Cement plant
Crusher belt pulley bearings that burned out every three months
A real pattern: cylindrical and ball bearings on a crusher drive pulley overheated and failed quarterly. What replaced them and what changed.
The problem
On a crusher drive, the motor belt pulley turns the hammers. The bearings on that pulley, a cylindrical roller bearing and a ball bearing, failed about every three months. Operating temperature was high, and each failure was unplanned.
What was done
- The whole system was studied, not only the bearing.
- A spherical roller bearing replaced the cylindrical and ball pair. It handles misalignment and heavy radial load in one bearing.
- A lubrication analysis found the right grease type and quantity and a correct re-lubrication interval.
- Motorised single-point lubricators fed the grease at a steady rate.
- The housing needed only small changes, so the change was quick.
The result
- No bearing breakdown for more than 18 months.
- Breakdowns turned into one scheduled maintenance a year.
- Bearing temperature fell because the new bearing and the steady grease supply ran cooler.
How to apply it
- When a bearing fails repeatedly, change the question from 'which bearing' to 'what is it doing in this system'.
- Check the combination of misalignment, load, heat and grease before changing anything.
- Use a grease supply that is steady, not a periodic gun, on a hot, heavily loaded bearing.
Takeaway. A repeating bearing failure is a system problem. Fix the arrangement, the lubricant and the supply together.
Put it to work in the tool