Where Are Large Bearings Applied in Mechanical Equipment?

In mining equipment, large bearings are core components that support heavy loads and withstand extreme working conditions such as shock, vibration, dust and high humidity. Their reliability and durability directly affect the production efficiency and maintenance costs of the equipment. The following are the application scenarios, technical features and key points for selection of large bearings in mining equipment:

                   Rotor Shaft                                                 Spline Shaft                                                         Power Shaft

Typical Application Scenarios

1.Crushing equipment

• Application parts: Main shafts, eccentric sleeves, and moving cone assemblies of jaw crushers and cone crushers.

• Load characteristics: It is capable of withstanding high-frequency impact loads and radial/axial combined forces, and requires high-rigidity bearings (such as self-aligning roller bearings and tapered roller bearings).

2.Grinding equipment (ball mill, rod mill)

• Application parts: Support bearings at both ends of the cylinder (sliding shoe bearings or large rolling bearings).

• Load characteristics: Low-speed heavy load (up to hundreds of tons), with a design that is wear-resistant and resistant to fretting corrosion

3.Conveying equipment

• Application parts: Rollers of belt conveyors, head wheels/tail wheels of bucket elevators.

• Load characteristics: Radial load under continuous operation, requiring sealing and dust-proofing (such as deep groove ball bearings with sealing rings or CARB bearings).

4.Excavation and loading equipment

• Application parts: Slewing bearings of excavators, wheels of loaders.

• Load characteristics: Multi-directional dynamic load, requiring high-precision crossed roller bearings or three-row cylindrical roller bearings.

5.Screening equipment

• Application part: Bearing housing of vibrating screen.

• Load characteristics: High-frequency vibration working condition, anti-vibration design is required (such as reinforced cylindrical roller bearings + special lubrication).

Technicalcharacteristics and requirements

1.Materials and Heat Treatment

• High-purity chromium steel (such as GCr15SiMn) or carburized steel (such as SAE 8620) is adopted, and the hardness and toughness are improved through deep quenching.

• Some working conditions require surface galvanizing or phosphating treatment to resist corrosion.

2.Sealing and Lubrication

• Sealing: Multi-lip sealing, labyrinth sealing or composite sealing to prevent dust and muddy water from entering.

• Lubrication: High-temperature grease (such as lithium-based grease) or centralized automatic lubrication systems. Solid lubricants can be selected in harsh environments.

3.Special design

• Reinforced cage: Copper alloy or polymer cage to prevent impact fracture.

• Large clearance design: Adaptable to thermal expansion and shaft deformation (such as C3/C4 clearance grades).

• Integrated bearing unit: Simplifies installation (such as self-aligning bearings with housings).

Key points for selection and maintenance

1.Key parameters for selection

• Dynamic/static load coefficient (the impact coefficient of mining equipment needs to be taken into account).

• Maximum speed (the actual speed should have a 20% margin).

• Ambient temperature (High-temperature working conditions require heat-resistant steel or special lubrication).

2.Common failure modes

• Fatigue spalling (overloading or insufficient lubrication).

• Seal failure (dust intrusion causing wear).

• The cage is broken (due to vibration or improper installation).

3.Maintenance suggestions

• Regularly monitor vibration and temperature (install sensors).

• The lubrication cycle is shortened by 30% to 50% according to the working conditions (compared with the standard working conditions).

• When storing spare bearings in stock, pay attention to rust prevention (vacuum packaging).

Therefore, large bearings for mining equipment need to balance load-bearing capacity, environmental adaptability and maintenance convenience. With the development of intelligence, bearings with condition monitoring functions (such as built-in sensors) are becoming a trend, which can warn of faults in advance and reduce unplanned downtime. When selecting the model, it is recommended to combine the OEM requirements of the equipment with the actual working conditions, and give priority to the matching of the sealing and lubrication schemes.