Lubrication and Tribology
Lubrication is often undervalued, ignore it and you risk the reliability of all your mechanical assets
Most people know what is meant by Lubrication but many may not have heard of Tribology.
Lubrication is the process of introducing a substance to keep assets' moving parts apart.
Tribology is the science of moving surfaces interaction with each other, this includes the design and specification of bearings, study of friction, wear and lubrication.
Uptime Consultant has a holistic approach to maintenance and reliability so I consider not only how to lubricate an asset, but I think about the bearing specification, the lubrication standard, the training, how the item fails in service, the lifespan, can we detect signs of potential failure with PdM, these all fit together in a holistic strategy.
My experience previously included formulating a Lubrication Strategy linked with Predictive Maintenance to manage lubrication by condition thereby removing wasteful tasks and reducing the planned maintenance requirements.
Specifying new formulations of grease , oil or bearing type drove efficiency savings as well as increasing uptime availability.
I also trained with Rocol and Interflon as site Lubrication Trainer for Maintainers and Operators.
More information about how to form a Lubrication Strategy is available in the Uptime Consultant articles below.
If you would like a work proposal or chat about your Lubrication Strategy please contact me at andy@uptimeconsultant.co.uk
Lubrication is the process of introducing a substance to keep assets' moving parts apart.
Tribology is the science of moving surfaces interaction with each other, this includes the design and specification of bearings, study of friction, wear and lubrication.
Uptime Consultant has a holistic approach to maintenance and reliability so I consider not only how to lubricate an asset, but I think about the bearing specification, the lubrication standard, the training, how the item fails in service, the lifespan, can we detect signs of potential failure with PdM, these all fit together in a holistic strategy.
My experience previously included formulating a Lubrication Strategy linked with Predictive Maintenance to manage lubrication by condition thereby removing wasteful tasks and reducing the planned maintenance requirements.
Specifying new formulations of grease , oil or bearing type drove efficiency savings as well as increasing uptime availability.
I also trained with Rocol and Interflon as site Lubrication Trainer for Maintainers and Operators.
More information about how to form a Lubrication Strategy is available in the Uptime Consultant articles below.
If you would like a work proposal or chat about your Lubrication Strategy please contact me at andy@uptimeconsultant.co.uk
Lubrication Articles
Oil Sampling Matters
Oil Sampling, here I share some tips about how, when and where to sample along with the all important return on investment
Previously I talked about the importance of having a Lubrication Strategy and how this is unfortunately disregarded in some parts of industry.
I also talked about how a Predictive Maintenance (PdM) program fits in with a Lubrication strategy.
The part that links both is the routine Oil Sample, it's a PdM tool that provides the earliest advanced warnings of internal equipment issues, it tracks oil quality and provides information to manage the oil replenishment or improvement activity.
Of all the PdM tools this is the one that some say is the easiest to pick up and implement, but it's also easy to take samples that provide little or no value that give incorrect information.
Like all the PdM techniques a level of knowledge and training is required before capturing meaningful samples.
One of the simplest forms of On Condition oil monitoring is the sight glass.
Now I'm assuming you can see through that level sight glass?
Usually the first failure is a fogged glass that gives little or no visibility.
Then you need to know what to look for, can you ascertain the lubricant quality with this subjective method?
If you are going to give yourself a chance at least fit a new sight glass and a sampling port in the correct location.
I also talked about how a Predictive Maintenance (PdM) program fits in with a Lubrication strategy.
The part that links both is the routine Oil Sample, it's a PdM tool that provides the earliest advanced warnings of internal equipment issues, it tracks oil quality and provides information to manage the oil replenishment or improvement activity.
Of all the PdM tools this is the one that some say is the easiest to pick up and implement, but it's also easy to take samples that provide little or no value that give incorrect information.
Like all the PdM techniques a level of knowledge and training is required before capturing meaningful samples.
One of the simplest forms of On Condition oil monitoring is the sight glass.
Now I'm assuming you can see through that level sight glass?
Usually the first failure is a fogged glass that gives little or no visibility.
Then you need to know what to look for, can you ascertain the lubricant quality with this subjective method?
If you are going to give yourself a chance at least fit a new sight glass and a sampling port in the correct location.
First question you should ask about sampling is WHY?
Why am I sampling, for what purpose and will the oil samples at least payback the costs.
What are the benefits, how critical is the asset, does it warrant lubricant monitoring?
Is there a history of failures that the route cause was lubricant related, is the oil change activity expensive, is their a safety risk when carrying oil changes out.
Consider the other associated costs of annual oil changes, is a time based approach really the best we can do?
Why am I sampling, for what purpose and will the oil samples at least payback the costs.
What are the benefits, how critical is the asset, does it warrant lubricant monitoring?
Is there a history of failures that the route cause was lubricant related, is the oil change activity expensive, is their a safety risk when carrying oil changes out.
Consider the other associated costs of annual oil changes, is a time based approach really the best we can do?
Payback comes in many forms, people often say they find it hard to justify ROI, I find it quite easy, it comes down to risk, safety, volume, criticality and cost.
