Basic Electric Motor Bearing Types, Loads And Applications

should be used in the application. If bearing types as compared to a deep-

the wrong type of bearing is used, it groove ball bearing are shown in
could lead to a motor failure in a short Table 1.
period of time.
Cylindrical Roller Bearings
This article will address many of
In general, roller bearings can
the common types of bearings used in
support heavier radial loads than ball
electric motors, the types of load for
bearings. In these bearings, the rolling
which they are designed, their applica-
elements are cylinders, so they contact
tions, and their enclosures.
the inner and outer races in a line. This
Horizontal Motors distributes the load over a larger
As the ball bearing is loaded, the surface area, so the bearing can handle
rolling elements contact the inner and a higher load than a ball bearing.
outer races at a single point. That However, this type of bearing is not
helps it to turn with relatively little designed to handle thrust loading.
By Cyndi Nyberg
friction, but with very little contact Cylindrical roller bearings are suited
EASA Technical Support Specialist
area holding that load. Too much for belted applications, where the load
There are two main types of load radial or axial load will overload it. is predominately radial.
that act on the bearings of a motor – See Figure 1. The relative radial and
radial and axial. thrust load capacities of several Continued On Page 2
• Radial – A radial
load is defined as a
load that is applied Deep groove ball bearing Tapered roller bearing
perpendicular to Outer ring Outer ring
Outer ring
the shaft. An front face
Roller (tapered)
Large rib
example of a radial Ball
Inner ring Inner ring back face
bore surface Cage (pressed cage)
load would be an Inner ring Guide rib face
Inner ring Roller small end face
overhung load, raceway surface Inner ring
Small rib
such as with a (raceway groove) raceway surface
Cage
sheave. (pressed cage)
Inner ring (cone)
Rolling surface
• Axial – An axial Rivet Outer ring
Inner ring front face
Roller large
load, also referred outer diameter end face
surface Outer ring back face
to as thrust, is a Side surface

load that acts

parallel to the
shaft on which the Cylindrical roller bearing Spherical roller bearing - self-aligning
bearing is Outer ring Outer ring
mounted. Just the Cylindrical roller
Inner ring Center rib
rotor weight of a Inner ring raceway surface
Inner ring
Inner ring
vertically mounted raceway surface
Rib
motor will cause a Guide rib face Roller filling slot
Guide rib face
downward axial Cage Roller (spherical) Small rib
(machined cage with rivet) Roller surface
load on the Cage
Rolling surface
bearing. Rivet Roller large (machined cage) Roller large
end face end face
The type and
magnitude of the load
will determine what
Figure 1. Fundamental nomenclature for bearings.
type of bearing

EASA CURRENTS ■ January 2006 1

 Basic Electric Motor Bearing Types, Loads And Applications
Continued From Page 1

Tapered Roller Bearings

Tapered roller bearings are Hollow shaft
designed for combined radial and Bearing mount
axial loads. They have a high radial
Spherical roller
load capacity and a relatively high bearing
thrust (axial) capacity, usually about
60% of the radial load capacity.
Spring loaded
Spherical Roller Bearings Oil tube
Spherical roller bearings are
typically used on larger machines,
have high load capability and may be Figure 2. Angular contact Figure 3. Spherical roller
ball bearing. bearing.
grease or oil lubricated. They are
typically used where the nature of the
load is such that alignment to the
Angular Contact Ball Bearings
additional thrust capacity is to stack
These bearings are used in many
driven equipment changes, for two or more bearings in tandem. By
vertical pump applications. The
example when the base is not rigid. using two or more thrust bearings in
amount of thrust load that the bearing
Thrust Bearings tandem, the rolling elements in each
is capable of carrying is determined
A thrust bearing is designed to will be smaller than using a single
by the angle of contact between the
handle axial loads in one direction bearing; the larger the rolling ele-
balls and the cage. Often, these
only and subsequently are used for ments become, the less efficient they
bearings are stacked for increased
purely axial loads. are in carrying the load.
thrust capability, although stacking
Vertical Motor Bearings two in tandem does not double the Spherical Roller Bearing For
Vertical motors need bearings that load capacity. Vertical Motors
The normal high-thrust bearing in At even higher thrust load require-
are designed to handle axial loads,
vertical hollow shaft motors is the ment, when ball bearing size becomes
also called thrust, sometimes in both
angular contact, ball bearing type. A excessively large, the spherical roller
directions. Depending on the magni-
typical type is shown in Figure 2. This type is used. A typical construction is
tude of the load, there are several
bearing was developed specifically for shown in Figure 3. Again, the rollers
types of vertical motor bearings used.
pump service, having a high-contact will have a much larger contact area
A majority of vertical motors are
angle of up to 40 degrees. With such than balls and are arranged to be self-
used on centrifugal pumps. In a
high-contact angles, the bearing must aligning. Roller axis is at 45 degrees to
pump, downthrust includes the weight
have a considerable thrust applied to the shaft and the bearing can carry
of the rotor, pump shaft, impeller and
maintain proper operation. A motor both moderate- and high-thrust loads.
the liquid being pumped. Upthrust
running no load will often sound noisy The rollers must be guided,
occurs momentarily when the pump is
because the thrust bearing balls skid however, and therefore develop more
first energized.
under this condition. friction than the ball type. At high
Bearings For Thrust The deeper the pumping depth, the speeds, water cooling is required.
The construction differences more thrust load capability is required Lubrication is also more critical, and
between horizontal and high-thrust for the bearing. An easy way to obtain Continued On Page 3
vertical motors are primarily dictated
by the differences between radial Table 1. Bearing Load Capacity
bearings and thrust bearings. Radial
bearings are designed primarily to Type Relative radial load capacity Relative thrust load capacity
handle radial loads. The deep groove, Deep-groove (Conrad) 1.0 1
ball bearing is a modification capable Filling-notch 1.2 Low (one direction only)
of handling moderate axial loading. Double-row 2.2 2.6
The thrust bearing is designed to Angular-contact Special, depends on axial load 3 (one direction) vertical only
handle axial thrust load only in one Duplex 1.8 3.0 vertical only
direction and small radial loading in Self-aligning 0.76 0.5 vertical only
proportion to the axial load. Roller 2+ N/A

