Grease selection

In most spindle applications with high-precision bearings, grease with a mineral base oil and lithium thickener is
suitable. These greases adhere well to the bearing surfaces and can be used in applications where temperatures
range from –30 to +110 °C. For applications with high speeds and high temperatures and where long service life is
required, the use of bearing grease based on synthetic oil, e.g. the SKF diester oil based grease LGLT 2, has
proved effective.
For angular contact thrust ball bearings in screw drive applications under most operating conditions, grease with an
ester or mineral base oil and calcium complex thickener can be used. For additional information refer to the section
Angular contact thrust ball bearings for screw drives - Lubrication.
Alternative greases may be required if any of the following conditions exist:

 operating temperatures are below +50 °C or above +100 °C

 bearing speed is very high or very low

 bearings are subjected to heavy or shock loads

 water resistance is important

Accurate grease selection comprises four steps.

1 Select the consistency grade

Greases are divided into various consistency grades according to the National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI)
scale. Greases with a high consistency, i.e. stiff greases, are assigned high NLGI grades, while those with low
consistency, i.e. soft greases, are given low NLGI grades. In rolling bearing applications, three consistency grades
are recommended from the scale. Here are some guidelines:

 The most common greases, used in normal bearing applications, have an NLGI grade of 2.

 Low consistency grade rolling bearing greases, i.e. those classified as NLGI 1 greases, are preferred for low
ambient temperatures and oscillating applications.

 NLGI 3 greases are recommended for large bearings, bearing arrangements with a vertical shaft, high ambient
temperatures or the presence of vibration.

2 Determine the required base oil viscosity

For detailed information about calculating the required base oil viscosity, refer to the section Lubrication conditions -
the viscosity ratio κ of the catalogue Rolling bearings.
Calculations can be made with the Viscosity calculator.
The graphs in this catalogue are based on the elasto-hydrodynamic theory of lubrication (EHL) with full film
conditions.
In most grease lubricated bearings there is only a minute amount of lubricant in the contact area between the rolling
elements and raceways. Therefore, a thinner oil film than predicted by EHL theories will result.
When using the graphs to determine the required base oil viscosity for grease lubricated high-precision bearings,
corrections for very low and very high viscosities are necessary. From practical experience, adjust the required
viscosity ν at 40 °C as follows:

 For ν < 20 mm2/s, multiply the viscosity by a factor of 1–2. In this low range, the viscosity of the oil is too
thin to form a sufficiently thick oil film.
 For 20 mm2/s < ν < 250 mm2/s, no correction factor is used.

 For ν > 250 mm2/s, contact the SKF application engineering service.

3 Verify the presence of EP additives

Grease with EP additives may be used if high-precision bearings are subjected to very heavy loads i.e. P > 0,15 C,
shock loads or if frequent start-up and shut down occurs during the working cycle. Lubricants with EP additives
should only be used if necessary, as some additives may have a detrimental effect on bearings e.g. certain EP
additives are not always compatible with the bearing materials. For additional information, contact the SKF
application engineering service.

4 Check additional requirements

If certain operating conditions of high importance to the application exist, the properties of the grease should
complement these conditions accordingly. The following recommendations are provided as guidelines:

 For superior water resistance, consider a grease with a calcium thickener over a lithium thickener.

 For good rust protection, select an appropriate additive.

 If there is a high vibration level, choose a grease with a high mechanical stability.

The Internet based SKF grease selection program LubeSelect can be used to select an appropriate grease.

Initial grease fill

High-precision bearings operating at high speed should be lubricated with small quantities of grease. Freshly
greased bearings should be operated at low speeds during the running-in phase, refer to the section Running-in of
grease lubricated bearings. This enables the grease to be evenly distributed within the bearing. If this running-in
phase is neglected, risk of temperature peaking can lead to premature bearing failure.
In machine tool applications that mostly run at high speeds, less than 40% of the free space in the bearings should
be filled with grease. The amount of grease will vary, depending on the application. However, keep in mind that the
larger the grease fill, the longer the running-in phase. From experience in the field, the most common grease fill is
about 10% of the free space in the bearing.
Suggested grease fills for SKF high-precision angular contact ball bearings, thrust bearings and cylindrical roller
bearings are provided in the table. The values are based on a filling grade of 10–15%. Information about the initial
grease fill for angular contact thrust ball bearings for screw drives is provided in the section Lubrication for these
bearings, and for angular contact ball bearings in the 718 (SEA) series in the section Lubrication for these bearings.
Sealed angular contact ball bearings are supplied with a standard grease type and fill, refer to the section Sealed
bearings. On request, these bearings can be delivered with alternative grease types and filling grades. For
additional information, contact the SKF application engineering service.

