Sudden Failure of Rubber-Covered Roller
March 16th, 1987
Report to Olive’s Paper Mill plc.
S F Bush
Summary
The investigation has examined (a) the process operation now and as far as can be established on the night of the failure, (b) the current condition of the machinery relevant to the operation of the roll and (c) the condition of the rubber roll cover itself so far as can be conjectured from the evidence of fragments and calculation.
The broad conclusion is that based on (a), (b) and (c), the most likely cause of the roll cover failure was fatigue growth of cracks on the inside of the cover, leading to sudden disintegration.