The latest updates in software for bearing design.

Reliability and maintenance engineers can improve uptime and save money on both long-term maintenance and downtime costs by properly diagnosing and correcting bearing vibration issues when they exceed their acceptable limits. This requires inspecting the housing as well as the liner for wear, and replacing them as a pair when the housing is worn, so that wear-in between the mating surfaces can occur.

In case you missed them, following are three recent blog postings by our popular PTE bearings blogger - Norm Parker. We also felt that, should you not be a blog follower, this would be a good way to introduce you to Norm's bearings wisdom. Parker is currently the global senior specialist/roller bearings at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).

This issue's focus on bearings includes a number of important and informative articles about one of the most key components in any machine design.

The SKF Generalized Bearing Life Model is (GBLM) an innovative new bearing rating life model that is designed to help engineers calculate bearing rating life in a more realistic manner. The new model is a major step forward for the industry and will play an important role in enabling OEMs and end users to better match bearings and applications, resulting in improved machine life and reduced operating costs.

Design engineers across industries rely on pillow block bearings for a variety of tough and unconventional applications. Having access to data that backs housing strength performance claims is an integral part of choosing the right bearing to keep operations running optimally. What design considerations must be made when the application demands a pillow block installation on a non-horizontal orientation? What happens when bearing load is not applied through the base of the unit? Timken answers these questions with physical testing, advanced modeling and real-world experience to facilitate the selection of pillow block bearings for specific applications.

America suffers $4.4 billion in losses due to earthquakes every year. While that's a drop in the bucket for our $16 trillion plus GDP, it's still a substantial amount of money, and some people are working to lessen those losses. One group is Earthquake Protection Systems (EPS), a company that is designing bearings to better protect buildings from earthquake damage.

A Chicago-area bakery was replacing the tray support bearings in its ovens on a reactionary basis. Their weekly inspection cycle was resulting in two mechanics spending an average of 20 labor hours per week to replace failed bearings. The premature bearing failures were caused by a combination of the high heat and humidity in the ovens, resulting in lubrication failure and contamination. When BDI was asked to recommend a solution, the bakery was averaging one month of bearing life in this application.

The average travel time to work in the United States is 25.4 minutes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This number is probably low if you factor in a traffic accident in New York City, light rain in Chicago or it's simply Tuesday in Los Angeles. It's safe to say 25.4 turns into 45 minutes in many areas of the country at seven o'clock in the morning.