SPECIAL FEATURE BEARINGS AND LUBRICANTS
as well as the basic rating life of the bearing is
significantly improved. In certain applications, this
means that a smaller bearing arrangement can be
designed.
Designed to help industry reduce costs and boost
efficiency, Schaeffler has developed the world’s
first sealed 241/1250 spherical roller bearing for
high-pressure grinding roll crusher applications.
In an engineering milestone that is expected to
offer significant cost savings to mining and bulk
materials handling companies throughout the
world, Schaeffler has developed the world’s first
sealed 241/1250 spherical roller bearing.
Featuring an outside diameter of nearly two
metres, the ultra-large 241/1250 bearing was
specifically designed for the highest-capacity high
pressure grinding roll crushers (HPGRs) used
by the mining industry. Previously only available
in an open configuration (i.e, without seals),
Schaeffler’s new sealed version of this massive
roll support bearing is designed to prevent the
crushing materials from contaminating its internal
components.
Schaeffler developed the sealed 241/1250
bearing to help the mining industry cut costs and
boost efficiency. Until now, miners have typically
been forced to inject high quantities of grease
into the bearings to prevent contamination.
While necessary, this practice wastes resources
and significantly increases a mine’s preventive
maintenance expenditures. By introducing a
sealed bearing for this challenging application,
Schaeffler’s innovation promises to also increase
mining productivity.
The bearing’s sheer mass – as evidenced by a
total weight of approximately eight metric tons,
including rolling elements that weigh 60 kg each
– presented an engineering challenge that very
few companies are able to master, even before
the complex sealing arrangement is factored in.
The outside diameter of the moulded seal, which
features unique design elements that were first
developed for marine applications, measures
approximately 1.4 metres.
The state-of-the-art sealing properties are provided
by metal shields installed on both of the bearing’s
side faces, each of which features an optimised
polymer seal that prevents the ingress of crushing
material. According to Schaeffler industry manager
for raw materials, Mike White, “The new sealed
version of our high performance 241/1250 bearing
is expected to offer significantly longer operating
life, while substantially reducing the cost of preventative
maintenance to the end user."
Schaeffler is committed to helping its mining
partners produce more while consuming
fewer resources. We are very proud to be the
first bearing manufacturer to offer this design
improvement to the mining industry.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTENANCE
AND MONITORING
High quality bearings are a worthwhile investment
because they will operate reliably for longer. In
order to optimise the performance and operating
life of such a valuable investment, proper
maintenance and monitoring is essential. In some
cases, it can as much as double the operating life
of the bearing.
One method is to install monitoring technology
such as Schaeffler’s FAG SmartQB (incorporating
SmartCheck technology) ready-to-use monitoring
solution for electric motors, pumps, and fans. It is
easy to install and does not require any specific
knowledge about vibration diagnosis, including for
common installations such as vibratory, grinding
and rolling processes.
To complement advanced bearing technologies
and monitoring solutions, a maintenance
programme tailored to each individual application
is ideal. In addition to checking that the bearing is
operating properly and without contaminants, this
should include relubrication to ensure the bearing
does not suffer any premature damage.
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REN129
32 May 2018