ARRANGEMENT FOR SUPPORTING A ROTARY DRUM

Abstract

An arrangement for supporting a rotary drum, the rotary drum having at least three riding rings distributedly arranged along the axial direction of the rotary drum, the arrangement including a pair of relatively spaced rollers for supporting a riding ring, at least one bearing for each roller, a support for each bearing mounted for movement of the roller toward and away from the shell of the rotary drum and a spring system exerting a spring force acting on the support to counteract the weight of the rotary drum resting on the rollers, wherein the spring system includes a pressure vessel charged with a compressed gas that exerts the spring force and the rotary drum includes at least three riding rings and only at least one middle ring arranged between two outer rings is supported by a pair of relatively spaced rollers that are equipped with the spring system.

Claims

1. An arrangement for supporting a rotary drum, said rotary drum having at least three riding rings distributedly arranged along the axial direction of the rotary drum, the arrangement comprising a pair of relatively spaced rollers for supporting a riding ring, at least one bearing for each roller, a support for each bearing mounted for movement of the roller toward and away from the shell of the rotary drum and spring means exerting a spring force acting on the support so as to counteract the weight of the rotary drum resting on the rollers, wherein the spring means comprise a pressure vessel charged with a compressed gas that exerts the spring force and wherein the rotary drum comprises at least three riding rings and only at least one middle ring arranged between two outer rings is supported by a pair of relatively spaced rollers that are equipped with said spring means comprising the pressure vessel charged with the compressed gas.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the support is mounted for pivotal movement about a pivot axis and the spring means are arranged to act on the support at a distance from the pivot axis of the support that is larger than the distance of the roller from the pivot axis.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the spring means comprise a fluid chamber configured to change its volume upon movement of the roller under the weight of the rotary drum resting on the rollers, wherein said chamber is fluidly connected to the pressure vessel by means of a fluid line.

4. The arrangement according to claim 3, wherein two bearings are provided for each roller and wherein each of the two bearings has a support, wherein a fluid chamber is assigned to each of the two supports, wherein the two chambers are fluidly connected to the pressure vessel by means of a fluid line each.

5. The arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the fluid chamber comprises an elastically deformable shell.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the spring means are designed as a pneumatic spring.

7. The arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the fluid chamber and the pressure vessel are filled with compressed gas.

8. The arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the fluid chamber, the fluid line and a lower part of the pressure vessel are filled with a liquid, the remaining, upper vessel volume being filled with compressed gas.

9. The arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the fluid chamber is realized in a cylinder of a hydraulic cylinder-piston unit, wherein the cylinder or the piston is mechanically coupled to the support, and wherein the fluid chamber of the cylinder is fluidly connected to the pressure vessel.

10. The arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the fluid chamber, the fluid line and a lower part of the pressure vessel are filled with hydraulic oil, the remaining, upper vessel volume being filled with compressed gas.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a compressor is connected to the pressure vessel for compressing gas contained in the vessel.

12. (canceled)

13. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor for measuring the vertical position of the riding ring relative to a stationary reference point and/or for measuring the vertical position of the rotary drum adjacent the rollers relative to a stationary reference point.

14. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the rotary drum is a rotary kiln of a cement manufacturing installation.

15. The arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the fluid chamber is designed as an air-suspension bellow.

16. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the fluid chamber and the pressure vessel are filled with compressed air.

17. The arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the fluid chamber, the fluid line and the lower part of the pressure vessel are filled with a water, and the remaining, upper vessel volume is filled with compressed air.

18. The arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the remaining, upper vessel volume is filled with compressed nitrogen.

Description

[0037] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a rotary kiln with a straightness deviation of the kiln tube in a first angular position,

[0039] FIG. 2 shows the rotary kiln of FIG. 1 in a second angular position,

[0040] FIG. 3 is a schematic axial view of the rotary kiln with support rollers,

[0041] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rotary kiln of FIG. 3,

[0042] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a first embodiment of spring means for supporting the rollers,

[0043] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a second embodiment of spring means for supporting the rollers,

[0044] FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of a third embodiment of spring means for supporting the rollers,

[0045] FIG. 8 is a detailed view of the piston of the third embodiment of the spring means for supporting the rollers as shown in FIG. 7 and

[0046] FIG. 9 corresponds to the schematic axial view of the rotary kiln with support rollers depicted in FIG. 3, but equipped with height sensors and the piston of FIG. 8.

