What’s That Noise?  Tue, 10/02/2012 - 8:50am Patrick Rhodes,
Applications Engineer, Garlock  Users no longer have to settle
for one-size-fits-all solutions to protect the bearings in
valuable equipment.  Have you ever heard a high-pitched whine
from an electric motor? Have you seen a bearing fail due to
inadequate lubrication or contamination? How about a contact oil
seal that has damaged your equipment? If so, chances are that a
non-contact bearing isolator is available for your situation.
Figure 1Bearing isolators are used to retain lubrication,
exclude contamination, and extend the service life of the
equipment in which they are installed. Multiple oil seals have
long been used to protect bearings. Figure 1 depicts a typical
configuration used to prevent lubrication egress and
contamination ingress. Both functions, which require at least
two, and in some cases three oil seals, can be performed by a
single bearing isolator.  Early bearing isolators consisted of
metallic components with simple pathways to a