LUBRICATION – MAINTENANCE
Industrial equipment can fail because of
inadequate lubrication maintenance and
incorrect lubrication. Getting it right, H rst
time, every time, is therefore vital
Correct
lubrication = longevity
By Adam O ord
As a maintenance engineer,
getting lubrication right
is essential. Improper
lubrication, including using
the wrong oil or not using
enough of it, can lead to increased friction
and greater wear, which in turn can lead to
equipment breakdowns and downtime.
Bob Wood, a technical engineer with
more than four decades of experience at
Total Lubricants, estimates that almost
a third (28%) of industrial equipment
failure is a result of inadequate lubricant
maintenance and incorrect lubrication. He
also calculates that, on average, just 1%
of an industrial plant’s overall maintenance
budget is allocated to lubricants.
“The lubricants that industrial
equipment requires to keep operating
smoothly represent a fraction of the
cost of the equipment itself. However,
it’s important this vital maintenance
function is undertaken, with condition
monitoring for critical equipment,
including oil analysis, vibration analysis
and thermography, being carried out
regularly,” he says. “Industrial equipment
failures, and the associated costs from
unplanned downtime and reactive
maintenance, could be prevented by
having an e ective, proactive lubrication
strategy in place.”
THINK FOUR
Eriks UK and Ireland o ers on-site
services, including the handling,
speciH cation and storage of lubricants. It
echoes that lubrication is vital to machine
longevity, but warns that it is often carried
out without proper understanding of the
correct application principles.
Graham Wignall, product manager
for lubrication at Eriks UK & Ireland,
advises that maintenance engineers and
managers remember ‘the four Rs’ when
looking to apply any form of lubricant:
Right amount: Over-lubricating a bearing
can be equally as damaging as underlubricating
one. “Excessive quantities of
lubricant could damage the surface area
of a bearing, leading to cracks and the
ingress of dirt,” says Wignall. “It could also
cause the bearing to overheat, which will
lead to lubricant failure.”
Right lubricant: Many maintenance
managers rely on the original equipment
manufacturer’s (OEM’s) recommendation
when choosing a lubricant, but this may be
counter-productive, warns Wignall. “The
OEM won’t have a full understanding of
the machinery’s working environment and
may also be biased towards a brand.”
Right place: Storing a lubricant correctly
has a direct impact on its performance and
e cacy. “Lubricants should be stored in
sealed containers that prevent the ingress
of dust, dirt or moisture,” advises Wignall.
“Also ensure that lubricants are stored at
the correct temperature, as stipulated by
the lubricant’s manufacturer.”
Right time: Application frequency is
often recommended by the OEM, but
this is usually based on a general set of
rules regarding the machine’s parameters.
“Use this as a guideline, rather than a
steadfast rule,” Wignall says. “Consider
your machine’s working environments and
apply these to any lubricating schedule.
For example, higher levels of temperature
or pressure will require the frequency of
application to increase.”
14 www.operationsengineer.org.uk May 2019
/www.operationsengineer.org.uk