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TECHNICAL TRAINING

GREASING 101 Continued

Before we slide into this topic more, there are safety factors
to consider. As with any task, proper LOTO must be in place.
A manual hand operated grease gun can produce 3,000 to
10,000 psi. An air operated grease gun can generate 750 to
3000 psi of pressure. Caution and care need to be taken when
handling these tools. Be conscious of the risk of over pressur-
ization and do not force the lever arm if there is strong back
pressure. Grease points may be in a location that require fall
protection, extra PPE may be needed to complete the job.
Once the job begins it’s inevitable that gloves and other gear
will get saturated with grease. Extra caution must be taken
when going up and down ladders or handholds with greasy gloves.

The function of grease is to remain in contact with and lubricate moving surfaces without leaking out un-
der the force of gravity, centrifugal action or being squeezed out under pressure. Its major practical re-
quirement is that it retains its properties under shear forces at all temperatures it experiences during use.
That’s a mouthful. One of the key words is lubricate. Lubrication is a process which aims at reducing
friction between two moving pieces. Lubrication also controls friction and wear by the introduction of a
friction-reducing film between moving surfaces in contact. The primary functions of a lubricant are to:
Reduce friction, prevent wear, protect the equipment from corrosion, and control temperature (dissipate
heat). Another key word here is friction. Friction is the resistance that one surface or object encounters
when moving over another. How do we control friction? Pretty simple answer, grease.

At Loram, everything that needs to be greased has a simple fitting. I’ve heard it referred to as a grease
fitting, grease nipple, or zerk fitting. Fun fact: Why is it called a zerk fitting? Well back in 1929 Oscar
Zerk patented this fitting, hence his name is used to describe the fitting. This simple fitting is a screw-on
metal valve cap featuring a small aperture in the top, with a slim channel behind the opening. This channel
runs directly to the area where the grease is needed. The zerk fitting functions like a check valve that
opens under pressure allowing the grease to pass through its channel and be pushed into the voids of the
bearing or bushing.

Volume 2 : Issue 11 Page 20