Chapter 1

Bearings
Applications of ball bearing
 There are two different kinds
of loading: radial and thrust
In order to serve all these functions, bearings make
use of a relatively simple structure: a ball with
internal and external smooth metal surfaces, to aid in
rolling.
The ball itself carries the weight of the loadthe
force of the loads weight is what drives the bearings
rotation.
2 types of load:
Radial
Thrust
 Radial and thrust loads
Radial load
As in a pulley, simply puts weight on the bearing in a
manner that causes the bearing to roll or rotate as a result of
tension.
Thrust load
A thrust load is significantly different, and puts stress on
the bearing in an entirely different way. If a bearing (think
of a tire) is flipped on its side (think now of a tire swing)
and subject to complete force at that angle (think of three
children sitting on the tire swing), this is called thrust load.
 Bearing Elements
Balls or rollers or a combination of both in some special designs

Can support
Radial loading
Thrust loading
Capability to accomplish both

Four essential components

Inner ring
Outer ring with their raceways
Complement of rolling element (balls or rollers)
A cage, retainer, or separator

Bearings are often supplied in housed units for simplified mounting

The bearings in a car wheel are subject to
both thrust and radial loads.
Types of Bearing
a) Sliding surface
contains plain journal bearing and thrust bearing
plain journal bearing support force radially and
thrust bearing support force axially

b) Rolling contact
- Ball
deep groove ball bearing (or single row radial)
self-alignment
angular contact
 Roller
Cylindrical
Needle
Spherical
Taper

Thrust
Ball bearing
Angular contact thrust ball
Cylindrical roller thrust
Needle roller thrust
Spherical roller thrust
Ball bearing
The most common type of bearing.
They are found in everything from inline skates to hard
drives.
Can handle both radial and thrust loads, and are usually
found in applications where the load is relatively small.
The load is transmitted from the outer race to the ball, and
from the ball to the inner race.
Since the ball is a sphere, it only contacts the inner and outer
race at a very small point, which helps it spin very smoothly.
Not very much contact area holding that load, so if the
bearing is overloaded, the balls can deform, ruining the
bearing.
 Ball bearing

http://performancetrends.com/Definitions/Bearings.htm
Angular ball bearing
Roller Bearing
Used in applications like conveyer belt
rollers, where they must hold heavy
radial loads.
The roller is a cylinder, so the contact
between the inner and outer race is not a
point but a line.
This spreads the load out over a larger
area, allowing the bearing to handle
much greater loads than a ball bearing.
However, this type of bearing is not
designed to handle much thrust loading.
A variation of this type of bearing,
called a needle bearing, uses cylinders
with a very small diameter.
This allows the bearing to fit into tight
places. http://performancetrends.com
/Definitions/Bearings.htm
Needle roller bearing

Advantages
1. Small diameter, so they
can be fitted into small
spaces.
2. They usually do not have
a separate inner race,
running directly onto the
shaft, which must be
suitably hard and with a
precision ground surface.
Tapered Roller Bearing
Can support large radial
and large thrust loads.
Used in car hubs, where
they are usually mounted
in pairs facing opposite
directions so that they
can handle thrust in both
directions.
Example
Schematic of an assembly
of two tapered roller
bearings mounted in
opposite directions in
order to locate a shaft
which may be subjected to
high radial forces and
axial forces in either
direction, e.g. mounting
the front wheel of a car
Thrust ball bearing
Mostly used for low-
speed applications
and cannot handle
much radial load.
Barstools and Lazy
Susan turntables use
this type of bearing
Thrust Roller Bearing
Can support large thrust
loads.
They are often found in gear
sets like car transmissions
between gears, and between
the housing and the rotating
shafts.
The helical gears used in
most transmissions have
angled teeth - this causes a
thrust load that must be
supported by a bearing.
Bearing Failure
Fatigue is the result of shear stresses
cyclically appearing immediately
below the load carrying surface.
After some time these stresses cause
cracks which gradually extend up to
the surface.
As the rolling elements pass over the
cracks fragments of material break
away and this is known as flaking or
spalling.
The flaking progressively increases
in extent (Figs 1 to 4) and eventually
makes the bearing unserviceable.

Figs 1 to 4
 Thick, black sludge and particulate
coating the inside.

A circular patch of contact fatigue surface.

http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://met-tech.com/images/clip_image002_038.jpg&imgrefurl=http://met-
tech.com/machinery-failure-analysis.
 Deep Seated Rust
Corrosion When water or corrosive agents
reach the inside of the bearing in
such quantities that the lubricant
cannot provide protection for the
steel surfaces.
A great danger to bearings since it
can initiate flaking and cracks.
Corrosive agents
Acid liquids corrode the steel
quickly,
Alkaline solutions are less
dangerous.
Salts that are present in fresh
water constitute, together with
the water, an electrolyte which
causes galvanic corrosion,
known as water etching.
Salt water, such as sea water, is
highly dangerous to bearings.
Fretting Rust
1. May be relatively deep in
places when oxidation manage
to penetrate deeper into the
material
2. Small particles of material to
become detached from the
surface then oxidized quickly
when exposed to the oxygen in
the atmosphere.
3. The bearing rings may not be
evenly supported and this has a
detrimental effect on the load
distribution in the bearings.
4. Rusted areas also act as
fracture notches.
 Abrasion
the surface is eroded by hard contaminants (steel
chips from the race or bearing, sand, or grit that
got past the seal) in the lubricant scraping at the
bearing materials.

Wear
Caused by abrasive particles
Caused by inadequate lubrication
Caused by vibration

Indentations
Caused by faulty mounting or overloading
Caused by foreign particles
Mounting and maintenance
Because they are precision components, rolling bearings
should be handled carefully and mounted with the proper
equipment.
They must be installed correctly to realize maximum bearing
service life.
An estimated 16 percent of all premature bearing failures are
caused by poor fitting, frequently using brute force, and being
unaware of the availability of the correct mounting tools and
methods.
Individual installations may require mechanical, thermal, or
hydraulic methods for correct and efficient mounting,
depending on the bearing type and size.
In all cases the bearing rings, cages, and rolling elements or
seals should not receive direct blows and the mounting force
must never be directed through the rolling elements.
 Lubrication of bearings
Prevents corrosion.
Greatly reduces the effects of the sliding friction present in all
bearings, particularly roller bearings.
Carries heat away from heavily loaded bearings.

Lubrication may be achieved by

Drip, splash or mist (oil only).
Lubricators (oil or grease)
Oil circulation within a gearbox by entrainment and splashing,
etc.

Grease is a suitable lubricant provided rotational speed is not too

high and mineral oils are good general purpose bearing lubricants,
although many modern applications demand special high-pressure
lubricants.
 Sealing
Good sealing is essential. Seals should:
Keep dirt out, thereby preventing
premature wear of the bearing.
Keep lubricant in, ensuring that the
bearing (and possibly other
components) will not run short of
lubricant