Bearing Dismounting

Methods
For Cylindrical and Tapered Seating
Summary
Dismounting bearings can cause damage to both the bearings and
associated components, such as shafts, if incorrect tools and
techniques are used. When shafts and bearings are damaged
during bearing dismounting, there is often a cost penalty in both
time and materials. In addition, the use of the wrong tools and
techniques for dismounting can be hazardous to the operator,
especially due to the high forces involved. This paper walks
through the required preparations and applicable dismounting
methods for cylindrical and tapered seating. Methods include
mechanical, heating and hydraulic techniques.

GS04012
SKF Maintenance Products
10 pages
April 2004

SKF Reliability Systems

@ptitudeXchange
5271 Viewridge Court
San Diego, CA 92123
United States
tel. +1 858 496 3554
fax +1 858 496 3555
email: info@aptitudexchange.com
Internet: www.aptitudexchange.com

Use of this document is governed by the terms

and conditions contained in @ptitudeXchange.
Copying or distribution of this document is prohibited.
 GS04012 - Bearing Dismounting Methods

Introduction • When dismounting bearings using

mechanical pullers, make sure you select a
Dismounting bearings can cause damage to
suitable puller for the application with
both the bearings and associated components,
sufficient pulling force in order to help
such as shafts, if incorrect tools and
prevent puller overload. Overloading a
techniques are used. When shafts and bearings
puller can result in puller arm or beam
are damaged during bearing dismounting,
breakage, causing injury to the operator. A
there is often a cost penalty in both time and
safety blanket fitted around the puller and
materials. In addition, the use of the wrong
bearing helps reduce the risk on injury in
tools and techniques for dismounting can be
case the puller’s arm or spindle breaks.
hazardous to the operator, especially due to
the high forces involved. • Remember that corrosion on the
interference fit can easily require 50%
Individual installations may require
higher dismounting force.
mechanical, heat or hydraulic application
methods for correct and efficient dismounting.
• If the interference fit is corroded, use
Professional dismounting, using specialized
penetrating oil to dissolve/loosen the rust.
tools and techniques, is another positive step
towards achieving maximum machine uptime. • Always use heat resistant gloves when
dismounting bearings using heat.
Preparations
Dismounting bearings can be a hazardous and • Do not strike the bearing directly with any
demanding task. Selecting the correct tool is hard object such as a hammer or chisel.
therefore of utmost importance for reducing
the risk of personal injuries. • Remember that powerful forces may be
involved when dismounting bearings and
Another reason for dismounting bearings is care must always be taken to avoid injury.
for maintenance or replacement of other
machine's components. These dismounted • Keep the work area clean; good
bearings are mounted again, unless they are housekeeping reduces accidents.
damaged during dismounting. To enable the
reuse of the same bearing, care must be taken Medium and large bearings can be difficult to
when selecting dismounting methods and handle. Bearing handling tools allows a
tools. bearing to be lifted from the floor and to be
safely removed from a shaft.
• Always wear protective clothing and
goggles when dismounting bearings.

© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved 2


Figure 1. Bearing handling tools.
Bearing Dismounting
During its service life, a bearing has to be
mounted on and dismounted from its shaft and
housing at least once. Bearing dismounting is
the removal of the bearing from the shaft and
the bearing housing. It includes preparations,
methods and tools.
In the discussion of bearing dismounting
methods, two configurations are generally
distinguished:
1. Cylindrical Seating – A cylindrical
seating is just a cylindrical shaft or
housing, although special arrangements
can exist. Bearings mounted on a
cylindrical seating can have an
interference or a loose fit depending on the
application.
2. Tapered Seating – Tapered seatings
include taper shafts, adapters and
withdrawal sleeves. Bearings mounted on
a tapered seating normally have an
interference fit.
In the remaining part of this paper, various
detailed techniques are described. Appendix A
shows an overview of SKF methods and tools.
Cylindrical Seating
Mechanical Methods
Choosing the right puller for the job is critical.
Not only the puller type, but also its maximum
withdrawal force (kN) is crucial for
© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved
GS04012 - Bearing Dismounting Methods
completing any dismounting job safely and
easily. Make sure puller overload is avoided,
as it can result in breakage of the puller’s arms
and/or beam. This breakage can cause damage
to the puller, shaft and bearing as well as
personal injury. It is recommended to use a
three-armed puller instead of a two-armed
puller. It is preferred to grip the ring with the
interference fit whenever possible.
Interference Fit on the Shaft: External Pull
Small and medium-size bearings mounted
with an interference fit on the shaft can be
dismounted using a puller. If possible let the
puller grip the inner ring, then remove the
bearing with a steady force until the bearing
bore completely clears the entire length of the
cylindrical seating.
Apply the puller to the outer ring if it is not
possible to grip the inner ring. However, this
presents a risk of damaging the bearing. If the
bearing has to be used again, the outer ring
must be rotated during dismounting. This can
be done by locking the spindle and turning the
puller continuously until the bearing comes
free. Another way to minimize this risk is to
use a strong back puller.
The puller should be accurately centered
during dismounting in order to help prevent
seating damage. To eliminate that risk, use
self-centering pullers.
3

