BEARINGS

CONTENTS
1) What is a Bearing?
2) Classification of Bearing.
3) Types of Rolling Contact Bearing.
4) Selection of Bearing type.
5) Equivalent Bearing Load.
6) Load-life Relationship.
7) Bearing Failure.
8) Designation.
9) Applications.
 What is a Bearing ?
A bearing is a stationary machine element which supports
rotating shafts or axles and confines their motion
The functions of bearing are-
1) Free rotation of the shaft or the axle with minimum
friction.

2) Supports the shaft or the axle and holds it in correct

position.

3) Takes up the forces that act on the shaft or the axle and
transmits them to the frame or the foundation.
 Classification of Bearing
1) Depending upon the direction of Force or Load that acts on the
bearings-

Radial Bearing that supports the

load which is perpendicular to the
axis of the shaft.

Thrust Bearing that supports the

load which acts along the axis of the
shaft.
2) Depending upon the type of friction between the shaft and the
bearing surface-
Sliding Contact Bearing where the
shaft slides over the surface of the
bush resulting in friction and wear
which can be reduced by a film of
lubricating oil.

Sliding contact bearings are also called

plain bearings, journal bearings or
sleeve bearings.

Rolling Contact Bearing where rolling

elements, such as balls or rollers are
introduced between the surfaces that are in
relative motion.

Rolling contact bearings are also called

antifriction bearings or simply ball
bearings
Sliding contact bearings are used in the following applications:

(i) crankshaft bearings in petrol and diesel engines;

(ii) centrifugal pumps;
(iii) large size electric motors;
(iv) steam and gas turbines; and
(v) concrete mixers, rope conveyors and marine installations.

Rolling contact bearings are used in the following applications:

(i) machine tool spindles;

(ii) automobile front and rear axles;
(iii) gear boxes;
(iv) small size electric motors; and
(v) rope sheaves, crane hooks and hoisting drums.
 TYPES OF ROLLING CONTACT
BEARINGS
Depending upon the type of rolling element, the bearings are classified as
ball bearing, cylindrical roller bearing, taper roller bearing and needle
bearing.
i. Deep Groove Ball Bearing The most frequently used
bearing is the deep groove ball bearing
Advantages:
(a) Has high load carrying capacity.
(b) Takes loads in the radial as well as axial direction.
(c) Frictional loss and the resultant temperature rise
is less
(d) Generates less noise due to point contact.
(e) Are available with bore diameters from a few mm
to 400 mm
Disadvantages
not selfaligning.
ii. Cylindrical Roller Bearing When maximum load carrying capacity is
required in a given space, the point contact in ball bearing is replaced by
the line contact of roller bearing.

Advantages:
(a)Due to line contact between rollers and races, the radial load carrying
capacity of the cylindrical roller bearing is very high.
(b)More rigid than ball bearing.
(c)The coefficient of friction is low and frictional loss is less in high-
speed applications.
Disadvantages
(a) Cannot take thrust load.
(b) Cylindrical roller bearing is not self-aligning.
(c) Cylindrical roller bearing generates more noise.
iii. Angular Contact Bearing the grooves in inner and outer races are so
shaped that the line of reaction at the contact between balls and races
makes an angle with the axis of the bearing

This reaction has two components Radial and Axial.

Therefore, angular contact bearing can take radial and
thrust loads

These bearings are assembled with a specific

magnitude of preload.

Advantages:
(a) Angular contact bearing can take both
radial and thrust loads.
(b) The load carrying capacity of angular
contact bearing is more
Disadvantage:
(a)Two bearings are required to take thrust load in both directions.
(b)The angular contact bearing must be mounted without axial play.
(c)The angular contact bearing requires initial pre-loading.
iv. Self-aligning Bearings
i. Self aligning ball bearing
ii. Spherical roller bearing
Self-aligning ball bearing consists of two rows of balls,
which roll on a common spherical surface in the outer
race. In this case, the assembly of the shaft, the inner race
and the balls with cage can freely roll and adjust
Itself to the angular misalignment of the shaft
Similar arrangement in the spherical roller bearing,
where balls are replaced by two rows of spherical rollers,
which run on A common spherical surface in the outer
race.

Compared with the self aligning ball bearing, the

spherical roller bearing can carry relatively high radial
and thrust loads.
 v. Taper Roller Bearing Taper roller bearing consists of rolling elements
in the form of a frustum of cone. They are arranged in such a way that
the axes of individual rolling elements intersect in a common apex point
on the axis of the bearing.
Taper roller bearing can carry both radial and axial loads.
A taper roller bearing subjected to pure radial load induces a thrust
component and vice versa.
Advantages:
(a) Taper roller bearing can take heavy radial and thrust loads.
(b) Taper roller bearing has more rigidity.
(c) Taper roller bearing can be easily assembled and disassembled
due to separable parts.
Disadvantage
(a) It is necessary to use two taper roller bearings on the shaft to balance the
axial force.
(b) It is necessary to adjust the axial position of the bearing with pre-load.
(c) Taper roller bearing cannot tolerate misalignment between the axes of the
shaft and the housing bore.
(d) Taper roller bearings are costly.
vi. Thrust Ball Bearing A thrust ball bearing consists of a row of balls
running between two ringsthe shaft ring and the housing ring. Thrust
ball bearing carries thrust load in only one direction and cannot carry any
radial load.
Advantage
Use of a large number of balls results in high thrust load carrying
capacity in smaller space
Disadvantage
(a)Thrust ball bearing cannot take radial load.
(b)It is not self-aligning and cannot tolerate misalignment.
(c) Their performance is satisfactory at low and medium speeds.
(d)Thrust ball bearings do not operate as well on horizontal shafts as
they do on vertical shafts.
(e)Thrust ball bearing requires continuous pressure applied by springs
to hold the rings together.
 Types of Rolling Contact Bearing
1) Ball Bearings:

