or on the internal surface of the sleeve.
16. A process according to claim 15, wherein the expandable material is present in the form of a ribbon deposited by winding on the cylinder or sleeve, or in the form of a tube.
17. A process according to claim 16, characterised in that the ribbon or tube comprises at least one self adhesive layer on one of its faces.

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