SUPER-TF AND

HI-TF BEARINGS

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As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of rolling bearings, linear technology
components and steering systems, we can be found on almost every continent – with
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The NSK company

NSK commenced operations as the first Japanese
manufacturer of rolling bearings back in 1916. Ever
since, we have been continuously expanding and
improving not only our product portfolio but also our
range of services for various industrial sectors. In this
context, we develop technologies in the fields of
rolling bearings, linear systems, components for the
automotive industry and mechatronic systems. Our
research and production facilities in Europe, Americas
and Asia are linked together in a global technology
network. Here we concentrate not only on the
development of new technologies, but also on the
continuous optimisation of quality – at every process
stage.
Among other things, our research activities include
product design, simulation applications using a variety
of analytical systems and the development of different
steels and lubricants for rolling bearings.

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Partnership based on trust –
and trust based on quality

Total Quality by NSK: The synergies of our global network of NSK Technology Centres.
Just one example of how we meet our requirements for high quality.

NSK is one of the leading companies with a long tradition in of quality based on the integrated technology platform of
patent applications for machine parts. In our worldwide tribology, material technology, analysis and mechatronics.
research centres, we not only concentrate on the development More about NSK at www.nskeurope.com or call us on
of new technologies, but also on the continual improvement + 44 (0) 1 636 605 123

HI-TF BEARINGS AND SUPER-TF BEARINGS 3

Outstanding toughness, performance, and cost
savings: NSK technology sets a new standard
for long service life.

Durability is a very important criterion for bearings used in automobiles, steel mills, and
industrial machinery. The need for improved durability has become increasingly severe due
to demand for greater cost performance, extended maintenance intervals, and compact
component designs.

In response, NSK developed and supplied the marketplace with the TF series of bearing. However, to meet the customer’s need
for even greater efficiency, NSK developed a new material and a new heat-treatment process resulting in the newly developed
series of Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF Bearings, which are capable of exceeding the performance of our series of TF Bearings.

Super-TF Bearings have a longer service life combined with superior resistance against wear, seizure, and heat under
contaminated lubrication conditions. The series of bearing was also developed to meet the anticipated needs of customers
both now and in the future. This series is especially, suitable for applications requiring high durability. Hi-TF Bearings offer
longer service life, provide superior resistance against wear and seizure under contaminated lubrication conditions, and
ensures greater cost-performance. This series of bearing is suitable for applications requiring sufficient durability.

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Super TF and Hi-TF Bearings

TF Technology, Hi-TF Bearings, Super-TF Bearings

In its quest for longer bearing service life, NSK has spent many years analyzing the mechanisms of fatigue in bearings and
researching and developing materials, heat treatment processes and operating conditions. The range of approaches to achieving
longer service life taken by our research team are shown in Fig. 1. The technology incorporated in our Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF
Bearings is designed to maximize service life under conditions where bearings are subject to surface-originating flaking.

GOAL: LONGER SERVICE LIFE

PROBLEMS

SUBSURFACE-ORIGINATING FLAKING SURFACE-ORIGINATING FLAKING

Clean environments Contaminated environments
APPROACHES
MATERIALS HEAT TREATMENT SEALING
Reduction of non-metallic inclusions Toughness

Hardening of bearing steel Carburization

HIGH PURITY SPECIAL HEAT TREATMENTS CONTROL OF RETAINED AUSTENITE

PRODUCTS &
SOLUTIONS

Special melting Mass-produced Solution strengthened

process steel steel by adding nitrogen
VIM-VAR Z STEEL TF BEARINGS SEALED-CLEAN TRANSMISSION
BEARINGS
Aircraft applications
High-reliability applications Contamination-resistant bearings
UR PROCESSING
HI-TF BEARINGS 4-ROW SEALED-CLEAN TAPERED
EP STEEL ROLLER BEARINGS
SUPER-TF BEARINGS

Fig. 1 Approaches to achieving longer service life in bearings

HI-TF BEARINGS AND SUPER-TF BEARINGS 5

Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF Bearings

TF Technology
The problem: Contaminated lubrication conditions
Bearings may be required to operate under clean or dirty conditions; under dirty conditions their lubricating oil is easily
contaminated. Metal particles or casting sand in the lubricating oil make dents in the contact surfaces. As shown in
Fig. 2, stress is concentrated around these dents and eventually leads to cracking and to surface-originating flaking.
The concentration of stress around a dent is expressed by the equation [P/P0 (r/c)−0.24], where “r” is the radius at the
shoulder of the dent and “2c” is the shoulder-to-shoulder width of the dent. The greater the value of “r/c”, the smaller the
stress concentration and the longer the service life of the bearing.

