GB2045890A - Mechanical roll-driving apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A roll sleeve 10 on bearings 11 on a non-rotatable axle 12 has a sleeve 16 accommodating drive means. A gear ring 35 is driven by an input shaft 20 and a gear system 25, 26a, 26b, 32. The sleeve 16 supports the axle 12, by rings 15a, 15b having complementary spherical surfaces S, on a pedestal 13, 14. A gear wheel carrier 29 is connected movably but non-rotatably to the pedestal part 13. A toothed coupling 22, 24 movably connects a gear 25 to the shaft 20. The pedestal has a fixed part 19 supporting bearings 21 for the shaft 20, the latter having an internal gear ring to mesh at H1 with a gear ring on a shaft 23 having teeth to mesh at H2 with the planet gears 26a, 26b. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Mechanical roll-driving apparatus The present invention relates to a mechanical driving apparatus by means of which a roll sleeve, mounted with bearings onto a fixed axle, is rotated, said mechanical driving apparatus comprising an internally toothed gear ring which is driven by the input shaft via a planetary gear set and whose fixed axle has, at its end, a sleeve section, by which the shaft is supported onto the stand of the driving apparatus and through which the powertransmission takes place.

Regarding the state of art, reference is made to Finnish patents Nos. 51993 (Karlstads Mekaniska Werkstad AB) and 53168 (Valmet Oy). In the abovementioned patent of Karlstads Mekaniska Werkstad AB such a mechanical roll driving apparatus is described in which the roll sleeve being rotated is mounted with bearings onto a massive axle, whose one end is shaped to form a hollow tubular section to the inside of which the input axle is respectively mounted with bearings and which tubular section is provided with openings for a planetary gear transmission to drive the internally toothed gear ring of the roll sleeve. In this known arrangement the planet gears have spherical bearings (25), replaced in the above-mentioned patent of the Applicant by a doublejoint coupling.

The construction of a driving apparatus in accordance with the Finnish patent No. 51996 is particularly favourable from the point of view of space requirement, as the transmission gear set can be located within the fixed axle; in any case the driving apparatus can be made fit into such a space that there will always be sufficiently room for supporting the mating roll. This known solution however has the drawback that, as the bearings of the planetary gear set are rigidly installed onto the center axle of the roll sleeve, the deflections of the roll sleeve cause positional variations resulting in disturbances in meshings; another drawback is that, as the bearings of the input shaft of the drive installation are fitted within the roll shaft, deflections of this roll shaft cause positional variations in the input shaft.

The input shaft must therefore be driven by means of a cardan propeller shaft or similar, which add to the cost and space requirement of the construction.

For eliminating the drawbacks mentioned above the principal characteristic feature of a driving apparatus in accordance with the invention is that the bearings of the planet gears of the planetary gear system are installed into a floatingly self-positioning planet gear carrier and, for preventing the rotation only, cop- nected with the stand of the driving apparatus by means of toothed sleeve or similar, and that the sun gear of the planetary gear set is connected with the input shaft of the driving apparatus by means of an extended tooth coupling or similar arrangement permitting the sun gear to take positions.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the schematic figures in the accompanying drawing, with no intention to restrict the invention to these details.

Figure 1 is a central horizontal section view of a driving apparatus in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 shows section view ll-ll in figure 1, when turned 90 degrees clockwise around axis C-C.

The mechanical driving apparatus shown in figures 1 and 2 is installed in association with the end of roll sleeve 10 being rotated. The roll sleeve is, at its both ends, mounted with annular bearings 11 on top of a non-rotatable massive axle 12. At one end of axle 12 there is a tubular sleeve section 16, in which there is space V for transmission organs. Axle 12 is, at its both ends, flexibly supported onto the foundation by means of frame section 13, 14 of the driving apparatus. This support makes use of annular components 15a and 15b being in contact with each other by spherical surface S which makes it possible for said axle 12 to bend. Frame part 13 is, at 36, supported onto the foundation by means of stand 14. A gable section with sleeve part 19 is attached to the frame section.The frame section also comprises shell part 17 that has seal 34 at its one end; this seal seals the shell of the driving apparatus against the side of part 33 attached to the gable of roll sleeve 10.

The mechanical power is brought to shaft 20 of the driving apparatus, which shaft 20 is rigidly mounted with bearings onto sleeve part 19 of the frame. As shaft 20 is located in a rigid stand, the power can be brought directly to shaft 20 without flexible couplings, which is an important advantage, as no cardan propeller shafts or similar are required between the shaft of the drive motor and shaft 20.

