Semester Two

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Lubrication Project ENB317 Design and Maintenance of Machinery

Aaron Palm
Variant Open-cut coal mine

Table of Contents
ANALYSIS OF OPERATING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS OF TRANSMISSION SYSTEM SELECTION OF LUBRICANTS FOR DIFFERENT COMPONENTS GEARS GEAR MESH ONE GEAR MESH TWO ELEMENT BEARINGS METHODS OF APPLICATION AND DELIVERY OF LUBRICANTS PLAUSIBLE LUBRICATION SCHEME LUBRICANT CONDITION MONITORING MAINTENANCE SYSTEM WORKS CITED APPENDIX 3 6 8 8 10 10 12 13 14 15 17 20 21

Analysis of Operating Conditions

When selecting a lubricating scheme for mechanism built for a specific application, the details of the conditions in which the machine operates are crucial. Furthermore, these details are crucial, as the conditions will have a substantial impact on the mechanisms design, selection of lubricants, components of the lubricating system and the condition monitoring and maintenance of the mechanism. In this application, the mechanism of interest is a gearbox transmission that is located in an open-cut coalmine. Such a location will comprise of both dusty conditions which could potentially contaminate the oil a temperature range of 0C to 40C. Contamination of the lubricant due to foreign particle matter considerably reduces the purity of the lubricant. It has been approximated that 82% of machine wear is due to such particle matter (Moon, 2009), which can result in the reduction of mechanism life considerably due to the increase surface fatigue on bearing surfaces and gear contact faces. Another consequence due to lubricant contamination is the oxidation of both the base oils that make up the majority of the lubricant and additives within the lubricant that protect the contact surfaces from harmful effects that considerably limit the life of the mechanism. Oxidation breaks down the additives and alters the viscosity of the base oil, turning it into sludge. Such variations in viscosity can reduce the film thickness between contact surfaces, causing an increase in friction and thus, an escalation in heat. Since the gearbox transmission is under constant risk of lubricant contamination due to the dusty conditions, the design must comprise of several safeguards against lubricant contamination. Such defenses may include sealed bearings and/or dust seals on the input and output locations of the gearbox housing were bearings are exposed to the elements, gaskets between the mating surfaces of the housing and fluid filters on obligatory cavities, for example oil breathers. Lubricant contamination does not only comprise of foreign particle matter. Heat pollution due to the surrounding environment, typically the ambient temperature can also have a detrimental effect on the mechanism life and efficiency. The ambient temperature range in which the gearbox operates varies from 0C to 40C. As seen in the following graph viscosity varies with temperature.

Figure # 1

Since the viscosity of the lubricant may vary significantly over the 0C to 40C temperature range, it is crucial for the lubricant to be thin enough to shear at low-temperatures during mechanism start up and dense enough at the standard operating temperature to retain the film strength at contact surfaces. To reduce the operating temperature range, thermal controls may be implemented to reduce the upper temperature limit. Some common thermal controls include air-cooling. This can be achieved by covering the outside of the housing in a series of fins that a parallel with one another and typically perpendicular the associated housing surface. Additionally, by increasing the surface area of the gearbox and the distance between each gear (as seen in Figure 1), the dissipation of heat from the mechanism into the environment is increased.

Figure 2

There are several dynamic entities within the mechanism, including gears and bearings that must be sufficienly lubricated to sustain efficiency and prolong the mechanism lifetime. Therefore, several lubricant delivery and lubricant conditionaing components may be chosen for the system based on the operating conditions. Since the gearbox is closed due to the dusty conditions, manual lubrication is not applicable to this situation, prompting the application of automatic lubrication systems. A general technique to automatically lubricating gears, is to have a single or several gears marginally submerged in an oil bath, thus constantly lubricating the gears. This is an efficient and economic solution to gear lubrication. In addition due to the large temperature range that the mechanism will operate within, a lubrication system with thermal conditioning is desirable. Furthermore, as the mechanism will be located in areas that reach temperatures as low as 0C, oil heaters can be used prior to startup to raise temperature of the oil to the ideal operating temperature if full load is applied

