What are the basic requirements for materials needed to make bearings?

What are the basic requirements for materials needed to make bearings?

The materials required to make bearings have a series of basic requirements, which are directly related to the performance, life and adaptability of the bearings to the application field. The following is a detailed elaboration of these basic requirements:

1. Mechanical properties

High hardness: Bearings need to withstand large loads and friction during operation, so the material must have sufficient hardness to resist wear.

High strength: The material should have good tensile strength and compressive strength to ensure that the bearing will not break or deform when subjected to load.

High toughness: Materials with good toughness can better absorb impact energy and prevent brittle fracture from occurring under sudden loading or overloading.

2. Physical properties

Good thermal conductivity: Bearings generate heat when working. Good thermal conductivity helps to dissipate heat in time and prevent material performance degradation or lubrication failure caused by excessive temperature.

Low thermal expansion coefficient: Materials with low thermal expansion coefficient have small dimensional changes when the temperature changes, which is beneficial to maintaining the accuracy and stability of the bearing.

3. Wear resistance

Bearing materials must have good wear resistance to resist friction and wear during long-term operation and extend the service life of the bearing.

4. Corrosion resistance

The materials of bearings working in humid and corrosive environments should have good corrosion resistance to prevent material failure due to corrosion.

5. Processing performance

Bearing materials should be easy to process and shape to meet various process requirements during the bearing manufacturing process.

Good processing technology also helps to improve the accuracy and surface quality of bearings.

6. Purity and Uniformity

The purity of bearing steel has an important impact on the fatigue life of bearings. Non-metallic inclusions and gas content in steel will reduce the purity of the bearing and thus affect its performance.

The chemical composition and carbide distribution of bearing materials should be uniform to avoid performance differences and stress concentration caused by uneven structures.

7. Special requirements in specific environments

In some special environments, such as high temperature, low temperature, radiation, etc., bearing materials also need to meet corresponding special requirements. For example, heat-resistant bearing steel needs to be able to maintain stable performance at high temperatures; while bearings working in low-temperature environments require materials with good toughness and resistance to brittle fracture.

The materials required to make bearings have strict requirements in terms of mechanical properties, physical properties, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, processing performance, purity and uniformity. These requirements together form the basic criteria for bearing material selection to ensure that the bearings can work reliably under various working conditions.