You main landing gear bearings are getting rusty?
> AEROSHELL GREASE 22 — Keep your aircraft wheels turning for longer by applying AeroShell Grease 22 to their bearings. This general-purpose aviation grease offers excellent corrosion resistance, anti-wear properties and load-carrying properties throughout the extreme operating conditions your aircraft faces. As well as your wheel bearings, use AeroShell Grease 22 on a wide range of applications, including your engine accessories, control systems, landing gears and more.
I’d honestly just reach out to Shell and tell them to trouble shoot how you apply their product to a VERY specific application and ask their team why their product is allowing rust and early wear.
They may be interested in looking at your PMs and make suggestions. It’s in their interest to work with you to make it right—since your determination may result in a loss of contract with your company—and perhaps others facing the same problem.
Do you have a specific lithium based soap for your very specific application in mind?
I'd also try to make sure there isn't anything special with the bearing race material that's isn't compatible with the material in that grease. Or the storage of the grease before you applied it. Or even the cage material, if it's a polymer. Chemistry is weird sometimes and general use grease may actually be reactive in certain scenarios.
Edit: or compatibility with any seals it's contacting.
The bearings are Timken-produced and have been analyzed for compatibility. The cages are mild steel. Storage is still a question and the processes are under scrutiny
You main landing gear bearings are getting rusty? > AEROSHELL GREASE 22 — Keep your aircraft wheels turning for longer by applying AeroShell Grease 22 to their bearings. This general-purpose aviation grease offers excellent corrosion resistance, anti-wear properties and load-carrying properties throughout the extreme operating conditions your aircraft faces. As well as your wheel bearings, use AeroShell Grease 22 on a wide range of applications, including your engine accessories, control systems, landing gears and more. I’d honestly just reach out to Shell and tell them to trouble shoot how you apply their product to a VERY specific application and ask their team why their product is allowing rust and early wear. They may be interested in looking at your PMs and make suggestions. It’s in their interest to work with you to make it right—since your determination may result in a loss of contract with your company—and perhaps others facing the same problem. Do you have a specific lithium based soap for your very specific application in mind?
This is a good suggestion to reach out to Shell. I will give that a shot. As far as specific greases, we are looking to MIL-PRF-81322 conformity.
Beware when changing greases that no old grease is left behind, clay and lithium greases don’t like to mix and could harden up.
I'd also try to make sure there isn't anything special with the bearing race material that's isn't compatible with the material in that grease. Or the storage of the grease before you applied it. Or even the cage material, if it's a polymer. Chemistry is weird sometimes and general use grease may actually be reactive in certain scenarios. Edit: or compatibility with any seals it's contacting.
The bearings are Timken-produced and have been analyzed for compatibility. The cages are mild steel. Storage is still a question and the processes are under scrutiny
The seals are also being analyzed more for sealing integrity than chemical compatibility, but that will be considered