With its smooth, low-shear pumping action, the SRU is Alfa Laval’s core rotary lobe pump for the gentle handling of sensitive process fluids within the dairy, food and beverage, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

if a bearing is loaded with simultaneously acting radial load Fr and axial load Fa that are constant in magnitude and direction

The Alfa Laval CM condition monitor is suitable for use in the dairy, food, beverage, home-personal care, biotech and pharmaceutical industries.

Bearingselection tool

when the load is constant in magnitude and direction and acts radially on a radial bearing or axially and centrically on a thrust bearing.

To calculate a bearing's theoretical service life, we use the formula for calculating the so called L10 life. The same formula is used for both radial and linear bearings.

Bearingselection chart

Alfa Laval Analytics is a leading, AI-based solution for online condition monitoring. Analytics helps you detect potential machine failure before it occurs and diagnose the root cause. The user-friendly and affordable solution brings peace of mind and helps keep your pumps at peak performance at all times.

Join us on the journey to Industry 4.0,, where digitalization and human-machine interaction can further optimize your processes.

If you are interested in a bearing's lifetime in terms of number of revolutions rather than in terms of operational hours, the L10-formula (rather than the L10h-formula) is used.

Universally matchable single direction bearings can be arranged in various ways depending on the stiffness and load requirements of the application. The possible arrangements are shown in the image, including the applicable designation suffixes for matched sets. If misalignment cannot be avoided between the bearing positions, face-to-face bearing arrangements are recommended. They are less sensitive to misalignment than back-to-back bearing arrangements. Combinations of tandem arrangements with back-to-back or face-to-face arrangements are usually selected to maximize the stiffness or load carrying capacity of a bearing set in a particular direction. This is the case, for example, when extended, preloaded, vertical or overhung screw drives must be supported.

Use the table below to select a bearing type that is appropriate for the load condition along with other attributes of your application.

Bearing selectcalculator

The value for the Dynamic load rating (C) and the value for Rotational speed (n) is listed by the manufacturer or the designer.

In a face-to-face arrangement, the load lines converge along the bearing axis. Axial loads acting in both directions can be accommodated, but only by one bearing or bearing set in each direction. The shorter span between effective bearing centres makes face-to-face arrangements less suitable to support moment loads compared to bearings in a back-to-back arrangement.

Bearing selectskf

The app displays CM battery status, historical data for machine vibration and internal temperature, total run-time, and detailed machine information such as vibration levels and frequency analysis. Users can also find and contact service partners through the app.

Setting up and using the battery-driven condition monitor is easy. It communicates via Bluetooth to an intuitive app and transfers data to a user-friendly dashboard on any iOS and Android device.

Simply download the intuitive, user-friendly app to enable users within 20 metres of the CM to access data via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) on their iOS or Android devices. An easy-to-use dashboard lets users review vibration data converted using fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms, compare the current operating condition with benchmark values, and determine actions to address any issues in order to prevent equipment failure.

Bearingselection Guide pdf

The Alfa Laval SX UltraPure is Alfa Laval’s rotary lobe pump specifically designed for gentle transportation of process fluids in high-purity applications in the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industries.

The L10 life is the number of revolutions or hours that 90% of identical bearings will last. (In other words, 10% of identical bearings in a given group are not expected to achieve the L10 life.)

Try different bearings by inputting their different C-values and n-values to the L10-formula (along with the values calculated for P, and p) until you reach a value that his higher than and as close as possible to the desired L10h-value you selected in step 4.1.

Alfa Laval's hygienic equipment product catalog "Close at hand" includes product leaflets, performance curves, links to animations, brochures and price lists for ordering purposes.

SKFbearingselection chart

2. Belt tension The belt between the two belt pulleys must not be loose in order for the small pulley (not in picture) to drive the big pulley efficiently. The tightness of the belt creates a tension force inside the belt which pulls down on the big pulley and the shaft that it’s connected to. When the belt is pulling the axle downwards, it creates a radial force in the bearings.

The CM condition monitor collects and analyzes data from rotating machines, recording any deviation from benchmark performance. Based on the data, the operator can make fast, accurate decisions and schedule maintenance accordingly, preventing potential problems before they occur. This maximizes uptime, increases efficiency, reduces the risk of equipment failure and lowers your total cost of ownership.

If you know the expected service life of your machine, for example 10 years, and want to avoid replacing the bearings during the machine's lifetime, you can select bearings that can be operational for 10 years = 8760 hours.

Let the Alfa Laval CM take condition monitoring to the next level using advanced data on vibration, temperature and run-time to keep track of equipment condition and ensure process continuity.

