Leaf Coppin

I Bearing Grease Deterioration

M.D. Gafitanu, F.
Farcas, G.D. Hagiu,
and M.C. Tiron
Department of
Machine Design &
Vibrations, Technical
University ‘Gh. Asachi’
I
of lasi, Romania

Abstract About 80% of bearing mountings are grease lubricated. This

has many advantages, such a s eliminating complicated oil cool-
ing systems, and better organisation of the available space in
machine tools and aircraft. However, the bearing service life is
reduced by grease deterioration. Many papers give recommen-
dations concerning regreasing intervals but information
concerning grease deterioration and service life is poor. This
paper presents theoretical and experimental work concerning
grease film thickness estimation and its deterioration. An equa-
tion relating grease service life to the main influencing factors
is proposed. We measured grease film thickness by the global
electrical resistance method. Grease deterioration is illustrated
by electron microscopy.

Keywords ball bearings, grease, deterioration, service life, temperature,

tribology

Nomenclature c bearing basic dynamic load rating (N)

C,,a,b,c specific grease constants
F equivalent dynamic load rating (N)
Fr radial load (N)
F* axial load (N)
G material dimensionless factor
hmin minimum film thickness (m)
ho grease film thickness (m)
hob base oil film thickness (m)
L running time (h)
N catalogue speed limit (rpm)
n speed (rpm)
R electrical resistance (kQ)
R,, bearing ball roughness (pm)

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M.D. Gafitanu, F. Farcas, G.D. Hagiu, and M.C. Tiron: Bearing grease deterioration

R,, raceway roughness (pm)

RY equivalent curvature radius (m)
S grease survival probability (%I
T working temperature ("C)
To grease dropping point ("C)
U speed dimensionless factor
V bearing grease volume (m3)
W load dimensionless factor

INTRODUCTION The present tendencies towards miniaturisation of machines

and tools, decreases in aircraft weight, and diminishing space
for oil lubricating and cooling systems have all contributed to
the preference for grease lubrication in recent years. Greases
are special lubricants having a structure that is understood as
a complex mixture dispersed by mechanical or chemical
means. The greater demands on this kind of lubricant require
more focused research on their practical application.
Although information about lubricant selection, appro-
priate conditions, functional limits, and service life is poor, it is
estimated that over 80% of bearing assemblies are grease lu-
bricated. The mechanisms of grease failure or damage criteria
are rarely described in the literature. Work in this area only
gives data for the lubricants used in the experiments and their
potential damage modes.
This paper aims to establish damage criteria for bearing
lubricating greases, and to propose an equation for grease ser-
vice life calculation as a function of the main parameters such
as: temperature, speed, load, and grease quantity. In the exper-
imental part of the paper the bearing global resistance method
is used to estimate lubricant film thickness, and electron
microscopy is used to examine grease deterioration.

THEORETICAL Ball or rc;ller bearings usually run at about 50--6O"C,but there

are some technical fields, such as metallurgy, chemical engi-
neering, nuclear technology, or aerospace, in which significant-
ly higher temperatures occur. These situations require high-
temperature lubricants that must be able to maintain a contin-
uous lubricating film or at least sufficient lubrication during a
certain period of time. The most common solution is to use lu-
bricating greasc I , !- self-lubricating materials, to avoid compli-
cated lubricatioii and cooling systems. In normal running

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M.D. Gafitanu, F. Farcas, G.D. Hagiu, and M.C. Tiron: Bearing grease deterioration

Figure 1 Relative film

thickness vs. time (for
grease and its base oil)

M
a,
Base oil
*\ - * - -->t - 41- -

a, Grease ”- I+O
>
c
m
a,
n:
I I I I I I l l
0 10 20 30 40 50 120
Time, t(min)

conditions,bearing service life is looked up in the manufactur-

er’s catalogues or technical literature; it is a function of mate-
rial, speed, internal geometry, and operating conditions. When
using lubricating greases, it is generally considered that the
lubrication is adequate for a certain service life, and recom-
mendations for these periods are given. When temperatures
higher than 60-70°C occur, grease service life halves for each
10-15°C increase and, consequently, bearing service life can-
not be estimated by classic methods, as the limiting factor is
the life of the grease.
Heat transfer also often restricts the use of lubricating
greases or self-lubricating materials. When using lubricating
greases, an elastohydrodynamic (EHD) lubricating film in
high-load contacts and a similar pressure distribution as with
oils are obtained. Considering the Herschel-Buckley rheologi-
cal model and the same method for calculating the film
parameters as those used for oils, Jonkisz and Krzeminski-
Fredal established that grease film thickness can be estimated
using the equation

h, = R,C,U’Gbw (1)

Other w0rk~7~ showed that when using fresh grease a

thicker film is obtained than that obtained when using only the

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M.D. Gafitanu, F. Farcas, G.D. Hagiu, and M.C. Tiron: Bearing grease deterioration

Figure 2 Film thickness

vs. time (for grease and 1.5
its base oil)

