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Questions tagged [bearings]

132 questions
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5 answers

How do ball bearings not crack from a load concentrated on an infinitesimally small point?

How do ball bearings last? Most bearings in a standard hub (bottom of the image) are not actually taking a load. Only the single ball that happens to be at a particular location while spinning takes 100% of the load. If the bearings were cylindrical…
Sam
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Detailing Fixed Cotton Duck Bridge Bearings

I'm looking for a justification for the use of cotton duck bearing pads without a sole plate. I'm specifically considering their use with precast I-girders. Say I have a two span bridge, simply supported for dead load, with expansion bearings at the…
CableStay
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How can the wobble of a rotating cantilever shaft be reduced?

I have a cantilever shaft 6inches in length supported on one end using a ball bearing. I am having problems of shaft wobbling in the bearing. I cannot have support on the other end. How can I help this situation? The shaft is made of aluminum,…
Hardik shah
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Is there such a thing as a sand-proof bearing?

I am working on a piece of art that has parts that rotate slowly, at about 1RPM, thanks to a couple of bearings. There is a possibility that it might be installed beside a beach for about a week. The problem is that sand and bearings do not play…
Steve
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6
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2 answers

How to design a narrow bearing that supports shear direction load

I need to connect two flat bars of metal with some kind of bearing that doesn't increase the joint thickness by more than 2-3mm (the less the better), as shown here: There are almost no axial loads but the peak lateral (shearing) stress on the…
SF.
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Are jeweled bearings commonly used for applications other than mechanical timepieces?

Jeweled bearings use a metal spindle with a jewel lined pivot hole (pictured below). They have been important in the manufacture of mechanical timepieces since the early 1700's. Their importance lies in the fact that they can be machined to very…
Chris Mueller
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What is this kind of bearing called

I came up with this concept for a partial rotation, lubricant free, low friction bearing for a robotics application. Two complementary sets of tensioned tendon-like cables (or tapes) serve both to constrain the degrees of freedom of the joint as…
jms
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What makes crosshead bearings hard to lubricate?

Regarding crosshead bearing failure, I have read that at slow speed it is difficult to establish a lubricating film because there is an imbalance between forces due to combustion and forces due to inertia. This information is from a maker of big low…
veronika
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Could linear bearings bear axial load?

With linear bearings, could they be used to join one rod with another to form a cross-junction and rotate with around a 0.3N-mm torque? Suppose the rods are fairly thin, eg, 5mm in diameter. That is, could linear bearings bear a radial load? Would…
Kar
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4
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What type of bearing could be used to keep a utensil level while being moved from plate to mouth?

I need a bearing that the inner bore will stay level and balanced when the out ring is rotated. My son with autism lacks the motor function to feed himself with a spoon. He can turn his wrist, when the spoon goes to his mouth its 90 degrees off. I…
kiel starforth
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1 answer

How to secure a rotating disc so that it has no wobble

For a 3D printing application, I need to have a spinning disc(that I will rotate via geared stepper motors) that will wobble as little as possible. By wobble, I mean that it will only rotate around it's axis and not shift side to side. The goal is…
James Baxter
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1 answer

Are Rolling-Element Bearings Practical for Light Loads?

I have a 5" x 4" x 3/8" plastic panel (wall thickness of 1/8", ribbed). I need to slide the panel over a 12" plastic track that is U-shaped (like a skateboard ramp). This motion could be repeated 2 million+ times. The panel is rigid and maintains…
skibulk
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3 answers

Bearing to allow a sphere to roll freely

I want to know what bearings might allow a sphere (5cm diameter) to roll in-place most freely. The closest mechanism that matches what I might want to achieve is a "ball transfer", I believe the term is. I have been unable to find: - an explanation…
CL22
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3 answers

Off-centre actuation

I'm trying to lift a platform with several guides using a linear actuator, but off the centre as follows: The load on the platform will be around 100kg, which is just within the linear actuator's 120kg load capacity. The platform will be around…
John M.
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Radial vs thrust bearings for assembling a lift mechanism

I'm a total novice and self taught, currently designing and building a workbench for woodworking with an adjustable height top. This is the last major part to finish and I'm having trouble determining which bearing configuration to use. EDIT: I…
Gisto
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