Roll subject to deflection

Claim 1

A ROLL WHOSE AXIS IS SUBJECT TO DEFLECTION IN RESPONSE TO A LOAD APPLIED TO THE ROLL, SAID ROLL COMPRISING A SUPPORTING GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL BODY, AND EXPANSIBLE HOSE OF GENERALLY UNIFORM CORSS-SECTIONAL AREA WRAPPED HELICALLY ABOUT THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID BODY TO PRESENT AN OUTER SURFACE OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM PERIPHERAL DIMENSION WHEN THE HOSE IS IN UNEXPANDED FORM, COVER MEANS SURROUNDING THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE HOSE AND PRESENTING AN OPERATING ROLL SURFACE, SAID HOSE HAVING A CENTRAL FLUID PRESSURE RECEIVING PASSAGEWAY OF SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER PERIPHERAL DIMENSION AT THE CENTRAL REGION OF THE ROLL THAN AT THE ROLL ENDS, AND MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY INTRODUCING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE INTO SAID HOSE MEANS TO EFFECT RELATIVELY GREATER EXPANSION OF SAID HOSE IN THE CENTRAL REGION OF SAID ROLL AND WITHDRAWING FLUID FROM SAID HOSE MEANS TO EFFECT MAINTENANCE OF A SMALLER OUTER PERIPHERAL DIMENSION OF THE ROLL AT THE CENTRAL REGION OF THE ROLL.