1 .o

Base oil

0.5

Grease

0 2 4 6 8 40 80 120 160 200 240

Time, t ( h )

base oil, hihob= 1.11-1.48, and then, because of grease deteri-

oration, the film thickness becomes 0.7 of the fully flooded
lubrication film thickness (Figures 1 and 2).2,3
There are so many possible operating conditions and such
a diversity of bearing designs that most research work is
limited to the estimation of film t h i c k n e s ~ . ~ . ~
Grease distribution within the bearing is totally different
from that of oil. Two cases can arise in the contact zone: (i) if
the grease is pumped into the contact area, EHD lubrication
can occur; or (ii) if there is lubricant expulsion and adhesion
outside the contact area, starved lubrication may take place.
Optimal lubrication is obtained with semi-starvation,
when the grease reaches the contact zone because of its adhe-
sion to the surfaces and because of the movement of the rolling
elements. At temperatures higher than 60°C, bearing life is not
dependent on fatigue phenomena but is strongly dependent on
grease durability (Figure 3h6v7However, there is no general
criterion for grease degradation, but most researchers accept
three mechanisms of damage:

chemical: base oil oxidation, organic and total acidity,

tribochemical transformations
physical: grease oil-soap separation, lubricant expulsion
from the moving surfaces
structural: fibres or soap structure deteriorate with time.

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M.D. Gafitanu, F. Farcas, G.D. Hagiu, and M.C. Tiron: Bearing grease deterioration

Figure 3 Bearing service I

life vs. speed and
temperature

Fraction of limiting speed, nlN

These processes are strongly interdependent but we think that

a decisive criterion can be established. It seems to us that some
parameters, such as the percentage of separated base oil and
the amount of fibrous structure, are important in determining
grease failure.
In difficult operating conditions (high temperatures and
loads, contaminated media), bearing service life is dependent
on the time during which an acceptable lubricating film is
maintained without supplying fresh grease. The running tem-
perature, the amount of grease replenishment, and the load
are the main factors influencing bearing service The
equations or the graphs that are used for establishing grease
service life or regreasing intervals are determined after labori-
ous experimental investigations and they are applicable only
for those experimental conditions. A synthesis of previous ex-
perimental investigations together with our own experiments
has enabled us to propose a general equation for the calcula-
tion of grease life:

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M.D. Gafitanu, F. Farcas, G.D. Hagiu, and M.C. Tiron: Bearing grease deterioration

Figure 4The test rig

1 DC motor drive
2 intermediate belt drive
3 control panel
4 intermediate shaft
5 intermediate bearing
6 final belt drive
7 support bearings
8 test bearings
9 main shaft
10 housing
11 thermocouple
12 thermostat

I 12 11

The coefficients and the exponents in Eq. (2)are depen-

dent on lubricant properties and running conditions, and are
experimentally determined. This equation was designed in the
same way as that used for bearing service life. Coefficients for
two general-purpose mineral oil and lithium soap greases are
given in references 11and 12.

EXPERIMENTAL The experimental investigations had two aspects: grease lubri-

cated bearing service life, and changes in grease structure dur-
ing the trsts. We used the global electrical resistance method
on the test rig shown in Figure 4, and electron microscopy.The

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M.D. Gafitanu, F. Farcas, G.D. Hagiu, and M.C. Tiron: Bearing grease deterioration

Figure 5 Verification of
the bearing resistance 104
method using oils of
known properties
1 03

1 o2

10

0.1
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
Film thickness, h (pm)

rig has the following characteristics: speed, 0-30,000 rpm; ra-

dial load, F, = 1600 N; axial load, Fa = 10 N; temperature, up to
500°C with continuous variation; and lubricant, oil or grease.
We measured the following parameters: speed, n; bearing out-
er ring temperature, T; and bearing global electrical resistance
as a function of time.
To determine the grease film thickness from the bearing
electrical resistance we used M30 oil (Romanian) because for
this oil the film thickness can be easily calculated using the
Hamrock-Dowson equation. Using values of measured thick-
ness, the lubricating parameter h can be calculated from the
well-known relation
hmin
h=
[ 1.1 I(R:, +

At the same time the bearing resistance was measured to

give the calibration curve. Our method was verified by using

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M.D. Gafitanu, F. Farcas, G.D. Hagiu, and M.C. Tiron: Bearing grease deterioration

Table 1 Grease characteristics

Characteristic Grease type

A B
Dropping temperature ("C) 185-1 90 185-1 90
Penetration at 25°C (10-'mm) 280-31 8 165-295
Colloidal stability (wt.%) 6.78 5
Soap type Lithium Lithium
Base oil Naphthenic mineral oil Mineral oil
Appearance Unctuous and homogeneous* Unctuous and homogeneous,
medium-length fibres
"but less homogeneous than 8.

