Yara International ASA

General Bearing
Basics
SKF Notes
Yara International ASA User
6/26/2015
 BEARING

Bearings are an essential component of almost all machinery. A bearing supports

and guides a rotating or oscillating shaft, pivot or wheel with a minimum of friction.

The objective of a bearing is to:

Reduce friction
Carry loads
Guide moving parts

FRICTION

Friction counteracts the movement between two surfaces. It is essential for the
success of many operations, such as a car tyre gripping a road. In most machines,
however, friction is undesirable since it causes power loss, heat generation, wear
and noise.

Bearings help reduce friction. The simplest bearing is a plain bearing. It consists of a
shaft rotating in a hole in the housing or a wheel rotating on a shaft. This generates a
great deal of sliding friction. Sliding friction causes wear followed by bearing failure.

The introduction of rolling elements between the shaft and the housing greatly
reduces friction by generating rolling friction. Finally, the addition of a hardened inner
and outer ring, and a cage around the rolling elements which prevents them from
rubbing against each other, reduces the friction even further.

LOADS

There are 3 ways loads can be acting; Radial Load, perpendicular to shaft, axial
load, load acting in direction along the shaft or combined load.

Large bearings support heavier loads than small bearings can support, and roller
bearings support heavier loads than ball bearings can support.

RACEWAY CONTACT

The basic difference between ball bearings and roller bearings is in the contact areas
of the rolling element. Balls have point contact while rollers have linear contact.

Point contact
A small contact area means that a ball bearing cannot take high load. However, a
small contact area also means less friction. Therefore, ball bearings are more
suitable for light loads and high speeds.

Linear contact
Because friction increases with greater contact, roller bearings are used in
applications with lower speeds. The large contact area also makes roller bearings
suitable for heavy loads.
 BEARING PARTS

A typical rolling bearing consists of an inner ring, an outer ring, rolling elements and
a cage. Seals or shields are an optional extra, which can be added to a number of
bearings.

The seals
Seals are essential for a long and reliable life of the bearing. They protect the
bearing from contamination and keep the lubricant inside the bearing. A bearing is
pre-greased if sealed or shielded on both sides.

The outer ring

The outer ring is mounted in the housing and in most cases it does not rotate. There
is a raceway on the inside surface of the outer ring. The shape of the raceway is
determined by the rolling elements.

The cage
The main functions of the cage are:
To prevent immediate contact between the rolling elements
(minimise friction and heat generation).
To guide the rolling elements.
To provide space for the lubricant.
To retain the rolling elements when bearings of separable design are
mounted or dismounted.

The rolling elements

The rolling elements keep the outer and inner rings separated and transmit the load
from one ring to the other. The various rolling element shapes give each bearing a
number of unique characteristics.

Shapes include;
Ball
Spherical roller (symmetrical)
Spherical roller (asymmetrical)
Cylindrical roller
Needle roller
Taper roller

The inner ring

The inner ring is mounted on the shaft of the machine and is in most cases a rotating
part. The bore can be cylindrical or tapered. There is a raceway on the outside
surface of the inner ring. The shape of the raceway is determined by the rolling
elements.

SELECTION FACTORS

There are many factors that affect your choice of bearing.

Space
Where radial space is limited a bearing with thin rolling elements, such as a needle
roller bearing, will be needed.
 Speed
The maximum speed of a bearing is limited by the maximum operating temperature
of the bearing material or the lubricant used in the bearing. Larger bearings have
lower speed limits. For high-speed applications, you need low friction bearings, so
ball bearings are generally used.

Load
When selecting a bearing, it is important to consider the direction of the load, and the
amount of load the bearing will have to carry. A bearing can be under radial load,
axial load, or a combination of both.

Stiffness
Elastic deformation occurs under load. Usually this deformation is very small and can
be ignored. However, in some applications, stiffness is an important factor. Roller
bearings have higher stiffness than ball bearings due to the line contact.

Life
The life of a bearing can be expressed in terms of: the number of revolutions before
failure, the number of operating hours before failure, or the distance covered (for
cars and trucks). A bearing is considered to have failed when it shows the first sign
of fatigue in a rolling element or raceway, or damage to other parts such as the cage
or the seals.

