Ceramic bearings are being seen on bicycles and various other hobby equipment, such as fishing reels, slot cars, and roller blade wheels. Ceramic bearings can be found in many sizes of bicycle cartridge bearings. The cartridge bearings generally use steel internal and external races, with ceramic bearings between. Ceramic bearings can be purchased as loose ball bearings .
The ceramic bearing has found uses in professional applications where there is huge speed, high load, and, consequently, temperature. Bicycle riding simply does not lead to high load, swiftness or temperature. A bike going at 80 kilometers each hour (about 50 mph), will have hubs that rotate about 11 revolutions per second. An engine crank shaft, however, risk turning at over 100 revolutions per second.
The standard of bearing can be defined by various ratings, including the rating of ball roundness. A top quality steel ball bearing is definitely consider grade 25. The grade amount identifies the tolerance per millionth of an “. A quality 25 is exact to 25/1,000,000 of an in .. Less costly ball bearings could be grade 300, which are significantly less circular, at 300/1,000,000 of an inches. Ceramic bearings could be grade 5, that is a rounder ball bearing. The need for Steel Ball Bearings roundness, however, should not be overrated, as the bearing areas the balls run on are unlikely to always be as accurate as the standard of the ball bearing. The ball bearing is normally not the “weak website link” in the machine.
Another facet of the bearing is the property of the materials. There is a score for hardness known as the Rockwell scale. Steel uses what is called the Rockwell C scale, and ball bearings happen to be of training course hard. This hardness permits them to rotate and not don, at least for some time. The bearings floors of the hub cone and glass routinely have a Rockwell C score of 55 to 60. A metal ball bearing is likely to be over a Rockwell C of 60. A ceramic ball bearings can be a Rockwell C of 75, much harder than the steel races. This should provide good put on features for the whole bearing system, not only the ball bearing itself.
The top finish of a bearing is also important. Ceramic bearings are not necessarily smoother than steel balls. In the photograph below, a Grade 25 metal bearing is magnified 200 times . Grind marks are apparent. In the next image, a ceramic bearing also show grind marks .
The ceramic material found in a ball is constructed of a grain structure, similar to a steel ball bearing . An important property of any material is “stiffness.” That is a way of measuring how it deflects under pressure or load, and the rating of this property is named the “Modulus of Elasticity.” A metal bearing will be conceivably 30,000,000 pounds per square in .. Ceramic bearings created from silicon nitride can possess a Modulus of Elasticity of 47,000,000 pounds per square inches. This extra stiffness means the balls will deflect a smaller amount under load and this will transfer strength better, proving a (little) savings. As the ceramic ball is approximately one-half the weight of a steel ball the same size, it’s the stiffness that is important in their performance.
It conditions of service, there is no particular procedure or process. Bearing can be cleaned and lubricated as normal. Loose ball bearings happen to be installed and adjusted much like steel balls. Install bearings and completely cover with grease.
With cartridge bearings, it’s possible lift the seal and check the grease. Remove the spindle or axle initially. For many cartridge bottom level bracket bearings, it’s important to carefully take away the a plastic material shield over the bearing. Use a seal pick to lift the rubber seal from the interior edge . Wipe the bearing clean with a rag and then put grease. Press seal into place.
Build a Simple but Entertaining Magnetic Gauss Gun a.k.a. Magnetic Rail Gun

The 3 items you will need are Cylinder Neodymium Magnets, Steel Balls and PVC Conduit for the path of the gun.