Lubrication (Greasing)

Greasing is the lubrication of mechanical element to increase its performance.

The lubricant provides a separating film between the bearing rolling elements,
raceways and cages to prevent metal-to-metal contact. By controlling surface
contact, the lubricant is able to minimize the effect of surface contact, namely
undesired friction that otherwise would generate excessive heat, metal fatigue and
wear. The lubricant must also prevent corrosion and contamination damage.
Grease has become a common lubricant choice for rolling element bearings. The
practical benefits are apparent: grease is easy to apply, can be retained within a
bearings housing and offers protective sealing capabilities.
Based on SKFs years of experience performing root cause analysis of failed
bearings, it can be said that half of all bearing failures in industrial applications can
be attributed to poor or inadequate lubrication conditions caused by the improper
selection of the basic grease type for the operating conditions, improper relubrication intervals, mixing incompatible greases, liquid or solid contamination, or
over-greasing. Therefore, for optimized bearing performance, it is imperative to
select the correct grease to deliver the necessary base oil viscosity in the proper
amount, at a given operating temperature and at the required acceptable interval.
Friction and Wear:
The surfaces of machinery components appear well-finished to the naked eye. When
magnified, however, surface imperfections become readily apparent. These
microscopic hills and valleys are called asperities. When dry surfaces move
relatively to one another, asperities may rub, lock together, and break apart. The
resistance generated when these adjacent surfaces come in contact is called
friction. The welding together and breaking a[art of asperities is form of adhesive
wear. Another form of wear may occur when a hard contamination particle becomes
trapped between two opposing surfaces. When this occurs, contaminant acts as a
miniature lathe, cutting into the softer machinery surface. This process is termed
abrasive wear. Another consequent of friction is that the energy created by the
resistance is converted into heat. Primary functions of a lubricant, then, are the
formation of a protective film between adjacent surfaces to reduce wear, and the
dissipation of heat generated at these wear surfaces.
Corrosion Protection:
A second role provided by a lubricant is the prevention of system corrosion. In
environments where contamination of the system with water is likely, protection of
machinery components from corrosion is of the utmost importance. Salt water is

considerably more corrosive than fresh water. Water molecules may also diffuse
through the lubricant and enter surface micro-cracks, causing hydrogen
embrittlement and subsequent surface failure. It is thus imperative that water
contamination of machinery system be minimized. To achieve corrosion protection,
lubricants must form a protective barrier on machinery surfaces. Corrosion inhibitors
must be added to the lubricants, which chemically bond to the metallic surfaces of
equipment components.

Main Properties of Lubricants:

[1] Viscosity
Viscosity is defined as the fluid resistance to flow.
The selection of proper lubricant viscosity is often compromised between selection
one high enough to prevent metal to metal (wear) contact, and one low enough to
allow sufficient heat dissipation.
It is recognized that the applicable system of viscosity classification is ISO
(International Standards Organization). The system assigns viscosity grades from
ISO VG2 through VG1500, where the number indicates the midpoint viscosity in
centistokes of the lubricant at 40*deg*C.
[2] Viscosity Index (VI)
Viscosity index is a measurement of the effect of temperature on a lubricant's
viscosity.
The higher the VI, the less a given lubricant's viscosity will change in temperature.
[3] Cloud Point and Pour Point
Cloud point is the temperature when the lubricant is cooled, certain components
such as waxes will begin to precipitate out and become evident in the liquid as a
cloud.
Pour point is the temperature when the lubricant is further cooled, the lubricant will
no longer flow or be efficiently pumped.
[4] Flash Point and Fire Point
As a lubricant is heated, lighter components begin to vaporize.
Flash point is the temperature at which sufficient vapor concentration exists above
the surface of the lubricant so that ignition with test flame is possible.

