How to Minimize Downtime,

Repair Costs, and Inventories

by Extending the Life Expectancy
of Your Gearbox
A commitment to maintain your gearbox is paramount for this
to work economically. When you devise a plan to maintain your
gearbox, your return on investment will be realized sooner and your
total cost of ownership will be reduced.
By Dan Rosseljong
J
Just like typical cars, gearboxes have gotten smaller over time. The catch phrase
is ‘power-dense’, meaning that from equal sized gearboxes, the newer model has a
more available rating. Due mostly to technological advances, current model gear-
boxes weigh an average of 25% less than their 30 year-old old counterpart while
delivering the same amount of torque, and 35-40% less than their 40 year-old old
counterpart. Since applications typically dictate the Hp requirement, this means that
the gearbox has gotten smaller over time. A smaller gearbox means that less oil
and surface area is available to lubricate and cool the rotating elements. Both of
these items are paramount to the long-term operation of a gearbox.

Small, power-dense gearboxes are often considered
more economical than their older brethren. Because
of their size, they require smaller foundations and
structures to support them; use smaller quantities
of lubricant to operate; and use less raw material to
construct (and inevitably dispose of, which becomes
more prevalent in our ever increasing “go-green”
society). With this economical head-start it’s easy
to think of many gearboxes as disposable or “throw-
away.” Many people trying to justify why they don’t
have or can’t make the time needed to properly
maintain a gearbox claim, “It’s cheaper to buy a new
one.” Don’t be fooled! It is easy for a plant to spend
more money on repairing and replacing gearboxes in
a few short years than to maintain one properly over
the course of a many years.
We could spend countless hours pouring over a
basic total cost of ownership (TCO) spreadsheet,
researching wages, lost profit, lubrication costs,
various fees, and service charges to name just a
few of the costs. Each operation would then have to
customize their own TCO spreadsheet to suit their
particular process, only to support what common
sense already tells us. Let us just agree on principle
that it costs less to buy one gearbox in 10 years
than five gearboxes for the same period. If you know
that buying one new car and having it for 10 years
is more economical than buying five new cars in 10
years, you should be able to see a correlation.
So what’s the purpose of this article, you ask?
It’s not to convince you that you need to take care
of your gearboxes; you already know that. What we
are going to do is give you a few pointers and some
ideas on HOW to properly maintain your gearboxes.
Sumitomo’s Top Ten List!
Here are the top ten tips to keep your power
transmission equipment operating at peak
performance; at highest efficiency; smooth and
quiet; longer between repairs and rebuilds:
10. E nsure the gearbox is sized correctly to avoid
inevitable repairs and costly replacements.
9. Store the unit properly according to manufacturer’s
recommendations until it’s time to install, in order to
avoid rust and dry rot.
8. Align the gearbox and components to the driven
equipment to prevent excessive shaft or bearing loads.
7. Ensure the mounting sub-base is suitable for the
weight and forces of the gearbox assembly to keep
natural frequency vibrations from shortening the life
of rotating parts.
6. Lubricant is a major contributing factor to the life of
the gearbox.
• Confirm the unit is filled with lubricant.
• Fill the unit with the proper grade, type, and quantity
of lubricant if required, meeting manufacturer’s
requirements.
5. Replace the lubricant according to manufacturer’s
recommended intervals, including start-up periods.
Pay close attention to units with oil in addition
to grease requirements, e.g. oil lube gears and
grease lube bearings, as they might be on different
schedules.
4. Monitor the operation. The cooler the lubricant, the
longer it will last!
- Keep the oil COOL – CLEAN – DRY.
• Consider supplemental cooling from a water or air
cooler system.
• Consider filtering if the environment is dusty or
humid.
• Prevent water ingress to avoid rust.
- Data points and trend analysis to ‘predict’ concerns.
• Oil analysis
• Gearbox housing or oil temperature
• Vibration

FEBRUARY 2013 33
3. Inspections are required to confirm severity of trending
issues. Plan for regular external [and internal] inspections,
if the gearbox type allows. Raw data is good, but
nothing beats seeing or feeling the parts first hand and
understanding the condition of its severity.
