Bearing Types
There are two basic types of mechanical bearings used in machinery: sleeve bearings and rolling bearings. Bronze sleeve bearings are simple and inexpensive, but tend to be limited in the shaft velocities they will support. They also have considerable coefficients of friction that may consume a large proportion of the energy available to turn the shaft. Ball bearing, however, are almost limitless in the velocities they will tolerate as long as their lubrication is sustained.
Bearing Components
Ball bearings consist of three main sections, all of which are uniform and hardened for long wear: The inner bearing race fits snugly on the turning shaft. The outer race is a collar that fits snugly inside the bearing holder bore. Finally, there is a single or double row of uniform balls that may be touching one another or spaced at intervals between inner and outer races and retained by a ball cage. These bearings will last almost indefinitely if sealed, kept very clean and lubricated with a high film strength bearing lubricant.
Applications
Ideal applications for ball bearings are industrial machines that present both radial and axial loads, and moderate to high shaft velocities. On vehicles, they are preferred for moderate load bearings for motors, gear cases, and turbochargers. Modelers often use miniature ball bearing to extract the most performance from their cars, boats and planes.
Making Ball Bearings
The secret of caged ball bearing making is that the inner race is first inserted inside the outer race, and pushed to one side so it contacts the outer race. The balls are inserted into the large gap on the opposite side until about half of the space is filled. Then the balls are evenly interspersed and subsequently retained by stamped metal cages, making the inner and outer races concentric. The cage halves are then riveted together and the bearing seals, if any, added. This assembly configuration is the Conrad method and is by far the most widely used because of the ability of the finished bearing to handle both radial and axial or thrust loads. Other less-used methods are slot fill and split race which allow a higher ball density, but compromise axial loads.
Variations
Single row deep groove ball bearings are the most common, followed by double row, and self-aligning. Bearings may be shielded, sealed or double sealed. Some have grease fittings, some come permanently lubricated, and in the case of turbochargers, are continuously pressure lubricated with motor oil.






