What are the Causes of Bearing Corrosion and how to Combat them?

Corrosion is the bitter enemy of industrial machinery and it attacks due to a number of factors. Luckily, today’s machinery such as ball bearings are incredibly corrosion resistant and there are steps we can take to even prevent it. Below mentioned are a few factors contributing to bearing corrosion and how you can safely combat them. 

1. Moisture – Corrosion is a poor reality and if your bearings are made of metal, this problem is something that you might end up encountering. Keeping your bearings lubricated with good grease can decrease the chance of rusting. However, environment and the material of the bearings are two major factors that define rust resistance. For instance, machinery operating in a wet environment is more prone to rust than the ones in normal surroundings. Having said that, the best way to prevent rust in your bearings is by choosing rust-resistant bearings.Stainless steel bearings for industry are quite resistant to rust as well. 
   
   
2. Harsh Chemicals – After rust, the most common cause of corrosion in bearings is exposure to harsh chemicals. If you belong to an industry that deals with acids, solvents and other harsh chemicals, care must be taken to choose bearings that are highly resistant to corrosion. Bearings such as stainless steel bearings and carbide ball bearings exhibit great resistance to harsh chemicals. 
   
   
3. Poor/ Broken down grease – There are a lot of reasons why you should not use poor or broken down grease, one of them being it can actually corrode your bearings. The best thing you can do to protect your bearings is by using high quality grease and change it at regular intervals. There are many bearings available in the market that requires very less lubrication, you can choose them. 

Conclusion

Bearings can work because of their polished, smooth surfaces but nothing can destroy them as fast as corrosion. Luckily, there are a few preventive measures that can keep your bearings safe from corrosion, the most important being choosing the right bearings. Steel bearings for industry by Primeroll are corrosion resistant bearings that we offer at our company. If you would like to know more about our bearings and discuss which option is the best for your industry, contact us today!