A piece of equipment in service for 10 years has problems with axis thrust bearing failure due to coolant contamination, and the failure occurs every two years. The bearings sit in the housing with only the end cap-side sealed. The ballscrew-side has a rubber bumper attached to the housing where the pitch of the ballscrew slings coolant into the bearing. This washes away the packed grease and causes contamination.

We added a pneumatic circle-flow nozzle that wraps around the ballscrew, forcing the coolant to blow off the ballscrew before it reaches the bearing housing. This solution, along with installing an automatic shut-off to the system, has greatly reduced our maintenance and production costs. (Ryan Schlumbaum, Maintenance, Busch Mfg.)

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Book Bits: Advice for Your Lube Room

From the book "Practical Lubrication for Industrial Facilities":

Storage temperatures should remain moderate at all times. The oilhouse should be located away from such possible sources of industrial contamination as coke dust, cement dust, textile mill fly, and similar forms of grit or soot. It should be kept clean at all times, with regular cleaning schedules being maintained. This applies above all to the dispensing equipment, which must never be allowed to become fouled, since this results in contamination and poor functioning.

Contamination and confusion of brands are two main things to avoid in the handling of partially emptied containers and dispensing equipment. Thus, orderliness is essential. Dispensing equipment should bear a label that matches the container from which it was filled. Labels on all equipment and containers should be kept legible at all times. Drying oils, such as linseed oil, should not be stored in the oilhouse. If they get into a lubrication system, the result, of course, is faulty lubrication and stoppage.

More information about "Practical Lubrication for Industrial Facilities"

Test your knowledge and prepare for ICML lubrication and oil analysis certification.

Question: Name four solid lubricants found in some gear oils and greases.

Get the answer.

"Should I consider adding the acid number test to my predictive maintenance program?"

Acid number (AN) tests are typically performed as part of a proactive oil analysis strategy. The principal reason we would consider acid number is to determine a condition-based oil change interval rather than a time-based oil change interval.

Because acid number changes when organic acids build up in the oil due to oxidation, the test can be used to warn of incipient oxidation so that an oil change can be scheduled. Used correctly, it allows oil analysis users to optimize oil life, without jeopardizing equipment by leaving oil in service for too long.

It is typically used in large (>50 to 100 gallon) systems, where the cost to perform AN tests can be justified by the extended oil drain intervals and is applicable to most oils, with the exception of diesel engine oils.

Most quality labs are able to accurately determine AN. However, we strongly suggest you request the lab to use ASTM D664 (potentiometric titration), rather than D974 (colorimetric) because this is generally more accurate for used oil analysis - particularly darker oils. A list of labs can be found in the Noria Buyers Guide.

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Resources

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