Chapter 9 - Bearings Flashcards
(102 cards)
Briefly describe friction bearings and anti-friction bearings.
Note: These bearings may also be called contact bearings and rolling element bearings
- friction bearings
- have a sliding contact between a shaft and the bearing
- a special, low-friction material lines a rigid housing
- the lining directly contacts and supports the shaft
- in use, the shaft slides over the liner material, separated by a thin film of lubricant
- the area of contact is relatively large
- pressure on the bearing is low
- also referred to as plain, sleeve, and journal bearings
- anti-friction bearings
- have a rolling contact between the shaft and bearing using balls, needles, or rollers
- the area of contact is very small
- pressure on the rings, balls or rollers is quite high
What are the principle parts of a friction bearing housing?
- base
- base bolt slots
- cap
- cap bolt holes
What are friction bearing housings made from and what factors influence the choice of housings?
- cast iron
- general use with light-medium loads
- cast steel
- general use with light-heavy loads
- fabricated steel
- special applications
- choice of bearing housing depends on:
- load
- rotational (rubbing) speed
- direction of pull
- support design
How are friction bearing dimensions expressed?
- nominal size
- size of the bore of the bearing (ID)
- dimensions are fractional, not decimal
Do all new bearings of the same shaft size have the same base-to-eye measurement?
- bearings of the same size, design and service weight from the same supplier have the same shaft centre dimension
- bearings from different suppliers may have different values for this and other dimensions
What factors influence the choice of bearings?
- load
- rotational (rubbing) speed
- direction of pull
- support design
What are the applications for the following bearings:
- solid bearings?
- used when speed and load are low
- designed to be used in locations where load is applied to the top part of the bearing
- frequently mounted in the inverted position
- must be slid on or off the shaft
- bearings must be put on as an assembled unit
What are the applications for the following bearings:
- split bearings?
- two-bolt bearing
- used for light-medium loads
- four-bolt bearing
- used for medium-heavy loads
What are the applications for the following bearings:
- angle bearings?
- when the load is applied parallel to, or at a slight anlge to, the horizontal
- when the bearing is mounted on a vertical support
What are the applications for the following bearings:
- integrated bearings?
- heavy-duty machines where bearing base is cast as integral part of machine
- bearings are either babbitted or fitted with shells or liners like other journal bearings
How does friction bearing joint design affect its integrity?
- flat joints
- the bolts hold the cap in alignment
- the opposite sections of the joint may be completely level with each other (flat joint) or be at an angle (flat-joint angle)
- gib in the joint
- have a little “step” in them, they keep the cap from moving sideways
- combines the rigidity of a solid block with the advantages of split construction
- suitable for limited side loading
- it need not be loaded on its bottom half
What qualities should a good bearing material have?
- softer than the shaft material, so it deforms slightly under heavy loads
- of low coefficient of friction
- wear-resistant
- good heat conductor and remain relatively stable with heat changes
- readily available
List the metals generally used for bearing liners and state their applications
- babbit
- general use
- brass (copper/zinc alloy)
- higher speeds and heavier loading than babbitt
- bronze (copper/tin alloy)
- higher speeds and heavier loading than babbitt
- aluminum
- common in hydraulic pumps
- sintered bronze (used for self-lubricating chain)
- porous bronze with a built-in oil supply (oilite)
- oil to bronze ratio = 1 : 2 by volume
What characteristics of nylon polyurethanes and phenol laminates affect their applications?
- nylon and polyurethanes
- generally inert to most mild acids and alkalis
- lubricant can be oil or grease, but water is also used
- with low rubbing speeds and temps, some grades of nylon will run with no lubrication
- higher coefficients of expansion than metallic bearing materials
- some synthetic materials expand when saturated with water
- basic nylon = 10X thermal expansion compared to steel, and a fully saturated water expansion rate of 0.0256”/per inch - important when dry fitting a nylon bearing which will run with water lubrication
- phenol laminates
- have layers of cotton or other natural fillers bonded with phenolic resin
- strong
- shock resistant
- compatible with most fluids
What is the hardest and toughest Babbitt made from?
- tin-based
- copper or antimony, with up to 90% tin
- sometimes called “nickel babbitt”
- used in conditions of heavy service and extreme pressures
How does overheating affect Babbitt?
