Why is it that if you applied too much grease into a bearing, bearing temperature will increase?

Question

One time my friend is applying grease into the bearing of a fan motor but he put more than the amount specified by the motor maker and then suddenly smoke came out from the bearing and its temperature incresead till it burns. Why is it so? What happend inside the bearing?

Answer 1

grease heats up....and too much grease will heat up considerably

Answer 2

There is a straightforward logical answer to this question. Grease or no-grease, the bearing friction will generate heat. It is to reduce this friction that the grease is applied. The grease also takes away the heat. This heat has to be dissipated for which grease needs some space too expand and cool. By applying too much grease, heat dissipation becomes impossible. Instead the heat accumulates and eventually the bearing temperature increases.
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Answer 3

The smoke came out from the fan because excess grease got slung over onto the electrical brush contacts wherre it interferred with the electricity jumping between the motor poles and the brush contacts. Electric sparks heated and then ignited the grease.

Answer 4

i had this with an elevator motor
when u apply to much greace bearings will rotate in place fast so the friction will be high in 3 dimensions not 2
i mean the bearing will rotate on it self and on its track this creats 2 frictions

Answer 5

too much pressure inside the bearing surface will not allow the bearing to do what is designed to do. it will force the lubricant out of the bearing due to heat

Answer 6

It causes too much drag.
Drag = Friction,Friction = Heat
This happens the most on high speed bearings.

Answer 7

The grease is a pretrolum product and the friction caused makes it smoke and then burn... be careful!!!

Answer 8

bad bearing to begin with

Answer 9

when you fry an egg-think about the scenerio...really