Globally, more than 10 billion sets of bearings are manufactured annually. In reality, only a small proportion of the bearings in use experience failure. The majority of bearings (approximately 90%) last longer than the maintenance cycles of the equipment in which they are installed. For safety reasons, some bearings (9.5%) are replaced before failure, while only about 0.5% of bearings are replaced after damage or failure. This means that approximately 50 million bearings are replaced each year due to damage or failure.

Common Causes of Bearing Damage or Failure

The causes of bearing damage or failure are typically as follows:

• One-third of failures are caused by fatigue.

• One-third of failures are caused by lubrication issues, such as improper lubricant selection, incorrect lubrication quantity, or unreasonable lubrication intervals.

• One-sixth of failures are caused by contamination, typically due to seal failure.

• One-sixth of failures are caused by other factors, including improper transportation and installation, loads exceeding design specifications or differing from expected conditions, or inadequate fits.

Industry-Specific Bearing Failure Trends

These statistics may vary across industries and applications. For example, in the pulp and paper industry, the primary causes of bearing failure are contamination and inadequate lubrication, rather than fatigue. Each type of failure leaves behind a characteristic damage pattern, often referred to as a "trace." In the raceways of bearings, this is commonly called a "pattern." Therefore, in most cases, the root cause of bearing damage can be identified by carefully inspecting the damaged bearing. Once the cause of the damage is determined, corrective measures can be taken to prevent recurrence.

Our Services

Luoyang Bearing Research Institute Co., Ltd. provides professional bearing inspection and failure analysis services. We can also repair imported bearings. Please feel free to contact us for assistance.