BEARINGS, SEALS & GASKETS
FEATURE
RESILIENT, RELIABLE, RELENTLESS - BEARINGS FOR HARSH ENVIRONMENTS
Across sectors like quarrying and mining, steelmaking and cement, bearings must endure heavy loads, shocks and vibration, as well as
putting up with high levels of contamination and extreme temperatures, all without compromising performance. NSK Europe develops and manufactures bearing solutions that excel under such harsh conditions
E
ven in controlled industrial environments, bearing failures can pose significant challenges. Poor lubrication, ingress of
contaminants or poor installation – just three of many possibilities – can lead directly to unplanned downtime and unscheduled maintenance. This can be costly and logistically challenging, further compounded when this happens in remote or difficult to access environments. As an example, mines and quarries are the definition of a harsh or aggressive environment. Here, not only do bearings have to withstand extreme strain, but they’re often located in hard- to-reach areas. Bearing failures can therefore result in extended downtime due to the delays in obtaining replacement components.
CONTAMINATION Contamination is one of the most common causes of bearing failure as it disrupts the conditions the components need to operate smoothly and reliably. This makes cement manufacturing sites, with their overabundance of dust, moisture and corrosive materials, a perfect storm for bearing failure. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect your vital components. NSK has plenty of experience here. For
example, it worked with a company where the bearings were failing every two to three months on its concrete pipe slotting machine, resulting in eight hours of downtime per incident. Following a site visit, it was determined that the shielded deep groove ball bearings being used weren’t able to keep out the fine concrete dust which was infiltrating the lubrication.
The solution was NSK Molded-Oil Bearings with DDU contact seals, which have been specifically designed for corrosive and dust- contaminated environments. Available in ball, spherical roller, and tapered roller formats, these incorporate a solid polymer matrix that releases lubricant in a controlled manner. This not only ensures consistent lubrication but also seals out contaminants and eliminates the need for relubrication. The upgrade extended bearing life from months
to over a year, delivering annual cost savings of approximately €33,000 for the customer.
VIBRATION Heavy vibration is a standard challenge in the quarrying sector, particularly for machinery such as vibrating screens and crushers. One quarry was experiencing bearing failures on its vibrating screen machinery at least twice a year, with every
Cement manufacturing sites are the perfect storm for bearing failure
failure causing a full day of downtime. The cause proved to be load-related stress, lubrication degradation, and contamination ingress. As a solution, NSK recommended its VS Series of bearings, made from its proprietary High- Tough (HTF) Steel and engineered specifically to withstand the harsh working environments and frequent vibrations found in the mining, quarrying and construction industries. HTF Steel offers superior fatigue life and
resistance to wear-and-tear, heat and seizure, which come together to offer up to seven times the lifespan you would expect from conventional bearings when exposed to contaminated lubrication. The company found that the VS Series bearings
lasted three times as long as their predecessors, significantly reducing downtime and improving efficiency. The result was a significant uptake in productivity and annual savings of €47,000 thanks to reduced part and maintenance costs.
WATER INGRESS Steelmaking is another sector where the list of potential challenges can sometimes feel endless. Day in, day out, bearings have to stand up to particulate contamination, heavy loads, shock loads, strong vibrations, rapid acceleration and deceleration, and extreme temperatures. There is, however, another factor that comes into play here: water. Water can have a significant impact on the life expectancy of a bearing. For instance, as little as
0.1% water ingress will reduce bearing life to 25% of what it should be; and just 1% will see a four-year lifespan reduced to just three months. Fortunately, there are things you can do to
prevent this. For example, in a cold rolling mill, one European steelmaker struggled with unexpected bearing failures every few months due to water and particulate contamination. Here, NSK recommended its Super-Tough
(STF) Steel spherical roller bearings. Engineered specifically to combat contamination-induced wear and seizure, STF bearings deliver up to ten times the service life of standard bearings in contaminated lubrication, and four times longer at operating temperatures up to 160˚C. Following the implementation, the
steelmaker was able to move from quarterly emergency replacements to annual scheduled maintenance, translating into cost savings of approximately €14,000 per year.
COLLABORATION IS KEY Bearings might be small, but they are an integral part of your operations. Bearing failure can have catastrophic effects on productivity, reliability, and your bottom line. This is doubly true in harsh environments, so it is essential that you collaborate with a supplier able to offer high- performance bearing solutions engineered specifically for the world’s toughest environments.
NSK Europe
www.nskeurope.com
MAY 2025 DESIGN SOLUTIONS 31
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