Bearings

Bearings 6
-Rolling Element Bearings
-Routine Maintenance

21/09/2004 1

General maintenance practices

• There are specific practices associated with
particular types of rolling element bearings
– But there are a number of general recommendations
that apply to all types.
• As with plain bearings, cleanliness is vital to
the satisfactory operation of rolling element
bearings.
– Bearings should be kept free of dust and dirt
particles and be kept dry and protected at all times.

21/09/2004 2

1
 – Bearings should be handled with clean, dry
hands or with clean gloves.
• It is important when mounting and
dismounting bearings that the correct tools
are used and that they are in good condition.
– Makeshift arrangements or badly worn tools are
likely to lead to damage to the bearing or
bearing assembly.
• Bearings should be wrapped in oil-proof
paper when not in use.
• Only clean solvents and flushing oils should
be used for bearing cleaning.
21/09/2004 3

• Before installing a rolling element bearing

both the housing and shaft should be
carefully inspected
– for burrs, nicks and scratches that may interfere
with the fitting of the bearing.
• Bearings that are dry and unlubricated or
have not been cleaned should not be spun.
– If compressed air is used to clean a bearing care
should be taken to avoid spinning the bearing.
• Cotton waste or dirty rags should not be
used to clean bearings,
– only clean, lint free rags.
21/09/2004 4

2
• The slushing compound used to protect a
bearing in storage need not be removed if it
is petroleum based
– unless it has gone hard or become
contaminated.
• The force applied when mounting or
dismounting a bearing should always be
applied to the ring with the interference fit
– it should never be applied in such a way that the
force is transmitted through the rolling
elements!

21/09/2004 5

• Never strike a bearing directly with a hammer

or mallet or with a soft metal drift.
• Remember that all sealed and shielded
bearings must be mounted cold.
• Bearings should never be heated with a naked
flame.

21/09/2004 6

3
 Tools and equipment
• The maintenance of rolling element bearings
requires specialised tools and equipment
– without these many tasks are extremely difficult.
• Mounting dollies and sleeves
– When mounting bearings which are a press fit it is
important that pressure is applied evenly
– If the bearing is cocked due to uneven force then
surfaces can be damaged and the bearing ring
distorted.
– A set of mounting dollies and sleeves will ensure that
bearings are driven home evenly.
21/09/2004 7

– Dollies and sleeves can be purchased directly

from the bearing manufacturers
• Or can be made up to suit a particular application.

21/09/2004 8

4
• Hammers
– Hammers should be made from steel or soft material
• and should be free from burrs.
– Copper or synthetic resin are suitable materials for
soft hammers
• but lead and tin should not be used.
– Wooden mallets should not be used because of
splinters.
• Drifts
– Only steel drifts should be used
• and they should only be used for bending or straightening
tabs on locking washers
• or for driving shaft nuts.
21/09/2004 9

• Arbor press
– An arbor press ensures that bearings are driven
evenly
• especially when the fit is tight.
– It should be used in preference to other
methods where practicable.
• Pullers
– Bearing pullers are essential for dismounting
• There are several types available.
– Pullers should be maintained in good condition
• So that they operate freely and the claws are free of
burrs.
21/09/2004 10

5
• Lifting gear
– When handling large, heavy bearings it is
important to have suitable lifting gear available
• such as tongs or slings.
21/09/2004 11

• Hook and impact spanners

– Hook and impact spanners are needed for use
with
• adapter sleeve nuts,
• withdrawal nuts
• and shaft nuts

21/09/2004 12

6
• Induction heater or oil bath
– Modern induction heaters are much cleaner and
easier to use than an oil bath
• when bearings have to be heated for a shrink fit.

21/09/2004 13

– When induction heaters are not available, the

traditional oil bath should be used.

