Ceramic bearings are being seen about bicycles and different hobby equipment, such as for example fishing reels, slot cars, and roller blade wheels. Ceramic bearings can be purchased in many sizes of bicycle cartridge bearings. The cartridge bearings generally use steel interior and external races, with ceramic bearings between. Ceramic bearings can also be acquired as loose ball bearings .
The ceramic bearing has found uses in commercial applications where there is huge speed, large load, and, consequently, temperature. Bicycle riding easily does not cause high load, acceleration or temperature. A bike moving at 80 kilometers per hour (about 50 mph), will have hubs that rotate about 11 revolutions per second. An engine crank shaft, however, may turn at over 100 revolutions per second.
The standard of bearing can be defined by various ratings, such as the rating of ball roundness. A top quality steel ball bearing is consider grade 25. The grade quantity refers to the tolerance per millionth of an in .. A quality 25 is accurate to 25/1,000,000 of an inches. Less costly ball bearings may be grade 300, which are a lesser amount of round, at 300/1,000,000 of an in .. Ceramic bearings could be grade 5, that is a rounder ball bearing. The importance of roundness, however, should not be overrated, as the bearing surfaces the balls operate on will be unlikely to always be as accurate as the standard of the ball bearing. The ball bearing is typically not the “weak link” in the system.
Another aspect of the bearing is the property of the materials. There is a rating for hardness known as the Rockwell scale. Steel uses what’s referred to as the Rockwell C scale, and ball bearings will be of lessons hard. This hardness permits them to rotate rather than dress in, at least for a while. The bearings areas of the hub cone and glass routinely have a Rockwell C score of 55 to 60. A steel ball bearing is likely to be over a Rockwell C of 60. A ceramic ball bearings could be a Rockwell C of 75, much harder compared to the steel races. This 
will provide good dress in features for the entire bearing system, not simply the ball bearing itself.
The top finish of a bearing can be important. Ceramic bearings aren’t necessarily smoother than metal balls. In the impression below, a Grade 25 metal bearing is magnified 200 occasions . Grind marks are apparent. In the next photo, a ceramic bearing also show grind marks .
The ceramic material used in a ball is made from a grain structure, similar to a steel ball bearing . A significant property of any materials is “stiffness.” That is a way of measuring how it deflects under stress or load, and the ranking of this property is called the “Modulus of Elasticity.” A metal bearing will be most likely 30,000,000 pounds per square “. Ceramic bearings made from silicon Steel Ball Bearings nitride can possess a Modulus of Elasticity of 47,000,000 pounds per square “. This extra stiffness means the balls will deflect a smaller amount under load which will transfer strength better, proving a (tiny) savings. While the ceramic ball is about one-half the fat of a metal ball the same size, it is the stiffness that’s important in their performance.
It conditions of service, there is no exceptional procedure or process. Bearing can be cleaned and lubricated as usual. Loose ball bearings happen to be installed and adjusted much like steel balls. Install bearings and totally cover with grease.
With cartridge bearings, it is possible lift the seal and check the grease. Take away the spindle or axle first. For many cartridge bottom bracket bearings, it is necessary to carefully remove the a plastic-type shield over the bearing. Use a seal opt for to lift the rubber seal from the inner edge . Wipe the bearing clean with a rag and put grease. Press seal into place.
Build a Simple but Fun Magnetic Gauss Gun a.k.a. Magnetic Rail Gun
The 3 items you will need are Cylinder Neodymium Magnets, Metal Balls and PVC Conduit for the road of the gun.