HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PILLOW BLOCK BEARINGS

Posted - October 6, 2016

A pillow block bearing, or a bearing housing or plummer block, is a pedestal that is used to prove support for a rotating shaft with compatible bearings. Pillow block bearings are actually housings that have a bearing fitted into them. They are usually mounted in cleaner environments and are not meant to bear higher loads. The main application is to mount bearings safely with a stationary outer ring and a rotating inner ring.

When choosing the right pillow block bearings , Louisiana shoppers would do well to look to BK Industrial Solutions. We supply mounted bearings that are durable and made of high quality materials so that you can be confident in their consistent performance.

When choosing between pillow block bearings, it is important to know whether you need ball bearings or roller bearings.

Ball Bearings

Ball bearings use a ball as the rolling element between the stationary ring and rotating ring. They provide a smooth, low friction movement in rotary applications. They are constructed of a housing, inner and outer rings, balls, and a ball separator.

Roller Bearings

Roller bearings have a roller as the rolling element. Like ball bearings, they provide smooth, low friction movement in rotary applications. They are generally constructed of a housing, inner and outer rings, rollers, and a cage or roller separator. There are three main types of roller bearings used for pillow blocks. The first is the tapered-roller bearing, which uses cone-shaped rollers, which run on conical conical races. They have a greater contact area than ball bearings, so they can carry higher loads. They also support both radial and axial loads.

Spherical-roller bearings are self-aligning, double-row, combination radial and thrust bearings. Their rolling element has a crowned or spherical shape. They have limited speed capabilities, but are well suited to for handling high loads or loads that require shock tolerance. Cylindrical-roller bearings are bearings with high radial capacities and moderate thrust loads. They can be crowned or end-relieved for reduced-stress concentrations. The produce low friction and allow for high speeds.

Choosing the Right Bearing

When choosing which type of pillow block bearing you need to use, it is important to understand the necessary load capacity and speed. Knowing these things can help to ensure you are using the right bearing for your application. At BK Industrial Solutions, we provide high quality pillow block bearings in the ball and roller bearing varieties. We want to work with you to provide solutions to your needs.