Keep the bearing cools

If the bearings properly designed and selection, there is little or no need to be concerned about temperature rises on bearings, under “normal” operating conditions. But there are a host of different conditions that can raise the rolling elements’ temperature to the point where it becomes a problem.

Here’s take a look at one of the factors that engineers can adjust to keep bearings cools.

In systems using oil bath or splash lubrication, bearing temperatures are quite sensitive to the level of oil in the sump. The common practice of setting the nominal oil level at the center of the bottom ball bearing ( so  h/d = 0.5 where h is oil depth or height, h, and d is diameter of the ball bearing) will work in most instances.

However, at extremely high speeds, even this level may not be enough. And if h/d is less than 0.5, you run the risk that imperfect maintenance or abnormal operating conditions will result in oil starvation and catastrophic bearing failure. In such cases, an oil flinger should be recommended to use. It provides an oil mist without requiring precise control of oil level.