High loads and temperature combined with contaminated environments can lead to premature failure of standard deep groove ball bearings. Constant bearing failure can also result in damage to surrounding hardware and high maintenance costs due to bearing replacements every 2-3 weeks.

The failures resulted in damage to surrounding hardware (housings and axles) creating high labour and replacement parts cost.

NSK has the solution: NSKHPS Spherical Roller Bearings.

Addressing bearing failure in mining environments

A customer was experiencing constant bearing failure within an autoclave bogie wheel assembly utilizing deep groove ball bearings.

By performing a failed bearing analysis, NSK engineers examined the application and determined that ingress of hard particulates and moisture, combined with excessive load was causing premature bearing failure.

An application review also showed that the client’s existing deep groove ball bearings were inadequate.

Cost-efficient roller bearings

NSK recommended the client upgrade to its NSKHPS spherical roller bearings, which offered greater service life and reliability.

NSKHPS roller bearings carry greater loads and operate at higher temperatures. This solution eliminates continuous ongoing maintenance and substantially reduces collateral damage to surrounding components.

The NSKHPS bearings offered the client a prolonged lifetime, which results in zero maintenance requirements and a significant reduction in hardware collateral damage.

Since the introduction of the NSKHPS bearings, the component service life has substantially improved, leading to a significant reduction of hardware damage and maintenance while optimal return on investment.

Features of the NSKHPS spherical roller bearing

The NSKHPS spherical roller bearing has the highest load rating, which enables downsizing.

It offers a 25% increase in dynamic load rating, expanded service life and up to 20% higher limiting speed, as well as improved productivity and reduced maintenance costs. It also has temperature stability up to 392°F and bore sizes ranging from 40mm and 260mm.

The NSKHPS Spherical Roller Bearing has a high-performance raceway design and surface finish utilizing high-cleanliness Z-steel. They can either feature a brass cage design (CAM) or strengthened steel cage.