Reservoir Figure 3 Circulating Lubrication System with cooler Figure 4 Circulating Lubrication System

immediately. Generally the operating temperature of a transmission ranges from 50C to 55C above ambient temperature (Gilbert Gedeon, 1999). Therefore, since the ambient temperatures reaches a maximum of 40C the operating temperatures of the transmission can reach temperatures of 90C to 95C. Furthermore, sufficient cooling via a heat exchanger may be required once the mechanism is in service. The circulating lubrication system is a method that cools the lubricant without sacrificing the delivery of sufficient oil quantities to each lubrication point in the mechanism. The circulating lubrication system also cleans the lubricant and although the gearbox is closed, oxidation may occur along with wear between the contact surfaces resulting in metallic particle contamination therefore, making the cleansing of the lubricant critical. In general the system pumps the oil around the system either by a rotor dynamic pump, circulating the lubricant to each lubrication point, passing through a reservoir which in result filters the lubricant before returning to the pump. The configuration of the system may vary with application of additional components such as external lubricant heat exchangers as seen in figure 3. To prolong the lifetime of the mechanism, the condition of the lubricant must be monitored constantly. By monitoring the elements of the lubricant that could possibly cause machine failure, such as lubricant contamination, regular maintenance can be planned. Additionally, such a monitoring system is vital as contamination is plausible, given the operating conditions comprise of severe dust pollution and metallic particles due to machine wear.

Analysis of Transmission system

A detailed analysis of the mechanisms configuration is crucial when defining which components need lubrication. Lubrication is only required for components that endure dynamic loading in conjunction with frictional loading. Furthermore, as seen in figure 5, the mechanism is a two-stage reduction transmission and comprises of several components that will require lubrication including, the set of four helical gears and the six bearings.
SolidWorks Student Edition. For Academic Use Only.
MFG Q.A MATERIAL:

Figure 5
DRAWN APPV'D CHK'D NAME SIGNATURE DATE

The loading conditions of both the gears and bearings are different. In addition, gears undergo both rolling and sliding actions on contact patches when the gear teeth mesh. Due to significant dynamic load magnitudes induced in a reduction transmission, the pressure applied to the contact patches of each meshing gear mesh is high, which can result in increasing friction and wear.
FINISH:

UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED: DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERS SURFACE FINISH: TOLERANCES: LINEAR: ANGULAR:

Bearings act as a support that reduces the friction between fixed and rotating machine parts. There are several types of bearings used in modern operation, the most common two being plain bearings and elemental bearings.
DO NOT SCALE DRAWING

Elemental bearings include the radial ball bearing. This type of bearing includes a set amount of small balls that simply roll on contact points between the inner race and outer race of the bearing. Due to significant dynamic load magnitudes, the pressure endured by the contact patches between the balls and the races are high, increasing friction and wear.

WEIGHT:

DEBUR AND BREAK SHARP EDGES

A3 Complete_Assembly
DWG NO.

TITLE:

SCALE:1:5 SHEET 1 OF 1

Figure 6

REVISION

Plain bearings are more commonly used in operation and include a fixed bearing journal that comes into contact with the rotating shaft. In applications where the rpm of the shaft is low, dry rubbing can be an effective means of lubrication. Dry rubbing bearings can also be self-lubricated which further limits the need of external lubricating systems. True selflubrication occurs when material is transfer from one surface to another, creating a film between the two surfaces resulting in lubrication. A typical form of self-lubricating bearings is when polytetrafluorethylene (TEFLON) liner is used on the bearing surface to selflubricate the mating surface (New Hampshite Ball Bearing Inc.). However, when the shaft rpm is high, friction increases and dry rubbing is not applicable. Therefore fluid film plain bearings must be utilised, where a thin film of lubricant separates the bearing and shaft surfaces, thus having several advantages, such as Extremely low coefficient of friction High-load bearing capabilities The lubricant film acts as a damper, resulting in less vibration Lubricant contamination is not as significant since the components do not come into physical contact

Furthermore, these characteristics are appealing given the operating conditions of the mechanism, thus making the fluid film plain bearing an excellent selection. Fluid film bearings are lubricated hydrodynamically or hydrostatically. A bearing that is hydrostatically lubricated comprises of orifices within the bearing that allow oil, at a static pressure to create a constant film thickness between the rotating shaft and the bearing. This method of fluid film lubrication is commonly used with large loads and low speeds.

