INITILLl,lON & IEIVICI

ANTI-FRICTION BEARING MAINTENANCE

Bearing Parts And Their Names

The parts common to all standard ball and roller bearings have, for the purpose of this manual, been given names as shown below. Basically all anti-friction bearings consist of two hardened steel rings, the hardened balls or rollers and separator. A number of variations of these types are in use. Some types, such as Needle roller bearings may be used without an inner ring, the rollers fitting directly upon the hardened shaft. Needle bearings have no separator.

Straight Roller Bearing

--!
WIDTH t - -

o. D.

CORNER

Ball Bearing
t
Outer Ring _ /

fi)---Shoulders
SE P A R A T O R

Inner Ring -

Outside Diameter

Ball Thrust Bearing

- O
U T S I D E

I A M E T E R

Tapered Roller Bearing

CUP RADIUS--, ST A N D O U T

UACE

~----SEPARATOR

Needle Roller Bearing I- LENCTH--l

SHELL OUTSID E D IAMETER

RETAINING

LIP

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Reprinted from AFBMA Bulletin 100.

ANTI-FRICTION

BEARING MAINTENANCE

Types of Anti-friction Bearings

Ball Bearings
ground for use in pairs. *5. Snap Ring Bearings are used both with and without shields . *6. Shields may be on either one or both sides. *7. Sealed bearings may have seals on both sides -are then wider. *9 & 10: Magneto and Front Wheel beanngs are separable. *11. Ball Thrust bearings are treated separately on pages 16 and 17. 1. Single Row 2. Double Row

*4. Double bearings are specially face

3. Radial-Thrust

*4. Duplex

*5. Snap Ring

*6. Shielded *7. Single Seal *8. Self-aligning *9. Magneto

*lO. Front Wheel *11. Ball Thrust

Roller Bearings
*1,2,4, 5, 6, & 8. These bearings are all separable either as to inner or outer rings. *5. Double Row tapered roller, adjustable through cones. Also made adjustable through the cups. *10. In some cases needle bearings may have inner rings which are separable.

*1. Straight Roller Separable outer ring

*2. Straight Roller *3. Straight Roller *4. Tapered Separable inner ring Non-separable Roller

*5. Tapered Roller Double Row 2

* 6 Barrel Roller

7. Barrel Roller
Double Row

*8. Concave Roller

9. Concave Roller
Double Row

*10. Needle Roller E-667

ANTI-

FRICTION

BEARING

MAINTENANCE

Keep bearings clean

dirt means damage

Things to Remember

Poor tools, rough bench, plenty of dirt-bad.

Ideal, but work as close to it as you can.

DONTS
1. Dont work in dirty surroundings.

DOS
1. Work with clean tools, in clean surroundings. 2. Remove all outside dirt from housing before exposing bearings. 3. Handle with clean, dry hands. 4. Treat a used bearing as carefully as a new one. 5. Use clean solvents and flushing oils. 6. Lay bearings out on clean paper. 7. Protect disassembled dirt and moisture. bearings from

2. Dont use wooden mallets or work on rough or dirty bench tops. 3. Dont use dirty, brittle or chipped tools. 4. Dont handle bearings with dirty, moist hands. 5. Dont spin uncleaned bearings. 6. Dont spin any bearings with compressed air. 7. Dont use same container for cleaning and final rinsing of bearings. 8. Dont use cotton waste or dirty cloths to wipe bearings. 9. Dont expose bearings to moisture or dirt at any time. 10. Dont scratch or nick bearing surfaces.
11. Dont remove grease or oil from new

8. Use clean, lint-free rags if bearings are wiped. 9. Keep bearings wrapped in oil-proof paper when not in use. 10. Clean inside of housing before replacing bearings. 11. Install new bearings as removed from packages, without washing. 12. Keep bearing lubricants clean when applying and cover containers when not in use.

bearings. 12. Dont use incorrect kind or amount of lubricant.

