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P oly mer cages

Polymer cages
Polyamide 66
For the majority of injection moulded cages, polyamide 66 (PA66) is used. This
material, with or without glass reinforcement, is characterized by a favourable
combination of strength and elasticity. The mechanical properties like strength
and elasticity of polymer materials are temperature dependent and subject to
ageing. The most important factors that play a role in the ageing process are
temperature, time and the medium (lubricant) to which the polymer is exposed.
Diagram 1 shows the relationship between these factors for glass fibre
reinforced PA66. It shows that cage life decreases with increasing temperature
and the aggressiveness of the lubricant.
Therefore, whether polyamide cages are suitable for a specific application
depends on the operating conditions and life requirements. The classification of
lubricants into aggressive and mild is reflected by the permissible operating
temperature for cages made of glass fibre reinforced PA66 with various
lubricants
table 1. The permissible operating temperature in
table 1 is
defined as the temperature that provides a cage ageing life of at least 10 000
operating hours.
Some media are even more aggressive than those provided in
table 1. A
typical example is ammonia, used as a refrigerant in compressors. In those
cases, cages made of glass fibre reinforced PA66 should not be used at
operating temperatures above 70 C (160 F).
Polyamide also has a low temperature limit because it loses its elasticity, which
can cause cage failures under extremely cold conditions. As a result, cages
made of glass fibre reinforced PA66 should not be used in applications where
the continuous operating temperature is below 40 C (40 F).
In applications where a high degree of toughness is a critical operational
parameter, such as in railway axleboxes, a super-tough modified PA66 can be
used. For additional information, contact the SKF application engineering
service.

Polyamide 46
Glass fibre reinforced polyamide 46 (PA46) is the standard cage material for
some small and medium-size C ARB toroidal roller bearings. The permissible
operating temperature is 15 C (25 F) higher than for glass fibre reinforced
PA66.

Polyetheretherketone
Glass glass fibre reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is popular for
demanding applications where there are either high speeds or high
temperatures or a need for chemical resistance. The exceptional properties of
PEEK provide a superior combination of strength and flexibility, high operating
temperature range, high chemical and wear-resistance and good processability.
Due to these outstanding features, PEEK cages are available as standard for
some ball and cylindrical roller bearings, such as hybrid and/or super-precision
bearings. The maximum temperature for high-speed use is limited to 150 C
(300 F) as this is the softening temperature of the polymer. The material does
not show signs of ageing by temperature or oil additives up to 200 C (390 F).