Maintaining older gear units: part two

Regular maintenance is key

The condition of the rotating parts, particularly the geared wheels and bearings, decreases slowly over time. In the case of extensive wear or local damage, the life time curve will develop exponentially or a complete breakdown of the equipment will occur. Regular maintenance service allows for a flattening of the declination of the lifetime curve by undertaking minor maintenance works. Dramatic changes in the condition of the gear unit are spotted quickly and a replacement or refurbishment can be performed before the damage leads to an unexpected failure.

However, exchanging the worn rotation parts with new parts, which are supplied with an increased service factor compared to the originals, will bring the unit back into excellent condition with a less inclined lifetime curve. By regularly retrofitting and exchanging worn parts an old gear unit will operate with the same reliability as a new one.

FLSmidth MAAG Gear has developed a special spare part and accessories programme to keep the Symetro gear units in good condition. From complete gear sets to single components to additional monitoring kits, different spare parts are available to cover different customer needs. MAAG’s service engineers travel to the production sites and go through all the techno-commercial benefits with the replacement kit solutions. During onsite visits, the drive station opportunities for the service, maintenance and retrofit concepts of ball mills, vertical mills and kilns are discussed.

This is part two of a three-part article written for World Cement’s December issue and abridged for the website. Subscribers can read the full issue by signing in, and can also catch up on-the-go via our new app for Apple and Android. Non-subscribers can access a preview of the December 2015 issue here.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/30112015/maintaining-older-gear-units-part-two/