Selecting a Plummer Block housing

When selecting a Plummer block housing, many factors should be considered. The selection process depends not only on the bearing type and size but also on the housing’s ability to safely accommodate the magnitude and characteristics of all applied loads. Besides this, important considerations are mounting, maintenance, sealing options, and bearing lubricant requirements.

Plummer block housing is available in many sizes, and generally fall into five standard categories:

1. Split Plummer (or pillow) block housings,

2. Non-split Plummer block housings,

3. Flanged housings,

4. Take-up housings and two-bearing housings.

These products can be designed to meet specific duty requirements, such as load, speed, and operating environmental conditions.

Plummer block bearing housings are generally supplied as standalone devices, requiring customers to specify all additional components separately. As this can be a time-consuming task, manufacturers offer complete pre-assembled bearing units or kits, including the housing, bearing, seals, sensors, and locating rings necessary to create a working bearing system.

Select the final Plummer block housing variant Once housing has been selected, be sure that the housing and available sealing solutions will accommodate the loads, shaft-bearing combination, lubrication method, and operating conditions, such as type and level of contaminants. Consider all housing variants, including those with a non-standard seat tolerance or special seals.

Sealing solutions:

Appropriate housing seal selection will depend upon the operating conditions. These seals are available in a variety of designs, the most common being radial shaft seals. However, it may be necessary for extraordinarily contaminated or wet environments to use an engineered seal comprising three- or even four-stage labyrinths combined with an internal V-ring for additional sealing effect and efficient grease purging.

The performance of a sealing arrangement is vital to the lubricant’s cleanliness and the service life of the bearings. The type of seal should be selected based on the lubricant type and operating speed, but contamination and misalignment levels should also be considered.

There is a wide assortment of Plummer block housing seals. Some housings can accommodate different seals types, while other housings are designed for one specific sealing solution.

We refer to information on sealing solutions for specific housings or roller bearing units, or to the relevant product sections. The properties, application conditions, and suitability of each sealing solution are also provided in the relevant product chapter.

Converting circumferential to rotational speeds To convert the circumferential speed limit of a sealing solution to the equivalent rotational speed,

Plummer Block Housing Materials

Grey cast iron, spheroidal graphite cast iron, and cast steel are the most common construction materials for bearing housings. Grey cast iron is most commonly used and sufficient for most applications, offering a combination of high strength, good damping, and good thermal conductivity. Spheroidal graphite cast iron is more ductile and therefore provides a higher degree of strength and toughness, capable of handling loads almost twice as heavy as those for grey cast iron. Where there is the threat of corrosion, bearing housings can be supplied in composite materials, in stainless steel or coated cast iron and cast steels.

Materials of parts and accessories of Plummer block housing

Once a bearing installation is up and running, the most vital consideration is lubrication. Grease is the most widely used lubricant for rolling bearings and should be matched to meet the application and operating conditions’ specific demands.

Selecting a Plummer block housing PDF