2. E stablish a preventative maintenance plan.
And the top item is…The Big Commitment
1. A commitment to maintaining your gearbox is paramount for
it to work economically. When you devise and stick to a plan
to maintain your gearbox, your ROI (return on investment)
will be realized sooner and your TCO will be reduced. If
possible, make it part of an ISO procedure to ‘force’ the
implementation.
Proper Storage
Ok, you’re comfortable with the gearbox selection. One
potential problem exists if it’s delivered ahead of the
installation schedule. This also applies to critical spares
for inventory. It’s the first offense many make: Protect your
investment.
Unless the gearbox is going into installation and operation
immediately, you’ll have to store it. If you have the option,
store the gearbox inside. It will at least be protected
from the elements. Most gearboxes shipped from reputable
manufactures will ship the gearbox with some rust inhibitor
36 gearsolutions.com
inside the unit and modifications for short-term exposure.
We have seen gearboxes succumb to rust in under a week
of exposure, so you need to use some common sense when
determining what ‘short-term’ means to you.
The ideal conditions for storage are dry, low humidity, small
temperature variances and non-corrosive atmospheres. When
the temperature fluctuates greatly between daily highs and
lows, condensation can build up inside the gearbox. If exposed
to enough condensation build-up, the water will overpower the
factory rust inhibitor. In response you might say, “So fill up the
gearbox completely with oil!”
Yes, metal submerged in oil will not oxidize. In some cases,
that’s the best option. In other cases, it’s the only option. In
a few cases, you’ll negatively affect the gearbox’s operating
performance (and maybe not even know it). With every action
comes a trade-off. For smaller gearboxes this typically won’t
be a problem. The best argument against completely filling
large units with oil is that the standard oil seals may not
be designed to have such a large head of oil behind them.
Contrary to popular belief, most seals are only capable of
handling a few PSI’s of pressure. The amount of oil required
to generate enough PSI varies depending on the size and
orientation of the gearbox. Temperature can also affect the
pressure of the oil. As a unit full of oil bakes in the sun, the
heated oil will want to expand. In certain instances, only a few
gallons of oil provide enough weight to weep oil through the
seals. The issue is scalable. Larger units required more oil.
So you have a large unit that costs a lot of money and
because you don’t have the indoor space for it, you store it
outside and probably out-of-mind. Units are usually stored
outside because of limited space or outdoor projects. The units
probably won’t be looked at as part of a general preventive
maintenance procedure, so as the unit weeps oil you have a)
an environmental problem and b) air backfilling the gearbox.
This air condenses, and we’re back to the problem addressed
earlier, and you now have an oil spill to clean up.
Consider a temporary structure or “lean-to” in order to
protect your investment from the elements. Follow the
gearbox manufacturer’s recommendations for storage and the
schedule for reapplying rust preventative.
Is there really such a thing as a
quick start guide?
Installation starts by securing the gearbox firmly to a
rigid foundation if floor-mounted, or securing it to the
shaft for shaft-mounted installations. Follow the gearbox
manufacturer’s recommendation for mounting bolt grade
or strength and use all of the available mounting points. If
mounting to a structure, your structure must be capable of
supporting the weight of the gearbox assembly and oil without
deflection. If there is deflection in the mounting structure, it
must not exceed the allowable limits of the shaft connections.
Couplings, chain and sprocket, or V-belts and sheaves typically
make shaft connections. Each of these shaft connections has
their own recommended alignment tolerances.
Not all gearboxes are equivalent — some will have different
installation parameters. It’s important to read and understand
the complete manufacturer’s maintenance manual for your
equipment. Sometimes there might even be different manuals
if you are installing different product models. For example, the
mounting surface needs to be level to within tenths of a degree
on some gearboxes.