Figure 7

Hydrodynamic lubrication is when a wedge of lubricant is contained between the journal and the bearing surface. During initial start up, wear is inevitable as the wedge is formed once the rpm is at a sufficient magnitude. Furthermore, helical gears induce axial loads on the coupled shaft and often require a thrust bearing to compensate for such loads. In the application of a plain bearing, a Kingsbury or Michell tilted pad design must be used as general journal bearings do not compensate for axial loads. Conversely, element radial bearings can withstand moderate amounts of axial thrust and are ideal for smaller sized transmissions.

Selection of Lubricants for different components

Both gears and bearings undergo separate loading conditions and therefore, separate lubricants must be used for each component set.

Gears
Gear transmissions are used to transmit kinetic energy supplied by a power source through a series of gear meshes that change in speed, direction and torque to deliver an applicable kinetic energy output in the form of rotation. The gears within the transmission undergo both rolling and sliding loads through a single line of contact, also referred to as the pitch line. Elastodynamic lubrication is used commonly when high loads act on a small contact patch, producing high pressures. This causes the lubricant to elastically deform across the contact patch. Piezoviscosity is the phenomenon where a lubricants viscosity increases with the increase in contact pressure between two surfaces, where the amount of pressure required to make such a viscosity change is dependent on the pressure coefficient of viscosity. As previously discussed, gear failures can be caused due to lubricant degradation caused by foreign particle matter, heat pollution and oxidation. In result of lubrication degradation, the increase of wear of the gear surfaces is imminent, resulting in the reduction of service life. The degradation of lubricant causes the film thickness to deplete causing gear surface abrasion and phenomena such as scuffing, were local welding of the contact surface at a microscopic level occurs. To ensure the fluid film thickness and viscosity of the lubricant remains adequate, the correct lubricant characteristics such as viscosity must be selected for the application. A general range of viscosity can be selected by describing the basic operation of the mechanism.

Coplanar

Parallel Shafts

Helical

Line

Steel/Ste el

Rolling and Sliding

Heavy Loads

Mild EP

Through the use of the general lubricant characteristic regime, it was found that a hydraulic quality lubricant with anti-wear additives, with a kinematic viscosity range of 75 to 500 cS at 40C, would be sufficient for the given application. This gives a general range, however further, more regimented calculations must be performed to determine the specific viscosity value.

Viscosity calculations are carried out in respect to the operating temperature without regard to the start-up temperature. It is a general rule to have the pour point of gear lubricant at least 5C below the lowest temperature experienced by the mechanism. The typical pour point for mineral oils is 7C and -40C for synthetic oils (Gilbert Gedeon, 1999). Furthermore, in high-pressure applications, the viscosity selection is also dependent on the pressure to viscosity coefficient. This coefficient is dependent on temperature and the type of lubricant being used, whether it is mineral or synthetic. The following figure compares each PAO synthetic, PAG synthetic and mineral based lubricants and their relationship with the EHL Film thickness and temperature.

Figure 8

The operating temperature for a transmission is 90C to 95C, and is visible on the plot above that within this range, PAG synthetic oil has a much higher EHL film thickness than the mineral and PAO synthetic oil. However, most gear base oils are mineral based and therefore, by using the Absolute Viscosity and Pressure-ViscosityCoefficient vs. Temperature table from the AGMA 925 A03 Effect of Lubrication on Gear Surface Distress standard, it is seen that at 90C (operating temperature), the pressure-viscosity coefficient for mineral oil is 1.6437 x 10-3 mm2/N. The v40 viscosity equation (viscosity index of 40) is commonly used in modern practice. This equation bases the viscosity value from the pitch line velocity of the gears and is normalised at 40C. If the operating temperature exceeds the normalising temperature, there are several guidelines that are followed to determine the correct oil grade. Furthermore, since there are two separate gear meshes, the higher viscosity of the two will be chosen, as the ratios are quite close in this application.

