© 2018 JETIR November 2018, Volume 5, Issue 11 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162)
JETIRDS06070 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 440
Advancement of Ceramic Bearings and its
Applications
Vishaldeep Singh
1
, Prashant Kumar Pandey
1
1
Mechanical Engineering Department, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India.
Abstract: Rotating and Reciprocating parts are the basic parts of any manufacturing industry. The mechanical
problems caused by the electric motors is generally because of vibrations produced by rotating machinery. The
efficiency of the motor decreases because of the misalignments and this further leads to failure of bearings and
couplings. As, exact alignment is not possible but can be adjusted in acceptable range which can avoid any
damage or failure in machines and results in long life of machines. There are various reasons behind
misalignment which causes machines instability are thermal distortion of machines, disproportionateness in
functional loads, improper assembly of machines, unequal settlement of foundation, etc. The incorrect
arrangement of coupling or condition of being out of correct position or something is improperly adjusted is
known a misalignment. Hybrid bearings also shows lower coefficient of thermal expansion with high bearing
stiffness and greater hardness. This paper describes the type of bearing can be used to replace the old traditional
steel bearings which provides comparably better performance. As described above it can be stated that the
ceramic bearings perform better in terms of service life. It also increases the lubricant life, reduced wear from
vibration and can be operated at lower temperatures.
Keywords: Ceramic bearings, Hybrid bearings, Bearing applications.
1. Introduction
A bearing is a machine segment that compels relative movement between moving parts to just empower the
ideal movement. The main function of bearing is to transmit power from one end of the line to another, while
reducing friction and handling stress.
Hybrid bearing is advanced version of steel bearings in which the rings are made up of steel whereas the rolling
elements consists of bearing grade Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) which results in better performance. The ceramic
bearings offer high speed, improved stiffness and lesser friction. These ceramic bearings are containing ceramic
rolling balls which are bounded in a ferrous inner and outer ring. These are also called as hybrid bearings
because they are manufactured from different materials [1].
The various ceramic bearings are used for aerospace and space-exploration applications because of their light
and optimum weight, improved flight dynamics. Also, the vacuum compatible bearings need not require
lubricants for its operation in various applications and can be used in sensitive electrical components. Ceramic
bearings are also used in applications which are exposed to chemically exposed areas because these ceramic
bearings do not react with the chemicals. Moreover, these bearings are also used in high speed and heavy load
applications because of the various enhanced properties over conventional steel bearings. The hybrid ceramic
bearings not allow electrical current to run through bearing.
Some real time applications of ceramic bearings can be found in aircraft generators, high speed machines, mills,
grinders, pumps, compressors and many more.