01/05/2020 Rotary Kiln Reconditioning Tyre and Roller Grinding

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The Rotary Kiln Tires and Trunnion Rollers are the support and load bearing bases for the Rotary Kiln. The
overall condition of the Tires and Rollers adversely affects the kiln alignment, load distribution and kiln vibration
amplitude. Any wear on the contact surfaces of the kiln tires and support rollers renders it difficult, if not
impossible, to make proper support roller adjustments to achieve alignment.

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01/05/2020 Rotary Kiln Reconditioning Tyre and Roller Grinding

The ideal hot kiln alignment procedure involves not only the horizontal and vertical axis of the shell, but the
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balance of the axial thrust of the kiln as well. When the tires and support rollers are worn on the contact 
surfaces, the roller adjustment and kiln axial thrust balancing procedure becomes delicate. In extreme cases,
adjustments to rectify the kiln misalignment may become ineffective.

Fortunately, excessive wear of tires and support rollers can be eliminated during the process of resurfacing and
grinding. The conventional reconditioning methods that involve removal of roller assembly unit, workshop
machining and re-installation of the rollers tend to be expensive mainly due to the cost of the inherent
downtime and consequential loss of production. Our 'on line' tyre and trunnion roller surface reconditioning
service is an elixir and remedy to the plethora of costs associated with the consequential loss of production as
it is carried out during normal kiln operation.

MOST COMMON WEAR PROBLEMS

Concave and convex wear present the most common problem in kiln tire and support roller wear. In order to
control the kiln axial thrust, the roller shafts are skewed and this procedure has a direct effect on the mating
surface profile of the support rollers and the tire. The axis of the roller shaft is no longer parallel to the axis of
the tire. Consequently, the edges of the tire on both sides of the face will have higher load concentrations than
at the center of the tire.

When the rotary kiln operates in this condition for some time, the tire will have accelerated wear on its edges,
giving it a convex shape. The support rollers are wider than the tire hence the surface of the rollers will develop
concave wear. Since this is the desired adjustment position of the rollers to control the axial thrust of the kiln,
this kiln design makes concave and convex wear inevitable.

Any problems beginning with tires and trunnion rollers can quickly propagate throughout the rest of the rotary
kiln resulting in:

Increased shell vibrations

Excessive load on the drive mechanism
Damage to rotary kiln inlet and outlet seals
Hot bearings
Premature refractory lining failure
Cracked foundations pads
Increased wear and damage on the Girth Gear

Our 'on line' tyre and trunnion roller surface reconditioning service results in optimum kiln mechanical stability,
maximum production, and reduced maintenance and energy costs.

ROTARY KILN TYRE AND ROLLER GRINDING

When Dickinson conducts in-situ grinding of tyres and support roller, no kiln downtime is needed and the
company uses internationally trained grinding engineers to do the work. The grinding engineers constantly
monitor axial thrust of the kiln and bearing temperature throughout the grinding process, carrying out roller
adjustments where required to stabilise axial movement and temperature.

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01/05/2020 Rotary Kiln Reconditioning Tyre and Roller Grinding

Our company utilises state-of-the-art portable belt grinding SM400 Kiln Tyre Grinding Machine and SMF 1000
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Kiln Rollers Grinding Machine, 
from Vetroresina Engineering Development S.r.l. Italy, which are built for heavy
duty applications.

To machine a tyre, the machining rig is set to the vessel inclination and the ceramic tipped cutting tool is set at
the horizontal tangent height of the tyre by means of adjustable support legs. Using guide rollers, the cutting
head is forced to follow the tyre. This 'floating' arrangement allows achievement of a flat finish regardless of
tyre movement. A parallel surface of within 0.5mm on the diameter is generally achievable with this method.
Tool feed rate is controlled by a variable speed drive which can be set to obtain the desired surface finish.

To machine trunnion rollers, the machining rig is mounted directly onto the bedplate. Should this not be
possible then the machining rig can be mounted onto a temporary structure welded to the bedplate. The
machining rig is set parallel to the trunnion roller centreline and the cutting tool is set at the horizontal tangent
height of the trunnion roller. The tool feed rate is controlled by a variable speed drive which can be set to
achieve the desired surface finish. A parallel surface of within 0.2mm on the diameter can be achieved in this
way.

During the machining process the vessel axial thrust characteristics will change. The machining crew monitor
vessel reactions and make compensatory adjustments to trunnions to maintain equilibrium of the vessel.

After completion of the machining process the finished diameter of the tyre or trunnion roller is measured using
an electronic diameter-measuring device and trunnion roller settings are calculated to compensate for the
reduced diameters. The vessel is left in a balanced state of axial thrust, although it is normal procedure for the

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01/05/2020 Rotary Kiln Reconditioning Tyre and Roller Grinding

vessel to require further tuning adjustments as the running faces 'polish-up'. These adjustments are normally
carried out 8-10 days (/)
after completion of the machining process. 
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CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE

Tel: +27 (0) 16 421-3720
Fax: +27 (0) 16 422-1038
Email: sales@dgrp.co.za

10 Smuts Avenue
P.O. Box 63, Vereeniging
1930. South Africa

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