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ANTI-FRICTION

BEARING

MAINTENANCE

Bearings are produced with care

. . . . . -----_..,_ ,;_.-,x1

- handle them with care ~

Keep them dry -keep them covered- keep them clean

Before wrapping and packing, bearings are carefully cleaned by the manufacturer and are thoroughly coated with a protective lubricant. New bearings are wrapped in grease-proof paper to keep them clean and have a carton or other covering on them for further protection. Keep bearings in original cartons or wrappings until ready for use. If a package is opened and the bearings not used immediately, protect by re-wrapping. Keep the bearings clean and away from moisture. Handle bearings with clean hands and use clean tools. Handle bearings as little as possible. Finger marks are hard to wash off and perspiration starts corrosion. Dont wash the oil or grease out of a new bearing. Dont take new bearings apart. They were assembled correctly in the first place.

Keep bearings in their original boxes and wrappings nntil they are to be mounted.

Clean hands plus clean rags r;lean cleaner bearings and less chance of corrosion from perspiration.

Get the habit of wiping tools and work benches. Clean too!s are half the battle in keeping bearings clean.

Never wash the grease or oil out of new bearings. It is carefully selected and put there for bearing protection.

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ANTI- FRICTION BEARING MAINTENANCE

Bearings can bedamaged by abuse during removal

Use the right tools and use them RIGHT
Wash off the bearing housing, taking care to keep loose dirt from getting into the housing. Take a few moments to study the assembly and determine the best way to undertake bearing removal. Be careful to avoid damage. The bearings may

be good enough to use again.

The best tool for removing a bearing is usually an arbor press. Most field work, however, is done with some form of bearing puller. Refer to Manual instruction for the proper tool to employ. Use it for speed and for safety. Remember that the bearing ring which does the turning is usually put on with a tight lit. The stationary ring, like the inner ring of a front wheel bearing, is usually loose. Since the wheel hub revolves, the outer ring or cup is tight in the hub bore. When a piece of equipment is taken apart the bearings stay with the member to which they are tightly fitted. In the case of bearings which are made with separable parts-inner ring, outer ring and ball or roller assembly - both rings may often be a tight fit. To remove a bearing, press or puli possible only on the ring which is tight. wherever

An arbor press is equally xood for either mounting or removing bearings.

Press or pull straight and square to keep ring from cocking which might score the shaft or housing and could damage the bearing. Never press or pull against bearing shields or separators.

Bearing pullers are essential to most field work. Many are designed to push bearings into place as well as pull them.

to

pull

Typical bearing pullers which may be used separately or in various combinations or push complete bearings or individual rings.

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ANTI-FRICTION BEARING MAINTENANCE

Use tools correctly - dont damage serviceable bearings

The pictures at the left show the right and wrong methods of removing a bearing with an arbor press. The press ram is pushing down against the shaft on which the bearing inner ring is tightly fitted, but the stripping is being done by the support blocks under the rings. Note, as shown in the wrong method that if the support blocks are spaced too far out the pressure will be against the outer ring or shield if one is present and damage will result. Doing it the wrong way puts a heavy stress on the balls or rollers which can injure them and cause indentation of both races. Keep the press table and the blocks clean and square. Provide some means to keep the shaft from falling to the floor. If the shaft and bearing are very large and the shaft end cannot be squared up with the press ram, turn up two steel blocks to make a self-aligning fixture between the ram and the shaft. Protect the end of the shaft with a pad of lead, copper or other soft metal. Use pullers properly. Set them up so they will push or pull straight and square. Take care not to damage shaft threads, keyways or shoulders in the process.

WRONG-

Blocks contact the bearing outer ring only.

RIGHT-

Blocks contact inner ring - or both rings if bearing is flush faced.

Use steel blocks that are the same size and squared up on all sides to assure even contact by both blocks.

