Bearing Defects

Bearing defects are typically a side effect of

another underlying fault such as lack of lubrication,
installation errors, misalignment, or fluting.
 Cavitation
Cavitation can be caused by clogged suction strainers,
plugging on the suction side, poor piping design, and
the pump running too far left of the pump curve.
 Gear Wear
The three major types of wear are adhesion,
abrasion and polishing. Gear wear can be caused
by misalignment, lack of lubrication, and more.
 Misalignment
Misalignment occurs when the shaft centerlines of
the driver and driven machine(s) are not aligned in
the vertical and horizontal planes.
Structural Resonance
Structural resonance is caused by the natural
frequency coinciding with a forcing frequency.
 Unbalance
Common causes of unbalance include dirt, paint,
rust, broken blades or vanes, and missing
fasteners in the rotating element.