Ball bearings are used to provide smooth, low friction motion in rotary applications. Ball bearings are able to provide high performance and long lifetime in order to transfer the load from the balls to the inner races. The balls have minimal contact with the inner and outer races due to their spherical shape and this allows them to spin smoothly.
Ball bearings are composed of four main parts: two rings (or races) the rolling elements (the balls), and the ball separator (retainer).
Radial ball bearing and Angular contact bearing have an inner and outer ring. Radial ball bearings and angular contact bearings are designed to support loads perpendicular to the axis of rotation, referred to as radial loads. The outer race mounts into a housing and is stationary. This part also aids in the transfer of the radial load from the bearing to the housing. The inner race mounts onto a rotating shaft and supports and guides the shaft during rotation.
The rolling elements carry the load and distribute it throughout the raceways. The rolling elements rotate around the inner race, but not at the same speed as the rotation of the inner race.
The separator acts as a barrier between the balls preventing them from bumping into each other. Thurst bearings are designed to support loads parallel to the axis of ratation, referred to as axial loads. Thrust ball bearings have two rings of equal size.
BALL BEARING APPLICATIONS
Special applications for bearings include
Airframe or aircraft control
Aerospace
Agriculture
Automotive
Ball screw support
Instrument or miniature
Medical or dental
Military
Pump
Spindle or super precision
Sporting and consumer goods.
