Features of finish rolling and the choice of rolling bearing

Oct 12, 2023

Finish rolling is a metal material processing technology that refers to rolling metal materials through multiple passes to achieve the required shape and performance. The characteristics of finish rolling include the following aspects:

High precision: The precision of finishing rolling is very high, generally within ±0.05mm. In order to meet this accuracy requirement, the tube blanks used in finish rolling are usually made of cold-drawn tubes that have been rolled multiple times in a finishing rolling mill, so their surface quality is very high.

High efficiency: The rolling speed of finishing is very fast, generally reaching a speed of several meters to tens of meters per minute, so the production efficiency is very high.

High energy consumption: Because finish rolling requires a large amount of electricity and fuel to heat and roll metal materials, its energy consumption is high.

High technical requirements: Finish rolling requires the use of high-tech equipment and processes, such as high-precision rolling mills, advanced heating and cooling systems, strict quality control systems, etc., so it requires high skills and quality of operators.

High added value: Since the metal materials after finishing rolling have high added value, finish rolling is widely used in petroleum, natural gas, steel, automobiles, aerospace, and other fields.

Limitations: The equipment and processes of finish rolling are relatively complex, and the production cost is high. Therefore, in some fields that require a large amount of metal materials but do not require particularly high precision, other processing methods may be more suitable.

In short, finish rolling is a processing method with high precision, high efficiency, high energy consumption, high technical requirements, and high added value. It is widely used in the processing and production of various metal materials.

What types of bearings are used for finish rolling?

The main types of bearings used for finish rolling are as follows:

Radial bearings: This type of bearing can bear radial loads. Commonly used four-row cylindrical roller bearings, thrust roller bearings, thrust ball bearings, and radial angular contact ball or radial roller bearings. Four-row cylindrical roller bearings can withstand high radial forces, have interchangeable inner and outer rings, are low in cost, and can be easily disassembled. They are widely used on backup rolls of high-speed and high-precision rolling mills. Double-row spherical roller bearings have self-aligning characteristics and can withstand medium loads. They are mostly used as backup rollers for small and medium-sized rolling mills. Four-row tapered roller bearings can bear both radial and axial loads and are used on the backup rolls and work rolls of large rolling mills.

Thrust bearing: This type of bearing bears the axial load. Commonly used thrust components include thrust roller bearings, thrust ball bearings, and four-row tapered roller bearings. For heavy-loaded and low-speed rolling mills, thrust roller bearings are generally configured; for situations where rolling speed requirements are higher, angular contact ball bearings should be selected to ensure higher limit speeds, precise axial guidance of the rolls, and a certain Axial load.

Combined bearing: There is also a combined bearing, which is composed of a radial bearing and a thrust bearing and can withstand loads in both radial and axial directions.

The selection of these bearings will be determined according to the requirements of the rolling process, such as rolling speed, rolling force, working environment, etc., to ensure the smooth production of the finishing rolling process.

Characteristics of bearings for finish rolling

Finish rolling is a high-precision and high-efficiency processing method, which also has high requirements for bearings. Generally speaking, bearings for finish rolling should have the following characteristics:

High precision: The bearing for finishing rolling has high dimensional accuracy and minimal clearance between the inner and outer rings. The diameter and roundness errors of the rolling elements are also very small to ensure precision during finish rolling.

High stiffness: Due to the high deformation resistance of metal materials during the finishing rolling process, the bearings are required to have high stiffness to ensure that they will not deform when bearing loads.

High-temperature resistance: A large amount of heat will be generated during the finishing rolling process, so the bearings are required to have good high-temperature resistance and generally need to maintain stable performance at high temperatures.

Long life: Since rollers and other components need to be replaced frequently during the finishing rolling process, the bearings are required to have a long service life, reduce the number of replacements, and reduce production costs.

Low noise: The noise generated by the bearings during the finishing rolling process is required to be very low to avoid affecting the hearing health of the operators.

Application of bearings for finishing rolling

Bearings for finish rolling are mainly used in the following two fields:

Rolling mill field: The bearings used in rolling mills mainly include work roll bearings, backup roll bearings, and main drive bearings. These bearings are subject to huge rolling forces and impact loads, so high-precision and high-stiffness sliding bearings or rolling bearings are required.

Finishing rolling machinery field: The bearings used in finishing rolling machinery include guide plate bearings, pinch roller bearings, straightening roller bearings, and shearing machine bearings. These bearings need to withstand certain impact loads and high temperatures, so rolling bearings or sliding bearings with high precision and high-temperature resistance need to be selected.

Selection of bearings for finish rolling

When selecting bearings for finishing rolling, the following factors need to be considered:

The size and direction of the load: it is necessary to select bearings that can withstand a certain load to ensure their safety and reliability.

Speed: An appropriate speed range needs to be selected to ensure the service life and use effect of the bearings for finish rolling.

Working conditions: It is necessary to select bearings suitable for working conditions, such as bearings with special properties such as high-temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and dust resistance.

Cost: On the premise of meeting the usage requirements, bearings at reasonable prices need to be selected to reduce production costs.

In short, there are many types of bearings used in finish rolling, and different application fields require different types of bearings. When selecting bearings for finish rolling, it is important to consider usage characteristics, load-bearing capacity, rotation speed, and working conditions. It will ensure that they meet the requirements of the finish-rolling process safely and reliably.