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Characteristics of common classes of bearings
Fluid film bearings Dry bearings Partial lubricated or Rolling element
Starved bearings
Start-up friction 0.25 0.15 0.1 0.002
coefficient
Running friction 0.001 0.1 0.005 0.001
coefficient
Velocity limit High Low Low Medium
Load limit High Low Low High
Life limit Unlimited Low Low Low (fatigue)
Lubrication needs High None Very low/none Low
High-temperature limit Lubricant limited Materials limited Lubricant limited Lubricant limited
Low-temperature limit Lubricant limited None None Lubricant limited
Vacuum Not applicable Excellent Lubricant limited Lubricant limited
Noise Low Medium Medium High
Dirt/dust tolerance Need seals Good Fair Need seals
Radial space need Small Small Small Large
Damping capacity High Low Low Medium
Cost High Low Low Medium
Ref: Table 1.3, K & B, Wiley.
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General
Guide Map
for Bearing
Type
Selection
Fig 1.5, K&B
Engineering Science Data Unit: Data Item No.
65007, 1965
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Important Requirements to be considered for bearing selection
Final decision on bearing selection depends on the following :
Mechanical requirements
Environmental requirements
Economics
Friction and Power Loss
% of energy is lost as frictional (direct power) losses in automobiles
Important consideration for a bearing is the low starting and running
friction.
Frictional heat is the consequence of power loss which places limit
on the type of bearing, load and speed.
CoF of 0.001 – 0.002 is necessary for a running machine in rolling
element or fluid film bearing
Page 14, K&B
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Speed
Surface speed limits the selection of bearing
For example: Surface speed of 1600 – 3100 m/min is the limit for ball bearings
For fluid film the surface speed can range up to 8700 m/min (in turbine bearings) or more
Load
In general, both fluid film and rolling element bearings can take high load up to their fatigue limits
Extremely large load (such as observatory dome, telescopes etc. with mass of 100 – 450 tonnes)
can be supported on hydrostatic bearings using externally pressurized oil.
Shock load, rotor unbalance load and cyclic loads and the combined radial and thrust load
should also be taken by the bearings.
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PV-T diagram
(Based on Fig 1.6, K&B)
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Estimated Life
Life of a bearing is limited by two modes of failure: Fatigue and wear
Roller bearings and to some extent fluid film bearing are limited by fatigue
Dry and semi-lubricated bearings are limited by wear which itself is a factor
of temperature, environment, contamination etc.
Lubrication
Type of lubricant and amount of lubricant are key to performance of bearings.
Dry and semi-lubricated requires no or very least amount of lubricant.
Roller bearings require minimum amount of lubricant (few drops to one time grease)
Oil-film bearings require the maximum amount of lubricant. The feed rate depends upon the
bearing length, width, clearance and surface velocity.
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Space requirement
Dry and semi-lubricated bearings require the least space.
Oil-film bearings also require less space as they are compact in radial and axial
dimensions. Additional space is needed to accommodate seals and feed and
drain passages.
Roller bearing require large space, outside diameter 1.5 to 3 times the bore
diameter and axial dimension 1/5th to 1/2 of the shaft diameter.
Fig 1.8, K-B
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Environmental Conditions
Temperature range
Moisture
Dirt
Corrosive conditions
Fluid-film bearings are limited in temperature range: -20 oC to 150 oC
Synthetic oils and greases with tool steels and ceramic bearing are better adaptable.
Rolling bearings are better resistant to many environmental conditions because
double sealed or double shielded enclosures.
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Economics
First cost – Maintenance - Replacement
Cost varies in this order:
Dry and semi-lubricated bearings < Oil-film plane bearing < Ball
bearings < Oil-film bearings for high load and speed conditions.
Mass produced oil-film bearing also tend to be cheaper.
Maintenance and Life
Oil film bearings would require regular oil change and change of filter.
Other types of bearings are generally designed to work maintenance
free until its whole life cycle.
