The actual design of the part performing this function can vary widely. Suitable materials for bearings include everything from wood to brass to advanced polymers. Some bearing designs rely on frequent lubrication, while others operate in environments where they can almost never be lubricated (like space). Corrosion-resistant bearings are designed to resist degradation while remaining submerged for long periods of time, while high-temperature bearings need to operate under the extreme conditions of steel manufacturing plants.

Bearing-related design decisions should be based on careful research for specific applications, not a broad preference for one material over the other.

Another common traditional choice, cast iron bearings have a sufficiently low friction coefficient to be employed on a steel shaft. Cast iron glazes over time which helps reduce wear.

Several additional features can be added to reduce friction, first lubrication. Traditionally, this was done by the initial and periodic injection of grease or oil. Today, some self-lubricating bearings embed advanced lubricants into the bearing materials themselves (see Self-Lubricating Bearings, below) reducing manual lubrication needs. Other designs utilize low-friction materials that don’t require lubrication at all under the right operating conditions.

Today, bearings are highly engineered components built for highly specific applications, environmental hazards, maintenance requirements, and price-points.

Polymer seals, for instance, can stand up to more heat than rubber seals while offering improved corrosion- and chemical resistance compared to metal seals (this is important in any application where harsh cleaning chemicals risk damaging the quality of the seal, affecting its performance and lifespan).

Like the journal itself, the bearing seal material needs to be carefully calibrated to pressure, temperature, and service life requirements. Selecting the proper seal material and design will maximize seal-life.

TriStar’s TriSteel™, for instance, consists of a special polymer lining with a metal backing. The liner is impregnated into a sintered porous bronze inter-layer. Both materials can be precisely specified depending on the application. This design takes advantage of steel (zinc/copper-plated or stainless) for structural and mechanical support while utilizing a polymer liner for improved wear characteristics and self-lubrication.

Composite bearings are made from a combination of materials, such as fiber-reinforced resin or plastic. The composite material can be combined with PTFE to create a lightweight, self-lubricating design.

In other environments, however, like those full of particulate matter from a manufacturing operation, employing seals (or self-lubricating bearings ) may be a virtual necessity.

TriStar is the exclusive North American distributor of Rulon, a family of PTFE-based plastics purpose-built for the functional requirements of demanding applications like bearings. Like other plastics, it is available in a wide variety of formulations (in fact, over 300).

Useful properties include low friction coefficient, corrosion resistance, low electrical conductivity, hydrophobia, and a broad range of tolerable temperatures.

In general, all the bearing design elements we explore in this article apply to linear bearings as well, including seals, lubrication, and self-lubrication options.

Evaluating bearing material properties is key to success for any application. A plastic vs metal bearings comparison, for example, reveals that plastic bearings are lighter and more corrosion-resistant, though metal bearings may offer higher load capacities. Each material has benefits and potential downsides to consider.

Whydowe usebearingsin maths

A common traditional choice for industrial applications, steel bearings can handle extremely high loads and high rpms. Stainless steel bearings offer improved corrosion resistance compared to other steel grades, but potential drawbacks still include relatively high weight and high noise.

As with bearings themselves, plastic polymers (PTFE in particular) are opening new frontiers for seals with superior performance characteristics.

Linear bearing applications are as broad as those of rotational bearings. They range from simple furniture drawers up to rollercoasters and high-performance machine tools that require extremely precise motion-regulation.

This guide has centered on a recurring theme (it’s simply a logical extension of the huge number of bearing options on today’s market):

There is evidence that Phoenician boat builders used wooden bearings for rudders as early as 4500 years ago. The right woods are corrosion resistant, allowing them to thrive in submerged applications like rudders or propellers shafts. In the old-world, the ultra-hard wood Lignum Vitae was a popular choice--it’s natural oils provided built-in lubrication while its extreme density helped it hold up under stress. Later, bearing makers would impregnate wooden bearings with animal oils to achieve a similar self-lubricating effect.

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A sleeve bearing is the simplest design of plane bearing, consisting of a smooth sleeve that is fitted between an axle and bore. Typically, some sort of liquid or particulate lubricant will sit between the journal and axle.

You will notice that many industry sources refer to sleeve/journal bearings as “plain” rather than “plane,” as we refer to them at TriStar.

So, which of these plastics is best? As with the other bearing selection parameters discussed in this article, it all depends on the application. In fact, these plastics can be blended with one another, or with non-plastic materials, to generate the desired characteristics in terms of performance, maintenance needs, and cost.

