Notkun kúlulaga með lágt tog er að bæta orkunýtni, lágmarka rekstrarkostnað og draga úr losun koltvísýrings. Til að hjálpa vélsmiðjum og stjórnendum verksmiðjanna við að nýta sér þessa kosti, útskýrir Chris Johnson, framkvæmdastjóri smásöfnunarsérfræðings, SMB Bearings, mikilvægi eins mikilvægs togþáttar, smurningu á lager. 

Rolling element legur, svo sem kúlu- og rollur legur, styðja við það álag sem þarf til að framkvæma virkni vélarinnar með mun lægri núningi en vökvamagn. Þetta dregur úr krafti sem þarf til að keyra búnaðinn, lækkar kostnað við flutning álags og orku sem þarf til að stjórna búnaðinum. 

Bearing torque is the force required to overcome internal friction to start or maintain rotation of the bearing. This frictional torque is generally increased with a larger bearing, increased load or increased lubricant drag. Let’s focus on the latter. 

So, how do you get it right? Discussing lubrication options with your bearing supplier can help you to choose the correct option, as there are several oils and greases to choose from. 

Many applications require the bearing to spin easily with extremely low frictional torque, without generating excess heat. Dry lubricant is one way of meeting these low torque requirements. Despite being solid, dry lubricants can reduce friction between two surfaces without the need for oil or grease. Using very low viscosity grease with a reduced fill can also achieve a similar outcome. However, this will also permit much higher running speeds. 

When choosing between oils or greases, it’s important to remember that torque levels for a greased bearing are briefly higher to start with, when the equipment begins running. This is because the grease takes a short time to ‘run in’ and be distributed inside the bearing. It’s most likely not a problem for many continuous applications but this could cause problems for stop start machinery. 

Instrument oils are another option for low torque requirements. They will often produce very low torque levels especially at very low speeds. However, it’s worth mentioning the difference between these and very low torque greases is actually quite small, particularly if a low grease fill is used. This combination may give an increase of only 20 percent in frictional torque over the Aeroshell 12 instrument oil. 

For higher torque requirements, high viscosity lubricants can significantly increase bearing torque due to greater lubricant drag. The fill level is also a huge factor in the frictional coefficient, with higher fills resulting in stiffer bearing rollability. For example, robotics applications require precise and predictable movements of robot arms. It is often the fill level in robotics bearings that is trialled during product development, to achieve the ideal frictional coefficient, enabling smooth and precise movements. 

Það eru margar olíur og fitur að velja úr og það eru aðrir þættir sem þarf að huga að fyrir utan togi, svo sem mengun, hraða eða tæringarþol. Með réttri smurgerð, rétt fyllingarstig og tillitssemi við álag, munt þú geta fengið legur með réttu núningstogi fyrir tiltekna notkun.