ROLLERS AND BEARINGS

The present invention refers to a system for cleaning, protecting and lubricating with a mixture of air and lubricant oil the hyperbolic rollers and their respective bearings installed in a rotor. The hyperbolic rollers are placed in a rotor, which rotates and whose rotational movement, forces the rollers to simultaneously rotate around the wire, rod or re-bar axis.

Cleaning, protection and lubrication of the hyperbolic rollers and bearings during rotation of the rotor is achieved through the use of a mixture of air and lubricant oil which is distributed via an oil-tight channel network. State-of-the-art disadvantages

The rotor with rollers, fig. 1A, fig. 1 B, straightens the wire, rod or re-bar and is the central mechanism of a straightening machine or of a straightening unit. The hyperbolic rollers are placed on bearings, which are protected by rotational seals. The rollers are separately lubricated with grease when the rotor does not rotate

The rotor is used for straightening wire or re-bar. The hyperbolic rollers straighten the wire, rod or re-bar and rotate with hundreds to thousands of revolutions per minute, depending on the processed wire, rod or re-bar diameter.

Wires are usually surface coated with oil for oxidation protection purposes and rod or re-bars with residue of calamine and scale remains deriving from the production process. Quite often the wire, rod or re-bar is also oxidized.

During rotor operation, as the wire, rod or re-bar goes through the straightening rollers, it is bent on all directions, resulting in the abruption and removal of the residues, calamine, scale and rust from the surface of the wire, rod and re-bar, which are accumulated on the rollers and their respective bearings. This accumulation of the residue particles eventually passes through the rotary seals and accelerates the premature failure of the bearings and the rollers, resulting in the necessity of early replacement.

The proposed -until today- solution to the problem is the frequent lubrication of the rollers, which entails frequent production interruptions.

Furthermore, it requires a strict and well organized maintenance plan, where the maintenance team has to comply with the servicing guidance, which is usually not followed.

Objective and range of the present invention

The objective of the present invention is the presentation of a system for cleaning, protecting and lubricating of the rollers of a rotor, which will prevent contamination of the rollers and their respective bearings, clean them from incoming residue, lubricate the bearings and where this system will be activated without rotor operation stoppage.

The invention is applied to any type of rotor with rollers, to wire, rod and re-bar straightening machines with one or multiple straightening lines, and can be operated automatically or manually.

The system is presented in the form of an example through the following figures:

Figure 1A: Depicts a straightening rotor with rollers and its driving motor.

Figure 1 B: Depicts a straightening rotor with the lubrication system.

Figure 2A: Depicts a cross section of the rotor along its length.

Figure 2B: Depicts a side view of the rotor.

Figure 2C: Depicts a transversal cross section of the rotor.

Figure 2D: Depicts a transversal cross section of the rotor.

Figure 2E: Depicts a top view of the rotor.

Figure 2F: Depicts an oblique view of the rotor, explaining the details of a roller.

Figure 2G: Depicts a side view of the rotor, indicating the supply line of air and oil along the length of the rotor. Figure 2H: Depicts a cross section top view of the rotor.

Figure 3A: Depicts a roller housing and its roller.

Figure 3B: Depicts a roller housing and a cross section of its roller.

Figure 4A: Depicts schematically a rotational seal

Figure 4B: Depicts schematically a rotational seal with labyrinth channels. Figure 4C: Depicts schematically a rotational seal with labyrinth channels. Figure 4D: Depicts schematically a rotational seal with labyrinth channels. Figure 5: Depicts the system of air-oil supply lines. Disclosure of the invention

Rotor (1), fig. 1A, fig. 2B, fig. 2A, fig. 2E, consists of a rotor shell (2), which houses at least three roller housings (30), whereas in the implementation example figures of the present invention the roller housings are eight.

The roller housing (30), fig. 3A, fig. 3B, consists of the roller housing body (31), and of the roller (32), which is installed in the roller housing. Roller (32) is placed on the body of the roller housing (31) through the bearings (34), the safety lock (42), the spacer rings (43), the shaft safety pin (41) and the shaft (33). The bearings (34) are protected by two seals (35) placed one per bearing side. The shaft (33) area is sealed from the rotor shell (2) through the O-ring (38), which is installed into a slot on the body of the roller housing (31). Furthermore, there are O-ring sealings (40) for sealing the bearings’ (34) area inside the roller (32). Shaft (33) has perforations (39), which allow entry of air and oil to the bearings (34). Thread (37) in the roller housing (30) is used for regulating the roller (32) position with respect to the wire, rod or re-bar (10) axis, and a keyway (36) is used to maintain constant roller (32) angle with respect to the wire or re-bar (10) axis.

A rotor has eight roller housings (30) with eight hyperbolic rollers (32) which are installed in the rotor arranged in two sets of four, opposite to each other and at an angle with respect to the wire, rod or re-bar (10) axis. The angle of roller (32) is determined by the keyway (36) and the guide (46), whereas the roller (32) position with respect to the wire, rod or re-bar (10) axis is determined by a regulating screw (44) and it is secured by a securing screw ^‘ (45).

Rollers (32) are pressed against the wire, rod or re-bar (10) imposing alternating bending stresses upon it. The rotor with the roller housings, is supported on bearing housings (50), (51 ), and rotates around the wire (10) axis. Through the rotor rotation, the wire, rod or re-bar (10) moves forward and is simultaneously straightened.

Rotation of the rotor causes rollers (32) to rotate around the wire, rod or re-bar (10) axis and around the roller housing shaft (33).

The rotor’s bearing housing (50) has a bearing and is lubricated with grease through the respective greasing point. Bearing housing (51 ) has a bearing (52) located between rotational seals (53) and is lubricated with grease through the respective greasing point (54).

