A maintenance program to replace all conveyor bearings with Blue Brute housed bearings has meant an end to bearing and shaft failures in the tail pulleys at the Hanson aggregate quarry at Molong in the NSW central-west.
In continuous operation for almost 30 years, Molong quarry has been an integral part of the international Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group since 2005. One of the leading quarries in the group, the quarry produces aggregate for construction and building projects throughout the central-west region.
A series of bearing and shaft failures, predominately in the conveyor tail pulleys, initiated a search for a reliable replacement that could keep working in the tough environment that is a quarry.
“By its very nature an aggregate quarry is tough on components such as bearings,” said Molong quarry manager Chris Cooke. “They are generally covered in dust all the time. And each time a bearing or shaft failed meant a couple of days lost productivity while the damaged component was removed and the replacement fitted.”
As well, the removal and replacement process would impact of the site’s R&M and also occasionally delay deliveries, Cooke added.
The bearings are distributed nationally through the Bearing Service Company (BSC) branch network.
“Around the time failures started we were invited to a workshop at the local BSC branch where they were demonstrating the Blue Brute product,” said Chris Cooke, “After having a good look at what they (the Blue Brute bearings) had to offer we didn’t need much convincing. The benefits were easy to see and gave us the solution we needed.”
Designed to operate in the toughest of environments, Blue Brute housed bearings are acknowledged as industry leaders in heavy-duty operating environments. They offer continual extreme load and speed capacity due to the size and number of the two rows of rollers. They are designed to allow for limited shaft and housing misalignment (up to 1.5o degrees from centre) and still work at full capacity.
The Molong quarry uses the two-bolt pillow block unit, one of the seven housing styles available. Four locking styles and seven seal types combine to offer a range of housed bearings to suit virtually any industrial work site and environment. The range will suit shaft sizes from 35mm up to 180mm.
To improve maintenance access, Chris Cooke has installed greasing lines to the bearings.
“Some of the bearings are hard to get so we have installed grease lines to make them accessible from ground level,” he said. “The bearings have a purge feature so we can’t overfill them and they maintain their integrity and reliability.”
According to Chris Cooke, the bearings have met all expectations.
“They’re good. They keep working and we are not losing any time due to bearing problems on the conveyors. That’s the type of performance we want,” said Chris Cooke. “And they last. We pulled one down recently as part of a maintenance program and aside from a few scratches it looked just as good as the day it was installed.”
For further information, Michael Greelish, National Accounts Manager P: 0407 22 6112. E: michael.greelish@inenco.com.au