Grease

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2025-04-01

Advanced Lubricant Technology for Open Gear Applications

Lubricating greases are typically known for their use in a wide variety of applications such as rolling element bearings, automotive transmission joints as well as heavy duty chassis components; but can also be found very useful in the lubrication of gears. There are two types of gear families: the primary difference being open and enclosed gearboxes. The gears within a closed system are lubricated with grease within the system. Open gears are lubricated by grease or fluid separate from the piece of equipment. This paper will focus on the lubrication of open gears, utilizing both grease and fluid Open Gear Lubricants (OGL).

INDUSTRY NEWS | 2023-07-27

STLE Releases 2023 Report on Tribology and Lubrication Trends

The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) – the premier technical society serving the needs of the tribology and lubrication engineering field – is pleased to announce the release of its 2023 Report on Emerging Issues and Trends in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering. The key conclusion from the 56-page report is that the application of existing and novel tribology approaches has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, as a consequence, play a prominent role in helping organizations implement sustainability practices and achieve climate change mitigation goals.

REVOLUTIONS | 2022-02-14

Schaeffler TriFinity Wheel Bearing Provides e-Mobility Solution

Schaeffler’s TriFinity wheel bearing is a fully optimized, three-row, angular contact ball bearing that provides higher stiffness and longer servic...

REVOLUTIONS | 2021-07-20

Avoiding Common Pitfalls When Selecting & Integrating Linear Modules

Fully integrated linear modules can be versatile and cost-effective for linear transport applications in packaging machinery. When specifying and i...

FEATURE ARTICLES | 2020-09-01

Schaeffler Readies Launch of End-to-End Wireless Sensor Solution with OPTIME

A discussion of the evolution of condition monitoring for bearings and the upcoming introduction of company's next-generation condition monitoring platform.

| 2020-06-19

Cortec Enhances Corrosion Control Protection Offerings

Cortec is globally committed to providing corrosion solutions that are both cost-effective and environmentally-sound. The organization has stepped ...

FEATURE ARTICLES | 2019-10-01

6 Critical Grease Characteristics

Whether you design, build or maintain industrial equipment, it is likely you have encountered many types of bearing grease over the years. Lubrication plays a crucial role in virtually all operations, and certain key characteristics allow grease to perform its job better in demanding applications.

| 2019-08-19

Considerations for Choosing the Correct Rolling Element Bearing Characteristics

Daily experience in application engineering has proven that the selection of the correct bearing type can be successfully achieved by customers bas...

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2019-06-01

Pros and Cons of Different Bearing Lubrication Methods

For a maintenance crew, it is important to know which bearings need re-lubrication and make sure they are lubricating those bearings. The bearings can be lubricated manually or by automatic lubrication systems. This article will review each method and discover its pros and cons.

| 2019-01-14

Engineering in the Modern Age

There is a growing social chasm developing in society in general that we will have to address: the value of formal education. When I grew up thi...

INDUSTRY NEWS | 2018-12-01

Industry News

The complete Industry News section from the December 2018 issue of Power Transmission Engineering.

| 2018-08-13

Harnessing Reliable Wind Energy with Gearing Solutions

As the wind comes sweeping down the plains of America these days, it passes through fields of wind turbines. As the energy market turns towards ren...

| 2018-07-26

Bearing Sourcing: Investigate Here

Steve Katz, president, Emerson Bearing Boston One significant and challenging issue that MROs and OEMs face is premature bearing failure in equi...

| 2018-05-30

Machine Parts No Longer in Production? Solutions for Hard-to-Find Bearings and Parts

Written By: Steve Katz, President, Emerson Bearing Boston Good machinery can last a lifetime. But, replacement parts for older equipment may be ...

| 2017-11-28

A Look at Belt, Chain and Gear Drive Technology

By Jack Warner The need for producing more energy increases with our rising need for commercial, industrial, and residential space. In North Ame...

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2017-10-01

A Model for Shear Degradation of Lithium Soap Grease at Ambient Temperature

In this study the mechanical shear degradation of lithium-thickened grease was evaluated using an in-house-developed aging rig and a commercial rheometer. It was found that this grease loses its original consistency during aging and shows a two-phase aging behavior. In the first phase, primarily reorientation and breakage of the thickener network take place, resulting in a progressive drop in the grease's rheological properties. After this, the aging is dominated by the breakage of smaller fiber fragments and the grease degrades at a much slower rate.

| 2017-08-14

Root Cause Analysis: On the Rails

When Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail (the national railway operator of Ireland), started seeing an increasing number of failures of bearings in a partic...

