Vertical motors are a common type of motor mounting. In the previous articles, a lot of technical content about the selection, configuration and use of vertical motor bearings were introduced. Today, I will talk about the lubrication of vertical motor bearings.

Lubrication plays a very important role in the use of bearings. According to previous bearing failure statistics, nearly half of bearing failures are related to improper lubrication. This correlation exists not only in horizontal motors, but also in vertical motors.

The shaft of the bearing in the vertical motor is perpendicular to the ground during use, so the force and motion state at this time are also different from those of the horizontal motor. Here are some factors to consider when it comes to lubrication:

First, the influence of gravity - the choice of grease consistency. For a horizontal motor, the gravitational force corresponds to the radial direction of the bearing, but for a vertical motor, all gravitational forces correspond to the axial direction. As far as lubrication is concerned, grease is affected by gravity and tends to flow towards the ground. For horizontal motors, the grease will flow to the lower part of the bearing. But as the bearing runs, the lubrication is stirred and distributed throughout the bearing. But for a vertical motor, the rotation of the bearing is in the radial plane, and the direction of gravity is the axial direction. Therefore, the grease inside the bearing will flow (or have a tendency to flow) to the side of the bearing. However, the circumferential rotation of the bearing has very limited influence on the axial distribution of bearing lubrication. In this way, the influence of the fluidity of the bearing grease on the distribution of the grease becomes obvious. Therefore, in general vertical motors, it is usually recommended to use lubricants with lower grease fluidity. This means that the choice of oil consistency can be considered to be relatively large. For motors, it is No. 3 grease that is often used in the bearings of vertical motors.

Second, the influence of gravity - grease life. In the above analysis, we mentioned that the rotation of the vertical motor bearing in the radial plane does not play a good role in the circulation of grease inside the bearing. In other words, the agitation of the grease by the rotation of the bearing is not entirely conducive to the circulation of the grease inside the bearing. Therefore, generally speaking, for vertical motors, the life of the grease inside the bearing is halved on the basis of the calculation of the general grease life. The direct result of this is that the lubrication interval of the bearing is halved and the lubrication frequency is increased.

Third, the influence of gravity - the design of lubricating oil circuit. For the selection of the lubricating oil circuit of the horizontal motor, we have a special article to explain it. But for vertical motors, we have to consider an important factor, that is gravity. For horizontal motors, we need to ensure that the oil inlet and outlet of the motor bearing oil circuit are on both sides of the bearing, and the oil outlet of the motor is usually the same. These aspects also need attention in vertical motors. However, even if the lubricating oil circuit of the bearing is distributed on both sides of the bearing, we must consider that the oil inlet direction of the bearing is preferably above the bearing, and the oil discharge is as far as possible below. This way gravity will help the grease circulate. And if it is designed in the opposite direction, it may cause unfavorable oil discharge. As a result, many problems such as excessive bearing temperature are caused.

Fourth, the influence of gravity - the storage of motors and bearings. For motors and bearings, if they are stored vertically, gravity will cause the lubrication inside the bearing to flow downward, so if the storage time is relatively long, it will cause insufficient grease above the bearing, and the bearing will Problem with excess grease underneath. Also due to the gravity, we suggest that the horizontal motor should be uniformly greased before starting. But for the vertical motor, the grease uniform effect of this circumferential rotation is limited. Therefore, for vertical motors that have been stored for a long time, it is recommended to relubricate before putting into operation to avoid the problem of poor lubrication on one side of the bearing;

In summary, the main difference between the lubrication of vertical motor bearings and horizontal motors is the effect of the direction of gravity on lubrication. Pay attention to the above aspects, and the lubrication state of the vertical motor bearings can be guaranteed accordingly. However, in practical applications, in order to lubricate bearings more efficiently and conveniently, we can use equipment such as automatic greasers and oilers to achieve automatic lubrication. These devices can regularly and quantitatively inject lubricant into the bearing according to the lubrication needs, so as to ensure the continuous lubrication state of the bearing.

If you want to know more technical articles, please search on WeChat: Lubrication Standardization and Practical Fault Diagnosis Technology for retrieval.

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