Myths About Bearing Lubrication
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The Main Purpose Of Bearing Lubrication
Bearing Lubrication is an essential process in order to reduce friction as well as for the proper function of bearings, which may result to cause damage or failure of the bearing. Bearing Lubricants help to protect the bearings against corrosion and contaminants that can damage bearings and other components as well. Proper bearing lubrication solution in the correct application ensures long service lives for bearings.
Why Does Bearing Fail?
Bearings can fail due to a lot of reasons and most of the failures are associated with bearing lubrication conditions and contamination. For the most part, these types of myths and misconceptions are handed from one generation of the maintenance department to the subsequent, and as a result, this causes prolong bearing failure issues.
To begin with, these myths fall under three general areas of bearing use, namely;
- Installation,
- Mis-handling, and
- Lubrication.
Read our article- Bearing Failure Due to Water: Bearing Failure Analysis
Now, let us discuss the most commonly known Myths about bearing lubrication that you shouldn’t believe.
1. All Lubricants are equivalent
For the most part, not all lubricants are the same. There are a variety of industrial lubricants for bearings, and each one has different benefits.
Ordinarily, there are various types of bearing greases, general bearing grease being the most common one, but there are some other options, including:
- Greases
- Oil Lubricants
- Solid Lubricants
- Specialized plating
- Graphite
However, there is also another reason where some lubricants may differ and may not be compatible with each other which can lead to thickening or thinning of bearing greases and, as a result, it will finally cause more wear and tear for your bearing. Hence, one should keep these factors in mind while deciding on a bearing lubricant.
2. More Bearing Grease provide better cooling for Bearings
This is wrong !!
Bearing greases do not provide cooling and for instance, if you are filling every void with the grease, it will choke the bearing’s ability to dissipate heat generated by normal friction.
3. If Bearing makes a noise then adding grease is the only option
If a bearing is making noise, then there may be a possibility of internal damage. Adding bearing grease may provide temporary relief, but a bearing that is making noise should require proper monitoring and replacement at the primary opportunity. Particularly, one should investigate the root of the bearing failure with either independent or manufacturer failure analysis before deciding to use a bearing lubricant. So then, adding grease without analyzing a problem is the wrong technique.
4. It is okay to lubricate the Bearings once a year
There are various factors that will affect your re-lubrication schedule. Every case is different, but there is a good chance that you simply should re-lubricate your bearings quite once annually. There are also few factors by which your bearing lubrication intervals may vary quite a bit, depending on load, speed, temperature, environmental conditions, etc.
High-speed applications, heavy contamination conditions need frequent re-lubrication, possibly weekly or daily. Against this, a mounted needle bearing during a lightly loaded, low-speed, clean environment may do fine with re-lubrication at 12- to 24-month intervals. Certain applications may have to be monitored and bearing lubrication intervals/amounts adjusted accordingly.
5. Bearing Lubricants can be stored anywhere
Bearing Lubricants cannot be stored in a dirty, dusty environment because they can easily get contaminated. Contaminated lubrication is not good for the business, whereas improved lubrication storage helps to achieve several benefits. So, it is also important to store the bearing lubricants in a dry, cool and clean environment where containers can be rotated easily, and the use of the first-In, first-out technique is easy & hassle-free.
Final word
To summarize, not only the right bearing but also the right bearing lubrication is important in order to run your application smoothly for a long time. Lastly, we can help you to find the right bearing lubrication solution. Contact us today for all your lubrication needs. You can connect with us at [email protected] or visit our website (Mosil Lubricants: A Leading Industrial Lubricants Manufacturer)for assistance with the best industrial lubrication solution.
