Ball Bearings

Ball Bearings and its Prominent Features

An introduction of bearings:

A device that allows a controlled relative motion, either rotational or linear, between two parts is called a bearing; according to the principles of operation and applied load’s direction, a bearing include six most common types:

1. sliding bearings
2. rolling element or ball bearings
3. fluid bearings
4. flexible bearings
5. jewel bearings
6. magnetic bearings

As for as the concern of ball bearings matters, contrasting with other bearing types they are precisely cheap due to having low cost balls. Ball bearings are efficient for reducing the friction between two flat surfaces rotating on each other, and are used in from skate boards to washing machines to PC hard drives. Capable of taking radial and axial loads they are used in applications where the load is of lower capacity and is constant in nature.

Types and material of ball bearings:
The metals used in the manufacturing of ball bearings include stainless steel, ceramic hybrid and chrome steel. An angular contact ball bearing is used in devices where forces are in both axial and radial direction. When an axial load passes in a straight line through the bearing, the radial load takes an oblique path to separate the races axially; angular contact angle should be lofty to support the more axial load. Ceramic hybrid ball bearings are better than the conventional ball bearings due to their power of reducing centrifugal loading, they offer less friction, the lighter the ball is, the faster the bearing will spun. The balls in ceramic hybrid bearings are ceramic made but the rings of bearings are of steel, ceramic balls are 40% less than steel balls, thus ceramic ball bearings require less energy to maintain its speed.

Load rating of a ball bearing:

Load rating of any bearing is a significant feature, it is the 1 million inner race revolutions load rating at which 90% bearings can survive. Load rating is also the merit to determine the life of the bearing in applications where fatigue is permanent failure mechanism of a system. Fatigue is a state in which bearings wear out. The causes of ball bearing’s fatigue are excessive temperature, fracture and normal deterioration due to improper use; these can be avoided by using authentic techniques and careful handling and usage of ball bearings.

Factors on which ball bearing’s life stands:
Many factors contribute to make your ball bearing’s life longer and last more, some are listed under and help observe ball bearing’s life:

• The alignment of ball bearing
• Rotation speed of the ball bearing
• The lubricant film density between the raceways and the rolling elements
• Water and contaminates free bearings

Wear:
If lubrication is substandard and disproportionate particles let in the ball bearings, wear may likely happen to occur. Wear can be caused due to the entrance of abrasive particles into the bearings, these can be diagnosed by grease discoloring into green and dull and worn surfaces around the races. Inadequate lubricant can also lead the bearings to wear out; by careful lubrication the bearing will start performing well. Vibration occurs in bearings when the metal comes in contact with metal if your bearing is not in use, in this case a thin film could not produce between raceways and rolling elements, this exposed ball bearings to wear out. Deep seated rust is another prominent cause of corrosion in ball bearings.

ABEC and ABMA standards:
Annular Bearing Engineering Committee of ABMA has established standards for bearings manufacturing. Approved by ANSI, these standards help the makers to produce an efficient bearing with a longer life for the life of any type of bearing is finite.