KRW Product Range Current Insulated Bearings en

Current-insulated bearings
KRW - Product range

Current-insulated bearings
Traction motors in rail vehicles, DC and AC motors in drive technology, and generators in wind turbines
are commonly mounted on rolling bearings. The rolling bearings in these machines are often exposed to
the risk of passage of electrical current, which can result in the deterioration of the lubricant and damage
to the raceways and rolling elements. This results in a premature and usually unexpected equipment
failure. In addition to the costs for new rolling bearings, high expenses are then also incurred for machine
repair as well as for production downtime.
For these applications, Kugel- und Rollenlagerwerk Leipzig GmbH recommends electrically insulated
rolling bearings which offer reliable protection against the passage of current. Current-insulated bearings
from KRW are available in a range of design variants - to suit your individual requirements.
2
Preventing the passage of current
In electrical machines and drives, potential diffe- If it is not structurally possible or practical to
rences may occur between the rotor and stator insulate the bearings, bearing insulation washers
or between the shaft and housing. To prevent are used instead. These are utilized, for example,
potential equalization via the bearings, KRW uses to protect large axial bearings. Insulation washers
current-solving coatings up to 3,000 V DC. The are available from KRW up to a diameter of 1,300
oxide ceramic insulated coating is applied to millimeters and a maximum breakdown voltage of
the outside diameter and end faces or the bore up to 3,000 V DC.
diameter of the bearing rings. This eliminates the
need for costly conventional insulation methods.
The main dimensions of current-insulated bearings

are identical to those of standard bearings, making
it easy to change from standard to electrically
insulated rolling bearings.
The current-insulated designs of our bearings can be selected to suit the specific application:
KRW Suffix
Oxide ceramic insulation

SJ10, SJ30
(Al2O3 with TiO2) on outer ring
Oxide ceramic insulation
SJ10J, SJ30J
(Al2O3 with TiO2) on inner ring
Oxide ceramic insulation (Al2O3)
SJ10W
on outer ring
Oxide ceramic insulation (Al2O3)
SJ10WJ
on inner ring
Special designs are available on request.
3
Oxide ceramic coating
White ceramic coating of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) provides good resistance to abrasion, sliding wear,
friction and oxidation. The gray-blue insulation of aluminum oxide and titanium dioxide (Al2O3 with
TiO2) has a higher fracture toughness and better resistance to shock and impact than a coating of pure
aluminum oxide due to the proportion of titanium oxide.
Advantages of current-insulated bearings
• Main dimensions and tolerances are identical to standard bearings DIN 616 (ISO 15), enabling
easy changeover from conventional rolling bearings to electrically insulated rolling bearings
• Assembly and disassembly process is the same as for standard bearings
• Improved operational reliability and availability of the unit/ machine
• Economical and efficient solution to prevent current passage damage to bearings
• Defined minimum dielectric strength (design-dependent)
• No additional insulation of bearing points necessary
• Conventional insulation is no longer necessary
4
Coating process
The oxide ceramic coating on current-insulating rolling bearings is applied by means of plasma spraying.
In this process, a DC voltage generates an arc between two electrodes, which ionizes the incoming noble
gas. This creates a plasma jet.
This plasma jet is fed with an oxide ceramic powder mixture, which is melted by the high plasma tempe-
rature. The plasma stream carries the powder particles, which are blown in with the aid of a carrier gas,
and sprays them at high speed onto the outer or inner ring (substrate) to be coated. The ceramic layer
applied in this way adheres very well to the prepared surfaces of the bearing components. Finally, it is
ground and sealed.
5
Hybrid bearings
Hybrid KRW bearings (suffix HC5) offer another option for current insulation. All-ceramic rolling elements,
e.g. made of silicon nitride S3N4, are used here. They offer reliable protection against passage of current
even at high AC voltages and temperatures.
Advantages of hybrid bearings
• High electrical resistance

• Suitable for very high speeds
• Better emergency running properties than standard bearings
• Less need for lubricant
• Significantly longer service life than bearings with steel rolling elements
KRW supplies hybrid bearings in the types of ball bearings and cylindrical roller bearings. Special dimen-
sions are also available on request.
For more information on our hybrid bearings, please visit: www.krw.de/en/products.
6
Prevention of passage of current
It is difficult to eliminate the particular cause of electrical stresses on the rolling bearing. Damage can
therefore only be avoided by the flow of current through the bearing. Here, the use of current-insulating
coatings or ceramic rolling elements eliminates the need for costly conventional insulation methods.
Voltage between shaft and housing
If voltage occurs between the shaft and housing,

