The fan bearing is faulty: the retainer is broken and the separator ring is fractured; the cause is unknown.
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The fan bearing uses an SKF 22220E at the front end; it experiences high vibration. The bearing at the rear end is of type C22218. Upon shutdown, it was found that the cage had broken, all the rollers on the side facing the machine body had fallen off, the separator ring was broken, and a small piece from the lower part of the outer ring had peeled off. Could it be that the septum ring has broken, causing the cage to lose its guidance, and the excessive stress on the cage has led to its fragmentation...
There are already many pitting defects on the raceway of your bearing’s outer ring; isn’t it inevitable that there will be significant vibration and overheating, which could lead to damage?
This post was last edited by 764970655 on 2017-1-20 08:50. The large gap in the cage indicates severe wear; moreover, the raceways of the bearing’s outer ring are also heavily worn, which is likely due to issues with the choice of lubricant or its replacement schedule. The damage process begins with wear, which leads to an increase in the gaps; this in turn causes excessive vibration. As the wear increases in the retainer, the movement of the rolling elements results in the retainer breaking apart under pressure from those elements. The rolling elements heat up, sometimes reaching red-hot temperatures, causing severe vibrations in the equipment, which triggers an immediate shutdown of the system! Management needs to be strengthened.
For this type of lubrication, it is recommended to set the oil change interval at around 1 month. Open the bearing cover, change the oil, and tighten the bearing cover again only after the temperature has returned to normal. Additionally, it is recommended to determine the service life of the bearings and replace them regularly; this will help prevent major failures in the unit and extend its operational lifespan. The key is actually to carry out regular maintenance.
Previously, lubricant was added manually; now an automatic lubricator is planned to be used
The key is lubrication; with this type of grease lubrication, inadequate lubrication can easily occur after prolonged operation. Moreover, the load on the bearings of such fans is usually quite high, which leads to wear on the bearings. When the bearing clearance increases, it causes vibration in the fan, and the temperature of the bearings rises, further reducing the effectiveness of the lubricating oil due to the high temperatures. If this situation is not addressed promptly, the bearing will soon burn out and break apart, or suffer even more severe wear.
I once had a case where the vibration of a fan was severe due to damaged bearings; the bearings on the side that wasn’t connected to the motor were replaced twice. Eventually, it was found that the problem lay with the fan blades. After balancing those blades, the vibration issue was resolved, and the bearings no longer needed to be replaced. So please check the dynamic balance of the impeller