Success Story
Industry: Quarrying, Mining and Construction
Application: Quarry Conveyor Tail Drum Assembly
Cost Savings: $6,726
Introduction
A quarrying company was experiencing short service life on its conveyor tail drum take-up unit. Located in an inaccessible area beneath a shaker screen, the unit´s bearings were subjected to particularly arduous conditions due to elements in the environment. This situation was compounded by the fact that regular re-greasing was a difficult task due to the remote bearing location. This lead to regular bearing failure and costly conveyor downtime. NSK analyzed the bearing application and determined that water and grit were entering the bearings and causing failure. A trial was suggested using RHP Self-Lube® with Triple Lip Seals. This solution extended the service life from 4 months to over 1 year.
Key Facts
- Quarry conveyor tail drum
- Highly abrasive conditions including water and grit
- Failure of the bearing resulted in seizure and conveyor downtime with consequential loss of production
- NSK solution: Self-Lube® housing with triple lip seal bearing inserts designed for high impact and heavily contaminated environments
- Increased life-time resulting in reduced downtime and improved efficiency
- Quarry conveyor tail drum assembly
- Self-Lube® with triple lip seal bearing insert
Value Proposals
- Failed Bearing Analysis showing route cause as ingress of water and grit
- Application assessment showed highly abrasive conditions
- Trial of RHP Triple lip seal Self-Lube® bearings showed increase in life
- Best practice from re-lubrication applied
- Technical support provided for improved bearing performance
Product Features
- Three high integrity nitrile seal lips with lubrication traps to stop ingress of contaminates
- High strength steel outer case resists impact to seal and provides a primary dust trap
- Available for both setscrew and eccentric locking collar insert options
- Large size range offered, including imperial options
- Inserts interchangeable with standard items
- Longer bearing life through superior seal performance
- Extended re-lubrication intervals, greatly reducing maintenance costs and increased productivity of machinery
- Simple implementation; ready replacement for existing bearing units
- Mounting on the shaft with balled setscrew, providing much greater resistance to loosening
Cost Saving Breakdown
| Before | Cost p.a. | NSK Solution | Cost p.a. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old bearings per conveyor | $186 | New bearings | $67 | |
| Bearing life: 4 months 3 hours loss of production on failure @ $1,028/h (3 per year) |
$9,252 | Bearing life: Ongoing No loss of production since build |
$3.082 | |
| Maintenance costs: 3 x $73/h (3 per year) | $660 | Maintenance costs (original build) | $220 | |
| Total Costs | $10,096 | $3,369 | ||
Reference:SS-E-2014
