Bearing

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 Bearing
Generally, all types of machinery are provided with supports for rotating shafts.
The supporting device is known as a bearing. In other words, a bearing is a
machine element that constrains relative motions and is used to reduce the
friction between moving parts.

Bearing employs to support, guide, and restrain moving the element. This is a
stationary member, and it carries the load.

The part of the shaft supported by the bearing is known as the

journal, which is a moving member. Bearings are classified according to
the type of operation they do.

 The motions allowed, or

 To the directions of the loads or forces applied to the parts.
The common applications of bearings are:

1. Shafting in workshops,
2. Spindles of a machine tool such as a lathe, drilling, milling machine, etc.
3. The crankshaft of engines, axles of automobiles, etc.

Classification of Bearings
There are three main classifications of bearings, according to the direction
of load, viz.,

1. Journal or radial bearing,

2. Footstep bearing,

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 3. Thrust or collar bearing.
 A journal or radial bearing afford support to the shaft at a right
angle to the shaft axis.
 A footstep or pivot bearing support shaft is parallel to the shaft
axis, and the end of the shaft rests on the bearing surfaces.
 A thrust or collar bearing supports the shaft subjected to end or axial
thrust.
The surfaces of the bearing are generally flat or cylindrical. And they may consist
of nonferrous metal surfaces known as bushes or hardened steel races
supported by steel balls or rollers. In the above case, the bearing is known as
bush bearings, and the latter is known as a ball or roller bearings.

Types of Bearings
Following are the different types of bearings:

1. Ball bearing
2. Bush Bearing
3. Thrust Bearing
4. Foot Step Bearing
5. Rolling contact or Anti-friction Bearing
6. Roller bearing
7. Cylindrical roller bearing
8. Tapered roller bearing
9. Needle roller bearing
10. Plain bearing
11. Linear bearing
12. Fluid bearing
13. Magnetic bearing
14. Jewel bearing
15. Flexure bearing

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1 Ball Bearing

These consider the most common types of bearings. Ball bearings consist of a
set of balls. They are located between two annular metal pieces, known as races.
These bearings have two races.

The inner race is free to move while the outer race is fixed. When the bearing is
in operation, it can provide very little friction but has a limited bearing capacity
due to the small contact area between the balls and the race.

2 Bush Bearings

The simplest type of bush bearing is shown in the figure. It consists of a cast
iron bearing block and a brass or gunmetal bush. In these types of bearings, The
base plate of the bearing block provides holes for bolting down the bearing.

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At the top of the bearing, a counterboring oil hole passes through the block and
bush, facilitating lubrication of the shaft and the bush. It is used for the shaft
that carries light loads and rotates at slow speeds. In this type of solid bearing,
the shaft may introduce and removed wisely.

In a bush bearing, there is a rubbing action between the shaft’s outer surface
and the bearing’s inner surface. And the resulting friction minimizes by the
presence of a film of lubrication oil. Ring oiling may be considered the safest and
most efficient type under the ordinary service condition for line shafting.

3 Thrust Bearings

In thurst bearing, the bearing pressure will be axial. The axis of the shaft may
vertical or horizontal. If the axis of the shaft is vertical, the thrust bearing is
known as the footstep bearing. If the axis of the shaft is horizontal, the thrust
bearing is known as a roller bearing.

4 Foot Step Bearing

The figure shows a simple type of footstep bearing. It is suitable for supporting a
vertical shaft. It consists of a cast-iron block and a gunmetal bush. The lower
end of the shaft rests on a steel disc having concave seating.

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In this type of bearing, the disc is prevented from rotating along and with the
shaft by a pin inserted partly into the block and partly into the disc. The snug
provided at its neck below the collar prevents the bush from rotating along the
shaft.

The main disadvantages of this type of bearing are that it is difficult to achieve
effective lubrication. This type of bearing is generally used for slow-speed shafts
carrying light loads. Generally, the vertical shaft is uncommon in the
ordinary transmission of power. But they often occur in machine practice,
machine tool turntables, textile machinery, etc.

5 Rolling Contact or Anti-friction bearings

It is well-known that a smooth rounded surface will roll over a similar surface
more than when it is sliding. This phenomenon employs hard chrome steel balls
or rollers to run in special design cages, providing bearings with low friction loss.

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In this type of bearing, the motion between the shaft and the bearing surface is
pure rolling. Since the rolling friction is much less than the sliding friction. This
type of bearing is known as an antifriction bearing.

