Used grease analysis for rolling element bearing condition monitoring

摘要

In order to maintain the original performance of rolling element bearings for as long as possible, proper operation, maintenance and inspection should be carried out. If appropriate procedures are performed, most unexpected bearing failures should be avoided. Hence, the reliability, productivity and operating & maintenance cost of the equipment containing the bearings are all improved. Items that should be regularly checked and inspected during operation include bearing noise, vibration, temperature, and used lubricants. If an irregularity is found during operation, the cause should be determined and proper corrective actions should be taken. From extensive literature review, few papers reported on the used grease analysis for prediction and/or diagnosis of rolling-element bearing failure. In this particular work, typical used grease analysis techniques are proposed, for examples, detection of foreign matter or wear debris present in the used grease, detection of changes in used grease properties that significantly different from its original characteristics.