NSK bearings help eliminate repeated bearing failures

By replacing plain-bush bearings with NSKHPS spherical roller bearings from NSK, a steel plant has eliminated six bearing failures a year on its walking beam to deliver savings of €15,556 per annum.

In a steel plant, a walking beam moves material in bar form along a conveyor while it cools. At this particular steel manufacturing facility, plain-bush bearings on the walking beam were failing around six times per year, largely as a result of the challenging working environment (outside location) and high loads.

Due to the high costs associated with replacement bearings, maintenance time and lost production, the plant called upon the expertise of NSK and its AIP Added Value Programme.

Rolling element bearing

NSK’s team of specialists analysed the application and suggested the adoption of a rolling element bearing, which would better cope with the demanding operating conditions and loads to save downtime and improve productivity. The solution of choice was the NSKHPS spherical roller bearing.

The success of the NSKHPS bearings meant that no failures occurred in the one-year review period, reports NSK. “Indeed, there was no need for any intervention by the maintenance team whatsoever, as both contaminant ingress and the requirement for lubrication had reduced considerably, providing even greater savings to the customer.”

While the annual savings amounted to €15,556, there exists potential for even greater savings over time, adds the company, as the NSKHPS spherical roller bearings gave a theoretical life calculation of 7.2 years.

Latest material technology

NSKHPS spherical roller bearings employ the latest material technology, making them suitable for applications necessitating high speeds and loads, including material handling in the steel sector. “In fact, as NSK’s highest load-rating spherical roller bearing (25% higher), it is even possible for machine and equipment OEMs to downsize in some applications. Notably, these bearings also provide temperature stability up to 200°C.”

NSKHPS spherical roller bearings are available with a steel or brass cage, with bore diameters from 40 to 260 mm.