21/09/2004 14

7
• Gauges
– Various types of gauges are needed for measuring
• diametrical clearances, • housing bores
• and shaft diameters.
– Ordinary feeler gauges are sufficient for clearances
• but a special set of bore gauges may be required for
measuring the bore of housings.
– Alternatively, standard inside and outside
micrometers can be used for measuring diameters.
• The listed tools are the minimum required for
bearing maintenance.
– Where bearings are mounted on tapered shafts or on
sleeves, hydraulic equipment may also be required.
21/09/2004 15

• Oil injection equipment

– Where shafts have been provided with oil ducts,
hydraulic pressure can be used for mounting
and dismounting both straight bore and tapered
bore bearings.
• Hydraulic force is supplied by an oil injection pump

21/09/2004 16

8
• Hydraulic nuts
– Consist of a nut that incorporates a groove
• in which an annular piston moves when oil pressure is
built up behind it.
– Hydraulic nuts can be used for both mounting and
dismounting

21/09/2004 17

• As well as the equipment already mentioned,

there are a number of standard items which may
be required from time to time
– The following should be readily available.
• straight edge • marking blue
• dial gauge • plumb line
• solvent • clean rags, etc.
• Tools should be kept clean, and in good
condition.
– Bearings are precision items and tools and
equipment should therefore be maintained, handled
and stored accordingly.
21/09/2004 18

9
Mounting procedures
Preliminary steps
– Before starting the mounting procedure for any
bearing, the following points should be
considered:
– Check the manufacturer's drawing of the
bearing arrangement
• Ensure that it is clearly understood.
• Establish which fit is the interference fit.
– Check that the necessary tools and equipment
are available
• after determining the mounting procedure to be
21/09/2004
used. 19

– Select a suitable working environment

• clean and adequately lit.
– If an old bearing is to be remounted make sure that it
has been properly cleaned and lightly lubricated
– Protect the bearing in greaseproof paper until ready for
fitting.
• New bearings should be kept wrapped until ready for fitting.
– Check that the bearing is the correct type and size
• according to the manufacturer's recommendations.
– Check that the shaft and bearing housing are clean and
free from burrs and other surface damage.
– Check the shaft and housing dimensions
• to ensure that they are correct according to drawings.
21/09/2004 20

10
 – Check shoulders and abutments for run-out
• Especially in the case of thrust bearings.
• Run-out in the thrust face mounting will cause rapid
wear
– It should be checked with a dial gauge.

21/09/2004 21

Pre-lubrication
• Normally, rolling element bearings are not
lubricated until after they are mounted,
– although there may be exceptions
• especially when the bearings are inaccessible.
• For cold mounted bearings, however, a light
lubrication of the bearing seat and the shaft
journal and housing will assist in assembly
• It is also good practice where shaft nuts and
adapter sleeve nuts are used for drive-up,
that the threads be lightly lubricated
– So that they create minimum resistance.
21/09/2004 22

11
Selection of mounting method
• The method to be used for mounting a
bearing will depend on
– the type and size of bearing
– and the mounting arrangement.
• The manufacturer's instructions or service
manual should be followed where available.
• Bearings with a bore of 100mm (4") or less
can usually be cold mounted
– larger bearings need to be heated.
21/09/2004 23

• For bearings with tapered bores, only very

large bearings need to be heated.
• Cylindrical bore bearings need to be
mounted mechanically
– whereas tapered bore bearings can be mounted
using hydraulic mounting tools.
• The following methods can be considered
as standard for mounting rolling element
bearings.
– If doubt exists as to which method should be
used then equipment and bearing manufacturers
should be consulted.
21/09/2004 24

12
• Arbor press
– A press is fine for small bearings with cylindrical bore
– A sleeve should be used between bearing and press
which has flat, parallel and burr-free end faces.
– Sleeve should bear on the interference fit bearing ring

21/09/2004 25

• Hammer and dolly

– For cold mounting of all cylindrical bore bearings a
dolly or sleeve can be used
– The sleeve must bear on the race with interference fit
• and care should be taken to ensure that the bearing is
driven on smoothly and does not cock over

