definition of bearing

[20 20]

This is probably a stupid question, but I just want to see what others opinions are. How would you describe a bearing? How would you describe a sealed bearing?

reason for the question; I'm ticked of at a stove company that claims there electric motor comes with a sealed bearing. The motor is for a blower fan{pushing air into duct}, it has died after about 12 +or- mths actual running time over a couple of years. I like the stove but this motor has been a pain from the getgo. Thanks for your answers and the rant.

 

[Just Bill]

Hello
Bearings support, align, and reduce friction.
Sealed = not serviceable

 

[turbo36]

Hello
Bearings support, align, and reduce friction.
Sealed = not serviceable

Sealed = Having "seals", usually plastic or rubber, that hold out contaminants and hold in lubricant.

 

[framer]

I agree with Turbo there are sealed and unsealed bearings.I Replaced all the
unsealed bears on both band saws because of a few bearings allowed dirt
and dust in.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

All manufacturers can tell you the MTBF of their bearings. Of course, the longer the better, but also more $. If the vendor won't tell you or doesn't know, find another vendor.

That said, motor bearings are sometimes engineered to operate in one axis, i.e., vertical, and the motor may be installed on a different axis resulting in a shorter bearing life (I probably didn't say that clearly, but maybe someone more knowledgeable will help us out).

 

[20 20]

Thanks folks, for the answers, I was afraid I was losing more of my mind. The motor I'm working on has the shaft just sitting in a metal cup. The company is trying to tell me that is a sealed bearing. There are no seals nor lubricant, and the shaft & cup are scored terrible. They want me to send $220.00 for the same setup The setup does run horizontal which probably adds more stress to the fittings.

Farmer; I blew the seals on my sawmill, so now every time I use it they get a couple of pumps of grease. Knock on wood, they have held up for 3+yrs now.

 

[Sweden-Art]

That said, motor bearings are sometimes engineered to operate in one axis, i.e., vertical, and the motor may be installed on a different axis resulting in a shorter bearing life (I probably didn't say that clearly, but maybe someone more knowledgeable will help us out).

You are correct. There is a lot of different bearings for different kind of loads. Bearing that will handle both axial and radial load, for a shaft with straight cut gear maybe a roller or a ball bearing designed to handle just radial force is enough. A tapered roller bearing can be the choice for helix geared shaft were you got both radial and axial forces.

 

[Egon]

HowStuffWorks "How Bearings Work"

Some bearing information.

That said, motor bearings are sometimes engineered to operate in one axis, i.e., vertical, and the motor may be installed on a different axis resulting in a shorter bearing life

Thrust bearing.

 

[20 20]

Thanks again folks, it seems I along with you all were/are correct.

The company called after I sent them pictures. They said "Sir you are completely 100% correct, that motor does not have sealed bearings", me "NO KIDDING!!" Well by me standing up for what I thought was right, and being able to show facts{picutres and explanation}. They are sending me a warrantied motor with bearings free of charge. They also found out that at sometime their motor supplier swaped parts and went to a cheapo piece of junk. So in the long run I may have saved someone else a huge headache, sure hope so. Just wanted to share what happened, thanks again for the post

 

[pat32rf]

When-ever I see something with bearings that are "SEALED FOR LIFE" I get nervous. To me this does not mean that they will last longer, merely that there is nothing you can do to prolong their life, or have any advance warning that they are going to fail.
The tracks on my bike have sealed bearings. They were fine for three years, then I had two fail in one winter. Both times the track assembly fell off leaving me stranded. That spring I replaced them all $$%$ as you have to dismantle the whole unit to check them. There is no way to tell if they have 2weeks of life left or two years.