In industrial production, reducers can not only reduce input speed and increase output torque, but also provide precise speed control and other important functions, making them almost ubiquitous in the industrial field. However, in long-term and frequent use, the gearbox may experience oil leakage problems. If the oil leakage is not dealt with in a timely manner, it can lead to equipment failure, performance degradation, and even damage.

In general, common types of reducers such as gear reducers, worm gear reducers, planetary gear reducers, etc. have different probabilities of oil leakage, but the common causes and solutions for oil leakage in reducers are generally similar.

Common oil leakage phenomena and main causes of reducers

The three common oil leakage phenomena in reducers are oil seal leakage, seal cover popping out, and air vent leakage. Generally speaking, these three types of oil leakage phenomena correspond to different causes of oil leakage.

The main reasons for oil seal leakage include: improper oil seal assembly process, improper shaft processing technology, insufficient shaft hardness, improper selection of shaft tolerances, and foreign objects entering the oil seal lip.

The main reasons for the oil leakage caused by the popping of the sealing cover include: excessive pressure inside the reducer and improper selection of the sealing cover hole tolerance.

The main reasons for oil leakage in ventilators are: unreasonable structure of ventilators, improper selection of ventilator positions; Refueling exceeds the prescribed upper limit too much.

How to deal with oil leakage phenomenon

Overall, the main measures to prevent oil leakage in gearboxes are to improve assembly processes, machining processes, and optimize local structures.

Optimize the assembly process of oil seals

The oil leakage caused by improper oil seal assembly process is mainly due to damage to the oil seal lip during assembly, skewed oil seal, and dry friction of the lip during operation. In the process of assembling oil seals, if simple fixtures are used, or even if the oil seal is directly installed without fixtures, the lip of the oil seal is easily damaged, and the damage will gradually expand during future operation, causing oil leakage; Meanwhile, if the oil seal is installed askew, the lip of the oil seal will not function properly, resulting in lubricant leakage.

Optimizing the oil seal assembly process mainly involves adjusting the fitting relationship between the pressure sleeve, oil seal, fixed sleeve, and hollow shaft, using T-shaped equipment to ensure good consistency in the position of the oil seal.

Improve the shaft of the gearbox

The main reasons for oil leakage in the reducer due to shaft factors are improper machining processes, insufficient hardness of the shaft, and improper selection of shaft tolerances.

The machining methods for shafts include precision grinding, diamond sandpaper polishing, lathe precision machining, ultra precision machining, and rolling finishing. Among them, precision grinding is the most suitable machining method. The hardness of the contact part between the shaft and the oil seal lip should be maintained between 50-60HRC; The tolerance of the shaft is generally selected between d9 and h9.

Prevent foreign objects from entering the lip of the oil seal

The structure mainly adopts high-speed shaft oil seal protection measures to prevent foreign objects from entering the oil seal lip. In addition, after long-term operation and use, the bottom of the reducer is prone to particle impurities. Once these foreign objects enter the oil seal lip, they will accelerate the wear of the oil seal lip and shaft, causing leakage. For the particle impurities inside the reducer, the improved design is to install magnetic steel around the oil seal, which is fixed on the oil drain plug to adsorb the metal impurities inside the reducer.

Prevent the sealing cover from popping out

The main reason for the oil leakage caused by the popping of the sealing cover is the excessive internal pressure of the reducer and the improper selection of the tolerance of the sealing cover hole. It is recommended to select the tolerance of the sealing cover hole according to the range proposed by the sealing cover manufacturer.

The internal pressure of the gearbox is the main reason for the sealing cover to pop out. The internal pressure is usually the pressure generated by the height of the lubricating oil and the heating of the gearbox, as well as the pressure generated by the poor exhaust of the ventilator. Generally speaking, the reason for poor exhaust of the ventilator can be solved by improving the structure of the ventilator, and the most effective way to solve the problem of the sealing cover popping out is to improve the sealing cover's anti popping ability.