Solid-Housed Bearings Defeat Fossilized Dirt
Preset clearance, positive locking, and torque confirmation ended installation problems.
Jessica Shapiro
Associate Editor
A bearing change did away with installation problems and
cut contamination-related wear for a mineral processor.
EaglePicher mines diatomaceous earth for filters, insect control,
and dynamite. Processing of the mineral takes 8-ft-diameter
blowers rotating at 900 rpm. Two bearings support the
2.9375-in.-diameter shaft on which the blowers mount.
The mildly abrasive material’s microscopic particles were
finding their way into the bearing during the on-site assembly
of the old bearings. In addition, the bearings sit outside and see
a wide variety of weather conditions.
The assembly itself was another issue. The original installation
method involved premeasuring the clearance and
then tightening the tapered adapter nut in increments, using
feeler gages to ensure that the bearing was sufficiently
tight to the shaft.
When the bearings on one large blower failed, EaglePicher
tried Rexnord ZAF6000 Series Shurlok bearings with auxiliary
end caps. The new bearings are solid-housed units that are
shipped greased and ready to install with a preset clearance. A
positive locking system keeps the mounting tight during operation.
A tapered adapter sleeve promotes shaft grip and eliminates
shaft damage caused by loose bearings.
A built-in Optical Strain Sensor (OSS) ensures proper in stallation torque. Installers get the
bearing as close to zero clearance
as possible, then tighten the locknut
until the OSS window changes
color, indicating they’ve correctly
mounted the bearing on the shaft.
The preassembled nature of
the bearings helped keep the fine
particles of diatomaceous earth
from contaminating the bearings.
Zseals and auxiliary caps installed
with the bearings also help ensure
debris-free operation.
Make Contact
EaglePicher Minerals LLC
eaglepicher.com
Rexnord
rexnord.com