
The bearings are a huge part of the systems that runs. The metal made parts are important in keeping a machine in shape and in producing accurate results. Faulty bearings can actually cause significant damages to the machine as well as the products. That is why it is necessary to take care of these parts a bit more to ensure proper operation.
How do these work
Made up with balls between two smooth rolling parts, these bearings are an important part in keeping machineries running. The balls carry the load that encourages the rotation. Thrust load put the force from an angle on the bearing while radial load makes the bearing rotate from tensions by putting weight. Some bearings are capable of handling both these types of loads.
Different types
There is a completely separate world of bearings. The different types of bearings are used for different kinds of tasks. Ball bearing (ตลับ ลูกปืน, term in Thai) is the most common type of bearings. These can take both radial and thrust loads. From roller blades to hard drives, these can be found in many products, but these can tolerate small load and overloading can cause to warp. Roller bearings are capable of tolerating huge amount of weight is distributed over a bigger area, the main cylindrical roller. While these cannot take the thrust load, radial load is perfect for these bearings. Needle bearing is sometimes used when there is a lack of space.
When it comes to low speed and low thrust, ball thrusts are there to handle it. Bar stools are equipped with ball thrusts to provide better support to the seat. Roller thrusts are used in car transmissions that support helical gears. Big radial and thrust loads can be handles well by tapered roller bearings. These bearings are good for vehicle hubs as these can tolerate high radial and thrust loads. Magnetic bearings are used in high-speed applications as these have no moving parts. Its stability is used to support the high speed of the application.
Ubiquity
There is no reason to be surprised if you come across multiple bearings in a day. These parts are of major importance for everyday items as well. From coffee a machine, sliding door to the elevator, everything has bearings to get the job done. Sometime they are visible, while at others we ignore them. But we actually cannot work without them. Not only in daily items, but the bearings are also used in some really important items like medical, technology, automotive, building and consumer goods.
Sometimes standard bearings do not meet the requirements of some applications. There are also manufacturers who create bearings to meet the need of this certain type of applications. These medium and small manufacturers bring adaptability and creativity together to solve the problems faced by different industries. The age-old principle of rotation discovered by Leonardo da Vinci is used in ball bearings that have even more importance in modern world. Keeping the bearings in proper shape helps production units to keep up the work without failure.