Assembly Stresses

Assembly stresses and the strength

of hollow iron rolls (press rolls)
Shu Tonglin, Miao Dehua, Zhang Dongjun, and Gu Dequan

affect the strength of the entire roll

ABSTRACT: The conventional approach to the design of press body and its parts and, thus, the
rolls is to calculate roll strength in terms of a simple beam transfer of the moment.
The problem of accounting for
subjected to a working load. The true situation is more complex. these stresses is complicated by the
The press roll (a hollow iron roll) consists of three components: unequal lengths of the press-roll
the roll body, the axle sleeve, and the axle journal. The sleeve components, i.e., the containing parts
(roll body, axle sleeve) and the con-
and the journal are compressed into the roll body, and this tained parts (axle sleeve, journal).
interference fit introduces significant stresses. These assembly To our knowledge, a method for cal-
stresses can be quantified using finite-element calculation culating the assembly stresses has
never been developed. This paper
techniques. The calculation method—verified by field presents a solution using the finite-
measurements—provides a credible basis for establishing the element method. The ability to ac-
required design strength of paper-machine components with count for assembly stresses should
provide the basis for a new design
interference-fit construction, such as a hollow iron roll. standard for the hollow iron roll.
KEYWORDS: Assembly, computation, finite element analysis,
hollow structures, iron, mechanical properties, press rolls, Critical regions
stresses. of hollow iron roll
According to theory and production
practice (1, 2), the hollow iron roll
has five critical locations. These are
T he press roll is a hollow iron roll
that functions as a key water-
removal element on the paper ma-
The traditional design approach
considers the roll as a simple beam,
as depicted in Fig. 1. However, the
illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

chine. Because the press roll is press roll consists of three parts— Location I–I
subjected to heavy linear working roll body, axle sleeve, and journal— Location I–I spans the center of the
loads, it must be designed with suffi- as illustrated in Fig. 2. Because the roll. This is the location of the maxi-
cient strength to withstand the assembly stresses introduced by in- mum bending moment when the
stresses imposed during operation. terference fitting are in place when working load is applied, so the nor-
However, the methods used to ana- the roll is subjected to working loads, mal bending stress from the work-
lyze stresses and calculate roll the combined effect of the assembly ing load σZ´´ is greatest at this point
strength fail to take into account the stresses and the working stresses too. Consider a roll with external
assembly stresses introduced by in- should be considered in calculating diameter D1=40 cm, internal diam-
terference fitting, i.e., compression the required roll strength. Further- eter D2=29 cm, length between bear-
of the axle sleeve and the journal more, the assembly stresses intro- ings l=270 cm, and a working width
into the roll body. duced by interference fitting also b=220 cm. If the roll is loaded with a
uniform load q=110 N/mm (linear
Tonglin, professor, and Dehua, associate professor, are affiliated with the Me- working load of 100 N/mm plus grav-
chanical Engineering Dept., Tianjin Institute of Light Industry, 1038 Dagu Nanlu, ity-induced load of 10 N/mm), then
Hexi, Tianjin, China. Dongjun and Dequan are engineers at the Jilin Paper Mill the greatest normal bending stress
Paper Machinery Factory.

Vol. 78, No. 3 Tappi Journal 185

 Assembly Stresses
1. Press roll depicted as a simple beam
under uniform load. The five locations corre-
spond to discussion in the text.
2. Hollow iron roll with axle sleeve and journal. The five locations correspond to discussion
in the text. The three graphs depict the distribution of assembly stresses, with the axial
position of the stresses corresponding to the illustration at the top of the figure. D1=40 cm;
D2=29 cm; d=20 cm.

