Hi,

A new wrinkle on ball bearings. I wonder if it will pan out?

These New Greaseless Bearings Can Spin Virtually Forever

hj

 

I would say absolutely not.

First the claims, "10 times less friction" I hate it when someone makes a claim like that, and when they do you know it's total BS. 10 times less then what? Anyone with a basic understanding of math, like an engineer designing bearings should know that you need comparison factors.

That the cage is the issue, the cage is not the issue, there is almost no pressure between the bearing and the cage, the cage is nothing more then a failsafe. Many bearing are already cageless, this not new.

The "ball" is the issue, ball bearings need grease, period. Why, cause the variation in the circumference of the ball is not equal to the variation in the circumference of the race throughout the contact area of the ball unless the ball has a very small contact area. A ball bearing with a very small contact area has low friction but cannot carry much load.

Ball bearings in and of themselves are obsolete for most applications. They are cheap and can be used in applications where you can get away with only one bearing. However paired tapered roller bearings are much better for a vast majority of applications.

Tapered roller bearings often don't have cages and if they do it's minimal, as well the change in circumference of the roller is in proportion to the change in circumference of the race. In this way they carry more load, have less friction and can use lighter oil.

This bearing might work in limited applications and it is clever. But only in applications where load is small in relation to diameter and where the load vector is constant and in line with the bearing. For example it could work in an alternator but not as a wheel bearing.

But I can only assume the cost is much higher, it can't be easy to machine those little notches. So in those limited applications is it worth it, I doubt it.


EDIT by my figuring the bearing would also have to be directional. The notch would have to be tear drop shaped or it would have the opposite effect on the trailing end of the notch and would just bang the ***** together.


EDIT 2, the video with the one bearing spinning longer is both ridiculous and pointless. You take any ball bearing, remove the cage and thick grease it often comes with and it will spin longer. Still pointless though, there is no load, load is the point of bearings, and even if there was a load the direction of the load is wrong in the vid. From my understanding of this new magical bearing the grooves wouldn't even come into play at that load angle.

 

Thanks for all of the details. I had my doubts, but when it comes to mechanics, I know a fair amount about electricity.

hj