8 bearing types for high speed applications
Many bearings are designed to operate at high speeds and they can handle a range of speeds. However, some bearings are more effective at higher speeds than others. The type of lubricant used, the shaft material and the bearing size are all factors that determine how well a bearing can handle high speeds.
Ball Bearing
Ball Bearings are used where precision and durability are critical, for example, in gearboxes, or for rotational applications.
Ball bearings are available in a wide range of sizes and types to suit most applications. They are generally constructed from hardened steel balls contained within a cage that is mounted on shafts, with one or both ends sealed with ball races.
The most common types of ball bearings have a single race at each end, which means that they can only be mounted on shafts and housings with matching internal diameters.
High speed ball bearings are designed for high speeds and high load carrying capacity. These bearings can handle both radial and axial loads. They feature precision ground raceways to ensure smooth rolling action and long life even when exposed to high temperatures or heavy shock loads.
High speed ball bearings can handle radial loads up to 2 times greater than standard ball bearings at the same speed rating because they have larger balls (1/2" diameter) that support more weight per unit area of contact than standard 1/2" size balls (3/32" diameter).
Cylindrical Roller Bearings
Cylindrical roller bearings are widely used in machinery and industrial equipment. They can support radial and axial loads, and some are suitable for combined radial, axial, or both loads. They also can support heavy loads at low speeds, as in the lathe spindle.
Cylindrical roller bearings consist of an outer ring, raceway types (inner ring), cage, and balls. The cage is made up of sets of cylindrical rollers and their matching separators, which allow the bearing to accommodate axial displacement without losing its spherical configuration. Cylindrical roller bearings have no end caps and are therefore only suitable for very light loads.
These bearings are designed specifically for applications that require high speed rotation. They feature a cage with a large number of rollers that minimize friction while allowing them to rotate at very high speeds with minimal load capacity.
Angular Contact Bearing
Angular contact bearings are used in high-speed applications, such as in wind turbines, jet engines and gas turbines. In these applications the angular contact bearing has to withstand high speeds, high temperatures, large radial loads and high axial loads.
The main advantage of an angular contact bearing is its capability to sustain high speed and heavy loads. Angular contact bearings can be used for both high-speed and low-speed applications. However, their load capacity decreases with increasing speed.
Angular contact bearings can be used in many different machine tools including lathes, milling machines and boring machines. They are also used in various other applications such as robotics, textile machinery and packaging machinery.
The design of an angular contact bearing consists of a cage made up of a series of alternating rows of rolling elements (balls or rollers) and fixed grooves into which they ride. The cage fits into a housing made up of two raceways separated by a spacer ring or shim packs.
Deep groove ball bearings
Deep groove ball bearings are recognized as the most common type of rolling bearings. They are characterized by a raceway on both sides and a deep groove in their inner ring.
Deep groove ball bearings have higher load-carrying capacity than other types of rolling bearings and higher dynamic loads than deep-groove ball bearings. Deep-groove ball bearings are suitable for applications where more load is carried at high speeds than at low speeds. Note, however, that for applications where there is no need for high speeds or heavy loads, standard ball bearings should be selected because they will have lower friction and thus longer life than deep-groove ball bearings.
The design of deep groove ball bearings allows them to support axial loads in either direction while keeping radial loads perpendicular to the shaft axis. This makes them highly suited for use in many different machines and mechanisms, including automobiles, airplanes and household appliances.
Needle Roller Bearings
Needle roller bearings are designed for high speed and light loads, and are especially well suited for electric motors, gearboxes, conveyors and other applications requiring a high degree of precision.
Needle roller bearings have tapered rollers which fit into equally-sized grooves in the outer ring raceway. The rollers are free to rotate within the grooves but are prevented from axial movement by a cage which also acts as an inner race. The cage is usually made of steel or hardened brass.
Needle roller bearings can be supplied with any combination of plain, double-row, single-directional or double-directional cages. The cages may be either shielded or non-shielded. Shielded cages are normally filled with grease at the factory but non-shielded cages are not prelubricated; they require additional lubrication during operation.
Spherical roller bearing
Spherical roller bearings are the most widely used of all rolling bearings. They consist of an outer ring with raceways on both sides and an inner ring that has raceways on both sides. The bearings are separable, which means that the bearing rings can be mounted separately or together. The bearing rings are made from cast iron, steel or brass.
Spherical roller bearings are designed for high speed applications where radial loads predominate. They are used in applications such as fans, blowers and pumps; they also find applications in automotive engines and power trains because they have low friction torque at high speeds and excellent corrosion resistance.
Tapered Roller Bearings
Tapered Roller Bearings consist of tapered roller bearings and a cage. The cage is made up of a number of circular plates assembled together, called the spacer plate. The spacer plate is pressed against both the outer ring and inner ring. The outer ring and inner ring are machined with taper surfaces to fit onto the shaft. A cage is used to prevent dust or dirt from entering the bearing.
The tapered roller bearing surface can be divided into two types: non-contact surface and contact surface. There are many types of non-contact surfaces such as spherical, cylindrical, conical and so on; there are many types of contact surfaces such as cylindrical, spherical, conical and so on.
Tapered roller bearings are mainly used for high speed rotation in automobiles and engines for rotation speeds up to 30000rpm. They can also be used for low speed rotation but not recommended due to wear or noise generated when rotating at low speeds.
Thrust ball bearing
Thrust ball bearing is a bearing with inner and outer ring,a cage and a spherical outer race. It’s mainly used in high speed and high precision machinery.
Thrust ball bearings are single row deep groove ball bearings,and they can be divided into two kinds:pressed bearing and machined bearing.Pressed bearings have the same shape as the machined ones;they are pre-stressed when being pressed into their cages.Machined bearings are made from bar stock by cutting,grinding and other operations.
The inner ring of thrust ball bearings is generally made of steel,and the outer ring is made of chrome steel or stainless steel for corrosion resistance.The cage is usually made of brass or nylon for low cost,or it may be made of stainless steel for high precision applications.The outer diameter of thrust ball bearing is larger than that of rolling element bearings because it has no rolling elements inside so there is no need to restrict its size.
In conclusion, there are different bearing types for high speed applications with their own characteristics. The appropriate bearing type depends on many factors, and matching the bearing with the application allows an increased load rating, service life and performance.
