Typically there are two options of maintenance concerning bearings, one is to lubricate them the other is to change them. Monitoring bearing condition is critical to insure reliability. The equipment in your plant is an asset that must be managed and prolonging its life will insure a positive contribution to your plants operating efficiency. By incorporating a condition-monitoring program that involves monitoring both equipment condition and bearing lubrication film thickness, issues such as secondary damage and excessive operating costs are avoided.
The following paper will identify some of the condition-monitoring methods used today. Factors that affect the quality of the film thickness will be discussed followed by real life case studies. The case studies will present issues that are common in all industries followed by solutions.