SKF bearings with solid oil

The third lubrication choice

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SKF bearings with solid oil
– the third lubrication choice

There are three ways to supply oil to a ball or roller bearing: enabling the bearing components to rotate freely. The oil,
which seeps into the gap, provides good lubrication for the
• oil bath, oil recirculation or nozzles
bearing, right from the start.
• oil in a thickened form (grease)
• solid oil, where oil is retained in a polymer matrix
When to use solid oil
In most appli­
Benefits of solid oil Typical solid oil application areas
cations, standard
Solid oil, which was developed for applications where • dirty or humid
greases and oils
traditional relubrication methods are not practical, can • aggressive chemicals
provide an ad­
provide a number of benefits, including: • very cold equate amount of
• supplies more oil to the bearing than grease • centrifugal forces lubricant to a
• vertical shafts bearing. However,
• keeps contaminants out of the bearing cavity
• hard to reach in cases where
• eliminates the need for relubrication
• oscillating movements accessibility to the
• eliminates the need for seals to retain the lubricant bearing for relubri-
• high cleanliness demands
• resistant to chemicals cation purposes is
• can withstand high g-forces impractical or impossible, solid oil is an excellent solution.

• environmentally friendly Solid oil can also be used effectively in applications where
premature bearing failure is the result of high levels of

About solid oil contamination.

Solid oil is an oil-saturated, polymer matrix that completely

Solid oil is really two solutions in one. It provides lubricant
fills the free space in the bearing, encapsulating both the
to the bearing and acts as an extremely effective seal.
rolling elements and cage. The polymer material has a
porous structure, with millions of micro-pores, to hold the
lubricating oil. The pores are so small that the oil is retained
in the material by surface
tension.

As the oil-filled polymer

material is pressed into the
bearing, a very narrow gap
forms around the rolling
elements and raceways,

Solid oil forms a narrow gap around

the rolling elements and raceways.
The oil in the micro pores will seep
into the gap.
Advantages of solid oil
Consistent lubricant supply Eliminates relubrication
When a metal surface, like the raceway of Solid oil contains such a large reservoir of
a bearing, slides against solid oil, it is oil that relubrication is not required.
coated with an even and consistent film Oil
of oil. Then, with only a moderate increase No seals required
in operating temperature, oil is pushed Seals are not needed to retain the lubricant
toward the surface of the polymer matrix. in the bearing, even on vertical shafts.
This “flow” of oil within the polymer matrix However, if the arrangement already
occurs because the oil has a higher incorporates seals, they should be retained
coefficient of thermal expansion than the as extra protection against contamination.
polymer matrix and because the viscosity
of the oil decreases with increasing Resistant to chemicals
tem­perature. The solid oil polymer matrix is unaffected
by most chemicals. However, organic
When the bearing stops running, excess oil solvents like kerosene, will remove the oil
is reabsorbed into the polymer matrix. from the polymer matrix.
Grease- Solid oil
More lubricant available Withstands high g-forces
­lubricated bearing
bearing
A bearing with solid oil contains two to four Solid oil becomes an integral part of the
times more oil than a conventional grease- bearing so that lubricant cannot be A bearing with solid oil contains between two and
lubricated bearing. This is because the expelled, even when subjected to high four times more oil than a corresponding
bearing is completely filled with the solid centrifugal forces. grease-­lubricated bearing.
oil, whereas a grease-lubricated bearing
normally operates with approximately one
third of its free space filled with grease.

Keeps contaminants out

Because solid oil fills the bearing cavity
completely, it is difficult for contaminants
to reach the bearing contact surfaces.
In highly contaminated environments, SKF
recommends filling the free space in the
housing with a suitable grease to provide
an additional layer of protection.
Technical data
Composition of solid oil Limiting speeds Table 2
Solid oil is normally produced with a very Table 2 lists recommended limit values for
high quality synthetic oil which is suitable the speed factor A. Recommended limit for speed factor A

for most applications. Bearing type limit for A

A = n ¥ dm
Oil viscosity 140 mm2/s at 40 °C Single row deep groove ball bearings 300 000
Where with a steel cage
(105 °F)
A = speed factor [mm/min]
19 mm2/s at 100 °C Ball bearings with a polyamide cage 40 000
n = rotational speed [r/min] (including Y-bearings)
(210°F)
dm = bearing mean diameter Angular contact ball bearings 150 000
Oils having other viscosities can also be = 0.5 (d + D)
used successfully, as can special oils for the d = bearing bore diameter [mm] Cylindrical roller bearings 150 000

