SPEEDI-SLEEVE rejuvenates worn shafts

Citation

(2002), "SPEEDI-SLEEVE rejuvenates worn shafts", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 54 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.2002.01854dad.012

SPEEDI-SLEEVE rejuvenates worn shafts

SPEEDI-SLEEVE rejuvenates worn shaftsKeywords: Lubricants, Bearings

An oil seal's job is to "seal in" oil or grease, keeping bearings lubricated and contaminants out. However, in most industrial environments, dirt or other abrasive particles collect and become lodged under the lip of the seal, where they eventually cut a groove in the surface of the shaft. These grooves cause oil to leak out past the seal, ultimately leading to bearing damage and failure. In order to combat this problem, SKF has introduced SPEEDI-SLEEVE for fast and effective refinishing of seal-worn shafts (Plate 8). SPEEDI-SLEEVE is quicker and more efficient than remetalizing or regrinding and, in contrast to these methods, provides a perfect seal, even in the harshest environments.

SPEEDI-SLEEVE bridges the gap between a standard sleeve and an expensive custom shaft treatment such as diamond coating. The super hardened surface provides protection against corrosion and abrasion, with dirt and grit rolling off the surface, rather than digging into it. Furthermore, once installed, the thin SPEEDI-SLEEVE still allows the original seal size to be used.

Plate 8 SKF has introduced SPEEDI-SLEEVE® for fast and effective refinishing of seal-worn shafts

SPEEDI-SLEEVE covers shaft diameters from 12mm to 200mm and is engineered from high quality AISI 304 stainless steel. The surface is finished to 0.25 to 0.5 micrometers with no machine lead and therefore requires no expensive machining or preparation before mounting. Installation is simple and SPEEDI-SLEEVE is packaged with a special installation tool.

Although SPEEDI-SLEEVE will suffice for most applications, a special version, SPEEDI-SLEEVE Gold, will cope with the most hostile environments and has been thoroughly tested for its abrasion resistant qualities in a severe dust environment. Using both coarse and fine sand, at temperatures of 225°F and shaft speeds of up to 1,700rpm, shafts typically showed leakage at 450 hours whereas SPEEDI-SLEEVE Gold protected shafts run for an average of 2,500 hours. In other tests, a 600-hour, continuous salt spray at 95°F produced no trace of corrosion. SPEEDI-SLEEVE Gold is also available in 50 of the most common shaft sizes.

For further information contact: Phil Burge, SKF (UK) Limited, Sundon Park Road, Luton, Bedfordshire LU3 3BL, UK. Tel: +44 1582 490049; Fax: +44 1582 848091; E-mail: phil.burge@skf.com