Where there is enough space behind a bearing or bearing ring to admit a puller, always be sure that the puller is adjusted so that it will not slip over the inner ring when pulling pressure is applied. If this happens bearing parts can be severely damaged

Typical arrangements of jmllers set up to remove tight-fitted inner rings. E- 667

ANTI- FIX! TION BEARING IvUINTEN&WCE

Improvised tools will also work - but use them right

Using proper care, bearings can be removed quite safely with improvised methods where the right tools are not available. A vise will do instead of an arbor press and a drift will take the place of the press ram. If the shaft is held in the vise, protect its surface with copper sheet or by hard wood blocks. When using a tube, drive altesnately on one side and then the other to keep the bearing from cocking. If it becomes necessary to remove a bearing by pressure not directly applied to the tight fitting ring, do not pound it off; use a puller or pry it off exerting even pressure. Sometimes a separable inner ring is installed against a shoulder of equal diameter so that there is no way to get hold of it. Leave the bearing ring on if it is usable. If not, cut it off with a torch. Burn it part way through in order not to harm the shaft. It may loosen enough to pull off. If not, crack it through the rest of the way with a hammer and cold chisel, using precautions to prevent personal injury by flying parts.

a soft metal slug which wiil not mar the shaft.

Never pound directIy on a bearing or ring. It will likely damage both shaft and bearing.

Adjust tools to pull bearings straight and square.

If ring has been cut to remove, squeeze in vise as shown above and strike smartly at points indicated to fracture it. Be careful of shaft.

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ANTI- FRICTION BEABING MAINTENANCE

A clean bearing is much easier to inspect

Dont try to judge the condition of a bearing until after it has been cleaned. Dont spin dirty bearings. Rotate them slowly while washing. Dont spin any bearings with an air hose. Rotate one ring by hand when using air to expose all parts of bearing. Bearings with a shield or seal on one side only should be washed, inspected and handled in the same manner as bearings without shields or seals.
Dont spin bearings before cleaning. Dirt can cause serious scratching.

Bearings with removable seals should be washed and inspected, after removal of seals in the same manner as bearings without seals. Bearings with shields or seals on both sides should not be washed. Wipe them off to keep dirt from working inside. Smooth turning bearings can be coated with protective lubricant then wrapped and stored or used in their original application.

Soakbearings thoroughly in plenty of solvent.

Rinse them in clean solvent, light oil or kerosene.

If bearings with two shields or seals stick or feel too rough for further use, send them to depots where special shielded bearing cleaning and lubricating equipment is available. If a small tank and wire baskets fos soaking and washing bearings are not available, a clean grease can or bucket filled with solvent can be used. Let the bearings soak long enough to loosen the grease and dirt. That may take several hours or longer. Then slosh the bearing around near the top of the container, giving it a turn now and then until it is clean. Rinse in a clean container of clean solvent.

. O.K.-but dont. spin by force of air hold both rings. Use clean, dry air

Better than pail if available. Put in only one layer of bearings. Keep basket off bottom of tank. 8

Oil spray cleaner is desirable and efficient equipment. Use it with a filter in the air line. E- 667

ANTI-FRICTION BEARING MAINTENANCE

A clean bearing requires careful protection

Gearing cleaning solutions are generally kerosene or gasoline but petroleum solvents intended for bearing cleaning are preferred. Be careful of gasoline containing ethyl or other anti-knock compounds, which are poisonous when absorbed in cuts OS inhaled. All of these solvents are highly inflammable and precautions should be taken to prevent fires. A short, clean bristle brush from which the bristles will not come out or break off is a help in removing dirt, scale or chips. After the bearings have been thoroughly cleaned, inspect them immediately as directed on the following pages. Inspected bearings which are considered good enough to use again, but cant be reassembled in the equipment on the same day, should be dipped in rust preventive and stored overnight in a tightly covered pan. If inspected bearings are to be stored for more than a few days, dip them in a protective lubricant or coat all surfaces with a light grease, rotating them to work the grease thoroughly around the rolling members and on the raceways. Wrap the bearings in greaseproof paper and place in a clean box or carton. Where cartons are not obtainable, wrap them in a waterproof paper and mark the outside of the package to identify the bearing.

