Bearings carry the weight of the world, acting as essential components of every kind of conveying you can imagine. But all bearings aren&#;t created equal! Choosing the right type of bearing for your application will make a big difference in the efficiency and longevity of your equipment. Different applications need different bearings to handle various loads, speeds, and environmental conditions.
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We&#;ll explore seven different types of bearings&#;vibratory bearings, radial insert ball bearings, spherical roller bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, angular contact ball bearings, needle roller bearings, and tapered roller bearings&#;and delve into their ideal applications.
Spherical roller bearings are known for their ability to accommodate heavy radial loads and moderate axial loads in both directions. Their self-aligning feature helps to compensate for misalignments between the shaft and the housing. Ideal applications are heavy machinery, mining equipment, and wind turbines.
In these applications, the capacity to handle high loads and adjust for misalignment is crucial. Schaeffler&#;s spherical roller bearings are engineered to provide excellent performance under these demanding conditions, ensuring stability and reliability.
Cylindrical roller bearings are designed to handle high radial loads and operate at high speeds. They are typically used in applications where there is a need for both precision and high load capacity. Ideal applications are gearboxes, electric motors, and pumps.
These bearings are ideal for applications requiring precise shaft guidance and support. A great product example is Schaeffler&#;s cylindrical roller bearings, which offer low friction and high rigidity, making them suitable for high-speed and high-precision environments.
Split cylindrical roller bearings are also available from Schaeffler, making assembly around a shaft significantly easier&#; thereby saving you costly downtime!
Angular contact ball bearings are designed to handle both radial and axial loads, with high axial load capacity in one direction. They are particularly suited for high-speed applications where both types of loads are present. Ideal applications include machine tool spindles, pumps and compressors.
These bearings are excellent for applications that require precision and can accommodate high speeds and loads. For even more demanding applications, Schaeffler&#;s FAG double-row angular contact ball bearings can support axial loads in both directions and high radial loads.
Vibratory bearings are designed to withstand the extreme conditions found in applications such as vibratory machinery, screens, and compactors. These bearings are robust and can handle heavy loads, high speeds, and harsh environments with significant vibrations. Ideal applications are vibrating screens, crushers, and compacting machines.
These applications typically subject bearings to high levels of stress and impact. Schaeffler&#;s FAG spherical roller bearings for vibratory applications can handle the intensity. They&#;re specifically built to absorb and manage these forces effectively, ensuring a longer service life and reduced maintenance downtime.
Radial insert ball bearings are versatile and easy to install. They feature a spherical outer surface which allows for misalignment adjustments, making them suitable for applications where shaft deflection or misalignment can occur. Ideal applications are agricultural machinery, conveyor systems, and textile machinery.
These bearings are particularly useful in environments where ease of maintenance and reliable operation are critical. Schaeffler&#;s radial insert ball bearings are designed for durability and ease of replacement, making them a cost-effective choice for many applications. They are also easy to install, long lasting, and an economical solution for rugged reliability.
Schaeffler&#;s FAG Black Series radial insert ball bearings feature the company&#;s proprietary Durotect BS black oxide-coated component, which offers superior protection against corrosion.
Needle roller bearings have a high load-carrying capacity and are suitable for applications with limited radial space. They consist of long, thin rollers which reduce friction and support heavy radial loads. Ideal applications include automotive transmissions, hydraulic pumps, and aircraft control systems.
These bearings are ideal for compact, high-load applications. For example, Schaeffler&#;s TB roller design has a special torus-shaped curvature that enables loads to be distributed across a greater surface area, lowering bearing temperatures and increasing permissible axial load and bearing life.
Deep groove ball bearings are the most widely used type of rolling bearings. They have deep raceway grooves and can handle radial loads and moderate axial loads in both directions. These bearings are known for their versatility and high-speed capabilities. Ideal applications include electric motors, household appliances, and automotive applications.
These bearings are highly versatile and can be used in a wide range of applications due to their simple design, low friction, and high-speed capabilities. Schaeffler offers their FAG Generation C deep groove ball bearings, which were specially developed for low noise levels and frictional torque. Improved bearing kinematics, new seals and cages, and a refined manufacturing process elevate this version of a common bearing to the top of the list.
Tapered roller bearings can handle large radial and thrust loads due to their tapered inner and outer ring raceways and tapered rollers. They are designed to manage combined loads efficiently. Ideal applications include axle systems, gearboxes, and construction machinery.
These bearings are suited for applications with heavy combined loads and require precise alignment. Schaeffler&#;s tapered roller bearings offer durability and high load capacity for demanding applications.
Many of Schaeffler&#;s tapered roller bearings are also available in X-life&#; quality, which means the material, heat treatment process, geometry, surfaces, dimensional accuracy and running accuracy are all optimized.
