Component
Rotating seals contain oil/air; bearings carry rotor/shaft loads. The two dominant wear items in any compressor.
Operating principle
Seals (lip, mechanical, labyrinth) contain oil and separate the compression chamber from atmosphere/bearings. Bearings (rolling element or sleeve) support shafts and rotors, carrying radial and axial loads.
Components
- Lip/shaft seals
- Mechanical (face) seals
- Rolling-element bearings
- Sleeve/journal bearings
- Labyrinth seals (oil-free)
Common issues
- Oil leak → lip-seal wear, shaft-sleeve grooving
- Bearing failure → vibration, heat, noise; lube contamination or missed PM
- Seal failure (oil-free) → contamination of process
- Premature failure → misalignment, over-greasing
Maintenance
- Lube per OEM — over-greasing overheats bearings
- Vibration trend catches bearing faults early
- Replace shaft sleeves with seals if grooved
- Oil analysis: metals trend bearing/seal wear
Field tips
- Vibration is the #1 early bearing-health indicator
- Over-greasing is as bad as under-greasing — follow OEM volume
- Oil-sample metals (Cu, Pb, Sn) = bearing wear; Si = dirt ingress