Common causes of ball bearings overheating and failing

Bearings typically overheat when they are improperly lubricated. Improper lubrication can be caused by using a low temperature grease that does not provide enough viscosity for proper operation by allowing for increased friction. Also not re lubricating a bearing can cause it to run hotter than normal by allowing metal to rub against metal and increasing friction and rapidly causing the bearing to overheat. Over greasing can damage a bearing as well. It may cause a seal on a bearing to crack and allow foreign particles into contact with the internal rolling components of a bearing and pit the bearing and or corrode from moisture getting in as well as allowing the grease used to lubricate the inner portion of the bearing to escape the inner compartment of the bearing. XHYZH3X2KYV6 Below are a few pictures over overheated bearings due to improper lubrication.

         

What is a ball bearing and what is its purpose?

Have you ever wondered what is the difference in bearings?  Well if you have today I'll give you some insight about what a ball bearing is, and how it can make your life easier!  Ball Bearings are a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing race.  The mechanical purpose of a radial bearing is to reduce rotational friction, and support radial and axial load. A ball bearing achieves this by using at least two races to contain the balls and distribute the loads through the balls. In most applications, one race is stationary and the other is attached to the rotating assembly (such as a hub or shaft). As one of the bearing races rotates, it causes the balls to rotate as well. Because the balls are rolling they have a much lower friction than if two flat surfaces were sliding against each other.
Ball bearings tend to have lower load capacity for their size than other kinds of rolling-element bearings due to the smaller contact area between the balls and races. However, they can tolerate some misalignment of the inner and outer races.
  
Common Elements/Compounds used to manufacture a ball bearing


There are several common designs of ball bearing, each offering various trade-offs. They can be made from many different materials, including: stainless steel, chrome steel, and ceramic (silicon nitride (Si₃N₄)). A hybrid ball bearing is a bearing with ceramic balls and races of metal.

Common ball bearing designs

Angular contact

An angular contact ball bearing uses axially asymmetric races. An axial load passes in a straight line through the bearing, whereas a radial load takes an oblique path that tends to want to separate the races axially. So the angle of contact on the inner race is the same as that on the outer race. Angular contact bearings better support "combined loads" (loading in both the radial and axial directions) and the contact angle of the bearing should be matched to the relative proportions of each. The larger the contact angle (typically in the range 10 to 45 degrees), the higher the axial load supported, but the lower the radial load. In high speed applications, such as turbines, jet engines, and dentistry equipment, the centrifugal forces generated by the balls changes the contact angle at the inner and outer race. Ceramics such as silicon nitride are now regularly used in such applications due to their low density (40% of steel). These materials significantly reduce centrifugal force and function well in high temperature environments. They also tend to wear in a similar way to steel bearing, rather than cracking or shattering like glass or porcelain.
Most bicycles use angular-contact bearings in the headsets because the forces on these bearings are in both the radial and axial direction.

Axial

The design of axial ball bearings is intended solely to operate with considerable axial load, any radial load is unacceptable for them. Axial ball bearings can accommodate axial loads in one direction only.
As a rule, one of the bearing washers is produced tight to fit on the shaft and the others are loose to be installed in the housing.  Axial ball bearings with flat loose washer do not allow any, even slight, angular misalignment between the shaft and the housing. If it is necessary to provide unit operation with initial angular misalignment, bearings with loose sphered seat washers should be used. Usually  axial ball bearings are produced split, which simplifies their mounting. Some special applications have stamped protective shield, which makes the whole construction undetachable.
Axial ball bearings are produced with pressed steel cages, with machined cages of brass, steel, aluminum alloys or glass fiber reinforced polyamide.
An axial ball bearing uses side-by-side races. An axial load is transmitted directly through the bearing, while a radial load is poorly supported and tends to separate the races, so that a larger radial load is likely to damage the bearing.

