Purpose and Methods of Bearing Lubrication
Lubrication is an important way to reduce the wear of bearing and increase the service life of bearing. The purpose of bearing lubrication is to form a certain oil film between the relative moving parts, so that the relative motion between the moving parts is relatively smooth, and reduces the wear and vibration, and brings more stable operating performance.
The lubrication method of bearing is generally divided into “oil lubrication” and “solid lubrication”. The lubrication method of bearing should consider the working environment and other important conditions, and take into account the reliability and cost of lubrication. Generally, bearings and bearing components that operate at high temperature and low speed should be greased. For bearings running at high temperature, special high-temperature grease should be used. For bearings operating at low temperature, low-temperature bearing grease should be used.
Oil lubrication is a lubrication method in which liquid lubricant is injected between the rubbing parts and the liquid lubricant forms an oil film between the rubbing parts. It is suitable for applications where high speed and high load are combined, such as bearings of precision machine tools and high-speed rotating equipment.
Solid lubrication is one of the most energy saving and environmental protection lubrication methods, which can be divided into two types: self-lubricating bearings and self-lubricating materials. There are many types of self-lubricating bearings, such as oil-impregnated bearings, oil-retaining bearings, oil-filled bearings and laminated bearings. Self-lubricating materials include molybdenum disulfide, graphite, polytetrafluoroethylene, and sodium-based fluorine-containing soap. Solid lubrication is mostly suitable for low-speed, low-load, and low-temperature conditions, such as the spindle bearings of injection molding machines, machine tools and packaging machines.
In conclusion, lubrication plays an important role in bearing application. The lubrication method should be reasonably selected according to the bearings working condition. Grease lubrication is usually used for bearings with low speed and low load resistance, and oil lubrication for bearings with high speed and high load resistance. For bearings with special working conditions, self-lubricating bearings or solid lubricants should be used.
