Early detection of bearing damage can save a lot of expense, downtime and frustration. Phil Burge, Marketing and Communications Manager at SKF, sets out the case for condition monitoring and explores the factors involved.

A damaged bearing not only performs poorly but, if left to deteriorate, puts your machinery and its other components at risk of secondary damage. The ultimate result can be catastrophic failure, with high repair costs and major losses in production. 

To minimise their effects, bearing problems need to be identified at the earliest possible stage. The bearings can then be repaired or replaced as part of a condition-based maintenance programme, rather than in reaction to a crisis. Prompt attention of this kind has the further advantage of simplifying fault diagnosis and correction of the underlying issues.

Condition monitoring

Increases in vibration, noise and heat are the classic indicators of bearing damage. An experienced and alert maintenance technician can sense such changes by touch, hearing and sight, but significant harm may already have been done before the signs become noticeable.