For instance, an oil-infused bronze sleeve is one common low-load design; a simple example is a slide-out track for a drawer. More demanding applications begin necessitating more complex mechanisms. Some linear bearing designs even incorporate a wiper mechanism in front of the bearing to clear dirt and debris from the rail and limit contamination.

Sleeve bearings are a versatile component employed in just about every sort of design imaginable. Just a few examples include:

The rail-mounted bearing mechanism is known as a “carriage” or “block.” The point of contact between the carriage and the rail is known as the “race.”

Careful considerations of bearing material properties (e.g, mechanical, thermal, and electrical limits) is critical to preventing premature bearing failure. Evaluating manufacturer-supplied spec sheets, and utilizing tools like our Bearing PV calculator can help ensure successful outcomes.

If you’re not looking for an overview of bearings, but detailed specifications for specific plastic bearing materials, please see our materials database here.

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This construction allows for a bearing that is lightweight, high-strength, and fatigue-resistant, often an ideal choice for non-lubricated high-load/low-speed applications. CJ bearings provide excellent resistance to impact and shock loads. They are also capable of withstanding a high degree of shaft misalignment: the composite wall acts like a spring and the thicker the wall section of the bearing the greater the deflection for a given load.

These bearings have a lubricant like PTFE, graphite, or silicon integrated with the rubbing surface of the bearing itself. As moving parts rub together, this lubricant dynamically disperses over time.

Vacuum environments tend to not only introduce maintenance difficulties but unique modes of failure. Plastic bearings, for instance, are often preferred in bearing designs that need to function in vacuums to eliminate lubrication requirements. But plastics need to be carefully selected for vacuum-use: some plastics exhibit out-gassing and particulate-shedding that cannot be easily vented in a vacuum.

While the prototypical use case for bearings is an axle rotating in a shaft, they can be engineered to facilitate many different desired ranges of motion. Linear bearings, for instance (see below), allow for linear rather than rotational motion, with the bearing element moving along a rail or rod.

3 main types ofbearings

At TriStar, we take this fact to heart: we’re not just interested in selling a particular material or product line, but in taking a truly consultative approach with our customers.

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Howdo bearingswork direction

Like other bearing types, thrust bearings can employ a rolling element, with balls or rollers supported inside a ring. Low-friction plastics offer analogous benefits to those they offer in linear or rotational applications: the right materials can withstand axial force with reduced need for lubrication.

Self-lubricating plastic materials provide low-maintenance bearing options, eliminating the need for regular lubrication and reducing downtime.

For a detailed look at the properties of different plastic polymer offerings from TriStar, explore our materials database here.

As with other bearing designs, linear bearings can be sealed off using metal or rubber. This practice reduces contamination and prevents lubrication leakage: see Sealed Bearings, below.

We feel your pain… Explore the common causes of bearing failure and learn how advanced polymer and composite bearings can address them.

TriStar is the exclusive partner for the Rulon, Meldin and Fluoroloy product lines in North America with the largest global inventory for immediate shipment.

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A few concise examples below demonstrate how bearings need to be carefully selected to reflect the conditions where they will be expected to operate.

Explore our library of FREE white papers which dive into composite bearings, plastics, and industries where high-performance materials make a significant impact.

A second option is the addition of a rolling design element to reduce friction while preserving desired load-bearing characteristics. Bearing designs can be usefully divided into two high-level categories based on this addition.

Generally, sealed bearings are used in conditions where either frequent re-lubrication is impractical, or dust/dirt contamination is a prime consideration.

Sealed bearings have lubrication injected during the manufacturing process and are then sealed off. They are designed to both:

For bearings, PTFE is not only useful as a structural material but as a lubricating medium for self-lubricating bearings (more on this below).

Whatarebearings

While self-lubricating bearings may still require some level of lubrication, their reduced lubrication need creates key maintenance advantages for dirty operating environments

The good news is, today’s market offers such a huge variety of plastic bearing materials that it’s possible to match bearing selection to highly specific performance criteria. Meanwhile, advancements in polymer formulation have created new opportunities for plane bearings made from advanced materials to take over in applications that were long relegated to rolling element bearings.

Any bearing requiring regular lubrication comes with the risk of lubricant contaminating the surrounding environment. When facing design requirements for clean operation (stemming from ISO standards, government regulations, or client demands for sustainable best practices), leakage effectively becomes a mode of bearing failure. With this risk in mind, self-lubricating plastic bearings offer important advantages for clean operation in these environments.

Meanwhile, the operational and cost implications of bearing failure/maintenance/replacement can vary widely between applications. For a piece of manufacturing equipment that must be stopped daily for an inspection, for instance, frequent lubrication or occasional bearing replacement may be a non-issue. In these situations, the added cost of more advanced bearing solutions may offer few advantages. But applications at the other extreme (like bearings for satellites) may need to succeed in conditions where they will never be maintained.

