BOILER FD FAN BEARING

Failure Analysis Report

Ali Shujah Jafri

28/04/2010

All information and data in this report is to the best of my knowledge and my investigation keeping in view the articles on the web that I used to support my findings, hence it should in no way be considered as a solid verdict to the failure of the subject component.

Fan & Motor Specifications: Motor Speed Fan Speed Drive Pulley Dia. Driven Pulley Dia. Number of Belts Bearing Specifications: Inboard Bearing Outboard Bearing Inboard Bearing 22218 EK + H 318 (Spherical roller bearings, on an adapter sleeve) 22218 EK + H 318 (Spherical roller bearings, on an adapter sleeve) SNL 518-615 (Split Plummer block housings, SNL series for bearings on adapter sleeves, with standard seals) 1480 RPM (name plate data) 1565 RPM (appx.) 365 mm 345 mm 06 No.

Equipment Arrangement: Below is a figure that shows the arrangement of the complete equipment.

Figure 1- Arrangement of the Motor Driven FD Fan

Background: Around mid-night of 27th April 2010, the outboard bearing on this fan assembly was observed to be producing excessive heat and abnormal sound. The vibration was also measured to be way above the safe operational range. In this context it was decided to take this FD fan out of service and look into taking corrective measures to rectify this problem. Observations: In this regard, the bearing housing was dismantled and bearing slid of the shaft and observed to have been drastically damaged and there were signs of overheating on all components of the bearing. Need for Analysis: Since knowing why a bearing failed is the best and probably the only way to prevent the same failure from happening again, a detailed analysis was intended to be carried out. The following text, discusses in detail all the aspects of the failure of the bearing and highlights the causes that played a role at initial stages which finally lead to this catastrophic failure of the bearing, hence forcing a machine down time and reactive maintenance.

Analysis: To support my investigation on this failure of the bearing, I would like to use excerpts from an article on the web published by SKF titled Bearing Failure and their Causes. A link to this article is given below for reference; however screen shots of the relevant portions will also be attached in the analysis below. http://www.alliedbearings.com/downloads/skf_bearing_failureandcauses.pdf As soon as the bearing was dismantled, signs of overheating and operation of the bearing at high temperatures became evident.

Another important observation that was made was that out of the two cages that were holding the double row of spherical rollers in place one cage was completely damaged and only the outer rails of the cage were intact that too in a pretty bad condition, the internal rungs were completely worn out. Now to start with the major reasons that could have caused a failure on this pattern, lets look into the article that I referenced to in the start of this analysis. This would give us an insight to what the observed signature leads us to.

If there is not sufficient lubricant or if the lubricant has lost its lubricating properties, it is not possible for an oil film with sufficient carrying capacity to form. Metal to metal contact occurs between rolling elements and raceways. In its initial phase, the resultant wear has roughly the same effect as lapping. The peaks of the microscopic asperities, that remain after the production processes, are torn off and, at the same time, a certain rolling-out effect is obtained. This gives the surfaces concerned a varying degree of mirror like finish. At this stage surface distress can also arise. If the lubricant is completely used up, the temperature will rise rapidly. The hardened material then softens and the surfaces take on blue to brown hues. The temperature may even become as high as to cause the bearing to seize.

Below are some pictures that support the above text, in reference to our failed bearing.

Polished Surface (Outer Race) Lapping Effect or Mirror like Finish

Polished Surface (Inner Race) Lapping Effect or Mirror like Finish

Appearance Initially the damage is not visible to the naked eye. A more advanced stage is marked by small, shallow craters with crystalline fracture surfaces. Cause Inadequate or improper lubrication.

A picture of a roller from our bearing with evident surface distress marks.

Blue to brown hues (Inner Race)

Now lets address the issue of the cage failure and that too in such short duration of time. For this purpose too Ill like to bring in information from the article that I have referenced to in the start of my discussion.

Cage wear may be caused by inadequate lubrication or by abrasive particles. The idea with rolling bearingsis of course to avoid sliding friction. However, where the cage is concerned, sliding cannot be eliminated in the contacts with the other components of the bearing. This explains why the cage is the first component to be affected when the lubrication becomes inadequate. The cage is always made of softer material than the other components of the bearing and consequently it wears comparatively quickly. As the cage pockets increase in size, due to wear, the rolling element guidance deteriorates and this also applies to the cage in cases where the cage is centred on the rolling elements. The resultant forces may lead to cage failure within a short space of time.

Conclusion: The above text and comparisons evidently depict that Inadequate Lubrication was the reasons behind the initiation of fault that in the end caused the bearing to fail.