After the gearbox is level according to specifications, alignment
of the motors, chains, and v-belts are the next critical item on
your new checklist. Shaft connections need to be as accurate
in parallel and angular alignment as possible. Depending on
your installation configuration, it is strongly suggested to fix
one component and align all other components to it. If you are
installing separate motor and gearbox components, align the
gearbox to the driven shaft of your equipment, and then align
the motor to the gearbox. If you are installing a completed
bedplate assembly from Sumitomo, the gearbox is mounted to
the bedplate and motors and couplings are aligned to it. This
allows the entire bedplate to be aligned to the driven equipment.
FEBRUARY 2013 37
Trending is the Key...
The external critical items to monitor
on a normal gearbox application would
be 1) temperature, 2) vibration, and 3)
noise. An increase of any (or all) of these
is a significant signal that something is
wrong. We are talking about even the
beginning stages of a wearing item, not
necessarily an immanent catastrophic
event. Gear or bearing wear can progress
for months or years depending on the
speed, load condition, and lubrication.
These external ‘signals’ are indicators
of the operating condition of internal
components. The gears, bearings,
seals, and lubrication are often trying
to ‘say’ something to the operator. A
temperature rise can be caused by any
of the elements of a gearbox. Noise
can also be generated from all of the
elements of the gearbox. Noise can
also be caused by vibration. Vibration
can be caused by all of the elements in
38 gearsolutions.com
the gearbox. There is no single cause
and effect critical path when it comes
to the signals being put out by the
internal components. This is where a bit
of experience and “CSI” methodology
require operators to determine root-
cause problems. All reputable gearbox
manufactures will have personnel at the
factory or local warehouse who can offer
technical assistance.
The main root cause of bearings,
gears, and oil degredation are typically:
a) o verload operating conditions (too
much throughput or E-stops)
b) improper oil viscosity
c) o il cleanliness (dusty, dirty or wet
environments? Your last oil change
was when?)
d) oil temperature
There are a number of ways to combat
the monitoring of various gearbox
components. Trending these items is
the key. If we assume that the plant
is responsible for overload conditions
imposed on the gearbox and these are
minimized, we can focus on actually
monitoring the gearbox.
Lubrication
Lubrication is the lifeblood of a gearbox.
You want to keep the oil clean, cool, and
dry.
Just as you would never run your car
without oil, so it is the same for the
gearbox. Sounds simple! Make sure
the gearbox is filled to the proper
level with the proper lubricant. Some
gearboxes come factory filled. In this
case, visual inspections are required to
ensure no leaks develop. For many other
cases, the lubricant type and quantity
is the responsibility of maintenance
personnel. Check the gearbox operating
and maintenance (or Installation)
manual for the proper grade of lubricant. Sometimes this
will also be on the nameplate. Usually different ambient
temperatures require different lubrications, so be aware of
outdoor operations that span winter and summer seasons.
Lower temperatures require thinner oil to flow effectively and
conversely thicker oil for higher temperatures to compensate
for heat breakdown. Check the gearbox for the actual oil fill
level. Most operating manuals list approximate oil quantities.
Always fill the gearbox to the level indicated by a sight gauge,
dipstick, or fill level plug.
In a perfect world, properly selected lubricant will protect
all the compents The reality is that all manufactured
components will have some normal wear. These normal wear
metal particulates have to go somewhere, and into the oil
bath or lube system they go! Left alone, these particles
will act as abrasives and further wear the gearbox or lube
system components until an inevitable failure. This is
why most gearbox manufactures recommend an initial oil
change somewhere in the first 500 hours (or six months of
operation). Grease-filled units don’t often have the same
change requirements, since the grease has a tendency to
suspend the particles rather than splash them around the
gearbox and into critical components.
Viscosity
This is magical to some people, but there is a science behind
it. Automobile manufactures typically recommend between a
3000 to 5000 mile oil change interval depending on the type
of driving you do. To be more specific, this is an average life
span of the oil viscosity. Automobile manufacturers base this
estimate on countless hours of raw testing and it means we
are changing oil on a convenience schedule instead of when
it is actually required.
During operation, the oil will cycle through the various
components. At each load point on the gears and bearings,
the oil is put under extreme pressure. The oil is designed
to absorb this extreme pressure, by providing a thin film of
lubricant, but not infinitely. After an estimated time period,
our experience indicates that the oil will start to lose its
ability to provide adequate protection against pressure.