More advanced approaches to metal bearing design allow for self-lubricating capabilities while retaining some of metal’s desirable structural characteristics.

Rubber-sealed bearings are typically more expensive than metal-sealed but can be more easily opened for re-lubrication. They cannot operate in particularly high temperatures, however.

We think this distinction helps highlight the fact “plain” bearings are by no means relegated to simple or low-load bearing applications.

Wood may not be the first material you think of for bearings, and it is relegated to specialty applications today. But wood bearings provide useful historical context: they illustrate that engineers have been carefully selecting materials to fit bearing performance criteria for much of recorded history.

“Journal Bearing,” “Sleeve Bearing,” and “Bushing” are all roughly equivalent terms that are used by different industries to describe the same basic bearing design concept.

When thinking about bearing failure it's also worth learning what signs to look for to indicate that a bearing is getting ready to fail.

Examples of linear bearings include everything from desk-drawer slides to seismic shock absorbers that help protect buildings from earthquakes.

TriStar Plastics Corp. provides engineering, custom fabrication and manufacturing of high-performance plastics and self-lubricating bearings materials. The Company’s capabilities include component design, material selection, prototype, production, manufacturing, and surface modification.

Broadly, it’s most important to understand that choosing plastic bearing materials isn’t about finding a perfect material that works for every design, but tailoring bearings used in each design to cost, performance, and maintenance requirements.

From there, we match materials and bearing design to specific engineering concerns. And, if one of our hundreds of polymer or composite plain bearings isn’t right, we even have the unique capability to create a custom material via our Enhanced Materials Division (EMD).

Because inadequate lubrication is the number-one cause of bearing failure, ending the need for lubrication not only simplifies maintenance but dramatically reduces premature wear that accumulates during inevitable maintenance intervals. Grease and other lubricants also exacerbate contamination issues by helping dust and dirt stick in the bearing mechanism, another long-term wear-driver that self-lubricating options eliminate.

TriStar’s CJ composites are a great example of a composite bearing solution. This design utilizes multiple layers. The innermost layer consists of a synthetic fiber/PTFE layer. The second layer consists of epoxy coated high-angle glass filaments. The outermost layer consists of epoxy coated low-angle glass filaments.

Bearing definition engineering

The relative importance of the bearing failure modes discussed above can vary widely depending on where a bearing is employed and how often it can be cost-effectively replaced or accessed for maintenance.

Environmental effects can alter a bearing’s expected lifespan by up to 90%. With this magnitude of environmental lifespan differential, selecting the right bearing for the right environment is instrumental to a design’s ultimate performance and reliability.

Today, composite bearings offer key performance advantages over wood in underwater applications, but wooden bearings were the first example of a bearing material being carefully selected for desirable mechanical bearing properties.

In this design, a small rib-like structure protrudes from the bearing, fitting in with a corresponding notch/indentation in the rail. This flange guides the bearings along the rail while limiting contact points.

The dust contamination discussed above becomes worse as more grease accumulates inside a bearing. As lubricants become contaminated, their abilities to dissipate heat and reduce friction are sharply reduced. At best, bearing life is shortened. At worst, this contamination is a recipe for unplanned failures and downtime.

The formal definition of a bushing is a thin sleeve or tube which constrains relative motion. But how is this different from a sleeve bearing? It isn’t, necessarily. Some industries simply use the term “bushing” as a quirk of history. In general, we find that a bushing will always refer to a single-component sleeve.

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Selecting the appropriate bearing is crucial for optimal performance. This guide delves into various bearing types, including self-lubricating plastic bearings, and offers a comparison of bearing materials to assist in your selection process.

This linear motion contrasts with the rotational motion of the prototypical bearing design described earlier in the article. Like a rotational bearing, a linear bearing can be extremely simple--like a wooden desk drawer resting on a wooden slide track. But more complex linear bearing designs allow for less friction, faster motion, and more precise control over range-of-motion.

Howdo bearingswork maths

This design adds a “flange,” or protruding rim, as a locating mechanism which holds the attached sleeve in place. This flange is attached to a mounting surface that runs perpendicular to the bearing shaft. This additional support is critical in applications with high speeds, heavy loads, or extensive vibration/movement.

TriStar engineers have decades of combined experience in evaluating (and preventing!) bearing failure. We encourage you to reach out if you need assistance with your specific applications.

