Feasibility Study of Hydrodynamic Lubrication in Supporting of Rotating Elements of Galvanizing Hardware Submerged in Molten Zinc

Severe wear of sink roll supports in continuous galvanizing lines has been a cause for concern for some years. This wear, which affects the quality of the coating and downtime costs, is a result of a corrosive environment and highly loaded surface contact.

This paper presents results from a feasibility study to use journal bearings lubricated with molten zinc to separate the interacting surfaces. Analytical and experimental investigations were aimed at identifying the load capacity of sink roll bearings when operating in the hydrodynamic regime, as well as the effect of the molten zinc bath environment on bearing performance. This environment includes chemical zinc attack and the presence of inter-metallic particles in the bath.

The study indicates that it is difficult to achieve hydrodynamic bearing operation for the entire range of operating conditions. It also shows that, when selecting materials for journal bearings support to the rotating elements submerged in molten zinc baths, possible contact of the bearing surfaces as well as chemical inertness and resistance to the hard intermetallic particles do need to be addressed.