Different Types of Electric Motor Bearings and What They Are Used For
Because the design and uses of electric motors vary across many different industries, there are many different types of bearings used to support them. Here are just a few of them:
Basic Ball Bearings
Basic ball bearings are used for direct coupled applications. These are commonly seen in non-belted applications in electric motors that are under 150 HP. They can handle both radial and axial loads.
Standard Roller Bearings
These bearings are specifically designed for radial loads because they cannot handle axial loads. These are used for belted applications in motors with at least 150 HP.
Angular Contact Ball Bearings
Angular contact ball bearings are designed to handle high axial loads and operate smoothly at high speeds within electric motors. They can be configured in single or double rows and used in many different cage designs.
Cylindrical Roller Bearings
These roller bearings are what you need when handling extremely high axial loads. They operate efficiently in both medium and high speeds and use several different design configurations. These are used most of the time for belt or gear-driven electric motors.
Deep Groove Ball Bearings
Deep groove ball bearings are some of the most versatile designs for electric motors. With a simple design and a wide range of uses, these bearings are good for high-speed operations with moderate axial and radial loads. These can also be pre-lubricated with seals and shields and are very effective in contaminant-rich environments.
Sealed Bearings
Sealed bearings are a design of bearing that is typically used for smaller motors and designed to limit the bearings’ exposure to contamination. These bearings cannot be re-lubricated with new grease once they have been installed. This means that they have a limited lifespan and should be monitored carefully so that they can be replaced at the first sign of problems.
Shielded Bearings
Shielded bearings are another bearing design used to limit contamination into the rolling elements from the time of installation through the electric motor operation. These can be re-lubricated with packed grease, but if the internal pressure is not relieved, it could lead to forcing the shield against the cage or rolling elements which would create a big problem.
Bearing Design is Important for Electrical Motors
When selecting a motor, one of the factors you must always keep in mind is what type of bearing design works best for the electric motor you are using for this job. If you are not sure what is best for your job in your environment, reach out to an electric motor bearing specialist to figure out which bearing setup and electric motor will work best for you.
At Tekwell Systems, we have experience with many different name brands of electrical motors including WEG, Danfoss, Yaskawa, and many others, so we can help select the right type of electric motor (with the right bearing design) that is right for your application. Give us a call at 1-888-984-4668 or fill out our quick solution form to speak to an electric motor bearing expert today.
Electric Motor Bearing Types and Characteristics
A bearing is a machine element used to permit a rotary motion and transmit the power between machine parts. Rolling element bearings allow relative movement of joined two parts: inner and outer rings that move in opposite directions and are separated by rolling elements.
Bearings can be chosen according to their main dimensions:
Rolling element bearings play a crucial role in many fields such as the electronics industry, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, wind turbines, airplanes, steel industry, automotive industry, and household appliances. Over 50 billion rolling bearings have been produced across the world. In these fields, a significant part of rolling bearing "consumers" are electric machines, and the technical progress mainly depends on their durability, reliability, and efficiency.
This article aims to discover the main electric motor rolling bearing types, their role in electric motors, and maintenance tips.
The main functions of Rolling Bearings in Electric Motors:
supporting and locating the rotor
transferring loads from the shaft to the motor frame
keeping the air gap small and persistent.
saving power
minimizing friction
enabling high and low-speed operations
The main design and utilization requirements of Rolling Bearings in Electric Motors:
lower production cost
easy maintenance: easy to handle and maintain
electric insulation
low noise
durability
Electric machinery's most common rolling bearing types are deep groove ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, and angular contact ball bearings due to their versatility and overall performance.
Deep Groove Ball Bearings
They are characterized by having deep raceway grooves in which the inner and outer rings have circular arcs of a slightly larger radius than that of the balls. They are very effective in high rotating speeds and moderate radial and axial loads. They are used for locating and non-locating bearing positions on small and medium-sized electric motors.
Cylindrical Roller Bearings
They are usually used as non-locating bearings on the drive side in medium to large-sized motors.
Both deep groove ball and cylindrical roller bearings are completely interchangeable with standard bearings!
Angular Contact Ball Bearings
They are used as locating bearings in electric motors with high thrust loads or vertical axis and for high rotating speeds. They are available in single or double-row configurations and paired to accommodate thrust loads in both directions.
Seals in Bearings
They are common in smaller motor applications to significantly limit contamination entry. Unlike open bearings, these bearings are not re-greasable, thus having limited overall bearing life and requiring replacement upon any signs of issues.
Shielded Bearings
These bearings can be re-lubricated without any relief; otherwise, pressure can build up and force the shield against the cage or rolling elements.
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