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Lubricants and their Properties
Viscosity and boundary
Types of Liquid Lubricants lubrication
Natural Oils Mineral Oils Synthetic Oils
Animal fats Paraffins, Naphthenes, aromatic or mixed Hydrocarbons produced by
aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. polymerization, poly(alpha-olefins),
Vegetable oils Contains sulphur oxygen, phosphorous, organic esters, polyglycols, silicones
(such as castor Nitrogen etc. No impurities
and rapeseed High viscosity index
oils) Generally lower viscosity index (VI)
(~120 or less) Pour point in the range of -18 to – 74 oC
Unstable in oxidative but generally ~ -30 to -50 oC.
and thermal Pour point in the range of -6 to – 60 oC
environment but general ~ -20 oC. Higher flash point to non-flammable
Lower flash point Generally free of sludge and varnish
deposits
May provide sludge and varnish deposits
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Base Oil Categories (API, 1993)
American Petroleum Institute base stock categories
Group General Description Saturates (%) Aromatics (%) Sulphur (%) Viscosity
Index
I Solvent-refined mineral oil <90 and/or >10 >0.03 80-<120
II Hydro-processed >90 <10 <0.03 80-<120
III Hydrocracked (VHVI) >90 <10 <0.03 120+
IV PAO (polyalphaolefins) and 100 0 0 > 150
other synthetic hydrocarbons
V All other synthetics
Table 2.1, K&B
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H H H
Mineral Oils H H H H
H
H C C C C
Paraffin H C C C C
H H H
H H H H H C H
H H H
H H (straight) (Branched)
C
H
H C C H
H H H C
C C
C C
H C
H
H
HH
C C
C C
H
C HH
H
C H H C
H
H C C
H
H H
H C H
Naphthene
Aromatic
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Important Additives
Anti-wear additives
Ethyl stearate, Stearic acid, Tri-para-cresyl phosphate (TCP), Tri-xylyl phosphate, rapeseed oil, methyl steatate, Zinc di-ethyl
dithiophosphate (ZDDP), Dilauryl phosphate.
Extreme pressure (EP) agents
Sulphurized mineral oil, Sulphurized fatty oils, Sulphurized olic acid, Cetyl chloride, Phosphosulphurized fatty oil,
Mercaptobenzothiazole, Supherized terpenes, Alkyl and arylpolysulphides, Chlornaphtha xanthate, Chlorinated
paraffinic oils, Chlorinated paraffin wax. Substances that reduce oxidation resistance
tend to improve boundary lubrication
Oxidation inhibitors:
Paraffins Naphthenes Aromatics Additives Asphaltenes Unsaturates
Most resistant Least resistant
Important anti-oxidants: Metal organophosphates (Zinc diethyl dithiophosphate), Amines (Phenothiazine, N-phenylamine,
diphenylamine), organic phosphites (Tri-n-butylphosphite), organometallics (Zinc-di-n-butyldithiocarbomate) etc.
Oxidation products, presence of water and
some additives are most damaging.
Rust/corrosion inhibitors:
Corrosion inhibitors: Metal di-organodithiophosphates, metal dithiocarbamates, sulphurized terpenes, phosphosulphurized terpenes.
Rust inhibitors: Alkenylsuccinic acids, alkylthioacetic acids, amine phosphates, sulphonates etc.
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Friction modifier
Traditionally, friction is modified by blending oil known as “compounded oil”. Mineral base oil is now replaced by
polyglycol (polyalkylene glycols) for low friction. Organic fatty acids and amines, lard oil, high molecular weight organic
phosphorus and phosphoric acid esters.
Viscosity index improvers (sensitivity of viscosity to temperature change)
Long chain molecule polymers help to reduce the effect of temperature on the viscosity of the lubricant.
Polymethacrylates (PMA), polyisobutylene (PIB), olefin co-polymers (OCP), alkylated styrene and their copolymers.
Pour-point depressants
Alkylated naphthalene and phenolic polymers, polymethacrylates
Detergent and dispersants
Detergents: Metallo-organic compound of barium, calcium and magnesium phenolates, phosphates and sulfonates.
Dispersants: Polymer alkylthiophosphonates and alkylsuccinimides, organic complexes containing nitrogen compounds.
Foam inhibitors
Silicone polymers and organic copolymers
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Synthetic Oils
Synthetic oils are used for the following reasons:
High temperature application
Low temperature application
Low flammability oil needed
Compatibility with materials, such as natural rubber
Contamination issues, e.g. application in food related
Drawback: Many of the synthetic oils are not good boundary lubricant and they have lower lubricity
Synthetic hydrocarbons Polyalphaolefines (PAO) with proper additives
O
Di-esters and polyol esters Di-esters (they are carboxylic esters O C )
di-2-ethylhexyl sebacate
Polyol esters (Complex esters)
Trimethylolpropane triheptanoate
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