A system for lubricating a pivot interface defined between adjacent components of a work vehicle may include a shaft and a shaft housing configured to receive an axial portion of the shaft such that the shaft housing is configured to rotate relative to the shaft. The system may also include an end cap installed relative to an end of the shaft housing and a sealing device configured to seal a radial gap defined between the shaft housing and the shaft at a seal location when a fluid pressure within the housing is below the seal's cracking pressure. Additionally, when the fluid pressure within the housing exceeds the cracking pressure, the sealing device may be configured to transition to an unsealed state to allow lubricant contained within the housing to flow axially between the sealing device and the shaft and be subsequently purged from the housing.

There is provided a bearing lubrication application control system which comprises a digital controller device operably coupled to a lubrication meter and a computer readable medium reader. As such, during lubrication application, the digital controller device is configured for reading bearing data from bearing computer readable media associated with each bearing and also recording an applied lubrication volume for each of the bearings. As such, for a subsequent lubrication application, the digital controller device is configured for calculating a dynamic lubrication schedule for each of the bearings wherein the schedule comprises at least an appropriate lubrication volume to be applied calculated at least according to the stored apply lubrication volume for each of the plurality of bearings.

An assembly providing a bearing, a lubricant and a contamination sensor for determining a level of contamination in the lubricant. The sensor includes an EM wave generator for generating an EM signal, and an EM sensing element arranged in contact with the lubricant. The EM sensing element receives the generated EM signal and transmits an output signal whose properties are responsive to real and imaginary parts of a complex relative permittivity of the lubricant. The output signal is received by an EM measuring device that measures first and second parameters of the output signal, which are respectively representative of the real and imaginary parts of the complex relative permittivity. The EM measuring device determines a level of water contamination in the lubricant, based on the measured first parameter alone and determines a level of metal particle contamination in the grease, based on the measured first and second parameters.

A rolling bearing arrangement having a first and a second raceway element, and rolling bodies being arranged between the two raceway elements so that the two raceway elements are rotatable against each other in the manner of a rolling bearing, a space between the raceway elements in which the rolling bodies are rolling off comprising a lubricating grease, at least one sensor element for sensing temperature, at a specific point of the rolling bearing, particularly in the space, and for sensing speed of the rolling bearing and a unit receiving the sensed temperature and speed, calculating from the profiles of the sensed temperature over time and from the speed over time via a calculated energy imposed on the grease a used and/or remaining period of the grease life-time.

A retainer is rotationally driven about a axis of a ball bearing, and convex areas having pockets provided therein along a ball pitch circle of the retainer and concave areas between adjacent pockets is detected by a sensor. Grease is discharged according to phases of the convex areas and concave areas in the rotationally driven retainer from a dispenser having grease discharge ports arranged to face an annular space.

A bearing lubrication system includes a lubricant distributor configured to perform a lubrication operation by moving lubricant toward an interior of a housing of a bearing, at least one sensor configured to measure at least one condition of the bearing and to produce a signal indicative of the at least one measured condition and a controller configured to produce a transient detection signal, a signal indicative of a second derivative of the measurement signal, for example, and to determine whether an absolute value of the transient detection signal exceeds a threshold value during a given time period after the lubrication operation and to output a failure signal indicative of a lubrication failure in response to a determination that the absolute value of the transient detection signal does not exceed the threshold value during the given time period. Also a method of operating a bearing lubrication system.

A wind turbine has a bearing housing, a rolling element bearing within the bearing housing and a space within the bearing housing for containing grease for lubricating the rolling element bearing. A shaft is rotatably supported by the rolling element bearing. A pressure sensor in fluid communication with the space measures the pressure of grease in the space within the bearing housing.

A retainer is rotationally driven about a axis of a ball bearing, and convex areas having pockets provided therein along a ball pitch circle of the retainer and concave areas between adjacent pockets is detected by a sensor. Grease is discharged according to phases of the convex areas and concave areas in the rotationally driven retainer from a dispenser having grease discharge ports arranged to face an annular space.

A cover comprises a substrate and a grease lid. The substrate comprises a main body comprising a branched grease pathway, a locating side comprising a grease supply port, and a lubricating side comprising a plurality of grease ports. The grease lid constrains the branched grease pathway and is configured so that when grease enters the locating side grease supply port, the grease traverses the branched grease pathway and exits the grease ports.

A bearing lubricator for lubricating a plurality of device bearings in a device includes a solitary monitored bearing and at least one unmonitored bearing. The bearing lubricator includes a reservoir configured to contain lubricant, a plurality of conduits connecting the reservoir to the plurality of bearing, and a mechanism connected to the reservoir for advancing the lubricant from the reservoir to the plurality of device bearings when actuated. The bearing lubricator further includes a solitary sensor for sensing a variable of the monitored bearing and a controller. The controller stores a triggering value of the variable of the monitored bearing. The mechanism advances a substantially identical quantity of the lubricant from the reservoir to each of the plurality of bearings when a signal indicative of the variable is advanced to the controller and when that signal indicates the triggering value of the variable has been met.