Which maintenance concern is associated with a gear pump?

• A. Gear wear and bearing condition
• B. Maintain clean intake and check impeller
• C. Check seals and leakage
• D. Impeller balancing

Answer: (A)

In a gear pump, the key maintenance issue is wear on the gear teeth and the condition of the bearings. The pump relies on precise, tight clearances between the meshing gears and the housing to trap and move a fixed volume of fluid with each rotation. As gears wear, those clearances change, reducing volumetric efficiency, increasing leakage from the high-pressure side to the low-pressure side, and causing pressure and flow fluctuations. Worn gears also produce more metal-to-metal contact, which can accelerate bearing wear. Bearings support the shafts that carry the gears; if they degrade or become misaligned, shaft runout increases, vibrations rise, seals wear faster, and overall pump performance suffers. Because gear wear and bearing condition directly affect the core function of a gear pump, they are the primary maintenance focus.

Other concerns mentioned are more relevant to different pump types or general maintenance tasks (for example, impeller balance is a concern for impeller-based pumps, and seal leakage can occur in many pumps but is a consequence of wear and clearances, not unique to gear pumps).