Troubleshooting

Information Courtesy: Mr. G. Downing - SAIMH

One of the major problems with gearboxes is overheating.
The norm is that a gearbox can operate at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius above ambient,
with a maximum accepted temperature of around 90 degrees Celsius.

What Causes Overheating ?

1.- Insufficient Oil - Losses through leaking oil seals.
2.- To much oil - Causing frothing and turbulence in the gearbox.
3.- Incorrect Grade of oil - Check specifications for operating temperature, speed and atmospheric conditions
4.- Blocked breather.
5.- Gears not meshing properly.
6.- Imposed duty on gearbox increased as opposed to initial installation specifications.
7.- Installed Gearbox under rated.
8.- Input shaft endfloat and Backlash in gears.
9.- Problems with the equipment being driven by the gearbox. (e.g. conveyors - check shaft alignment and bearings, idler condition and belt tracking.)
10.- Incorrectly aligned couplings.

Other aspects to consider are:
To ensure that the drive baseplate and foundations are strong enough and that no vibration is occurring.
If vibrations are identified , a complete vibration analysis should be carried out in order to determine the source of the vibration.