Rotary Bearing: Load/Life Calculation

As we have seen, rotary antifriction bearings are manufactured in a variety of

configurations. What we present here is a method for deciding upon a configuration, and
then sizing a rotary antifriction bearing. First, we look at a rule of thumb for friction-limited
speed of such a bearing.
Friction in rotary bearings: A rule of thumb
Friction in rotary bearings generates heat which can eventually destroy the bearing. With
friction in mind, a common rule of thumb used for the allowable speed of ball and straight
roller bearings is:
( B + D ) n/2 < 500,000

Where B = bore diameter in millimeters
D = outside diameter in millimeters
n = speed in rpm
Selection of an antifriction bearing for a particular application:
We now look at one method for selecting a rotary antifriction bearing given a load/life
specification. The following table gives a qualitative overview of the characteristics of each
rotary antifriction bearing type. We use this table to select the configuration of the bearing.
Rearing Type
Direction of Load
Ratio of
Load/Bulk
Misalignment
Capacity
radial axial both high med low high med low
Thrust Ball y y y
Deep Groove Ball y y y y
Cylindrical Roller y
certain
types
y y
Needle Roller y y y
Tapered Roller y y y y y
Self-aligning Ball y y y y
Self-aligning
Spherical Roller
y y y y
Angular Contact
Ball
y y y y


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Now that we have decided upon the bearing type, we can move on to the more quantitative
issue of sizing the bearing. Two metrics that are needed for bearing specification are the
static and dynamic load capacities. Static load capacity can specify the bearing if rotational
speed is slow, intermittent, and/or subject to shocks. Dynamic load capacity is used when
the bearing rotational speed is smooth and relatively constant.
Static Load Specification:
The axial and radial forces acting on the stationary rotary bearing determine the Basic Static
Load Rating listed in bearing catalogs. When there are both axial and radial loads on a
bearing, the combined static load can be found as follows.
F
static
= X
srad
F
srad
+ X
sax
F
sax


If only radial forces act,

F
static
= F
srad


Where F
static
= The combined, equivalent static bearing load
F
srad
= The static radial load
F
sax
= The static axial load
X
srad
= The static radial factor (dimensionless)
X
sax
= The static axial factor (dimensionless)

The basic static load rating coefficient, Co, can be obtained from:
Co = So F
static


Where Co = The basic load rating
So = The static safety factor (dimensionless)
F
static
= The combined, equivalent static bearing load

Values of So depend upon the requirements for low-noise operation and the type of bearing,
as shown in the following table.
Static Safety Factor (So) Guidelines
Loading Type
Noise
Irrelevant
Normal
Operation
Quiet
Operation
ball roller ball roller ball roller
Smooth Loading 0.5 1 1 1.5 2 3
Normal Loading 0.5 1 1 1.5 2 3.5
Shock Loading > 1.5 > 2.5 > 1.5 > 3 > 2 > 4

If the bearing is stationary for extended periods or rotates slowly and/or intermittently and
is subject to shock loads, then the selection is based upon this basic load rating. Values of
basic load rating, Co, for each bearing are quoted in the bearing catalogs.
Dynamic Load Specification:
The dynamic load specification of a rotary bearing is dependent on both the dynamic and
static forces acting upon the bearing. Therefore, please first calculate the Static Load
Specification as outlined above. Axial and radial static forces multiplied by dynamic factors
combine to form the equivalent dynamic bearing load, which is calculated as follows.
F
dyn
= X
drad
F
srad
+ X
dax
F
sax


Where F
dyn
= Equivalent dynamic bearing load
F
srad
= Static radial load on bearing
F
sax
= static axial load on bearing
X
drad
= radial dynamic factor (dimensionless)
X
dax
= axial dynamic factor (dimensionless)
When F
sax
= 0 or is relatively small up to F
sax
/F
dyn
= e (The values of F
srad
, F
sax
, and e are
given in the Rotary Bearing Data) then
F
dyn
= F
srad

Since we have calculated the equivalent dynamic bearing load we can now compute the
bearing dynamic load rating, which is used to select the bearing. Catalog dynamic load
rating values should be chosen higher than the computed value for safety.
The catalog-listed dynamic load ratings are dependent upon both the equivalent dynamic
load and the required bearing life. The ISO equation for the basic rating life is:


Where L = basic rated life (millions of revolutions)
C = basic dynamic load rating
P = equivalent dynamic bearing load
m = exponent in the life equation,
m = 3 for ball bearings
m = 3.3 for other bearings.
Basic Rated Life of Bearings:
The basic rated life is defined as the number of revolutions that ninety percent of a group of
identical bearings would be expected to achieve. It is determined via the life required of the
bearing. Typical life requirements for various machine categories are listed below.
Machine Usage Type
Life Required of
Bearings (Hours)
household appliances intermittent use 300 - 3000
hand tools, construction equipment short period use 3000 - 8000
lifts, cranes high reliability for short periods 8000 - 12000
8h/day gears, motors full day partial use 10000 - 25000
8h/day machine tools, fans full day full use 20000 - 30000
continuous use 40000 - 50000