Changing out the bearing on a large-scale industrial application can be challenging in the best of times. Lead times on replacements can be prolonged in the logistics stage, not to mention removing the old one and fitting up the new one — it is rarely a one-person job.
CBC is part of the new wave of bearings solutions providers that work tirelessly to provide the latest in state-of-the-art bearings technologies to the industrial market, and one of the ways they achieve this is by partnering with world-leading bearings manufacturers like Schaeffler.
From a manufacturing perspective, CBC Product Manager for Industrial Bearings, Tony Tormey defers to Schaeffler’s Split Spherical Roller Bearing range which allows for ease of changing out a unit in-situ.
Spherical roller bearings units are constructed with solid outer rings with a concave raceway, a double row of caged barrel rollers, and a solid inner ring. Each barrel roller has the ability to move freely on the concave outer ring raceway which allows for torque, expansion or misalignment of the shaft that bearing is fitted onto.
“Schaeffler’s Split Spherical Roller Bearings are German-engineered from high-quality steel compounds for extended bearing life which can save companies a lot of time and money on maintenance and downtime,” says Tony. “In split spherical roller bearings, the inner ring, outer ring and cage with the barrel rollers are all split in half. The advantage of the split feature is that they come apart on the shaft for easy replacement without having to dismantle the equipment to get to the bearing.”
Common application for split spherical roller bearings is on shafts supported at several points and difficult to access mounting locations. “A lot of plant conveyor and gearbox applications have difficult to reach bearings that require crane lifts to remove,” elaborates Tony. “What could take you a day or more to change, a split bearings takes a few hours because of the ease of access.”
Typical areas of application for split spherical roller bearings in the manufacturing space are on conveying equipment at materials processing plants, rolling mills, crushers, wheeled excavators, winches and sheaves, fans, ventilators, and drive shafts, according to Tony.
“Split spherical bearings eliminate the need to remove all of the gears or couplings, dismount drives or dismantle the shaft on an application,” explains Tony. “On new equipment designs, using split spherical roller bearings can provide cost savings by simplifying assembly work.”
For difficult to access bearings, Tony suggests a combination of a split bearing unit and a split housing.
“Schaeffler’s FAG Split Plummer Block Housings ease the mounting and dismounting process considerably,” says Tony. “The seal design also allows for convenient ongoing lubrication of the bearing mounting, making the unit suitable for a wide range of requirements.”
CBC is in the unique position of having a close working partnership with Schaeffler as a supplier while also being able to liaise with the Schaeffler engineering team for expertise.
In order to ensure selection of the correct combination of housing and bearing when fitting and installing split bearings and housing units, Tony advises speaking with a CBC technical representative to arrange an on-site assessment and consultation.
