Extend gearbox life and reduce maintenance delays
January 25th 2007

Castrol has launched a gear oil that is highly effective for leaking gearboxes in metals operations, particularly where heavy-duty overhead cranes are used.

Castrol Molub-Alloy 969 is a leak-resistant gear compound specifically designed for equipment that is prone to leaks in oil seals and casing flange joints due to flexing caused by extreme loads.

Such leaks are potentially very serious in overhead and bridge cranes, and can lead to a number of problems. Spills landing on machinery can cause environmental problems, oil spilling onto the steel strip can lead to quality issues from staining, and oil spills on floors can create health and safety (H&S) concerns if operator safety is affected.

Changing seals can result in hours of downtime and ignoring the problem can result in gearbox failure. Maintenance teams often respond either by increasing oil top-ups to ensure that gearbox lubrication is maintained; or possibly substituting the oil for a 00-grade grease.

The first approach may provide adequate gearbox lubrication, but it doesn’t address the problem of leaks or spills and overall, can be costly to maintain. The second is even more of a risk because greases can channel and are not very efficient at dissipating heat away from meshing gears and gear cases. It also eliminates the opportunity to perform vital wear debris analysis on a 00-grade grease, which could mean that potential equipment problems are not detected, leading to gearbox failure or excessive wear.

Castrol Molub-Alloy 969 leak resistant gear compound offers a proven alternative that not only solves the problem but also reduces the total cost of gearbox ownership.

In situations where repairs and seal changes are either very difficult or very costly to perform, it helps to stop leaks in gear cases and eliminates the cause of the leakage.

Castrol Molub-Alloy 969 is a high performance gear oil containing fibres that are fine enough to pass through bearing clearances and form a mat-like matrix that bridges leak-points and helps to prevent and control spills. As well as its remarkable facility to control leaks, Castrol it also lasts up to four times longer than conventional products, delivers superior performance under heavy loads, provides enhanced gear protection, and can significantly extend the operational life of gearboxes.

Castrol Molub-Alloy 969 is primarily designed for use in gearboxes experiencing high gear oil top-ups due to worn shaft seals or other minor causes of leakage. It will not prevent leakage due to gross mechanical defects such as worn bearings and damaged shafts with excessive play, that result in high lubricant top-up volumes. It is also not suitable for use in gearboxes that include a central lubricating system.

Castrol Molub-Alloy 969 is used in gearboxes and other heavy duty equipment in steel mills throughout Europe.

For further information, just  click here.

More articles from Castrol (UK) Ltd: