> On May 26, 2015, at 1:19 PM, Knapp <magick.crow@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> http://www.gizmag.com/greaseless-ball-bearings-coo-space-adb/37689/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=4d90a4aff4-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-4d90a4aff4-91005001
>
> Is this as good as it looks? Do you think the groves would make it more prone to failure? Seems like a revolutionary product to me but I am not an engineer.

At best, it’s a modest improvement in bearing construction; it’s more complicated to manufacture than normal bearings due to the asymmetry of the race. (A regular race can be made on a lathe, this requires milling; always more complicated.)

I’d want to see some lifespan comparisons of these versus normal bearings.

The comments by ‘splatticus’ in the thread linked seem pretty germane to me in that the friction in a bearing due to the cage is vastly lower than the friction caused by the load. inserting a ‘bump’ in the bearing will cause an irregularity on the shaft, possibly hastening failure.

--
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group

Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs