Ceramic Ball Bearings Vs Steel

Cost of purchase for ceramic and steel bearings.

Ceramic ball bearings vs steel.

With a high quality ceramic probably lasting longer than a basic steel one think of how often you enter a major race or gran fondo with brand new bearings. Stainless steel bearings win the prize for load and speed ratings. Frictional differences between a high quality steel ball and a ceramic is a 10 15 improvement at best. Stainless steel bearings and full ceramic bearings are both corrosion resistant but the ceramic bearings have greater corrosion resistance.

Steel bearings are commodity items that are composed of hardened steel balls and a steel inner and outer race. The ceramic balls when manufactured by a top quality bearing manufacturer are rounder lighter and smoother than steel balls. This reduces friction by up to 40 as well as energy loss allowing your equipment to run more efficiently with ceramic ball bearings. Ceramic hybrid bearings use silicon nitride as it is the hardest and frequently used.

Ceramic bearings are in actual fact hybrid. Ceramic bearings vs steel bearings ceramic materials offer superior corrosion and heat resistance higher dimensional stability and lower density which facilitates high speed. Silicon nitride zirconium dioxide and silicon carbide are the materials used in the manufacture of ceramic ball bearings. Once you have a considerable amount of mileage on a bearing set it is safe to think that the high quality bearing runs close to how you bought it and a basic bearing is closer to the end of it s life span.

Ceramic bearings vs steel bearings advanced ceramic manufacturer. Of the different components of a bearing races cages seals grease friction from the actual ball bearings is only about 3. They use ceramic balls and usually a steel inner and outer race. The ceramic balls are often silicon nitride or equivalent.