Inadequate viscosity can lead to scuffing which creates wear
particles. Wear particles only lead to more wear. Too high
of a viscosity leads to ‘skidding’ which generates heat. Too
low of a viscosity leads to ‘flow’ problems (or inadequate
lubrication during splash) generating more heat. Theoretically,
if you maintain the proper grade of oil, the gears and bearings
should last for a very long time. There are a few exceptions to
the rule and sometimes a multipronged approach is best. In
our experience, maintaining the oil quality is the first priority.
Your first option to protect against viscosity breakdown is to
change the oil at the designated intervals, per manufacturer’s
instructions. This option, while convenient, may have you
throwing away ‘good’ oil. Arguably the next best option is to
determine the oil viscosity and trend it through oil sampling
and testing (also known as tribology). There are many labs
across the country that specialize in testing oil. Chances are
your lubricant supplier can do it or recommend someone. All
major lubricant manufacturers have some testing capabilities
and strongly recommend this option to predict your oil life
span. After only a few tests you will be able to accurately
predict the oil change interval for your gearbox. If any
problems do develop with the gearbox and it is returned to
the manufacturer, you’ll have the proper documentation to
illustrate when and why you changed the oil – despite the
operating manual recommendations. If you have complete
records, I predict that the gearbox manufacturer will be more
interested in the condition of the oil over time, then whether
or not you followed the operating manual to the letter. How
can they argue against using the proper viscosity of oil? Just
be sure to maintain your records – or you won’t have a ‘leg-
to-stand-on’ when they inevitably question you about your oil
changes! Sumitomo engineers will consider your accurate
laboratory records during a warranty evaluation without
penalizing you for changing the oil before the oil goes bad, not
just during the maintenance manual schedule.
Cleanliness is Next to
Godliness...
Particulates in the oil are a close second problematic area
after viscosity breakdown. As your car has an oil filter,
sometimes your gearbox should too. A magnetic drain plug
is low end technolog, and used in conjunction with other
methods, is an inexpensive and relatively effective method
of keeping metallic wear particles out of rotating elements.
If your gearbox is forced-lubricated (through a shaft or motor
driven pump), always make sure the lubricant is filtered. If
you have an extreme environment, like severe dust or dirt,
consider adding a circulation pump and filtering the oil. On
larger units where breathers are required, filtered breathers
for dusty and dirty environments help. Most breathers require
some form of regular maintenance to ensure they are not
clogged, or that the desiccant is still active. A clogged
breather will pressurize the gearbox and the path of least
resistance is usually the seals. So if your gearbox is weeping
oil at the seal, check to ensure the breather is not clogged
before scheduling a rebuild. Additionally, gearboxes buried
in dirt, coal, or dust do not transfer heat as effectively as a
clean gearbox. Keep the housing surface clean to avoid oil
contamination and heat buildup.
Keeping it cool...
Heat is a natural component of all mechanical devices. It’s
this heat that helps to break the oil down. Once the oil starts
to break down it usually is a very fast decline to ‘worn’ oil.
This ultimately leads to metal-to-metal contact. Some experts
would recommend trending this temperature rise. When you
trend the temperature of the gearbox, the idea being able
to determine if ‘something’ is going wrong with the gearbox.
Unfortunately, a rise in temperature can be, among other
things, a bearing going bad or from ‘worn’ oil. Ultimately you
FEBRUARY 2013 39
are left to determine the cause of the temperature rise. While
this is a relatively inexpensive up-front alternative, it usually leads
to more questions.
Heat will break down the viscosity of the oil, preventing it from
properly lubricating the gearbox components. You can keep the
oil cool in a number of ways. Usually the most common and cost
effective is to keep the gearbox within its thermal limitations. All
gearboxes have a thermal rating. For some units, thermal rating
is not a problem; it may exceed the mechanical rating by design
(like most Sumitomo Cyclo Drives) or because high reduction
ratios (above 90:1) correlate to more gears and bigger housings.
