NKE Austria develops hybrid bearings
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/ueditor/php/upload/image/20210802/1627891038102876.jpg" title="1627891038102876.jpg" alt="4.jpg"/></p><p>Bearing manufacturer NKE Austria GmbH has developed hybrid bearings for industrial applications in challenging environmental conditions.</p><p><br/></p><p>NKE hybrid bearings consist of ultrapure steel bearing rings and ceramic rolling elements made of bearing grade silicon nitride Si3N4.</p><p><br/></p><p>¡°At first glance, this material pairing is highly unusual, but it offers many advantages in an enormous range of applications, which significantly increases the reliability of the overall system,¡± said Michael R?ssl, Application Engineer, NKE Austria.</p><p><br/></p><p>The silicon nitride rolling elements are 60 per cent lighter than those made from steel and are suitable for high rotating speeds.</p><p><br/></p><p>¡°Consequently, NKE hybrid bearings can reach limit speeds that are over 20 percent higher than conventional standard bearings,¡± said R?ssl. ¡°Even at these very high and demanding speeds, NKE hybrid bearings demonstrate excellent performance characteristics and minimal running noise. There are therefore particularly well suited for use in high-speed electric motors.¡±</p><p><br/></p><p>Typical applications for hybrid bearings include electric motors (AC/DC), wind turbine generators, high speed applications or traction motors for railway vehicles.</p><p><br/></p><p>¡°In fact, hybrid bearings with ceramic rolling elements are primarily designed for applications in which maximum electrical isolation is required and/or high speeds are involved. Hybrid bearings offer maximum isolation protection because the ceramic rolling elements themselves have an electrically insulating effect and thus prevent a corresponding passage of current,¡± said R?ssl. ¡°The use of frequency inverters often causes electrical damage to the bearing. With lower currents, a bearing with an electrically insulating coating among other measures can help to alleviate this. But only a hybrid bearing offers optimum protection against very high currents.¡±</p><p><br/></p>
02 Aug,2021