ESR Technology keep the wheels of British industry turning

​ESR Technology has world renowned experts within the National Centre of Tribology (NCT) working on many problems relating to friction, wear and lubrication. 

One of the most influential aspects of tribology lies in the study of rolling element bearings.  Many engineers have experience working with bearings, whether it is to support the extremely large forces generated by a 7MW wind turbine, or, to react thrust loading of a cornering vehicle.  Often bearings are also required for operation in specific working environments such as submarine periscopes or satellite solar arrays; whatever the application bearings are an important part of mechanical design.  Bearing size can also vary from cruise ship Azipod bearings 1 metre in diameter, down to specialised 1 mm diameter lead coated satellite bearings. 

The forensic engineering team at ESR performs hundreds of bearing examinations every year, from condition assessments to root cause analysis of catastrophic failures; our aim is to understand the bearing operating parameters and optimise the bearing life.  Every bearing tells a story and our engineers at ESR have the ability to read the evidence and reveal the events that have occurred throughout the components operational lifespan.

Bearing design is a complex science and research and development is still an important part of the industry.  Recent focus however is on maximisation of operating life due to an increased interest in sustainability. 

A safety case using statistical validation techniques can be produced to determine the risk of continued operation beyond design life.  This is a powerful tool which has resulted in vast savings to many operators through validation of increased overhaul intervals and though recommendations that lead to a reduced number of failures.

At ESR Technology, we understand that our customer’s priority is to reduce expensive, unplanned downtime and maintenance due to bearing failures, and our aim is to provide the design expertise, root cause failure analysis and statistical approaches that make this possible.

For more information contact Rory Taylor (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) on 01925 843459.