Diagnosing a potential bearing failure ahead of time may not only prevent unexpected downtime but may also reduce maintenance costs up to a great level. Although there is no particular cause that may cause a total bearing failure, by taking note of several potential causes and certain necessary preventive measures, one can reduce unscheduled downtime, ultimately extending the life of a bearing.
Here are some of the key failure causes of a roller bearing, which may account for the majority of bearing failures:
- Corrosion
A bearing always comes with an anti-corrosive sealing. Therefore, it’s better to open the seal only when the bearings are ready for installation. A bearing exposed to dirt, dust, or any other oil can corrode and cause rust to form abrasive wear. This corrosion can severely impact the output quality of the bearing and may also result in potential breakage of the connecting parts of the bearing. Also, it’s imperative to buy the bearings only from a trusted roller bearing supplier such as SKF and others, which may help in ensuring the quality of the product in hostile factory environments.
- Lubrication Contamination
Lubrication is an important aspect of an SKF roller bearing lifecycle. Without lubrication, a bearing may fail or wear out soon. Sometimes lubricating the bearing less/more or any contamination present in the lubricant may also result in excessive wear and heat development in the roller bearing, which may lead to premature bearing failure.
Therefore, sticking to a proper lubrication practice and protecting a bearing from any contamination is the key to securing the persistent and smooth running of a bearing. In cases of foreign bodies present in the lubricant or the bearing, you need to either quickly filter it out or replace the roller bearing.
- Overloading
Overloading a bearing with excessive weight, speed processing, and against manufacturer’s guidelines may result in wearing out of the bearing. It may also result in overheating, which may also lead to the path of wearing out of the rolling element.
In such cases, either load can be reduced or a bearing with greater capacity can be used. If the bearing has failed completely, then it can be replaced with a new one to prevent further damage to the system.
- Improper Mounting
The mounting of a new bearing should be done carefully in a precise manner to prevent any contamination, misalignment, or damage to the bearing. Also, it should be mounted with a press fit on the inner ring rather than the outer ring. An incorrectly mounted bearing can create issues like tight, loose, or misaligned fitting. Also, in cases of any dent, overheating, fracture or failure of a bearing, replacement of the bearing should be considered immediately.
- Misalignment
Out of square shaft shoulder, bent shafts, out of square clamping nuts, out of square spacers, and an improper installation due to loose-fitting can be a prominent cause of misalignment in a bearing which may result in overheating and sometimes failure of the bearing.
In order to prevent any misalignment, it’s vital to inspect shafts and housings for shoulders and bearing seats run out and use precision grade lock nuts.
As mentioned earlier, bearing failure may result in downtime and thus, proper maintenance of bearing is extremely essential.