TIP 0402-19: A Tool for Making Inspections of Suction Roll Shells More Effective and Consistent, 1998 Engineering Conference Proceedings

There have been very few occurrences of catastrophic suction roll shell failures in the pulp and paper industry since the 1980’s. The most common shell materials being used today seem less prone to catastrophic failure and roll vibration monitoring has greatly improved in recent years. Still, cracked shells can severely damage other paper machine components, such as wires, felts, and other rolls and the lead-time for procuring new shells can be several months. These issues make periodic examination of these shells crucial.

TAPPI TIP 0402-19 provides collective wisdom guidelines on nondestructive examination of suction roll shells. This paper discusses the key points in that TIP and introduces some other issues that can enhance successful application of the recommended examination and evaluation techniques. Nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques are recommended and briefly described. Inspection frequency guidance is presented, along with reporting/documentation guidelines, Finally, general recommendations are made on what actions to take when features that compromise the shell integrity or cracks are found.