Ball Bearings

Ball bearings are a type of bearing with a rolling element. Ball bearings use balls to maintain a degree of separation between two rings, or races, that have a groove on which the balls in the bearing rest. Ball bearings reduce the amount of rotational friction and support radial loads. Usually, one of the races is stationary whilst the other is attached to the rotating component, such as a shaft or hub. As one race rotates, the balls rotate too. Because of this, the friction caused is much lower than if two flat surfaces were in contact together. Ball bearings are extremely common as they can handle thrust as well as radial loads. Different types of ball bearings include angular contact, which are used to support a combined load coming from both radial and axial directions; and axial – featuring side-by-side races – that transmit the axial load directly through the bearing. Deep-groove ball bearings can support higher loads. There are vast number of ball bearings available of different types and materials, most commonly chrome steel, stainless steel and ceramic. Ball bearings are generally used in any application that features moving parts, so uses are as varied as computer hard drives to skateboard wheels, as well as extensive use in aerospace industries.