The basic rating life is defined as the life associated with 90% reliability. It is
traditionally expressed as L_10 in millions of revolutions. Service life is the real life a
bearing achieves, before it has to be replaced and depends on a variety of
influencing factors including lubrication, the degree of contamination, misalignment,
proper installation and environmental conditions. Service life is generally longer than
basic rating life.

To calculate life more accurately, a life modification factor has been introduced to
take the bearing operation condition into consideration. The calculation of SKF rating
life, in accordance with the latest ISO standards, incorporates an SKF life
modification factor that makes use of lubrication conditions the contamination level
and a fatigue load limit to reflect the operating conditions.

Axial displacement
Some applications require bearings that allow the shaft to move axially relative to the
bearing. This is called axial displacement. Most often, a shaft is supported by a
locating bearing and a non-locating bearing. The locating bearing does not allow
axial displacement and keeps the shaft in position. The non-locating bearing
supports the shaft and allows displacement to prevent the bearings from being
stressed. Cylindrical and CARB toroidal roller bearings allow for axial internal
displacement.

Misalignment
Where a shaft is prone to angular misalignment, appropriate bearings need to be
selected. For example, the shaft might bend due to operating loads. Self-aligning
bearings allow for some operational misalignment and also compensate for
alignment errors in mounting.

Clearance
The amount of initial radial clearance required in a bearing depends mainly on the
fits and temperature gradient inside the bearing. Operational radial clearance is
almost always less than initial clearance.

BEARING SUMMARY

In this lesson, you have learnt about the functions of a bearing. These are: reducing
friction, carrying loads and guiding moving parts. You have also been introduced to
the different parts of a bearing: outer and inner rings, rolling elements, cage, and
seals and their respective functionalities. Finally, you have also explored the different
selection factors, which will affect your choice of bearing: Available space, Load, Life,
Misalignment, Speed, Stiffness, Axial displacement and Clearance.

BEARING TYPES

Motor
Electrical motors can be found almost anywhere where there is a mechanical
movement. In this drawing you can see that the shaft, which is running the impeller,
is supported by two different bearings. The bearing on the left side (the drive-end
side) needs to carry high radial loads while the bearing on the right side must have
radial and axial load carrying capacities.
The thrust ball bearing is not a suitable solution in this case. This bearing cannot
carry any radial load, which is required in electrical motors.

Thanks to their great radial load carrying capacity, cylindrical roller bearings are
widely used on the drive-end side of medium and large-sized electrical motors with a
belt drive. The cylindrical roller bearing is usually unable to take axial loads and is
therefore a non-locating bearing.

CYLINDRICAL ROLLER BEARINGS

Cylindrical roller bearings are simply bearings with cylindrical rollers. They can
usually accommodate heavy radial loads and can operate at high speeds.

Cylindrical roller bearings:

Have high radial load carrying capacity
Can run at relatively high speeds
Are separable
Some designs can accommodate moderate axial loads

Cylindrical roller bearings can also have two or four rows of rollers to carry high to
extreme loads in heavy machinery. If space is limited, needle roller bearings can be
used instead of cylindrical roller bearings.

NEEDLE ROLLER BEARINGS

Needle roller bearings are cylindrical roller bearings with very thin rollers. They have
low sectional height and very high load carrying capacity for their size. They may be
used with or without an inner ring depending on the application. Needle roller
bearings can be used in gearboxes. Bearings used in gearboxes have to carry
heavy radial loads, require limited space, and function well with low maintenance.
Another typical application, for which needle roller bearings is suitable, is small
alternators (cars).
The right side bearing must have radial and axial load carrying capacities.

Deep groove ball bearings are often used in electrical motors due to their radial and
axial load carrying capabilities. In this application, the deep groove ball bearing acts
as a locating bearing.
 DEEP GROOVE BALL BEARINGS

Deep groove ball bearings have deep uninterrupted raceways and a high degree of
conformity between balls and raceways. This enables the bearings to take relatively
high axial loads in both directions, in addition to radial loads.

