Lucky Houndalas, manager of Bearing Services Bethal, one of SKF South Africa’s authorised distributors, was on a recent visit to a leading South African mine and identified a problem with sealing issues on a 16 ton shuttle car application. It was found that inadequate sealing performance was the main cause for the expensive and time consuming shaft component replacement.
The shuttle car, which used a reducer gearbox, operated in an aggressive environment. Excess contaminant was entering the gearbox and causing premature gearbox failure and unsatisfactory performance. Contaminated gearbox oil would find its way into the bearings, causing a reduction in the bearing service life. Bearings and mating components had to be changed out constantly. The customer was faced with not only the high costs of replacing the components, but also with regular unplanned downtime.
Houndalas came up with a simple and cost effective solution – the SKF Speedi Sleeve. As soon as the shaft is worn, a Speedi Sleeve is slipped over the worn shaft and underneath the seating of the seal lip. The seal clamps down on the Speedi Sleeve and forms a new landing. Oil inside the gearbox stays clean and contamination is prevented from entering the components.
“The best solution is not always the most expensive or complicated,” says Giscard Lailvaux, SKF mechanical services manager. “We dramatically reduced time spent on maintenance activities, the cost of expensive replacement shaft components and avoidance of costs incurred as a result of unplanned downtime. As a consequence, the mine can increase the availability of maintenance personnel to focus on strategically maintaining other critical plant equipment”.
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