Deep-groove

In a deep-groove radial bearing, the race dimensions are close to the dimensions of the balls that run in it. Deep-groove bearings can support higher loads. This style is typically used in precision instruments, low noise motor, automobiles, and motorcycles.

Lonestar Bearings is now Wildwest Bearings and our online store has changed for the better!

It was recently decided that it is in my business's best interest to change from our previous website business name from Lonestar Bearings to Wildwest Bearings. We have also changed our webstore link to http://wildwestbearings.com/bearingstore this new layout will allow us to better organize our catalog and streamline our customer experience and gives you the ability to share products with your friends to your favorite social media with a simple click of a button!!! We are adding more products to our webstore. We have added several special ag bearings, radial bearings, tapered bearings, disc harrow bearings and tapered bearing sets.  We welcome your input on how we can improve our website check back often as we are adding new products all the time!!!

Lonestar Bearings | San Marcos, Tx 78666 - Information - #990305

Lonestar Bearings | San Marcos, Tx 78666 - Information - #990305

Wheel bearing maintenance repair tips

Ever been driving down the road and heard a faint squeal coming from your car as you accelerated up to speed?  Well your probably not the first one, lets just hope your not the one who ignored it, until something catastrophic happened.  What are the signs indicating you ask?  Well most will think its a sticking break pad and that its no big deal and don't pay much attention to it.  Well ignore it and the next thing you know you may start to have more signs of a failing wheel bearing.  If you have a grinding or clunking sound at lower speeds to about 30-40 mph there may be a chance you have a tapered bearing that is needing the attention of you or a mechanic.  Dont ignore the signs of a bearing needing repacked or replaced.  The ramifications of ignoring faulty bearings can be quite severe.  Ignoring a simple maintenance that takes about an hour of your life and a few dollars in bearing grease could cost you thousands. If you ignore the signs the bearing needs repacked you could be going down a road and lose the wheel and bash the front end of the vehicle into the pavement and cause you to either severely damage front end steering/suspension to even more serious consequences such as a totalled vehicle and badly injured or worse yet dead!
The front wheel bearings found on a typical rear-wheel-drive car or truck employ two-piece caged bearing assemblies. Good maintenance dictates that the bearings should be cleaned and repacked any time the brake disc is removed from the spindle.  there are actually two complete bearing sets per wheel -- an inner and an outer -- and both have a separate inner race. Together, they support the entire brake disc (or drum) and wheel/tire assembly. Wheel bearings should be replaced as axle pairs. Don't just replace, for example, bad left front wheel bearings without also replacing the right front ones, regardless of their condition. You also should replace the spring-loaded seals that keep the wheel bearing grease from escaping out the backs of the hubs and dirt and water from intruding into the grease cavity, also make sure you have enough wheel bearing grease to properly pack your bearings.  Inspecting wheels for faulty bearings The first step when checking for worn wheel bearings is to get the tire off the ground. Chock the wheel on the opposite corner fore and aft. Set a safety stand under the corner you're working on after you jack it up. Grasp the whole wheel assembly at the top and bottom (12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions) and try to rock it in and out. (Rocking side to side is more indicative of bad tie rod ends.) Also, spin the wheel and feel for roughness. A slight amount of play is expected, but any more than a few millimeters of movement at the top or bottom of the wheel as you rock it calls for a closer look. Remove the lug nuts, which probably will mean setting the wheel back down to keep it from spinning. Next remove the brake caliper, which usually requires taking out a couple of caliper bolts or retaining pins. Make sure not to damage the brakeline going to the brake caliper when removing from the drum. If you have drum brakes, front or rear, you may need to back off the brake adjustment stars; refer to the shop manual for the specific number of notches. Now pop off the dust cap with a chisel and a light hammer tap. Then, use pliers to straighten the cotter pin. Remove the locking crown if there is one (some cars use just a castle nut) and unscrew the axle nut. While pulling the brake disc (or drum) from the spindle with one hand, catch the small outer bearing and the washer in front of it as they fall into your other hand. Pull the large inner bearing out past the grease seal from the back of the hub. You may have to pry out the seal first. Both sets of rollers should be gooey with no signs of dirt in the grease. Rotate the cage assembly on the inner race with your fingers. Look inside the inner race and on the axle spindle for score marks. Nothing? The rollers spin true? Are the surfaces of the bearing race and rollers a little textured, but there are no chatter marks (called brinelling) or obvious wear? No blue metal from overheating due to lack of lubrication? Is the grease sticky and not like the crumbly bar of Irish Spring in your shower soap dish? If so, you can simply repack the old bearings and put it all back together. Clean the old grease -- all of it -- out of the hub, the bearings, and off the spindle, washer and nut. Follow up with mineral spirits and a small paintbrush or aerosol brake cleaner to remove the last of it. Dry any remaining solvent with a rag or compressed air. 

