Technical Seminar on

Ceramic Ball Bearings

BY
Tamam Mahdi Saleh

To

Dr. Nehal
CONTENTS
Introduction
What is a Ceramic Hybrid Ball Bearing?
Types of Ceramic Ball Bearings
Features
Technical Charts
Advantages
Applications
Conclusion
References
Introduction

Silicon Nitride was developed in 1963 by NASA.
The machine tool industry has been a pioneer in the
use of ceramic hybrid ball bearings
Hi-performance motor racing programs, like Formula-
1, are using ceramic hybrids.
Silicon Nitride ceramic balls are virtually
indestructible, survive in thermal, heavy load, won't
dent or rust, virtually unbreakable and will not wear or
degrade over time.

What is a Ceramic Hybrid Ball Bearing?
We can achieve new
Friction-reducing
Ceramic ball bearings!
A Ceramic Hybrid Ball Bearing made of ceramic elements
from silicon nitride.
Silicon nitride is a highly processed silica and ceramic
material.
The use of Ceramics for bearing components results in a far
superior product.

Types of Ceramic Ball Bearings
Ceramic Hybrid Ball Bearings





Full Ceramic Ball Bearings
Ceramic Hybrid Ball Bearings
Full Ceramic Ball Bearings
Features
Non-conductive.
50% higher modulus of elasticity.
Low Density
Less maintenance.
Coefficient of Friction.
Corrosion Resistance
High Hardness


Micro Weld
Micro Weld occurs when microscopic surface "peaks"
on the ball and race make contact and actually weld
together.
This occurs even with light loading and adequate
lubrication.
This results in higher temperatures, higher friction,
and decreased life.
The ceramic hybrid bearing cannot micro-weld to
steel, thus eliminating the problem entirely.
TechnicalCharts

Temperature
The service life of ceramic hybrid bearings
Service life
Vibration
Running speed
The running speed ceramic ball bearing.

Advantages
Lower Maintenance Cost
Extended Service Life
Prevents Electrical Arcing
Extended Grease Life
Reduced Wear From Vibration
Lower Operating Temperature
Reduced Wear From Contamination
Applications
Motor Racing.
Motorcycle Racing.
Machine tool applications.
Aircraft accessories/aerospace.
Industrial Machinery.
Medical equipment.
Some of the Ceramic Ball
Bearings
Conclusion
Ceramic ball is tremendously harder than steel
(Rockwell 78c versus Rockwell 60c for steel balls).
Ceramic ball is 60% lighter than a steel ball.
Ceramic ball is much less prone to "skid".
Ceramic ball is significantly rounder and has a finer
finish than conventional steel balls.
Operating temperature for ceramic is 2000 degrees F.
versus 600 F. degrees for steel.


Vibration levels of ceramic hybrid bearings average
two to seven times lower than that of steel.
Service life is two to five times longer than
conventional steel ball bearings.
25% of all electrical energy produced is used to
power some type of electric motor. Imagine the
savings in resources if all motors were to run with
ceramic hybrid ball bearings!
References
Elements of machine design by Khurmi.
www.bearingworks.com