2 EASA CURRENTS ■ www.easa.com

 Basic Electric Motor Bearing Types, Loads And Applications
Continued From Page 2

Shaft Lock Nut

Stand Tube Thrust Runner

Guide Bearing Oil Sleeve Ring slots

Inlet And Outlet Guide
Bearing
Oil admission Drain
Bearing groove
groove
Bracket

Shoes
End seals
Leveling
Plate

Base Horizontal
Ring distribution groove
Cooling
Coil
Figure 5. Sleeve bearing.

motors since motors were invented.

Although most motors now have ball
Figure 4. Plate-type thrust bearing assembly. bearings for economic reasons, sleeve
bearings are still used in fractional
horsepower motors, as well as in large
the bearing must also be preloaded or it larger machines, the sliding plate (e.g., motors where the desired bearing life
may separate due to hydrodynamic Kingsbury) type is available, shown cannot be achieved with rolling-element
forces if no thrust is present. A mini- in Figure 4. These are used when the bearings. The limiting factors in larger
mum down thrust, based on bearing required thrust or size exceeds roller motors are the diameter of the bearing
size, is required during operation. bearing capability. Basically, this and the speed of its rolling element.
bearing has two sliding plates Sleeve bearings do not work well with
Enclosures
separated by an oil film. This is a very radial loads or belted applications.
Ball, roller and thrust bearings can
old bearing type; it is very expensive, The principle of the sleeve bearing
have several different enclosures. The
has high losses and requires water is simple, although the construction,
bearing may be open, where there is
cooling. It is not good for frequent assembly and repair are not. Sleeve
no enclosure for the balls or rollers,
starting under thrust loads. At higher bearings are oil lubricated, whereas ball
and the cage. A shielded bearing can
speeds, it has leakage problems. and roller bearings can be either grease
have single or double shields,
The life of this bearing is theoreti- or oil lubricated.
meaning that there can be a shield on
cally infinite. However, in real life Figure 5 shows a typical sleeve
the inboard or outboard side, or both.
operating conditions, they require bearing. The oil rings located in the ring
The purpose of the shield is to keep
extensive maintenance, particularly slots bring oil to the top of the bearing.
contaminants out of the bearing and
at higher speeds. Sliding plate Oil is then deposited into the oil
retain grease inside the bearing. A
bearings are often found in applica- distribution groove. The oil rings rotate
sealed bearing provides an even better
tions like low speed hydrogenerators, and deposit the oil to maintain a film
barrier than a shielded bearing in
where they are started once a season, between the babbit and the motor shaft.
applications where contamination is
then shut down during the winter, This film is only a few thousandths of
an issue. The type of enclosure is not
allowing for maintenance. an inch thick. There is always oil
typically changed unless dictated by
available in the distribution groove as
the end user or the application. Sleeve Bearings
the shaft is turning. The oil exits
Sleeve bearings (Figure 5) have
Sliding Plate Bearings through the drain groove and back into
been used in almost all sizes of electric
For still greater thrust loads, on the reservoir where it is circulated.

EASA CURRENTS ■ January 2006 3