Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
188 words
An assembly for treating running webs, particularly for use in calenders and the like, comprising a roll including an elongated carrier; means for non-rotatably supporting said carrier; a hollow deformable rotary cylindrical shell surrounding said carrier; hydrostatic bearing means interposed betwen said carrier and said shell; and first and second bearings interposed between said shell and said carrier and flanking said bearing means, each of said bearings including an annular bearing member non-rotatably mounted on and surrounding said carrier and movable relative to said carrier radially of said shell, said shell having end portions which at least partially surround said bearing members, each of said bearing members and said carrier defining an annular clearance, means for sealing said clearances from the atmosphere including substantially radially inwardly extending collars provided on said bearing members, means for subdividing each of said clearances into a plurality of chambers, said subdividing means extending across the respective clearances between said carrier and the respective bearing members, a source of pressurized fluid, and means for admitting the fluid from said source into at least one selected chamber of each of said pluralities of chambers.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
188 words
An assembly for treating running webs, particularly for use in calenders and the like, comprising a roll including an elongated carrier; means for non-rotatably supporting said carrier; a hollow deformable rotary cylindrical shell surrounding said carrier; hydrostatic bearing means interposed betwen said carrier and said shell; and first and second bearings interposed between said shell and said carrier and flanking said bearing means, each of said bearings including an annular bearing member non-rotatably mounted on and surrounding said carrier and movable relative to said carrier radially of said shell, said shell having end portions which at least partially surround said bearing members, each of said bearing members and said carrier defining an annular clearance, means for sealing said clearances from the atmosphere including substantially radially inwardly extending collars provided on said bearing members, means for subdividing each of said clearances into a plurality of chambers, said subdividing means extending across the respective clearances between said carrier and the respective bearing members, a source of pressurized fluid, and means for admitting the fluid from said source into at least one selected chamber of each of said pluralities of chambers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
59 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein said bearing members have outer end portions remote from said bearing means and said sealing means includes means for sealing said clearances in the regions of the outer end portions of the respective bearing members, said bearing members having internal surfaces which are acted upon by pressurized fluid in the respective selected chambers.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein said bearing means extends longitudinally of said shell between predetermined portions of said bearing members, said selected chambers being surrounded by said predetermined portions of the respective bearing members.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
59 words
The assembly of claim 3, further comprising a second roll defining with said shell an elongated nip adjacent said bearing means and said portions of said bearing members, the pressurized fluid in said selected chambers being arranged to bias the end portions of said shell in a direction to reduce the width of the corresponding portions of said nip.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein said bearing means and said selected chambers are disposed at opposite sides of said carrier.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
53 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein said bearing means comprises a row of hydrostatic bearing elements adjacent the internal surface of said shell and a plurality of pressure generating units acting between said carrier and each of said bearing elements to urge the respective bearing elements toward the internal surface of said shell.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein said bearing means includes a compartment disposed between said shell and said carrier and extending longitudinally of said shell intermediate said bearing members.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
The assembly of claim 7, wherein said bearing means further comprises elongated sealing devices interposed between said shell and said carrier, flanking said compartment and spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of said shell.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The assembly of claim 1, further comprising means for adjusting the pressure of fluid in at least one of said selected chambers.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
47 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein said bearings further comprise means for admitting pressurized fluid to at least one second chamber of each of said plurality of chambers and means for maintaining the fluid in said selected chambers at a pressure higher than in said second chambers.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
65 words
The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second roll defining with said shell an elongated nip, each of said bearings including means for admitting the fluid into at least two chambers of each of said pluralities of chambers, said two chambers of each of said pluralities being disposed at opposite sides of a plane including the axes of said shell and said second roll.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
42 words
The assembly of claim 11, wherein each of said pluralities of chambers further comprises two additional chambers alternating with the respective two chambers, each of said bearings further comprising means for admitting fluid to at least one of the respective additional chambers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
The assembly of claim 11, wherein each of said subdividing means comprises a partition disposed between the respective two chambers and located in or close to said plane.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
47 words
The assembly of claim 11, further comprising signal generating sensor means for monitoring the positions of said bearing members relative to said carrier and means for adjusting the pressure in said two chambers of the respective pluralities of chambers in response to signals from the corresponding sensors.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
12 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein said subdividing means comprises elastic partitions.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein said subdividing means comprises spring-biased partitions and guide means for said partitions.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
The assembly of claim 16, wherein said guide means are provided on or in said carrier.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
88 words
The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second roll defining with said shell an elongated nip which is parallel to the axis of said second roll, said subdividing means comprising a pair of partitions provided in each of said clearances and extending substantially at right angles to a plane including the axes of said shell and said second roll, each of said bearing members having an internal surface including substantially flat portions parallel to said plane and each abutting one of said partitions in the respective clearance.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
32 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of said bearings further comprises means for evacuating pressurized fluid from the corresponding selected chamber so that the fluid can circulate through said selected chambers.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein said carrier has two shoulders and each of said bearing members abuts one of said shoulders.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
46 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein said carrier comprises two substantially disc-shaped members and each of said bearing members abuts one of said disc-shaped members, said disc-shaped members and the respective bearing members having means for preventing rotation of said bearing members relative to said carrier.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
39 words
The assembly of claim 1, wherein said bearing members are movable relative to said carrier substantially radially of said shell through distances of up to 10 mm in response to admission of pressurized fluid into the respective selected chambers.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
15 words
The assembly of claim 22, wherein said distances are in the range of 2-5 mm.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
87 words
The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second roll defining with said shell an elongated nip, said carrier having end portions and further comprising means for moving said end portions toward and away from said second roll, said admitting means including means for filling said selected chambers during a first stage of movement of said end portions toward said second roll and for evacuating some of the fluid from said selected chambers during a next-following stage of movement of said end portions toward said second roll.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
31 words
The assembly of claim 24, wherein said admitting means includes means for transferring fluid from said selected chambers into other chambers of the respective pluralities of chambers during said next-following stage.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
24 words
The assembly of claim 24, wherein said admitting means includes means for supplying pressurized fluid to said hydrostatic bearing means during said first stage.