For units with gear teeth, like worm or hardened and ground
helical or bevel gearing, as the unit ratio gets smaller the unit is
more thermally limited. Simply put, this has to do with surface
area. The more surface area, the more heat transfer (convection)
can occur.
The Torque-HP-RPM formula says that for constant torque (like
a gear), Hp will vary with speed. Therfore high speed equates to
high horsepower. The lower the ratio, the faster the gearbox, and
the higher the HP capacity for an equivalent-sized gearbox. Lower
ratios are typically 1, 2, or 3-stage units with high mechanical
Hp ratings but a relatively small housing surface area. These
units can be boosted thermally by an economical shaft driven fan
that in many cases is a standard option. For units where the fan
doesn’t provide enough boost, you should consider a separate
cooling system. This is similar in principle to your car cooling
system, except the oil is pumped in directly through a radiator
and cooler oil is returned back to the gearbox. Gearbox radiators
or heat exchangers can be oil-to-water or oil-to-air coolers. Oil-to-
air is just like your car radiator. The oil-to-water uses plant water
to more effectively transfer heat.
Keeping it dry
Everyone knows that oil and water don’t mix. Besides interfering
with the proper lubrication of the rolling elements, metal corrosion
can be a problem. Corrosion will lead to particulates. For outdoor or
humid environments, there are a couple of tricks to slow down water
ingress into a gearbox. It sounds weird, but an immersion oil heater
(usually used to keep oil warm in cold weather starts) can keep the
oil at a constant temperature between day and evening temperature
swings where condensation might be a problem. For a unit running
24/7, condensation might not be an issue, since the gearbox is at
a relatively constant temperature. For units that only shut down for
periods of time, like second and third shifts, condensation build-up
might be an issue for you. An immersion oil heater can help.
Another method is to install a hydroscopic breather. These
breathers are filled with desiccant to absorb moisture. Some
hydroscopic breathers come with plugs to allow air to filter through
the desiccant. In a humid environment, it’s imperative to only
remove one or two plugs (typically) so that the breather isn’t trying to
absorb moisture from the atmosphere, which can lead to shortened
breather life.

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State Inspection Now Due
If you have scheduled outages, you need to plan and execute
an inspection of critical equipment like gearboxes. Just
like your car is (supposed) to be inspected once a year to
maintain a minimum safety standard for operation, your plant
equipment should be inspected to identify items that should
be closely monitored, so that they can operate effectively
until the potential problem is rectified. An external visual
inspection should indentify proper oil level, signs of leakage, or
cleanliness. An internal inspection is even more important and
should be scheduled on a regular basis. Internal inspections
should identify the surface condition of the components and
any abnormal wear.
If you’re operating 24/7, internal inspections are not
practical. In these cases, alternative monitoring equipment
should be considered to trend the operation of the gearbox.
Vibration accelerometers are a common example. If you are
able to monitor each bearing, you’ll likely be able to pinpoint
the actual element in question (i.e. bearing or gear) due to
operating frequency of that particular component. There are
many third party companies that specialize in this type of
monitoring — consider this alternative if you don’t have the
staff to monitor and evaluate frequency calculations. They
have the software and focused expertise to evaluate the
gearbox effectively. In most cases, they will even contact
the manufacturer for all the gear tooth counts and bearing
numbers, which are required to identify the frequencies based
on operating speeds.
The Big “C” in TCO
A commitment to maintain your gearbox is paramount for this
to work economically. When you devise a plan to maintain your
gearbox, your ROI (return on investment) will be realized sooner
and your TCO (total cost of ownership) will be reduced, if you
stick to the plan.
Keeping the oil in proper condition will by far ensure a properly
sized and operating gearbox, running longer, reduce your repair
costs and ultimately reduce your inventory for spare parts.
Additional Sources:
Fred Mitchell, Sr. equipment builder engineer, ExxonMobil
Jeff Rybak, field application engineer, PCB Piezotronics
Joe Medici, account manager, Bently Tribology Services.
About the Author:
Dan Rosseljong is chief product engineer of Sumitomo
Machinery Corporation of America. For more information,
visit www.Sumitomocorp.co/english.

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