How to Prevent Bearing Rust

Bearing Rust Reason:

Bearing rust has relationship to the material and use environment.
The bearing steel itself contains carbon and will react with water vapor.
If we want to prevent the bearing from rusting, we must do a good job of anti-rust treatment or choose non-steel bearings.

Metal products are prone to rust after oxidation, and stainless steel bearings are no exception.
There are many factors that affect its rust: such as the chemical composition and structure of the metal material itself; the surface finish (corrosion of the battery with poor oxygen concentration); the composition and pH value of the solution in contact with the metal surface; and many factors such as the environment in which it is located.
Above are the direct factors that make the bearing rusty.

In addition, when we use the bearing, do not directly touch objects with your hands, because when sweat contacts the bearing, it will form a layer of sweat film on the bearing surface, which will cause electrochemical effects on the bearing and corrode the bearing.

Will Bearings Made of GCr15 Rust in an Outdoor Environment?

Yes, and it will rust very much like ordinary steel. The Cr content of Gcr15 steel is too small.
The Cr content of GCr15 is only about 1.5% (The value behind the bearing steel is the Cr content, and the unit is one thousandth).
If the Cr content is close to the 13% boundary, the anti-rust effect will be better.
For example, Cr12 (containing about 12% Cr) steel will basically not rust.

Cr12 steel

Methods to Prevent Bearing Rust

1. Surface cleaning method:

Common surface cleaning methods are solvent cleaning method, chemical treatment cleaning method and mechanical cleaning method.
When the surface is dry and clean, it can be dried with filtered dry compressed air, or dried with a dryer at 120~170℃, or dried with clean gauze.

2. Method of applying anti-rust oil

(1) Soaking method:

Some small bearings are immersed in anti-rust grease to make the surface adhere to a layer of anti-rust oil/grease. The thickness of the oil film can be achieved by controlling the temperature or viscosity of the anti-rust grease.

(2) Brushing method:

This method is suitable for large bearings that are not suitable for immersion or spraying. When brushing, it is necessary to pay attention not to accumulate, but also to prevent leakage.

(3) Spray method:

Some large bearings cannot be oiled by immersion method. Generally, use filtered compressed air with a pressure of about 0.7Mpa for spraying in a clean air place.