Choosing the right lubricant - Prevent micropitting

All gears are susceptible to micropitting, a condition that can damage gear tooth
accuracy and even cause catastrophic equipment failure if left unchecked.

Micropitting damages gear surfaces beginning at the contact points and spreads
through gear surface cracks. The main crack undermines the surface by growing
deeper and spreading in a fan shape, including external, internal, spur helical and
level gears. Although micropitting is not easy to detect, the selection of the correct lubricant can greatly help mitigate its costly effects.

Here are measures to guard against micropitting:

• Increase oil film thickness – Use the highest practical oil viscosity, run gears at high speeds, cool gear teeth, and use synthetic oils above -80° C.

• Reduce surface roughness – Coat teeth and run-in with special lubricant,
pre-filter lubricant, keep oil cool during run-in, drain lubricant and flush
gearbox after run-in, and change filter frequently.

• Optimize lubricant – Select oil with high micropitting resistance, low traction coefficient, and high pressure viscosity coefficient. Avoid oils with aggressive EP additives, and keep oils cool, dry and clean of solid contaminants

By carefully selecting the correct lubricant, industrial maintenance professionals can reduce incidences of micropitting, increasing efficiency and reducing costs by helping safeguard against equipment failure.

Anaerobic Adhesives - An Update

Commonly used as thread lockers, thread sealants, and retaining or gasketing materials, anaerobic adhesives can help manufacturers and maintenance personnel to decrease total manufacturing or operating costs and enhance equipment reliability. These liquid adhesives cure or solidify when restricted from oxygen in the presence of metal ions. As these adhesives contain no volatile solvents that evaporate out of the threads over time, they will not shrink and affect the long-term performance of the sealed joint.

New Technology
New generation anaerobic adhesives have been formulated to withstand temperatures up to 650ºF without degrading. New high temperature/high strength anaerobics thrive in demanding applications and environments including industrial ovens and boiler rooms, as well as heat treating operations in refineries, paper mills, metal fabrication plants, and glass manufacturing facilities. Despite their high heat resistance, these new thread lockers can be removed with standard hand tools after the fastener is heated to 700-750oF for about five minutes.

All anaerobic adhesives facilitate fastener assembly by providing lubrication as the fastener is tightened. This lubrication allows applied torque to be converted into high clamp load instead of dissipating as friction or heat. On bolts that are 7/8-inch in diameter or larger, friction between the threads plays a great role in reducing potential clamp load. Recently developed high lubricity thread lockers more effectively control friction and reliably convert torque energy into clamp load.

Further, new anaerobic products are available with greatly reduced odor, allowing users to work in close proximity to the liquid with less exposure to chemical fumes.