Bearing terminology & technical principles
Understand components, loads and specifications before searching for a model or interpreting a comparison.
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52100, 100Cr6, SUJ2 & GCr15 Bearing Steel
Bearing steel is specified by grade, component and processing condition, not by one universal hardness or strength. This reference explains the relationship between 52100,…
Understand specifications ↗Air Bearings: Aerostatic, Foil, Linear, Spindle & Spherical Types
Air bearings support motion on a pressurized gas film. Aerostatic bearings receive externally supplied air; aerodynamic bearings generate supporting pressure through motion.…
Understand specifications ↗Automotive bearings: types, locations & part-number lookup
A car uses bearings in several different systems, not just at the wheels. Identify the assembly first: wheel hub, engine, gearbox, clutch, driveshaft, differential or…
Understand specifications ↗Babbitt & white metal bearings: composition, oil and temperature
Babbitt is a family of bearing alloys, commonly tin-based or lead-based, used as the working lining in a plain bearing. It is not a ball-bearing series or one universal…
Understand specifications ↗Ball-bearing drawer slides: sizes, load ratings and model comparison
A ball-bearing drawer slide is a guided linear-motion assembly: balls run between nested rails, usually held in a retainer. Select the complete slide by mounting arrangement,…
Understand specifications ↗Bearing contact angle: compare the actual arrangement
Contact angle describes the direction of load transfer through a rolling contact relative to the radial plane. It matters for combined loading and arrangement behaviour. It is…
Understand specifications ↗Bearing parts and terminology: rings, raceways, rolling elements and cages
A typical rolling bearing uses rings with raceways and balls or rollers between them; many designs also have a cage and closures. A plain bearing works with a sliding interface…
Understand specifications ↗Bearing standards: dimensions, precision, fits and clearance are separate
A standard can define a dimension series, tolerance class, calculation method or test condition. These are not the same claim. Preserve the standard number, edition and scope…
Understand specifications ↗Bicycle bearing locations: hubs, headset, bottom bracket, pedals & pivots
Start with the component, not a guess at the bearing number. Use the interactive bicycle map to distinguish six bearing locations, record the information needed for…
Understand specifications ↗Bicycle headset bearings: SHIS codes, types and replacement identification
Identify the upper and lower headset separately. A complete headset code describes the frame and fork interfaces; a replacement cartridge also needs its own inside diameter,…
Understand specifications ↗Bottom Bracket Bearing Model Reference: 6806, GXP, DUB & Hope
Compare a bottom-bracket bearing by exact part number, ring geometry and its named assembly. A 6806, a dedicated 24×37 mm bearing, a stepped GXP bearing and a DUB-compatible…
Understand specifications ↗Bottom Bracket Bearing Sizes: BB30, PF30, BB86, BB90 & BMX
A bottom bracket has three different size references: the frame shell, the crank spindle and the bearing cartridge. Identify all three before searching for a replacement. BB30,…
Understand specifications ↗Camshaft bearings: types, oil holes, sizes & tool reference
A camshaft bearing supports a camshaft journal. It is not the roller that follows a cam lobe. Depending on the engine, the support may be a replaceable plain bearing, a shell,…
Understand specifications ↗Cooling fan bearings: sleeve vs ball vs fluid dynamic, SSO2 and VAPO
Cooling-fan bearing labels describe how the rotor is supported, not how much air the complete fan will deliver or how quiet every installation will be. Compare the exact fan…
Understand specifications ↗Cutless marine bearings: shaft sizes, inch and metric charts, clearance and replacement
A marine Cutless or cutlass bearing supports a rotating propeller shaft in a strut, P-bracket or stern tube. In the Johnson Cutless design, water lubricates a grooved rubber…
Understand specifications ↗Differential carrier vs pinion bearings: positions, preload, noise and identification
Differential carrier bearings support the differential case; pinion bearings support the drive pinion. They are different positions in a final-drive assembly. Neither term…
Understand specifications ↗Driveshaft carrier and center support bearings: identification, noise and replacement checks
A driveshaft center support bearing supports an intermediate point of a multi-piece propeller shaft. The assembly can include a rolling bearing, rubber isolator and mounting…
Understand specifications ↗Enduro bearing reference: 6802, 6803, 6805, 6902, 6903, MAX & ceramic
Start an Enduro bearing lookup with the full designation and component position. A rotating hub, suspension pivot and bottom bracket can use the same external size but need…
Understand specifications ↗Engine, rod and main bearings: journal-bearing identification and clearance
Engine main and connecting-rod bearings are commonly plain bearing shells rather than interchangeable rolling bearings. Their oil-film, housing, journal and assembly…
Understand specifications ↗Flangette bearings: pressed-steel housings, sizes and component matching
A flangette bearing unit uses formed sheet-steel flanges to support an insert bearing. It is not simply any bearing with a flange. Identify the flange pair, insert, locking…
