STUDY OF EFFECT OF SOLID CONTAMINANTS IN THE LUBRICANT ON BALL BEARINGS VIBRATION

Abstract

In deep groove ball bearings contamination of lubricant grease by solid particles is one of the main reason for early bearing failure. To deal with such problem, it is fundamental not only the use of reliable techniques concerning detection of solid contamination but also the investigation of the effects of certain contaminant characteristics on bearing performance. Nowadays the techniques such as vibration measurements are being increasingly used for on-time monitoring of machinery performance. The present work investigates the effect of lubricant contamination by solid particles on the dynamic behavior of rolling bearings, in order to determine the trends in the amounts of vibration affected by contamination in the Grease and by the bearing wear itself. Experimental tests are performed with Deep-groove ball bearings. The Dolomite powder in three concentration levels and different particle sizes was used to contaminate the grease. Vibration signals were analyzed in terms of Root Mean Square (RMS) values and also in terms of defect frequencies.