two oils of known viscosity at 20,50, and 98.8"C, as shown in

Figure 5. For the two greases 120 tests were done (10 tests for
each group) with speed and temperature as variables. Each
group used bearings with constant parameters (temperature,
speed, load, and grease quantity), and each test used fresh
grease.
It was established that fully flooded EHD lubrication is
obtained for bearing global resistances higher than 2 WL. Re-
sistances lower than this correspond t o partial EHD or
unsatisfactory lubrication. All the tests were done using two
different greases, with the characteristics given in Table 1.
Bearing electrical resistance against time (Figure 6)
shows a short induction time while the lubricating grease film
becomes uniform and established, then the resistance levels
out, until the film breaks down and resistance falls to zero. The
film can be regenerated after a running break, but this is pos-
sible only for a short period of time.
Samples of grease were collected from around the bearing
race at the beginning, middle, and end of the tests. Both greas-
es behaved in a similar way. Microscopic analysis showed that
the first lubricant samples had the same uniform structure as
the fresh grease (Figure 7). The middle test grease sample
showed some soap fibrous conglomerates, and partial soapoil
separation was observed (Figure 8, overleaf). In the final
grease sample, total destruction of the soap fibrous structure
can be observed (it has a grainy appearance), the grease's base

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M.D. Gafitanu, F. Farms, G.D. Hagiu, and M.C. Tiron: Bearing grease deterioration

Figure 6 Global
electrical resistance vs.
time

80

60

40

20

Time, t (h)

sample (~18,000)

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M.D. Gafitanu, F. Farcas, G.D. Hagiu, and M.C. Tiron: Bearing grease deterioration

Figure 8 Middle test

grease sample
(~18,000)

Figure 9 Damaged
grease sample
(x12,OOO)

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M.D. Gafitanu, F. Farcas, G.D. Hagiu, and M.C. Tiron: Bearing grease deterioration

oil being totally separated from the soap (Figure 9). Scanning
electron microscopy examination of the rolling bodies and
bearing races confirmed that bearing failure was not due to fa-
tigue phenomena, and in this situation grease degeneration
was the limiting factor.

CONCLUSIONS 1. Our work confirms that when using greases at normal

running temperatures the lubricating film thickness is greater
than for the base oil. The film thickness slowly decreased with
operating time.
2. Equation (2) is proposed as a general equation for the
calculation of grease life from temperature, speed, load, and
grease quantity.
3. Bearing electrical resistance is a method for determining
lubricating film thickness and type of lubrication.
4. Grease structure analysis by electron microscopy showed
that the main mode of grease failure is oil-soap separation
caused by the breakdown of the fibrous structure.
1. Jonkisz, W., and Krzeminski-Freda, H., ‘Pressure distribution and shape on
References elastohydrodynamic grease film’, Wear, 55 (1979) 81-9.
2. Wilson, A.R., ‘The relative thickness of grease and oil films in rolling
bearings’, Proc. lnsf. Mech. Eng., 193 (1979) 185-92.
3. Muenich, H.C., and Gloeckner, H.J.R., ’Elastohydrodynamic lubrication of
grease-lubricatedrolling bearings’, Trans.ASLE, 23, 1 (1979) 45-52.
4. Cann, P., and Lubrecht, A.A., ‘An analysis of the mechanisms of grease
lubrication in rolling element bearings’, Proc. 7 7th lnt. Rib. Colloq., Esslingen,
1998, pp. 561-9.
5. Cann, P., ‘Grease lubricant film distribution in rolling contact‘, NLGl
Spokesman,61,2 (1997).
6. Tomaru, M., Suzuki, H., Ito, H., and Suzuki, T., ‘Grease life estimation and
grease deterioration in sealed ball bearings’, Proc. JSLE,Tokyo, Japan, 1985, pp.
1039-44.
7. ‘Essais pour la determination de la duree avant fatigue des graisses’, in
Particulier sous /‘influence des ternpbrafures Blevbes, La Technique de
Roulernenf, 2 (1979).
8. Kleinlein, E., ‘Lubrication of rolling bearings at elevated temperatures’, Proc.
Eurofrib ’87, Vol. 11, Poland.
9. Kleinlein, E., and Kroner, H., ‘Gebrauchsdauerprognose Fettgesmierter
Valzlager auf der Basis von FE9-Prufllaugen’, Proc. 71th lnt. Rib. Colloq.,
Esslingen, 1998, pp. 685-92.
10. Bartz, W.J., ‘Long life and life-time lubrication - possibilities and limitations’,
Lubr. Eng., 49,7 (1993) 518-24.
11. Farcas, F., Gafitanu, M.D., and Hagiu, G.D., ‘Temperature influence on
bearing greases service life’, Proc. 77th lnf. Rib. Colloq., Esslingen, 1998, pp.
693-700.
12. Gafitanu, M.D., lanus, G.M., Farcas, F., and Olaru, D.N., ‘Grease reliability in
ball bearing applications’, Proc. 17th lnf. Rib. Colloq.,Esslingen, 1998, pp. 587-92.

This is a revised version of a paper first presented at Nordtrib, Ebeltoft, Denmark.

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