Machines are all around us. It has become the evidence of human intellect. Machines have made our lives easy to live but these facilities require to be maintained. The smallest part of these machines plays an important role in their working of like bearings, simple nuts or bolts. All these parts are needed to be taken care of. Lubricating these parts is the best way to increase the lifespan of machines. In our earlier articles, we have talked about many kinds of lubricants like grease, oil. In this article, we will explore the ways to lubricate bearings.
Let’s understand the aspects of bearings, before knowing about their lubrication.
Bearings are a small but essential part of the machine. It allows a smooth rotation of the machine. The inside structure of the machine functions because of the shaft. It is a part that makes machines move. Bearings perform a task of a supporter to move. It helps the shaft rotate. They are largely used in automobiles, electric generators, aeroplanes, and any other industries. They are used in daily used appliances like refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and air – conditioners.
Bearings need to be working without any friction as it is the first aim to use them. They minimize the friction between the shaft and the other moving parts inside the machine.
These bearings may get affected and their performance can get minimized if they get corroded or get contaminated. There are chances of heat transference. These factors can have hazardous effects on your machines. It can also spoil the rotating parts. inside the machine. The speed of rotation can be affected.
These bearings should be lubricated in accordance with the requirements. The selection of lubricants depends on the type of bearings or machines, heating conditions, speed, position of shafts,
load taking capacity, and many more criteria.
Lubricants can be in different forms. It can be either in the form of oil or grease. Oils are very easy to lube, drain out or change. It can even sustain high temperatures. On the other hand, grease is also useful. It helps in lubrication as it does not leak very easily and provides a very good quality of sealing.
Selection of Lubrication:
The requirements of the machine decide the type of lubrication.
Oil Lubricants:
Machine’s parts are lubricated with oil when it has been run at high temperature or high speed.
The oils, having the components of natural oil, are used with additives that prevent oxidation and rust. Synthetic oil is another option.
Bath, Splash, Air /oil mist and jet, are the various methods to lubricate bearings.
Poyalphaolefins, polyalkylene glycols (PAG), easters are the base components used to prepare additives. Silicone is also useful at cold levels.
The viscosity of the fluid should be checked before lubricating any bearings or part of the machine.
Grease Lubricant:
Grease is the other option in order to get the best results. It is the best option to lubricate as it does not leak and remains on the surface. It gives smoothness to bearings, shaft and the other moving parts. It does not get ejected from the machine’s parts as oil does.
After the usage of grease, it becomes very easy to use machines as it minimizes the incidences of maintenance once the lubrication is done.
Grease is generally a combination of base oil, additives to protect from rust and thickener to give it consistency.
The usage of it increases the life – span of the machines.
Application of lubricants:
The application of lubricants differs with every machine in accordance with the requirements. There are many different methods to lubricate the bearings and the other parts inside the machine. There are few standard methods like;
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- a. Oil Drip Feed Lubrication
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- b. Oil Splash Feed Lubrication
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- c. Oil Force Feed Lubrication
- Oil Drip Feed Lubrication is useful when low to moderate load and speed is covered by the machines. These machines need to be lubricated in small quantities at regular periods of time.
- Oil Splash Feed Lubrication is used when a machine is working at a higher speed and temperature. It has to be applied in horizontal mode
- Oil Force Feed Lubrication is applied when a machine works with a heavy load and high speed. It results in the friction of parts due to high temperature. The oil is supplied to parts with high quantum.
Points to be taken care of:
- The required amount of lubricant has to be applied according to the capacity of parts.
- Lubricate the machines as and when the demand arises. There is no need to lubricate it frequently.
- Use ultrasound with digital decibel metering to know the accurate bearing sounds.
Conclusion:
In this article, we learnt about the various techniques to lubricate the bearings and the parts of the machines. It helps the moving parts stay free from friction, corrosion and wear in the future.
Lubrication is a very effective process to maintain the machine in good condition but it is equally notable that the bearings and these parts need to be lubricated over a period of time as they can lose their lubricative effects after a particular period. The methods of lubrication depend on the type of the machines and the requirements related to it.
We hope that this article will be useful to get details about the lubricants and their application in bearings. We are happy to help our readers. The valuable feedback of yours is always a source of betterment for us. Keep on reading and keep on exploring with us.