Rotating shaft support assembly for a bowl mill

A pulverizer shaft rotation support assembly includes a rolling element sub-assembly for rotationally supporting the shaft of a pulverizer of a bowl mill of the type which is operative for pulverizing material such as coal into smaller particles, and includes a separator body having a bore, a rotating shaft supported within the bore, and a grinding table supported on the shaft. The rolling element sub-assembly includes an inner race secured to the shaft at a first shaft location, an outer race and a plurality of cylindrical bearings for rolling movement along and intermediate the inner and outer races. The pulverizer shaft rotational support assembly also includes an annular cutout in a gearbox housing structure for radially limiting the outer race while permitting axial movement thereof. The annular cutout limits the maximum radial displacement of the outer race to thereby maintain an annular clearance between the shaft and the bore while permitting axial following movement of the outer race in correspondence with axial movement of the inner race, whereby the shaft can freely rotate out of contact with the bore throughout the range of axial movement of the shaft during axial loading thereof.