Micro Testing of As Found Grease Taken From Double Shielded Bearings After 10 Years Service

An important industry question concerning the performance of shielded/sealed bearings is how long do they really last? This type of bearing is marketed to the end user as a sealed for life bearing which to many implies very long time of service. The limiting performance characteristic however for many of these bearings is how long the grease will last. Grease can have a relatively short service life compared to the bearing steel and is critical to bearing operation. Well performing bearings will fail rapidly when the lubrication fails.