Uniform Roll body IV III II I

IV III II I load

V
A B Axle journal

IV III II I a

Axle sleeve
IV III II I

PRESSURE (p), MPa

from the working load σZ´´ will oc- 120
cur at Location I–I. Given the stated

CONTACT
conditions, it can be calculated that 80
σZ´´=21.3 MPa at Location I–I. The b
normal bending stress introduced by 40
interference fitting, σZ´, is zero at
Location I–I. The effect of the nor-
mal bending stress from the work
STRESS (σθ’), MPa

120
TANGENTIAL

load is an alternative stress in the

form of a symmetry circle.
100 c

Location II–II 80
Location II–II is about 8 cm from
the inside head face of the “package”
containing the axle sleeve and jour-
nal, as seen in Fig. 2. The normal 30
STRESS (σZ’), MPa
AXIAL BENDING

bending stress from the working load

at this location is σZ´´=10 MPa. This 20
d
is less than at Location I–I, since the
10
normal bending stress (tensile stress)
introduced by the interference fit- 0
ting is large. If the interference
8
value—the difference in diameter cm
between the package and the open-
ing in the roll body—is 0.0382 cm,
then the normal bending stress in-
troduced by the fitting, σZ´, is calcu-
The two stresses combine to produce Location V–V
lated to be 27.7 MPa, as seen in Fig.
an alternative stress in the form of Location V–V is at the axle journal.
2d. The two stresses combine to pro-
an unsymmetry circle. Shear stresses from the interference
duce an alternative stress in the form
of an unsymmetry circle. fitting, τ´, and the working load, τ´´,
Location IV–IV are both present at this location. The
Location III–III Location IV–IV is at the external two stresses combine to produce an
head face of the roll body. This is the alternative stress in the form of an
Location III–III is at the inside head
location of the maximum normal tan- unsymmetry circle.
face of the package set within the
gential stress σθ´, which is introduced
roll body. This is the location of the
by the interference fitting. The tan-
maximum shear stress τ´ (static Lamé equations for thick-
gential stress from the interference
stress), a consequence of the inter- walled cylinders
fitting, σθ´, is 136 MPa at Location
ference fitting. The working load pro-
IV–IV. The tangential stress from For the purposes of calculation, both
duces a shear stress τ´´=0.9 MPa.
the working load, σθ´´, is zero. the containing parts (roll body, axle
186 March 1995 Tappi Journal
 sleeve) and the contained parts (axle
sleeve, journal) are considered as
thick-walled cylinders. When the in-
terference-fitted assembly body con-
sists of a containing part and a
contained part of equal length, Lamé
equations can be used to compute
the constant values for contact pres-
sure p, radial stress σR, and tangen-
tial stress σθ on the seating.
The contact pressure can be cal-
culated using Eq. 1.
p = (δ/d)/[((1/E1){[(1+k12)/(1–k12)]–µ1}) +
((1/E2){[(1+k22)/(1–k22)]+µ2})] (1)
where
δ = interference value (difference
in diameters of fitted parts)
d = diameter of contained part
E1 = modulus of elasticity for the con-
tained part
E2 = modulus of elasticity for the con-
taining part
k1 = ratio of internal and external
diameters for the contained
part
k2 = ratio of internal and external
diameters for the containing
part
µ1 = Poisson’s ratios for the con-
tained part
µ2 = Poisson’s ratios for the contain-
ing part.
The radial stress σR and the tan-
gential stress σθ for the containing
part can be calculated using Eqs. 2
and 3, respectively.
σR = [(pr12)/(r22–r12)] – [(pr12r22)/(r22–r12)]
(1/r2) (2)
σθ = [(p r12)/(r22–r12)] – [(p r12r22)/(r22–r12)]
(1/r2) (3)
where
r1 = external radius of the contained
part
r2 = external radius of the contain-
ing part
r = arbitrary radius of the cross sec-
tion for the containing part.
Vol. 78, No. 3 Tappi Journal 187