Deep groove ball bearings:

Have high degree of conformity between balls and raceways
Ability to carry relatively high radial load
Ability to carry some axial load in both directions
Very high speed capability
Low maintenance, robust in operation

Deep groove ball bearings can also come in a double row design. SKF double row
deep groove ball bearings correspond in design to single row deep groove ball
bearings. The double row bearings are very suitable for bearing arrangements where
the load carrying capacity of a single row bearing is inadequate.
 Pump
A pump is a device for lifting, transferring or moving fluids by suction or pressure
from one position to another. This picture shows a medium-duty process pump,
which is often used in refineries.

The pump has two main sections: the hydraulic assembly (impeller and volute) and
the mechanical assembly (bearing housing, shaft, seals and bearings). The pump is
driven by an electric motor via a coupling. High reliability is required. The shaft is
supported by one deep grooveball bearing to the right and another bearing or
bearings to the left.
 ANGULAR CONTACT BALL BEARINGS

Angular contact ball bearings are suitable in centrifugal pump applications.

Angular contact ball bearings have raceways in the inner and outer rings displaced
with respect to each other in the direction of the bearing axis.

The most important features of a single row angular contact ball bearings are:
High axial load carrying capacity in one direction
Radial load carrying capacity
High speed capacity
Low maintenance

Single row angular contact ball bearings can only take axial load in one direction and
are therefore usually mounted as pairs either in back-to-back or face-to-face
arrangements.

DOUBLE ROW ANGULAR CONTACT BALL BEARING

Another design of the angular contact ball bearing is the double row angular contact
ball bearing. Double row angular contact ball bearings correspond in design to two
single row angular contact ball bearings but take up less axial space.
These bearings are used extensively in medium-duty centrifugal pumps owing to:
Good load carrying capabilities in radial and both axial directions.
Good speed capabilities
Ease of mounting
 Fan
Industrial fans can either be designed for light loads and high speeds, or for heavy
loads and moderate speeds.
A fan is designed with two bearings along its shaft, placed between the fan and the
motor. Both bearings have to carry radial loads and the bearing on the left hand side
also needs to be a locating bearing, keeping the shaft and the fan in a fixed position.

This cylindrical roller bearing (type NU) can take radial loads, but no axial loads at all
and therefore cannot be a locating bearing.
 SPHERICAL ROLLER BEARINGS

Spherical roller bearings can take high radial loads, some axial loads and be a
locating bearing, which is needed here. The spherical roller bearing is widely used in
numerous applications and it is suitable as a locating bearing in fans.

Spherical roller bearings:

Very high radial load carrying capacity
Some axial load carrying capacity in both directions
Self aligning ability
Ability to withstand shock loads
Ability to operate at high temperatures (upto 200 deg C)

Due to temperature changes, the bearing arrangement also has to allow for axial
expansion of the shaft. This means that one bearing, in this case the one on the right
hand side, must be able to take the axial expansion of the shaft.

Self-aligning ball bearings are not so good when it comes to taking up axial
expansion.
 CARB TOROIDAL ROLLER BEARING

The CARB toroidal roller bearing accommodates the axial expansion within the
bearing, with negligible friction at the same time as it allows misalignments. CARB is
a single row toroidal roller bearing with concave raceways.
Self aligning ability
Ability to accommodate axial displacement inside the bearing
Very high radial load carrying capacity

Separator
Alfa Laval, a Swedish company, has developed a range of machines specifically
designed for rigorous oil processing duties. An example of this would be separators.
The separation process creates imbalance due to the mud, which is distributed
unevenly inside the separator and this makes the spindle bend. This in turn means
that the bearing is subjected to a rotating radial force and rotating misalignment.
Moreover, the vibration levels are high.

Spherical roller bearings have higher friction than self-aligning ball bearings and are
mainly used for rotating movements with lower speed. Since the separator has a
high operational speed, the spherical roller bearing is not a suitable option. Self-
aligning ball bearings can handle rotating radial forces and misalignment. Self-
aligning ball bearings allow for high-speed.

SELF-ALIGNING BALL BEARINGS

Self-aligning ball bearings:

Have good radial load carrying capacity
Can accommodate axial load in both directions, high speed,
misalignment and deflection in operation.
2 rows of balls and a common concave sphered raceway in outer
ring making the bearings insensitive to angular misalignment of shaft
relative to the housing.
High speed operations due to point contact between balls and
raceways.
 Refiners
Metso Paper Sundsvall AB, a Swedish leading manufacturer of refiners, has used
SKF bearings in their machines for many years. Refiners are used in the production
of mechanical pulp and other high-yield pulps.