Figure 2. Three-arm puller for external pull
Figure 3. Strong back puller.
Interference Fit in the Housing: Internal
Pull
The use of a slide hammer assisted puller is
recommended for easy and quick removal of
bearings from housings. When the puller has
to be applied to the inner ring and the bearings
are to be re-used, the inner ring should be
rotated during dismounting to minimize the
risk of damage.
© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved
GS04012 - Bearing Dismounting Methods
Figure 4. Internal bearing puller.
Interference Fit on Shaft and in the
Housing: Blind Pull
For non-separable bearings with an
interference fit both in the housing and on the
shaft, the best method is to allow the bearing
to be pressed out of the housing with the shaft.
This technique helps ensure that no
dismounting force is transmitted to the rolling
elements. The opposite procedure, allowing
the bearing to come off the shaft with the
housing, can also be used.
Ball bearings can be removed with a special
blind housing puller. This puller’s finger-
shaped extensions grip between the rolling
elements and on to the ring, allowing the
bearing to be easily removed.
4

Figure 5. Blind housing puller.
Hydraulic Methods
Medium-size bearings with an interference fit
on the shaft often require considerable
dismounting force. In these cases, a
hydraulically assisted puller facilitates quick
and effortless dismounting. A self-centering
hydraulic puller can be used for forces up to
500 kN (50 ton).
© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved
GS04012 - Bearing Dismounting Methods
Figure 6. Hydraulic assisted jaw puller.
Dismounting with SKF Oil Injection
Method
Developed by SKF in the 1940s, the "oil
injection method" allows bearings and other
components with an interference fit to be
fitted and removed in a safe, controllable and
rapid manner. When using the SKF oil
injection method the mating surfaces are
separated by a thin film of oil injected under
high pressure, thereby virtually eliminating
the friction between them. Consequently, the
(dis)mounting force required is considerably
reduced. With the oil injection method, high-
pressure oil is injected between the mating
surfaces. The oil film formed separates the
mating surfaces and appreciably reduces the
friction between them.
By injecting oil of a certain viscosity between
two shrink fitted surfaces, the mating surfaces
will be separated by a thin oil film. If the
surfaces are cylindrical, the fitted components
can be more easily removed. The force
required by a puller is greatly reduced.
5
 GS04012 - Bearing Dismounting Methods

Figure 7. Oil injection method applied in dismounting from cylindrical shaft.

Referring to Figure 7, the steps are:

A. During manufacture, the shafts are

prepared with oil ducts and grooves. SKF
can advise on how to prepare the shafts.
B. Bearings are mounted for example by
heating them with an induction heater.
C. Dismounting the bearing is made easy by
pumping oil under pressure between the
mating surfaces. Once the oil pressure has
built up, the component can be removed
from the shaft with a minimum of effort. Figure 8. SKF heating rings.

Heating Methods Induction Heaters

Heating Rings
When flangeless inner rings of cylindrical
roller bearings, or those with only one flange,
have to be removed infrequently, heating rings
can sometimes be used. The inside diameter of
the ring is the same as the raceway diameter of
the inner ring. The ring is heated using a hot
plate or naked flame to approximately 280 °C
and then placed over the inner ring and
clamped using the handles. The heat is
transferred from the heating ring to the
bearing inner ring, causing the bearing inner
ring to expand. Once the bearing inner ring
expansion has overcome the interference fit,
then it is easy to remove the bearing inner
ring.
© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved
SKF has developed special induction heaters
for dismounting the inner rings of cylindrical
roller bearings having no flanges or only one
flange. They heat the inner ring rapidly
without heating the shaft to any degree, so that
the expanded ring can easily be removed.
The use of such induction heaters becomes
economic when cylindrical roller bearings are
frequently mounted and dismounted, e.g. axle
box bearings or rolling mill bearings. SKF
heaters are available in adjustable and fixed
types depending on application.
6