Signs indicating bearing failure

Any signs of damage or wear, however, mean you need new bearings. Look for two indents inside the hub just behind the races, 180 degrees apart. Use a hammer and punch to carefully bang out each race from the other side of the hub, alternately tapping at one indent and then the other. A hydraulic press with the correct arbor will make short work of this. If you can't get the races loose, you can take the hub to your local machine shop and have a mechanic press them out for a nominal fee usually. Before installing the new race -- which you've carefully kept matched to its respective bearing -- make sure its land is clean and burr-free. A hydraulic shop press works best for installation, but with a certain amount of care it is possible to install the new race using a hammer and a punch. Don't scratch the tapered area that the rollers ride on. The best way to minimize any chance of doing damage is to tap in the race with a socket large enough to fit the race's circumference. The new bearings will not come out of the box pregreased. So pack each thoroughly. Put a generous dab of grease in the palm of your (clean) hand and push the grease between the rollers and the cage. Do this all around the circumference of both bearings. While your hands are slathered, cup some more grease and glob it into the disc (or drum) hub. Don't pack it full -- about 50 percent grease is plenty. Then, insert the large inner bearing into the back side of the hub. Tap the new grease seal into the back of the hub. Reinstall the brake disc (or drum) on the spindle, insert the small outer bearing, and place the washer and thread on the nut. Spin the bolt into the washer by hand, then tighten it a little more with a wrench while spinning the brake with the other hand. This seats the bearing further and sets its preload. Keep spinning while tightening. You'll feel the bearing start to bind slightly as you tighten more. Stop there. Now back off the nut with the wrench until you feel that resistance dissipate, and one of the castellations on the nut lines up with the cotter pin hole. Use a new cotter pin. Don't overtighten the spindle nut. Better to keep it on the looser side than make it too tight if the cotter pin holes don't line up just right. To finish the job, fill the dust cap halfway with grease and tap it back on. Reinstall the brake caliper, then scrub the brake disc with brake cleaner to remove any grease or even handprints from the friction surface. Reinstall the wheel by torquing the lug nuts to the manufacturer's specified torque in a star pattern. Remove the safety stand, lower the vehicle and take it for a road test. Estimated time for complete bearing removal and reinstall 1-2 hours. Dont forget we not only have maintenance and bearing tips but we supply them as well. visit us online today at Lonestar Bearings to get yours!

Free shipping on already low priced products!!!

Well with the month of October we have been celebrating by having free shipping on all of our products!!!  But I regret to inform you this deal wont be around much longer so dont wait or you may miss out on something really spectacular!!!  Remember all inventory ships free through oct 31st and then this deal is gone no exceptions!!!  So act today by hurrying on over to get your bearings now by visiting our online store! Radial, disc harrow and tapered bearing headquarters!  We thank all those who have already made their purchases and continue to spread the word to their friends about us at Lonestar Bearings .

Monster of a Sale

Well the weather is finally cooling off, but the deals at Lonestar bearings are still heating up. Check out this spooktacular deal. Free Shipping on everything in our inventory and many parts marked way down!!! Order your bearings today before this deal is gone!!!