Is Bearing Micro-Pitting to Blame?

[digide]

Hi everyone,

our aggregate quarry’s secondary rock crusher feeder drive developed an aggressive high-pitched whine during yesterday afternoon's shift. The housing frame is running exceptionally hot, and we noticed fine gray sludge settling near the lower sight glass.

When our lube tech pulled the magnetic drain plug, small steel slivers were mixed in with the fluid, pointing directly to severe roller bearing pitting or helical tooth spalling under cyclic shock loads.

Has anyone operating heavy quarry equipment encountered this sudden whine under load? We are trying to figure out if an immediate flush works or if we need a specialized Hub City repair.

Thanks in advance

 

[fapini]

Hi everyone, high-pitched whining combined with gray metal sludge indicates that bearing roller pitting or gear tooth flaking is actively occurring inside the drive.

Continuous shock loads from crushing hard aggregate break down oil film thickness, causing surface-to-surface micro-welding and metal shedding. Do not force the crusher drive to run under full load, as floating metal slivers will destroy the internal Cotta gear mesh and score the housing bore.

Drain the contaminated fluid, inspect the main shaft play, and check for casing hairline fractures. Scheduling a professional Hub City repair will restore precise gear backlash and prevent total drive lockup. You will safeguard your plant equipment by investing in a quality Hub City repair.