Roll Grinder Vibration Investigation

In steel and aluminium production, a high performance roll grinding process is essential. Rolls must be chatter‑free and have precise surface finishes before use in the mill. Vibremo specialises in vibration inspection of roll grinding machines to improve roll surface quality, extend roll life in the mill, and maintain production efficiency.

Roll Grinder Vibration Investigation

In high performance steel and aluminium production, your roll grinding operation must deliver flawless rolls, free from chatter marks and ready for the mill. At Vibremo, we specialise in vibration inspection of roll grinding machines to improve roll surface quality for more time in the mills and maintain production efficiency.

In steel and aluminium production, a high performance roll grinding process is essential. Rolls must be chatter free and have precise surface finishes before use in the mill. Vibremo specialises in vibration inspection of roll grinding machines to improve roll surface quality, extend roll life in the mill, and maintain production efficiency.

Why roll grinder vibration matters

Roll grinders play a critical role in sheet metal production by preparing work and backup rolls for the mills. A single roll affected by chatter can transfer defects downstream into the mill and onto the strip, ultimately reaching the customer’s coil. This can result in coil rejection, reworking costs, increased energy consumption, and reduced profitability and sustainability.

In practice, chatter marks on rolls typically come from excessive vibration during the grinding process. These vibrations may be caused by structural resonances, forced vibration, bearing defects, imbalance, misalignment, or issues within drive chains or belt systems.

In rolling mills, 3ʳᵈ and 5ᵗʰ octave vibrations are well-known structural resonances that cause chatter and surface defects. While forced vibration sources are often addressed within the mill, the roll surface is frequently overlooked. Chatter introduced during grinding can print directly onto the strip or excite mill resonances, making vibration control at the roll grinder a highly effective way to eliminate defects at their source and maintain consistent strip quality.

How Vibremo supports you

Defective component identification

Identify vibration sources such as bearing faults, misalignment, imbalance, and issues in drivetrain components.

Grinder fingerprinting

Characterise machine structural dynamics and identify potential component defects to establish baseline vibration behaviour for monitoring.

Process optimisation

Analyse wheel speed, roll speed, feed rates, and machine natural frequencies to define operating parameters that minimise chatter risk.

Regular health-checks

Compare current machine behaviour against baseline vibration data to detect emerging issues early and support preventive maintenance.

Typical findings & solutions

Machine natural frequencies can coincide with excitation from wheel or roll drives, generating chatter marks. These modes are identified through modal analysis, with solutions such as structural stiffening, added damping, or vibration isolation used to mitigate the issue.

Mechanical issues including wheel imbalance, spindle misalignment, bearing wear, and belt or chain resonance can also cause surface defects. Vibration analysis allows accurate identification of the root cause, followed by targeted recommendations to improve machine performance.

Operational parameters such as feed rate, wheel speed, roll speed and more, can interact with machine dynamics. Optimising these conditions reduces vibration levels and the risk of surface marking.