food industry. Additives, such as rust D = bearing outside diameter [mm] Tapered roller bearings 45 000
inhibitors, can be added to solid oil to
It is important to remember that the higher Spherical roller bearings
provide extra protection. For additional • E-design 42 500
the speed, the higher the operating • other designs 85 000
information, contact SKF.
temperature. It may therefore be necessary
to limit the bearing speed for high tem­ If temperature exceeds 20 °C the speed limit will be lower.
Bearing types available
pera­­­ture operation so that the temperature
Most standard SKF bearings can be
limit for the solid oil is not exceeded. As
supplied with solid oil. Bearings fitted with
with most lubricants, the service life of a
large-volume cages made of polyamide or
bearing with solid oil is extended if the
machined brass are not recommended for
operating temperature is kept low.
solid oil, because the space available for
the solid oil matrix within the bearings is The speed limits listed in table 2 apply to
too limited. open (­unsealed) bearings.
Bearings with solid oil are identified by the For bearings with integral seals, 80% of the
designation suffix W64. quoted values should be used.

Temperature limits If bearings with solid oil are to operate

The temperature limits for bearings under extreme conditions, contact the SKF
lubricated with solid oil, measured on the application engineering service for add­
bearing outer ring, are listed in table 1. itional information.

Load carrying capacity

The basic dynamic load ratings for solid oil
bearings are the same as for corresponding
standard bearings.

Table 1

Temperature limits

Max. continuous operating 85 °C

temperature (185 °F)

Max. intermittent operating 95 °C

temperature (205 °F)

Min. start-up temperature –40 °C

(standard oil) (–40 °F)
Note: The temperature limits in table 1
apply to both open and sealed versions.
In general, sealed bearings have higher
operating temperatures. Bearings with solid oil can be heated to a maximum of
100 °C (210 °F) for mounting purposes.
Our world faces serious issues
Diminishing energy supplies. Endangered water and air supplies. Overflowing and
potentially hazardous landfills. Global warming.

In addition to other issues driving today’s design engineers, a product’s environmental

impact is a major consideration. You need to be concerned with your product’s energy
efficiency, as well as its total life cycle.

SKF supports your sustainability goals in a number of ways, many of which we are
using in our manufacturing plants worldwide, as part of our BeyondZero initiative.

Solutions for sustainability • Built-in condition monitoring devices

• Low friction, high capacity SKF Explorer that enable end users to optimize
bearings that enable machines to be efficiency and reduce energy use
downsized and more energy-efficient • Sealed-for-life bearing units that require
• Specialized bearings such as CARB no additional lubrication
toroidal roller bearings that accommo- • Environmentally friendly lubricants and
date axial movement within the bearing, lubrication systems
without inducing axial forces, and
decrease power consumption. • Magnetic bearings that run at high
speeds with no surface contact or
• Mechatronic solutions that eliminate the lubrication
need for hydraulics
• Lubrication distribution systems that
• Engineered units that reduce the number optimize lubrication and minimize the
and weight of components use of lubricants and cutting oils
 See inserts for more details
about SKF solutions for mining,
mineral processing and cement
industries and auxiliary
equipment.

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 Seals Bearings Lubrication
and units systems

Mechatronics Services

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Drawing on five areas of competence and application-specific
expertise amassed over more than 100 years, SKF brings innova-
tive solutions to OEMs and production facilities in every major
industry worldwide. These five competence areas include bearings
and units, seals, lubrication systems, mechatronics (combining
mechanics and electronics into intelligent systems), and a wide
range of services, from 3-D computer modelling to advanced
condition monitoring and reliability and asset management
services. A global presence provides SKF customers uniform
quality standards and worldwide product availability.

® SKF and CARB are registered trademarks of the SKF Group.

™ SKF Explorer and BeyondZero are trademarks of the SKF Group.
© SKF Group 2009
The contents of this publication are the copyright of the publisher and may not be reproduced
(even extracts) unless prior written permission is granted. Every care has been taken to ensure
the accuracy of the information contained in this publication but no liability can be accepted for
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information contained herein.
Publication 6920 EN · February 2009
Printed in Sweden on environmentally friendly paper.