CERAMIC BALL BEARING
-BY
NAMITHA C.M
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
Mrs. H.M KAVYA
Lecturer
CONTENTS
Introduction
What is a Ceramic Hybrid Ball Bearing?
Working principle
Types of Ceramic Ball Bearings
Features
Technical Charts
Ceramic vs. steel ball bearings
Applications
Advantages and Limitations
Conclusion
References
Introduction
Starting in 1963, Silicon Nitride was developed by NASA
for Thermal Protection Systems for the space program at
the University of Washington's Department of Material's,
Science and Engineering. Eventually, manufacturers of
various products, from the starting block of all machinery,
the ball bearing, to manufacturers of complete ceramic
engine assemblies, have been slowly discovering the
benefits and various uses of today's hi-tech ceramics. The
machine tool industry has been a pioneer in the use of
ceramic hybrid ball bearings. Many different types of hi-
performance motor racing programs, like Formula 1, are
also discovering the advantages of using ceramic hybrids.
What is a Ceramic Ball Bearing?
A ceramic ball bearing made
of ceramic elements from
silicon nitride. A ball bearing is
a piece of equipment that uses
balls to reduce friction in
spinning system.
We can achieve new friction
reducing Ceramic ball bearings
Working Principle
The purpose of a ball bearing is
to reduce rotational friction and
support radial and axial loads.
It achieves this by using at least
two races to contain the balls
and transmit the loads through
the balls. One of the races is
held fixed. As one of the
bearing races rotates it causes
the balls to rotate as well.
Types of Ceramic ball bearings
•Hybrid ceramic ball bearing
•Partial Ceramic Ball Bearings
•Full Ceramic Ball Bearings
Common Designs
Angular contact
An angular contact ball bearing uses axially asymmetric
races. An axial load passes in a straight line through the
bearing, whereas a radial load takes an oblique path that
tends to want to separate the races axially.
Deep groove
In a deep-groove radial bearing, the race dimensions are
close to the dimensions of the balls that run in it.
Axial
An axial ball bearing uses side-by-side races.
Features
60% lighter than steel balls.
50% higher modulus of elasticity.
Tribochemically inert.
Non-conductive.
Less maintenance.
Coefficient of Friction.
Low Density.
High Hardness.
High Hot Strength.
Low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion.
Long Fatigue Life.
Corrosion Resistance.
Micro weld.
Technical Charts
Ceramic vs. Steel ball bearings
Density
Modulus of
elasticity
Sensitivity
Friction
Applications
Motor Racing.
Motorcycle Racing.
Machine tool applications.
Aircraft accessories/aerospace.
Industrial Machinery.
Medical equipment.
Advantages
Ceramic balls are lighter, smoother, stiffer, harder,
corrosion resistant, and electrically resistant.
Ceramic ball bearings are 2 to 5 times longer life than
steel for most applications.
One of the major advantages of the all ceramic bearings
is the capability of dry run in the rolling contact.
In a ceramic bearing, the material is so resilient to heat
expansion that temperatures of around 1200 degrees F
can be placed on the material without much expansion.
Limitation
Ceramic balls cannot be used for every application. A
stiffer ball can increase contact stresses if raceway
curvatures are not adjusted.
Silicon nitride balls are more costly than steel balls
and while they continue to be more and more
affordable, they may not be economical for every
application despite longer life and enhanced
performance.
Conclusion
Ceramic ball is tremendously harder than steel. Ceramic
ball is 60% lighter than a steel ball. Ceramic ball is
significantly rounder and has a finer finish than
conventional steel balls. Operating temperature for
ceramic is 1093 degree centigrade versus 316 degree
centigrade for steel. Vibration levels of ceramic hybrid
bearings average two to seven times lower than that of
steel. Service life is two to five times longer than
conventional steel ball bearings. 25% of all electrical
energy produced is used to power some type of electric
motor. Imagine the savings in resources if all motors
were to run with ceramic hybrid ball bearing.
References
Popp, M. & Sternagel, R CEROBEAR GmbH,
Kaiserstraße 100 D-52134 Herzogenrath
Xiaofan Xie Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Utah
Shin Niizeki, “Ceramic Bearings for Special
Environments”, Motion Control No.8 (May 2000).
Ira Krepchin, “Ceramic bearings on a roll”, Design news,
December