Equations 1–3 are known as Lamé
formulas.
Distribution of contact
pressure for a wheel–shaft
construction
An interference-fitted wheel–shaft
construction consists of two parts of
unequal length, as seen in Fig. 3a,
where the contained part (the shaft)
extends beyond both ends of the fit
region. A distribution curve of the
contact pressure p—obtained using
the finite-element method—is illus-
trated in Fig. 3b (3, 4). The value of
the pressure located at the middle
range of the fit region is very close to
the value calculated with the Lamé
equation (Eq. 1). However, the con-
tact pressure near the head faces in
the fit region increases sharply be-
cause the protruding portions of the
shaft restrain deformation in these
regions. The distribution of values
for contact pressure was verified by
the photoelastic test (5).
Assembly stresses
of the hollow casting roll
Distribution of pressure
within the fit region
The hollow casting roll shown in Fig.
4a is made up of the roll body and an
interference-fitted axle journal. Fig-
ure 4b shows the distribution of con-
tact pressure p over the fit region.
The distribution was calculated us-
ing the finite-element method. As
seen in Fig. 4b, the pressure in-
creases sharply at both ends of the
fit region. Pressure at the inner head
face is greater than at the outside
face because of the greater rigidity
of the protruding part at the inner
head face. For a roll with external
diameter D1=27 cm, internal diam-
eter D2=17 cm, diameter of the axle
journal d=11 cm, and the interfer-
ence value δ=0.128 mm, then the
Lamé formula (Eq. 1) yields a value
of about 650 MPa for pressure p in
the middle range of the fit region.
The finite-element method yields a
similar value of about 635 MPa for
pressure p within the same region.
The distribution of pressure p ob-
tained from finite-element analysis
indicates that the influence of the
protruding part on contact pressure
(as well as other assembly stresses)
depends on the local behavior.
Stresses introduced by pressure
within the fit region
As stated previously, the contact
pressure p is distributed evenly along
the seating if the containing part and
the contained part are of equal
length. In this case, the only stresses
operating within the wall of the cyl-
inder are the radial stress σR and
tangential stress σθ. The values and
distribution of these stresses are de-
termined by the Lamé equations
(Eqs. 1–3).
If the pressure p changes arbi-
trarily along the seating, the stresses
at any point in the cylinder wall can
be calculated using the Litz method
(7):
σR = {E/[r2(1–µ2)]} [(A´´{[(1+k2)/4]–(ρ2/
2)})–(B´´{lnρ+[(k2 lnk)/(1–k2)]+1/2})] +
[(E/r2)({[A/(1–µ)]–[B/(1+µ)]}(1/ρ2)}] (4a)
σθ = {E/[r2(1–µ2)]} [(A´´{[(1+k2)/4]–(ρ2/
2)})–(B´´{lnρ+[(k2 lnk)/(1–k2)]+1/2})] +
[(E/r2)({[A/(1–µ)]–[B/(1+µ)]}(1/ρ2))}](4b)
σZ = {[E(1–µ)]/[r2(1–µ2)]}[(A´´{[(1+k2)/4]–
(ρ2/2)})–(B´´{lnρ+[(k2 lnk)/(1–k2)]+1/2})]
(4c)
τ = {[E(1–µ)]/[r2(1–µ2)]}[(–A´´´{[(ρ2–k2)(1–
ρ2)]/8ρ)–(B´´´{[k2(1–ρ2) lnk]–[ρ2(1–k2)
lnρ]}/[2(1–k2)ρ])] (4d)
where
σR = radial stress
σθ = tangential stress
σZ = axial bending stress
τ = shear stress
k = ratio of internal and external
radii for thick-walled cylinder
(r1/r2)
ρ = axial relative coordinate at any
point for the cylinder wall (r/r2)
 Assembly Stresses
3. Wheel–shaft construction. The graph de-
picts the distribution of contact pressure, p,
with the axial position for pressure corre-
sponding to the illustration at the top of the
figure.
4. Hollow casting roll. The three graphs depict the distribution of assembly stresses, with the
axial position of the stresses corresponding to the illustration at the top of the figure. Solid
lines represent calculated values (finite-element method). Dashed lines represent physical
measurements. Values with a subscript L were derived by Lamé formula.

