Advantages of rolling bearings compared to plain bearings

Rolling bearings have the following advantages over plain bearings:
    1. The friction coefficient of the rolling bearing is smaller than that of the sliding bearing, and the transmission efficiency is high. Generally, the friction coefficient of a sliding bearing is 0.08-0.12, and the friction coefficient of a rolling bearing is only 0.001-0.005;
    2. Rolling bearings have been standardized, serialized and generalized, suitable for mass production and supply, and easy to use and maintain;
3. The rolling bearing is made of bearing steel and is heat treated. Therefore, the rolling bearing not only has high mechanical properties and long service life, but also can save the expensive expensive non-ferrous metal used for manufacturing the sliding bearing;
4. The internal clearance of the rolling bearing is small, and the machining accuracy of each part is high, so the running accuracy is high. At the same time, the rigidity of the bearing can be increased by a preloading method. This is very important for precision machinery;
5. Some rolling bearings can withstand both radial and axial loads, thus simplifying the structure of the bearing support;
6. Because the rolling bearing has high transmission efficiency and less heat generation, it can reduce the consumption of lubricating oil, and the lubrication maintenance is more trouble-free;
7. Rolling bearings can be easily applied to uranium in any orientation in space.
However, everything is divided into two, rolling bearings also have certain shortcomings, mainly:
  1. The ability of a rolling bearing to withstand a load is much smaller than that of a plain bearing of the same volume, and therefore the radial dimension of the rolling bearing is large. Therefore, in the case of heavy load and where the radial size is small and the structural requirements are compact (such as crankshaft bearings for internal combustion engines), sliding bearings are often used;
  2. The rolling bearing has large vibration and noise, especially in the later stage of use. Therefore, in the case where the precision is high and vibration is not allowed, the rolling bearing is difficult to perform, and the sliding bearing is generally better.
3. Rolling bearings are particularly sensitive to foreign objects such as metal chips. Once foreign matter enters the bearing, intermittent vibration and noise will occur, which will cause early damage. In addition, rolling bearings are prone to early damage due to metal clip impurities. Even if early damage does not occur, the life of the rolling bearing has a certain limit. In short, the life of a rolling bearing is shorter than that of a plain bearing.
However, compared with sliding bearings, rolling bearings have their own advantages and disadvantages, each of which occupies a certain application. Therefore, the two cannot be completely replaced with each other, and each develops in a certain direction to expand its field. However, due to the outstanding advantages of rolling bearings, there is a tendency for latecomers to stay. At present, rolling bearings have developed into the main support type of machinery, and the application is becoming more and more extensive.