Flash point is useful for both product storage requirements and for the detection of
contamination of one product with another.
Fire point is the temperature at which sufficient vapors are present above the
surface of the lubricant to sustain combustion upon ignition.
Fire point is useful for storage and safety considerations.
[5] Neutralization Number (Total Acid Number)
Neutralization number is quantitatively defined as the amount of potassium
hydroxide (KOH) required for neutralizing the acid present in one gram of sample.
As petroleum products are subjected to elevated temperatures, the process of
oxidation occurs. Oxidation leads to the formation of organic acids in the lubricant.
This increase in acidity reduces the water-separating ability of certain oils, and may
also prove corrosive to certain alloys.
[6] Total Base Number (TBN)
Internal combustion engine oils are formulated with highly alkine (base) additive
package designed to neutralize the acidic of combustion.
The total base number is a measure of this additive package, and it may be used as
an indication of when diesel engine oil should be changed.
[7] Water Content
Excessive water contamination increases the viscosity and decreases the fluid film
strength of an oil. This may result in accelerated wear due to rupture of the oil film
and resultant surface to surface contact.
[8] Demulsibility
It refers to a lubricant's ability to readily separate from water. Oils used in force-feed
lubrication systems should possess good water separability to prevent
emulsification.
[9] Hardness
Greases are classified according to a hardness scale developed by the National
Lubrication Grease Institute (NLGI).
Softer greases are assigned a low NLGI number, and stiffer greases a high NLGI
number.
The penetration numbers refer to the depth, in tenths of millimeters, that a
weighted cone penetrates the grease.

[10] Dropping Point

Grease exists in an essentially semi-solid form.
Dropping is the temperature at which a grease from a semi-solid to a liquid.
Dropping point provides some indication of the high temperature characteristics of a
grease.
[11] Water Washout
Greases are subjected to splashing or impinging water must possess good water
washout resistance. Greases with good resistance will maintain an adequate
lubricant film under excessive water contamination conditions.
Due to continuous high ingress of water/emulsion, in some cases this grease also
gets emulsified due to absorption of water and looses its structure. Due to drop in
consistency, the grease is washed away from the machinery component such as
bearings. As result frequent re-lubrication is required in machinery component
which causes production loss and high production cost. In order to maintain its
structure, the grease is required to have good water repellency in addition to water
tolerance property. By making grease water repellent, the water tolerance limit can
be extended and resultant water washout and water spray-off property can be
improved.
[12] Load Carrying Ability
The ability of a lubricant to maintain an effective lubricating film under high loads or
pressures is a measure of its load carrying or extreme pressure (EP) characteristics.
The load carrying ability of a lubricant may be enhanced by the addition of EP
additives.
Lubrication Recommendation:
The lubricant herewith recommended to lubricate the various gearboxes, antifriction and slide bearings, chains, etc., has to fulfill the following requirements:
-

Guaranteed good lubrication ability under high operating load and high
operational temperatures.
Prevention of cooling water or vapor penetrating the bearings.
Non-emulsifying to cooling water or moisture at high temperatures.
Must be non-foaming and non-soaping quality.
Due to high operational and environmental temperatures, all lubricants must
have a low oxidation rate.
Protecting gears and bearings against corrosion.
All lubricant must be of mineral or synthetic base.
High pressure resistance against decomposition; EP additives.
Dropping point should be above 180oC.

Grease Composing
The base oil is the oil inside the grease that separates and protects surfaces under
operating conditions. Thickeners stiffen the mixture to enable it to remain stationary
around the moving components. Grease is characterized by its type of thickener
such as lithium or lithium complex. Performance characteristics are derived mostly
from the oil and additive mixture, but in some cases the thickener also provides
unique performance enhancement.
Mixing grease types at a machine can be long-term fatal and should be avoided.
Mixing grease types can be the same as contaminating the lubrication, and the
result is either softer grease that allows lubricant to flow away from the application
at a lower temperature or harder grease that decreases its ability to lubricate.
Selecting Grease for a Bearing
When selecting bearing lubrication grease, other conditions should be considered in
addition to temperature, speed and load. For example, where bearings are subject
to heavy vibrations if grease with low mechanical stability were to be applied, the
grease matrix may be destroyed by the vibrations and cause premature bearing
failure.
Proper grease specification requires all of the components of oil selection and more.
Other special considerations for grease selection include thickener type and
concentration, consistency, dropping point and operating temperature range,
worked stability, oxidation stability, wear resistance, etc.
Main Factors of Selection:
1- Base oil viscosity
Speed factors account for the surface speed of the bearing elements and are
determined by the following formulas:
DN = (rpm) * (bearing bore).
NDm = rpm * ((bearing bore + outside diameter) / 2)

The previous shown chart identifies the viscosity at operating temperature, then
you determine the viscosity grade from a viscosity/temperature chart for a given
lubricant.

