After many years of successful application, SKF’s R0F grease test rig was due for an upgrade. Demand for flexibility in terms of test parameters and more extensive failure detection is rising.
The purpose of the test is to measure the ability of a grease to lubricate at various speeds, various temperatures and various loads. Grease quality is measured by recording the number of running hours before the
grease ceases to lubricate and, as a consequence, the bearings fail. The longer the number of running hours in the test unit, the more effectively the grease lubricates under those conditions. In this way the maximum operating speed, temperature and load for a particular grease can be determined
The SKF Grease Test Rig R0F+ essentially consists of two parts – a mechanical test unit and a PC with control and evaluation software.
The mechanical unit contains of five cast-iron housings. Each housing contains two bearings, mounted on a shaft, the total number of test bearings being ten.