Extensive work has been carried out by a respectable number of grease experts to evaluate impact of water on grease structure and service performance. Technical literature, maintenance inspection reports and root cause analyses indicate in many instances that water contributes to a good number of bearings failures. This paper will cover a case study conducted on several sealed roll neck bearings in operation in a cold rolling section at a steel mill plant, where water, that comes in contact with these bearings, is abundant and chemically aggressive. The grease remains in these bearings for the entire campaign (10-12 months) with no re-lubrication. An advanced technology grease was developed to boost the wear, extreme pressure properties as well as corrosion resistance, and water resistance to allow extended service life. This paper discusses laboratory testing conditions, physical as well as the performance test data along with the field trial results obtained after 11 months of operation without re-lubrication.
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