Ceramic bearings are being seen on bicycles and other hobby equipment, such as fishing reels, slot cars, and roller blade wheels. Ceramic bearings can be found in many sizes of bike cartridge bearings. The cartridge bearings generally use steel interior and outer races, with ceramic bearings between. Ceramic bearings may also be bought as loose ball bearings .
The ceramic bearing has found uses in industrial applications where there is substantial speed, substantial load, and, consequently, temperature. Bicycle riding merely does not cause high load, swiftness or temperature. A bike moving at 80 kilometers per hour (about 50 mph), will have hubs that rotate about 11 revolutions per second. An engine crank shaft, however, may turn at over 100 revolutions per second.
The standard of bearing could be defined by various ratings, like the rating of ball roundness. A top quality metal ball bearing is normally consider quality 25. The grade amount refers to the tolerance per millionth of an in .. A quality 25 is accurate to 25/1,000,000 of an in .. Less costly ball bearings may be quality 300, which are much less circular, at 300/1,000,000 of an inch. Ceramic bearings could be grade 5, that is a rounder ball bearing. The need for roundness, however, should not be overrated, as the bearing floors the balls run on happen to be unlikely to be as accurate as the grade of the ball bearing. The ball bearing is typically not the “weak hyperlink” in the machine.
Another facet of the bearing is the property of the material. There is a rating for hardness named the Rockwell level. Steel uses what is known as the Rockwell C level, and ball bearings are of training course hard. This hardness enables them to rotate and not dress in, at least for some time. The bearings floors of the hub cone and glass routinely have a Rockwell C ranking of 55 to 60. A metal ball bearing may very well be over a Rockwell C of 60. A ceramic ball bearings can be a Rockwell C of 75, much harder compared to the steel races. This will provide good wear features for the complete bearing system, not only the ball bearing itself.
The top finish of a bearing is also important. Ceramic bearings aren’t necessarily smoother than steel balls. In the picture below, a Grade 25 metal bearing is magnified 200 situations . Grind marks are apparent. In the next photograph, a ceramic bearing as well show grind marks .
The ceramic material used in a ball is made of a grain structure, similar to a steel ball bearing . A significant property of any materials is “stiffness.” That is a way of measuring how it deflects under stress or load, and the ranking of this property is named the “Modulus of Elasticity.” A steel bearing will be most likely 30,000,000 pounds per square inch. Ceramic bearings created from silicon nitride can possess a Modulus of Elasticity of 47,000,000 pounds per square inch. This extra stiffness means the balls will deflect a smaller amount under load which will transfer strength better, proving a (small) savings. While the ceramic ball is about one-half the weight of a steel ball the same size, it’s the stiffness that is important within their performance.
It conditions of service, there is absolutely no particular procedure or process. Bearing can be cleaned and lubricated as usual. Loose ball bearings are installed and adjusted much like steel balls. Steel Ball Bearings Install bearings and completely cover with grease.
With cartridge bearings, it is possible lift the seal and check the grease. Remove the spindle or axle initially. For many cartridge bottom level bracket bearings, it’s important to carefully remove the a plastic shield over the bearing. Use a seal pick to lift the rubber seal from the inner edge . Clean the bearing clean with a rag and put grease. Press seal into place.
Build a Basic but Fun Magnetic Gauss Gun a.k.a. Magnetic Rail Gun

The 3 items you need are Cylinder Neodymium Magnets, Metal Balls and PVC Conduit for the path of the gun.