Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Grease
Lubrication
in Rolling
Bearings
Piet M. Lugt
GREASE LUBRICATION
IN ROLLING BEARINGS
Tribology Series
Piet M. Lugt
SKF, The Netherlands
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lugt, Piet M., author.
Grease lubrication in rolling bearings / Piet M. Lugt.
pages cm. – (Tribology in practice series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-118-35391-2 (hardback) – ISBN 978-1-118-48396-1 (obook) – ISBN 978-1-118-48397-8 (epub)
1. Roller bearings–Lubrication. 2. Lubrication and lubricants. I. Title.
TJ1071.L78 2013
621.8 9–dc23
2012031584
Cover photograph courtesy of SKF Maintenance Products
A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN: 978-1-118-35391-2
Typeset in 10/12pt Times by Aptara Inc., New Delhi, India
Dedicated to:
Marjo, Michiel and Marijn
Contents
Preface xvii
Series Preface xix
List of Abbreviations xxi
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Why Lubricate Rolling Bearings? 1
1.2 History of Grease Lubrication 2
1.3 Grease Versus Oil Lubrication 3
2 Lubrication Mechanisms 5
2.1 Introduction 5
2.2 Definition of Grease 6
2.3 Operating Conditions 6
2.4 The Phases in Grease Lubrication 7
2.5 Film Thickness During the Bleeding Phase 8
2.5.1 Ball Bearings 8
2.5.2 Roller Bearings 10
2.6 Feed and Loss Mechanisms During the Bleeding Phase 10
2.7 Film Thickness and Starvation (Side Flow) 11
2.8 Track Replenishment 12
2.9 Grease Flow 13
2.9.1 Non-Newtonian Rheology 14
2.10 Wall-Slip 15
2.11 Oxidation 16
2.12 EP Additives 16
2.13 Dynamic Behaviour 17
2.14 Grease Life 17
2.14.1 Temperature 18
2.14.2 Speed 19
2.14.3 Load 19
2.14.4 Bearing Type 20
2.14.5 Grease Type 20
2.14.6 Environment 21
viii Contents
12 Reliability 257
12.1 Failure Distribution 258
12.2 Mean Life and Time Between Failures 261
12.3 Percentile Life 264
12.4 Point and Interval Estimates 265
12.4.1 Graphical Methods for Point Estimates 265
12.4.2 Suspended Tests, Censored Data 267
12.4.3 Weibull Parameters η and β: Maximum Likelihood Method 269
12.4.4 Bias of Point Estimates 272
12.4.5 Confidence Intervals for β 273
12.4.6 Confidence Intervals and Unbiased Point Estimates
for Life Percentiles 273
12.4.7 Estimate Precision 274
12.5 Sudden Death Testing 275
12.5.1 Maximum Likelihood Method for a 3-Parameter Weibull
Distribution 280
12.6 System Life Prediction 281