[0047] In FIG. 1 the shell of a rotary kiln 1 is denoted by 2. The rotary kiln 1 has three riding rings 3, 4 and 5 distributedly arranged along the axial direction of the rotary kiln 1. Each ring 3,4,5 is supported by a pair of rollers 6. The shell 2 of the rotary kiln has a crank 7, which has the shape of a straightness deviation in the middle region of the kiln 1. As shown in FIG. 1 the crank 7, during the rotation of the kiln 1 about its axis 8, gets in an upper position, in which the middle riding ring 4 of the kiln 1 can in extreme cases lift from the associated support rollers 6. This results in that the rollers 6 supporting the middle ring 4 are taking up a considerably lower load than the corresponding nominal design load or even no load at all, while the rollers 6 associated to the outer rings 3 and 5 have to take up an accordingly higher load. In FIG. 2 the crank 7, half a revolution later, is shown in a lower position, in which the middle ring 4 exerts an very high overload on the associated rollers, while the rollers 6 associated to the outer rings 3 and 5 take up a lower load than the nominal load. Thus, a crank as shown leads to a cyclic overload of all supporting rollers once per revolution. As a consequence, the lifetime of the riding rings and the support rollers gets drastically reduced.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3, the rollers 6 have roller shafts 9 that are rotatably held in bearings 10. Each bearing 10 is mounted to a support 11. The supports 11 in their end regions facing to each other are pivotably mounted to a fixed mount 12 so as to be pivotable about the pivot axis 13, which enables movement of the rollers 6 toward and away from the shell 2 of the rotary kiln 1. Such movement allows the rollers 6 to compensate for or follow the eccentric movements of the riding ring 4 due to straightness deviations of the shell 2. In the opposite end region the supports 11 are supported on a foundation 14 via spring means generally denoted by 15. The spring means are exerting a spring force acting on the associated support 11 so as to counteract the weight of the rotary kiln 1 resting on the rollers 6. The spring force is adjusted such that the rollers 6 are in their neutral position when the nominal load is acting on the rollers 6. The spring means 15 are preferably configured with a spring characteristics such that the spring force acting on the support 11 remains substantially constant also during the compensation movements of the rollers 6 mentioned above.

[0049] FIG. 4 shows that each roller 6 has two bearings 6 and two associated supports 11. Further, each support 11 is supported by its own spring means 15.

[0050] In order to achieve the required spring characteristics, the spring means comprise a pressure vessel charged with a compressed gas that exerts the spring force. In a first embodiment shown in FIG. 5 the spring means 15 are designed as a pneumatic spring and comprise a fluid chamber 16 designed so as to change its volume upon movement of the roller 6 under the weight 17 of the rotary kiln 1 resting on the rollers 6. The chamber may be realized as an air-suspension bellow 16. The bellow 16 is fluidly connected to the pressure vessel 18 by means of the fluid line 19. The entire system consisting of the bellow 16, the fluid line 19 and the pressure vessel or air tank 18 is filled with compressed air, wherein a compressor (not shown) is used to pressurize the system.

[0051] In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6 the flexible chamber 16, the connection line 19 and the lower part of the pressure vessel 18 are filled with water 21, whereas the softness of the spring system is achieved by the compressed air 20 that is present in the upper part of the vessel 18. The advantage of this combined air-water system is the possibility of introducing a leak-stop valve 22, which can block water exit in case of a leakage in the spring system.

[0052] In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 7 the fluid chamber 16 is realized in a cylinder 23 of a hydraulic cylinder-piston unit, wherein the piston 24 is mechanically coupled to the support 11. The fluid chamber 16 of the cylinder 23 is fluidly connected to the accumulator 18 via the fluid line 19. The fluid chamber 16, the fluid line 19 and a lower part of the accumulator 18 are filled with hydraulic oil 25, the remaining, upper vessel volume being filled with compressed gas, in particular compressed nitrogen 26. Thus, a hydraulic cylinder is used instead of a pneumatic spring, wherein the required spring characteristics is achieved by the vessel 18 functioning as nitrogen accumulator. In order to adjust the fluid pressure in the fluid system, a pump unit 30 is preferably provided that is connected to the fluid line 19. The pump unit 30 serves to pump an additional amount of hydraulic oil into the fluid system.

[0053] The advantage of the air spring systems according to FIGS. 5 and 6 when compared to a hydraulic cylinder according to FIG. 7 is that air springs are simpler in construction and cheaper and that no sealings are required that are subject to wear. Further, air springs require considerably less vertical space.

[0054] FIG. 8 shows a detailed view of the hydraulic cylinder-piston unit of the third embodiment of the spring means for supporting the rollers as shown in FIG. 7, whereby in said embodiment the hydraulic cylinder-piston unit is contacting the support 11 by means of swivel plates 27a and 27b.

[0055] Further, the hydraulic cylinder-piston unit is contacting the foundation 14 by means of a swivel plate 27c. The swivel plates 27a, 27b and 27c each comprise a curved surface, so as to absorb any angular movement of the support 11 and to adjust to the given geometry of the foundation. The swivel plates 27a and 27b are arranged on top of each other and each have a monoaxially curved surface, wherein the axis of curvature of the swivel plate 27a is at an angle of 90 relative to the axis of curvature of the swivel plate 27b.

[0056] FIG. 9 shows a schematic axial view of the rotary kiln 2 with support rollers 6 as in FIG. 3, but equipped with height sensors 28 and 29 and with the hydraulic cylinder-piston unit as described with regard to FIG. 8. Sensor 28 is mounted to the fixed mount 12 and continuously measures its distance to the outer surface of the riding ring 4. Furthermore two height sensors 29 are mounted near the supports 11 for the rollers 6 on each side of the arrangement, whereby the sensors 29 continuously measure the height of the support 11 of the rollers 6. The sensor 28 and the sensors 29 can be used as an alternative.