This makes regular cleaning of lubricated bearings essential—a key design concern for bearings that are difficult to access, will be maintained infrequently, or that operate in environments too dirty to be practically cleaned at required intervals.

If you interested in learning more about the many applications for plastic bearings, check out our full library of over 200 application case studies.

You can think of a plane bearing as a bearing in its simplest form: any non-rolling element that is incorporated where two surfaces rub together is a plane bearing. Common types of bearings include sleeve bearings and flange bearings (see below for more on both).

In order to know how to choose plastic bearings, it’s important to first understand how they can fail. While the underlying function is always similar, different bearing types proliferate because different applications and operating environments place very different stresses on bearings.

Environments like steel mills, construction sites, and food processing lines include high levels of dust and other matter that can contaminate a bearing. Bearings that operate in these environments need to be sourced with this contamination risk in mind: particulates ranging from food debris to metal shavings become abrasive as they build up over time. This abrasion will affect both bearing seals (letting in more particles and/or water over time) and the bearings themselves.

In its simplest form, you can think of a thrust bearing as simply a washer. Formally, a thrust bearing provides a bearing for forces that act axially to the shaft. A prototypical example is a propeller shaft on aircraft.

Employing one of these designs is important in applications where frequent re-lubrication is impractical or unduly costly, in extremely high-friction environments, or in environments where traditional liquid lubricants represent too great a risk for contamination/leakage.

Howdo bearingswork on a shaft

A huge imperative in bearing design, therefore, is reducing friction to improve the bearing’s performance characteristics and lifespan.

What do bearings doin a car

Bearings fail prematurely due to damage from common issues like inadequate lubrication, particulate or corrosive contamination, overload, and improper installation. Bearing failure causes can vary widely depending on the material used and the operational environment.

Composite bearings offer dramatic weight advantages compared to metal-based bearings. Read about some other benefits of composite bearings here. The composite itself can be customized to meet specific application requirements. A composite liner can be applied on a metal-backing for added strength.

We work to understand specific functional requirements, maintenance concerns, and cost priorities of your design. We’ve even been known to work from a client’s scrap-paper drawing of their envisioned application! Our evaluation doesn’t just look at materials: we think carefully about the actual geometry of the intended application.

The seal is not necessarily permanent. Many bearings, for instance, employ a rubber seal that can be readily removed for maintenance (lubrication/cleaning) as necessary.

With hundreds of high-performance bearing materials to choose from, utilize our material database to filter your search for the exact match for your application.

A simpler definition can be found in the name “bearing” itself: a supporting structure designed to “bear” stress or load within a given design.

As with a rotational bearing, friction is generated between these two parts. This friction can either be dissipated with some combination rolling elements, lubrication, and low friction/self-lubricating plastic sleeves.

Bronze bearings do require lubrication both at installation and during operation, which can make them a poor choice for designs that are difficult to access for frequent maintenance. This limitation is why replacing bronze bearings with a self-lubricating option (see below) offers an attractive proposition for many companies.

We have produced over 100 educational videos ranging from bearing design, bonding plastics surface modification and many more topics.

Whether you’re deciding whether you can replace lubrication-intensive roller bearings or choosing which grade of polymer to adopt, taking the time to conduct a truly knowledgeable bearing selection process can offer real benefits.

TriStar’s engineering team combines our extensive products and services along with our deep understanding over a broad range of industries to bring you solutions to your most challenging application.

A rail provides a track which a linear bearing moves along. The shape and design of this rail may vary depending on how loads will be borne in the intended application. As with, for instance, a curving train track, this rail does not need to be in a straight line.

In the prototypical case of a rotational bearing, the “journal” is the part of the shaft which contacts the bearing surface. In the simplest possible case, a bearing is not a discrete device: the journal simply slides over the bearing surface, enduring any friction, heat, and wear generated. While usable in less demanding contexts, bearing designs that do little to reduce friction will create unacceptable magnitudes of heat and wear when used at the speeds and conditions required by demanding modern applications in fields like industrial manufacturing, aerospace, and automotive.

Bronze is a commonly used material that comes in a huge variety of different alloys and compositions--this variety makes bronze a popular choice of bearing material, as a material very close to the precisely desired specification can be sourced. Bronze bearings have strong characteristics for shock, impact, and corrosion resistance.

The “Plane bearing” term focuses on the geometric properties of the bearings rather than the mechanical complexity of the underlying mechanism. Low-friction, self-lubricating plastics mean that the presence of rolling elements is no longer a hard-guide to a bearing’s potential applications.

Bearings are a critical design component that work best when carefully selected to reflect a detailed understanding of the operational requirements they will be expected to fulfill.

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