A ball mill runs 24/7 grinding clinker into cement, and everything that keeps it turning sits hidden inside a rotating steel drum: liners taking constant impact, trunnion bearings carrying tons of load, a girth gear meshing thousands of times an hour. A worn liner drops grinding efficiency before anyone notices, an overheated trunnion bearing can seize the mill mid-shift, and a misaligned girth gear chews itself apart over weeks. This checklist covers what to verify across the liners, bearings and lubrication, and the drive and gear system. Sign up to turn this checklist into a guided digital procedure your mill crew follows on every round.
8 Checkpoints Covered
Liners, bearings, lubrication, gearbox and drive all covered in this checklist
Every Shift
How often trunnion bearing temperature and oil levels should be logged
Zero Tolerance
Room for skipping a bearing temperature reading or liner bolt check
Full Mill Sweep
Check point for liner wear across the entire shell, not just the feed end
Why Ball Mill Checks Can't Be Rushed
A seized trunnion bearing or a stripped girth gear means a stopped mill, a crane brought in, and days of production lost. The same bearing temperature and liner bolt checks repeated correctly every shift matter more than pushing tonnage on any single run.
Mill Liner Inspection
Liner Wear Pattern Check
Walk the full shell length checking for uneven wear, since a thin patch grinds poorly long before it fails
Liner Bolt Torque Check
Confirm liner bolts hold spec torque so a loosened plate doesn't shift and let material bypass the liner
Lifting Bar & Plate Fit Check
Check lifting bars still lift charge properly, since a worn profile lets balls slide instead of cascade
Make Mill Checks A Habit, Not A Memory
Oxmaint guides your crew through liner, bearing, and gearbox inspections step by step, with photo proof and sign-off logged against each mill. Sign up for a free trial to build your grinding routine, or book a demo to see it in action.
Trunnion Bearing & Lubrication System
Trunnion Bearing Temperature
Log bearing temperature every shift, since a rising trend gives the earliest warning before a seizure
Oil Film & Lubrication Pump Pressure
Verify oil film thickness and pump pressure at the trunnion, since a thin film lets metal touch metal
Oil Filter & Cooler Condition
Check filter cleanliness and cooler flow so lubricant stays within the temperature range bearings need
Gearbox, Girth Gear & Drive
Girth Gear Mesh & Backlash
Check mesh alignment and backlash between girth gear and pinion, since misalignment chews teeth over weeks
Gearbox Vibration & Noise
Listen and measure for abnormal gearbox vibration or noise that signals wear before it becomes a breakdown
Motor & Coupling Alignment
Confirm motor coupling alignment, since a slight offset vibrates the whole drive train under load
What A Skipped Check Can Cost You
| Check Skipped |
Likely Consequence |
| Liner bolt torque check |
A loosened plate shifts and lets material bypass the liner, damaging the shell |
| Trunnion bearing temperature check |
A rising temperature goes unnoticed until the bearing seizes and stops the mill |
| Lubrication pressure check |
A thin oil film lets metal touch metal, wearing the trunnion faster than expected |
| Girth gear mesh check |
Uneven mesh chews gear teeth over weeks, forcing a costly girth gear replacement |
Where A CMMS Fits Into Ball Mill Checks
Oxmaint ties this checklist to the mill shell, trunnion bearings, and gearbox as tracked assets, logging bearing temperature, oil pressure, and gear mesh readings so a developing fault gets flagged before the next shift.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q
How often should trunnion bearing temperature be checked?
Trunnion bearing temperature should be logged every shift, since a slow upward trend is often the only warning before oil film breakdown leads to a seizure.
Q
What usually causes premature liner wear in a ball mill?
Premature liner wear usually traces back to loosened liner bolts letting plates shift, a worn lifting bar profile that stops cascading the charge properly, or running the mill outside its designed ball charge.
Q
Can a CMMS track girth gear condition automatically?
Yes, a CMMS can log mesh and vibration readings against the gearbox asset and flag an abnormal trend before it turns into a stripped tooth or a full gear replacement.
Keep Every Mill Turning Without An Unplanned Stop
Oxmaint guides your crew through liner, bearing, and gearbox inspections and logs temperature, pressure, and mesh data automatically. Sign up for a free trial to build your ball mill checklist, or book a demo to see it in action.