- service life of the material is greatly reduced
- equivalent to overheating an anti-friction bearing to install it on a shaft
- physical shape is not altered, but normal service life is reduced
How is Babbitt held in the bearing casing?
- by casting “keys” which are grooves or slots in the casting
- any bearing liner to be re-babbitted must have the keys cleaned out
Describe the procedure for pouring a Babbitt bearing using a mandrel
- when you pour into a bearing and mandrel assembly make sure that it has been heated to 94C (200F) first to remove any free water or surface moisture. Free water causes a “blowback” or explosion
- use all protective equipment as called for by:
- WCB rules and regulations
- company safety policy
- the shaft must be brought up to level or aligned to other parts of the machine
1 - gather the following equipment:
– fire extinguisher
– oxyacetylene torch
– putty
– pliers
– cake of babbitt
2 - fit the torch with a large tip and melt out the remaining babbitt in the casting
3 - smoke the shaft with a straight acetylene flame
4 - put a putty dam around the shaft and bearing
5 - hold the babbitt with the pair of pliers
6 - melt it into the bearing with the torch
What is the purpose of tinning?
- process used when a thin skin of babbitt must be firmly attached to a metallic backing
- similar to that used in brazing a brass coating
- requires a heat source such as an oxyacetylene or propane torch
What must be checked when fitting a bearing?
- surface finish and area of contact
- running clearance
- lubrication entry (for setting up the oil wedge)
- groove(s) (for distributing the lubricant)
Describe the tools used to fit a bearing
- scrapers
- curved scrapers (wavy finish)
- straight scrapers (flat finish)
- flat file or machinist’s file
- triangular file
- groove cutter cape chisel
Describe the procedure for fitting a bearing
1 - after the bearing has been babbitted, the corners of the bearing must be relieved to keep the shaft from binding
2 - the top edge of the bearing must be chamfered almost to the corners. This channels the lubricant to the shaft. The amount of chamfer is usually up to the individual, but the chamfer is often greater for grease lubrication than for oil. For heavy loads, the bottom part of the bearing is chamfered also.
3 - another alternative is to cut an oil groove in the centre of the bearing to help maintain an effective oil wedge. This method is used mainly for casual, marginal lubrication
4 - after the chamfers/oil grooves have been cut in the load-bearing surfaces, check the bearing for contact. To do this, lightly coat a mandrel or shaft with mechanic’s bluing, and rotate it in the bearing. Apply the bluing in a light, smooth, even coat. Do NOT use layout ink.
5 - Remove bearing high points by scraping to allow the shaft to make contact with the bottom of the liner. >80% contact is acceptable
Describe the procedure for shimming a bearing to the correct amount of clearance
1 - put between the bearing halves the original shim used for babbitting the cap (or a shim of the same thickness) and an additional thin shim
2 - make sure that the shims do not touch the shaft. Shape them to clear the chamfer cut in the babbitt
3 - tightly bolt together the cap and base and then try to rotate the shaft or mandrel
4 - if the shaft does not rotate:
- for a gib-style = add more shims
- for a flat-style = pull the cap slightly to one side by the cap bolts and align the cap with a few sharp blows with a ball-peen hammer. If this does not work, add more shims until the shaft turns freely
Describe the procedure for checking bearing clearance with a dial indicator, plastigage and lead wire.
- dial indicator
1 - mount a dial indicator
2 - pry or mount jacks at both ends of the shaft to lift the shaft evenly for an accurate reading. If a jack is mounted at only one end of the shaft, the shaft will tilt in the bearing, and give a false reading
3 - note that the dial indicator gives the total clearance in a bearing. It does NOT indicate high and low spots. Check the wear by visual inspection - Plastigage
1 - choose plastic gauge stock with diameter about equal to the clearance
2 - take off the bearing cap and place lengths of the plastigage across the shaft in several places. They should reach from one edge of the base to the other. Number each piece of plastigage on the shaft
3 - have a record sheet handy, with space to record all readings
4 - check that the plastigage is not pinched at the corners of the top cap of the bearing
5 - tighten down the cap, then take the cap off carefully because some plastigage pieces may stick to it
6 - compare the width of the crushed plastigage with the chart on the packet - lead wire
1-5 - use the same procedure as plastigage
6 - measure the thickness of the wire with a micrometer. Start from the same end of each wire and take the wires in sequence
7 - record the thickness of each compressed wire