Lubricants are getting more expensive and in the food sector it's not unusual to find smaller volume fills that easily cost over £1000 in oil alone; does a timed change provide best value and use of this finite resource?
Lubricants are also getting smarter with some synthetics lasting 3-5 times longer.
Lubrication requires managing, that's why I always advise sites to have a Lubrication champion who is responsible for tracking use, taking samples and working it partnership with the lubricant supplier.
Lubricants are also getting smarter with some synthetics lasting 3-5 times longer.
Lubrication requires managing, that's why I always advise sites to have a Lubrication champion who is responsible for tracking use, taking samples and working it partnership with the lubricant supplier.
Vacuum pump is an essential item if you have no sampling ports, it needs to be used correctly to get true representative samples.
How do we go about it?
Well you can buy a Lab and do it yourself but the ROI would be hard to justify.
You could employ a PdM contractor that takes Thermal, Vibration, Ultrasound and Oil Samples.
This may be a good way to start but ownership is best held within the company I find.
Starting this way you can then get the skills transferred, that's my preferred choice and one that I have used successfully before.
If you are going to set up an inspection process I would recommend a service like CAT Finning provide.
Here you purchase an oil sampling kit (they also do fuel and coolant systems) these provide a self addressed envelope, bottle, tube and plastic closure bag to post the samples to their laboratory.
Results are then posted via their on-line database a couple of days later.
You need to know what to look for, this is where some training may be required
Samples have to be taken in a certain way from the optimum take off points and the results need interpreting to add most value.
The laboratory will give you an idea after they have a trended database of six or more readings, but they don't live in your facility so will not always have all the information that is available to you.
This video describes what happens to the samples once they arrive at the Finning Laboratory in Leeds: http://bit.ly/2oyzmTa
If you want to talk about your oil management including service work please get in touch at andy@uptimeconsultant.co.uk
Uptime Consultant runs its own CAT Finning database that can be used on your behalf if required
Well you can buy a Lab and do it yourself but the ROI would be hard to justify.
You could employ a PdM contractor that takes Thermal, Vibration, Ultrasound and Oil Samples.
This may be a good way to start but ownership is best held within the company I find.
Starting this way you can then get the skills transferred, that's my preferred choice and one that I have used successfully before.
If you are going to set up an inspection process I would recommend a service like CAT Finning provide.
Here you purchase an oil sampling kit (they also do fuel and coolant systems) these provide a self addressed envelope, bottle, tube and plastic closure bag to post the samples to their laboratory.
Results are then posted via their on-line database a couple of days later.
You need to know what to look for, this is where some training may be required
Samples have to be taken in a certain way from the optimum take off points and the results need interpreting to add most value.
The laboratory will give you an idea after they have a trended database of six or more readings, but they don't live in your facility so will not always have all the information that is available to you.
This video describes what happens to the samples once they arrive at the Finning Laboratory in Leeds: http://bit.ly/2oyzmTa
If you want to talk about your oil management including service work please get in touch at andy@uptimeconsultant.co.uk
Uptime Consultant runs its own CAT Finning database that can be used on your behalf if required
Lubricating your Assets
Lubrication, another piece of the reliability puzzle often ignored at some cost
I was talking recently with a prospective client that managed an operation that is totally reactive in the way they handle maintenance work, it was an interesting discussion that got right back to basics of Lubrication.
As I have said previously when I initially visit a business I ask questions about the key functions from a productivity and engineering perspective, and then I listen a lot.
The enquiry was about introducing Predictive Maintenance (PdM) tools and starting a Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) plan, I realised quite quickly that we may have to revisit that at a later date.
One of the subjects I include in any work I undertake is Lubrication Strategy, without a robust strategy for lubrication control it is hard to move a PdM plan forward, this was no exception and I learnt the most from conversations with the factory floor operators.
Lubrication was having a negative impact on the availability and reliability of their assets and nobody realised, not because anyone was incompetent, but they just never considered it and accepted it as common practice. Sometimes I am still amazed how lacking lubrication strategies can be, from specification, procurement, right the way through to the application in the equipment.
As I have said previously when I initially visit a business I ask questions about the key functions from a productivity and engineering perspective, and then I listen a lot.
The enquiry was about introducing Predictive Maintenance (PdM) tools and starting a Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) plan, I realised quite quickly that we may have to revisit that at a later date.
One of the subjects I include in any work I undertake is Lubrication Strategy, without a robust strategy for lubrication control it is hard to move a PdM plan forward, this was no exception and I learnt the most from conversations with the factory floor operators.
Lubrication was having a negative impact on the availability and reliability of their assets and nobody realised, not because anyone was incompetent, but they just never considered it and accepted it as common practice. Sometimes I am still amazed how lacking lubrication strategies can be, from specification, procurement, right the way through to the application in the equipment.