Figure 9. Adjustable induction heater.
Tapered Seating
Mechanical Methods
Small bearings on tapered seating can be
dismounted using a puller. Since the bearing is
mounted with an interference fit on the shaft,
the puller should, if possible, grip the inner
ring. The same tools as those used for
mechanically removing bearings on
cylindrical shafts can be used.
Take care when dismounting bearings from
tapered seatings using a puller. Always use a
Figure 10. Oil injection method applied in dismounting from tapered seating.
Referring to Figure 10, the steps are:
A. During manufacture, the shafts are
prepared with oil ducts and grooves.
© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved
GS04012 - Bearing Dismounting Methods
lock nut to prevent the bearing (and puller)
from flying off the shaft!
Hydraulic Methods
With the oil injection method, oil under high
pressure is injected between the mating
surfaces. An oil film is formed, which
separates the mating surfaces and appreciably
reduces the friction between them. The
method is mainly used when dismounting
bearings fitted directly on tapered shafts, but
is also used to dismount bearings on adapter
and withdrawal sleeves that have been
prepared for the oil injection method. A pump
or oil injector produces the requisite pressure,
the oil being supplied to the mating surfaces
via ducts and distributor grooves in the shaft
or sleeve. The necessary ducts and grooves in
the shaft must be considered when designing
the bearing arrangement.
Injecting the oil between two tapered surfaces
will create a reaction force that could be quite
substantial as the oil will also act as a
"hydraulic cylinder" which can push the outer
component off.
B. Bearings are mounted by pushing them up
the shaft with the aid of a hydraulic nut.
C. Bearings are dismounted by injecting oil
between the mating surfaces and when
7
 GS04012 - Bearing Dismounting Methods

sufficient pressure is reached, the bearing

will be pushed off. A nut is required to
keep the bearing from sliding off the shaft.
Hydraulic Methods Used in Practice
Depending on the bearing mounting
arrangement and the size of the bearing, the
figures below show the most common
methods of using hydraulics with tapered
shafts, adapter and withdrawal sleeves.

Figure 13. Oil injection method used on a suitably

equipped adapter sleeve to release a bearing.

Figure 11. Oil injection used to remove a bearing from

a tapered shaft.

Figure 14. Hydraulic nut used to pull a withdrawal

sleeve from under the bearing, thus releasing the
bearing.

Figure 12. Hydraulic nut used to push an adapter

sleeve from under the bearing, thus releasing the
bearing.

Figure 15. Oil injection method used on a suitably

equipped withdrawal sleeve in combination with a
hydraulic nut to release a bearing.

© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved 8

 GS04012 - Bearing Dismounting Methods

The dismounting of large bearings from
tapered journals, adapter or withdrawal
sleeves is greatly eased if both a hydraulic nut
and the oil injection method are used. After
injecting pressurized oil between the mating
surfaces, the bearing will separate suddenly
from its seating and therefore some form of
stop must be provided, for example a shaft nut
or end plate to limit the axial movement of the
bearing.
and between the sleeve and the shaft. This oil
reduces friction and force necessary for
mounting and dismounting, particularly when
mounting in a dry state. The use of sleeves
reduces the risk of damage to shaft and
bearings.

Adapter and Withdrawal Sleeves for Oil

Injection
The larger sleeves have oil supply ducts and
Figure 16. These SKF sleeves facilitate the use of the
distribution grooves, enabling the user to SKF oil injection method.
inject oil between the sleeve and bearing bore

Figure 17. Examples of oil supply ducts in an adapter sleeve.

Further Reading SKF Maintenance Products

[1] SKF. Bearing Basics. RB02001.
http://www.aptitudexchange.com
[2] SKF. Bearing Fits and Clearances.
MB02020. http://www.aptitudexchange.com
[3] SKF. Interactive Engineering Catalogue.
http://www.skf.com
SKF Maintenance Products has been building
upon its knowledge and expertise in an effort
to help you maximize plant profitability. SKF
Maintenance Products offers the most
comprehensive range of bearing maintenance
tools and lubricants available on the market.
http://mapro.skf.com/

[4] SKF. Bearing Maintenance Handbook.

http://www.aptitudexchange.com

[5] Mounting and Dismounting Bearings;

http://www.skf.com/mount/

© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved 9

 GS04012 - Bearing Dismounting Methods

Figure 18: Overview of SKF methods and tools.

© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved 10