Ceramic Ball Bearings Vs Steel

They use ceramic balls and usually a steel inner and outer race.

Ceramic ball bearings vs steel.

Ceramic bearings are in actual fact hybrid. The ceramic balls are often silicon nitride or equivalent. Once you have a considerable amount of mileage on a bearing set it is safe to think that the high quality bearing runs close to how you bought it and a basic bearing is closer to the end of it s life span. Steel bearings are commodity items that are composed of hardened steel balls and a steel inner and outer race.

Of the different components of a bearing races cages seals grease friction from the actual ball bearings is only about 3. Ceramic hybrid bearings use silicon nitride as it is the hardest and frequently used. The ceramic balls when manufactured by a top quality bearing manufacturer are rounder lighter and smoother than steel balls. Silicon nitride zirconium dioxide and silicon carbide are the materials used in the manufacture of ceramic ball bearings.

The hybrid comes from the races which remain of stainless steel. Ceramic bearings vs steel bearings ceramic materials offer superior corrosion and heat resistance higher dimensional stability and lower density which facilitates high speed. This means that the overall friction reduction between a high quality steel bearing and a ceramic is below 0 5. Stainless steel bearings and full ceramic bearings are both corrosion resistant but the ceramic bearings have greater corrosion resistance.

Cost of purchase for ceramic and steel bearings. Frictional differences between a high quality steel ball and a ceramic is a 10 15 improvement at best. They will both also cope with higher temperatures than chrome steel but ceramic bearings also win here. Ceramic bearings vs steel bearings advanced ceramic manufacturer.