Page 26 - RHP IT

MACHINE BUILDING

THE FORGOTTEN CRITERIA

BEARINGS

IAN BREEZE, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AT BOWMAN ADVANCED SPLIT
BEARINGS, EXPLORES THE INCREASING IMPORTANCE OF LOAD
TYPES IN INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS AND HOW INNOVATION IN
BEARING DESIGN CAN HELP TO AVOID SYSTEM FAILURE,
UNPLANNED DOWNTIME, AND INCREASED MAINTENANCE COSTS.

n industrial plant applications, increased production load in each direction. The shortcomings
demands, longer running times and more corrosive of this method mean more space
environments are putting industrial machinery under requirements within the machinery –
Ipressure. As crucial components in the operational increasing its overall footprint on the
efficiency of any machine, bearings must be able to factory floor – as well as potential
withstand increasing forces and runtime complications with both assembly and
In very simple terms, a bearing is a mechanical device access for ongoing maintenance.
that either guides or confines the motion of the moving While there is an increasing number of bearings on the
parts in a machine. In doing so, the bearing reduces market that are designed to handle both radial and axial
friction amongst components, improving the rate of wear loads, they work by inclining the radial elements to give
and extending the working life of the equipment. Split some axial capacity. In doing so, they trade off radial
roller bearings, in particular, are renowned for their ability capacity for axial – a solution that limits the axial load
to improve efficiency – saving time during installation, capacity, limiting application usage or putting the bearings substantial increase in axial and radial load capacity, as
inspection, and maintenance - particularly in applications at risk of failure. well as increased durability, functionality and turnaround
where access to the shaft is limited. Both radial and axial load specifications directly relate time.
Yet, despite being a stalwart of the manufacturing to the strength and rigidity of the bearings, shaft, and In a standard split bearing design, the rollers run
industry, split bearing design has remained overall machinery. Exceeding these against the outer race lips and clamp rings on the inner
relatively unchanged since they were first specifications in an application with a high race assembly of the bearing, creating stress, friction, and
introduced in the early 1900s. The pressures axial load may result in damage to the a lower tolerance for axial loads. Using engineering-grade
of modern manufacturing, not least the bearing and have a different impact 3D-printed Nylon-11 and the latest printing technology,
introduction of more automation and on efficiency. In fact, studies suggest the company has been able to create a bearing design that
increasingly complex machinery has meant that exceeding either radial or axial removes the axial locating lips from the bearing outer race.
that bearing designs have been forced to load specifications by 10% may This means that the radial roller length, as well as the
evolve and innovate to handle higher loads, in reduce the lifespan of the actual number of rollers, can be increased – giving an both
particular the ability to handle both radial components by about 1,000 a higher load capacity and an approximate increase of x5
and axial loads. hours – as well as running the radial L10 life.
very real risk of unplanned
Understanding axial and radial forces downtime. For applications with a high 1000% increase in axial capacity
When choosing the right bearing for the job, it axial load, these solutions are far from By adding axial roller and cage assemblies to their design,
is important to understand the load and ideal. Bowman has overcome the issue of reductions in axial
application requirements. If the wrong load by using three sets of rolling elements to allow
bearing is used, it may not carry the Innovations in bearing design independent handling of the radial and bidirectional axial
required load effectively, leading Recent innovations in the manufacture loads. The design incorporates the usual benefits of a split
to damage and potential of split roller bearings, and the use of bearing system – including bearing changes of up to ten
failure. There are two main additive manufacturing to create more times faster than solid bearings – while increasing the
types of load. Radial load complex component
refers to the loads acting at geometries, are
right angles to the shaft, allowing the
and axial loads are applied bearing manu-
parallel to the shaft in both facturers to acc-
directions. While many bearings are ommodate axial
designed to handle either axial or or multidirectional
radial loads, high-load loads as a primary
applications in heavy side consideration, extending
industrial applications often require a system life and reducing
combination of the two – a requirement that, due downtime.
to limitations in manufacturing, has been left largely With no need to invest
unmet. in expensive tooling, or set up
To best serve the needs of high-load applications that traditional manufacturing production lines, it is possible to
have both types of forces in play, many bearing experiment with design features in a way that simply
manufacturers and OEMs will use a combination wasn’t possible previously. For Bowman, the technology
approach, using a pair of bearings to accommodate the has facilitated the creation of a bearing that offers a

26 INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY • June 2021