Rolling mill oil film bearing sleeve with filled keyway

摘要

A method of at least partially filling a keyway in the metal sleeve (8) of a rolling mill oil film bearing comprises machining a pocket into the keyway. A metal key (16) is provided with a shape complimentary to that of the pocket (10), with at least one exterior dimension of the key (16) exceeding a respective internal dimension of the pocket (10). The key (16) is thermally shrunk to reduce its at least one external dimension to an extent sufficient to accommodate insertion of the key (16) in the pocket (10). The thermally shrunk key is then inserted in the pocket (10), and allowed to thermally expand, thereby establishing an interference fit between the key (16) and the pocket (10).