ASTM_F_2489_-_06_2013.pdf

Designation:F248906(Reapproved 2013)Standard Guide forInstrument and Precision Bearing LubricantsPart 2Greases1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F2489;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide is a tool to aid in the choice of lubricatinggrease for precision rolling element bearing applications.Therecommendations in this guide are not intended for generalpurpose bearing applications There are two areas where thisguide should have the greatest impact:(1)when lubricatinggrease is being chosen for a new bearing application and(2)when grease for a bearing has to be replaced because theoriginal grease specified for the bearing can no longer beobtained.The Report(see Section 5)contains a series of testson a wide variety of greases commonly used in bearingapplications to allow comparisons of those properties of thegrease that the committee thought to be most important whenmaking a choice of lubricating grease.Each test was performedby the same laboratory.This guide contains a listing of theproperties of greases by base oil type,that is,ester,perfluo-ropolyether(PFPE),polyalphaolefin(PAO),and so forth.Thisorganization is necessary since the operational requirements ina particular bearing application may limit the choice of greaseto a particular base oil type and thickener due to its temperaturestability,viscosity index or temperature-vapor pressurecharacteristics,etc.The guide provides data to assist the user inselecting replacement greases for those greases tested that areno longer available.The guide also includes a glossary of termsused in describing/discussing the lubrication of precision andinstrument bearings.1.2 The lubricating greases presented in this guide arecommonly used in precision rolling element bearings(PREB).These greases were selected for the testing based on the greasesurvey obtained from DoD,OEM and grease manufactures andevaluated according to the test protocol that was designed bySubcommittee F34 on Tribology.This test protocol covers theessential requirements identified for precision bearing greases.The performance requirements of these greases are veryunique.They are dictated by the performance expectations ofprecision bearings including high speed,low noise,extendedlife,and no contamination of surrounding components by thebearings lubricant system.To increase the reliability of testdata,all tests were performed by a DoD laboratory and threeindependent testing laboratories.There were no grease manu-facturers data imported except for base oil viscosity.Most oftests were performed by U.S.Army TankAutomotiveResearch,Development and Engineering Center(TARDEC)and three independent laboratories,and the results were moni-tored by the Naval Research Laboratory(NRL).This continu-ity of testing should form a solid basis for comparing theproperties of the multitude of lubricating greases tested byavoiding some of the variability introduced when greases aretested by different laboratories using different or even the“same”procedures.Additional test data will be considered forinclusion,provided the defined protocol is followed and thetests are performed by independent laboratories.1.3 This study was a part of DoD Aging Aircraft Replace-ment Program and supported by Defense Logistic Agent(DLA)and Defense Supply Center Richmond(DSCR).21.4 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas standard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:3D217 Test Methods for Cone Penetration of LubricatingGreaseD972 Test Method for Evaporation Loss of LubricatingGreases and Oils1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F34 on RollingElement BearingsCurrent edition approved Sept.15,2013.Published January 2014.Originallyapproved in 2006.Last previous edition approved in 2006 as F248906.DOI:10.1520/F2489-06R13.2Rhee,In-Sik,“Precision Bearing Grease Selection Guide,”U.S.Army TARDECTechnical Report No.15688,Defense Technical Information Center,8725 John.J.Kingman Rd.,Suite 0944,Ft.Belvoir,VA 220606218.3For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 D1264 Test Method for Determining the Water Wa