4.0
Source: Y. P. Chiu and J. Y. Liu, Trans-ASME, Ser-F (1970).

2b: range over which contact pressure

c P0
does not act (mm)
3.0
X0 2c: shoulder-to-shoulder width of
surface dent (mm) 2c
P0: contact pressure without dent (MPa) 2b
P/P0 value

P: contact pressure with dent (MPa) x

2.0 r: radius of curvature of surface dent (mm)
r r Defect Shoulder
Arbitrary Smooth
1.0
Profile

0
0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 P0 Stress at Infinity
x/b

Fig. 2 Concentration of stress around a surface dent

1.0
The solution: TF technology
NSK is a world leader in the research and development 0.8

of material properties to reduce the concentration of

0.6
stress around surface dents. As shown in Fig. 3, our work
r/c value

has revealed that a high level of retained austenite is an

0.4
extremely effective means of maximizing the r/c value
around surface dents in the bearing material. TF technology 0.2

is a unique heat treatment process developed by NSK to

optimize the level of retained austenite in bearing materials. 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Retained austenite level, %

Fig. 3 Relationship of r/c value to retained austenite level

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Material Properties of Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF Bearings
NSK has developed the Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF Bearings
as two series of bearings that offer longer service life exceeding
that of TF Bearings. As we have seen, the approach to achieving
long service life taken in the Super-TF Bearings is to minimize
the concentration of stress around the shoulders of surface
dents. A high level of retained austenite helps to maximize
the value of r/c and reduce the concentration of stress around
the dents. However, austenite itself has a soft microstructure,
and reduces the hardness of the bearing material. In order to
meet the seemingly conflicting needs for greater hardness of
the bearing material and a higher level of retained austenite,
we decided to adopt a technique that would both promote
the uniform distribution and reduce the diameter of carbide
and carbonitride particles in the bearing material.
To this end, our researchers have developed a new type of
steel that has added the proper quantity of element used in the
formation of carbides, and have developed the carbonitriding
heat treatment to extract minute carbide and nitride
compulsorily for the first time in the world. Hi-TF Bearings adopt
a new type of steel named SAC1, which has a specific amount
of chrome added to it. Super-TF Bearings adopt a new type of
steel named SAC2, which has a specific amount of chrome and
molybdenum added to it. Although Super-TF Bearings have a
slightly higher product cost than conventional bearings, rise
in product cost for the Hi-TF Bearings was avoided by using
chrome manganese steel (SAC1) for the material. Figures 4 and
5 illustrate the image analysis results of carbide distribution in
the structures of Super-TF Bearings and an ordinary carburized
steel bearing. It is clear that the Super-TF Bearings has a greater
amount of fine-size carbide and carbonitride particles. Fig. 6
shows that the formations of finer carbide and carbonitride
particle give Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF Bearings a greater
degree of hardness and higher retained austenite levels than
those of TF Bearings. As a result, Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF
Bearings achieve a higher r/c value. (Fig. 7)

400 400

Super-TF Bearing Ordinary carburized steel

300 300
Number

Number

200 200

100
100

0 0

Carbide size (mm) 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 Carbide size (mm) 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

Fig. 4 Average diameter of carbide and carbonitride Fig. 5 Average diameter of carbide particles in an
particles in a Super-TF Bearing ordinary carburized steel bearing

Super-TF Super-TF
Hi-TF γR=32%
Hi-TF
Hv=802
800 TF TF
1.0 SUJ2
Vickers hardness, HV

γR=32%
Hv=772
r/c value

700 γR=33%
Hv=716
0.5
γR=10%
Range of TF Bearings
Hv=739

600

0
10 20 30 40 50 0 103 104 105 106
Retained austenite level, % Number of stress, cycles

Fig. 6 Relationship of material hardness and retained Fig. 7 Change of r/c value under repeated stress
austenite level

HI-TF BEARINGS AND SUPER-TF BEARINGS 7

Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF Bearings

Service life under contaminated lubrication conditions

Table 1 and Fig. 9 show the results of service life tests 2
Super-TF

Service life ratio

conducted under contaminated lubrication conditions with
Hi-TF
NSK L44649/10 tapered roller bearings. If the service life of SUJ2
1
an ordinary carburized steel bearing of this type is taken as TF