21/09/2004 26

13
• Hook and impact spanners
– For small and medium sized bearings (up to 200mm
(8") bore) with tapered bore, either a hook or impact
spanner can be used with a drive nut
• to drive bearing onto tapered shaft or an adapter sleeve

21/09/2004 27

– When a drive nut is used in this manner the face

of the nut facing the bearing should be coated
with a dry lubricant
• Such as molybdenum disulphide
• And the surface of the shaft or sleeve coated with a
light oil.
• Hydraulic nut
– A hydraulic nut can be used for bearings with
tapered bores
– When oil is pumped into the nut the annular
piston forces the bearing on to the tapered seat
• until it reaches a shoulder or the required amount of
axial drive-up
21/09/2004 28

14
 – The hydraulic nut should be used in conjunction
with a suitable oil pump and oil of viscosity
recommended by the manufacturer.

21/09/2004 29

• Oil injection
– Oil can be injected between inner race and shaft
• To expand the bearing and reduce the friction
• Hence to make it easier to drive bearing onto seat

21/09/2004 30

15
• To be able to use this method the shaft must
have been specially machined
– with an oilway and oil grooves to distribute the
oil between the bearing and the shaft.
• The viscosity of the oil and the pressure
developed by the pump should be determined
with the supplier of the equipment.
• Sometimes withdrawal sleeves are also
specially machined with oil ducts and can be
used with oil injection

21/09/2004 31

21/09/2004 32

16
• Oil injection plus hydraulic nut
– For large bearings on tapered bore shafts or
with suitably machined withdrawal sleeves, oil
injection can be used in conjunction with a
hydraulic nut.

21/09/2004 33

• Hot mounting
– For bearings with cylindrical bores and for
large bearings with tapered bores it may be
necessary to heat the bearing.
– The bearing should be heated to around 80°C to
90°C above the shaft temperature
• but never to more than 120°C (250°F).
– The heating apparatus should be close to the
equipment
• and the hot bearing should be pushed home quickly
and smoothly before it cools down or jams.
– An induction heater should be used where
possible.
21/09/2004 34

17
 – If an oil bath is used, the bearing should be
heated with the oil
• and not dropped into hot oil
• also it should be kept off the bottom of the bath by a
grate to prevent distortion as shown in Fig. 6-50.

21/09/2004 35

– If these two heating methods are not available

then a hot plate or an oven may be used.
– Whatever method is used a careful check must
be kept on the temperature of the bearing by
using a surface thermometer.
– When a bearing is an interference fit in the
housing and it is impossible to heat up the
housing it may be necessary to cool the bearing
• by submerging it in a bath of alcohol cooled by dry
ice
• or in a cryogenic liquid.

21/09/2004 36

18
Special mounting considerations
• Adjustment of tapered roller bearings
– Tapered roller bearings must be set up either
with clearance or with a certain amount of
preload,
• depending on the manufacturer's instructions.
– The simplest way to do this is to draw up the
shaft nut or end plate until there is no play in
the bearings and drag becomes noticeable.
• If end play is required then the shaft nut can be
backed off
• If preload is required then it can be pulled up harder.

21/09/2004 37

– The adjustment can be measured by mounting a

dial gauge against a shaft shoulder or gear face.
– In an arrangement with shims, once the play has
been taken up the gap between the end plate and
shaft end can be measured with a feeler gauge
• and either the end play added or the preload subtracted
to establish the correct thickness of shim pack.

21/09/2004 38

19
 – Where clearance is required it is always wise to
take a final check of end play with a dial gauge
against a shaft shoulder
– If a shaft locking nut arrangement is involved then
a final check of clearance will be needed after the
locking nut has been tightened
• because this will force the shaft nut towards the bearing
by an amount equal to the clearance in the threads.

21/09/2004 39

• Axial drive-up
– For a bearing mounted on a tapered bore, the
degree of interference between the inner ring
and the shaft depends on how far the bearing is
driven up the tapered shaft.
• This dimension is known as axial drive- up.
– In small spherical roller bearings, where
clearances cannot be measured, the axial drive-
up is used as a measure of the interference fit
– Manufacturers' information should be consulted
for correct values of axial drive-up for different
bearings.