Wood chips are ground at high mechanical pressure. Refiners operate at high speed,
and the grinding process generates very high thrust loads. High stability of the
grinding disc and a constant gap between the discs are necessary to produce high
pulp quality.

The bearings have to provide high stability, operate at high speed, carry heavy axial
loads and handle deflections of the shaft.
Self-aligning ball bearings are not suitable in refiners since they are not capable of
carrying the heavy axial loads that are generated in these applications.
The spherical roller thrust bearing, invented by SKF, is self-aligning and can
accommodate very heavy axial loads as well as radial loads. These characteristics
make this bearing very useful in refiners.

SPHERICAL ROLLER THRUST BEARING

The spherical roller thrust bearings in the refiner have to be mounted in pairs to carry
the heavy axial load in both directions, as well as radial loads. A third bearing
increases the axial load carrying capacity in one direction.
 Screw Conveyor

Machines used in the agricultural industry often require bearings that can easily be
changed and that can handle misalignments. The bearings are the only contact
between the screw conveyor and the machine. This means that the bearings have to
keep the shaft in a fixed position and be able to carry both axial and radial loads. It is
also very important that they can accommodate initial misalignment.
Cylindrical roller bearings are not suitable in these applications since these bearings
cannot handle any misalignment. Y-bearings are suitable in agricultural machines.

Y-BEARINGS

Y-bearing units are easy to mount and a cost-effective solution for lightly loaded, low-
speed applications where a well-sealed unit is required. A Y-bearing unit consists of
a housing and a bearing. There are different types of housings available, depending
on the application and machine design. The bearing has a convex-sphered outside
diameter, allowing the bearing to take up misalignments at the assembly stage.
The Y-bearing unit in the screw conveyor.
 Front wheel
SKF bearings are used in front wheels for commercial vehicles. These applications
require bearings that can handle very heavy loads. The bearings must carry a large
part of the weight of the vehicle and induced forces when driving, which means that
they have to handle heavy loads in both radial and axial direction.

Deep groove ball bearings cannot handle the heavy loads required in the front wheel
of a commercial vehicle. The design of taper roller bearings makes them particularly
suitable for handling of combined (radial and axial) heavy loads.
 TAPER ROLLER BEARINGS

Taper roller bearings have tapered rollers and tapered inner and outer ring
raceways.
They are suitable for handling heavy combined loads but can only carry axial loads in
one direction and, for this reason, they are generally fitted in pairs.
They are able to handle heavy combined loads and are separable.
BEARING SUMMARY
 DESIGNATIONS

Since SKF manufactures an enormous range of bearings of different types, designs

and sizes, a designation system is needed to describe each bearing in a
standardised and internationally recognised manner.

Every designation specifies a bearing or component exactly, from type and bore
diameter, to any special designs and variants.

In this lesson, you will learn how the SKF designation system for standard metric
size bearings works.
 Supplementary Designations

Prefixes identify component parts of a bearing.

The suffixes identify desings that differ from the original design. They are divided into
four groups; internal design, external design, cage design and variants.
 Internal Design
Bearings with a suffix of A, B, C, D, E or any combination of these have a deviating
or modified internal design. The standard boundary dimensions are the same,
however. As a rule, the significance of each letter is specific to a certain bearing type
or series.

External design
External design denotes modifications such as to the outer ring during the
manufacturing process so that the bearing accepts seals, shields or snap rings.
RS1 or 2RS1 denotes an acrylonitrile butadiene rubber seal with sheet steel
reinforcement on one or both sides of the bearing respectively. The N suffix indicates
an outer ring machined groove to accept a snap ring. NR means that the bearing
comes with a snap ring groove and the appropriate snap ring. Another example of
modification to the external design is suffix K for bearings with a conical (tapered)
bore.
 Cage design
Internal and External design suffixes are followed by a suffix describing the cage
type. The cage suffix specifies how the cage is manufactured and what material it is
made of. An extra letter together with the suffix gives further specification.

Variants
Variant suffixes are placed at the end of the designation, after an oblique stroke.
Heat treatment, clearance and lubrication are examples of common variant suffixes