Although Cobra Solid Lubricant™ is beneficial in so many applications that do not involve high temperatures (freezer conveyors, free spinning, drip free, maintenance free, vacuum, food grade, etc.) high temperature applications are the most frequently seen (it’s just the nature of industry from metal manufacturing, metals forming, tempering, glass manufacturing, paint curing, laminating, drying, etc.) and can be the easiest to show the benefits of CSL. To be sure your expectations of what CSL can accomplish are, some precautions should be considered:
- Bearing steel loses load bearing capacity as temperatures go above 300°F. This characteristic of steel will not change just because of CSL.
- Service life of a bearing is affected by temperature, load, and speed as well as the type of lubricant and other application factors.
- A large differential in temperature between the inner and outer races (i.e. high temperature transmitted through the shaft as on a furnace with the bearings mounted on the outside of the furnace wall) can require larger internal clearance (C4 +) than the surrounding temperature might indicate.
- Shafts that are heated will grow in length and circumference as temperature increases. This growth (or expansion) must be accounted for in order to prevent bearing failure. Some applications will simply not use set screws on one side of the shaft, while others will use a key-way to allow the shaft to move axially through the bore. In either case, the bearing may be affected by the growth, in circumference, of the shaft or the development of corrosion between the shaft and bore preventing the desired affect. When possible, we recommend expansion bearings on one side (and of course proper installation).