Posted to News on 5th Feb 2007, 00:00
Extolling the virtues of split roller bearings
Despite all the recent discussions regarding whole life costs, the dichotomy remains between the requirement of OEMs to achieve lowest installed cost for new equipment, and that of the end user for improved reliability and longer operating life. Overwhelmingly, solid bearings comprise the major segment of rolling bearings in use today, yet they are difficult to fit, impossible to inspect whilst in place, and even more difficult to replace when they fail.
From the technical, economic and pure design points of view, split roller bearings offer a host of advantages and cut downtime significantly. Basically, the simplicity of fitting a split roller bearing, compared to a solid bearing, is a major factor in its longevity. Unlike solid bearings, SRBs are totally split to the shaft, a design that both simplifies and expedites installation, and cuts downtime to approximately one eighth of that required to replace solid bearings of the same size. In addition, SRB bearings from the likes of Revolvo have a longer life span because they cannot be cross-located. They also provide superior sealing arrangements, which means longer bearing life with greatly reduced levels of maintenance.
