Airborne and Structure-borne ultrasound has evolved into a technology that many would consider to be the cornerstone of an effective condition based maintenance program. From compressed air & gas leak detection, electrical inspection, and various mechanical inspections, ultrasound is truly a versatile tool for anyone’s CBM “toolbox.” One application in particular that has seen a large increase in usage, is to use ultrasound for condition based lubrication of bearings.

Studies have shown that the most common causes of premature bearing failures are related to lubrication.  From over lubrication, under lubrication, using the wrong grease for the wrong application, mixing incompatible greases, to lubricant contamination, they are all related to lubrication.  Ultrasound assisted lubrication helps to take the guesswork out of how much lubricant to apply.  Additionally, typical lubrication programs are based on timed intervals.  With time based lubrication, the tendency is to over lubricate.  Lubricant is applied at timed intervals whether the equipment needs to be greased or not.

When ultrasound assisted lubrication is implemented, the lubrication program moves more towards condition based lubrication rather than time based.  By sensing subtle changes in high frequency sound, ultrasonic instruments can be used to listen to bearings while applying grease.  This presentation will discuss how ultrasound is used for bearing lubrication, and three methods that can be implemented to help improve overall bearing and lubrication procedures.  Sound file examples of bearings being lubricated will be used to help attendees better understand ultrasound assisted lubrication.  Data collected from ultrasound routes will also be used to demonstrate trending, baseline and alarm information, and lubrication report generation.