The outstanding feature of the antifriction bearings is their low starting frictions,
which will also practice the same while running. This renders their application
particularly suitable for machinery which has to frequently start, stop and restart.

6 Roller Bearing

The roller bearings are intended to maintain accurate alignment of every part
over a long period and can carry a heavy momentary load. This renders them
suitable for machinery which requires frequent starts and stops.

The rolling action of the bearings makes line contact with their races while the
balls make point contact. It has a higher load-carrying capacity. This bearing
includes cylindrical rolling elements instead of balls as load-carrying between
races.

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7 Cylindrical Roller Bearing

These are roller bearings in which tiny cylinders are used as rolling elements
instead of balls in ball bearings. It utilizes line contact between the rolling
elements and the raceway, which optimizes the distribution of stress factors at
the point of contact.

This contract means that the radial load rating of cylindrical roller bearings is
very high. Depending on the structure, they can also transmit a limited amount
of axial load. Cylindrical roller bearings are used in mining, power
generation, transmission, and metal recycling applications.

8 Tapered Roller Bearing

These roller bearings are designed to support axial and radial forces. Tapered
roller bearings are made of tapered raceways in the inner and outer rings with
conical rollers. Due to the contact angle, tapered roller bearings can handle high
radial and axial forces in one direction.

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Tapered roller bearings can provide low friction, long service life, and enhanced
operational reliability. Tapered roller bearings are commonly used in gearboxes,
hoisting equipment, rolling mills, and machines in the mining industry.

9 Needle Roller Bearing

A needle roller bearing consists of long, thin cylindrical rollers shaped like
needles. Standard roller bearings have rollers slightly longer than their diameter,
but needle bearings typically have rollers at least four times longer than their
diameter.

These bearings have high load ratings and are only suitable for radial forces. If
space is limited, needle bearings can be an excellent option. They are used
heavily in automobile components such as rocker arm pivots, pumps,
compressors, and transmissions.

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10 Plain Bearing

Plain bearings are the simplest type, usually consisting of a bearing surface.
There is no rolling element, so plain bearings are used for rotational, sliding,
reciprocating, and oscillating motion.

The bearing remains stationary while the journal slides on the inner surface of
the bearing. These bearings are sleeves mounted on the shaft and fit into the
bore. The plain bearings are cheaper, compact, and lightweight than other types.
In addition, they can provide high load-carrying capacity.

11 Linear Bearing

Linear bearings are like rolling components that decrease friction between
moving systems where motion acts on a straight path. The linear bearings slide

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in a straight path because they are a bearing that allows a significant amount of
weight to move with great ease in a linear motion.

Linear bearings can provide more precise speed control than other bearings with
higher loads and rigidity. In addition, these bearings do not require lubrication or
maintenance. They are suitable for various applications in packaging machinery
and food processing equipment.

12 Fluid Bearing

This special type of bearing relies on pressurized gas or liquid to carry the load
and eliminate friction. Fluid bearings are used to replace metallic bearings where
they would have a short life.

In addition to high noise and vibration levels, these bearings are used in
machines that work at high speeds and loads. While the initial costs are higher,
the longer life span in tough conditions makes up for it to run longer time.

13 Magnetic Bearing

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Magnetic bearings employ the principle of magnetic levitation to keep the air in
the center of the shaft because there is no physical contact. These bearings have
zero-wear, limiting the maximum amount of relative motion they can handle.

In addition, Magnetic bearings provide some changes in shaft design because the
position of the shaft is automatically set according to the center of mass.
Magnetic bearings offer many advantages for various applications such
as compressors, centrifuges, high-speed turbines, etc.

14 Jewel Bearing

The jewel bearings are similar to plain bearings, in which a metal spindle is
turned into a jewel-lined spindle hole. The hole is usually torus-shaped and
slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft. These jewels are formed by
mineral corundum, synthetic sapphire, or synthetic ruby.

Jewel bearings are employed in various industrial applications and precision

equipment where low friction, long life, and dimensional accuracy are essential.
Jewel bearings are most commonly used in mechanical watches.

15 Flexure Bearing

A flexure bearing is used to comply with one or more angular degrees of

freedom. These bearings are often referred to as part of the compliance
mechanism. They serve much of the same auction as conventional bearings or
hinges in applications that require angular compliance.

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However, flexures do not require lubrication and provide very little friction.
Flexure bearings are found to be simple and inexpensive. They are often small,
light in weight, and easy to repair with specialized tools.

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