Grease service life and re-lubrication intervals

There are several important factors influencing grease service life, some of which are difficult to estimate. As it is
extremely complex to calculate precisely how long the grease can survive in a given application, it is better to talk of
estimated grease service life. The estimated service life of the grease drives the re-lubrication interval calculation.
Various methods can be used to calculate the re-lubrication interval for grease lubricated bearings and the following
data can assist in making the best estimate.
The diagram 1 shows the theoretical re-lubrication interval tf for high-precision bearings in various executions. The
basic conditions for which the diagram is valid are:

 an all-steel bearing
  a bearing mounted on a horizontal shaft

 a bearing operating temperature that does not exceed 70 °C

 a good quality grease with a lithium thickener

 a re-lubrication interval at the end of which 90% of the bearings are still reliably lubricated (L 10 life)

If necessary, the re-lubrication interval taken from the diagram should be adjusted using correction factors relating
to the bearing type, variant and operating conditions. The re-lubrication interval becomes:

Trelub = tf C1 C2 … Ci
The angular contact ball and thrust ball bearing curves refer to single bearings only and therefore values for
matched sets should be reduced accordingly (table). The table also provides information for adjustment according
to the preload class. When sets comprising more than four bearings are used, contact the SKF application
engineering service.
For hybrid bearings the estimated grease service life can be revised by multiplying the calculated value for the all-
steel bearing by the applicable correction factor (table). Depending on the application details, the re-lubrication
interval should be multiplied by the relevant correction factors (table). Other conditions such as the presence of
water, cutting fluids and vibration (not included here) may also affect grease service life. Machine tool spindles often
operate under variable working conditions. If the speed spectrum is known and the re-lubrication interval for each
speed is estimated, a total re-lubrication interval can be calculated from:

tftot = 100 / Σ(ai/tfi)

where

tftot = total re-lubrication interval [hours]

ai = part of the total cycle time at speed ni [%]

tfi = re-lubrication interval at speed ni [hours]

Grease quantity for Reference grease

Designation
25 to 35% filling grade quantity Gref

SKF SNFA g cm g cm

BSA 201 C BS 212 0,3-0,5 0,3-0,4 0,66 0,7

BSA 202 C BS 215 0,4-0,6 0,4-0,5 0,80 0,85

BSA 203 C BS 217 0,5-0,7 0,4-0,6 0,94 1

BSA 204 C BS 220 0,8-1,2 0,8-1,1 1,7 1,8

BSA 205 C BS 225 1,1-1,5 1-1,4 2,1 2,2

BSA 206 C BS 230 1,5-2,1 1,4-2 3,0 3,2

BSA 207 C BS 235 2-2,8 1,9-2,7 4,0 4,3

BSA 208 C BS 240 2,5-3,6 2,4-3,3 5,1 5,4

BSA 209 C BS 245 3,1-4,3 2,9-4,1 6,2 6,5

BSA 210 C BS 250 3,5-5 3,3-4,7 7,1 7,5

BSA 212 C BS 260 5,7-8 5,4-7,5 11,4 12,1

BSA 215 C BS 275 7,5-10,5 7-9,8 14,9 15,9

BSA 305 C BS 325 1,6-2,3 1,5-2,2 3,3 3,5

BSA 306 C BS 330 1,5-2 1,4-1,9 2,9 3,1

BSA 307 C BS 335 2,8-3,9 2,7-3,7 5,6 6

BSA 308 C BS 340 4,3-6,1 4,1-5,7 8,7 9,2

BSD 2047 C BS 20/47 1-1,3 0,9-1,3 1,9 2

BSD 2562 C BS 25/62 1,4-1,9 1,3-1,8 2,8 2,9

BSD 3062 C BS 30/62 1,4-1,9 1,3-1,8 2,8 2,9

BSD 3572 C BS 35/72 1,7-2,4 1,6-2,2 3,4 3,6

BSD 4072 C BS 40/72 1,7-2,4 1,6-2,2 3,4 3,6

BSD 4090 C BS 40/90 3,5-4,9 3,3-4,6 7,1 7,5

BSD 4575 C BS 45/75 1,8-2,6 1,7-2,4 3,7 3,9

BSD 45100 C BS 45/100 4-5,6 3,8-5,3 8,0 8,5

BSD 50100 C BS 50/100 4,4-6,2 4,1-5,8 8,8 9,3

BSD 55100 C BS 55/100 4,4-6,2 4,1-5,8 8,8 9,3

BSD 55120 C BS 55/120 5,1-7,1 4,8-6,7 10,2 10,8

BSD 60120 C BS 60/120 5,1-7,1 4,8-6,7 10,2 10,8