How to Prevent Bearing Failure

When a bearing fails a whole analysis is conducted into why the bearing failed including the appearance of the bearing, cause of failure, and action of prevention. Here is a look at some of the most common causes of bearing failure and more importantly how we can go about preventing the failure from happening again.

Wear of the Bearing – wearing of the bearing is most often caused by inadequate lubrication. If there is not enough lubrication on the bearing or maybe the lubricant is lost for some reason then metal to metal contact is formed. This metal on metal action grinds on the bearing and deforms the bearing. If the lubricant is completely gone the temperature of the bearing will increase and this will then cause the bearing to fail as well due to overheating. To avoid this situation from happening check that the lubricant reaches the bearing at all times and re-lubricate more frequently.

True Brinelling – There is such a thing called False Brinelling as well but here we’ll look at True Brinelling. Brinelling occurs when the load that is placed on the bearing exceeds its limit. The bearing and the rings cannot hold the weight and make indentations in the metal in the raceways. This indentation and deformity means the bearing doesn’t roll as freely and so causes more vibration and more noise. Be aware of how much weight you can place on a particular machine, it will be specified either in the manual or on the side, and do not exceed the limit as this may result in bearing failure.

Bearing Damage Caused by Electric Currents – when an electric current is passed through a rotating or non-rotating bearing the temperature of the bearing increases, this will cause discolouration of the bearing. The bearing may melt in certain areas and re-hardened which causes small craters. To prevent the bearing from becoming damaged re-route the electricity path so it doesn’t touch the bearing or use insulated bearings which can handle high temperatures from the electricity.

Tight Fitting Bearings – when a bearing is very tightly fitted it can cause the bearing to fail, as with the reverse situation of a loose fitting, the fitting of the bearing needs to be exact for the bearing to work correctly. Because the bearing is so tightly fitted this will cause the bearing to increase in temperature which causes rapid wear and fatigue. To avoid this from happening ensure the bearings are fitted perfectly not too tight and not too loose.