Gearbox Maintenance

On-site gearbox inspection is very helpful in most situations. There may be constraints that limit the extent of the inspection such as cost and time accessibility is a qualified personnel. It is important to catch the problem before it causes more damage. Servicing machinery is very important and the work gets done on time. A visual inspection of a gear contact pattern is inspected through an inspection port that can prevent future catastrophic failures. Most industrial companies have an in-house inspector that fixes the machinery but if the inspector is not available they outsource one.

Gearbox maintenance

Before proceeding with any inspection you need to prepare an inspection form for documenting your observations. The application needs to have all the information that is required to proceed with the inspection. It is important that you should perform a thorough external examination before the gearbox inspection port is opened. Before cleaning the exterior of the gearbox ensure that the signs of overheating, corrosion, contamination, oil leak and damage are clear and they can be avoided before you can proceed.

The signs of overheating

Here are the overheating signs that you need to be aware of:

• Temper colours on unpainted surface
• Smoke from shafts, seals or breathers
• Melted plastic components
• Foam insight glass
• Metal chips on magnetic plugs

These are some of the things that you should be able to detect when inspecting an industrial gearbox. Overheating can be prevented and the sooner it is detected the better because serious damages can be avoided and it will not be expensive to repair the gearbox. The gearbox needs to be checked if it is operating within its manufactures specification of both mechanical and thermal ratings. The gearboxes are put into an application that is beyond their designs specification and they are driven by the increase input power than the maximum recommended.

Gearboxes are operated in a dirty environment and this can result in an increase the operating temperature of the gearbox or the contamination into the gearbox.  Industrial gearboxes should always be kept clean and they should be dusted and brushed at all times. The oil seals also need to be checked regularly for oil leaks at the input and the output shaft of your gearbox. Oil leaks indicate that the seals have failed and these can debris water from the environment together with the loss of lubrication.

 

Field Services and Engineering

Field Services and Engineering specialises in on-site inspections and gearbox inspections. They have experience in on-site services and they are highly recommended.