The purpose of lubrication management is to prevent equipment lubrication failure, reduce losses caused by equipment overheating and shutdown, save maintenance costs and reduce the replacement of parts, extend the service life of equipment, reduce the consumption of lubricants, and save the cost of purchasing lubricating materials. Modern mechanical equipment is developing in the direction of high precision, high efficiency, high speed, heavy load, small size, maintenance-free, and energy-saving, which puts higher requirements on the friction parts of mechanical equipment.

1. Failure phenomena and causes caused by lubrication

Poor mechanical operation

When the equipment is running, the movement is sluggish, the speed is uneven, and the power consumption is large, which will inevitably cause vibration and noise. Sometimes it will cause the motor to overheat and fail to reach the design parameters. If the motor power is increased at this time, the machine will overheat. Transmission parts, such as bearings, belts, gears, etc., will be seriously damaged.

Main reasons:

① Improper installation or design defects of friction parts, such as too small clearance of sliding bearings, which increases friction, or vice versa, too large clearance, resulting in impact and poor lubrication, resulting in increased friction and unstable movement. The clearance of the friction parts is too large or too small, or the supply of lubricating oil is insufficient, which will cause poor lubrication of the parts and deteriorate the operating state. Some of the above conditions are caused by improper design, while others are caused by poor processing or assembly.

② When the material or combination of moving parts is improper, and the lubricating oil is not selected properly, it will also cause unstable movement and easily cause bite and bonding damage.

③ There is foreign matter mixed in. When abrasive solids such as dust and sand invade, they are easily embedded in the friction pair and hinder movement. Dust and sand particles are often 0.2-0.8mm or more and have extremely high hardness. They not only hinder operation but also cause significant friction.

④ Wear, bite, peeling and other damage to the parts of the mechanical equipment itself will deteriorate the movement state and make lubrication difficult to work.

2. Vibration and noise

When the mechanical equipment is in operation, due to various reasons, abnormal vibration and noise will be generated, which will reduce the performance of the machinery and make the environment substandard. The reason is closely related to lubrication.

3. Excessive temperature

The resistance of the friction pair increases, and the temperature rises rapidly. In the absence of heat source, such as bearings, reducers, etc. When the external temperature exceeds 80℃, it should be paid close attention. Their internal temperature is dozens of degrees higher than the external temperature and may even burn.

Main reasons:

① The friction resistance is too large, and forced operation causes intense heat generation. For example, when the sealing device of the water pump packing is pressed too tight, it causes severe resistance and heat generation.

② The viscosity of the lubricating oil is too large, and the amount of oil filled is too much, which causes excessive stirring during operation, resulting in heat generation. It is also due to the high viscosity of the lubricating oil, poor fluidity, and poor heat dissipation.

③ The heat dissipation conditions are not good, the ambient temperature is high, the ventilation is poor, and the heat cannot be dissipated in time.

④ Due to heat generation during operation, improper gap adjustment, deformation of parts, and thermal expansion, the heating of the machine parts will also be accelerated.

4. The machine cannot operate

The main manifestation is that the machine has abnormal conditions and the friction pair has seizure.

The reasons are: the friction part is damaged and seizure occurs; serious sand and foreign matter causes jamming; the temperature is too high, the state of the friction part deteriorates significantly, and seizure occurs.

2. Causes of damage to equipment lubrication parts and solutions

3. Practical skills for equipment lubrication

(1) Rolling bearings. A well-lubricated rolling bearing should be: choose the right model; install correctly, adjust the axial clearance, and the shaft processing accuracy meets the requirements; select the appropriate lubricant viscosity, and keep the system and lubricant clean.

(2) Air compressors are a combination of various parts, so there are few special differences in their lubrication. Most of these lubrication failures are caused by low assembly accuracy, unskilled operation and maintenance techniques, and a considerable part of them are caused by oil contamination and deterioration and insufficient oil supply.

(3) In order for the sealing device to work in a long-term stable condition, a layer of oil film must be formed on the contact friction surface to play a role in lubrication and sealing. The thickness of this oil film is 1μm, so even slight damage and deformation on the sealing friction surface will cause oil leakage. Care must be taken when using and installing the seal. O-rings, lip seals, and oil seals are all made of synthetic rubber. Once damaged, oil leakage will cause damage to the machine and device. Therefore, the use conditions, such as oil properties, pressure, temperature, etc., should be carefully checked when using.

(4) Oil pumps are developing towards high pressure, high speed and large capacity, so the lubrication of the pump is also very important. For hydraulic working oil, suitable viscosity, good high wear resistance, and anti-seizure resistance are necessary. In addition, anti-pollution management of working oil is also very important.

The purpose of lubrication management is to prevent equipment lubrication failures, reduce losses caused by mechanical equipment downtime, improve production, save maintenance costs and reduce the frequency of parts replacement, extend the service life of equipment, and reduce lubricant consumption. Doing a good job in equipment lubrication is an important part of enterprise management and an important way for enterprises to improve economic benefits.