Image source: https://www.machinedesign.com/learning-resources/whats-the-difference-between/article/21831901/whats-the-difference-between-bearings

Bearing selectskf bearings

The SX is Alfa Laval’s premium rotary lobe pump designed for gentle transportation of process fluids in hygienic and ultra-clean applications in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, health and beauty, and demanding food applications.

The use of a tandem arrangement provides increased axial and radial load carrying capacity compared to a single bearing. In a tandem arrangement, the load lines are parallel so that radial and axial loads are shared. The bearing set can only accommodate axial loads acting in one direction. If axial loads act in both directions, or if combined loads are present, additional bearing(s) adjusted against the tandem arrangement must be added.

Ensuring high uptime is a first priority at Britvic’s production plants. At their plant in Rugby, Great Britain, Britvic successfully prevented pump failure, optimized asset performance and ensured co...

In a back-to-back arrangement, the load lines diverge along the bearing axis. Axial loads acting in both directions can be accommodated, but only by one bearing or bearing set in each direction. Bearings mounted back-to-back provide a relatively rigid bearing arrangement. The wide span between bearing effective centres makes this arrangement particularly well suited to support moment loads.

More than one bearing can be used at each end of an axle. If so, their arrangement should be appropriate for the load condition. There are three basic bearing arrangements:

3. Radial Impeller force As the blades of the impeller spins, they create a centrifugal force pulling on the axle, much in the same way a ball can be felt pulling on your hand with a centrifugal force when you attach it to a piece of string and spin it in a circle. When the axle is pulled in this manner, it pushes against the bearing so that a radial load is created.

The Alfa Laval CM condition monitor uses a three-axis accelerometer and internal temperature sensor to collect and store machine data. The  condition monitoring equipment activates when it senses vibration and starts the run-time counter. It then continues to monitor the tri-axial vibration and device internal temperature 24/7 at pre-set intervals determined by the user.

Monitor pumps from your iOS or Android smartphone or tablet using the free mobile app during routine plant walk-arounds. A visual LED indicator also provides visible notification of the operating status of a machine. This enables maintenance technicians to make the best use of their time while focusing on maximizing equipment uptime.

Monitor and record the vibration, relative temperature and run-time of your rotating equipment. Initially, the CM was optimized for use with Alfa Laval pumps. The condition monitoring equipment records data at preset intervals and maps trends so you can schedule maintenance based on the actual condition of your equipment. This ensures sound asset management and process continuity.

4. Axial impeller force The blades of the impeller creates a thrust on the axle making it want to go forward, much in the same way the blades on a propeller on a boat or an airplane makes the vehicle go forward. When an angled propeller blade spins, it pushes water or air behind it. Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction – so when air or water is pushed backwards, a reaction force in the opposite direction, a thrust, is created which causes the boat or airplane to move forward. Of course the industrial fan is locked down and doesn’t have wheels on it so it remains stationary, but the thrust still creates a reaction force in the form of an axial load on the bearings.

for certain thrust bearings that can only accommodate pure axial loads, such as thrust ball bearings and cylindrical and needle roller thrust bearings, provided that the load acts centrically.

Four forces (blue arrows) are acting on the bearings: 1. assembly weight (radial load) 2. belt tension (radial load) 3. impeller force (radial load) 4. impeller force (axial load)

Determine the direction of the forces that the bearing is exposed to. (The magnitude of the forces will be calculated in step 4.2)

Enabling reliable and secure remote monitoring of your equipment and systems contributes to worker safety. Remote troubleshooting also increases worker productivity and efficiency while significantly reducing maintenance costs.

The instructions on this page are intended to guide the designer through the process of selecting bearings that are appropriate in type and size for its intended purpose and load condition.

Alfa Laval's hygienic equipment combines high performance with gentle handling to preserve sensitive ingredients and keep up with food industry trends. The equipment addresses four key challenges; supplying food products to consumers at a competitive price, getting the most from raw materials, reducing waste and emissions, and delivering safe and hygienic food products.

Bearingselection calculation

Maximize plant uptime while minimizing costs with the Alfa Laval CM, a wireless vibration monitoring system that tracks the operating condition of pumps. Compact and easy to use, the CM condition monitor supports decision-making to protect valuable plant assets. A sensor measures vibration and alerts operators through a visible LED indicator on the monitor and any connected mobile device within range if preset thresholds are exceeded.

1. Assembly weight The full weight of the components in the image are held up by the two bearing assemblies. The force of the weight points perpendicularly to the axle, therefore the load acts radially on the bearings. Here’s the formula for this load:

Using the CM condition monitor with its intuitive machine learning techniques helps operators make maintenance and process shutdown decisions based on actionable information, including actual runtime, trend analysis, and time to next service.