General Guidelines for Grease Selection Based on Bearing Speed

Application
Viscosity
Consistency
Fast
Thin
Stiff
Slow
Thick
Soft
Correct Viscosity Selection for an Application
Viscosity
ISO 100
ISO 150 & 220
ISO 460
ISO 680
ISO 1500
ISO 3200

Oil Release
High
Low

Application
Electric motors and high speed bearings > 3600 rpm
Multipurpose grease operating at moderate speeds
High loads and good water resistance
High speed couplings
Very low speed, high loads and good water resistance
High speed couplings

Couplings grease can have ISO 680 or ISO 3200 depending on the
manufacturer

2- Additives and Base Oil Type:

After determining the base oil type, step two is to consider additives
Additive

Journal
Bearing

Ball
Bearing

Thrust
Bearing

AntiOxidants
(AO)

Anti-Foam
Agents
(AF)

Anti-Wear
(AW)

Rust
Inhibitors

Extreme
Pressure
(EP)

Demulsibil
ity

VI
Improvers

Corrosion
Inhibitors
required Depending on the application

Roller
Bearing

Needle
Bearing

3- Grease Consistency and Thickener Type

The consistency of grease is controlled by the thickener concentration, thickener
type and the viscosity of the base oil. Even though base oil viscosity affects
consistency, it is important to note that grease can have a high consistency and
a low base oil viscosity or vice versa.
For bearings, speed factor and operating temperature can be used to determine
the best consistency or NLGI grade for a given application. It may seem
counterintuitive, but higher speed factors require higher consistency greases.

General guide to selecting NLGI grade based on speed factor and operating
temperature

Operating Temperature
-2 to 37oC

-17 to 65oC

37 to 135oC

DN (Speed Factor)
0 ~ 75,000
7,500 ~ 150,000
150,000 ~ 300,000
0 ~ 75,000
7,500 ~ 150,000
150,000 ~ 300,000
0 ~ 75,000
7,500 ~ 150,000
150,000 ~ 300,000

NLGI No.
1
2
2
2
2
3
2
3
3

For the previous shown table, depends on other factors as well, including bearing
type, thickener type, base oil viscosity and base oil type.
A good thickener type will be compatible with the equipment manufacturer
recommendations and will be able to withstand the conditions under which it
must perform. There are many types of thickeners, but most are not compatible
and should not be mixed. The most common thickeners are lithium, lithium
complex, aluminum complex and polyurea.

The common machine elements that need greasing; lubrication:

1234567-

Bearings
Chains
Gears
Electric Motors bearings
Linkages
Couplings
Slides

There are two types of greasing:

Manual Greasing: The manual lubrication is independent of the central

greasing system and applies to all the lubrication points that are not
connected to the central greasing system and are tipped with standard
grease nipples. The manual lubrication system must be incorporated into the
main preventive maintenance program at the works.
Automatic Greasing:
o

Re-lubrication intervals

Advantages of Using Automatic Greasing

1- Lower Maintenance Cost
Bearing, gear and chain life are increased by applying small measured
amounts of lubricant frequently, while the machine is operatingincreasing
machine life.
Labor for manual, point-by-point lubrication is eliminated no more lock
outs/tag outs and no removing guards and covers to access manual lube
points.
Labor for repair is reduced due to fewer bearing failures.
2- Increased Production
Eliminates lost production due to required machine shut down (lock-out and
tag-out procedures) for manual lubrication.
3- Improved Safety
Prevents accidents that occur during manual lubrication.
4- Lower Energy Cost
Improved lubrication for bearings, gears and chains translates to lower
friction and lower energy cost.
5- Environmental Improvements

 Automatic greasing systems measure the exact amount of lubricant

required. Waste, product contamination and housekeeping issues are
dramatically reduced.

References:
http://deanindustrial.com/Download/Linc_Industrial_Capabilities.pdf
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/751/lubrication-bearings-rolling
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/798/grease-selection
http://www.maintenancetechnology.com/2009/09/grease-basics-part-iiselection-a-applications/
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/29805/selecting-right-grease
Water Resistance Property of Greases An outlook, B.S. Nagarkoti
Naval Ships Technical Manuals, Chapter 262