Bearing Lubrication: Is Grease or Oil Better?

release date: 08/08/2019

tags: Bearings

To keep your bearings running at peak performance, lubrication is important. In fact, not lubricating your bearings is the number one reason bearings fail. Therefore, choosing not only the correct lubricant for your bearings, but also to stick to a lubrication schedule is important.

Benefits for Proper Bearing Lubrication

While many know lubricants for enabling machine parts to move freely, there are many advantages to using the right lubricant when applied properly. 

For instance, bearing lubrication can:

• Enable bearings to operate more efficiently

• The components will work smoothly

• It will decrease corrosion and rust

• It will decrease the noise made by the machine

• It will extend the lifespan of the machine

Which is a Better Lubricant for Bearings? Grease or Oil?

There are many different types of lubricants, but the most commonly used for bearings are grease or oil. And choosing the right lubricant is crucial to the efficiency and longevity of your bearings. Plus, it can reduce energy consumption to save you money.

Greased sealed bearings often do not require relubrication for an extended period of time and consumption can be kept to the minimum necessary. Grease lubrication is considered a simple system. Leaking is unlikely and friction is generally high, but torque reduction can be achieved. However, there is no contaminant removal.

On the other hand, oil lubrication requires a device that continuously feeds oil and a significant amount of consumption is required. Oil lubrication is considered a complex system, and leaking is possible if the sealing system is adequate. Oil has a high cooling capacity, generally low friction loss, and offers continual contaminant removal by filtration or centrifuge. 

Here are a few factors to keep in mind when choosing oil or grease as a lubricant.

Use OIl For:

• Applications requiring low torque

• Applications where space needed to lubricate is limited

• Applications with high speed and high temperatures

Use Grease For:

• Applications requiring protection from moisture and contaminants

• Applications where the lubricant is needed to stay in place

• Applications with lower operating speeds

Shop Bearings by Protech International

In need of new bearings and assistance in selecting the correct lubrication and setting up a proper lubrication schedule for your bearings? Contact Protech International.

With a variety of bearings from top brands and an engineering team with extensive knowledge on best practices for caring for bearings, Protech can assist you in finding the correct parts for your application.

Call 704-296-9600 or contact us to learn more.