The driving apparatus functions according to the principle of a planetary gear set. It comprises sun gear 25, planet gears 26a and 26b meshing at H3 with the sun gear and at H4 with ring gear 32; ring gear 32 is, by means of flange 33, rigidly fastened to the gable of roll sleeve 10 being rotated. Thus in the transmission system there are two parallel transmission routes equally loaded by powers being transmitted.

Shaft 23, with toothed couplings 22, 24 with toothings H1 and H2 known as such, reaches off input shaft 20 to then penetrate into sleeve section 16 of fixed axle 12. Shaft 23 together with toothed couplings 22 and 23 compose an extended toothed coupling between input shaft 20 and sun gear 25.

Shafts 27a, 27b of planet gears 26a and 26b are mounted with bearings 28a, 28b into planet carrier 29. Planet carrier 29 integrally comprise annular part 29' and center part 29", neither of which is rigidly connected with bending axle 12 and its bending sleeve section 16; instead of rigid connection planet carrier 29 is "floating" and self-positioning. It is obvious that planet carrier 29 must be supported non-rotatably. For this, annular part 29' of one end of planet carrier 29 is fitted with a gear ring, whose internal toothing meshes with gear sleeve 30 equippew with externally toothed gear rings. In association with the other end of gear sleeve 30 there is ring part 30 fastened to frame part 13.This brings about meshings at H4 and H4,; they lock planet carrier 29 non-rotatably but make it possible for the planet car rier and consequently the planet gears take position freely enough. Planet gears 26a and 26b mesh at H5 with ring gear 32 fitted with internal toothing 35.

Ring wheel 32 is, through its end flange 33, rigidly connected with the gable of roll sleeve 10 being rotated. An essential feature of the driving apparatus in accordance with the invention is that there is a marked clearance A between planet carrier 29, on one hand, and the center axle 12 and its sleeve part 16, on the other hand.

In accordance with the invention, sun gear 25 is primarily controlled by roll sleeve 10 via planet gears 26a and 26b. Thus variations of the position of the bending roll sleeve 10 have an adverse effect neither on various gear meshings of the power train nor the transmission of power itself. On the other hand, as there is no connection between planet carrier 29 and axle 12 and its sleeve part 16, planet gears 26a and 26b are free to take position according to roll sleeve 10. This is also made possible by the fact that, instead of being mounted in rigid bearings, sun gear 25 is, via extended toothed coupling 22,23,24, connected with input shaft 20, which is mounted in bearings that are fastened to the fixed stand.

The various details of the invention may vary within the framework of the inventional idea as defined in the following claims.

Claims (6)

1. A mechanical roll-driving apparatus for rotating a roll sleeve (10) comprising an internally toothed gear ring (35) located in association with the gable of the roll sleeve (10), which gear ring (35) is driven by the input shaft (20) via a planetary gear transmission (25, 26a, 26b, 32), said roll sleeve having a fixed axle (12) with a sleeve section (16) at its end, by which hollow sleeve section the axle is supported onto the stand (13, 14) of the driving apparatus, and through which hollow sleeve section the power transmission takes place; recognized in that the planet gears (26a, 26b) of said planetary gear set are mounted with bearings (28a, 28b) in such a planet carrier (29) that is floatingly self-positioning and connected for non-rotation only by means of a toothed sleeve (30) or similar with the stand (13, 14) of the driving apparatus (13, 14), and that the sun gear (25) of the planetary gear set is, by means of an extended toothed coupling (22, 23,24) or similar component that permits the sun gear (25) take position, connected with the input shaft (20) of the driving apparatus.

2. A driving apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the input shaft is mounted with bearings into part (19), which is an integral part of the stand (13, 14) of the driving apparatus.

3. A driving apparatus in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein the planet carrier (29) comprises an annular part (29') and a center part (29'), which have a marked clearing (A) with respect to the roll axle (12) and its sleeve section (16), and wherein said center part (29') of the planet carrier (29) penetrates through said sleeve section (16) via openings (Va, Vb).

4. A driving apparatus in accordance with claim 1,2 or3, wherein the annular part (29') of one end of the planet carrier (29) is provided with a gear ring that meshes at H4 with the gear ring of one end of the toothed sleeve (30), and wherein one end of said toothed sleeve is provided with a gear ring that meshes at H4, with the gear ring of the annular part (31)that is fastened to the stand (13).

5. A driving apparatus in accordance with claim 1,2,3 or 4, wherein the end of the input shaft (20) is provided with a sleeve part fitted with an internally toothed gear ring that meshes at H1 with the externally toothed gear ring located at one end of shaft (23) which penetrates into the sleeve section (16), and that, at the other end of said shaft (23), there is an externally toothed gear ring (24) that meshes at H3 with the internally toothed gear ring located in association with the sun gear (25).

6. A driving apparatus constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.