Heavy Industrial Wheel/Roller Application

[matthewcsmith]

I'm working on a new design for a cam follower/track roller type application. The environment for the part is HEAVY INDUSTRIAL with extreme heat (>400F intermittent), dust/grit, and no possibility for lubrication. There is some possibility for intermittant cooling air to be applied.

Carbon graphite bushings have been considered, but cannot handle the required loads. I have seen other roller/shaft assemblies which rely on no bearing or bushing at all in these types of applications, but do not know much about them.

I do not believe that a bearing can handle this environment and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or previous experience.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MikeHalloran]

A bearing can handle some heat. Most bearing lubricants and most bearing seals can't.

A common way to deal with rotating equipment in ovens is to extend the shaft and put the bearings outside of the hot zone, or to force cool purge gas over/around the bearings.

You didn't give us a clue, in the engineering sense, e.g. numbers and units, about the load, the speed, or the allowable maintenance/ replacement interval.

Ask a better question, get a better answer.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[unclesyd]

You should look at the Maxam Bearings.

http://www.ermcompp.com/maxamoverview.aspx

As stated above there is a lack of critical information in the OP. Knowing more about your application could open up different avenues of resolving the problem like the possibility of using Cast Iron.

 

[matthewcsmith]

Mike,

The loads involved are roughly 6,000# per roller at a total of 4 rollers per unit. The loads are strictly radially, but due to the possibility of some misalignment, there may be a small amount of axial loading.

Speed is very slow, roughly 2 in/sec. in translation forward and back. As is, I've specified a 3 1/4" OD wheel so that works out to around 12rpm (VERY slow).

As far as allowable maintenance, the unit is serviced every few months and can be checked at that time. As with most equipment, replacement cost if of some concern here. The initial cost of the bearing is not too concerning to me, so long as the service life is expected to be long.

The fear here is that a failure of the roller assembly during use is catastrophic to the function of the product. The failure of the product can cause significant damage to the underlying equipment and personnel.

I hope some of this is of some help. I can certainly provide more information as required.



Unclesyd,

That company looks to be of GREAT interest to me. Thank you for the link!

 

[diskullman]

When I was employed with Unique Technology Associates, we often filled track rollers with our solid graphite lubricant for most of the top manufacturers, such as Osborn and McGill. They muct be the type with tapered roller bearings. They can operate up to 660ºF

http://www.uniquetechnologies.com/

Russell Giuliano