Grease selection for sealed roll neck bearings

Journal Article · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · Iron and Steel Engineer

OSTI ID:118895

Schrama, R C ^[1]; Vickerman, R T ^[2]; Bender, C P ^[3]

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1. Dofasco Inc., Hamilton, Ontario (Canada)
2. Brooks Technology Co., Cleveland, OH (United States)
3. Torrington Co., CT (United States)

During the 1990`s, a revolution took place in the steel industry with respect to lubricant usage, maintenance costs and the environment. The 4-row taper roller bearings that are used in rolling mills on the work roll necks have been historically lubricated with grease from a centralized grease system, pre-packed with grease at each roll change, or fed with oil from mist or air-oil system. Steel mills are being forced to reduce lubricant consumption to reduce maintenance costs, decrease the costs for the disposal of sludges created from the spent greases and reduce the amount of sludge that was created. The sealed bearing became an avenue for accomplishing these objectives. The open 4-row taper roller bearing was redesigned to accommodate seals. The bearing was pre-packed with grease and put into service without any grease replenishment for up to 22 months operation time. The selection of the grease to provide optimum operating characteristics for the lubricant and the bearing is one of the critical elements to the success of the bearing design. This paper reviews the critical properties that are necessary in the grease for the lubricant to provide the correct tribological functions in the bearing. This includes wear of the rollers and raceways, seal lip and surface wear, heat generation during rotation and under load, corrosion resistance, resistance to shearing during the working life of the grease and resistance to water contamination.

• OSTI ID: 118895
• Report Number(s): CONF-9509197--
• Journal Information: Iron and Steel Engineer, Journal Name: Iron and Steel Engineer Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 72; ISSN IRSEA5; ISSN 0021-1559
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
DECISION MAKING
GREASES
LUBRICATING PROPERTIES
LUBRICATION
METAL INDUSTRY
MILLING MACHINES
ROLLER BEARINGS
SEALS
TRIBOLOGY