a
CONTACT PRESSURE (p)

a
b
by Lame

pL

PRESSURE (p), MPa 1500

CONTACT

b
1000
pL
500

E = modulus of elasticity
µ = Poisson’s ratio of the materials
for the cylinder
STRESS (σθ’), MPa
TANGENTIAL

30
A, B = coefficients related to (a) the
σ θL c
distribution of internal and ex-
20
ternal pressure along an axial
coordinate, (b) the size of the 10
materials, (c) the mechanical
properties of the materials. 0

When the subjected pressure p

STRESS (σZ’), MPa
AXIAL BENDING

(internal pressure, external pres-

sure, or both) is constant or linear at 30 d
an axial coordinate, then 20
A´´=A´´´=0 and B´´=B´´´=0. In
this case, σZ and τ are both zero at 10

any point in the cylinder wall. More- 0

over, σR and σθ are identical, as
shown in Eqs. 2 and 3.
In contrast, when the pressure p
increases exponentially along the
axis, or when the load suddenly
changes on any point of the wall, this
creates bending stress σZ and shear
stress τ in addition to radial stress
σR and tangential stress σθ (6, 7).
For the hollow casting roll shown
in Fig. 4a, nonlinear changes of the
pressure p occur in both neighbor-
ing ranges of the head face of the fit
region. Thus σZ and τ also exist in
the wall within the fit region and for
188 March 1995 Tappi Journal
a certain range outside of it, along
with σR and σθ (6, 7).
Distribution of σθ and σZ
within the fit region
Figures 4c and 4d show the distribu-
tion of tangential stress σθ and bend-
ing stress σZ at the external surface
of the roll body within the fit region.
The solid lines depict the values as
calculated using the finite-element
method. The value for σθL was calcu-
lated by the Lamé formula.
Comparison of physical
measurements
and modeled results
To verify the credibility of calcula-
tions obtained from the finite-ele-
ment method, we measured stresses
and radial displacement on a press
roll. However, the specimen used in
the test is different from a produc-
tion press roll.
 In order to measure the exact
physical quantities (assembly
stresses, radial displacement, etc.),
the geometry of the roll and its com-
ponents (size, shape, etc.) must first
be accurately measured. Further-
more, the assembly technique must
be carried out under rigorous condi-
tions.
Before the specimen press roll can
be assembled, the roll body and the
axle journal must be manufactured
to exacting standards of accuracy
and surface finish. In addition, the
fit region of roll body and axle jour-
nal should be divided into ten inter-
vals. By measuring the diameters of
these sections perpendicularly to
each other, it is possible to distin-
guish the ellipticity and taper of the
roll body and the journal.
The method of push fitting in-
volves the use of a press machine to
compress the axle journal into the
hole on the head face of the roll body,
as seen in Fig. 5. The axis of the axle
journal must be aligned perpendicu-
lar to the head face to ensure the
coaxiality of the journal and the roll
body.
Even after taking these consider-
ations into account, the measured
values will still show some disper-
sion. Statistics from 10–20 specimens
are required to obtain satisfactory
data.
Values for σθ and σZ were deter-
mined using the resistance-strain
method. The measured values for
the assembly stresses σθ and σZ in
the fit region are depicted as dotted
lines in Figs. 4c and 4d, respectively.
The calculated values are repre-
sented as dashed lines. In both cases,
the calculated and measured distri-
butions coincide over the range of
applicable axial coordinates. From
Fig. 4c, it is apparent that in the
middle range of the fit region, the
value for tangential stress as calcu-
lated from the Lamé formula, σθL,
corresponds to the calculated and
measured values for σθ. From Fig.
4d, it is clear that the calculated and
measured location of the maximum
Vol. 78, No. 3 Tappi Journal 189
σZ also coincide, with the values de-
viating by 6%.
The agreement between the field
measurements and the predicted re-
sults confirms the credibility of the
finite-element calculation method
that was used.
Assembly stresses of the roll
body with the axle sleeve
The iron press roll with an axle sleeve
is shown inFig. 2a. The journal and
the axle sleeve are fitted together to
form a package. Once this package
has been inserted into the roll body,
the entire assembly is ready for ser-
vice as a press roll.
Distribution of
pressure within the fit region
The distribution of the contact pres-
sure p between the roll body and the
package along the fit region was cal-
culated using the finite-element
method. The results are illustrated
in Fig. 2b. It is apparent that the
contact pressure p is very similar to
the calculated Lamé value pL from
Eq. 1 except in the area near the
inner head face, where the contact
pressure increases sharply. If the
external diameter of the roll body
D1=40 cm, internal diameter D2=29
cm, the diameter of the axle journal
d=20 cm, and the interference value
on diameter between the package
and roll body δ=0.0382 cm, then the
maximum value for pmax (at the inner
head face) is pmax=4.2 pL.
Distribution of
stresses within the fit region
The distribution of the tangential
stress σθ´ on the roll’s internal sur-
face is shown in Fig. 2c. It is appar-
ent that σθ´ is very similar to the
value calculated from the Lamé for-
mula in Eq. 3, with the exception of
the area at the inner head face. The
protracted part of the roll body re-
strains deformation within this area,
reducing σθ´ in the same area where
contact pressure p increases sharply.
The distribution of the bending
normal stress σZ´ outside of the fit
region is shown in Fig. 2d.
The maximum value of shear
stress τ in the roll body is at Loca-
tion III–III, the inner head of the fit
region.
Determination of the
interference value
The strength of the press-roll com-
ponents must not be compromised
during the assembly process. That
is, the containing parts—either the
axle sleeve with the journal set within
the sleeve or the roll body with the
sleeve–journal package set within
the roll—must not be cracked dur-
ing assembly. The physical quantity
of the controlling strength is the tan-
gential stress introduced by the as-
sembly process, σθ´ (Figs. 2c and
4c).
The axle journal, its sleeve, and
the roll body must act as a single
entity during operation. There must
be no relative rotation among the
three components, thus allowing a
total transfer of the moment of the
working load. The friction couple
moment, MF, between the contain-
ing part and contained part is
MF = (pπd2lf)/2 (5)
where
d = diameter of the seating
l = length of the fit face
f = friction coefficient of the mate
rials in the fit face.
Using the previously stated data
for the iron press roll (D1=40 cm,
D2=29 cm, d=20 cm), the minimum
interference value δmin between the
package and roll body is calculated
as 0.019 cm, while the maximum δmax
is calculated as 0.038 cm.
If the interference value is exces-
sive, a certain range of the surface
of the axle journal will undergo plas-
tic deformation, as predicted by the
von Mises yield condition and the
Tresca yield condition. Despite the
plastic deformation, the couple mo-
ment will still be sufficient and thus
 Assembly Stresses
will not influence the transfer of the 5. Press machine used to compress the axle journal into the hole on the head face of the roll
moment of the working load. body