Ordinary
1, then the L10 life of TF, Hi-TF, and Super-TF Bearings would carburized steel

be 4.5, 7.1, and 10.2 respectively (Table 1). Hi-TF Bearings and 0
Service life under contaminated lubrication Catalog life
Super-TF Bearings thus offer over seven time and ten times
the service life of ordinary carburized steel bearings. Service Fig. 8 Comparison of service life under
life is generally affected both by the conditions in which the contaminated lubrication
bearing is used and by the amount of contamination in the
lubricant. Under contaminated lubricated conditions, service
life may fall to as little as 1/5 of the catalog life.
As a result of attempting longer service life under contaminated
90
lubrication, Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF Bearings can achieve
service life that exceeds the catalog life of existing products
50
under contaminated lubrication for the first time.
Percent failed, %

Test conditions
P/C=0.43 Oil bath
Speed 4000min−1
Debris: Hardness 870HV
Size 74 to 147μm
Amount 150 ppm
10
Ordinary carburized steel
5 TF
Hi-TF
Ordinary Super-TF
TF Hi-TF Super-TF
carburized steel
1 10 102 103
1 4.5 7.1 10.2 Service life, h

Table 1 Comparison of service life of L44649/10 tapered Fig. 9 Service life of L44649/10 bearings under
roller bearings contaminated lubrication

Service life under clean lubrication conditions

Test condition
Fig. 10 shows the result of service life tests under clean 50 P/C=0.71 Clean oil bath
N=3900min−1
lubrication conditions using 6206 deep groove ball bearings. SUJ2 (n=53)
Percent failed, %

Under clean lubrication, Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF Bearings Hi-TF (n=31)

show a slightly longer service life than those made of SUJ2.

The most important factor is the cleanliness of the steel from 5

which the bearing is made. Material with a greater degree of Super-TF (n=20)

purity offers a greater degree of long-life performance.

1
10 102 103 104
Service life, h

Fig. 10 Service life tests of 6206 bearings under

clean lubrication

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Service life under boundary lubrication conditions
Under boundary lubrication conditions where there is an insufficient amount of EHL film, metal-to-metal contact occurs, thus reducing
bearing life. Fig. 11 shows the results of service life tests conducted under conditions where oil film parameter Л, which represents
the ratio of the thickness of the oil film to the roughness of the surface, is very small (Л=0.3). When Л is very small, peeling damage
occurs (Fig. 12), but in Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF Bearings, the concentration of stress around the projections of the contact area is
reduced, giving a service life approximately 4.7 times and 5.5 times greater than that of ordinary carburized steel bearings.

Direction of ball motion

Test conditions
90 Pmax=4400MPa
Oil bath, Λ=0.3
Speed 7800min−1
50
Percent failed, %

10

5 SUJ2
Ordinary carburized steel
Hi-TF
Super-TF

106 107 108 109

Number of stress, cycles
100 μm
Fig. 11 Service life tests under boundary Fig. 12 Peeling damage
lubrication conditions

Wear and seizure resistance Heat resistance

Besides extending service life under contaminated lubrication Fig. 14 shows the results of service life tests conducted
conditions, another goal is to increase the bearing’s resistance to with 6206 ball bearings at 160°C under clean lubrication
wear and seizure by ensuring the dispersion of a large number of conditions. Test results reveal that Super-TF Bearings
fine carbides and nitrides in the bearing material. Fig. 13 presents (heat-resistant specifications) have approximately
the results of a Sawin-type wear test, showing the degree of 4 times the service life of SUJ2X26 steel bearings.
wear and the seizure limit for different types of bearing material.
The test reveals that Hi-TF Bearings and Super-TF Bearings have
90
superior wear resistance to both SUJ2 steel and TF Bearings. Hi-TF SUJ2X26
Super-TF
（High temperature spec）
Bearings and Super-TF Bearings are also 20 % and 40 % more 50
Percent failed, %

Test condition
resistant to seizure than both SUJ2 steel and TF Bearings. P/C=0.71 Clean oil bath
N=3900min−1
Test temperature 160℃
10
(x10−8mm3/N・mm)
5
3
Relative degree of wear

Seizure limit
SUJ2
TF
2 Hi-TF
Super-TF
1 10 102 103
Service life, h
1
Seizure limit

Seizure limit Fig. 14 Service life test of 6206 under high temperature
0
1 2 3 4 clean lubrication
Friction speed (m/sec)

Fig. 13 Comparison of wear resistance

HI-TF BEARINGS AND SUPER-TF BEARINGS 9

 Notes

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HI-TF BEARINGS AND SUPER-TF BEARINGS 11
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