Designer's Corner

Slick bearing packer

Hand packing a wheel bearing with grease is time consuming because old grease must first be removed. There is no guarantee of thorough packing. It's also messy and wasteful. An alternative is using a device that fully encloses the bearing, with another device to force grease through the bearing at high pressure. This method requires set-up time, and is limited to the type of grease stored in the pumping device.

To minimize hand contact with grease, and provide a faster and cleaner method, this device uses three components:

A bearing stand to support the bearing

• A cylinder with loading head (dispenser) that draws and dispenses new grease

• A plunger that forces new grease through the bearing, dispelling old grease and replacing it with new grease simultaneously

The simple and inexpensive design is patented and could be made of metals or plastics.

Gim Shek Ng
NASA Langley Research Center
MS 431, 1 N. Dryden St.
Hampton, VA 23681-0001
(757) 864-7212.

Submit your ideas and rough drawings for this section to John Lewis, Designer's Corner, Design News, 275 Washington St., Newton, MA 02458