Daily Maintenance of Wear Parts: Key Considerations

Wear parts are components in equipment that are prone to failure due to long-term friction, pressure, temperature changes, or environmental influences (e.g., bearings, seals, filters, brake pads). Their daily maintenance directly determines the equipment’s operational efficiency, service life, and safety. Daily maintenance should center on three core principles—preventing deterioration, identifying hidden risks promptly, and standardizing operations—and develop targeted plans based on the characteristics of different wear parts. Specific considerations can be broken down into the following 5 key dimensions:

I. Core Principle: "Identify First, Maintain Later" to Avoid Blind Operations

The types of wear parts vary significantly across different equipment (e.g., wear parts for vehicles include brake pads and oil filters; those for industrial machinery include drive belts and bearings; and those for home appliances include gaskets and filters). Before maintenance, it is essential to clarify the type, installation location, working principle, and failure mode of the wear parts to avoid incorrect or missed maintenance.

Reference Basis: Prioritize consulting the equipment’s User Manual, which clearly lists the "wear parts inventory" and recommended maintenance intervals (e.g., "Clean the air filter every 500 hours and replace it every 2.000 hours").

Common Categories of Wear Parts:

Friction-based: Bearings, brake pads, clutch discs, drive belts.

Filtration-based: Air filters, oil filters, hydraulic oil filters, water purifier filters.

Sealing-based: O-rings, oil seals, gaskets, sealing rings.

Consumable-based: Spark plugs, carbon brushes, batteries, light bulbs.

II. Basic Maintenance: Master the Three Core Actions of "Cleaning, Lubrication, and Fastening"

"Cleaning, lubrication, and fastening" are the "fundamentals" of wear part maintenance, reducing the risk of early failure by over 80%. Operations should be refined based on different components:

III. Condition Monitoring: Proactively Identify Risks to Avoid "Replacing After Failure"

Wear parts usually show "warning signs" before failure. Daily monitoring via "observation, listening, touching, and measurement" helps detect issues early:

Observation (Visual Inspection): Check for obvious deformation, cracks, leakage, or aging of wear parts.

Example: If seals (e.g., O-rings) become "hardened, cracked, or bulging," they are aged and must be replaced immediately. If drive belts have "cracks, peeling, or frayed edges," replace them early even if not broken (to prevent sudden breakage and equipment shutdown).

Listening (Audio Inspection): Listen for abnormal noises (e.g., friction, impact, or squealing) from wear parts during equipment operation.

Example: If a bearing emits a "hum" (normal operation produces a steady "rustle"), it may suffer from insufficient lubrication or worn internal balls. If vehicle brake pads make a "metal-on-metal scraping sound" (the wear indicator is triggered), the pads are worn thin and must be replaced immediately.

Touching (Temperature Check): After shutting down the equipment (or using an infrared thermometer), touch the surface of wear parts to check for normal temperature (avoid burns).

Example: The normal temperature of motor bearings should be ≤70°C. If they feel scalding (>80°C), it may indicate excessive grease, bearing wear, or misinstallation—shut down the equipment for inspection.

Measurement (Parameter Testing): Use professional tools to measure key indicators for quantitative condition assessment.

Example: The remaining thickness of vehicle brake pads can be measured with a thickness gauge (replace when worn to ≤3mm). For filters, a differential pressure gauge can measure the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet (excessive pressure difference indicates clogging—clean or replace the filter).

IV. Environmental Control: Reduce the Impact of External Factors on Wear Part Deterioration

The environment is a major cause of wear part failure. Targeted control of four factors—temperature, humidity, impurities, and corrosion—is essential:

Temperature Control: Avoid prolonged exposure of wear parts to "extreme high or low temperatures."

Example: Rubber-based wear parts (e.g., seals, belts) age faster at high temperatures (>80°C)—ensure proper equipment heat dissipation (e.g., clean cooling fans and vents). At low temperatures (<-10°C), they become hard and brittle—"preheat" the equipment before startup (e.g., idle a vehicle for 1–2 minutes in winter before driving to avoid rigid friction on belts).

Humidity Control: Moist environments cause rust on metal wear parts (e.g., bearings, bolts)—take moisture-proof measures.

Example: For long-term idle equipment (e.g., agricultural machinery, generators), apply anti-rust oil to wear parts (e.g., coat bearings with anti-rust grease) and store in a dry, well-ventilated area—avoid outdoor storage.

Impurity Control: Prevent dust, sand, metal shavings, and other impurities from entering wear parts.

Example: A clogged filter in a hydraulic system causes hydraulic oil contamination, which in turn wears the hydraulic pump (a wear part). Clean the filter regularly and use a "filter funnel" when refueling (to prevent impurity entry).

Corrosion Control: Avoid contact between wear parts and corrosive substances such as acids, alkalis, or solvents.

Example: Seals (e.g., silicone gaskets) in food processing equipment must be "food-grade." Avoid using strong alkaline cleaners (e.g., sodium hydroxide) during cleaning to prevent seal corrosion.

V. Operational Standards: Avoid "Human Error" That Accelerates Wear Part Damage

Many early failures of wear parts result from non-standard operations—strictly follow equipment usage rules:

Avoid Overload Operation: Do not subject equipment to long-term overload (e.g., avoid frequent hard acceleration/braking in vehicles, which accelerates brake pad and tire wear; do not force industrial machinery to process overly hard materials beyond its rated load, which causes drive belt slippage and wear).

Avoid Frequent Start-Stop Cycles: Frequent starting and stopping of equipment (e.g., motors) increases "impact load" on bearings, accelerating wear—minimize unnecessary start-stops.

Avoid Incorrect Installation: When replacing wear parts, install them in the "original position and orientation" (e.g., the grooved side of a seal must face the pressure side; reversed installation causes leakage). Use a "pressure sleeve" to apply even force when installing bearings—avoid direct hammer blows (to prevent ball deformation).

Run-In for New Parts: Some wear parts (e.g., new vehicle brake pads, new clutch discs) require a "run-in period" after installation (e.g., avoid hard braking during brake pad run-in; use gentle braking for the first 200 km). Avoid high-intensity use immediately, which causes early wear.