After cleaning, put oiled bearings in covered box if to be reused in a short time. Any clean pan or bos will serve if tightly covered.

For longer storage, coat all surfaces of bearings with a light protective grease. Dont handle more than necessary before greasing.

Y.

--I I

< j, .,

,..: ., .,,. . . .., _ ^ _ .I.i

If no cartons are available, give the bearings a final wrapping of water resistant paper and mark outside to identify bearing. E-667

Wrap bearings in grease-proof paper to keep lubricant from escaping before placing bearings in boxes or cartons.

ANTI-FRICTION BEARING MAINTENANCE

Save all serviceable bearings for remounting

After a bearing is washed clean, it must be inspected to determine its serviceability. A little tarnish, stain or corrosion on the outside surfaces of the rings is not detrimental to the operation of the bearing and need not be removed. Enless better equipment is available, cleaned bearings that are not separable are inspected by holding the inner race so its axis is vertical, as shown at the left, and turning the outer race slowly. Possible causes of roughness or sudden stopping of the bearing are enumerated herewith. Eearings should not be rejected because they feel slightly rough or have a tendency to stick at certain points when rotated by hand until the bearings have been re-cleaned. Then, if the bearings still feel rough and have a catch, inspect them in greater detail for the cause of the catch or roughness.
Cracked Inner Ring. Often due to wrong fit or improper force during removal.

Hold clean bearing like this when rotating outer race during inspection.

The following types of defects are such as to cause the bearings to be rejected: a. Broken or cracked rings. b. Dented seals or shields. c . Cracked or broken separators. d . Broken
OS

cracked balls or rollers.

e . Flaked areas on balls, rollers or raceways. f. Eearings which have been overheated. These bearings are generally darkened to brownish blue or blue-black color. g. Eearings lvhose race\vays are indented OS brinelled by impressing balls or rollers into the races.

Shield bent by drift that slipped.

Inner raceway showing indentation or Rrinell marks of rollers. 10

Broken separator often due to presence of dirt or metal chips.

Outer race or shell dented by wrong use of hammer and chisel. E- 667

ANTI-FFUCTION

BEAFUNG

MAINTENANCE

Dont ever throw a serviceable bearing away

An anti-friction bearing should not wear unless dirt or abrasive foreign matter gets into it. If allowed to get into a bearing, it will mix with the grease or oil and form a lapping compound which will quickly lap down the balls or rollers. Various ball and roller bearings are normally quite loose when unmounted. Where excessive wear has taken place, the appearance of the balls or rollers and raceways is nearly always clearly indicative of the condition. Eearings which are suspected of being too loose should be sent to organizations having proper equipment to determine their serviceability. Remember, the load-carrying surfaces of antifriction bearings are finished with extreme care and will sustain very heavy loads unless the surfaces are damaged by abuse in handling or by foreign matter which may be abrasive or corrosive.
Typical spalling on inner raceway of a ball bearing.

Typical discoloration caused by overheating.

Needle bearing shell indented or Brinelled.

Tapered roller bearing cone etched by moisture or acid formation.

Spalled cone, cup and rollers of tapered roller bearing. Spalled bearings of any kind should never be returned to service. E-667

Flaked or spalled area on inner raceway of straight roller bearings 11

ANTI-

FRICTION

BEARING MAINTENANCE,

Remount serviceable bearings carefully to avoid damage

Clean shafts and bearing housings thoroughly. Clean dirt out of keyways, splines and grooves. Remove burrs and slivers. Clean and oil bearing seats.
A small amount of oil on bearing seat eases mounting - helps prevent shaft scoring.

Press bearings on straight and square. Press only on the ring which takes the tight fit. Press bearings until they are seated against the shaft or housing shoulder. Bearing installation is just the reverse of bearing removal. Use an arbor press if available and press the shaft into the bearing, supporting the inner ring on blocks as shown in the sketch. Be sure the blocks dont scrape the shaft or threads. If the distance between the end of the shaft and the bearing seat is fairly short, hold the shaft in a vise and press the bearing onto the shaft with a clean tube. This can be done either in an arbor press or by tapping with a hammer evenly around the tube.

