Bearings

A bearing is a component used to reduce friction in a machine. Bearings may be classified broadly according to the motions they allow and according to their principle of operation. There are at least six common bearing types: sliding bearings, usually called "bushings", "journal bearings", or "plain bearings"; rolling-element bearings such as ball and roller bearings; jewel bearings, in which the load is carried by rolling the axle slightly off-center; fluid bearings, in which the load is carried by a gas or liquid; magnetic bearings, in which the load is carried by a magnetic field; and flexure bearings, in which the motion is provided by a load element which bends.

Bearing

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Bearings by Brand
  Universal Bearings
  AC Delco
  AGCO White
  Allis Chalmers
  Arctic Cat
  Ariens
  AYP
  Azusa
  Bad Boy
  Baja Motor Sports
  Billy Goat
  Black & Decker
  Bluebird
  Bobcat
  Bolens
  Bombardier
  Bosch
  Brave
  Briggs and Stratton
  Bunton
  Bobcat
  Campbell Hausfeld
  Can-Am
  Case
  Castle Garden
  Caterpillar
  Clark
  Classen
  Club Car
  Columbia
  Comet
  Country Clipper
  Craftsman
  Cub Cadet
  Cushman
  Dixie Chopper
  Dixon
  Dolmar
  DR Power
  Earthquake
  ECHO
  Encore
  Everride
  Evinrude
  Exmark
  EZ-Go
  Ferris
  Ford
  Frigidaire
  GE
  Generac
  Gilson
  Grasshopper
  Gravely
  Great Dane
  Greenfield
  Hayter
  Hoffco
  Homelite
  Honda
  Huskee
  Husqvarna
  Hustler
  Hy-Capacity
  Hydro Gear
  ICS
  Ingersoll Rand
  Jacobsen
  JLG
  John Deere
  Johnson
  Jonsered
  JRCO
  K & S Trim-All
  Kawasaki
  Kees
  King-O-Lawn
  Kohler
  Kubota
  Lastec
  Lawn-Boy
  Lesco
  LG
  Makita
  Manco
  Mariner
  Martin Wheel
  Massey Ferguson
  Maxim
  McCulloch
  Mclane
  Mercury
  Mopar
  Mosmatic
  Motorcraft
  MTD
  Murray
  New Holland
  Noma
  Northstar
  Nortrac
  Oliver
  Onan
  Oregon
  Peerless Transmission
  Polaris
  Porter Cable
  Poulan
  Power King
  Powerhorse
  PowerMate Formerly Coleman
  Raisman
  Red Max
  Robin Subaru
  Ryan
  Ryobi
  Scag
  Sears Craftsman
  Simplicity
  SKF
  Ski-Doo
  Skyjack
  Snapper
  Steiner
  Stiga
  Stihl
  Suzuki
  Swisher
  Taylor-Dunn
  Tecumseh
  Toro
  Trail Mate
  Troy Bilt
  Velke
  Vermeer
  Viking
  Wacker
  Walker
  Weed Eater
  Wheel Horse
  Whirlpool
  White Outdoors
  Wisconsin
  Woods
  Worldlawn
  Wright MFG
  Yamaha
  Yanmar
  Yard Machines
  Yardman
  Yazoo Kees

Common motions include linear and rotary. A linear bearing allows motion along a straight line, for example a drawer being pulled out and pushed in. A rotary bearing allows motion about a center, such as a wheel on a shaft or a shaft through a housing. Common kinds of rotary motion include both one-direction rotation and oscillation where the motion only goes through part of a revolution.

History of Bearings:

An early type of linear bearing was an arrangement of tree trunks laid down under sleds. This technology is known to date at least as far back as the construction of the Pyramids of Giza. Modern linear bearings use a similar principle, sometimes with balls in place of rollers.

The first plain and rolling-element bearings were wood, but ceramic or glass can be used, and steel, other metals, and plastic are all common today.

Rotary bearings are required for many applications, from heavy-duty use in vehicle axles and machine shafts, to precision clock parts. The simplest rotary bearing is the sleeve bearing, which is just a cylinder inserted between the wheel and its axle. This was followed by the roller bearing, in which the sleeve was replaced by a number of cylindrical rollers. Each roller behaves as an individual wheel. The first practical caged-roller bearing was invented by horologist John Harrison in his H3 chronometer of 1760.

An early example of a wooden ball bearing (see rolling-element bearing), supporting a rotating table, was retrieved from the remains of a Roman ship in Lake Nemi, Italy. The wreck was dated to 40 BC. Leonardo da Vinci is said to have described a type of ball bearing around the year 1500. One of the issues with ball bearings is that they can rub against each other, causing additional friction, but this can be prevented by enclosing the balls in a cage. The captured, or caged, ball bearing was originally described by Galileo in the 1600s. The mounting of bearings into a set was not accomplished for many years after that. The first patent for a ball race was by Philip Vaughan of Carmarthen in 1794. The modern, self-aligning design of ball bearing is attributed to Sven Wingquist of the SKF ball-bearing manufacturer in 1907.

Additional information and source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearing_(mechanical)