Concluding remarks
Design of the hollow iron roll—the
press roll—is based largely on cal-
culations of roll strength. Such cal-
culations are based on the stresses
generated by the working load. How-
ever, the stresses associated with
insertion of the axle sleeve and the
journal also must be considered in
calculating strength.
The axle sleeve set should not be
inserted into the body of the hollow
roll without the aid of a guidance
angle. The stresses imposed by in-
sertion of a misaligned axle sleeve
set could compromise the strength
of the roll body. transfer of the moment of the work- of the seating between the contain-
The interference value is deter- ing load. ing part and the contained part. Such
mined by the strength of the con- The practical interference value as ∇S the arithmetical mean depar-
taining part and by the anticipated is related to the surface roughness ture RA of the coxcomb is 2.5–5 µm.
Then the practical interference value
is the value RA subtracted from the
measured value.
The hole of the containing part
can be tapered, but only if the diam-
eter of the hole at the external head
face is smaller than the hole at the
internal head face. The reverse con-
dition—with the hole at the head face
larger than the hole at the internal
face—is unacceptable. TJ

Literature cited
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2. Pfeiffer, J. D., Tappi 62(10): 83(1979).
3. Tonglin, S., Dehua, M., and Ying, W., J.
Eng. Mech. 8(2): 81(1991).
4. Barton, M. V. and Ilhaca, N. Y., J. Appl.
Mech. 8: (1941).
5. Peleson, R. E., et al., J. Appl. Mech. 9:
(1942).
6. Tonglin, S. and Fengbin, L., Mechanics
and Practice 13(4): (1991).
7. Pacuembl Ha npouhocmb B Maw-
uhocmpoehuu, Tom II, Mockoba,
1958(211).

Received for review May 4, 1993.

Accepted May 27, 1994.

190 March 1995 Tappi Journal