- Aerospace bearing
Aerospace bearings are installed in aircraft and aerospace systems in order to ensure a high precision aeronautical or aerospace system. The miniature
ball bearings can be used for commercial, private, military or other types ofaerospace systems. Bearings are commonly made from:
-440C stainless steel
-Silicon Nitride (ceramic)
-Titanium Carbide coated 440C
440C stainless steel is used because it has a very high resistance to the deterioration caused by environmental conditions. All of the listed materials allow for the bearing to rotate without complication at a large range of different speeds.(1)Maintenance and Applications
When manufacturing and maintaining bearings, it is important to take a few things into account, including:
-component quality
-lubrication density
-retainer material
-design
In order to assure maximum bearing speed, it is necessary for the bearing steel to be high quality, and the carbides must be small and evenly spaced. As a precaution against contamination, the ball bearings are lubricated with temperature and moisture defiant oils, greases and lubricants. If the lubricant is not the correct thickness or if the amount applied to the bearing is incorrect, then the performance of the bearing will be compromised.
Bearings are a vital factor in many products and assemblies. The bearings allow the shaft to spin, and they monitor speed and vibrations within the assembly. It is therefore necessary to discuss the environment in which the bearing will be used. Some points to discuss with the manufacturer are vacuum conditions and salt baths. In order to satisfy certain conditions there are:
-special coatings
-an assortment of ball and retainer materials
-a variety of lubricants(2)Manufacturers
Pacific International Bearing, Inc – Union City, CA
ABI Industries – Oakland, CA
Pacamor Kubar Bearings (PKB) - Troy, NY
SKF USA, Inc – Kulpsville, PA
Shuster Corp. – New Bedford, MA
Schaeffler Group USA, Inc. – Fort Mill, SC(3)Patents
There are patents for many bearings including:
Patent number: 6647798
Issue date: November 18, 2003
Inventors: Yoshida, Makoto; Oike, Mamoru; Nosaka, Masataka; Kikuchi, Masataka; Sudo, Takayuki; Watanabe, Yosiaki
Assignee: National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan
Primary Examiner: Lefkowitz, Edward
Assistant Examiner: Allen, Andre
U.S. Classification: 73/781
International Classification: G01L 5/00 (20060101)(4)References
Pacamor Kubar Bearings [http://www.pacamor.com/industries_served/aerospaceandaircraft.php]
Getting the Most Out of High Speed Bearings [http://www.pacamor.com/white_papers/gettingthemost.php]
ThomasNet Ball Bearings Suppliers [http://www.thomasnet.com/nsearch.html?cov=NA&heading=3740800&WT.mc_t=PPC&WT.mc_n=mcgoog&WT.sem_engine=mcgoog&WT.sem_keyword=ball+bearing+companies&WT.srch=1&mctoken=v4v43576Z3a300372647572206167Z3a33Z3a2Z3aZ3aZ3a1662Z3aZ3a]
US Patent 6647798 - Bearing load measuring system using double-cylinder type cartridge [http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6647798.html]
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