current flows in the same direction through each
of the two bearings. In order to prevent this current
flow, both bearings must be insulated.
When selecting the current insulation, the time

characteristic of the applied voltages must be
taken into account. The ohmic resistance is decisi-
ve in the case of a DC voltage or a slowly varying
AC voltage. In these cases, ceramic-coated rolling
bearings are a particularly good remedy against
rolling bearing damage caused by current flow. Induced voltage along the shaft
Uneven distribution of magnetic flux in the motor

often results in an induced voltage along the shaft.
This creates an electric circuit that closes via
bearing A, the housing and bearing B. Insulating
one of the two bearings is sufficient to interrupt
the current flow.
In the case of a higher-frequency AC voltage, on

the other hand, the capacitive resistance of the
bearing is important. In such cases, the use of
hybrid bearings may be necessary to prevent
current flow damage.
Do you have any questions or need further information about our products?
Our sales team will be happy to assist you with any request.
7
Service and Engineering
In addition to the common standard roller bearing types, the KRW portfolio offers an extensive range
of special bearings for individual bearing solutions. Our application engineers will support you from the
selection and design of the best roller bearing solution through to assembly and disassembly on your site.
Diagnosis and damage analysis
Roller bearings are by far one of the most

heavily loaded machine components. Thus, in
the case of machine defects, the most obvious
signs and massive damage can often be found
on the bearings.
However, the roller bearing itself is only rarely

the cause. We help you to find the cause of
the bearing failure and to avoid damage in the
future.
Take advantage of our experience and our

extensive capabilities:
• Visual bearing diagnosis

• Lubricant analysis
• Metallographic examinations and evaluati-
Close up of a material fatigue
on of roller bearings
Assembly support • Metrological analysis of all components
Pre-damage during assembly or handling of • Measurement of form deviations and

roller bearings is the second most common surface structures of roller bearing compo-
cause of premature bearing failure after lubrica- nents
tion. Heavy and large roller bearings in particu- • SEM examination for the detection of e.g.
lar are not easy to assemble. They can be easily elements or current passage
damaged by carelessness, incorrect transport or
errors made during assembly. • Verification of bearing design and calculati-
on of bearing arrangement
Avoid such unnecessary problems and costs! Our • FE analyses of machine components and
engineers will advise you before the installation of strength analysis
the bearing and help you to avoid initial mistakes.
We recommend the best assembly strategy The experienced KRW application technology
and are also available to support you on site. team will be pleased to support you.
8
Quality and Certification
High-precision roller bearings require first-class quality. This is ensured by our innovative manufacturing
processes, our quality management system and our high standards of occupational safety and environ-
mental protection. Quality assurance is an important part of our manufacturing process and is supported
by regular audits. This allows us to guarantee consistent and highest product quality to our customers.
Material testing
In addition to material technology tests such as

hardness testing, metallographic examinations to
determine the chemical composition, determine
the degree of purity and assess the respective
microstructures have become standard for roller
bearing applications.
Ultrasonic, magnetic particle, eddy current

and grinding burn tests are also carried out
in our in-house materials testing laboratory.
Thus, we are able to ensure the quality of the
materials before and after heat treatment.
Microstructure of a rolling bearing component
Certified quality
Our quality management is certified according to

DIN EN ISO 9001. In addition, KRW meets the
high requirements of the energy management
system of DIN EN ISO 50001.
As a Q1 supplier of Deutsche Bahn with manuf-

acturer-related product qualification (HPQ) KRW
has been qualified to supply safety-relevant
components such as wheelset bearings for more
than ten years.
9
Kugel- und Rollenlagerwerk
Leipzig GmbH
Gutenbergstraße 6
04178 Leipzig
Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 341 45320-0

E-mail: [email protected]
www.krw.de

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Current-insulated bearings

KRW - Product range

The main dimensions of current-insulated bearings

Oxide ceramic insulation

Special designs are available on request.

Advantages of current-insulated bearings

Advantages of hybrid bearings

• High electrical resistance

Voltage between shaft and housing

If voltage occurs between the shaft and housing,

When selecting the current insulation, the time

Uneven distribution of magnetic flux in the motor

In the case of a higher-frequency AC voltage, on

Diagnosis and damage analysis

Roller bearings are by far one of the most

However, the roller bearing itself is only rarely

Take advantage of our experience and our

• Visual bearing diagnosis

Pre-damage during assembly or handling of • Measurement of form deviations and

In addition to material technology tests such as

Ultrasonic, magnetic particle, eddy current

Microstructure of a rolling bearing component

Our quality management is certified according to

As a Q1 supplier of Deutsche Bahn with manuf-

Phone: +49 (0) 341 45320-0

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