Generalized Bearing Life Model predicts life of hybrid bearings

Until now, it has been difficult for engineers to predict whether a hybrid bearing will outperform an all-steel one in a given application, or whether the possible performance benefits that hybrid bearings enable are worth the extra investment. The conventional equations engineers use to calculate the rating life of a bearing do not reflect the real-world performance of hybrid designs.

To rectify this, in 2012 engineers at SKF started to develop what would become the Generalized Bearing Life Model, or GBLM. A primary version of the model was presented at the Hannover Messe in 2015, but at this stage the model was not ready yet to perform calculations for hybrid bearings. Four more years were needed by scientists and technicians at SKF's facilities in the Netherlands and Austria to incorporate this feature into GBLM.

Using GBLM, SKF engineers have been able to determine the real-world benefits hybrid bearings offer. In the case of a poorly lubricated pump bearing, for instance, the rating life of a hybrid bearing can be up to eight times that of a steel equivalent; for a screw compressor bearing running with contaminated lubricant, the hybrid offers a rating lifetime 100 times greater than a conventional steel bearing.

Guillermo Morales-Espejel, Principal Scientist at SKF Research and Technology Developmen, says: "SKF has always been at the forefront of developing new methods for calculating bearing life. GBLM is a giant leap for bearing science and will enable better choices to be made when selecting bearings for a wide variety of applications."

Now, through SKF Bearing Select, this capability is available to SKF customers and distributors. SKF Bearing Select can be used to model hybrid deep-groove ball bearings and hybrid cylindrical roller bearings, and can be found at www.skfbearingselect.com.

More advanced calculations are available in SKF internal calculation tools to support application engineers in customer projects.