Bearing material SKF

There's something about the perfectly smooth and spherical nature of the ball inside ball bearings which makes them one of the most exquisite yet simple parts in engineering. The stainless steel balls are never rough or misshapen, so how are they manufactured to be perfect every time? We'll take you through the neat process step-by-step.

Ballbearing steel for knives

When replacing your wheel bearings, it is essential to look for high quality parts. MOOG offers a complete range of easy to install, premium quality, long-lasting wheel end bearings that are engineered, manufactured, tested and validated to OEM standards for maximum performance and durability. Explore the full MOOG product range or Discover technical tips about wheel bearings.

To polish the balls and give them their perfectly smooth finish they're put through a lapping operation. Grill plates are used again but less pressure is put upon the balls and the plates themselves are softer. This time a polishing paste is used in place of an abrasive to make the surface perfectly smooth and shiny without removing any more material which would alter the shape and size of the ball.

Ballbearing steel grades

Wheel bearings are low maintenance parts, but that doesn’t mean they last forever. So, what does a wheel bearing actually do? How long does it last? And how can you help extend its lifespan?

Roller bearing material

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The balls have to be a very precise size sometimes within millionths of an inch so they have to go through a few more processes to perfect their shape. Grinding uses the same kind of rill plate machine but instead of pouring water over the machine an abrasive is used to weed out any discrepancies.

A wheel bearing is a crucial part of the wheel assembly that connects the wheel and the axle. It is a set of steel balls (ball bearings) or tapers (tapered bearings), held together by a metal ring. It enables the wheel to rotate smoothly with a minimum of friction. Wheel bearings are safety critical components designed to sustain radial and axial loads caused by gravitation, acceleration, breaking & cornering forces, so they need to be replaced when they stop working properly.

ballbearing中文

Despite the fact that modern wheel bearings are easier to install than previous generations, correct installation, the usage of appropriate tools and respecting the specified torque values are still essential for maximum performance, durability and safety. Therefore, we recommend having your wheel bearings fitted by a professional mechanic that has the skills and the tools to do the job.

Ballbearing

Wheel bearings have an average lifespan of 136,000 to 160,000 km (approximately 85,000 to 100,000 miles). This is only a rule of thumb though, the actual lifespan of a wheel bearing depends on the quality of the wheel bearing and the operating conditions.

Ballbearing material properties

Removing the flash and refining the shape of the ball creates a lot of heat so water is poured over the balls and rill plates to cool them during the process. The rill process hardens the balls through compacting them, but if they need to be harder they can be heat treated after cooling.

The whole process begins with a rod of metal wire which is approximately the same diameter as the finished ball will be. First of all it goes through a hot or cold forming operation. The wire is fed through a heading machine which has a metal indent in the shape of a hemisphere on either side. This slams shut heavily on the wire, forcing the metal into the rough shape of a sphere. Because the machine comes down either side of the rod it leaves a metal ring around the middle of the ball known as the flash.

The next stage is to remove the flash. A nifty machine which uses two rill plates refines the shape of the ball making it into a perfect sphere. The rill plates are two ridged circular plates with the middle cut out like a polo. One plate remains stationary, whilst the other spins around. The balls move in a circular path around the plates between different grooves and slowly get whittled down into a perfect shape. Since the balls will move between ridges they all end up the same size. The mechanism is similar to rolling a ball of dough between your hands.

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Once these processes have happened the balls then are sent to be inspected to ensure they met specific manufacturing requirements.

Having said that, it is best to avoid driving with a worn wheel bearing for any length of time. As we’ve already seen, the wheel bearing is essential for connecting your wheel to your car, and any weakness in this connection could have severe consequences for your drive-axle and steering assembly – as well as for your safety.