論文ID: 17-00009
The rolling elements used in ball bearings are typically high-carbon chromium steel balls, although silicon nitride ceramic balls are also occasionally employed. Research on the use of ceramic balls in ball bearings has been conducted since 1980, but only silicon nitride is presently used since its strength and durability matches those of steel balls. In the motors of home electrical appliances, it grows popular that electrical damage to bearing, such as electrical pitting, is a cause for failure. Utilizing ceramic balls is known to be an effective countermeasure, but is rarely employed due to their high cost. However, since the bearing load on ball bearings used in the motors of home electric appliances is small, strength comparable to that of silicon nitride may not be necessary. In this study, the performance of a ball bearing (608) containing zirconia balls is experimentally evaluated under light load conditions (~20% of the basic dynamic load rating). The obtained data indicate that the bearing performance is acceptable under such conditions.