Use tubing with squared ends to avoid cocking bearing. Center it before pressing.

Never use a hammer direct on any bearing; it will result in damage. 12

Be sure blocks will clear threads before forcing shaft into bearing.

A tough hardwood block used like this is O.K. -protects end of tube . E-667

ANTI-FRICTION

BEARING

MAINTENANCE

Use the right tools and use them the right way
If the end of the shaft is flush with the bearing, use a drift or bearing installer. These are made with flat ends to use with shafts which are Hush with the bearing and with counterbores, as shown at the right, to use where the shaft projects beyond the end of the bearing for a short distance. Tap lightly at first to make sure the bearing or ring goes on square and does not scrape or burr the bearing seat. Ge sure bearing is tapped to a firm seat against the shaft shoulder. Do not leave bearings exposed in partial assemblies. Cover the bearings until ready to complete the assembly, to prevent damage by moisture, dirt or other foreign matter. Any clean cloth or paper will do so long as the bearings are well covered.

After bearing is on far enough to align itself with shaft, drive to firm seat against shoulder.

Bearings in partial assemblies like this will collect harmful dust or dirt if left standing too long.

Cover parts with clean cloth or paper, especially if they are to be left several hours or over night.

large bearings may require heating for assembly on shafts

The inner rings of large bearings are generally shrunk on shafts. This is a very simple operation consisting of heating the bearing or inner ring in clean oil or temperature controlled oven to a temperature of between 200 and 250 F. This expands the inner ring sufficiently so it should slip over the shaft to the bearing seat. Dont overheat the bearing or it will lose its hardness. Equipment and methods as shown on preceding page are still advisable for best results. If expanding the ring is not enough to get it on, freeze the shaft in dry ice to make it shrink smaller.
E-667

Support bearing on blocks, well away from bottom. Dont keep bearings in hot oil or oven after correct temperature is reached. 13

ANTI- FRICTION BEARING MAINTENANCE

Ball Thrust Bearings

Fig. 4. Exert even pressure over hearing and rotate slowly when testing condition of balls and races by feel.

Fig. 3 Flat Seat Open Grooved Race

Fig: 2 Fig. 1 Self-aligmng Open Banded or Shielded Grooved Race Grooved Race

Follow all precautions as to cleanliness and cleaning as outlined in the foregoing pages. When testing for roughness, do not spin as shown in photographs at top of pages 10 and 12, but place bearing flat face down on clean table and rotate slowly by exerting pressure and turning movement with the palm and heel of the hand, see Figure 4. Characteristics of good and bad bearings are as described on pages 12 and 13.

Assembly
Ball thrust bearings of the open type may be a slip fit on the shaft or in the housing. Be sure to start the bearing square and straight. If cocked, the bearing may jam.
Fig. 5. Be sure parts Fig. 6. Wipe ends of tubing to are clean so race can be sure a metal chip or dirt isnt be pressed to a firm seat forced against the ball race. against shaft shoulder.

Ball thrust bearings of the open type may have one race tight on the shaft, or in the housing, or both. Press the individual races into place separately, see Figures 5 and 6, adding the ball separator as the assembly is completed. Never apply pressure through the complete bearing to seat a race, or use a hammer as in Figure 7. Brinelling or nicking of the ball path will be liable to result. Banded ball thrust bearings, where the races are inseparable and are tight either on the shaft or in the housing, should have one race slowly rotated while being pressed into position. On small assemblies, a drill press may be utilized as illustrated on page 17.