Where, ( Where, )

Mesh mg C NG High Speed 2.68 111.85 mm 516 RPM Low Speed 2.08 117.819 mm 238 RPM Gear Mesh One ( ( ) )

Substituting the pitch line velocity into the viscosity equation,

( Assuming the density of oil is 880 kg/m2,

Gear Mesh Two

( (

) )

Substituting the pitch line velocity into the viscosity equation,

( Assuming the density of oil is 880 kg/m2,

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Furthermore, since the lubricant will undergo extreme pressure, the Barus law can be used to determine the viscosity at the point of contact, which is under elevated contact pressures,

Where, ( )

The elevated pressure is also known as the contact stress at the contact patch during gear meshing. Furthermore, the contact pressure for each mesh is, Mesh Contact Stress High Speed 472.36 MPa Low Speed 302.034 MPa Therefore for each mesh the lubricant viscosity is,
( ) ( )

Due to the extremely high contact pressures, the lubricant can go through phase changes, leaving its typical liquid state. It is therefore noted that the viscosity alterations in the second mesh will go to infinity also due its high contact stress figures also and does not need to be calculated. Furthermore, the minimum viscosity required for this gear arrangement is and at 40C. Therefore, the ASTM viscosity chart (refer to appendix) will be used to determine the specific grade of oil required for the gear arrangement. Additionally it was found that ISO Grade 320 would be sufficient at 40C, however since the operating temperatures can reach temperatures above 85C the grade of oil will be increase by two and a heat exchanger may be required. Therefore, ISO Grade 680 base oil is required to retain the minimum viscosity at the operating temperature. Due to the several damaging factors within a gear drive that can degrade the lubricant significantly, sufficient additives must be added to the lubricant. Rust and Oxidation additives are often added to gear lubricant where pitch line velocities are high, where oxidation may occur. Furthermore, extreme pressure additives are used in situations where pitch line velocities are low to prevent scuffing on rubbing surfaces under severe loads. Since the gearbox at hand is neither loaded extremely high nor has abnormally fast pitch line velocities, both additives may be used. Furthermore, it was found that Mobils Mobilgear 600 XP 680 complies with the ISO 680 grade mineral oil, containing EP additives for excellent load carrying capabilities, rust and oxidation/foam reduction additives that pass ASTM criteria and a pour point of -9C which is sufficient, as the maximum pour point permissible is -5C. 11

Element Bearings
Radial element ball bearings roll on a point of contact between both the inner and other races of the bearing. Element bearings can use either grease or oil for lubricant depending on the operating conditions. Grease is typically used in low speed and temperature situations with moderate loading magnitudes, and can also prevent the entry of contaminant particles. Furthermore, oil is used in high speed and temperature conditions and requires a circulating system with filtration to prevent wear of the bearing surface due to contaminating particles. Generally bearings are selected based on the geometry of the transmissions shafts and the loads that the bearing will experience. Therefore different bearings were chosen for each of the three shafts within the two-stage transmission.
Table 1 Courtesy of SKF

Shafts OD ID DM RPM SKF Part # Input 28 mm 68 mm 48 mm 1440 63/28 Intermediate 38.1 mm 82.55 mm 60.325 mm 516 RLS12 Output 38.1 mm 82.55 mm 60.325 mm 238 RLS12 Using the operating viscosity for mineral oils and element bearing viscosity selection graphs (refer to appendix), the minimum and operating viscosities may be found. With a typical operating temperature of 90C to 95C, the following minimum and maximum viscosities were determined, Shafts Minimum Operating Grade (VI 100) Input 18 cS 60 cS ISO 680 Intermediate 40 cS 100 cS ISO 1000 Output 75 cS 100 cS ISO 1000 In practice it is common to select oils that do not contain extreme pressure additives, as over time the additives can have detrimental effects on the crystalline structure of the bearing surface. Such additives are only required for bearings that undergo periodic shock loading. Therefore by using the brand name-ISO Grade cross reference table (refer to the appendix), the following brands of oil produced by Castrol are suitable as they meet with ISO 680 and ISO 1000 standards.

