Split bearings cut conveyor maintenance downtime at South African iron ore mine

Last Updated 3 hours ago by Kenya Engineer

A South African iron ore mine in the Northern Cape has reduced conveyor maintenance downtime after replacing conventional bearings with SKF Cooper split cylindrical roller bearings, according to SKF South Africa.

The mine had experienced recurring bearing failures on its conveyor systems, with replacements proving particularly disruptive because of limited access to the pulley bearings. Conventional replacement procedures required extended maintenance interventions, contributing to production losses and increasing the cost and safety risks associated with conveyor maintenance.

SKF South Africa Key Account Manager Duncan Mngomezulu said the mine needed a solution that could improve bearing reliability while making maintenance faster and safer.

“These stoppages translated into costly production losses for the mine,” Mngomezulu said. “At the same time, there was also mounting pressure to reduce maintenance costs and improve worker safety.”

Following a site assessment, SKF identified opportunities to convert existing bearing arrangements to split-bearing configurations. The company subsequently supplied its Cooper 03 Series split cylindrical roller bearings for the conveyor application.

The principal advantage of a split bearing is its ability to be installed or replaced without requiring the shaft and associated components to be completely dismantled. This can be particularly valuable on conveyor pulleys and other equipment where access is restricted and conventional bearing replacement can involve significant disassembly.

According to SKF, the Cooper split design allows maintenance teams to replace bearings on site with less disruption to shaft alignment. The approach can eliminate the need to remove couplings or cantilevered drives in some applications, reducing the amount of equipment that has to be dismantled before a bearing can be replaced.

SKF says this can significantly shorten maintenance interventions, with the company reporting potential mean time to repair (MTTR) reductions of up to 70% in suitable applications.

For mining operations, the reduction in maintenance time has a direct relationship with equipment availability. Conveyor systems are critical to the movement of ore, meaning an extended bearing replacement can interrupt material handling and affect production beyond the individual component being repaired.

The Northern Cape application also highlights the importance of maintainability in harsh operating environments. Iron ore mining exposes mechanical equipment to demanding conditions, including dust, heavy loads and continuous operation. Bearing failures can therefore have consequences beyond the cost of the replacement component itself.

SKF said the Cooper bearings are designed for applications requiring high reliability and long service life and can be used across industries including mining, mineral processing, metals, cement, power generation, pulp and paper and material handling.

Applications include conveyor pulleys, bucket elevators, mixers, agitators and other rotating equipment where access for conventional bearing replacement can be difficult.

The company also points to safety as an important benefit of the split-bearing configuration. Reducing the amount of dismantling and realignment required during maintenance can limit the duration and complexity of work carried out around conveyor equipment.

SKF South Africa worked with SKF Cooper’s global engineering and application teams to assess the mine’s existing equipment and determine where conversion to split bearings was technically feasible.

The project illustrates a broader engineering challenge in mining: improving equipment reliability does not necessarily depend only on selecting components with longer service lives. Designing for maintainability can also have a significant effect on the availability, operating cost and safety of critical equipment.

For conveyor operators, the ability to replace a bearing without extensive dismantling can reduce the time required to return equipment to service, while also lowering the labour and associated maintenance costs involved in major interventions.

SKF said the Northern Cape installation has delivered improved maintainability and reliability for the mine’s conveyor systems, with the customer expected to benefit from reduced downtime and lower total cost of ownership.

The company did not disclose the name of the mine or specific production and maintenance savings generated by the installation.