Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/680544
18 | May - June 2016 | www.machinerylubrication.com destructive downward spiral. Common symptoms relating to lubrication include: • Widely fluctuating oil levels • Inspections that don't get performed or reported • Filters and breathers that don't get changed on time • Oil samples that never get taken or are collected improperly • Oil that is not changed on time • Bearings that don't get a timely shot of fresh grease Periodically forgetting to perform "the rights of lubrication" is equivalent to periodically accepting preventable failures. We can and should do better. Although most everyone knows about lubricant starvation in principle and realizes the common sense of adequate lubricant supply, it is frequently ignored because many typical forms are largely hidden from view. For instance, who notices the quasi-dry friction that accelerates wear each time you start an automobile engine? This is a form of lubricant starvation. It's not a sudden- death failure, but it is a precipitous wear event nonetheless. Each time controllable wear goes uncontrolled, an opportunity is lost to prolong service life and increase reliability. Machines don't just need some lubricant or any lubricant. Rather, they need a sustained and adequate supply of the right lubricant. Adequate doesn't just mean dampness or the nearby presence of lubricant. What's defined as adequate varies some- what from machine to machine but is critical nonetheless. High-speed equipment running at full hydrodynamic film has the greatest lubricant appetite and is also the most punished when starved. Machines running at low speeds and loads are more forgiving when lube supply is restricted. Even these machines can fail suddenly when severe starvation occurs. Lubricant starvation is an almost silent destroyer. While there are telltale signs, they generally aren't recognized or understood. Of course, there are varying degrees of starvation. Complete starvation is sudden and blatant. However, more moderate partial starva - tion is what tends to go unnoticed until failure. Then, other suspect causes (the bearing, lubricant, operator, etc.) may be falsely blamed. Stickers or lube identification tags have been employed for years to guarantee the right lubricant is put in the right place. However, few organizations utilize lube tags to their full potential, while some fail to use them at all. These simple devices not only can help ensure the proper lube is being used, but if managed correctly, they can also improve machine reliability. A good tagging system is frequently overlooked as a key part of a world-class lubrication program. There are many solutions on the market for color-coding devices that are commonly used in a lubrication program. Some of these include top-up containers, filter carts, grease guns, totes, pumps and other similar products. Although color-coding is a great practice, simply using a color for a single lubricant is often ineffective. With most facilities having more than 10 different lubricants, it can become diffi - cult to distinguish between subtle differences in color, and more clarification is needed. Some organizations have taken the additional step of utilizing a symbol along with a color to specify a particular lubricant for an appli - cation. By adding a second identifier, such as a shape scheme, you can exponentially expand the number of unique color and shape combina- tions to suit the amount of lubricants in your facility. For example, if you were to only use yellow to identify a particular gear fluid, you are limiting the color yellow to a single application. If you were to use yellow and a shape, such as a square, you can then employ yellow for other applica - tions, provided that you utilize a different shape combination. Choosing the correct oil sample location can be challenging. When installing a sample port, look for a single spot where you can gather as much useful data about the entire system. This is called the primary sampling location. At this location, the goal is to be able to draw a single sample that acts as a snapshot of the entire system. In most circu - lating systems, this will be on the main return line before the reservoir. By sampling from this one spot, you can check the wear debris from the rest of the system as well as the particle count to get an idea of the total contaminants in the system. 11 Prevent Lubricant Starvation (from July-August 2012) 12 Utilize Lube Identification Tags (from March-April 2015) 13 Use Primary and Secondary Oil Sampling Points (from July-August 2014) Machinery Lubrication's 15th Anniversary