Posts Categorized: gearbox inspection

Gearboxes are high-torque, high-speed machines that undergo severe amounts of stress. Oil and lubrication are critical to the operation of every gearbox. Most gearboxes have fill holes and drain plugs to facilitate the addition of oil and removal of used oil. However, the only way to know if your equipment has enough oil is to open it up and visually inspect it. Unfortunately, this means you need to shut down, costing your production valuable time.

Gearboxes are complicated machines, but they are durable and critical to your operations. However, this equipment is not immune to problems. Micropitting and surface fatigue are two of those problems that you may be familiar with if you own a gearbox. It is important for any gearbox owner or operator to understand these issues and how to prevent them from happening.

A conveyor gearbox is the heart of any conveyance system. Conveyor belt systems are the most used method of moving a substantial amount of goods. The gearbox is the center of the conveyor system that pulls the various belts, chains, and rollers to move the products. Therefore, if the gearbox fails, the entire system fails. The following details three kinds of conveyor systems and the types of gearboxes that are used to power them.

Gears usually fail because of normal problems caused by use or maintenance. Over the lifespan of any piece of equipment, components will wear and eventually fail without proper maintenance, upkeep, and replacement. The following are eight of the most common reasons for gear failure and what you can do to prevent it.

Lubrication is critical for every gearbox, so you must constantly monitor the operation of your equipment to ensure that it is properly lubricated. Machines that lack sufficient lubrication risk catastrophic equipment failure. Gearboxes are typically lubricated by either a combination or single use of either bath and splash methods, as well as certain systems.

The energy-efficient water cooling tower is a mainstay in American industry. This equipment has become far more efficient thanks to the widespread adoption of axial fans, which are more energy efficient than traditional centrifugal fans. Water cooling towers also recycle most of their water, providing a constant source of coolant. Water cooling towers, therefore, are energy-efficient, and cheap to operate and maintain. One of the most important cooling tower components to maintain is the gearbox.

Case hardening is a heat-treatment process that is used to prevent rotating components from becoming brittle and failing. Machines that use rotating components like ball bearings, gears, and shafts are subject to “rolling contact fatigue” or “spalling.” Rolling contact fatigue is caused by miniature cracks that occur just below the surface. The more a component is used, the more these cracks snake up to the surface. Eventually, once the cracks reach the surface of the component, they cause pits that result in flaking. The more material that is pitted, the more the component vibrates. Vibrating components are louder and often cause full equipment breakdowns.

Industrial gearboxes are collections of gears and other specialized components that work to generate and control torque and speed. These machines are critical components in any piece of equipment. In fact, if an industrial gearbox fails, your entire machine could stop working. This could result in significant downtime, lost production and missed deadlines.