Brand name oil Grade (VI 100) Castrol worm gear oil #680 (Non-EP) ISO 680 Castrol worm gear oil #1000 (Non-EP) ISO 1000

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Methods of application and delivery of lubricants

There are several different methods to deliver and apply lubricant to gear and bearing surfaces and depending on the operating conditions, some methods are superior. Given that both the gear arrangement and the bearings require separate lubricants, there will be at least two separate lubrication systems for the transmission. Although, both component sets require separate systems they both share general requirements such as the cleansing and cooling of the lubricant. Since the transmission is within a housing, the gears are considered closed and a common lubricant application for enclosed gears is the splash lubrication method. The splash method is a lubricant application where the gears are submerged within a lubricant bath, typically at two times the tooth depth to provide adequate splash lubrication for the pinion/s (Neale, 1995). However, as the lubricant is exposed to potential contamination and must also be cooled, a circulating lubrication system is required. A circulating system provides a pressurised oil supply to lube points around the mechanism and delivers the oil in either a drip or mist form. There are several circulating system schemes ranging from basic multi-plunge systems to fully filtered, cooled and metered systems. In conjunction, rolling element bearings that use oil, as a lubricant medium requires constant flow and therefore a separate lubrication circulation system can be applied. Furthermore, positive-split systems are ideal for transmissions as the system contains dividers that split the lubricant into separate feed lines at pre-determined quantity ratios. This is a useful characteristic as the bearing sets on each shaft undergo separate magnitudes of speed and torque, have different geometries and are in different locations to one another. Furthermore, each gear mesh undergoes separate loading characteristics also and thus requires, different quantities of lubricant at any given time. Additionally the adaptability of a heat exchanger is plausible on the return line to the reservoir.

Figure 9

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The direct application of the lubricant is also a key factor when considering the delivery of the lubricant to each lube point. The lubricating mist method is becoming increasingly popular (Michael Khonsari, 2004). This is due to the several advantages that correct mist lubrication has over general splash techniques. Mist lubrication is commonly used on rolling-motion elements such as radial bearings and gears. A small orifice discharges lubricant as a mist, which is then caught up in the turbulence of the rolling element and in result, displaced on the surface as a fine film meters the mist. Furthermore, when used to lubricate element bearings, the mist is directed at one side of the bearing and is then discharge out the opposing side. In association, mist is displaced onto the contact areas on gears. This metered method reduces the oil consumption by up to 70% (Michael Khonsari, 2004) and therefore decreases the amount of heat and friction often generated by overcompensating splash systems.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

Figure 10
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT Plausible lubrication scheme

PRODUCED BY ANPRODUCED AUTODESKBY EDUCATIONAL AN AUTODESK PRODUCT EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

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Lubricant Condition Monitoring

Condition monitoring is a form of machine monitoring, where a physical magnitude at which the weakening critical components of a mechanism begin is derived and regular measurements of such deterioration modes are monitored. Once the level increases, monitoring devices are set to alarm out immediately leaving a set lead-time to organise and apply necessary repair and/or maintenance.

Figure 11

There are three separate types of machine monitoring which are commonly used in industry. Wear Debris monitoring Since the mechanism will be operating in a dusty environment, the transmission is exposed to potential contamination and is therefore a prominent failure mode. Wear debris monitoring determines the amount of contaminating particles within the lubricant, where the debris material and shape can indicate the source of wear. There are three general forms of monitoring such deterioration, in-line where magnetic plugs are used to determine the amount of ferrous particles are within the main stream of lubricant. Another form is online monitoring, where the lubricant is bypassed from the main flow and is optically monitored, the pressure drops across filters with set pore sizes are monitored and the resistance alteration in the filters grid wire resistance due to metallic particles is measured. The third being, off-line monitoring, where a physical lubricant sample is obtained and is measured using several magnetic and microscopic techniques such as spectrum analysis of the lubricant to determine its sources. Furthermore, the size of debris permissible as well as the simplicity and affordability of the system validates which of the wear monitoring methods described above.

