Running temperature and mechanical stability of grease as maintenance parameters of railway bearings

Spherical roller bearings in railway car wheels are critical components whose failure may have catastrophic consequences. The present study aims to analyse the mechanical stability of greases and temperature of bearings as indicators for condition-based bearing maintenance. The performed case study includes nine fully-formulated commercial greases examined in the wheel bearings of five ore cars operated in northern Scandinavia. The studied ore cars travelled a distance of about 300000km during a period of three years. Small samples of the greases were taken on eight occasions to test their mechanical stability. In addition, the temperatures of the bearings were continuously recorded. After the test period, the wear, electrical damage, and corrosion of the bearings were examined. One of the findings is that the shear stress of the grease at a certain shear velocity (the certain yieldstress (CEY) value) is a good maintenance indicator and is highly dependent on the grease type. The bearing's wear, electrical damage and corrosion also depend on the grease type. However, no oxidation of the greases was identified. The paper also outlines a systematic methodology to determine an overall maintenance indicator for railway roller bearings which is based on the field measurements.