You can understand it if you ever read a manufacturers equipment manual, it will go through the transport, delivery, commissioning, safety controls, operation, strip down for cleaning, sub assembly removal, procedures for maintaining, specification of spares, suggested spare parts list, then somewhere at the rear it will include two cursory pages, copied and pasted from a lubrication supplier with some pretty basic generic instructions, annual oil change, list of recommended oils etc.
Lubrication needs to be smarter than this with specification and control to add the most value.
This stuff is at the back of the manual so it can't be that important, can it?
Ignore it at your peril is what I say, I had a conversation some years ago with a contractor commissioning a new production line with grease gun in hand, I asked a silly question and got a silly answer:
Me: "What type of grease are you using in your grease gun?"
Contractor: "Just grease"
I then asked if it was H1 food standard (we were in a food factory), it was as if I was now speaking Swahili by the look on his face; we then had a chat about food risks and compliance. I lent him a gun with H1 EP grease loaded, we had a further discussion about the amount of grease he was applying to the bearings and why.
The point is he was an installation contractor and he had a training gap, he didn't know he had a gap, ten minutes on the shop floor and it was solved, I wasn't teaching him to 'suck eggs' and I believe he appreciated it.
Most of the equipment I have ever looked after has rotating elements that can be a weak point in the overall system, this I know not just from experience but from other good work that those have done before me.
I understand that bearings can fail early because of a number of failure modes, the main one being over or under lubrication, some studies report as much as 80% of all failures are from lubrication issues alone.
From my experience the failures I have witnessed have been due to too much load, heat, debris or liquid ingress. Sometimes the load and heat has been due improper mounting or to compacted grease, sometimes no grease at all, so it is important. It's even more important when we ask our front line operators to embrace the task of lubrication, it's definitely the right thing to do and I support TPM with operator training and mentoring.
In fact I would stretch that training to include the skilled trades as you don't know what you don't know!
Previously I have formulated and implemented a Lubrication Strategy as part of a CBM plan working alongside a PdM program, I found that one fed the other, the more outputs from the PdM I gathered, the more the existing lubrication could be reduced in some areas and enhanced in others. The PdM tools identified the lubrication risk areas, but this was just one part of a larger program.
Me: "What type of grease are you using in your grease gun?"
Contractor: "Just grease"
I then asked if it was H1 food standard (we were in a food factory), it was as if I was now speaking Swahili by the look on his face; we then had a chat about food risks and compliance. I lent him a gun with H1 EP grease loaded, we had a further discussion about the amount of grease he was applying to the bearings and why.
The point is he was an installation contractor and he had a training gap, he didn't know he had a gap, ten minutes on the shop floor and it was solved, I wasn't teaching him to 'suck eggs' and I believe he appreciated it.
Most of the equipment I have ever looked after has rotating elements that can be a weak point in the overall system, this I know not just from experience but from other good work that those have done before me.
I understand that bearings can fail early because of a number of failure modes, the main one being over or under lubrication, some studies report as much as 80% of all failures are from lubrication issues alone.
From my experience the failures I have witnessed have been due to too much load, heat, debris or liquid ingress. Sometimes the load and heat has been due improper mounting or to compacted grease, sometimes no grease at all, so it is important. It's even more important when we ask our front line operators to embrace the task of lubrication, it's definitely the right thing to do and I support TPM with operator training and mentoring.
In fact I would stretch that training to include the skilled trades as you don't know what you don't know!
Previously I have formulated and implemented a Lubrication Strategy as part of a CBM plan working alongside a PdM program, I found that one fed the other, the more outputs from the PdM I gathered, the more the existing lubrication could be reduced in some areas and enhanced in others. The PdM tools identified the lubrication risk areas, but this was just one part of a larger program.
Existing Lubricant inventory was reduced by 50%, lubrication storage was installed, specifications tightened, procurement controlled, a partnership developed with a supplier, technicians and operators trained, clean replenishment tools implemented, colour coding introduced, schematics produced, workplace aids posted, machines tagged, oil sampling developed, used lube oils and containers recycled, these were just some of the measures that dramatically reduced failure rates and reactive work.
People often say to me that they find it hard to identify an ROI on lubrication strategy, all of the above impacted the operations KPIs of safety, OEE, availability and reliability, it helped in delivering a Green scorecard for the Engineering and Maintenance function as well, so no impact from the investment in time and focus?
Personally I find it easy to quantify ROI for Lubrication best practices
Everything rotates as I discussed in last weeks article and most of it relies on a microscopic wedge of lubricant to keep the wheels on. In a former life I had a manager that made some rather disparaging remarks about my lubrication best practices, I offered to go drain the oil out of his car and see how far he got, I believe he received the message!
If you would like a chat about your Lubrication Strategy then give me a call or send me an email andy@uptimeconsultant.co.uk
High Temperature Lubrication from Interflon
Read the pdf below of how HT Greases impacted critical assets in driving to zero failures
Take a look at how Interflons MicPol® POLarized particles provide enhanced boundary lubrication
Oil Sampling the Why, What, When and Where?
Listen to Jim Fitch from Noria describe why we look for 'live zones' to take our oil samples