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Revolvo SRBs save hefty downtime costs

A Revolvo product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 22, 2009

Split roller bearings (SRB) from Revolo have saved millions of rand in downtime for South African company Xstrata Alloys, a producer of ferrochrome and primary vanadium.

Using SRB, Revolvo's South African agent OE Bearings was able to temporarily fix a shaft, enabling Xstrata Alloys to avoid millions in lost revenue by remaining operational for a whole month while a new shaft was manufactured.

Using SRB, the South African agent for Revolvo, OE Bearings, was able to temporarily fix a shaft, enabling Xstrata Alloys to avoid millions in lost revenue by remaining operational for a whole month while a new shaft was manufactured.

Using SRB, the South African agent for Revolvo, OE Bearings, was able to temporarily fix a shaft, enabling Xstrata Alloys to avoid millions in lost revenue by remaining operational for a whole month while a new shaft was manufactured.

Xstrata approached OE Bearings after discovering that one of its shafts, which fed raw materials into a kiln, was damaged.

The company was facing downtime costs of approximately ZAR1m per day.

Warwick Steinhobel, director at OE Bearings, said: 'When we investigated the shaft, we realised that we would have to engineer a temporary solution so that downtime could be averted while a new shaft could be built.

'The shaft was badly worn, and on a detailed investigation, it was discovered that the shafting was undersized by 20mm.

'This was a major problem; in this type of business 50-microns is the maximum that should be encountered.'
Steinhobel added: 'The challenge we were facing was that replacement of the shaft would have taken at least four days.

'We decided we would build a platform for the bearing next to the existing shaft, moving the existing bearing off the damaged shaft.

'We then placed shims between the bearing inner race and the shaft - and installed the bearing on the modified shaft.'
To do this, the OE Bearings team had to work an entire day, right through the night - and into the next day.

The temporary solution involved the use of specialised SRBs.

These offered a host of advantages from the technical, economic and pure design points of view.

The bearings were simple to fit - a major factor in their longevity; they provide a longer life span because they could not be cross-located; and they also provide superior sealing arrangements, delivering longer bearing life with reduced levels of maintenance.

Steinhobel said: 'The fact that the SRB only take about one hour to fit, as opposed to solid bearings, which can take eight hours, is a major factor when you are dealing with downtime costs that can reach ZAR500,000.

'Fast change-out is essential and the SRB are much more efficient in this area in ensuring maximised plant up-time.'.

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