Technical Corner
Lubrication of Bearings
Lubrication of all bearings is important to maintain proper life. There are many different lubricates we can use in bearings to provide longevity and proper function of bearings. So the proper selection of the lubrication is important to establish before ordering.
General grease is the most common lubricant used in bearings. Oils, solid lubricants, specialized plating and graphite can also play a vital role in many other applications.
There are a number of different greases
available for the bearing industry. They range from the general purpose greases used for motor applications to high temperature synthetic greases used for aerospace applications. This makes the selection process very difficult. To assist you, Ritbearing engineers have guidelines that will help narrow the selection process and provide you with the correct grease for your application.
Oils and solid lubricants mostly go hand and hand. Solid lubricants are a method of carrying oils while releasing the proper amount over time. Graphite and specialized plating can also be considered based upon your specific application. Please consult Ritbearing engineering if you think your application might require this type of lubricant.
Beyond selecting the correct lubricant for your application, you will also need to consider the amount of lubrication the application will require. As stated above, grease is the most common lubricant and grease fill is very important to the longevity of the bearing. This is especially true for bearings that are sealed for life. In these cases, Ritbearing engineers will specify the proper lubrication fill for the application. In general most fill rates are at 25-35% of the available space within the bearing.
When the bearings can be re-lubricated, proper maintenance of bearings is important and a PM schedule needs to be set. Just as much as too little grease can effect the life of a bearing so can too much grease. Adding too much grease can cause seal failures or overheat a bearing by simply increasing the torque.
Contact Ritbearing Engineering today at engineering(at)ritbearing.com
Ritbearing
15151 Prater Dr
Covington, GA 30014
770-385-6366