What are the reasons for oil leakage in planetary gear reducers?

What are the reasons for oil leakage in planetary gear reducers?
Planetary gear reducers may experience oil leakage during use; When oil leakage occurs, it will not only affect the normal operation of the equipment, but also cause insufficient lubricating oil, making it difficult for the gears and bearings of the planetary gear reducer to receive good lubrication. In severe cases, it may lead to erosive damage to the gears and bearings.

So, what are the reasons for oil leakage in planetary gear reducers?

In some cases, unreasonable design or poor manufacturing process of planetary gear reducers may lead to oil leakage faults; The unreasonable design of planetary gear reducers is mainly manifested in the lack of oil return grooves on the housing, where lubricating oil accumulates at the end cover, joint surface, and shaft seal, and the pressure difference causes leakage from the clearance position to the outside;

The gearbox is not equipped with a ventilation cover, so it cannot be evenly pressurized, which will cause the pressure inside the chassis to continue to rise, ultimately leading to oil leakage; The material used for the inspection hole cover plate is too thin, which is prone to deformation after installing the bolt, resulting in uneven joint surfaces and ultimately leading to oil leakage at the contact gap.

During the installation process of planetary gear reducers, if the seals are not installed correctly or the fasteners are not tightened to the specified torque, it may also cause oil leakage faults.

Blockage of the ventilator leads to excessive internal pressure
The working environment of planetary gear reducers can also have a significant impact on their operation. For example, rapid changes in ambient temperature can cause temperature differences between the inside and outside of planetary gear reducers, leading to thermal expansion and contraction of metal components and sealing materials, which in turn can damage the sealing effect and ultimately result in oil leakage faults.

Sometimes, due to environmental limitations, planetary gear reducers may experience blockages in the ventilation system or poor ventilation. Once these problems occur, it can cause gas to be generated inside the reducer due to operation, which cannot be discharged normally. This can lead to a rapid increase in temperature inside the gearbox, greatly increasing the internal air pressure. Under the pressure, lubricating oil inside the gearbox may leak and overflow from the gaps of the equipment.

Improper processing technology and low installation accuracy
The precision requirements for machining and installation of planetary gear reducers are relatively high. Generally speaking, when the reducer is started, it needs to bear a huge dynamic load. If the installation precision of the equipment does not meet the relevant standard requirements, it may cause the bolts of the reducer base to loosen, leading to wear of the sealing rings at the high and low speed shaft holes of the reducer and increased vibration of the machine body, thereby causing lubricating oil leakage.

Insufficient precision grinding of the shaft can also lead to oil leakage in the gearbox. This situation is generally due to the roughness of the contact area between the shaft and the oil seal, as well as the insufficient concentricity of the end cover processing, which leads to the phenomenon of the oil seal not being concentric with the shaft during the operation of the gearbox. After the machine body starts running, the oil seal will be enlarged. In this case, if the precision of the end cover processing is not enough, the liquid sealant application is not enough, or the roughness of the box fitting surface is not enough, it may cause oil leakage in the gearbox.

The oil level is too high and the sealing components are aging

When adding lubricating oil to planetary gear reducers, it is necessary to add an appropriate amount of lubricating oil. If the lubricating oil added exceeds the recommended range, the oil in the oil pool will be violently stirred when the reducer is running. Sometimes, the lubricating oil will splash everywhere in the machine, and even a large amount of lubricating oil will accumulate in the shaft seal, joint surface and other parts, or be thrown out during operation, resulting in lubricating oil leakage failure.

The sealing components such as sealing rings and O-rings of planetary gearboxes may age, deform, or break due to long-term use, which can also cause lubricant leakage.