1.1.1.

Principles of Bearing selection and

Application: Selecting lubricant viscosity
SKF General Catalog 6000

Summary
In the last article, we discussed how SKF Rating Life calculations can be used to estimate bearing
life more precisely, and offered some strategies for bearing life improvement. We introduced the
concept of the viscosity ratio, kappa. This article will more fully explore how to choose the proper
lubricant viscosity for rolling element bearings.

GC6000-2-5
Joe Conyers
7 Pages
Published August 2010

email: info@aptitudexchange.com
Internet: http://www.aptitudexchange.com

© 2010 SKF Group

Introduction
In the last article, we discussed how SKF Rating
Life calculations can be used to estimate
bearing life more precisely, and offered some
strategies for bearing life improvement. We
introduced the concept of the viscosity ratio,
kappa. This article will more fully explore how
to choose the proper lubricant viscosity for
rolling element bearings.
Figure 1.
What is viscosity? Viscosity is a measure of the
“resistance to flow” of a fluid. In this article we
Principles of Bearing selection and Application: Selecting lubricant viscosity
© 2010 SKF Group
always refer to kinematic viscosity, which will be
expressed in centistokes (cSt.) The ISO 3448
standard lists oil viscosities in centistokes.
As seen from the table (Fig 1), ISO viscosity
grades can vary up to 10% from the rated
grade. For example, the actual viscosity of an
ISO VG 100 oil can vary from 90-110 cSt.
Determining a baseline oil viscosity
measurement on new oils is a “best practice”
process. Small changes (3-5%) in oil viscosity
may indicate the presence of water or other
contaminants in the oil which can severely
degrade bearing and gear life. Viscosity can be
checked in the field with a viscometer or by
laboratory test.
ISO viscosity grade oils are rated at 40°C, which
can be shown by checking the oil viscosity of
ISO VG 100 oil. Start at the bottom of the
diagram (Fig 2) at 40C and follow the line
vertically until intersecting the ISO VG 100
curve. A horizontal line at this intersection will
read exactly 100 cSt on the left-hand scale.
2
 Figure 2.

κ kappa
What is “minimum required viscosity”?
υ
A more precise definition of kappa is
κ=
Minimum required viscosity can be considered
υ1
the lowest lubricant viscosity required to
separate the rolling surfaces within the
where:
bearing.
kappa = viscosity ratio
υ is the actual operating viscosity of the
lubricant and
υ1 is the minimum required viscosity of the
lubricant.

Principles of Bearing selection and Application: Selecting lubricant viscosity

© 2010 SKF Group 3
Kappa is the ratio of the oil viscosity required
by the application to the oil viscosity present
in the application. Another way to think about
kappa relates to the surface roughness of the
contact surfaces in the bearing: a kappa of 1
indicates that the oil film thickness is on the
same order as the “roughness” of the contact
surfaces. Higher kappa values indicate a
“thicker” oil film. The Kappa values shown in
the Factor aSKF charts in the General
Catalogue range from 0.1 to 4. Kappa values
greater than 4 offer little improvement in
fatigue life, and the life reduction effect of
kappa values less than 0.10 are not well
understood.
to achieve a kappa value of 1. (Note that kappa
only refers to the minimum viscosity required to
separate the rolling surfaces under
elastrohydrodynamic conditions in the bearing.
Practical experience often dictates the selection
of higher minimum oil viscosities based on the
requirement to lubricate the sliding surfaces
within the bearing, such as cage pockets and
guide rings in spherical roller bearings.

Discussion of the Catalogue Example

The SKF General Catalog 6000 oil viscosity
selection method introduces another concept:
dm or “bearing mean diameter”, which
represents the mean of the inside (d) and
outside (D) bearing diameters. One might think
of the mean diameter as a representation of
where the oil “works” in a bearing.

Selecting the oil viscosity for a bearing is a two-

step process. First, determine the minimum
required viscosity based on the bearing mean
diameter (mm) and the rotational speed (rpm).
Second, the selected minimum viscosity must
be adjusted for the expected operating
temperature of the bearing in the application.
The result is an ISO oil viscosity grade that will
provide a kappa value of at least 1 or more at
the expected operating temperature.

Using the Catalog Example, a bearing with a

mean diameter of 380 mm, operating at 500
rpm requires a minimum oil viscosity of 11 cSt

Principles of Bearing selection and Application: Selecting lubricant viscosity

© 2010 SKF Group 4
While looking over the chart at Figure 3, some general conclusions can be discerned. At slower speeds,
higher oil viscosities must be selected to prevent metal-to-metal contact in the bearing. Also, if the oil
viscosity selected falls in the top half of the chart, special additives may be desirable. Contact the SKF
Applications Engineering Service for assistance.

Figure 3.

Principles of Bearing selection and Application: Selecting lubricant viscosity

© 2010 SKF Group 5
The next step is to adjust the minimum viscosity required based on the temperature of the application.
As the example shows (see fig 4), to achieve 11 cSt at the expected operating temperature of 70°C, an
ISO VG 32 oil is selected. If the oil viscosity selection falls “between the lines,” it’s best practice to
choose the higher, rather than the lower viscosity ISO oil.

Figure 4

Principles of Bearing selection and Application: Selecting lubricant viscosity

© 2010 SKF Group 6
It may be possible to further increase the
viscosity of the oil selected – an increase in
kappa value (up to 4) will often increase life
significantly. In most cases, however, the
“thicker” oil heats up, which reduces the
actual viscosity in the application, providing
little or no increase in oil film thickness. The
optimum kappa is generally between 1.5 and
3, which represents a balance between
increased oil film thickness in order to
improve lubrication and rated life, and higher
internal bearing friction and temperature.

To estimate the operating temperatures of

bearings in specific applications, it is
necessary to perform a “heat balance”
calculation for each bearing. If the application
conditions: (shaft, housing and associated
support dimensions and materials, air
temperatures and circulation, lubrication
conditions and heat sources or sinks;) are
known, bearing operating temperatures can
be estimated with accuracy. Contact the SKF
Applications Engineering Service for
assistance.

Conclusion
Oil viscosity is one of many lubricant
characteristics that should be considered
when choosing the proper lubricant for an
application. Future articles in this series will
discuss oil versus grease selection as well as
the role of additives in lubricants.

Principles of Bearing selection and Application: Selecting lubricant viscosity

© 2010 SKF Group 7