Oil/Air Lubrication

Using the oil/air lubricating method, a very small amount of oil is discharged intermittently by a constant-quantity piston into a pipe carrying a constant flow of compressed air. The oil flows along the wall of the pipe and approaches a constant flow rate.

The major advantages of oil/air lubrication are:

1. It is suitable for high speeds because the minimum necessary amount of oil is supplied and less heat is therefore generated.
2. Since the minimum amount of oil is fed continuously, bearing temperature remains stable. Also, because of the small amount of oil, there is almost no contamination of the bearing surroundings.
3. Since only fresh oil is fed to the bearings, oil deterioration need not be considered.
4. Since compressed air is always fed to the bearings, the internal pressure is high. As a result, dust, cutting fluid and other contaminants cannot enter.

For these reasons, this method is used in the main spindles of machine tools and other high speed applications.

• Purposes of Lubrication
• Comparison of Grease and Oil Lubrication
• Grease Quantity
• Grease Replenishing Interval
• Grease Life of Sealed Ball Bearings
• Lubricating Greases
• Consistency
• Selection of Oil Lubricants
• Oil Lubrication Methods
  • Oil Bath Lubrication
  • Drip Feed Lubrication
  • Splash Lubrication
  • Circulating Lubrication
  • Jet Lubrication
  • Oil Mist Lubrication
  • Oil/Air Lubrication
• Bearing Types and Proper Viscosity of Lubricating Oils
• Oil Replacement Intervals