EVENTS | 2017-08-01

Pack Expo: The Push to Automation

With Pack Expo Las Vegas around the corner, we took a look at the state of the packaging industry today to see what you can expect at the show. The answer is more automation.

INDUSTRY NEWS | 2017-06-19

What's New in Belt and Chain Technology?

Here are the latest product and industry news items involving belts and chains in the power transmission market. Please visit

PRODUCT NEWS | 2017-02-01

Product News

The complete Product News section from the February 2017 issue of Power Transmission Engineering.

| 2016-10-10

Klüber Lubrication Offers Specialty Lubricants for Open Drives and Gears Keeping Mineral Processing Plants Up and Running

Authors: Daniel A. Narnhammer, Head of Global Competence Center Mining at Klüber Lubrication NA LP Justin Koozer, Cement and...

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2016-10-01

ISO 281:2007 - Caveat Emptor
I was invited by Tom Astrene of TLT to write a response to the July 2010 TLT article (Ref. 1). My rebuttal — “In Search of a Fatigue Limit: A Critique of ISO Standard 281:2007” — was published in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering, TLT, August 2010 edition (Ref. 10). While this article is also available online, I will attempt to summarize the essence of my response.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2016-09-01

An Open-And-Shut Case: Greases for Gear Applications
For the lubrication of open gear drives used in different industrial applications such as cement and coal mills, rotary furnaces, or where the sealing conditions are difficult, semi-fluid greases are often used in preference to fluid oils. For girth gear applications the greases are used with a splash or spray lubrication system. The selection of such greases influences pitting lifetime and the load-carrying capacity of the gears, as well as wear behavior

| 2016-08-09

IMTS 2016 First Look
Matthew Jaster, Senior Editor Because the general metalworking industry can’t have all the fun in Chicago this September, here’s a quick guide t...

FEATURE ARTICLES | 2016-08-01

The Meaning of Life
End users and OEMs frequently specify "lubed-for-life" mounted bearings, thinking the lubed-for-life bearings will deliver the same life — without lubrication — as bearings that currently require periodic lubrication. The truth is it depends on many factors, and only a detailed review of the application and testing will provide a more accurate answer.

FEATURE ARTICLES | 2016-06-01

Can You Develop Your Own Custom Motor-and-Motion System
In this century’s complex, ever- changing world of manufacturing, such capabilities as hardware and software expertise, effective location and distribution, business savvy and yes, even luck, are some of the cardinal requirements for running a successful business.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2014-09-01

Load Capacity and Efficiency of Grease-Lubricated Worm Gears
Varying installation requirements for worm gears, as, for example, when used in modular gear systems, can necessitate grease lubrication - especially when adequate sealing for oil lubrication would be too complex. Such worm gears are being increasingly used in outside applications such as solar power plants and slew drives. While knowledge about the operating conditions is often appropriate, the basic understanding for load capacity and efficiency under grease lubrication is quite poor. Investigations done at FZG and sponsored by FVA/AiF are shown here to give an impression of the basic factors of load capacity and efficiency. The results of the investigation indicate a satisfying quality of calculations on heat, load capacity and efficiency based on characteristic parameters of the base oil with only slight modifications to the methodology known from DIN 3996 or ISO TR 14521.

ASK THE EXPERT | 2014-08-01

Net-Forged Bevel and Transmission Gears
What are the applications for net-forged gears. Are they used outside automotive differentials?

EVENTS | 2014-06-01

CTI Symposium Raises the Bar on Transmission Technology
The 8th International CTI Symposium on Automotive Transmissions, HEV and EV Drives took place in Rochester, Michigan from May 12-15. The event kicked off with its popular introductory seminar "Basics and Practice of Automotive Transmissions."

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2013-10-01

Grease Lubrication Mechanisms in Rolling Bearing Systems
Grease lubrication has clear advantages over oil lubrication: Grease does not leak easily; it has sealing properties; and it protects bearing surfaces from corrosion. Its disadvantages are grease-life limitations and a limited cooling ability. Moreover, in some applications there is a risk of grease starvation, which leads to reduced lubricating films. However, if the right grease, sealing system and/or lubrication system are chosen, then grease lubrication offers clear benefits. This article summarizes aspects of grease lubrication mechanisms in rolling bearings.

EVENTS | 2010-12-01

AWEA to Wind Supporters--Do Not Panic
Despite posting its slowest quarter since early 2007, AWEA remains optimistic that the wind industry can and will work successfully with the revolving doors in Washington.

FEATURE ARTICLES | 2010-08-01

A Need for Reduced Energy Costs
Options abound for increased efficiency in lubrication.