While chains don’t tend to break, they can stretch over time due to wear and tear. Look out for signals of a stretched chain like rattling noises from the chain cover, and engines that are slow or hard to start. Some vehicles even have an engine management sensor which alerts you with a warning sign on the dashboard if the camshaft and crank shaft are no longer synchronised with one another.

How doesa thrust bearingwork

Developments for alternative valve train systems have been tested by a Swedish company called FreeValve. Since the early 2000s, they have been developing and testing systems with no camshafts. While there may be many advantages of these engines, there are clearly still some hurdles that need to be overcome – we are yet to see a road vehicle produced that uses this type of technology.

As well as changing the material used, they’ve improved the tensioning system through the introduction of oil pressure and spring-loaded tensioners which helps to keep the chain taut and quiet. Modern engines also employ large chain guides to silence the chain and minimise vibrations.

What is a thrust bearingin an engine

Chain systems have improved dramatically though, with manufacturers introducing new and innovative ways to reduce noise.

Thrust ball bearings are designed to take axial (thrust) loads at high speeds, but they cannot handle any radial loads. These bearings feature bearing washers with raceway grooves in which the balls move.

What is a thrust bearingstatics

What is a thrust bearingused for

The basic principles of the internal combustion engine haven’t really changed over the years – it’s still the typical suck, squeeze, bang and blow. We’ve seen advancements in technology to improve the efficiency of engines, such as the increased accuracy of fuel injection systems and the common rail diesel injection, but the underlying principles have always been the same. The crankshaft still drives the camshaft through a chain or cambelt to keep the engine components in time while running.

Both chain and cambelts do the same thing, but the desire of low maintenance costs from consumers has seen the increased popularity of chain systems in cars. Along with other improvements to engine components to increase fuel efficiency.

Thrust bearingapplication example

In the last decade, manufacturers like Subaru and Mazda have chosen to revert back to the chain system, which reduces maintenance costs and allows more compact engine designs. A considerable amount of time and effort was spent in introducing improvements that eliminate many of the drawbacks of the older systems.

Up until the 1970s, it was common for cars to have a chain driven camshaft, but in the 90s the cambelt was adopted to help reduce the noise of engines.

Cambelts, or timing belts, are made out of rubber and high tensile fibre, so they’re usually quieter than cars that are chain driven. Typically they’ll need to be replaced between 60,000 and 100,000kms, but it can also depend on the age of the cambelt and the manufacturer’s specifications should be taken into consideration as well. Most systems will also include other components that may need to be periodically replaced, such as the idler and tensioner bearings or water pump. This can be a little bit expensive and so it’s important to budget for it and to keep on top of the manufacturer’s replacement interval schedule. If you don’t replace components and they later fail, it can leave you open to potentially catastrophic engine damage.

What is a thrust bearingmade of

Chains are designed to require less maintenance, which means that servicing costs will be less but, if a chain does become worn, the cost of replacement can be significantly higher than that of a regular cambelt replacement. It’s important to note though that this is a rare occurrence, and so the general maintenance of a chain-driven vehicle is likely to be less than that of a car with a cambelt.

Chains (or timing chains) are back in fashion, and cambelts are becoming few and far between. Even though chains lasted longer and were stronger, the older systems used to rattle and tended to generally emit more noise, particularly as the engine became more worn down.

Thrust ball bearings are classified into “flat seat” and “aligning seat” types, based on the shape of the housing washer (outer ring seat), and as single-direction or double-direction. Spherical and aligning seat washers help to provide tolerance for mounting errors.