Importance of Ball Bearing Rollers and Their Use in Industry

Bearings, irrespective of their types, are critical for the smooth rotational movement of the machine parts, such as shafts, wheels and axles. They help handle heavy loads by transferring them between the machine elements with minimal friction. Among the different types of bearings, the rolling bearings are recognized for high precision and low friction. They facilitate high rotational speeds and reduce heat, noise and energy consumption. 

Ball Bearing Rollers | Image Resource : shutterstock.com

Rolling bearings are different from ball bearings and are widely used for their rolling elements are cylindrical in shape, which helps make line contact with the raceways. The contact line becomes rectangular in shape facilitating the bearing to handle heavier loads with higher friction.

Inherent Characteristics of Ball Bearing Rollers

Though ball bearing rollers are recognized for their cylindrical-shaped rolling elements, they are distinguished depending on the direction of the load they primarily accommodate. The following are inherent features of ball bearing rollers, which are classified into radial and thrust bearings depending on the direction of the load they chiefly handle.

• With different types of roller bearings available, you can have them for axial loads and radial loads in one direction or in both directions. The loads they handle are primarily perpendicular to the shaft or that act principally along the shaft’s axial.
• They come with or without a cage; nevertheless, a spherical roller thrust bearing, with a cage help accommodate high temperatures and function with lubricants.
• When it comes to applications, there are ball bearing rollers like cylindrical roller bearings to support axial displacement, while those like a spherical roller bearings are self-aligning components that can accommodate misalignment.
• The logarithmic profile helps the roller bearings have a long service life for there are minimal edge stresses and impact on adjacent components.
• The roller bearings are standardized in terms of design, size and series and this helps easy interchangeability. Moreover, the separable design enables easy mounting and dismounting of rings and helps conduct maintenance inspections.

Various Uses of Ball Bearing Rollers in Industry

The use of ball bearing rollers is inexplicable; with different types of bearings available, their use in industry predominantly depends of the design and size.

Some of the roller bearings are used in automobile industry and a few of the prominent ones are tapered roller trust bearings, cylindrical roller thrust bearings, and needle roller thrust bearings. These bearings can handle heavy axial, as well as radial loads and are mainly used in the wheels of heavy and light automobiles due to their load versatility.

During operation, these bearings assist transfer of heavy radial loads along the axis to the contact surface of the raceways: hence, reducing friction at high speed.

The use of ball bearing rollers in applications is unpredictable and endless.