Disassembly
Slip fit ball thrust bearings are removable by hand pressure. To remove individual ball races present in housing or on shaft, use the various tools described, making sure that the jaws of the puller or edge of sleeves do not contact the ball path. Never exert or apply pressure on the band or shield of a bearing.
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Fig. 7. ii hammer applied to a hall thrust hearing like this is almost certain to cause serious damage. Dont do it. 14

ANTI-FBICTION BEARING MAINTENANCE

Assembling Ball Thrust Clutch Release Bearings on Carriers or Sleeves

In order to accomplish a satisfactory assembly and to prevent brinelling or nicking of the ball races, which cause a noisy bearing, the following mounting practice is recommended. 1. Do not wash a new bearing in solvents such as gasoline, kerosene or naphtha. These liquids will dilute the grease inside the bearings causing a premature failure. The rust preventative on the outside of the bearing may be removed by wiping with a clean rayon cloth, Squirt a few drops of oil on the bearing shoulder of the carrier or sleeve. Place bearing on clean drill press table with clutch finger face down. 7. 4. Start bearing carrier or sleeve into bore of bearing by hand, making sure of a square start. Shift the drill press into the lowest spindle speed available. Close chuck tight without drill. With the spindle turning, feed the chuck into bore of bearing carrier or sleeve, see View A, until bearing is completely seated, as shown in View B. If chuck diameter is too small or too large use a small shanked pilot clamped in the chuck and piloting the carrier or sleeve similar to one shown in View B. Pack recess of carrier or sleeve with a wheel bearing grease and then install in automobile.

5.

6.

2. 3.

-V/EW- A-

-V/EW-.B-

P#S/f,t-D /A70 m,Q a s 17 W/.L

BY /f/ND Lx. . A RO747/ffG

AS

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15

ANTI- FRICTION BEARlNG MAINTENANCE wheels, for example, may crack the spindle, cause shimmy, make the vehicle hard to steer and Bearing Fits and Adjustment front wear the tires. Follow Instructions Carefully.

Fits
Ball and roller bearings are usually installed with either the inner ring or the outer ring a tight fit. If the inner ring is a tight fit it means that the bore of the ring is slightly smaller than the shaft diameter and some force is needed to remove or replace it. If the outer ring is a press fit in the housing, as in a wheel hub bore, the outside diameter of the ring is slightly larger than the housing bore. This fit or interference usually amounts to a few ten-thousandths of an inch (. 0001) in the case of small bearings; to several thousandths in the case of large bearings. Certain bearings are applied with tight fits on both rings and some with a loose fit on both rings. If a shaft becomes scored and is polished down for that or some other reason and loses the necessary fit, dont try to roughen it by knurling or prickpunching the bearing seat. That will iron out quickly under load and the looseness will return. Rely on end retainment only until a new shaft can be obtained or the old shaft can be plated or metal sprayed oversize and ground back to proper diameter.

Bearing Lubrication
Use the right KIND of lubricant Keep it clean Dont use too much
Every piece of equipment is supplied with a Lubrication Chart which specifies the kind of grease or oil to be used, how often and how much. Follow instructions. Use only grease where grease is specified and oil where oil is specified. Be sure to use exactly the kind of lubricant the instructions call for. Store grease in clean containers. Handle grease with clean paddles or grease guns. Keep grease containers covered. Dont overfill. Grease or oil will ooze out of overfilled housings past seals and closures, collect dirt and cause trouble. Too much lubricant will also cause overheating. This is particularly true of bearings running at high speeds where the churning of the lubricant will cause the bearings to run excessively hot. Dont let any machine stand around for months without turning it over once in a while so that all surfaces of the bearings will be covered with lubricant. Oil tends to drain down off a standing bearing and moisture may condense in the housing and cause corrosion. Inspect seals and vents regularly.

Adjustment
Certain types of ball bearings and most so-called dual-purpose bearings with tapered or barrel shaped rollers require adjustment in assembly. Specific instructions covering bearing adjustment are given in Technical Manuals and Instruction Books covering each piece of equipment. If a bearing is set up too tight, it will heat up and fail. Loose bearings cause pounding which in

16

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GENERAL@ E L E C T R I C