Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/468007
16 | January - February 2015 | www.machinerylubrication.com THE "LUBE-TIPS" SECTION OF MACHINERY LUBRICATION MAGAZINE FEATURES INNOVATIVE ideas submitted by our readers. Additional tips can be found in our Lube-Tips email newsletter. If you have a tip to share, email it to us at editor@noria.com. To receive the Lube-Tips newsletter, subscribe now at www.MachineryLubrication.com/page/subscriptions. Another Source of Contamination The best oil top-up containers should be used with care. Container nozzles with O-rings can keep dirt from getting inside the container, but any oil left on the outside of the nozzle tip after use will collect airborne contaminants. Operators should close nozzles after use and wipe them clean. Otherwise, dirt on the outside of the nozzle will be carried into the equipment in the stream of oil being dispensed. Simple Tip for Better Oil Sampling When taking an oil sample using a vampire- or thief-type vacuum pump, try bending or crimping the sample hose before extracting from the point of entry. This stops the sudden suction of air and oil in the hose from dragging any airborne contaminants back into your clean sample. Monitor Excessive Moisture in Stored Gearboxes Humidity-indicating cards that show color changes at different relative humidity levels (10 to 100 percent) can be used inside large spare gearboxes and similar stored machines. Use a clear plastic sight glass and a fl ashlight to inspect the cards periodically for excessive moisture. Bags of desiccant can be placed in the same gearboxes to adsorb moisture that has ingressed. The gearboxes should be marked as not ready for use. Working Smart with Filters When using a kidney-loop cart to fi lter oil, plumb the cart's fi lters in series. As the primary fi lter catches debris and starts to plug, the pressure drop across the fi lter increases. This increase in pressure differential tends to push previously captured debris through the fi lter. The secondary fi lter ends up having a lower pres- sure differential because most of the debris is captured by the primary fi lter. This lower pressure differential will allow the secondary fi lter to retain more of the debris that it captures. The secondary fi lter also acts as a "safety" fi lter in case the primary fi lter ruptures. In cost-sensitive applications, the secondary fi lter can be placed in the primary position after the primary fi lter plugs, and a new fi lter can be placed in the secondary position. Advice for Cleaning Oil Spills Avoid using clay-based oil-dry products to clean up spills. They can cause dust and contamination risks. Instead, consider using absorbent pads. How to Inspect New Bearings Carefully inspect new bearings upon arrival for any obvious damage that may have occurred during shipping, storage or manu- facturing, as well as to determine if all parts are present. Bearings have been known to ship from the factory missing roller elements and other parts. Also, check for factory lubricant. Lack of lubricant from the factory can cause rust. Point-and-Shoot Oil Analysis With a digital camera, photograph your oil samples and store the images in a trending software for comparison. This will require the use of a transparent sample bottle. Record a new oil sample and use it as a baseline. Set the bottle against a white background like a sheet of paper to maintain a consistent color comparison. You can also use the camera in other ways, including to record images of the machine and sampling point as a means of identi- fying it in the software, or to record abnormalities such as excessive leakages for easy location by mechanics. Photos are immediate and speak volumes, so use them to good effect in reports and trending software. Selecting the Right Grease To improve the reliability of grease-lubricated couplings, use only greases formulated for that purpose. General-purpose greases often have thickeners that are heavier than the oil. When subjected to the continuous and extreme forces of a spinning coupling, the thickeners in general-purpose greases can centrifuge to the outside, leaving the oil on the inside. Unfortunately, the outside is where the oil is needed. The thickeners in coupling greases are equal in weight or lighter than the oil, ensuring that the wearing parts in the coupling are well-lubricated.