How often should I lubricate the bearings?
This is a question we often hear. As you are probably aware, there are a lot of variables to consider when deciding how often you should lubricate a bearing. The following is a formula that may be useful in figuring out how much lubricant should be put in a bearing. We like it because it's very simple and direct.
(((Bearing diameter in inches x breadth in inches) x 1.29) / 7) = Daily cc's of lube
This formula is very simple and does not take into consideration a lot of factors.
These types of formulas will get you close. however, they are not perfect, over and under lubrication can still occur.
Over lubrication: As a bearing is over lubed it will generate high temperatures. These high temperatures can easily be identified using contact and non-contact temperature gathering methods.
Under lubrication: This fault is not as easy identified, that is to say, without using a more advanced technology. REDLINE PdM use an advanced technology that, not only easily identifies lack of lubrication, but also identifies the severity.
From this data we can see that the bearing should be greased every 3 months.
