MACHINERY LUBRICATION- INDIA NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2019 | Page 25

Wes Cash | Noria Corporation
IN THE TRENCHES
Bearing Lubrication
Understanding Your
Bearings Prior to
Lubrication
“
A bearing
number
contains all
the pertinent
information
needed to
devise a
best-practice
maintenance
strategy
for the
equipment.”
T he
type
of
bearing selected
for operation in a
machine determines
how it should be maintained
for maximum equipment life.
Of course, if you installed the
bearing, you should know its
type and configuration as well as
its lubrication requirements prior
to operation. Unfortunately, you
often do not have the luxury of
knowing which bearings are
installed, especially with new or
rebuilt equipment. This is when
reading the bearing number and
realizing what it is telling you will
become important. facing lubrication programs today.
Frequently, this is overlooked
or not given a second thought.
Grease-­lubricated bearings seem
to be a bigger challenge than
oil-lubricated bearings, as the
configuration tends to have a
greater impact on grease than it
does oil. This also leads to blindly
applying grease to any Zerk fitting
that may be apparent. However,
just because a grease fitting exists
on a machine does not mean
it should be greased or have
lubricant applied. In fact, greasing
components can actually result in
a shorter life for the equipment
and induce a failure mode.
Understanding which bearing
type is installed and about to be
lubricated is one of the main issues What You
Should Know
Examples of equipment tags
To properly lubricate a bearing,
you must first know some key
information about it. This would
include the bearing type, whether
it has additional design features, if
it should be lubricated, its size and
speed, as well as if it is the original
bearing or has been replaced.
The first place most people look
to find this information is in a
maintenance manual or on an
equipment tag. Many manuals
offer all the details you need with
exploded views or parts lists.
Bearings generally are listed by
a set of standard numbers that
identify all the specifics, allowing
you to order a new bearing or
determine proper relubrication
activities.
A more recent trend is for an
original equipment manufacturer
(OEM) to provide a generic part
number or claim the bearing is
proprietary. This requires the end
user to order spare parts from the
OEM or call a technical center to
obtain the necessary information.
In addition to maintenance
manuals, there is often a vast
www.machinerylubricationindia.com
| November - December 2019 | 23