Bearings are crucial for industrial centrifugal fans, supporting the fan shaft and minimizing friction. Proper bearing selection ensures efficiency, longevity, and reliability in high-performance ventilation systems.

The Role of Bearings in Centrifugal Fans

Bearings hold the shaft in place as a fan rotates. In overhung applications, they are placed in close proximity to the wheel, placed together on the drive side of the fan housing, supporting the wheel mounted on the end of the shaft. In center-hung applications, one bearing is placed on the drive side and the other is placed on the inlet side of the fan as the wheel rotates on the shaft between the bearings.

How to Repair a Fan Bearing After Failure

Fan bearing failure is quite avoidable with appropriate greasing, maintenance, monitoring, and end-of-L10-life replacement. Still, bearing failure is the number one issue we get calls about. And on top of that, the number one reason for bearing failures is the lack of lubrication. Because it’s so common, we want to make sure you know how to repair a fan bearing after failure.

Common Types of Fan Bearings Explained

No matter what kind of centrifugal fan you have, you can be sure that it has bearings in its connection to the motor. The bearings enable movement in this heavy-duty industrial machinery. There are two configurations and three common types of fan bearings, which we will outline below.

Adding vibration monitoring can lead to extended bearing life, and ensure your bearings reach their L10 potential. Vibration velocity measures in inches per second (IPS) how the equipment in question is being fatigued from vibration, ultimately influencing its longevity. The standard IOM (Installation, Operations, and Maintenance) manual recommends keeping vibrations under .124 inches per second for industrial fans operating in the installed state.