A bearing’s ability to withstand a load is determined by how close the Hertzian contact pressure is to the stress limit of the bearing. The closer it is to the bearing’s stress limit, the less time it will take for the bearing to experience plastic deformation.

Axial loadbearing

Some examples of a radial load on a bearing are the weight of a horizontal shaft assembly, gears, pullies or cutting tools.

Axial loadcalculation example

Another option is to switch from bearing steel balls to ceramic balls. All our GMN angular contact bearings and radial ball bearings are available with ceramic balls.

On the other hand, if you are designing an application that needs tight rigidity and precision then you may want to consider a medium or heavy preload on your angular contact bearing. We recommend our S angular contact bearing series.

Axial vs radialmeasurement

If the application has high Hertzian pressure, then changes may need to be made to the application to reduce the pressure.

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The quickest way to estimate a bearing’s lifespan and performance is by knowing all about the application load that will be placed on the bearing.

Bearings are critical components of industry. Automobiles, planes and trains, would not be able to function without bearings. Understanding the importance of bearings, Consolidated has focused on the key elements of various bearing types.

Usually, you’ll find an axial load directly in line with the shaft, like a drill. Other times an axial load can be a reactive load offset from the shaft axis, like a bevel gear.

Axial loadexample

If an application requires high speeds, consider using an angular contact bearing with smaller balls, like our KH series.

Generally speaking, if you are designing a high-speed application consider using a light preload on your angular contact bearing. We recommend our SM angular contact bearings or KH angular contact bearings.

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Bearing preload is a predetermined load that is applied to a bearing and is separate from application loads. Adding a preload establishes an optimal synergy between the rolling elements and the bearing races.

A bearing load is defined as the force that’s transferred from one bearing ring, through some or all the rolling elements, to the other bearing ring.

But what we haven’t mentioned is that this contact force creates pressure where the rolling element is pushing on the raceway; this is called Hertzian contact pressure or Hertzian stress.

Just to add some complexity to this, axial loads that are offset from the center of the axis, like a bevel gear, have a “moment force” applied to the inner race. When a moment force is applied, the load distribution on the bearing’s rolling elements isn’t as uniform.

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Includes built-in ball bearing support. Supports MEDIUM loads & low to medium torque capacity: 53 to 267 Nm. Bore (ID) sizes: 17 to 40 mm (0.669 to 1.57 in)

Axial loads transfer force in an equal, uniform way onto the rolling elements thereby creating a balanced load distribution.

A few solutions could be changing the bearing size, using ceramic balls, or adding more bearings to the system to help divide up the loads.

Radialandaxial loadon bearing

We know that not every application requires super, high-precision bearings. We stock other industrial parts from quality brands.

If your application will place a radial load on the bearing, then either a radial ball bearing or an angular contact bearing with a low contact angle will be a good bearing choice.

Radial loadexample

A bearing supports many different load combinations but most types of application loads can be boiled down to these four main groups:

This heavy-duty clutch (aka a hold-back clutch) is good for high torque operations and ensures motion freezes in place. Bore (ID) sizes: 15 to 40 mm. (0.59 to 1.73 in)

We hope you found this article helpful. If you’d like further information on bearing loads, our on-site engineers would love to discuss it with you. Fill out our contact form or give us a call at 281.858.7000.

Includes built-in ball bearing support. Supports HEAVY loads & has a high torque capacity: 53 to 588 Nm. Bore (ID) sizes: 10 to 60 mm (0.393 to 2.362 in)

The high-temperature range of deep groove ball bearings from Consolidated are the ideal solution for extreme operating environments and for applications with limited contamination.

Consolidated Bearings Company (Consolidated) is a leading importer and wholesaler of bearings and related products, providing our customers access to the world’s best manufacturers from one reliable source. We proudly provide our Authorized Distributors with one of the widest and most diversified range of bearings available in the industry. From our headquarters in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey to our eight strategically located warehouses throughout the United States, Consolidated’s staff, inventory, and 24-hour customer service sets us apart from the rest.

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This article will discuss these four types of application loads, how it affects the bearing and what bearing to choose that will best support the application load.

So far, all the loads we’ve discussed are from a contact force that is transferred from one bearing ring to the other bearing ring through the rolling elements.

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Radial loadbearing

The rolling element directly under the application load is usually the one that’s receiving the most force. Then each successive rolling element, in both directions, transfers less and less load to the other.

Radial loadformula

No built-in ball bearing support. Good for large orders & low to high torque needs: 1 to 2673 Nm. Bore (ID) sizes: 2 to 240 mm (0.078 to 9.448 in)

Designed with grooves in the outer ring to offer more protection (than our L-type seal) against contamination and direct spray liquids. Liquid gets pushed out through outer grooves when in rotation.

For steel AISI 52100 ball bearings, the stress limit is generally accepted to be 4,200 MPa. GMN considers Hertzian contact pressures above 1,500 MPa for steel balls and 1,800 MPa for ceramic balls to be close enough to the stress limit to have a significant impact on the overall life of the application.

When corrosion and heat resistance is a must, our thermoplastic unit mounted bearings are the proven solution for your most challenging applications.

If your application will place an axial load on the bearing, then an angular contact bearing with a higher contact angle around 25° will be a good bearing choice.

In a rotating bearing, the interaction between the rolling elements and the outer ring produce a centrifugal radial load, here’s how:

Engineers should think about bearing loads when designing a new application, tweaking an existing application, and especially after a bearing failure or malfunction.

Typically, you’ll see an equal distribution of forces on each ball. Because the balls contact the raceways at an angle the resultant forces will radiate outward and in line with the bearing axis.

No built-in ball bearing support. Has no RPM limits & Supports high torque needs: 609 to 14,060 Nm. Bore (ID) sizes: 38.09 to 220 mm (1.499 to 8.66 in)

Centrifugal force is the apparent force that is felt by an object moving in a curved path that acts outwardly away from the center of rotation.

When in operation, the shaft assembly pushes radially on the inner ring of the bearing transferring a load through the rolling elements to the outer ring.

Centrifugal loads come from the rotational speed (RPMs) of an application. High-speed applications can produce a powerful centrifugal load which can sometimes be the reason for the max speed of an application.