Impact on Bearing Service Life

The cleanliness of bearings has a significant impact on their service life. Specific tests have been conducted on bearings in this regard, with results showing differences ranging from several-fold to more than ten-fold. Tests indicating that the higher the cleanliness of the bearing, the longer its service life demonstrate that lubricants of varying cleanliness levels have a significant impact on the service life of ball bearings. Therefore, improving the cleanliness of the lubricant can extend bearing life. Furthermore, if the size of contaminants in the lubricant is controlled to below 10 µm, bearing life increases several-fold.

Impact on Vibration and Noise

Impact on Vibration

Test results from the Bearing Testing Centre indicate that cleanliness significantly affects bearing vibration levels, particularly in the high-frequency range. Bearings with high cleanliness exhibit lower vibration velocity values, especially in the high-frequency range.

Impact on Noise

Tests have been conducted on the effect of dust in bearing grease on noise levels, proving that the more dust present, the greater the noise.

Impact on Lubrication Performance

A decline in bearing cleanliness not only affects the formation of the lubricating oil film but also causes the grease to deteriorate and accelerates its ageing, thereby reducing the lubricating performance of the grease.