Performance of raw materials for angular contact ball bearings

• Shanghai Zhio Technology Co.,Ltd 
• 2023-08-29

Angular contact ball bearing is a commonly used bearing in modern mechanical equipment, which can withstand both radial and axial loads, and can work at higher speeds. The higher the accuracy level, the better the operating effect of angular contact ball bearing. It can be suitable for working environments with high requirements for rotational vibration accuracy and fast speed. Therefore, the production materials of precision angular contact ball bearings need to have good physical and chemical properties. At present, the main production material for angular contact ball bearings is bearing steel. So, what are the performance requirements for the raw materials used to manufacture angular contact ball bearings?
1、 Wear resistance
When the angular contact ball bearing is working, not only rolling friction but also Sliding friction will occur between the ring, rolling element and cage, thus making the bearing parts continuously worn. In order to increase the wear of bearing zero thrust parts, maintain bearing accuracy and stability, and extend service life, bearing steel should have good wear resistance. Wear resistance refers to the ability of a material to resist mechanical wear, representing the wear per unit area per unit time under certain load and wear rate conditions. Wear resistance is related to many properties of materials, such as Hardness, strength, surface roughness, etc.
2、 Contact fatigue strength
Under the action of periodic loads, precision angular contact ball bearings are prone to fatigue damage on the contact surface, resulting in cracking and peeling, which is an important cause of bearing damage. Therefore, in order to further improve the service life of bearings, the bearing steel used for producing angular contact ball bearings must have high contact fatigue strength, so that the contact strength and damage resistance of angular contact ball bearings can be higher.
Contact strength refers to the ability to resist failure (deformation and fracture) under contact stress, including contact static strength and contact fatigue strength.
Under the repeated action of high contact stress, angular contact ball bearings will produce small or small pieces of metal peeling in local areas of the contact surface, forming pits and pits, increasing the noise, vibration, temperature, and wear of the parts during operation, leading to failure. Therefore, this factor should be considered when designing angular contact ball bearings in production.
3、 Processing performance
In the course of consumption, bearing parts have to go through many cold and Hot working processes. In order to meet the requirements of high efficiency and quality, bearing steel should have good processing performance. For example, cold and Thermoforming properties, machinability, hardenability, etc.
4、 Hardness
Hardness is one of the important standards for the quality of angular contact ball bearings, which has indirect effects on contact fatigue strength, wear resistance and Elastic Limit. The hardness of bearing steel under operating conditions should reach HRC61~65, which can enable angular contact ball bearings to achieve high contact fatigue strength and wear resistance.
Hardness is a physical term that refers to the ability of a material to resist hard objects pressing into its surface locally, and is an indicator of comparing the hardness and softness of various materials.
5、 Rust prevention performance
In order to avoid corrosion and rusting of bearing parts and finished products during processing, storage, and use, it is required that bearing steel should have good rust and corrosion resistance.