Ball Bearings...Reducing friction in a smooth manner...
Also known as anti-friction bearings, ball bearings have been an
instrumental element in many industrial activities where friction is a
common problem. They are defined as small, metallic spheres, and are
primarily used in reducing the friction between the shaft and axle of a
moving object. On a moving part, these ball bearings are largely
helpful in absorbing the weight that are placed on them.
To meet the standardized norms of roundness, the
ball bearings are manufactured in a very careful manner, otherwise it
can lead to an unexpected failure of the moving parts. The friction between
the moving parts is reduced with the help of ball bearings by using at least
two races that have the capacity to contain the ball, thereby transmitting
the load through these balls.
The history of ball bearings is a very old one and can be traced back
to the times of the Roman Empire. In fact, the credit for introducing
the the concept of ball bearings goes, to a major extent, to the famous
painter and scientist, Leonardo Da Vinci. He was the first person to
prepare a practical design of the ball bearings.
However, it was Philip Vaughn, an English inventor and carriage maker,
who patented the first axle assembly to use the ball bearings. His
novel idea of the use of ball bearings drew attention from many
quarters as it helped in reducing friction to a great extent, thereby
eliminating any direct contact between the axle and the drive shaft.
Ball bearings are made from many different materials like chrome steel,
stainless steel, and even ceramic, i.e., silicon nitride. The use of
ceramic in making ball bearings is increasingly becoming popular,
because ceramics have low density and have the ability to withstand
high temperature.
The ball bearings could be seen in many varied shapes and designs to
suit a particular usage. These can be in the form angular contacts
which use axially asymmetric races. These angular contact bearings help
support combined loads in a more productive manner. The larger the
angle of contact, higher will be the support gained by axial load, and
lower will be the radial load.
Axial ball bearings makes use of side-by-side races. In axial ball
bearings, the axial load is directly transmitted through the ball
bearing, unlike a radial load, which is supported very poorly, and in
fact, tends to separate the races. Deep groove ball bearings are the
type of ball bearings where the dimensions of the races closely match
the proportion of the balls that run inside them. They are relatively
tolerant to the misalignment caused by the inner and outer races and
have a higher load rating as well.
Ball bearings have been a very crucial aspect of the engineering
industry, so much so that their functional importance cannot be
undermined at all. At the same time, it is more important to make use
of quality ball bearings that would help reduce friction in a much more efficient
manner.
While looking for a reliable supplier of ball bearings among the
business directories, and also on the Internet, I came across many B2B
sites in which companies manufacturing ball bearings were listed. One
can always log on to these sites to get more information. Among these,
I find tradeindia.com that lists A-grade companies whose credentials
seemed reliable and trustworthy.
