What is a ball bearing?

What is a ball bearing?

With the development of technology and science, an increasing number of scientific materials have appeared in the world. A ball bearing is a kind of industrial material, which plays an important role in various fields. Many ball bearing manufacturers tend to produce different ball bearings according to the marketing requirements.

However, some people still have no idea about the importance of ball bearings. This article will give a clear overview of the definition of a ball bearing.

·How a ball bearing was made?

·How is ball bearing size measured?

·What are the characteristics of ball bearings?

How a ball bearing was made?

A ball bearing is a type of contemporary bearing. Let’s have an overview of its production. First and foremost, a ball bearing consists of four main components, namely the ball, inner ring, outer ring and cage. The ball is arguably the most important component.

Furthermore, the hardness of ball bearings and retainers is lower than that of balls and rings, and their materials include metal and non-metal. Bearings generally use high carbon steel GCr15, which is commonly known as bearing steel. Also, there are other carburizing bearing steel, stainless bearing steel, high temperature bearing steel, medium carbon impact bearing steel, and now the latest type of bearing material is ceramic.

Noticeably, in the manufacturing process, the requirements of ball bearing manufacturers are very high. Not only does it need a high degree of material purity, but it also needs to be highly resistant to wear. After all, ball bearings need constant friction in the course of their work. In addition, heat treatment to obtain a high and uniform hardness is a key step in the material selection process.

Apart from the material, the dimensions of the bearings vary considerably and need to be tailored to the customer's needs.

How is bearing size measured?

The dimensions of a ball bearing can be measured by using a vernier caliper like the one below or measuring accurately with a ruler. All bearings will have an inner diameter, outside diameter and width. Therefore, Ball bearings are referenced by these three dimensions.

What are the characteristics of ball bearings?

As mentioned earlier, the majority of enterprises are very strict with the original materials of ball bearings. It’s a typical example of modern industrial technology.

Ball bearings have changed the friction pattern of ordinary bearings and use rolling friction, which more effectively reduces the friction between bearing surfaces, increasing the life of the fan bearing and therefore the life of the radiator.

There is no denying that ball bearings have a number of advantages and offer a guarantee of high precision and quality. It is reported that ball screws are consistently produced with the world's highest level of mechanical equipment, especially in the grinding, assembly, inspection of the factory environment of the various processes, the temperature, humidity, and other aspects of strict control, due to the perfect quality management system to ensure accuracy to be fully guaranteed. Besides, the friction coefficient of a rolling bearing is smaller than that of an ordinary bearing, and the transmission efficiency is higher.

At the same time, ball bearings are more difficult to manufacture, given that the manufacturing process and technology is very complex and costly. Besides, it has had a higher operating noise level.