What Are the Common Causes of Bearing Failure?

 

Bearings prematurely fail due to multiple factors, ranging from particulate contamination and improper mounting to misalignment, bearing fatigue, and poor storage conditions. Failure can also occur due to poor material choice and operating environment.

In this article, we look in detail at the main factors that cause bearing failure in machinery.

Key Drivers of Bearing Failure

  • Foreign Matter: Foreign matter such as dust, moisture, dirt, lint, and metal shavings tend to accelerate wear of bearings. In certain operating environments, it is almost impossible to avoid foreign particles. Therefore, proper sealing becomes essential to prevent unnecessary levels of abrasive particulates.
  • Improper Mounting:
  • Too much mounting pressure on the outer race can cause surface indentations.
  • A loose shaft fit can rotate the shaft inside the inner ring, which produces heat and particulates responsible for wearing down bearings. Similarly, loose housing can also contribute to such wear.
  • Not only loosely fitted shafts/housings, but when they are fitted extremely tightly, they also impact bearings negatively, causing ring cracks, internal preloading, and increased operating temperatures.
  • If the bearing seat has a rough finish, it can eventually cause failure by leading to a loose fit issue (as explained above).

  • Misalignment: Bent shafts or improperly aligned shaft shoulders and clamping nuts can cause uneven loading, leading to excessive heat and failure of the bearing separator.

  • Vibration Brinelling: Vibration creates dents which hinder smooth rotation of the bearing. It can damage bearings even if there is no heavy load. Due to uneven rotation, lubricants cannot flow into those dented areas. Without lubrication, metal rubs against metal, and the surface gradually wears away.
  • Poor Storage Conditions: One of the most overlooked factors is storage conditions where bearings are kept. Even before bearings are put into use, unhealthy storage conditions like presence of moisture can damage them.

  • Bearing Fatigue: When a bearing is exposed to excessive load again and again, the metal inside it slowly becomes weak. As rolling elements move, they create wave-like stress that constantly stretches and compresses the material. This repeated tension and compression cause metal fatigue, leading to surface damage such as brinelling.

Conclusion

In short, knowing why bearings fail makes a real difference. When they are handled, installed, aligned, and stored the right way, they last longer. This also improves reliability and helps avoid expensive breakdowns and unwanted downtime.


Looking for dependable INA bearing suppliers in India? Visit us at https://www.premierbearing.com/.


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