Bearings are everywhere.
And most people don’t realize how much of an impact they have on daily life.
For example, when you get up in the morning and hop in the shower your vent fan and water heater contain bearings.
Then when you get in your car to drive to work (or get on the bus to get to work) bearings are in the steering, brakes, transmission, and more in the vehicle.
Without bearings you wouldn’t be able to enjoy hot water or your ride to work, among many other things.
Photo Credit: “American Muscle car” by Moyan Brenn is licensed under CC BY 2.0
WHAT ARE BEARINGS?
How do you explain it to your friends who aren’t in the industry? You can try telling them that if something twists, turns or moves, it probably contains bearings.
4 MOST COMMON TYPES OF BEARINGS & WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM
There are many bearing types that are each used for specific applications. The most common types of bearings are:
BALL BEARINGS
Can be found in fans, roller blades, wheel bearings, and under hood applications on cars etc.
CYLINDRICAL & NEEDLE ROLLER BEARINGS
Can be found in general machine applications including gearboxes and transmissions, machine tool and construction equipment.
TAPERED ROLLER BEARINGS
Can be found in manual transmissions, gearboxes, power generation and other process equipment.
SPHERICAL ROLLER BEARINGS
Can be found in gearboxes, conveyers, pulp and paper machines and other process equipment.
GET MORE BEARINGS IN YOUR LIFE
WHERE TO FIND BEARINGS IN YOUR HOUSE
- Electric tools, drill etc.
- PC
- DVD player
- Vent fan, electric fan
- Vacuum cleaner
- Washing machine
- Mixer
- Food processer
- Water heater
- Electric oven
Photo Credit: “Water Heater” by Brian Cantoni is licensed under CC BY 2.0
WHERE TO FIND BEARINGS IN YOUR CAR
There are more than 100 bearings in your car, here are some examples
- Steering
- Strut mount
- Engine
- Manual transmission
- Automatic transmission
- Wheel
- Air conditioner
- Clutch
- Seat
So the next time someone asks you about bearings, you can share examples from their daily life and help them understand the importance of this highly engineered and essential component.
What are your favorite bearing use examples to share with friends?
References