21/09/2004 40

20
21/09/2004 41

• Measurement of clearances in spherical

roller bearings
– The internal clearance in a spherical roller
bearing is greater than in a ball bearing
• and can be measured with feeler gauges.
– Spherical roller bearings are mounted on
tapered seats
• So as the bearing is pushed on to the taper the inner
ring expands and reduces the internal clearance in
the bearing.
• Hence the final clearance is a direct function of the
interference fit on the shaft.
– Measurement of the clearance is useful in
21/09/2004giving an indication of the shaft fit. 42

21
 – This can be accomplished as follows:
• Measure the un-mounted radial clearance by
standing the bearing on a clean surface and rotating
the inner ring to seat the rollers in the outer ring.
• Then use a feeler gauge to establish the clearance
between the uppermost roller and the outer ring
• Do this by inserting the gauge between two top
rollers and then rolling the roller under the blade
• Increase the feeler gauge thickness until the roller
traps the blade and cannot be withdrawn

21/09/2004 43

• When the bearing is mounted on a tapered shaft or

sleeve, the clearance must be measured at the
bottom instead of the top.
• As before, the outer ring should be rotated a few
times to ensure that the rollers are properly seated
and a feeler gauge inserted between the rollers and
the bottom of the outer ring.

21/09/2004 44

22
 • With self-aligning ball bearings the clearances are
too small to measure with a feeler gauge.
• Normal practice is to tighten up the shaft nut and to
check the clearance by swivelling and rotating the
outer ring.
• When the clearances are correct the ring should
rotate freely but there should be some resistance to
swivelling.

21/09/2004 45

Dismounting procedures
• The procedure used for dismounting a
bearing will depend on the way in which the
bearing is mounted
– and whether the interference fit is on the shaft
or in the housing.
• If the bearing is to be re-used then its
relative position should be marked before it
is dismounted
– i.e. which side is 'up' and which way does it
face.
21/09/2004 46

23
• Whether the bearing is to be re-used or not
care should be taken not to damage the
bearing during the dismounting process
– so that the evidence of failure is not disturbed
– and it can be used to establish cause of failure.
– The dismounting force, like the mounting force,
should always be applied to the ring with the
interference fit.
– Care should also be taken not to damage the
surface of the shaft or housing.
• The following methods are commonly used.
21/09/2004 47

• Interference fit on the shaft

– The most common method for dismounting
bearings with either a cylindrical bore or a
tapered bore is by the use of an outside puller

21/09/2004 48

24
 – Bearings mounted on shafts that have been
machined with oil ducts can be dismounted
using the oil injection method

21/09/2004 49

• Interference fit in the housing

– When the bearing is an interference fit in the
housing then the bearing may have to be
hammered off using a dolly or a soft metal drift

21/09/2004 50

25
 – Because of the tendency of soft metal drifts to
chip they should never be used for mounting.
– When dismounted in this way bearings should
be washed carefully before being re-used.
– For bearings where the inner race can be
swivelled, an inside puller can be used

21/09/2004 51

• Bearings on adapter sleeves

– A hammer and dolly can be used either to
drive the bearing off the sleeve
• or to drive the sleeve from under the bearing
– depending on which way round the sleeve is
mounted.
– The alternative is to use a hydraulic nut

21/09/2004 52

26
21/09/2004 53

21/09/2004 54

27
• Bearings on withdrawal sleeves
– For small and medium sized bearings a hook or
impact spanner can be used to drive up a
withdrawal nut to force out the sleeve

21/09/2004 55

– To make the process easier, the threads and faces of

the withdrawal nut should be lubricated with
molybdenum disulphide.
– For large bearings, a hydraulic nut is recommended

21/09/2004 56

28
 – If the withdrawal sleeve is machined with oil
ducts then oil injection can be used in
conjunction with the withdrawal nut and an
impact spanner

21/09/2004 57

29