Ceramic Vs Steel Bearings

Stainless steel bearings win the prize for load and speed ratings.

Ceramic vs steel bearings.

Cost of purchase for ceramic and steel bearings. Full ceramic bearings have races and balls that are made entirely of ceramic material and are superior to common steel bearings in many ways. The first thing that strikes the eye when looking at bicycle bearings is the difference in price between steel bearings and hybrid ceramic bearings. Ceramic bearings vs steel.

Five different parts go into building skateboard bearings and longboard bearings. Things don t slide or roll. I know that there has been a debate between steel and ceramic bearings for a while but i have wondered how it effects the esk8 world as well. Initially the enduro bearing has lower friction at around 600km of use the ceramic bearing has worn a track into the comparatively soft steel races and the bearing friction starts to increase dramatically.

If solid ceramic they re lighter than stainless steel by as much as 60. The wear rate of ceramic ball bearings is significantly less than stainless steel especially when lubricated. Most sealed ceramic bearings are actually hybrid ceramic bearings which combine a steel race with ceramic ball bearings. The different elements balls retainers and closures can change a bit.

Stainless steel bearings and full ceramic bearings are both corrosion resistant but the ceramic bearings have greater corrosion resistance. The concept behind a bearing is simple. Can be solid or a coating on stainless steel balls. They will both also cope with higher temperatures than chrome steel but ceramic bearings also win here.

The graph below shows a comparison between two steel bearings skf and ntn and a ceramic bearing enduro. Ceramic bearings vs steel bearings ceramic materials offer superior corrosion and heat resistance higher dimensional stability and lower density which facilitates high speed. July 19 2016 1 11am 1. A ceramic bearing is also harder than steel bearings up to 30 which improves durability and they also don t rust so less maintenance should be required.

Ceramic is the perfect material for any application seeking to achieve higher rpm s reduce overall weight or for extremely harsh environments where high temperatures and corrosive substances are present.