Breaking Failure Analysis – Recognize the 12 main bearing failure modes

This year at the BRCE event we are not only running a conference with high quality speakers in all aspects of Bearing Reliability and Maintenance. We are also opening up the exhibition area to the public with 8 x free workshop style sessions which will cover the following topics:

1.Understanding and using vibration sensors
2.Conducting machine alignment for improved machine performance
3.Using High frequency acoustics to control lubrication
4.Understanding viscosity and keeping your oil in a good working condition
5.Implementing Lubrication reliability
6.RCA an important ingredient of proactive maintenance
7.Bearing Failure Analysis
8.Bearing maintenance – the right tools for the job
9.The 12 different reasons why bearings fail
10.How to recognize these 12 bearing failure modes by examining damage bearing    wear patterns
11.Corrective actions to prevent the 12 failures from reoccurring
12.Visitors can also bring their own failed bearings and Per Arnold will analysis them

Some Fun Facts about Bearings

While it’s true that bearings might not come up in everyday conversations, they may never be the theme at Bingo night, or even come up during a heated game of trivia – but there are definitely a few things about bearings you don’t yet know, and they are far from boring!

Bearings Aren’t New Nowadays

Yes, there are many new ways we’ve found to implement the handy little buggers, but that’s not to say bearings haven’t in fact been around a very long time.

It’s easy to think that bearings just sprouted up out of nowhere as modern technology has risen in the last 50 years, but they’ve been around far longer than that.

Thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians used a form of roller bearings to build massive structures such as the great pyramids.

Remains of Roman ships dating back to 40 BC have been found with wooden ball bearings that supported rotating tables.

Bearings are Uses Everywhere

Did you ever hear the phrase, “a spider has eight legs and there’s always one within eight feet of you?” It would be easy to guess the same is true for bearings.

If you take a quick look around, you will notice bearings are everywhere, all around you. They’re in water heaters, microwaves, computers, airplanes, satellites, telescopes, washing machines, skateboards, and the list goes on and on.

Bearings are Perfect spherical object

In shape and structure, that is.

If you were to take it upon yourself to attempt to file down a ball bearing – in the how many licks does it take to get to the center of a lollipop kind of way – your file would be guaranteed to wear out long before the ball bearing ever does!

Secondly, they’re perfectly round. For a fun comparison – if you were to expand a ball bearing to match the size of the Earth, you would notice that the ball bearing would be more round than the Earth itself. This has to do with centrifugal forces pulling at the Earth, making it an oblate spheroid rather than a perfect spherical object.

Bearings Won the World’s First Bicycle Race

According to the New World Encyclopedia’s history of bearings: In August of 1869, the first French patent for ball bearings was received by Parisian bicycle mechanic Jules Suriray. Shortly after that, James Moore came in first place in the world’s first bicycle race, the Paris-Rouen, in November of 1869. His first place medal was no doubt thanks to the new bearings that had been fitted to his bike.

We Once Declared War on Bearings

During the Second World War, factories in Germany that manufactured ball bearings were often targeted to be destroyed. Reason being, the bearings were an essential part of the war industry in Germany, and thus destroying them gave the Allies a much needed headway. Schweinfurt was one location of a major bearings manufacturing plant that was targeted.

Bearings Make the World Go ‘Round'

Global demand is pushing bearing manufacturers to churn out more product, faster, with ever more innovative designs. As consumers and corporations demand more from technology, and the bearings market continues to grow, we’re sure to see bearings play an important role in our future.

Cylindrical Roller Bearing

Product Specification

Cylindrical roller bearings offer excellent resistance to instantaneous overloads and shocks.

They simplify assembly thanks to their detachable elements and allow, for certain types, axial displacement or low axial load, for other types.

Cages

The standard cage for these bearings is the polyamide cage which allows bearing operating temperatures of 120°C or 248°F (150° or 302°F peak). The standard cage for series 4 is in pressed steel. The machined brass cage is available on option. Large-dimension bearings are equipped with a machined brass cage. For special applications in which the synthetic material cage is unacceptable, a metal cage can be provided on request.

Capabilities

Loads and speeds

Cylindrical roller bearings are designed to

• Withstand radial loads
• Withstand moderate axial loads if the position of the shoulders on the rings allows them accept high speeds of rotation

Misalignment

Cylindrical roller bearings accept misalignment of about 0.06° thanks to the correction on the roller surface profile