When selecting the right bearing for your application, remember the following factors:
In conclusion, selecting the right bearing for your application involves understanding the specific demands of your machinery, and choosing a bearing that can handle those requirements. By considering load, speed, alignment, environmental conditions, you can make an informed decision when purchasing your next bearing&#; and that will ensure optimal performance of your machinery.
IBT stands for Industrial Bearing and Transmission&#; so bearings are our speciality! You can contact our bearing experts for help with any question you may have. You can also visit one of our branches&#; find the location nearest to you HERE.
There are many different types of bearings available today with very little information on the differences between them. Maybe you&#;ve asked yourself &#;which bearing will be best for your application?&#; Or &#;how do I choose a bearing?&#; This bearing selection guide will help you answer those questions.
First off, you need to know that most bearings with a rolling element fall into two broad groups:
Within these groups, there are sub-categories of bearings that have unique features or optimized designs to enhance performance.
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In this bearing selection guide, we&#;ll cover the four things you need to know about your application in order to choose the right type of bearing.
Bearing loads are generally defined as the reaction force a component places on a bearing when in use.
When choosing the right bearing for your application, first you should find the bearing&#;s load capacity. The load capacity is the amount of load a bearing can handle and is one of the most important factors when choosing a bearing.
Bearing loads can either be axial (thrust), radial or a combination.
An axial (or thrust) bearing load is when force is parallel to the axis of the shaft.
A radial bearing load is when force is perpendicular to the shaft. Then a combination bearing load is when parallel and perpendicular forces produce an angular force relative to the shaft.
To learn more about axial and radial ball bearings, contact our team of engineers!
Ball bearings are designed with spherical balls and can distribute loads over a medium-sized surface area. They tend to work better for small-to-medium-sized loads, spreading loads via a single point of contact.
Below is a quick reference for the type of bearing load and the best ball bearing for the job:
Roller bearings are designed with cylindrical rollers that can distribute loads over a larger surface area than ball bearings. They tend to work better for heavy load applications.
Below is a quick reference for the type of bearing load and the best roller bearing for the job:
Bearing runout is the amount a shaft orbits from its geometric center as it rotates. Some applications, like cutting tool spindles, will only allow a small deviation to occur on its rotating components.
If you are engineering an application like this, then choose a high precision bearing because it will produce smaller system runouts due to the tight tolerances the bearing was manufactured to.
Bearing rigidity is the resistance to the force that causes the shaft to deviate from its axis and plays a key role in minimizing shaft runout. Bearing rigidity comes from the interaction of the rolling element with the raceway. The more the rolling element is pressed into the raceway, causing elastic deformation, the higher the rigidity.
Bearing rigidity is usually categorized by:
The higher the bearing rigidity, the more force needed to move the shaft when in use.
Let&#;s look at how this works with precision angular contact bearings. These bearings typically come with a manufactured offset between the inner and outer raceway. When the angular contact bearings are installed, the offset is removed which causes the balls to press into the raceway without any outside application force. This is called preloading and the process increases bearing rigidity even before the bearing sees any application forces.
Knowing your bearing lubrication needs is important for choosing the right bearings and needs to be considered early in an application design. Improper lubrication is one of the most common causes for bearing failure.
Lubrication creates a film of oil between the rolling element and the bearing raceway that helps prevent friction and overheating.
The most common type of lubrication is grease, which consists of an oil with a thickening agent. The thickening agent keeps the oil in place, so it won&#;t leave the bearing. As the ball (ball bearing) or roller (roller bearing) rolls over the grease, the thickening agent separates leaving just the film of oil between the rolling element and the bearing raceway. After the rolling element passes by, the oil and thickening agent join back together.
For high-speed applications, knowing the speed at which the oil and thickener can separate and rejoin is important. This is called the application or bearing n*dm value.
Before you select a grease, you need to find your applications ndm value. To do this multiply your applications RPMs by the diameter of the center of the balls in the bearing (dm). Compare your ndm value to the grease&#;s max speed value, located on the datasheet.
If your n*dm value is higher than the grease max speed value on the datasheet, then the grease won&#;t be able to provide sufficient lubrication and premature failure will occur.
Another lubrication option for high-speed applications are oil mist systems which mix oil with compressed air and then inject it into the bearing raceway at metered intervals. This option is more costly than grease lubrication because it requires an external mixing and metering system and filtered compressed air. However, oil mist systems allow bearings to operate at higher speeds while generating a lower amount of heat than greased bearings.
For lower speed applications an oil bath is common. An oil bath is when a portion of the bearing is submerged in oil. For bearings that will operate in extreme environments, a dry lubricant can be used instead of a petroleum-based lubricant, but the lifespan of the bearing is typically shortened due to the nature of the lubricant&#;s film breaking down over time.
There are a couple of other factors that need to be considered when selecting a lubricant for your application, see our in-depth article &#;How to Choose the Correct Ball Bearing Lubricant".
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