Figure 12

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Furthermore, offline debris monitoring is ideal as it is cost effective and relatively simple without compromising the integrity of the measurements taken. Vibration monitoring An increase of vibration levels generally outline that there is a problem within the mechanism where the dynamic balance of the gears and shafts are agitated. The frequency and shape of the vibration signals further indicate which component is unbalanced. Accelerometers are often placed directly onto the bearing housing in, one for each axis (X, Y) coupled with a tachometer to determine the rpm of the respectful shaft. The signals produced are amplified and monitored where they can be analysed to define which component has is unbalanced due to trends, frequency and amplitudes of abnormal peaks. Performance monitoring The general performance and efficiencies of components and the entire mechanism are crucial and therefore must be monitored. Since the transmission will be operating in high ambient temperatures, an increase in bearing temperatures could have a detrimental effect, not only on the service life of the mechanism but its immediate wellbeing. The temperature of bearings are measured to indicate where viscosity levels are held, where thermocouples are placed around each bearing case to directly measure the bearing temperature. Furthermore, as a heat exchanger is required due to the high operating temperatures, the performance of the heat exchanger is measured by monitoring the ratio between flow rate and temperature changes. Furthermore, the circulation systems pump is required to provide adequate oil pressures at specific flow rates. By measuring the discharge pressure and flow rates and analysing the efficiency of the pump the integrity of internal componentry is determined.

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Maintenance System
Machine condition maintenance allows a mechanism to undergo service up until a predetermined point of component failure. This is crucial in the mining industry as breakdown times are economically infeasible by inducing large amounts of down time. Preventative maintenance enables structured planning of maintenance and provides a leadtime to organise new componentry, thus being economically ideal. It can be seen in the following graph that condition based maintenance is required in a structured set of timeframes and only needs minimum effort as each repair is only required for a single component or a minimal amount of components. Although it does not absolutely prevent breakdown occurrences, it brings the chance of breakdown to a minimum.

Figure 13

By using the techniques provided in the previous section to monitor different fault modes of different components, predictive maintenance can be planned. By measuring the vibration of shafts, change in oil viscosity can be detected due to an increase in temperature. Furthermore, tooth decay can also produced specific signal amplitudes that can be distinguished by peak amplitude analysis. The follow three figures outline the theoretical frequency responses of the transmission, it can be seen that each component has a set vibration level. If these levels was to increase, by the application of condition monitoring, planned maintenance can be put into effect.

Figure 14 Shaft One

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Figure 15 Shaft Two

Figure 16 Shaft Three

To prolong the lifetime of components, the filtration of the lubricant is crucial, as the dusty environment possess a high contamination threat. Furthermore, Desiccant oil breathers reduce the amount of dust contamination dramatically by filtering out particles via multiple 3-micron polyester elements while silica gel is used to extract moisture from the air. These filters are crucial as contamination of the lubricant can be detrimental. Furthermore, 18

internal contamination possess a large threat on the integrity of the oil and therefore, filters can be adapted to the feed lines of the circulation system to prevent any contaminants caught in the reservoir to be directly applied to the lube points. Therefore, through the analysis of data and maintenance methods it is clear that the following must be implemented to sustain the service life of the transmission, Application of necessary filters based on operating conditions (Desiccant breathers) The constant analysis of condition monitoring data to discover gear and bearing wear trends Condition monitoring of the lubricant to determine whether oil needs to be changed Optical monitoring of lubricant flow Ensure tight seals to create a completely enclosed system

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Works Cited
AGMA. AGMA. Bloch, H. P. (2000 ). Practical Lubrication for Industrial Facilities. The Fairmont Press, Inc. Errichello, R. (2004, March). Selecting Oils with High Pressure-Viscosity Coefficient - Increase Bearing Life by More Than Four Times. Machinery Lubrication . Gilbert Gedeon, P. (1999). Lubrication of Gears and Bearings. Continuing Education and Development, Inc., Stony Point. Johnson, M. (2008, April). Lubrication Selecetion: Bearings, Gear Drives & Hydraulics. Tribology and Lubrication Technology . Michael Khonsari, E. B. (2004, Nov-Dec). Guidelines for Oil Mist Lubrication. Machinery Lubrication . Moon, M. (2009). Lubricant contaminants limit gear life. Bel-Ray Company, Research and Development Chemist. Neale, M. J. (1995). The Tribology Handbook (Second ed.). (M. J. Neale, Ed.) Woburn, MA, US: Butterworth Heinemann. New Hampshite Ball Bearing Inc. (n.d.). Self-Lubricating Liner Systems. Pellegrin, D. D. (n.d.). Lecture One. Pellegrin, D. D. (n.d.). Lecture Two. Thomas, R. Contamination Control. Trico Mfg. Corp.

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Appendix

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