Understand specifications ↗Fluid-Film Bearings: Hydrodynamic vs Hydrostatic & FDB
A fluid-film bearing carries load through pressure in a liquid or gas film. Hydrodynamic bearings generate supporting pressure through relative motion; hydrostatic bearings use…
Understand specifications ↗Headset bearing size chart and model finder: dimensions and seating angles
Filter the recorded headset-bearing models by inside diameter, outside diameter, width and source-listed angle. Keep the complete designation: similarly named ACB bearings can…
Understand specifications ↗Hydraulic release bearing clearance: setup dimensions, travel and bleeding
Hydraulic release-bearing setup requires more than a bearing bore size. Identify the exact assembly, clutch contact face, installed height, clearance and travel limits. Initial…
Understand specifications ↗Jewel Bearings: Ruby, Sapphire, Ring, Vee, Cup & Watch Pivots
A jewel bearing uses a hard, polished jewel surface to support a small pivot or shaft. Synthetic ruby and sapphire are common materials. Ring, vee, cup and endstone designs…
Understand specifications ↗Magnetic Bearings: Active vs Passive, AMB Systems & Applications
A magnetic bearing supports a shaft through magnetic forces rather than normal rolling contact. An active magnetic bearing (AMB) regulates these forces using position feedback…
Understand specifications ↗NSK bearing dimensions by complete model: DU, Z, ZZ and other catalogue markings
Find nominal bore, outside diameter and width for a complete NSK bearing designation in a historical manufacturer table. Search the full marking, or combine three dimension…
Understand specifications ↗One-way bearing clutches: HF, HFL and CSK sizes, operation and selection
A one-way bearing clutch transmits torque in one relative direction and overruns in the other. It is not simply a normal bearing that happens to turn more easily one way.…
Understand specifications ↗PEER radial bearing reference: inch R series, 99502H and special bores
Look up a named PEER catalogue row before interpreting a similar-looking bearing number. This reference separates R-series open and closed widths, special fractional bores,…
Understand specifications ↗Pilot and clutch release bearings: different jobs, different identification
A pilot support and a clutch release bearing occupy different roles in a driveline. The pilot may use a bearing or bushing; the release bearing works with the clutch actuation…
Understand specifications ↗Porsche IMS bearings: years, single vs dual row, symptoms & retrofit reference
IMS means intermediate shaft. In the Porsche M96/M97 engine, the bearing discussed here supports the timing-drive shaft at the flywheel end. Identify the engine actually…
Understand specifications ↗Precision bearing balls: sizes, grades, materials and loose-ball identification
A loose bearing ball is a spherical rolling element, not a complete ball bearing. Specify its ball diameter, material, precision grade and gauge or lot requirements. A size…
Understand specifications ↗Radial versus axial bearing loads, ratings and equivalent load
Radial load acts across the shaft axis; axial or thrust load acts along it. Real assemblies may have both. A catalogue load rating is not the same as an unrestricted allowable…
Understand specifications ↗Skate bearing comparison: Bones REDS, Swiss, Bronson and Zealous
Compare skate bearings by the actual series, bore, rolling elements, shields, lubricant and spacer design. Bones REDS and Swiss use the manufacturer's Skate Rated designation,…
Understand specifications ↗Skate bearing size chart: 608 vs 627, axle size and wheel spacers
The common 608 skate bearing measures 8×22×7 mm; a 627 measures 7×22×7 mm. The first number is the axle bore, not the wheel diameter or ABEC grade. Confirm the actual wheel…
Understand specifications ↗Slewing ring bearings: types, dimensions, gears & selection
A slewing ring supports a rotating structure while transferring axial force, radial force and an overturning moment to its mounting structure. Start with the complete load…
Understand specifications ↗Small ball bearing reference: metric, inch, open, ZZ and 2RS sizes
Use the complete catalogue designation to compare dimensions. A base model, its shielded version and its sealed version may have different widths. This reference keeps metric…
Understand specifications ↗Special-size bicycle bearings: 15267, 17287, 18307, 2437 & 6805N
15267, 17287, 18307 and 2437 refer here to documented Enduro product families with different nominal dimensions. MR 15267 is 15×26×7 mm; MR 17287 is 17×28×7 mm; MR 18307 is…
Understand specifications ↗Take-up bearing units: UCT sizes, frames and conveyor adjustment
A take-up bearing unit supports a shaft in a housing that can move along a compatible frame or guide. The adjuster changes the shaft position for the machine’s tension or…
Understand specifications ↗Trailer bearing sizes, part numbers and kit identification
Identify a trailer bearing from the axle and hub assembly, the inner and outer bearing markings, and the matching cups and seal. Trailer make, wheel diameter, lug count or…
Understand specifications ↗Turntable bearings: lazy Susan, industrial rings & spindle types
Turntable bearing is a usage name, not one interchangeable component. A furniture swivel plate, an industrial slewing ring, a robot turret joint and a record-player spindle…
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