Skills for Judging Bearing Failure by Listening to Sound

In industrial production, the normal operation of machinery and equipment is an important condition for the smooth progress of production. As a common wear part in machinery and equipment, the working condition of the bearing directly affects the service life and production efficiency of the equipment. In actual operation, we often cannot judge whether the bearing has a problem by eye or simple visual inspection. At this time, we need to rely on some more intuitive inspection methods, and listening to the sound is one of the effective ways. By listening to the sound emitted during the operation of the bearing, we can roughly judge whether the bearing has a fault, the type of fault, and its severity. Next, let's discuss the skills of judging bearing failure by listening to the sound.

First, the sound of normal bearing operation

When the bearing is in normal operation, its sound should be uniform, stable, and free of noise. The frequency of the sound is roughly between 200-2000 hertz, and the sound intensity is moderate, not too large or too small. If the sound of the bearing appears abnormal, then there may be a problem.

Second, the sound characteristics of bearing failure

Oil film oscillation sound: When the bearing is working, if the thickness of the oil film is insufficient or the viscosity of the lubricating oil is too high, it will cause the appearance of oil film oscillation sound. This sound is usually very piercing during the operation of the bearing, especially at high speed, resembling a 'hum'. The appearance of this sound usually means that the lubrication condition of the bearing is poor, and the lubricating oil needs to be replaced in time.

Sound of rotating friction: If the bearing emits a sound similar to 'screech' during operation, it may be due to the wear of the inner or outer raceways of the bearing, or the gap between the ball and the raceway is too large, causing rotating friction sound. The appearance of this sound usually means that the degree of wear of the bearing is relatively large, and the bearing needs to be replaced in time.

Abnormal sound of bearing: If the bearing emits a sound similar to 'creak' during operation, it may be due to defects in the inner or outer raceways of the bearing, or the contact surface between the ball and the raceway is not smooth, causing abnormal sound of the bearing. The appearance of this sound usually means that the degree of wear of the bearing is serious, and the bearing needs to be replaced in time.

Sound of ball or raceway wear: If the bearing emits a sound similar to 'clack', it may be due to the wear of the ball or raceway of the bearing, causing friction between the ball and the raceway. The appearance of this sound usually means that the degree of wear of the bearing is serious, and the bearing needs to be replaced in time.

Through the above analysis, we can find that by listening to the sound emitted during the operation of the bearing, we can roughly judge whether the bearing has a fault, the type of fault, and its severity. Of course, this is just an initial judgment. In order to ensure the normal operation of the equipment, it is necessary to combine other inspection methods for comprehensive judgment.