How to recognize if a bearing is damaged?

It is not easy to identify the reason of damage only on the basis of the view of bearing. In many cases we are able to draw conclusion on the basis of shapes of signs on bearing.

We will not be able to prevent from further damages if we don't know conditions of work, greasing and constructional properties of the bearing.
Besides we have to know symptoms of damage and all other events, that accompanied the damage.

What should we do before disassembling?

If we want to properly recognize the problem, before disassembling, we have to precisely examine, fragment by fragment given below characteristic points and write down the results.

If the base of bearing will be disassembled, and the bearing and covers will be washed then all the information will be lost.

Impurities
Let's take a look at the general view of the machine, and especially at parts of machine close to bearing. What do we see? Are there impurities or production reminders?
Is it possible, that water, solutions, oil or steam get to the nest of bearing? What amounts?

Grease losses
It grease leaking possible? To verify that we can't only check the level of oil via control hole and check seal at main shaft's entrance. Also don't forget to inspect
all closings between cover and mounting, oil pipes seal, screws at unloading point and control hole.

Noise during work
Often symptom of damage of bearing are varied noises, which are different than those which we hear during normal work. In this case we have to determine and describe those sounds,
for example like permanent, pulsating, regular, periodical, whistling, din or bangs.

If there is possibility of non-coaxiality between the main shaft and the holder it is recommended to use bearings which are best in situation of wrong alignment.
The best bearings are transverse self-aligning ball bearings, transverse roller bearings and thrust self-aligning roller bearings.

The reasons of bearings non-coaxiality can be for example bend of the main shaft because of big load, when bearings are placed on supports which are on two different and distant bases or when it was impossible to synchronize at the same time proper bearing's cover in mounting.

Bearings of "Y" type have spherical outer ring in order to prevent from non-coaxiality during assembly stage. Non-coaxiality of this kind sometimes comes to being in agricultural machines.