Deep Groove Angular Contact Self-Aligning

2) Roller Bearings:

Cylindrical Roller Tapered Roller

Needle Roller

Spherical Roller
Types of sliding contact bearings
According to nature of sliding action

1. Slipper or Guide bearings

2. Journal or Sleeve bearings
a) Full Journal Bearings
b)Partial journal bearings
c)Fitted bearings

According to the thickness of the layer of lubrication between the

bearing and journal

1. Thick film bearings

2. Thin film bearings
3. Zero film bearings
4. Hydrostatic or externally pressurized lubricated bearings
Slipper Or Guide Bearings Moves in straight line and carrying radial loads

Journal or Sleeve bearings Sliding action is along the circumference of a

circle or an arc of a circle and carrying radial loads

A) Full Journal Bearings B) Partial Journal Bearings C) Fitted Bearings

Thick Film Bearings
Working surfaces are completely separated from each other by the
lubricant
Such type of bearings are also called as Hydrodynamic lubricated
bearings.
Thin Film Bearings
lubricant is present, the working surfaces partially contact each
other at least part of the time,
Zero film bearings
Operate without any lubricant
Hydrostatic or externally pressurized lubricated bearings
It support steady loads without any relative motion between the
journal and the bearing
This is achieved by forcing externally pressurized lubricant
between the members.
 Hydro dynamic lubrication in
Journal bearings
Thick film lubrication is further divided into two groups:
Hydrodynamic and
Hydrostatic lubrication
Hydrodynamic lubrication is defined as a system of lubrication in which the load-
supporting fluid film is created by the shape and relative motion of the

Principle of Hydrodynamic Lubrication

(a) Shaft is at rest and it sinks to the bottom of the
clearance space under the action of load W. The
surfaces of the journal and bearing touch during
rest.
 This mode of lubrication is
seen in bearings mounted
on engines and centrifugal
pumps

(b) The journal starts to rotate, it climbs the bearing surface

(c) As the speed is further increased, it forces the fluid into the wedge-
shaped region

Since more and more fluid is forced into the

wedge-shaped clearance space, pressure is
generated within the system. The pressure
distribution around the periphery of the
journal
Since the pressure is created within the
system due to rotation of the shaft, this type
of bearing is known as self-acting bearing.
Principle of Hydrostatic lubrication
Hydrostatic lubrication is defined as a system of lubrication in which the load
supporting fluid film, separating the two surfaces is created by an external
source, like a pump, supplying sufficient fluid under pressure.

Since the lubricant is supplied under pressure, this type of bearing is called
externally pressurized bearing

Hydrostatic bearings are used on vertical turbo generators, centrifuges and

ball mills
 LUBRICANTS
All lubricants are classified into the following three groups :
1. Liquid, 2. Semi-liquid, and 3. Solid.
LIQUIDS
1. Mineral oils and
2. Synthetic oils.
The mineral oils are most commonly used because of their cheapness and
stability
SEMI-LIQUID
1. A grease is a semi-liquid lubricant having higher viscosity than oils.
2. The greases are employed where slow speed and heavy pressure exist and
where oil drip from the bearing is undesirable.
SOLID LUBRICANTS
1. The solid lubricants are useful in reducing friction where oil films cannot
be maintained because of pressures or temperatures.
2. They should be softer than materials being lubricated.
3. A graphite is the most common of the solid lubricants either alone or
mixed with oil or grease.
 Terms Used in Hydrodynamic
Journal Bearing
A hydrodynamic journal bearing is shown in Fig. in which O is the centre of the
journal and O' is the centre of the bearing.

Let D = Diameter of the bearing, d = Diameter of the journal, and l = Length of

the bearing. The following terms used in hydrodynamic journal bearing :

1. Diametral clearance. It the

difference between the diameters of
the bearing and the journal.
c=Dd
2. Radial clearance. It is the difference
between the radii of the bearing and
the journal.
3. Diametral clearance ratio. It is the ratio of the diametral
clearance to the diameter of the journal.

4. Eccentricity. It is the radial distance between the centre (O)

of the bearing and the displaced centre (O') of the bearing
under load. It is denoted by e.

5. Minimum oil film thickness. It is the minimum distance

between the bearing and the journal, under complete
lubrication condition. It is denoted by

h = c /4.
6. Attitude or eccentricity ratio. It is the ratio of the
eccentricity to the radial clearance.

7. Short and long bearing. If the ratio of the length to the

diameter of the journal (i.e. l / d) is less than l, then the
bearing is said to be short bearing. On the other hand, if l/d is
greater than l, then the bearing is known as long bearing
 Load-Life Relationship
The relationship between the dynamic load carrying capacity, the
equivalent dynamic load and the bearing life is given by,
L(10)=( C/P )^p
Where,
L(10)= rated bearing life(in million revolution)
C= dynamic load capacity(N)
p= 3(for ball bearings)
p= 10/3(for roller bearings)
Rearranging,
C=P[L(10)]^1/p
 REFERENCES
Design of Machine Elements- V.B.Bhandari