Bearing Lubrication Problems

Lubrication is a leading cause of bearing problems. The tricky part is how much or how little lubrication a bearing needs. A ball bearing has a curved raceway, so the relative motion between bearing and raceway always produces skidding. For this reason, there needs to be a protective film of lubrication between the balls and raceway that prevents the metal to metal skidding.

Keeping the above things in mind, we have listed 8 common bearing problems and methods to prevent them so you can avoid bearing failure.

• Not Enough Bearing Lubrication - If there isn’t enough bearing lubrication a direct metal to metal contact can cause friction that produces destructive heat. You can usually identify this problem by looking at the bearing and seeing its discolouration on the ball and raceway.

• Your Bearing is rotating faster than the Grease Rating - If you are using grease lubrication, make sure to check the speed rating for the grease. If your bearings rotate faster than the grease rating, the oil may not have sufficient time to re-adhere with the thickener after the ball passes over it, causing the bearing to overheat. If a bearing overheats it could cause catastrophic failure of the overall system. Make sure to check the grease life.

• Your system is too hot or too cold - If the system temperature is too high, the viscosity of grease can decrease drastically which prevents the grease from staying where it’s needed in the bearing. If the system temperature is too low, the viscosity can become too thick making the bearing work hard to push through and separate the oil and thickener as the ball passes over the grease. Protect the bearing from lubrication issues by choosing a lubricant that maintains an adequate, thick film under your application’s operating temperature. To maximise the life of the lubricant, consider the system life, temperature, viscosity and the speed when selecting the lubrication.

• Bearing Contamination - Another cause of bearing failure is contamination. Contamination happens when particles enter the bearing raceway during operation and become pressed between the balls and bearing raceway. As the bearing balls keep rolling over the particles, craters are formed on the raceway leading to machine vibration and excessive heat generation. To identify contamination take a look at the raceway and see if you can spot the crater. Hard contamination tends to leave sharp edges and soft contamination tends to leave smoother edges.

To prevent contamination, purchase bearings with seals or shields. Labyrinth seals can be added in front of the bearing to protect it from dirt, debris and contamination.

• Overloaded Bearings - Overloaded bearings occur when there is excessive pressure between the balls and bearing raceway resulting in plastic deformation. The most common reason for overloaded bearings is excessive load like improper installation, shaft imbalances etc. Overloading can exhibit similar symptoms to contamination. Both can create craters on the surface of the raceway which will cause excessive vibration/heat. If overloading is from axial or radial loads, add bearings or change the size to reduce the pressure on each individual bearing.

Primeroll is a Rollway, McGill and SealMaster Authorised distributor in India. If you require assistance with bearings or their associated products, please visit our website http://primeroll.in/

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