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In This Issue:

• Today's Tip: Oil Mist for Contamination Control

• Book Bits: Advice for Bearing Care

• Q & A: Breather Filter Maintenance Made Easy

Today's Tip

Oil Mist for Contamination Control

• In bearing applications where high contamination levels are a concern, consider converting grease lubrication systems to oil mist lubrication. Oil mist systems are slightly pressurized, helping to exclude contaminants. Use a pure mist system for rolling element bearings and purge mist for gearboxes and journal bearings.

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Book Bits

Advice for Bearing Care

From "Rolling Bearings Handbook and Troubleshooting Guide"

After bearings operate for a period of time, they may develop deposits of lubricant varnish and contamination from the environment. Unused bearings may also become contaminated due to broken packages or dirty storage areas. In some instances, flushing the bearing with clean lubricant while it is in operation provides some cleaning.

When the bearings are very contaminated with dirt and sludge, soak them in kerosene, mineral spirits or special commercial solvents. Some solvents can be detrimental to nonmetallic cages, seals or other components. After cleaning with solvents, bearings are extremely vulnerable to corrosion or mechanical damage and should be protected or lubricated immediately. Handling with bare hands can corrode the bearing surfaces because of the acidic moisture on the hands. A clean, dry, unlubricated bearing can be easily damaged by the movement between rolling bearings and raceways. Such bearings should never be spun or subjected to shock or vibration before a coating of lubricant or preservative has been applied.

More information about the book "Rolling Bearings Handbook and Troubleshooting Guide"

Q & A

Breather Filter Maintenance Made Easy

"Our plant has just upgraded all the breathers on our hydraulic systems to use high-efficiency hydraulic filters instead of the standard filler/breather caps. There seems to be no way to know when these filters need to be replaced. How can we change our air breathers based on the condition of the breather and prevent throwing away perfectly good filters?"

Condition-based maintenance is a great way to cut costs and to monitor the efficiency of specific components such as filters and air breathers. The problem you are faced with can have catastrophic results if the change-out interval is longer than the useful life of the filter.

Air filters on hydraulic systems are rarely included in regular maintenance inspections due to the impossible task of assessing the useful life left on a breather. There are commercially available, inexpensive, vacuum gauges that can be fitted to the adapter used to mount your hydraulic filter to your hydraulic reservoir.

These vacuum gauges show you, in graduated readings, how much service life has been used and even more importantly, how much life the element has left. As the system draws air in through the filter, any restriction causing a vacuum will register a reading on the gauge.

The graduated gauge is a telltale gauge that holds the highest reading in position until it is reset by pushing a button after replacement of the filter. You maximize the life of the element, because the indicator allows you to change the filter when needed, thus avoiding unnecessary labor, downtime cost and replacement cost from under- or overservicing.

These gauges also provide the same opportunity for condition-based maintenance on diesel and gasoline engine air intake filters.

Jason Kopschinsky, Technical Consultant, Noria Corporation

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