Lubrication of rollers (32) is achieved through a supply line (55), which is located on flange (56), and which directs oil and air from the first internal chamber (57) between rotation gaskets (58) and finally through channels from chamber (57) to rollers (32), during the rotor rotation.

Two channels (81 ), (91) are cut in, at the two sides of the rotor body.

Channel (81) is covered by a metal plate (82), which is sealed through O-ring (83) and is secured on the rotor shell with screws. The air and oil mixture from chamber (57) is driven towards channel (81 ) through holes (86), (84) and (85). Through four holes and four flow regulating valves (70) air and oil are driven from channel (81 ) to the four roller housings.

Channel (91 ) is covered with a metal plate (92), which is sealed through O-ring (93) and is fixed on the rotor shell with screws. Air and oil from chamber (57) are driven towards channel (91) through holes (96), (94) and (95). Through four holes and four flow regulating valves (70) air and oil are driven from channel (91 ) to the four opposite roller housings. The rollers’ (32) seals (35) are schematically presented in fig. 4A. Their shape can be of any configuration that allows air to flow from the interior to the exterior and to block inflow of air from the exterior to the interior. Examples of such labyrinth type of seals are presented in figs. 4B, 4C and 4D.

The supply of air and oil circuit is presented below.

Activating the valve at its first position, compressed air is supplied towards the rollers, whereas at its second position the valve allows supply of air, enriched with oil, towards the rollers. In the middle position the valve does not allow the flow of air or oil towards the rollers. Two non-return valves (25) isolate the occasional supply of air or air and oil towards the rollers.

Activation of the valve determines the required time for filling the rollers area with air and the required time for lubricating the rollers with air enriched with oil.

Through the system that was described, air and oil are led to the bearings of the roller housings.

The position (depth) of the roller housing is adjustable in order to impose the appropriate force on the wire, rod or re-bar

Air and oil are led through channels (81 ), (91) towards the bearings (34) of roller (32) of roller housing (31 ) via the flow regulating valve (70). The roller housing area is sealed through O-ring (38), which is located on a circular slot on the roller housing surface. The shape of the slot determines the location of the O-ring and the degree of the displacement of the roller housing inside the rotor.

Keyway (36) and guide (46) determine the roller (32) angle with respect to the wire, rod or re-bar (10) axis. This angle remains usually constant during the rotor operation. The roller housing (30) can be rotated about its axis so that the roller (32) angle with respect to the wire, rod or re-bar (10) can vary. In this case cleaning and lubrication are ensured, since the supply (55) of air and oil remain inside the area enclosed by the O-ring, as the roller housing is displaced and rotated. The area of the bearings (34) and the rollers (32) can be at a higher pressure than the atmospheric one, by the supply of compressed air, so that the inflow of contaminants is inhibited. Lubrication of the bearings is achieved by activating the flow of air enriched with oil. The time intervals of supply of compressed air and the duration of lubrication depend on the operational conditions, revolutions and loads applied on the hyperbolic rollers and bearings, as well as on the amount of contaminants from the wire, rod and re- bar. The process of cleaning, protecting and lubricating of the bearings and the roller housings of the rotating rotor can be fully automated and controlled by a computer or electronic controller.

Advantages

The system presents the following advantages.

It maintains the bearings’ area clean from contaminants, since their area is subject to controlled pressure conditions, and also kept under a minor but continuous supply of air which repels incoming contamination particles.

By activating the supply of oil through the air circuit, lubrication with air-oil mixture of the bearings of the rollers, smooth operation is secured.

General issues on protection The present invention is by no means limited to the implementation described above and through the attached drawings, but it can be implemented in various forms and dimensions without deviating from the protection framework of the invention. For implementation of the invention, the materials used and the dimensions of the individual parts can be in accordance with the requirements of each individual application. In every claim, wherein technical characteristics are referred to and are followed by reference numbers, these are included solely to increase the comprehension of the claims and in this manner the reference numerals do not affect the consideration of the elements, which are exemplarily recognizable by them.

List of reference numbers and names

1 : Rotor.

2: Rotor shell.

10: Wire, rod or re-bar.

20: Supply of compressed air.

21 : Air pressure regulator.

22: Air lubricator.

23: Air-oil supply activation valve.

24: Air pressure measuring gauge meter.

25: Non-return valves.

30: Roller housing.

31 : Roller housing body.

32: Hyperbolic roller

33: Roller housing’s roller shaft.

34: Roller housing’s bearings.

35: Roller housing’s rotational seals

36: Roller housing’s keyway.

37: Roller housing’s thread for depth regulation.

38: O-ring for sealing flow of air-oil towards the roller housing.

39: Perforations for supply channels of air-oil to the shaft towards the bearings.

40: Sealing O-ring.

41 : Pin-screw for stabilization of the roller shaft.

42: Safety lock.

43: Spacer rings.

44: Screw for regulation of the roller housing’s depth.

45: Roller housing’s safety screw. 46: Roller housing’s guide.

50: Rotor bearing.

51 : Rotor bearing with air-oil supply.

52: Rotor bearing of (51)

53: Rotor bearing rotational seal (51)

54: Rotor bearing greasing point (51)

55: Supply of air-oil for lubrication of bearings of the rollers 56: Air-oil supply flange.

57: Air-oil supply chamber inside the flange (56)

58: Rotational seals

70: Flow regulation valves.

81 : Channel along the rotor length.

82: metal plate channel cover (81)

83: Channel O-ring seal (81)

84: Perforation along the rotor length.

85: Perforation vertically to the rotor length.

91 : Channel along the rotor length.

92: Metal plate channel cover (91)

93: Channel O-ring seal (91)

94: Perforation along the rotor length.

95: Perforation vertically the rotor length.