Ball Bearings
Ball Bearing Applications
- Point contact enables ball bearings to operate at high speeds with low friction.
- Reduce friction between shafts and axles.
- Can handle both radial and thrust loads
- Can only handle a small amount of weight
- Typically used in applications where the load is relatively small
Ball Bearing Components
Inner Ring
The Inner Ring is the smaller of the two bearing rings. Inner ring has a groove on its outer diameter to form a pathway for the balls. The surface of outside diameter path is finished to extremely tight tolerances and is honed to a very smooth. The inner ring is mounted on the shaft and it is the rotating element.Outer Ring
The Outer Ring is the larger of the two bearing rings. On outer ring there is a groove on its inside diameter to form a pathway for the balls. Outer ring surface also has the same high precision finish of the inner ring. The outer ring is usually held stationery.Balls
Balls of a bearing are the rolling elements that separate the inner ring and outer ring and permit the bearing to rotate with minimal friction. The radius of the ball is made slightly smaller than the grooved ball track on the inner and outer rings. This makes the balls to contact the rings at a single point. Ball dimensions are controlled to very high accuracy. Ball roundness, surface finish and size variations are important attributes. These attributes are controlled to a micro inch level..Cage (Retainer)
The purpose of the cage in ball bearing is to separate the balls, maintaining constant spacing between the inner and outer rings, to accurately guide the balls in the path during rotation and to prevent the balls of bearing from falling out.Lubrication
The lubricant is an integral part of a bearing’s standard components. Lubrication is added to reduce friction losses in bearing between inner and outer rings.
Types of Ball Bearings
- Single row deep groove ball bearings
- Most widely used roller bearing type
- Versatile and good performance
- Feature unique deep raceway grooves that allow the bearings to accommodate both axial and radial loads in both directions
- Single row angular contact ball bearings
- Features raceways with high and low shoulders
- Accommodates radial loads, also axial loads in one direction
- Greater axial load capacity than single row deep groove bearings
- High rigidity with preload
- High speed
- Low friction
- Double row angular contact ball bearings
- Used when the load carrying capacity of a single row bearing is inadequate.
- Can accommodate radial loads as well as axial loads acting in both directions.
- Self-aligning ball bearings
- The spherical form of the raceway surface of the outer ring makes these bearings self-aligned. They can automatically adjust the misalignment caused by the bending of shaft or the housing.
- Mainly used in the transmission axles of wood processing machines, textile machines, drive shafts, conveyers, and roll shafts.
